The sound of crows flapping overhead slowly died off, and the few red streaks of color drained from the usually uniform palette of the sky above—but the silence of the oncoming night only seemed to exhilarate her. It created shadows among the gravestones, marble forms strangled by vines and tree roots and hidden by a wall of tobacco and other gone-wild plants.

Closing her blue eyes, Vesper immersed herself in the land around her. The wind ran its fingers through her fur, and late dandelions scattered their seeds. Fluff landed on her coat until she shook herself and walked on. Inhaling, she drew in every old scent scattered here: loners and pack wolves alike. In some places the scents mingled, while others were separate, wanderers crossing one another’s paths without knowing it. Her own smell would be added to this place tonight, but whether it would be with a companion, she did not know.

She trotted onward through the cemetery-turned-field, wondering at the fertile growth here. Being non-luperci, she could not take advantage of the soil to cultivate her own crops, and she wasn’t familiar with the uses of plants other than the odd healing herb. She saw this place more like a meadow of thick growth, one that she dived into looking for small prey animals in the dark.

There was a mouse here or there; she pounced on one and snapped it up before moving on to others. The small coywolf ate a few of the little creatures, something to tide her over until she was able to hunt more substantial prey. She’d wait until she was further away from pack territory to do that, however; she had smelled borders further west, dividing the field. She didn’t want to risk chasing a rabbit over the border. As alert as she was, anyone hungry could get caught up in the moment, and she didn’t want an entire pack howling at her heels.

Vesper shot a glance up at the moon then slowed her pace, once again letting the scents of the tobacco and wildflowers waft to her nose. She tilted her head curiously at a shadow behind the grass then pressed the vegetation down, eyes scanning a tombstone and its eroded, impossible-to-read symbols. She turned in a few circles to better flatten the grass then flopped down, pressing a shoulder to the cool stone and half-closing her eyes.

Vesper did not have the opportunity to rest for long. She was not quite asleep or, really, that sleepy, but she did feel at peace. Her wandering paws were able to simply stretch out in front of her, and she could smell the surrounding area without a care in the world.

The thick scent of the tobacco plants and wildflowers covered that of an approaching wolf. When the scent of a female luperci was finally teased from the air with a deep breath, her blue eyes snapped open, and she turned her head at the sound of a throat clearing.

Her initial response was to snarl, but she kept silent, hurriedly standing on all fours and narrowing her eyes sharply at the newcomer. Her ears twitched back with annoyance, but her face was smooth as she looked the girl over. She was younger than Vesper by about a year, but large due to her optime form. Her coat was an imperfect white, stained with hints of silver, and her eyes contrasted against her colorless fur with a saturated red.

The teen began to talk before the hybrid could ask her what the hell she was doing in the field. She barely seemed to take pauses as sentence after sentence left her moving mouth, and the tawny loner could feel her annoyance flickering higher, like a flame.

When the stranger was finished, Vesper waited a few moments, just to make sure that she was actually done. Her voice was cold with a hint of venom as she replied slowly.

“I was out here to enjoy some peace and quiet, until you showed up and started blabbering at me. Why the hell should I care that you just joined a new pack and how hectic your life is?”

Her brow furrowed, and her coal-tipped tail lifted behind her.

“I don’t know you,” Vesper stated emphatically.

The white she-wolf seemed taken aback by Vesper’s irritation. Had she been expecting the coywolf to return her greeting in an equally chipper voice? She snorted at the thought before red eyes met cold blue ones—a direct canine challenge if there ever was one. The hybrid’s tawny tail lifted higher, stiff and bristling, and her brown hackles bristled along her spine. A low growl showed she wasn’t going to play games with this kid; if the stranger wanted to challenge her, she’d better bring bite to the fight.

She quieted as the girl began to speak but did not abandon her rigid, angry posture. A crooked smirk tugged at the side of her lips, and her hackles lowered though she didn’t look much friendlier. “Being friendly to a strange wolf—that’s where you were in the wrong, sweetheart. I could have been a serial killer for all you knew.” She flicked her tail once. “And, for the record, I would have responded cordially to a simple ‘hello.’ Instead, I have a girl I don’t even know standing there talking at me.”

