Quint had found the scent trail. It hadn't taken him long to locate, simply a few heartbeats. Why he was following it, he still had no idea, but he was. He'd closed his golden eyes, letting his nose and ears do the work for him as he streaked across the open plain. There were trees ahead, where he knew he'd have to be more careful. The tree line rushed up to meet him, and he stumbled over a brittle stick before he was able to get his bearings.

The she-wolf's trail was practically a straight line, occasionally a small speck of blood could be seen speckling a frozen leaf. Quint wondered curiously how she'd managed to hurt herself. He knew he hadn't injured her last night. She must have gained the cut, to what he assumed must be her right paw's pad, sometime recently, if it was still bleeding.

After a short distance of several miles, Quint realized he could hear something ahead. It sounded like labored breathing. Curious, he picked up his pace, and soon found himself staring at a fallen log. The she-wolf's hind paw was just visible, caught and twisted at an ackward angle. Lupus, how did she manage that?! Quint wondered, alarmed. He gave a short, quiet howl, to let her know he was here.

Not caring about her potential response, Quint dashed forward, and leaped onto the slippery log. "Hold still," Quint muttered through gritted teeth. Carefully, he placed his jaws on either side of the bough, careful not to catch the other wolf's paw, and clamped down. The stick held, but part of its left side splintered, and fell away. "Again," Quint growled, half to himself.

Quint ignored the brown she-wolf, and snapped again at the pine bough. This time, it came away easily, shattering in his strong jaws. The female slid down the side of the runk, limp with what Quint assumed was shock and pain. He wasn't done though, he hadn't rescued her for nothing. Quint cleared the log in one swift bound, landing lightly beside the chocolate wolf.

Quint gently nudged the other wolf into a more comfortable position. He bent his neck to examine her twisted leg, and snorted. There was little he would be able to do, in order to help. But he couldn't leave her. For starters, he asked her her name. "So, what do they call you?"

Quint began to nose the she wolf's leg, checking for signs of any other damage. He smelled no blood, but he found a crack in her main leg bone, and a fractured paw. He let little comforting wounds escape him as he worked, trying to keep her calm. "Well, you're not going anywhere on this anytime soon," Quint concluded, finally looking at the wolf.

Quint glared at the she-wolf. "Well, if you want to play that card, I can just move on and leave you here. I don't know what's going through your head, but you're in no fit state to walk. You're lucky to be alive," Quint snarled. The female's shattered bone had almost pierced an important muscle in her leg. If the shard had severed it, she would never be able to move her leg again, and would die. No wolf Quint knew (and that wasn't many) would stick around in one place just to care for a lame wolf.

Quint's golden eyes blazed as he turned away from the chocolate wolf. He set his paws to work, kicking up dirt and leaves as he started on a den. In her weak state, the other wolf was likely to die of cold. Quint winced frequently as the taxing job took its tole on his own lame shoulder. Yeah, perfect, two injured wolves in the middle of a hostile packs' territory. Real smart. Quint had come across the scent markers on his way in, but as usual, he ignored them and passed over the border. Now he was regretting it.

Time passed slowly, and the sun was steadily climbing higher into the sky. Yet for all Quint's work, there was little more than a shallow impression in the earth. This is pointless, he found himself thinking. All his instincts told him to get a move on, and get out of the strange pack's territory. He felt cramped and trapped. All he wanted was to run, to stretch his body out and fly over the land.

"It doesn't matter," Quint spoke shortly, "this is hardly your fault. My life has always been like this, unpredictable. I've never helped another wolf, but I've wandered into plenty of hostile territories. I have several nasty scars that you'd find it you went searching through my pelt. You're already exhausted, you don't need to worry about my life. This isn't your fault." Quint was brisk with his words, digging deeper into the soft earth. He'd reached a point where dead leaves no longer were scattered throughout the soil.

A chilly breeze lifted the hair on Quint's back, making him shiver. But the scent on the breeze made him pause. Something stirred in his memory, and he looked around. Quint's breath caught in his throat, and he staggered. Taking a closer look at the tree, he realized it had once been struck be lightning. Now that he thought about it, the landscape looked familiar too. This was the place from his dream.

Quint looked at the she-wolf, eyes wide. "I..." he stammered. He looked up again, pointing his muzzle into the sky. Did he dare?

Quint lowered his muzzle, and began to sniff the tree trunk. Yes, the scent was there, the claw marks on the tree. He shifted some loose soil near the left end of the trunk, where it had been uprooted. There, near the base  of the tree, was the entrance to an old den. His first den.

Quint glanced back at the she-wolf. "Stay here, and stay quiet," he murmured.

Without another word or glance, Quint took off. He was quick to fall into a swift pace, streatching out his body as he flew over the leaf-strewn forest floor. The scents and sounds were comforting, while the landscape settled in his mind, burning an image, then to be replaced by an older one. Several trees had fallen since that fateful night, though most were not lightning felled.

Quint found himself leaping into the air with anticipation. Would they remember him? He doubted it. Quint came across a small clearing, and skidded to a halt, throwing up leaves and soil in his wake. This was it.

