After two parties split down the mountain to visit their neighbors in search of their missing daughter, the Cove was blessed to start the year with a win: Kateri's (mostly) safe return. Aquene quickly came to her daughter's aid, tending her injured leg while still seeing to the wounds sustained by Nash, Chan, and Flair in their fight with the invading cougar the previous month.

The first half of the year seemed to bring many blessings among several goodbyes. Dead Empress Backwater proposed a pup exchange, sending their children up the mountain for an extended visit and hosting the Cove's children the following weeks. Having turned leadership back over to Al, Chan said his farewells and departed from the Cove with Flair, off to seek the sea. Jethro and Siyet soon followed suit, setting out to start their own pack.

Oksana greeted the year with a new romance and it wasn't long before Aleister asked her to lead beside him. The rest of the Cove wolves were happy to step aside and allow her to ascend ranks, quickly accepting her as their queen.

Spring turned to summer and their good luck seemed to have run out as a drought rolled into Relic Lore. While the Cove was fortunate enough to have the lake as a stable water source, they were not immune to the misfortune brought on by the drought. Nash and Aquene welcomed their first litter, blessed with Matos, Magg, and Monatalia, only to lose Kateri soon after when she left the Cove without a word. Oksana and Aleister welcomed their own litter of four: Galen, Diantha, Star, and Feyre.

It wasn't long after the children emerged from the den that yet another disaster struck. Aleister ran afoul of a cougar invading their territory and in a bitter fight to drive the cat off was mortally wounded. Aquene and Oksana tended dutifully to him, but the Cove's founding leader succumbed to his wounds and passed away. The grief of his loss struck everyone terribly, especially his mate and oldest children.

Leo and Stella volunteered to travel to the Backwater to share the news of Al's passing with their neighbors and found their half-sister there. Kateri returned with them to pay respects to her father's memory but chose not to stay.

Oksana visited Fool's Gold Chasm to tell Woya of her cousin's passing herself before returning home to ask Nash to co-lead with her. Though nervous at first, the guardian-turned-leader quickly settled into his role, allowing both of them to continue to be present parents while guiding their pack through the seemingly endless drought.

Chan soon returned, much to the surprise and delight of the Cove, though he had changed; he was more muted, no longer his chipper self, and even his nieces and nephew couldn't seem to bring him out of it.

The Cove took another blow as Kajika, a beloved elder of both the original Fallen Tree Cove and Sanguine Cove disappeared without a trace. Chan searched for his godfather, but so far has had no luck in finding him.

The Cove hosted a memorial for Aleister as autumn rolled in, welcoming members of other packs that wished to pay tribute to the icon. Stella led them in building a cairn overlooking the territory, so that her father's memory might watch over them forever. Kateri and her half-brother Seri visited from the Backwater to contribute to the memorial, but once again returned down the mountain rather than remain in the Cove.

Winter brought the end of the drought, heavy rains and snow refilling the dried creeks and ponds, bringing life back into the Lore. Sadly the trouble did not appear to end there, as Woya arrived from the Chasm with her family and spoke to Nash and Oksana, informing them of the Chasm's disbanding and asking if they might stay in the Cove for a while, allowing the children to get to know their cousins and providing them a safe place to stay as they grew.

With such a chaotic year behind them the Cove can only hope the coming seasons might smile upon them and bring better fortune, but heavy frosts and gusting blizzards just might have other plans...