When after a few seconds Byrce was not so much as running beside her, Thea turned her head to look over her shoulder with a taunting expression. She opened her mouth to call to him, but the large wolf sped past her, easily leaving her in the dust.
	“Little sneak!” Thea laughed, the jovial sound echoing between the trees. Bending her head in determination and a grin ever plastered on her red-stained lips, she ran as fast as her feet would carry her, sticks cracking beneath her shoes in her playful haste.
	She had missed this, running freely through nature with the wolf-prince: the wind of her speed—as pathetic as it may be in comparison to a wolf’s—making her fiery hair glide behind her. The earthy smell of dirt and trees, free of the smoky incense scent that seemed to linger in most parts of the castle these days. The joyful songs of the birds filling the air in place of the lonely silence of the stone halls or dull conversations of her family and her father’s council and mages.
	Thea hurried around the fallen tree in the same direction as her friend, then laughed again when Byrce howled. Before the sound could finish leaving his throat, she cupped her hands to her mouth and gave her best mimicry of the sound.
	A couple paces behind her, Zane gave a short yip, then his own howl joined in with the others.
	When she at last arrived at the water’s edge, Byrce was already waiting, staring in their direction as if he had been waiting for a while.
	“Rub it in, why don’t you?” She chuckled, and stepped to the large, flat boulder Byrce laid beside. Though only slightly out of breath, she hopped onto the stone and leaned her arms back. She rolled over onto her stomach and placed her chin in her hands, looking to Zane, who had technically arrived last. “But at least I’m not the skinned lizard!”
	Zane gave a confused whine, his ears pulling back slightly as he cocked his head. His apparent show of semi-understanding only made Thea laugh again as he padded to her side. She reached down and ruffled the top of his head.
	“It’s okay. I still love you, even if you [i]are[/i] a skinned lizard.”
	Zane licked her hand, then turned to Byrce and pounced, his fluffy tail wagging behind him.
	Thea straightened and looked out at the river. Somewhere around thirty-five feet wide by her calculations, the water at this part of the river flowed gently, undulating without a care in the world. A slight sense of extra freshness rose from it, bringing with it the slight, yet not altogether unpleasant, scent of fish and wet earth.
	“Alright, slowpokes.” She stood, trying to redirect the wolves’ attention should they be in the middle of a sparring match. “Ready to follow the river downstream, or are you still catching your breath?”