Taking a deep breath, Quint took a moment to compose himself, then pointed his muzzle to the sky once more. The howl that came from him seemed to bounce off his very being. The musical notes seemed to fill him with a long-lost hope. Quint didn't want to stop. He was pouring his heart out into a carefully crafted song that he wove together from instinct. It was his song. No other wolf would ever match it. All wolves had a special song, and this was Quint's.

Eventually, the call died in his throat, only to be replaced by nervous excitement. Now he hovered, unsure, whether he really wanted to hear his pack's reply.

((I'm making it so Quint was born in the pack, but doesn't remember, as his father took him and his sister away when they were little.))

Quint leaped in anticipation. The returing howl had been genuinely curious, not hostile. As he listened several other howls went up, the pack was rallying. Quint let loose another short howl to let them know where he was. His thoughts drifted back to the she-wolf by the log, and he hoped the pack would come straight to him.

Rustling in the trees jolted Quint to his senses. It was just the breeze, but it seemed to be reminding him to stay alert.

He smelled the pack before they knew where he was. Quint stood and raised his tail a little over half-way. In this way, he would appear strong, but not weak or disrespectful. A large black head pushed its way out of the ferns, followed by a white and silver one. The large black wolf stood and stared at Quint, while the smaller female trotted up to his side. The alpha pair.

Quint dipped his head, "greetings." The clearing was soon surrounded by wolves, forming a circle around Quint and the alphas. He watched the tawny eyes of the large black wolf widen, while the female looked over her shoulder and yipped. "You, what's your name?" The alpha male spoke in a clear, commanding, yet deep and gentle voice. His eyes betrayed him though, there was curiosity and excitemt portrayed there.

"My name is Quint-" the russet wolf never finished his sentence. The alpha female raced forward, and began to lick him. Another she-wolf replaced her spot, she had a light red coat and a silver diamond on her forhead. The alpha female stepped back politely, and spoke in a surprisingly cool voice: "so, you've come home."

Quint saw the eyes of the other red wolf widen, and she gasped. "Quint?" The other she-wolf hurried up to stand next to the alpha female, while the alpha regarded the scene with barely supressed excitement. "Oh my little brother, you're back," whispered the young she-wolf, licking Quint so much he figured he'd be wet until tomorrow.

"Wha-" Quint staggered under the full force of the wolves trying to greet him. "Look, you're just about familiar, but I can't remember your names, or how I know you. Can we please start with that?" he asked, panting. The red she-wolf nuzzled his ear, "my name's Nai," Quint's sister answered patiently. She turned to the waiting alphas, the female stepped forward. "I'm Zendir, I used to be friends with your mother. This is my mate, Kylen, he was Qisa's brother."

"So you knew my parents?" Quint asked, eyes full of wonder.

"Of course. Now we must return to the denning area and gather for our hunt. You are welcome there."

"C'mon," Nai whispered to Quint. "Wait, can I show you something first?"

Nai studied him for a moment. "Of course, lead the way."

When the other wolves had disappeared into the trees, Quint nudged his sister and began to retrace his scent trail. He was hoping with all his heart that the she-wolf was still safe, and that the pack, his pack might just be able to help her.

"Quiet," Quint murmured to Nai. He looked at the log, and quickly bounded over it. The she-wolf wasn't there, well, he couldn't see her, but her scent was strong and fresh. Good, she had enough sense to hide when she heard us approaching this place, Quint thought aprovingly. But now he had to find her. He closed his eyes, and stood quietly, casting out his senses, letting them do the work for him. From her perch on the old log, Nai watched him curiously, drinking in every detail of her brother's appearence, and personality.

Quint opened his golden eyes, and for one wild moment suppressed the urge to laugh. He shuffled along the ground, beside the log until he could peer into the hollow he had made. "Nice hiding place," he joked quietly. "Hey, Nai, any chance you could help me?" The light red she-wolf leaped down lightly beside him, and gasped. "What happened to her leg?"

"She had a bit of a disagreement with this tree," Quint said with an audible sigh. "Can the pack help her? Will they help her?"

"I think so, but I'm not sure how we're going to move her," Nai responded. Quint noticed uncertainty glinting in her golden eyes. "What's your name?" she asked kindly.

"She won't tell me, I doubt she'll tell you," grumbled Quint, but her watched the two she-wolves curiously.

"Yeah, not gonna work," Quint muttered. "Um, Nai, could you help support her?" he asked awkwardly. His sister dipped her head, and padded toward Cin. She shifted her weight, and shoved her shoulder under Cin's, careful not to wrench the other wolf. As she worked, she offered quiet words of comfort and encouragement.

Quint studied his paws, they were very interesting. "I think we can move her," Nai's voice cut through his thoughts. The denning area isn't far, we shouldn't have to walk far. The alpha female's daughter is the one that looks at wounds, we'll take Cin right to her. She's very adapt at her practice, you shouldn't worry," Nai added kindly to Cin.

((Fail post XD))