Vesper had never really understood outgoing wolves. She respected someone who was unafraid in social interactions, but unafraid and careless were two different concepts. Either the girl was very confident she could handle herself with a random stranger, or she was stupid, and Vesper was leaning more toward the latter—like always.

However, the silver-white luperci seemed to understand that a ton of bristling and growling wouldn’t make the situation any better. She closed her eyes for a moment then started to talk again, her voice calm and friendly. Her chuckle made Vesper’s ears swivel forward with confusion before she flattened them again defensively.

“I’m Vesper,” she growled, her posture finally relaxing. She let her tail drop and swish against the backs of her legs. “What pack would be crazy enough to let you join, if you don’t mind me asking?” Her voice was taunting but wasn’t as cold as it was before. She was insulting the girl still, but she was sincerely curious as to where she came from.

“Your territory begins just over there, doesn’t it?” The coywolf pointed east with her nose. Now that she was paying more attention to scent, she could see that the border markings and the girl’s pack-smell were one and the same.

“You would have been dead,” Vesper confirmed heavily, but the seriousness she was placing on such a statement made her chuckle softly until she actually considered it. My father would have had fun with this one, she thought, her smirk turning briefly grim before she suppressed the emotions. She took a seat in the thick, plush grass and flicked her tail over the tops of the wildflowers growing against the side of the tombstones. It was almost as if nature had begun to bestow gifts upon the graves, though she doubted nature much cared for the creatures decayed under the dirt.

Leigha mentioned a secret, and the coywolf cocked her head before nodding slightly at her explanation. Someone starved for attention and a companion to talk to would surely try to find people to meet. The fact that she acknowledged this hinted at a self-aware personality, something that the loner could respect. She nodded again then frowned when the pack wolf inferred she knew how being alone would feel.

“I am alone,” Vesper said, “but I am not lonely.”

She had never really been lonely. Even as a pup, she had been the one to wander around on her own. Her sister had pressed close to their mother, and Winter herself was used to being by herself. Vesper was like her mother in that aspect; she was used to having only herself, and she didn’t mind. That wasn’t to say that she liked solitude over company—well, smart company, at least. The number of idiots in the world astounded her sometimes.

Leigha said she was a singer and actress from Cercatori d’Arte. The foreign name made Vesper’s ears prick, and she knew she wasn’t going to be repeating the word any time soon. “That’s quite a mouthful for a pack name.” She paused and commented softly, “My sister liked to sing. Her name was Sparrow.” She nodded at the question, the answer too obvious to repeat, then came back with a question of her own. “What’s an actress? I’m not familiar with it other than as a figure of speech. Do you mean it’s an actual rank in the pack?”

Vesper shrugged when the white wolf pressed her on the topic of loneliness. “I can take care of myself; I don’t need anyone else. I like it when someone worthwhile talks to me, but if I go for a long time without talking to anyone, I don’t get upset.” She looked at the grass she’d sat down in then the tombstones, a dozen vague forms shadowed by trees and covered in plants. When she inhaled, the scent of the visitors and the pungent odor of fertile earth and vegetation swelled in her lungs. She gave a small smirk, one that did not quite touch her blue eyes, and added, “I’m used to it.”

After she had asked her question, it took Leigha a long time to answer. Her pale face acquired that vague look of someone deep in thought, and so the coywolf sat patiently, twitching her ears when she heard something hopping along in the grass—a nocturnal bird, perhaps. She watched the fluttering wings break through the tangles of foliage before the luperci seemed to snap back into the present, apologizing before explaining what an actress was.

The wolf in Vesper didn’t appreciate the direct stare from someone she didn’t know very well, but while her hackles grew slightly rigid, she didn’t become angry. She simply returned the eye contact with a pointed frown then looked up at the rising moon again. The last of the colors had bled out in the sky, leaving everything a uniform black.

