The sky was dark as the clouds covered the moon. The winter night was quiet; most creatures would be asleep at this time, especially in this cold weather. But lately, Andy had preferred the night. She had often occupied the late hours to go for runs, furthering her grasp of the Valley’s vast territory. Tonight, she ran along the soft, marshy banks of Mirror Lakes, relishing in the springy dampness of the earth.




Every so often, the tawny female would pause, kneel down next to the waters’ edge, and scoop a handful of the cool, fresh water and bring it to her lips. The liquid felt wonderful to her; she felt hot from her run, and the water was a welcome relief. On this particular water break, Andy settled down on the springy bank, bringing her legs to her chest and hugging her knees, with one arm. Her other hand trailed idle circles across the glassy surface of the water. She watched as the circles grew and died, rippling softly. The cloudy night sky reflected in the cool water, the reflection of the clouds and moon distorted slightly from the ripples.




With a sigh, she got to her feet, preparing for the next leg of her run around the edge of the lake. She did a run like this every day, as a part of her training regime. She was determined to stay in as good of shape as she could manage, and running like this daily helped her do just that. Being a runner was something she loved; the wind in her face, the burning of her muscles as she ran.. she loved it all. Once it was warmer, she would take up swimming, too. She was a very active woman, taking pride in her well-toned muscles and physique.




As she ran, she saw another figure ahead. She was surprised she could see him, it was so dark. But the moon had found a gap in the clouds that hid it from view, casting a soft, ethereal light on the figure.




The Tenens slowed to a walk, checking her pulse on her wrist as she continued towards the wolf ahead. Her nose told her it was male, and new the Phoenix Valley. He tail wagged slowly, and as she neared, the scent registered in her brain. She had met this male before, at the border. She wondered how he was doing so far.




“Hello.” she called, smiling at the white male as she walked nearer. He had the most peculiar eyes. She had never seen red ones like his before. Rather than be creeped out by them, Andy thought they were intriguing.




She remembered him saying he was some sort of artist. She had never gotten into the arts herself, other than drawing idly as a child. It wasn’t something she was particularly good at. Andy wondered if she would show him his work. She knew many artists were extremely secretive about their art, and didn’t like showing others.




“How are you liking it here in the Valley?” she asked curiously. “I don’t know if you remember me, but I was there at the border when you were accepted. My name is Andy.” She lowered herself onto a large boulder, settling herself comfortably next to the white male.




She couldn’t help but notice how good looking he was. She had come to find that the males in the Valley pack were all very attractive to her; she wondered if she was becoming obsessed with the looks of the males. She seemed to notice that a lot. But, she was at that age. She had met many females in her travels that had mates and families. Some were even younger than her! She definitely wanted to have a family.. but it was important to her to find the right wolf to share it with first.




Shaking herself mentally, she peered around the clearing. The snow stopped and merged into the soft, damp sand of the bank about a foot and a half from the edge of the water. Now that she was stationary and cooled down from her run, she was beginning to notice the coldness of the night. She was grateful, not for the first time, of her thick winter coat. Nonetheless, she shivered slightly, thinking of the warm abandoned cave she had taken to inhabiting the last few weeks. It wasn’t as warm as a cabin would be, but it was better than the biting chill of the snow and wind outside.




Andy was glad that this silence wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. “I remember you saying you were an artist. I would very much like to see your art.” she said softly, a small smile on her face. She looked up, noticing the clouds leave half of the moon exposed. It almost seemed to leech the color from the world below, casting the clearing, trees and water in black and white.




The longer she sat there, the longer she seemed to fall into a deep, relaxed state. Her eyelids lowered lazily, and her posture loosened. Suddenly, a great yawn ripped through her, causing her jaws to widen in an almost unnatural intensity. She shook herself visibly this time, determined not to fall asleep here. She would pay for it in the morning, with stiff limbs and a head cold. She had made it this far into the cold season without catching a bug, and she wasn’t about to do so now.




She rose to her feet, thinking that of she got her blood moving again, she would wake up. She walked to the edge of the black water and paused, searching the ground. Spotting a small, flat stone, she rose and stretched her arm back, preparing to launch the little rock into the water. She released, watching with a pleased grin as it skipped several yards across the still glassy water before sinking soundlessly into its depths. Satisfied and slightly more awake, she returned to her spot on the boulder, resting her head on the tree trunk behind her.