The mountain is quiet, nothing stirs as the moon makes its ascent to the highest peak in the sky, and yet he finds himself restless. Quietly he paces, back and forth in front of her den, pausing only to peer into the darkness. As of late he has found himself in this predicament, pacing. If he does not cool it he will eventually wear a gorge into the earth yet he could not stand to scent others near the entrance. A feverish dominance rearing its head and forcing him to erase it, to cleanse the area until only one scent remains strong; his. Of course hers paints the area as pungently as his but that does not bother him, in fact the stronger her perfume the more at ease he was; how confusing.

Again his paws still, belly kissing the cool surface of the ground as he catches the soft sounds of her breathing. Satisfied that she still lives for the thousandth time that night he stretches, mind switching gears instantly, but not without reluctance. He couldn’t stay here all night, so resisting the urge to crawl into the dark depths; he turns; his large body loping easily up the mountain. He seeks the highest peak of the mountain, the same peak that he shared with his Dragon when they were just on the doorstep of adulthood. The peak where they realized their mutual attraction and thus a bond was formed. He often goes there to reflect, to delve deep into his mind and puzzle over the intricacies of running a pack. He never offered his opinion yet when Dragon asked, he always wanted to have a ready answer. He wanted to impress her, to be her everything.

It is not long before he is perched, multifaceted optic gazing out and around, studiously watching the borders. Such a large and expansive home they had, it didn’t sprawl out and wide but far up. They owned this mountain and its unique yet dangerous beauty. The mountain itself weeded out the weak for one false paw step and it would mean death. It was always good to accompany pups out or at least make sure they had a chaperone for precisely that reason. Pups. Would he and Dragon produce any? It would be wiser to wait until after a year so that her grasp of leadership is firmly instilled yet…if she bore and held pups within her womb she wouldn’t stray from him. No other male would want to play father to another male’s pups. Right? Perhaps he should consult with Pan, the golden male sure seemed to understand way more than the average wolf.

Eyes narrow at a flash of movement, a flicker of gold, and a smirk ghosts the warrior’s face. He had just been thinking about Pan and lo and behold there was his son. Content on his perch which was too high for the boy to reach, the shadow of Danny watches the boy sit and watch as well. He was like a gargoyle, vigilant, as he peered into the darkness, much like he had a little while ago. What was he doing? When he thought of children he thought of continuing a lineage or securing his claim. He never gave thought to them having their own minds…should he interact with it? Learn how they act? Mayb….What was that god awful sound?! Ears prick instantly as the shriek rings out over the mountain, eyes zeroing on the whelp with his head thrown back…mouth parted wide. The damn thing. If they sounded like that then maybe he didn’t want to be a father and damnit he was pleased to see the boy rise to leave.

Shaking his head he returns his gaze to the sky when a low groan reaches his sensitive ears. It was akin to what one might hear during winter yet more subtle, less heavy. It had been snowing within the peaks the last few days despite the season, which caused the mountain the be cooler than normal, but that was nothing new. Yet add in squealing pups, close to the peaks, and with a quick check of the sky, close to dawn which meant rising temperatures…well all that meant was avalanche.

Quickly the warrior is off, leaping down the precipice until he is close by the boy, landing right beside where the boy landed. A snort the only indication that he had indeed heard the feminine exclamation.

”Maybe another time we can work on that, Galileo, but right now we have to go.”

He does not wait to see if the boy comprehended as he dipped his head and snatched him up by his ruff. The low groan he heard earlier now turning into a louder growl as it accumulated snow and he swore he could feel the ground rumble beneath his paws. Mouth full of fur he could not express the colorful expletives that filtered through his mind as he scurried down the mountain, his earlier musing of the chill forgotten as he fought to maintain traction and not twist his ankles.

The boys young body swings wildly as the painted warrior slides several times on the soft slushy ice patches, his grip on the child becoming harder and harder to maintain. A growl is given in frustration, a sound that is mocked by the roar of the avalanche as it kisses his heels. He could not lose neither the boy nor his life to this mountain and mind races as quickly as his legs, a dull ache blossoming within his side. When he was younger there was a cavern…where was it! The whites of his eyes are vivid as he slides yet again, his paws frantically clawing at the snow for a purchase, sure that this time they will both be swept away, when he saw it. Gathering what little energy he had left he launches his body, relying on his training during his travels to get him there. He won’t admit it, but he even closes his eyes in prayer to Moonglow and the Gods to get them there.

He does not open them. Not even when they tumble into the cavern. Not even when his body automatically attempts to slow their progress, sending sharp pinpricks of pain through his body from his front right leg. Not even when he feels the soft ruff of fur slip finally from his maw. No, he doesn’t open them until he is still, the deafening roar of the avalanche reverberating within the space. Yet, still his job is not done, rising to his paws, favoring his right one, he scurries closer to the opening near the wall, to where the lump of pup fell to.

”Get further in, NOW!”

He waits one second to see if the boy reacts, before using his snout to give him a push. They couldn’t stay near the opening with the snow piling in to fill it. Yet he does not have a chance to study the damage until they are further within the cave. Then and only then does he confirm his suspicions, they were locked in.

”Fancy that, a spring avalanche. Anything you want to say boy?”

Slowly, he collapses, the toll on his body quickly claiming him despite the adrenaline that thickens his blood. He lies on his side, one critical eye on the lad, searching for injuries as he leans into rock beneath him. He was exhausted. Yet he worries for the pack, would the avalanche alert them? Would they realize that they both were missing? Most importantly would they know where to look? Danny knew his penchant for his perch but only Flame knew about this cave. It was where they used to hang out sometimes as pups. But one thing was certain; Yes, pups were more a hassle than he thought.