Arla lifted her hind leg over a boulder on the territory border awkwardly. Diego cocked an eyebrow, "what are you doing?"
"Scent marking," replied the young leader seriously.
Cracking a smile, Diego warned her belatedly, "You don't have the right equipment." But a stream of urine trickled down her leg anyway. No one could ever say that Arla wasn't determined.
"Damn," she cursed and wiped her leg on the boulder. Mission accomplished. "You didn't see anything."
"Arla if that were true, I wouldn't have seen you for more than a moment over the last few years." He grinned. "Ever since I first met you, you 'haven't' been tripping over your feet in the snow or slipping around on the ice."
"Don't bring that up. I have a reputation to uphold."Arla snapped playfully. "But all joking aside, how am I supposed to mark pack territory?"
"I'm not an expert, but I believe females squat." With a sigh, Arla turned to continue her run but Diego stopped her. "You're taking being leader very seriously, but what does a pack leader do?"
"Defends his pack and territory." Assurance was strong in her voice. When she noticed her uncle was still staring at her expectantly, she angrily turned on him-thinking he was mocking her conviction. "Well what do you think then?"
The lieutenant observed his leader and wondered how many more reprimands she could take before snapping. "Soto always told me that the most important rule is 'know your pack.' Closely following it is 'know your enemy.'"
"I do know my pack." Arla protested. Anyone but her uncle would have had her bristling at the insubordination. But Diego was officially her mentor, so he was entitled to share information with her. She wasn't required to accept it though.
"You know Shetar, Melle, myself, your mate, and your cohort." Diego agreed, "but do you know Darra? Or Evier?" at her blank look he tried jogging her memory. "Your sister's second son."
"I knew that- and if you tell Sita otherwise I'll gut you."
"Right, anyway. I'm going to ask that you pose the question to everyone in our pack. Then come tell me whether your definition of pack leader changes." Arla nodded.
As they continued their run, Arla focused on her surroundings. Sure, she saw the border whenever she ran sweep- and noted its condition- but today it was different. Today it marked the difference between the known and the desired. The autumn air was crisp in her nostrils and it smelled fresh, like home. There were no unfamiliar odors on the northern borders, there never were. She recognized the tracks in the thin layer of fresh snow- Melle, Celani. The two year olds were practicing running sweep- the occasional break from line indicated that Celani loved sweep running.
They followed the tracks for awhile, and Arla was sorely tempted to follow in her younger sister's steps precisely. Diego had other ideas. They veered outside of the western boundary, and Arla could almost taste the difference in the air. This territory belonged to no pack, and running through it was addictive. Like a forbidden fruit, this unclaimed territory tempted her. She wanted to lift her leg, claim it as Half Peak's, but she didn't, her territory was broad enough without any additions. There was a pungent odor here. Its tang stung her eyes and she gulped trying to clear her throat. With no warning Diego turned on his heel and they were running home.
"What was that?"
"That will be a problem."
Arla turned and squinted at the horizon. There were faint grey trails connecting the whiteness of the snowfield and the blackness of the sky. Occasionally the paths shifted, keeping her attention- her predator's vision was attracted to movement. The shapes looked like a cross between the summer grass snakes and a wildfire's smoke plumes. "Fire! We need to go alert the others."
"Worse than fire. Apparently the humans are migrating through this winter."
"Oh." Arla had never seen a human before, and her curiosity was raging. From old stories, she knew that they were bipedal and harnessed canids for protection. Diego spoke well of them, Soto more vengefully. Apparently there had been a run in between Half Peak and a human pack when Diego had been young. They humans had destroyed the sabers with their technology-spears, thrown rocks, and clubs. "What is the best way to deal with them?"
Diego thought a moment. "Hope that they go by peacefully. I doubt that they'll settle in the valley this winter, and with luck they'll cut straight south through the mires rather than enter our territory at all."