Magnolia time for a TOTALLY triumphant and intentional "return" to a place we've never been before >:)

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More than a full turn of the moon abroad had seen Zeek's fur go matted and mudstained. Colder winds on the horizon led to a blowout as winter coat filled in, so all in all, if you'd stumbled on him sleeping, you could be mistaken for thinking he was some kind of mangled dead thing instead of a wolf. Or — half a wolf, but who was counting really?

He'd never been lost the entire time they travelled. No matter what Magnolia implied (accused). Saga had just... taken a really spinny, twirly, indirect route to wherever it was she'd gone.

And besides, they were gonna find her way before Papa. So they had time to take scenic detours, what kind of brother would he be if he didn't show his sister all the cool sights, like that boulder shaped kind of like a turtle, and the really big fallen tree with a hollow trunk you could walk through (he showed her that one twice because it was so cool, not because he got turned around, but sure, sis, be ungrateful!)

Anyway. It was all working according to his very thought out plan. Because he was sure this time. Extra positive, one-hundred-percent certain. That was Papa's piss smell. And those big pawprints were Papa's paw prints. Along with a lot of other paw prints, like... like a lot of Jakten was here, actually. Where all the trees turned a violent shade of red and the salt on the air of a foreign sea came over the wind.

He thought about the weird magic that had teleported them all over the place last winter and wondered if maybe this time the gods had just zapped all of their clan here for some gods-only-knew reason. Didn't matter. What mattered, was:

Well, see? Zeek turned to grin at Magnolia, We're going the right way. Told you.

Uh... Zeek didn't have a proper answer for her, but felt he should. Well, probably Papa got lost and the whole pack had to come looking because he was Einvald. He nodded, But we'll find Saga first, I'm a better tracker than all of 'em!

Compelled to prove it, he shouldered ahead with some deliberate speed into the ichorwood. Saaaagaaa! We came to help you! He called out in ear splitting caterwaul.