Hare

Her pink skin felt chilled by the early morning water as she crossed the shallow river, sunrise kept feeling farther and farther away every night. She felt compelled lately to rise after mid-moon and search, and smell, and wander, the retreating sunrise of winter allowing her to reach father and farther from her home base each night until finally there was a morning where she locked eyes with an invigorating smelling wolf in an area she'd never been. Rising out of the bank she had intended to head for the forest of trees running alongside the river, and to her right, from a slight hill calmly stood a wolf, apparently waiting to be noticed, not hiding, yet not aggressing.

Some distance apart they sized eachother up, traded sniffs, they proclaimed their intents, and simultaneously they both casually continued forward in the directions they were facing. When they were a few feet apart she stopped and allowed the resident wolf to approach and scent and flirt. She smelled amazing, she smelled invigorating. She smelled like what this one had been unknowingly searching for all those nights out. Lost in scent she snapped back into the moment as the new wolf had bristled her fur in play and ran around her in loops, kicking up dew. Yelping in excitement, Hare bolted after the new wolf and overtook her easily, flashing the white spot underneath her tail as she did her own loops around the resident wolf.

The both stopped suddenly, as if playing a game of freeze, waiting for the other to move even her gaze, for a few moments they stood frozen and locked their eyes on eachother, then Hare broke off by doing a single tight circle and the resident wolf ran over to playfully bump into her sidelong, Hare fell in behind this new wolf who smelled of pleasantly stinging dirt and felt immediately comfortable and at home in this new territory.

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This new pack became fast family, and her bond with Charwood was strong from the start. She had realized Hare's potential as a scout right away and Hare had happily and seamlessly transitioned into the role, enjoying long scouting forays, always coming home to the same lovely smells of her new pack. She was also a natural storyteller and always had something interesting to tell upon her arrival, the rest of the pack circling her excitedly and smelling deep into her fur all the new experiences and animals and plants she had come across on her journey. She had smelled like a cold lake on a moonlit night, had come home smelling so deeply of sap and pine needles you would think she brought the forest with her.

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Often coming home silently and accompanied by the moon and stars she would find where Charwood was resting and gently curl up next to her, enjoying the comfortable breathing of her first new companion, drifting off to sleep feeling content, secure, and fulfilled.