A beautiful winter day graced the mountains. Snow clung to every surface, but the sun shined brightly down upon it, casting a brilliant glare upon all that lay within reach. The crystals of snow gleam and glint, and Sleekwing was content to simply gaze out upon his home from the perch he had chosen on that day. He was not all the far up the mountain, in fact he was closer to its base than its peak. But there was a gentle outcropping of smooth rock formations here that the snow had melted off of in the radiant sunlight of the afternoon. And so the spot had been most attractive to him for an afternoon’s sunbathing, something that one rarely could take advantage of during the winter months when snow so readily wet the fur of he who rested within it. The ashen beast idly watched as nature moved on around him as he rested. A snow hare ran past without so much as noticing him lying just above her path. A pair of bright red cardinals flitted past him and landed on a nearby spruce. It would seem that all residents of the mountain – canine and otherwise – were out and about today.

The movement of the pup caught Sleekwing’s attention as he watched the vividly plumed avian take flight once more. Turning his gaze upon the boy, he watched him with heightened interest. He was further down the mountain and off to the right a bit, at an angle where Sleekwing sometimes lost sight of him, but he always came back into his line of vision. He could hardly mistake the boy for anyone but his nephew. Wren, the boy’s name was. Or so he’d been told. Swallowbane, ever the recluse, had never been given to introduce the pups to the family. Although, his brother openly resented him and his father, so it came as little surprise. What Sleekwing himself had ever done to receive such treatment he was unsure, he had been there by MoonGlow’s side when the sky fell as well. But, he let sleeping wolves lie. Calista had told them their names, though, and Sleekwing was hardly sure if the boy would even recognize him as his uncle if he were to approach. For the time being, he simply remained where he was, watching the child as he entertained himself.

It is the somewhat distant barking that causes Sleekwing to quickly rise to his paws. The voice sounded oddly familiar, but it was for the most part foreign to him. And then Wren was bounding towards the wolf, and his uncle was not far behind him. He leapt from the boulder’s surface and loped after the boy. Skidding to a halt, he sprays snow out in front of him as he comes to a stop, ears pressed forward alertly and fur bristling ever so slightly. But as soon as the young man lays eyes upon the wolf that Wren so eagerly greeted, Sleekwing’s pelt falls flat and a smile breaks on his face. He did know this wolf! Flashes of memory return to the creature, from when he was a puppy himself. This wolf that stood before him now had played with him and guarded him in his infancy. This….this was, Bark! Excitement overcomes Sleekwing at the prospect of a former pack mate returning home, but he is well aware that Bark rests outside the pack boundaries and that it had been a long time since they had called one another pack. Glancing down at his nephew, he lifts a paw and playfully greets the boy with a gentle nudge against his shoulder before returning his gaze to Bark and tilting his head slightly to the side. From what Sleekwing could recall, the man did not speak. Would he remember the child he had once entertained and taught the ways of the world? Standing square, his tail wags out behind him, lifted only slightly to show his status as a guardian of Spirane. Had Bark come home?