“Acting for entertainment. It’s interesting, how you luperci get your kicks.” She shrugged. “Then again, I don’t mind a pretty voice, and you’re a singer. Is Cerc—is your pack based around stage ranks like that? You advance in entertainment?”

It didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. Weren’t most packs hinged on survival? She supposed she didn’t know them very well; while she’d gotten some information about how the packs worked, she couldn’t be quizzed on them. Cercatori d’Arte operated differently than the packs she’d been used to in the wilderness of Canada, but if the pack was a long-standing one, something must have worked out for them.

“I’d be pretty useless in that pack, if that’s the case,” Vesper remarked, adding some humor into the conversation. She flicked her torn ear. “Unless fighting is considered an elaborate art form.”

Leigha listed off some of the types of ranks, and the hybrid tried to wrap her mind around all of it. For a second, she looked down at her forepaws—paws that couldn’t change into the hands the luperci teen had. They couldn’t paint or sculpt or garden—whatever the hell gardening was for. Had the singer mentioned healing herbs, Vesper would have made the connection, but wolves did not regularly eat plants, so she didn’t know what use they would be. Maybe their culinary tastes changed when they were born luperci? She gave her head a small shake and managed a halfhearted, “Sounds cool. I guess this field would be a good place for growing plants.”

At the mention of riding horses, Vesper shook her head. She was reminded of the conversation she’d had with the black wolf in Halifax when they’d been looking at the human car. “Why would you ride horses? You have paws.” Even if she was only using two at the moment; that was her fault. She was surprised luperci didn’t grow fat with all the work they made other animals—prey animals—do for them.

Leigha described her own horse, apparently named Archie, and looked back at a tree that Vesper hadn’t quite noticed before in the darkness. She was surprised that she hadn’t caught the scent of the stinky animal, but she’d been too entirely focused on Leigha to really pay attention to the other surroundings. The horse called, and Leigha smiled suddenly, gesturing to the horse.

Vesper blinked and lowered her ears. “I—I don’t—” It wasn’t like her to stammer, but this was a situation she didn’t know how to deal with. She’d seen horses before, but she’d never gotten close to one. Wouldn’t it shy, thinking she was a predator? Was it used to strange wolves walking up to it? She was probably more afraid of the horse than the horse was of her.

Her brow furrowed with a frown. “It smells like prey. And it’d probably try to stomp me to death, anyway.”

Leigha quickly defended her horse, stating that he was understanding and wouldn’t harm any creature. The fact that she was learning how to speak with him piqued Vesper’s curiosity, but she couldn’t help but be skeptical. After all, animal instinct often got in the way of so-called “understanding.” She’d found herself ready to rip another canine’s face off when she was on edge. She could only imagine what a horse, a natural prey animal, would do when faced with a strange predator. She lowered her ears when the luperci walked off, following very cautiously and at a pretty good distance.

She pricked her ears with disbelief when she heard the teen talking to the horse. She talks to him like a kid, she thought, shaking her head once. Like he’s a wolf and not a horse. It was unlike anything she’d heard directed at a prey animal.

The hybrid froze in her tracks when the pony whinnied, almost anticipating it to charge, as if the sound was a war cry. She might be able to move quickly enough back among the tombstones, and she was sure that her night vision was better than a horse’s, but she still remained on edge.

Taking small, slow steps, showing her reluctance, Vesper approached the horse. She felt younger than Leigha in that moment, even if she had about a year on the other female. Ears pinned and head low, she crept forward. It might have looked like stalking if not for her tail, which had a small bend in it—almost but not quite tucked between her legs. She was anxious around the large animal, but she tried to keep some of her dignity.

She finally stood not far from Leigha and Archie. Stopping, she swiveled one ear forward uncertainly then shot Leigha a wry glance. “Now what?”

