"Sir, we haven't had any traces of Kate as of yet," said Hutch, approaching the Alpha of the Western Pack with slight caution.

Winston took a while to respond to Hutch, looking intensely at the nearly-full moon; he could feel the tension in the air surrounding the Western and Eastern Packs. Kate still hadn't been found since she and Humphrey had vanished.

Time was running out.

After another few seconds, Winston turned his head slightly so he could see Hutch out of one eye, and said, "Keep a look out; she must be around somewhere."

Hutch nodded silently, looking at Winston with slight concern for the Alpha.

"Sir, maybe you should speak with the Mother? Perhaps she'll calm your nerves; and, if you ask her correctly, she could assist Kate to finding her way home," said Hutch softly, trying not to touch any nerves that could have formed in the Alpha after the loss of his oldest daughter.

Winston was quiet for a few more moments, before he contemplated with what Hutch said, and replied, "The Mother Wolf is just a myth, Hutch; can't you see I don't have any time for myths such as that? Now, just…just get back to your duty."

Hutch shook his head slowly when Winston looked back at the moon, but made sure the Alpha didn't see. "Yes sir," he whispered softly, before he turned tail and slowly walked away, heading back towards his previous scouting location.

Winston breathed in slowly, before exhaling just as slowly; he knew he should have been kinder to Hutch, but his nerves got the better of him.

Winston knew that many wolves, including himself, thought of Hutch as close to the 'spiritual' things of life; maybe thought it was because of the markings that covered the fur on his face, covering his muzzle and ears. Winston himself knew that Hutch had been born with those markings, yet he couldn't see how; neither of Hutch's parents had any markings even close to those on Hutch's fur.

A sudden, cold gust of wind blew past Winston, going through his fur; yet as it did so, it was almost as though he could hear a voice go past his ears at the same time.

'Winston…'

"Who's there?" asked Winston, narrowing his eyes slowly as he turned around, getting to his paws as he looked around; his eyes scanning over the forest that surrounded him.

After getting no response, Winston 'hmm'd under his breath, before glancing up at the moon again.

'You lack faith, Winston,' came a voice from behind Winston.

Winston nearly jumped out of his fur at the sudden voice; despite it being one of authority, it held a tone...almost like that of a caring mother. Turning around to look at the source of the voice, Winston barely held back gasp of shock.

Standing before him, and over him slightly, was a snow-white furred wolf; she held a soft glow to her fur, though it wasn't a bad glow. It felt…comforting, in a way, to be in its presence.

Her eyes were two orbs of gold; they seemed to hold years of knowledge in them, but, she also looked as though she had seen great pain in her life. And had experienced it first-hand.

It felt like the same pain Winston felt at this very moment.

"T…That's not…possible," whispered Winston, his eyes staying wide in shock as he took a slight step backwards; the shock dripping from his voice as he looked at the female.

'You seem shock; I take it that you do not take notice of what young Hutch has to say. You must learn to open your eyes more freely, Winston,' said the female wolf, looking at Winston dead in the eye as she barely moved an inch; she held an air of confidence about her, yet she had that feel to her.

The feel that she knew when and where was the appropriate time to use her commanding tone.

'I come here because you need to have a talk; it is about your daughter,' said the female wolf, speaking before Winston had a chance to speak or explain the situation.

His eyes widening even more, Winston, with his mouth slightly open in a mix of shock and surprise, asked, "H…How do you…?"

Letting lose a small, soft chuckle, which too had the sound of age-old wisdom, the white-furred wolf looked down at the Alpha of the Western Pack, saying, 'I think you know, Winston; you know you I am, correct?'

Winston looked at the she-wolf for a second, before allowing him to think for a second. He then spoke his answer.

"A…Aniu?"

A small smile broke across the thin lips of the she-wolf's muzzle, before it quickly vanished into a look that made it hard for anyone to see what the she-wolf was really thinking.

'You are not as blind as you seem,' Aniu commented, still yet to move from her spot sitting down on the sloped rock; Winston thought she would have moved by now, so it was rather unsettling to him that a wolf such as Aniu could be able to stay in a single spot for so long without needing to make any sort of movement.

She didn't even flick her ears when the wind picked up a little, going through both of their pelts.

"Y…You said you were here…because of my daughter…" said Winston slowly, getting steadily used to the feeling of having this wolf around, but it was still going to take some getting used to.

'Yes, I did…' said Aniu softly, slowly looking up towards the nearly-full moon as said this.

"What did you mean by that?" asked Winston slowly, looking up at the moon as well; yet he felt that he was going to find an answer towards his question.

Aniu was quiet for a moment, her gaze focused solely on the moon; the light of the moon softly shining down on both of them. Though when it reached Aniu's fur, it seemed to reflect; giving it a gentle glow to the pelt. Making her look…almost heavenly, in appearance.

'You are in the same boat that I was in once; losing one of your blood. My son…I lost him. I…I knew not where he was; I came back from a hunt, and…he was gone. He looked so much like his father; his fur was not too different to your own. But his eyes…he got his eyes from me; the colour of the finest gold….' Said Aniu, her eyes seeming to go out of focus as she thought back to what seemed a life time ago.

Though to her, it must have been to others.

Winston raised an eyebrow slowly, turning his gaze to look at the moon as well. The silence was only broken by the soft wind blowing across the rock they were sitting upon, looking over the Western territory.

"But…what are you doing here, if you don't mind me asking?" asked Winston after a pregnant pause, side glancing at Aniu when he spoke.

Aniu slowly turned her head to glance down at the mortal wolf, and answered his question.

'Your daughter will return; safe and unharmed. But…things will not play out as you imagine,' answered Aniu, her voice a soft whisper as she slowly got to her paws again; Winston, upon natural instinct, got to his paws as well, as though ready to follow Aniu.

But Aniu didn't move; instead, she continued to look up at her. Instead, a soft, white mist began to form at her paws.

'All will be revealed in due time, Winston; expect for things to not play out as you and Tony have in your heads,' said Aniu.

And with those final words of wisdom, Aniu lifted her head up and let out a long, low howl; the sound seeming to pass through Winston, and spread itself out across the entire area of Jasper Park. The howl could be heard from the furthest corners of the Park, with a few of the rouge wolves in the area lifting their heads up upon hearing the howl.

Right in front of Winston's eyes, Aniu slowly began to disappear into thin air; the fog slowly blocking her from view, giving the illusion that Aniu was vanishing into the fog.

Within a few seconds, Aniu had vanished; not even a set of paw prints to give away that the mysterious she-wolf had been standing.

Winston just blinked a little in response, unable to believe that what had just happened in front of him had just happened. Clearing his throat a little, Winston once again composed himself and looked out over the Pack area.

Though without knowing it, Winston glanced up at the moon; he wasn't sure if it was just him, but he was sure that there was the flash of a shadow on the moon.

The shadow of a wolf head flashing over the moon.