Swift River but you're gonna need a bullet proof soul

Reccomended listening. || May 28th, Early morning, Broken Clouds, 55.4 ° F, 13 ° C

I know the end before the story's been told

The only way to describe how she felt was lost. She had weaved through the forests and crossed a few rivers, never finding sight or smell of him. The image of a deceased Wraith burned into the back of her mind. Her heart felt heavy in her chest at the thought that perhaps he had met the same fate.

She felt woozy as the sound of the river beckoned her forth. The leader hesitantly moved forward towards the edge of the water and by the time she reached the river's edge she was on her stomach. Carefully she laid her head on the ground. Somehow her heartbeat felt too fast and too slow all at once. She tried to focus on something else for a moment. Brown eyes deepened with a tiredness as she watched the river flow right past her.

Had she asked too much of him? Had she burdened him with too much responsibility?

If she could, she would lay here and wither away into the earth but she had two sons back home and still a whole clutch of members. Soon she would have to get up and go home for it was not fair to keep them waiting.

# C W T

He’d gone a little too far north. Perhaps farther than he should have, but finding something to bring back for his family was his first priority. The shadow at started a small hidden cache at the base of the mountain—well hidden from the increase of mangy mutts that cluttered the Lore—and he intended to add to it before returning to the heights. Unfortunately, as he continued to track north, he’d left the familiar territory of the willows behind. It had been quite some time since he had last visited the grove but the territory remained somewhat familiar to him. What he had not been expecting, however, was the scent that quickened his pace. His silver eyes narrowed—why did she not carry the same scent as his older sister? Weren’t they supposed to be close? But there was something else familiar about her scent… something that reminded Greer of home… his nose quivered, the corners of his mouth twitching. She’d given birth recently… but why was she so far from home?

As the familiar pale shape came into view Greer padded forward, his dark expression soft as he woofed a low greeting. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had seen her… last spring, maybe? But what was she doing here…?

Her brown eyes landed on the shadow form and her heart clutched in her chest. She would have uttered Skoll's name but there were no scars and she would have dared to utter Wraith's name but the eyes were missing that burst of color. Her brain briefly rattled before she remembered who it was.

Ah, yes. Greer.

It had been a while. She pushed herself to stand and offered a small whuff in return. "Greer." His name spoken with a soft fondness — or at least as much fondness as the worn down mother could muster. He was a friendly face and while she had not been expecting to run into him, it was nice to see someone familiar rather than a stranger.

# C W T

Something seemed off but he remained quiet, as usual, approaching with slow, cautious steps instead. His chin tilted to one side as he studied her, his tail swaying from side to side as she greeted him. It was nice to see a familiar face from his past whose lips did not wrinkle as they spoke his name. Especially one he had not expected to see this far south—or at all. But there was something sad about her pale features; something that worried that dark Archer. A small frown creased his dark features despite his smooth expression. Here? He blinked slowly before a second word dropped from his tongue: Where? The scent of the monadnock no longer clung to her fur; it had been replaced with the scents of others. Scents he did not recognize. What happened to the pack in the north? He knew his sister no longer led, as she had returned to Torbine briefly before making a reappearance in the Lore... as far as he knew Whitestone still stood in the lowlands... or had something happened in the absence of Archers?

She almost forgot about his short conversational skills, not that they bothered her. If anything she was used to them with the way Cyril had clammed up after his father's passing.

His questions only reminded her of everything that had passed over the last few months. That the Archers (exclude Odin) had not been present for the fall of the north and the shaky rebuilding on the mountain. How strange to think that she could never shake that family from her life, but perhaps it was for the best.

I'm looking for Lorcan. Oh, she should have started before that. Wraith passed and Whitestone is no more. I have a pack set up on the mountain now. Now perhaps she could catch him up a bit more on what she was doing here. Lorcan was leading with me but he's gone missing. I don't know what happened. It was certainly a heavy information dump but she got used to it, catching up the past with the whirlwind she had entered.

# C W T

Lorcán. It was another familiar name—but why was the pale female looking for him? His nose wrinkled. The tawny healer had still been a member of Whitestone when Greer had left… had something happened between him and the scarred female? He knew that his sister no longer led; maybe Peity had taken her place?

Or not.

Her words had come as a surprise, his bottom jaw falling slack as she announced Wraith’s passing. But what shocked him the most was the disbandment of the pack in the north. He would have stayed there if it hadn’t been for Morganna’s gentle encouragement to seek Kyna out. He also would have brought his scarlet mate to the north if she hadn’t been so fond of the mountains. Fortunately he had grown fond of them, too.

She mentioned that Lorcán had led beside her before he disappearing A frown traced his stoic features at the news; a rare display of empathy. Not seen, he admitted with a slump of his shoulders. Where mountain? It was possible that the healer had ended up on the other side of the mountain, although it appeared all the former Whitestone wolves had made a home on the west… if not on the mountain range.

You realize that two coyotes have been following you.