Morning songs had long faded into the colored haze of pre-dawn leaving the world quite sullen and empty. The quiet was like a sickness that weighed heavy on Essetia’s heart as she ambled along the borders of the Falls with no particular destination in mind. Romul swayed in her wake but did little to interact with his companion for other things occupied his studious mind. As of late the pair had drifted, as sometimes they were ought to do, but there was no doubt they would come back together when things had settled. With Essetia’s new position and Romul’s assimilation into their new home, each animal sought to deal with the many complexities that life presented them separately. However, when a vaguely familiar note breaks awkwardly through the symphony of their daily routine, both mare and wolf paused to look at each other curiously.

“Herd Leader?” Romul questioned . Essetia didn’t reply at first but instead traced the sound northbound. “I guess we’ll find out when we get there,” she finally acknowledged hopefully. The soft sounds of wolven footfall turned the mare’s gentle ears back as the pair treaded toward what they deemed “the unknown.” There were yet inexperienced members of the Falls but would certainly learn to place important faces, fall into the appropriate pecking order. However, Essetia was unsure how obliging she would be, as she had only met a few vague eyes and nameless intentions. “Stop worrying, we okay.” Romul soothed.

Essetia allowed herself to steal a glance at her companion before smiling openly at the golden eyes peering back. “Yes… yes we are,” she agreed. With the sun hanging high overhead and the soft rays warming their backs, it was easy for Essetia to imagine just how casual such an ambiguous meeting would be. Perhaps she would see Elsa and Rostislav. Perhaps they would welcome her into their company once more and she would stretch her figurative legs and relax in their shadow. However, the Falls always proved to uncover new and exciting things for her; she was now their Sleuth after all…

Upon locating the intermingling of familiar scents, Romul pushed ahead of the mare before leading her into the company of what appeared to be both herd leads. However, her jaw worked tightly beneath the flesh of her cheek as she recognized the painted stallion she’d met during her first patrol as a warrior. He had failed to mention the integral role he played within the ranks of the Hidden Falls but Essetia could only assume he’d had much bigger things to occupy his time than dealing with the likes of her. Ghost, the Czarina, stood near the large golden-tipped boy and she smiled openly at the mare before nodding solemnly to her counterpart. “Good day to you both,” she murmured softly.

Now she had only to wait...

With Romul perched indignantly at her shoulder, the mare calmed and settled effortlessly into the solitude of her thoughts.