i am the blood of the mountain

It was early morning, so early in fact that it could still be considered night. But the moon was beginning to set and the faintest haze of purple lined the horizon as I stood without den, breathing in the crisp air. It would be good to get moving this early, before the sun had a chance to warm the land and make the climb more difficult. Mahogany eyes turned back towards the dark entrance to the den, stepping back within and looking over the sleeping forms of my four children. They were a mess of gangly legs and oversized ears, the boys unceremoniously strewn over and through one another while Kalseru laid off to the side, touching only Rhaegal. I had been laying closest to her as we slept, but in the absence of my warmth she seemed to have shifted in her sleep closer to her brother. I was almost loathe to disturb them as they slept so peacefully, wondering how many more nights I would get with all of them. I had denned with my father until I was three, but that had been different. I'd had no litter, and my mother had not been present in my upbringing. And even though their father was not a part of their lives, often times Jericho would share the den with us. They would not worry for my loneliness as I had for Alcide's. So I was unsure how soon their independence would fully blossom and steal away my nightly contact with them.

Carefully I walked among them, sure not to step on any wayward paw or ear as I lowered my nose to nudge at their faces and shoulders, becoming more forceful if they would not rise immediately. "Come along, young dragons need not slumber when there is adventure to be had." I knew it would help to rouse at least one of the boys. Moving to Kalseru I placed repetitive licks atop her head, nudging my nose into her neck to wake her. Young jaws stretched wide in yawns as they woke, confused by my persistence. There was clearly no need for alarm, but still I kept after them until I finally shepherded them all from the den. Without a word I turned and moved up and over our den, following a familiar trail that lead up into the higher ranges of the mountains. I did not look back, only barking to my for adolescent children to keep up. In the darkness of predawn I began to lope along the trails that our family so often used. My ears flicked back, listening to ensure that four sets of paw beats moved in my wake, recognizing the unique pattern of each of my children.

After some time we came to a place where most wolves would continue forward to ascend to one of the highest peaks within Spirane. It was further along this path that a diversion would land one within the very den site of Ragnarok and Church's family. But instead, before all that, I cut off in a different direction at a jog, which brought us slightly downhill before resuming its upward climb. There was very little foot traffic through here, and so the path was not well worn and did not appear to lead anywhere special. This was where the path grew the steepest, and finally I glanced back at my children to ensure they were all holding up alright. The mountain was in their blood, but they were not immune to tiring themselves out. The faintest predawn light illuminated our way, the band of purple around the horizon growing lighter with each passing minute. Ever upwards we traveled, having to cut back and forth in some places, until finally the trail evened out and gave way to a wide ledge of rock. I walked out across it, turning and sitting down near its edge and inviting my children to join me. Mahogany eyes gazed upon each of them in turn, wondering what their reaction would be to finally be shown this special place I had spoken of on occasion. The highest peak among the range, and a wide ledge of rock upon which every member of our family dynasty had once sat. I truly believed that when Spirane had been Solevion, that Boneclaw and Thunderbone had once stood upon this very shelf of rock.

Proud eyes moved from the forms of my four children out over the vast expanse of Moladion that was still shrouded in darkness. But as my eyes turned out across the world that sprawled before us, the sun began to peak up over the horizon, casting the brilliant first light of day. I would give them this moment, to catch their breath and soak up all that lay before them.

daenerys