It was a couple of days since the fight with the guulvorg, and all five dire wolves were pacing around their pens nervously. The pens were even more quiet than usual, the monthly celebration to the Raven Queen having decimated the supply of creatures for the coliseum. For the past couple of days they had often heard the sound of people gathering outside, although none of them could make out what the reason was. Meadow Runner had noticed the number steadily declining, though, and his instincts suggested that it might not be a good thing. The activity outside their pens had increased dramatically as the day approached evening, and it was only a few minutes until the wolves caught a whiff of the disturbance: although still clearly far away, they all began to pick up the smell of smoke in the air. Meadow and the others suspected there was an uncontrolled fire somewhere, the fear of loose flames something they had often witnessed whenever an orc in the encampment was especially foolish around a fire.

Meadow heard the faintest sound of a footstep, as someone well versed in stealth walked towards where the wolves were kept. All of them remembered the night they were stolen and began growling, even Midnight Glen's Shadow joining in; this time he would share the fate of the pack, regardless of whether or not it was the safest route. As the footsteps approached, however, Crashing Bear sniffed at the air and slowly drifted into silence. Meadow was astonished to see Bear's tail began to wag back and forth, especially when Branches Whipped by Gales and Rolling Boulder joined in. After a second Meadow also stopped growling as he finally picked up on the very welcome scent of leather and tree resin that they had all come to associate with Crashing Bear's elven rider. As the wolves watched they saw a goggled face peer over at them through the gate before the rest of the lithe female elf's form separated from the shadows. Meadow had to consciously stop himself from howling in joy at the sight of one of their masters, especially as the lithe elf quickly moved to unlock the gate holding the wolves back. Meadow hung back with Shadow, though, as he realized that the scents of both his and Shadow's masters were muted; they were not there in person, although they had to be close to the town if their scent still hung so heavy on the other three masters.

Meadow and Shadow waited until the three masters had checked over their mounts, with all three wolves shamelessly wagging their tails at the sight of their masters. Branches Whipped by Gales nuzzled at the hand of her human rider, the younger littermate of Meadow's rider, while both Bear and Rolling Boulder stood stoically while their riders checked over the worst of their injuries. Eventually the three masters looked satisfied that the wolves were in suitable condition to escape, with the elf running over to quickly unlock the gate before adroitly spring onto Bear. The half-elf who rode Boulder also nimbly climbed on, while Gales' master surprisingly lifted himself onto her shoulders by pulling himself up by the beams across the top of their pen. For the first time Meadow noticed that all three of their masters looked tougher than when they had last seen them, with Gales' rider being noticeably thicker about his muscles. Meadow shook his head then moved over to stand by his companions. Without a word the party surged out of the animal pens, Bear slamming the gate off by its hinges before the wolves began to race down the streets of Welgard. Meadow barely even noticed the two guards bowled over by Gales and Boulder as they all ran away from the pens they had been trapped in for more than a month; the only thing on Meadows mind was when he would get a chance to see his rider again as he enjoyed the exhilaration of running without the specter of battle looming immediately before him.


Meadow Runner and the other wolves quickly escaped the town, the panicked crowds parting before the wolves and their riders. After several minutes the three riders signaled for the wolves to stop, leaving Meadow and the others to sit and relax as they enjoyed being free wolves once again. Crashing Bear, Branches Whipped by Gales, and Rolling Boulder all stayed close to their masters, who quickly settled down to wait and tended to their mounts. Meadow and Midnight Glen's Shadow stayed off to the side, although they both ate the small amount of meat that the human quickly brought over before returning to Gales. After a few more minutes passed Meadow got up as a welcome scent reached his nose. He watched as his master appeared over the horizon, accompanied by the party's lone drow member and another human whose scent was unfamiliar. Meadow watched as she ran over to her littermate and handed off the other human before approaching him. As she approached he couldn't hold back a small whine, and he watched as worry and the pain of remembered separation entered his rider's eyes. She started to talk to him and stroke his fur, eventually looking up and imparting a sense of need. Meadow let out a small bark of assent, content in the love he had felt in her ministrations. As she began to move to mount he lowered his shoulders to make it easier. After she was secure he felt her gesture to the east, and he ran off with his heart feeling as light as the sunbeams that had danced over his fur when his mother named him.


Midnight Glen's Shadow watched as the final two riders returned with the new human, the female escorting the unfamiliar figure to her littermate after she separated from his drow master. He watched his rider approach until they could see in each other's eyes. After a moment the drow approached and scratched Shadow on his chin before reaching into his pack and pulling out some of the meat from his trail rations. Shadow waited for his rider to sit before curling his body around the sitting figure, contentedly chewing on the meat as his rider gently tended to his wounds. The drow didn't speak any words but Shadow didn't need them: for the first time in a month he could relax, safe in the knowledge that they all had their partners back.