Fen had nearly broken a sweat at the speed the other woman ran. She was fast, faster than the princess had expected. And had she not known better, Fen may have wondered if the woman possessed the hollow bones often found in birds. Was the woman more avian than wolf? The jury was out.

As the other female, clad in a coat belonging to a winter storm, had slowed, Fen did so as well—though a measured trot accompanied hers until her paws sank into the sand between her toes. Her tail waved in the air, rising high as it often did, as she flashed the girl a languid smile.

You are as quick as a light, Hua Bao, she joked through a half-hearted breath, Any longer and I believe you might have far outpaced myself!

A warmth filled the princess’s gaze as she reclined herself to her haunches, tucking her tail atop her toes as she regarded the other. I am Téng Fen, daughter of the Emperor Shēnléi, She introduced herself with all the bells and whistles she could remember.

She hadn’t meant Bao before, although, as if the wind wished to aid the princess in her troubles, the scent of Tianlong wolves became clear atop the citrus scent of the other.

My apologies for not introducing myself sooner, she added with a gentle smile, You are Tianlong, just as I, correct? Of course, she was. Fen shook her head as if the question had been a silly one. And with ears just barely twitching into a lowered stance, she rectified her inquiry. What I mean is, you smell of my family, so it is a pleasure to meet you Hua Bao. This time, Fen paired her words with a small dip of her chin.