Contentedly I lay upon the flat, cool stone within my pack lands, as central as a thing can be in such a vast expanse of land. This place is tucked well enough within the pack lands to be considered only for members of the pack, but at a midway enough altitude that both those in the lower dens and in those higher can easily make their way here if need be. As I groomed myself, I thought that perhaps soon I should call upon the pack, gather them here so that we might all celebrate the new lives born to the mountain this season. Alas, Anemone has yet to give birth, and the pups will need at least a few weeks to develop and gain a bit of strength before they were subjected to such excitement. Perhaps when spring began to warm and give way to summer would be a more appropriate time. I mull over these ideas as I lay on the wide, flat rock where my father and I had once wiled away may an hour soaking up the sun. The midday sun that beams down upon me now is not quite warm enough to warrant sun bathing, though, and so instead I had set to grooming the mussed bits of my hair in a perfunctory manner, going over them quickly so that if a member of my pack were to seek me out this day I would at least appear presentable. Almost overnight my children transformed into lanky yearlings, but they still managed to mess up my fur from time to time. I didn't mind in the least.

Ashen ears tilted to and fro, listening to the birds chirping and the rustle of the newly bloomed leaves dusting against one another in a soft spring breeze. Beyond that I can hear the occasional bark of play from one of the many yearlings that scatter the mountain. I cannot help but wonder how many of them will choose to stay here after another year or so has come and gone. For the most part, I merely cling to the notion that my children will never leave. The notes of a distant howl distracted me, though, as my head lifted away from the patch of fur along my back that I had been licking at. I rise to a sitting position, ears pressed forward as I listen intently, but the sound is gone. My heart quickens in my chest, hoping that the voice would sound again. Its familiarity might have been a trick from this distance. For a time I remain like that, stock still so that I almost meld with the rock below my paws. Finally my head twitches an inch to the side as the song comes again, this time much closer. My maw parts in a wide smile. Idunn.

I launch from my throne not a moment later, hitting the ground running as I sprint through the familiar trails of my home. Long legs stretch out, boldly eating up the ground as I weave between trees and rush through dips in the landscape. I remain silent as I dash across the terrain, knowing that her call would be enough to summon others of the mountain. Some might not recognize her call, but I knew that Taliesin and Haven would recognize her voice just as I had. Haven and Idunn had been so close in their youth, forced into impossible situations for pups to understand; they had been so lucky to have Taliesin in their lives when the world came crashing down around them. But now everything felt uplifting, for my sister was home again.

I see the brilliant tones of her brown pelt flashing through the trees, and I immediately cut my course so that we would meet up on the trail ahead. I barked out a greeting to her, slowing my pace but not stopping, wanting only to fall into step with her as she made her way further into the pack lands. Brushing my shoulder against hers I can hardly believe how grown up she looks. She stands nearly as tall as me and easily outweighs me with her wide, muscled frame. "Welcome home," I say, for in this moment it does not matter if she is here to visit or to stay. She's home. It is only then that I glance to the trail before us, and lucky that I did, for I immediately planted my paws and slid to a stop. A white pup is in the middle of the path, and I stopped within only a couple feet between her and us. At first I was surprised, but my face immediately softened as my nostrils flared to gather her scent. Unmistakably Reich, and Everlyse as well. "Hello there," I cooed in a motherly tone to her, a sound that would be most foreign to my sister coming from my mouth; but a sudden and unexpected warmth had risen in my chest at the site of a pup so young.