A feeling of lacking purpose haunted Sleekwing’s heart. It weighed heavily on his shoulders each day that he simply paced the borders of Spirane. He felt a duty to his mother to prove that he was worth the title he held – a potential heir to the throne – even though he harbored no desire to someday take up her stead and rule in her place. But he would be a warrior for her until the day he died. He would be an honorable soldier and serve in whatever way she saw fit for him to do. But for too long he had idly guarded the borders of the pack. For too long he had gone with no directive, no missions to endeavor on to improve the livelihood of the pack.

Today, he would not casually uphold the security of the pack. If he had no task to complete for the pack, he would see to his own personal needs. Even a pack wolf needed to do such things every once in a while. Though pack and family would always come first to Sleekwing, he had come to realize that he did not have many wolves that he could simply call ‘friend.’ Sure, he enjoyed the company of his siblings and parents, but even among the ranks of the pack he did not feel that he held any true companions. It was a morose thought to think.

And so Sleekwing crossed the borders of Spirane and made his way east, towards the common lands. Not long after he reached the edge of the western most portion of the crater. Immediately he began his descent, paws placed carefully as he moved through the rocky terrain. When he reached flat ground he simply jogged along his pace even and nonchalant. His tail wagged easily behind him, enjoying the fresh autumn air. Even as his claws ticked against the rocky terrain, he heard the movement of another wolf. Dark blue eyes, adorned with a ring of lavender around the iris, glanced to his left and his gait slowed to a walk, curious who might be around on this beautiful morning.

He spotted her easily enough, a russet shewolf emerging from a cave inlaid in the stony landscape. His ashen form turned slightly then, drawing him closer to her. Heather adorned sides rose and fell with ease as he breathed in the warm air. “Greetings,” he called out to her jovially. “Beautiful morning, don’t you agree?” Jumping a few larger rocks he drew closer to her, but paused on a large boulder some ten feet from the entrance to her cavern. He was certainly no lunker, in fact he was only slightly larger than his mother. The wolf before him was about the same in height, although Sleekwing himself was heavier than she – weighted down by lithe muscle that came with being a male in his mother’s line. A genuine smile graced his gray face as he gazed down at her, hoping she was up for simple friendly conversation. He sat down then, so she would know he wasn’t going to pounce down at her, waiting for her response.