Nimble looked at her two friends. The two male elves were arguing. Again. Their wolves were lolling about, waiting for the argument to end. They were all used to the fighting; but that didn't mean they liked it. Fernfrost looked at Dune, barely containing the urge to punch the dark, freckled elf in the nose. He didn't know why he got so mad at the other elf all the time, but something about the older elf just rubbed him the wrong way sometimes.
Dune grinned smugly at the tan elf; he knew the younger elf wouldn't hit him. The older elf was more physically inclined; if Fernfrost did throw a punch the fight would be over very quickly; though Dune was a good fighter, he didn't like fighting. Especially if it was with one of his best friends. But he wouldn't let himself be knocked around by them, either. They would go down, quickly, and most likely, painfully. He knew Fernfrost had the ability to heal himself, but he still didn't want to hurt him.
Nimble finally got fed up with the two 'men' and walked away, saying over her shoulder, "If you two decide to behave like adults, and stop being stupid about trivial matters, I'll be in my room. Really, does it matter whose wolf is bigger? They're both rideable, and they're both beautiful. Just be glad you have wolves."
This was always a sore point with her. She was one of the few elves in GoldFire Holt who didn't have a wolf friend. Some of the others didn't mind, but she had always wanted one, and had even been present at the birth of a few litters, but had never found the right wolf.  She was beginning to think she would never find one. She stalked away from her two friends, and they stopped fighting to watch her leave.
"I think we did it this time, Fernfrost. I think she's really upset this time," Dune glanced at his best friend.  "Truce?"
"Sure. We probably should go try to cheer her up.  Thinking about wolves always makes her sad. Maybe we should try checking out the portal Shale found. Maybe there is a wolf for Nimble on another world.& I mean, she's had a chance at almost every wolf on this world; maybe her wolf isn't here." Fernfrost looked as if he had considered this idea before.
"You might have something there, 'Frost. Maybe we should suggest it to her. You go find out where the portal is exactly, and I'll go get Nimble. If she's not too angry to come, anyways." They dashed off, earlier argument forgotten, their wolves chasing them down the paths.
Fernfrost, followed closely by his gigantic male wolf, GarnetGhosts, ran back toward the holt. He found one of the few who knew for sure where the new portal was, and got detailed directions. Not that it was hard to find, or far away, but he was always thorough; you never knew what might happen. He headed back to Nimble's home.
Meanwhile, Dune and his large female Greater wolf, DunOats, ran to catch up with Nimble. She was just about to enter her treehome, when he caught her.
"Nimble, wait. Don't be mad; we weren't thinking very much. I forgot us talking about the wolves too much bothers you. 'Frost and I are both sorry; and we had an idea." His chrome eyes begged understanding. "We thought maybe the reason you haven't found a wolf-friend here, because there isn't one for you here. Maybe your wolf is waiting on another world. We were thinking, maybe we should check out Shale's portal. Fernfrost went to get directions; he should be here in a few minutes."
The female elf looked confused for a minute or two, but when she realized what he was talking about, she smiled.
"How can I stay mad at my two best friends when they go to such lengths to help me out? I just hope I can find a wolf there, so your efforts aren't wasted. Who knows what else we might find out there?"
They sat talking for a few minutes, until Fernfrost showed up. When they saw him come through the trees, they dashed to meet him. Nimble gave him a quick hug, to show that all was forgiven, and they walked to the clearing the portal was found in. They examined the portal for a few minutes, the wolves sniffing carefully. Fernfrost looked at the other two.
"Oh, yeah, Jet said that Shale's not the only one who went throught the portal. Kitten went through yesterday, and there are others who are planning to go through later. So we won't be the only ones there, where ever there is."
"Well, that makes me feel a little better. I wasn't sure about going somewhere that only one person had gone and not come back from. But since others aren't worried, I don't mind," Nimble reasoned, out loud. She had always been the most cautious of their little group.
They finished their examination of the portal and gathered to one side for a few moments. After carefully considering what could happen, they decided to go ahead and do it. One at a time, they went through the portal; first, Dune and DunOats, followed by Nimble, and finally, Fernfrost and GarnetGhosts. When they stepped out on the other side, they looked around for a few moments, taking in the different terrain.
While they were looking around the island they found themselves on, they occasionally checked the air. Near their holt there were large birds that occasionally tried to attack some of the smaller wolves, and there was always the possibility of a similar creature here.
After a while, GarnetGhosts growled, and they all looked at him to see what disturbed him. He was looking to the sky, at two large approaching objects. They didn't look like birds to the elves; they'd never seen anything like them. Soon, two large winged creatures had landed near them, a pair of humans sliding from the beasts' shoulders. The two women were much taller than the elves, but seemed friendly enough.
"Hi, there," the older girl started. "I'm Jesca, and this is my cousin Melyna." The other girl smiled. "We were exploring; some of our friends told us about this place. We were just about to leave when Leineth, that's my dragon, noticed you three. She thinks you would make good candidates for dragons. There is a clutch back near where these two hatched that is looking for candidates; are you interested?" As she waited for their answer, the other girl squealed.
"Are those wolves? They're so different. We have wolves back at Falas, but they have wings; and most of them have come from other places. But if you're interested in adopting one, one of us could take you there, too."

Continued.....