There had been a time when the night had been a friend. The darkness an ally. The moon a beacon. When the lone warrior had traveled with the night rather than the day. Those days seemed like so long ago and it was strange to think that they had even been his past as he slept in the comfort of his den with Rhae sleeping beside him. Her large belly moved gently up and down as she slumbered and it had been the sound of her slight snoring that had woken Iblis. Ever the light sleeper, the king found himself still unable to shake the feeling of needing to be on constant watch. When he was woken up it was hard for him to fall back to sleep so the small king crawled quietly outside and felt the moon shine brightly on his pelt.

It was a beautiful sight and one that would always take his breath away. The vast, empty plains full of freshly grown flowers that sparkled elegantly with the millions of stars in the sky. This was his home and would continue to be the home of his line for, hopefully, many generations to come. It was a surreal feeling, still, to have a pack. To be the king of that pack. It was something that had taken the once loner a long time to adjust to and he found himself still trying to think like a pack alpha. Stretching his front paws forwards and allowing a huge yawn to take over, Iblis knew he would not be going back to sleep any time soon so why not take this moment to try for a hunt. Rhae was heavy with cubs and she was going to need all the food she could eat to keep up her strength.

It wasn’t very long into his hunt when the fresh sent of his Steward reached his nose. She had been through here at some point and her scent was mixed with fear and anxiety. The hunt forgotten momentarily, Iblis followed her tracks at a quick jog. Something was not right and he would not be a good leader…no… a good friend if he did not investigate. It had been sometime since the king and steward has spoken and he wondered how she was doing. Had it not been for the gap in the long grass, Iblis probably wouldn’t have found her so quickly. Quietly, he approached and let a soft whimper leave his maw. ”Delya, are you okay? What are you doing out here on a beautiful night like this?” He stayed a few feet away in case she was in a foul mood (most of the females residing in the pack seemed to be in such a mood). She may not want his help, but that wasn’t going to stop him from trying. With the patience of a monk, Iblis waited for the young girl to reply.