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Charcoal smiled proudly to herself and gulped down her fish. After shaking herself from any unwanted water, she stretched and looked at KC, “Yeah we should leave. We still have at least 6 or 7 hours of sun. Maybe if we hurry, we can save a day’s trip.” She grinned widely at KC then walked up next to her, ready to leave at a moments notice.

KC nodded and started toward the trail again.
KC led them both through the trail as the sun reached the center of the sky and started to set. The trail still ran close to the river and occasionally, they even had to cross smaller streams that branched off from the bigger river. The narrow path that they followed was starting to grow wider though... every once and a while, they even came across wolf prints. But none had a familiar smell. But KC could sense that they were coming closer to her old territory.

Every paw print they passed, Charcoal could feel her hopes rising. Though there was a 50% chance her father had been defeated by the wolf called Boss, she figured at least she could learn something everyone was keeping from her and her siblings. As she thought about it, she figured the only reason why her mother kept most memories she had of their father away, was because it hurt her. Charcoal looked as confident as she could. If she could bring him back, her mother would be happy again.

They travelled for a few more days time, only stopping to catch food or take a drink. By the end of the fifth day of their journey, KC began to recognize more and more things. Old scents raced back to her, triggering old memories of her mother and father. The trail that they had followed widened into a clearly often-used path. As they got closer, KC's heart raced and thoughts of what could happen flashed in front of her. What happened if Boss was still in charge?! If Buck was alive, would he accept her if he found out about her own father? There was only one way to find out...

Charcoal kept to herself most of their journey, only talking when spoken to, or when she had questions. Every step of the way brought more questions to her and a small part of her started to get a little homesick. As they followed a path, Charcoal could sense something different about KC. She figured they were very close, but at the same time, she sensed that KC was sort of scared about something. Charcoal kept close to KC, ready to fight if they were put into danger at any moment.

As they walked along, snow began to fall down, starting off as wispy little flakes then growing into a thick curtain of snow. It didn't help KC's nerves at all... snow would hide them in case they needed it, but it'd also hide anyone who would want to sneak up on them. The hybrid sniffed the air every few steps until a familiar scent caught her attention. KC froze, making sure that she wasn't imagining things, then squinted, trying to see if anyone was around.
"I think we're here"

Charcoal looked up at the snow that fell. It didn’t surprise her that winter was starting to come back, and this would only be the beginning. She looked around them, also keeping herself on high alert incase they were being kept under surveillance by another wolf, or even worse, something bigger. Charcoal sniffed the ground, hoping to find some sign that someone has been here really recently. Suddenly, her ears twitched and she lifted her head quickly. A sound had caught her ears, but she had no idea whether it was another wolf, or maybe just some snow. She squinted, trying to see if she could make out anything through the snow.

KC's fur stood on end even though she'd rather not fight. The thick snow and lack of any noise kept KC on her toes. There was definitely something wrong.
"Who are you?! And what do you want?!" a voice boomed through the snow.
KC nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Uh... we're looking for Buck... or Boss. Whoever's in charge" KC called out unsurely. Through the flakes, she could make out the shapes of four wolves. The snow blocked her vision to recognize them, but they didn't seem like the type of wolves Boss would keep around.

Charcoal was surprised when the voice sounded. She jumped slightly but quickly regained herself and growled. Wherever the voice was coming from, and whoever it was, until she was sure whether they were safe or not, she was ready to fight. Charcoal made sure to stand close to KC, her fangs bared, she waited for the unknown wolf to show themselves.

Through the wizzing flakes, a dark brown and white patched wolf stepped forward, motioning the other three to stay a bit back.
"Uh... we need to talk to whoever's in charge..." KC said again, in a quieter voice.
The brown wolf got closer and studied the hybrid, then realization lit up his blue eyes.
"KC?"
"Bear! KC smiled, finally recognizing her old pack mate. Behind Bear, the three wolves trotted over, curious to see who Bear had recognized. IT was Xenia, Nuka and Boulder, KC's old babysitters!
KC rushed up to her four old friends and nuzzled them until Bear finally noticed the other canine.
"So who's your friend?"
"Uh... this is Charcoal" KC started unsurely. "I think we should talk about why she's here when we get back to the pack"

Charcoal relaxed herself but kept herself alert. She watched uneasily as the three wolf's and KC greeted each other. When her name was mentioned she bowed her head slightly as a greeting and kept a slight watch on her surroundings. Anyone could tell Charcoal was slightly uneasy around so many unknown canines, especially wolves, "Um... is Buck the leader of this pack? Or has Boss taken over?" The question had been on her mind the whole time and she hoped her father was close.

KC perked her ears; the question had been burning in her mind the whole journey until she had been surprised by her older friends.
"Buck's the leader" Bear declared, puffing out his chest with pride. "Just for a bit over a year now since he defeated Boss"
KC sighed deeply, letting the worry slip away for a little bit. Buck would probably never know about who her father was anyway.
"So Boss'll never bother anyone again!" Bear smirked, starting to lead the group back to the den. "'Cus he's deader then dead"

Charcoal also let out a sigh of relief. She walked up to KC's side and whispered in her ear, "Don’t tell anyone about me being Buck's daughter. I don’t want to start any trouble for him and I want to tell him myself." She smiled at KC slightly then turned her attention back to the other wolves, "So where is Buck if I may ask?" She kept her eyes on Bear, seeing as he seemed like the higher ranked of the four.

KC nodded, understanding, and followed Bear back through the slightly familiar trails.
Bear tilted his head.
"Hmmm... well Kaya's probably back at the den with the boys but I think Buck is out scouting again. Not that anyone would even think about taking our territory now though" Bear chuckled. "But he'll be back soon enough"
Bear led the group through the trails, and when the snow cleared up a bit, they stopped at the first clearing they came to; one that looked over a valley with a twin-peaked small mountain in the center of the territory. KC smiled. Nothing had changed a bit.

Charcoal gasped in awe as she looked around. The whole place was beautiful! What a dream it must have been to live here. After looking at the view, she looked back at the others, "Um, if he is out scouting, may I ask where I may wait for him?" She might have been pushing her company just a little, but she needed to see Buck. She wasn’t stupid enough to go looking for him either.