Dief vanished and reappeared a few times over, running up ahead and then dropping back to make sure Asher was still there behind him. As obnoxious as he found it to be humoring him, he knew it would be much worse if he didn't. The wolf was stubborn, so much so that Asher had wondered on more than one occasion if he hadn't actually belonged to Ray back in Chicago.

The barking didn't let up, but between them, he heard something. At least, he thought he did. When he heard it again, any reservations he may have had following Dief was halved. He wouldn't let himself hope anymore than that, even as his pace quickened.