The pony stallion made some softer noises once Vesper had crept up to him. She looked to Leigha in confusion, wondering what the significance of the odd sounds were, and with a chuckle she said Archie found her behavior strange.

Great, a horse who talks to a wolf thinks I’m strange.

Vesper smirked in amusement despite herself, her eyes narrowing when the white-furred girl said that the horse was judgmental. “Oh, but I thought he was understanding,” she muttered, but she dropped her guard a little bit more. She wasn’t completely relaxed—her slightly bristling fur and slightly stiff posture showed that—but she didn’t look like she was going to bolt any moment. She looked into his warm eyes for a moment then flinched when he snorted, pawing at the ground with a hoof. She stepped to the side, a little closer to the tree, so that it would be harder for the horse to get at her if he decided to attack. Once again, she supposed that it would be impossible for him to gallop through a stone-filled field when it was too dark to see.

“I can see you’re pals,” the coywolf allowed in a mutter. “But why would you bother riding him if you can walk just fine? When’d you meet him?” She tried to imagine perching on the horse’s back as he walked, and the image was ridiculous.

The way the white-furred girl defended her horse amused Vesper, but from her vantage point she could see that the pair had a bond. A paw absently rubbed the horse’s off-white neck and back, and she seemed to understand the stallion’s noises and gestures. It was unusual, but the concept of friendship was familiar even if the interaction of two very different species wasn’t. The coywolf was still astounded that prey and predator could cooperate like this.

Leigha was eager to explain how she met the pony; as always, she began to ramble on and on. Her story was interesting, however, and the hybrid stopped criticizing the details for a moment. She tried to imagine the merchants and the loads piled on the horses’ backs, and her ears pricked in interest when the book of languages was mentioned.

The pale luperci suddenly smacked her forehead. “I ranted on didn’t I?” she asked, and Vesper chuckled.

“Frankly, sweetheart, I’ve gotten used to it.”

She continued to smirk until the she-wolf moved, coming to the pony’s side and asking if Ves knew how they rode horses. The hybrid was about to snap that she hadn’t asked that question, but at the same time, her curiosity had flared up again. She stepped back when Leigha mounted Archie, fingers curled in his mane as her legs pressed close to his flanks.

Leigha asked her if she wanted to run with them, and Vesper sighed. She almost thought about declining, but she wouldn’t pass up a chance to see the girl make a fool of herself on horseback.

“You look so awkward,” the tawny female teased, but she only did so for a heartbeat before breaking out into an uncertain trot. “Let’s go, I guess. Watch out for the tombstones; I imagine it’s a little dark for a gallop.” At least, she’d hoped so back when she thought the stallion was going to attack her.

The white she-wolf thanked her for the advice, and Vesper anticipated a sarcastic tone that never came. Why was this female so chipper all the time? At least, she was unless she was telling the coywolf off about something. The hybrid scowled as she trotted into the meadow, pausing when she heard hoofbeats and looking up to see the horse cantering past with a whinny that anyone could tell was one of happiness. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words died on her tongue.

The interconnected animals still looked awkward, but… It looked almost as if Leigha was a part of the equine. She moved with Archie, keeping balance as they ran. It was graceful, as graceful as clomping horses and two-legged wolves could be, at least.

She was falling behind, however, and Leigha urged her to catch up. Her blue eyes drifted from where she’d been watching the flowing manes of both wolf and horse to the girl’s face, and she broke out into a canine sprint to run alongside the horse. She could hear the snort of his breath as well as smell the weeds as they pounded across them. She leaped over a tombstone, launching herself off it onto the grass again, and wondered if she was enjoying herself. Sometimes she liked to run for fun, but her muscles were aching and thought of this as a chore.

There was a sudden giggle, and Leigha admonished the cob for being rude. Wondering if this was just a trick, Vesper scowled and slowed down slightly again. “I’ll bite his ankles,” she warned, knowing full well that she’d get a rib-breaking kick if she did so. Perhaps, if Leigha did make that turn, she could “get lost” and find someplace to actually sleep for the night.