Summer was just around the corner; Coli could smell it on the breeze, feel it in the earth. The days were getting warmer, and the plants were getting taller. She rocked back onto her heels, wiping a smudge of dirt from her nosetip. The herb garden she and Saul had started was coming along nicely; she made a point of checking it every morning for weeds springing up, and carrying a wineskin of water from the Grand Lake to make sure the exposed soil did not dry out and crack. Her own personal flowers, the ones she had carried from the former Crimson Dreams territory and transplanted into the hill surrounding her house, had finally bounced back from their wilted state. She was deeply relieved that her efforts at gardening were not in vain; it had been a long time since she had exercised her green thumb, and a part of her feared she had lost her only talent by not using it. It was possible her next task would be to tend to their overgrown vineyard, though the size of that responsibility made her shy away. It would take her all season to try and tame the wild grapevines, and another season to try and harvest them all. If it wasn't so wasteful, she would have considered chopping down the tangled vines they had now, and letting them regrow next year onto nice tame trellises.
It was then she heard a call; a beautiful soulful howl, that lead into a chorus of yipping. Coli stood quickly, anxiously looking toward the village. Were Saul or Lilin nearby to answer the call? Bran or Niernan? Even gruff Ezra or enigmatic Miskunn would be preferable to her, knowing there were grass stains on her knees and dirt on her fingers, and that she was so timid at heart. But no one else seemed to be around on this sunny day, and Coli steeled her nerves, smoothing her palms against the fur of her thighs. She could do this. It didn't sound like the beseeching cry of a joiner, so her lack of authority would not be an issue.
She padded lightly from the grassy slopes of their hidden village, darting into the grove of pine trees. Their aromatic needles masked the scent of whomever had called her, but they also served to perfume Coli's pelt, making her quiet approach difficult to detect. It was not until the bobtailed wolf reached the borders that she caught sight of the young woman, her familiar golden mane bright in the sunlight that illuminated her, shining on the tiny shells and flowers woven into her tresses. She carried a basket and wore a fur-lined cloak, but Coli still recognized her; this was Emma, the cheerful coyote she had met on the beach and collected starfish with. She had not expected to see her friend standing here on the borders of the fledgeling pack, but knowing that Inferni was a neighbor of sorts and that Emma was a member of the 'yote clan, it was not so farfetched...
Coli emerged from the pine trees, muzzle wreathed in a pleasant smile. "Emma, it's good to see you again!" she called in cheerful response, feeling a rare sense of elation. How had her friend figured out to look for her here? They had met before Vinátta's founding, so there was no way she could have known. There really was something magical about this place, she firmly believed.
