At first, the snowflakes had driven him mad. The first flake that fell drifted past his eyelashes, meriting a chop! of his teeth as he snatched it from the air before it could hit the ground. Target acquired, he scanned the area for reinforcements, only to find that they fell from the grey clouds as little puffy clumps as far as the eye could see. Ksura, prone to bouts of hyperfixation, spent the next 65 minutes leaping and catching snowflakes, until at last he had the sense to give his hamstrings a break.

He was sore the next day, but recovered well enough and did not attempt to pull the same stunt the next time snow fell. With the novelty worn off, he accepted the arrival of wintertime, which seemed to creep in earlier every year.

He lived in the forest still, keeping mostly to himself aside from the odd visitor. Curiosity had nearly brought him to the borders of the Saatsine, but dread kept him from making that move. Still…

He reflected on his time with them, and found himself pining for the structured lifestyle again. As hazardous as it was, it had made him feel whole. Language barrier aside, he’d felt included, and useful. He wondered if another pack might suit him as well, and scratch that itch- but for some reason, he doubted it. The Saatsine had been something else.

He lay, plucking feathers from an unlucky duck, keeping the pile of feathers pinned beneath one paw so he might add them to his hastily made den for insulation. He might have noticed the wandering woman earlier had it not been for his focus, but it wasn’t until he saw a flicker of movement in the distance that he looked up, caught her scent and realized that not only was he no longer alone-

But that he was in the presence of a wolf of Saatsine.