The very presence of Alcmene, Mana, and Los upon the mountain had made him feel young again and yet somehow aged him years overnight at the same time. Keeping track of all three was nearly impossible, and it had taken him half of autumn to realize there was no point in trying to do much more than that. They were adventurous, their curiosity knowing no bounds, and so as long as they returned to their shared den site each night, he was content in knowing they were safe. Being a father was a tasking duty, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world. He found himself reflecting on his own youth, and how MoonGlow and Alcide had managed to wrangle him and his litter mates. Almost on cue with his thoughts, a howl lifted on the mountain breeze, and Sleekwing’s ears perked forward in surprise. Orca! His littermate was home! It had been years since the three of them had been present upon the mountain – or in Moladion for that matter – at the same time.

Wasting little time, he set off at an easy canter, making his way perhaps without so much haste as those who arrived before him. He was certainly thrilled to hear the song of not only Orca, but Idunn as well. But he knew he would not be the only to answer their call. When he reached an overhang of rock that looked down upon the gathering, the stopped and simply watched for a while. The girls danced around one another, Idunn and Haven blissfully ignorant of anything else in their reunion. Even Daenerys seemed hard to keep still as she wound her way through the throng of wolves, greeting each individual in turn and then returning to everyone again. Joy radiated from her, blatantly obvious upon her face. Orca’s stripped banner waved back and forth, the oldest amongst the group. Taliesin, the brother who had taken on such a huge role in the youngest girls’ raising, joined in on the festivities. Sleekwing did not miss Swallowbane, standing off from the group a bit, watching the interaction of his family but not partaking. Only Ceal was missing; and himself. It was a maudlin scene that unfolded below, and he looked to the bright blue sky with a smile on his face, knowing that somewhere Alcide and MoonGlow would be smiling down upon their children.

He did not linger for long, the excitement of the gathering causing his hair to bristle with anticipation. Loping down the last decline, he finally found himself on even ground with his siblings, and trotted forth to meet them. Momentarily he paused at Swallowbane’s side, glancing over at his brother. “Come, brother,” he said; not as a demand, but a simple invitation to join in on such jubilation. Swallowbane had always been a morose fellow, but a long time ago he had known how to smile. Sleekwing wanted to remind his brother of that. Continuing forward, he rubbed shoulders with Daenerys in greeting. He gave the Queen a sentimental smile before edging around the chaos of the two youngest daughters of MoonGlow and Alcide’s reunion to stand beside Orca. He touched his nose to her cheek before withdrawing slightly to look her over. She’d always known how to take care of herself, but that didn’t mean he had never worried for her. They were littermates, after all, and Idunn and Haven were plainly evidence of how important a connection that was. His gaze returned to hers when he was satisfied with her wellbeing, and he said, “Welcome home, sister.”