Daenerys’ voice faded from the mountain air, her song complete and her message clear. The heather marked brute’s tail began to wag once more, and one could have sworn he lifted a single brow in an almost teasing fashion towards Kiyomi. Of course she was welcome here, his sister would never doubt his judgment when it came to those who could be counted as trusted friends. He, above all others, had always kept the mountain’s best interest at heart. Even when the plague of Purge had held the lands in her grasp he had remained, steadfast in his duty to protect those who wished to call Spirane home, and to ensure the safety of the mountain itself. He rolled his toes in the soft soil of the foothills, grasping at the earth and reveling in the feel of it under his paws once more. This was where he belonged, and now Kiyomi could know that sensation as well.

Her reaction was little less than what he had expected, though perhaps it was aging eyes that kept him from noticing the effect his swift peck upon her cheek had made. Instead he saw the light in her crystalline eyes, the shock that quickly transformed into utter glee. As she rushed towards him, his own thrill burst forth once more, and he reared up on his hind paws and batted out at her, swiping at air as she pin-hooked her agile body and set off in the opposite direction. The playful growl she uttered was answered with a joyous yip, and as Sleekwing’s front paws met the earth once more he dug in and set off, chasing after her.

Together they dashed off into the depths of their mountain home, and Sleekwing gently guided Kiyomi up well known paths. Sometimes the trail grew steep and both wolves would labor for breath, but they could not be stopped. Onward they ran, pushed forward by the combined ecstasy of coming home and finding a home. But at some point they had to accept the inevitable – the Castellan was not at his full strength, and the midnight female was new to such terrain. Finally they slowed to a jog, each heaving for breath, but neither had lost their smile. Sleekwing paced beside his giggling friend as she exclaimed about already coming to love the mountain. Dark blue eyes, ringed in the faintest hues of lavender, looked upon her and he let out a chuckle, slightly surprised by his own exhaustion from the climb. “Come, I will introduce you to Daenerys, and then we shall find you a den. As it were, I should probably check on my own and make sure it withstood the winter without someone to maintain it.” He smiled and continued forward, leading her ever upwards as they ascended the mountain side by side.

(If you want to continue the thread, maybe we could do a time lapse to fall, since this thread is set in spring?)