The voice that tolls out across the mountain in summons to me is one familiar, despite not having heard it in some years now. The tones are slightly different, more mature in nature, but recognizable nonetheless. Ears pricked attentively as my crown lifted slightly to better hear the message and to approximate the location from which he heralded, and before the song had finished my paws were in motion. I moved with easy flowing grace, jogging across the landscape that was ingrained in the memory of my every movement. There was no wolf who knew these mountains better than I, except perhaps my elder siblings. With that knowledge it was easy to navigate the quickest route towards the boundary line where Galileo had called from. Even so, I was not the first to greet the young male that had been born upon these very peaks. Tithe's proximity had brought him forth before my arrival, and as I approached I moved first to my pack mate. My shoulder brushed against his in greeting, grateful for his loyalty and service to the pack. He was quickly proving his worth, and I was thankful each day for the combined efforts of Sleekwing and Malina that resulted in Tithe's presence in Spirane. I offered him a small smile before turning my mahogany eyes towards he who had called upon our attentions this day.

My smile quickly translated to my eyes as I looked upon the boy - nigh, no longer a boy, a young man. He stood no taller than his father, but he was more proportioned for speed rather than brute force. Not that Pan typically threw his robust frame around physically; he was far more likely to strike you down with words than muscle. Golden eyes similar to those of his mother, Niviaq, looked back at me as I gazed upon his matured face, no longer bearing the roundness of puppyhood. It struck me that my first litter was beginning to show similar signs in their visage, losing their youthful innocence and gaining a maturity that I was not sure I was ready to face. Would they, like Galileo, choose to leave the mountain in search of their own purpose and destiny? My heart ached at the thought, and my smile faltered for naught but a millisecond before I spoke.

"Galileo, it is good to see you," I said, nostrils flaring slightly to take in his scent. The scents of plains grass accented with a hint of sea salt told me immediately that he had found a home within Asteraia, and I became curious of his reason for visiting his birth pack. If he had come to see his parents and siblings surely he would have called upon them - Pan was my Hand, he could have welcomed his son within Spirane. No, the tone of Galileo's summons had suggested business. I added my own polite inquiry to Tithe's. "It would seem life in Asteraia has treated you well. How do you like it there?" I shifted my weight onto one hind leg, relaxing the other in a symbol of trust and ease between us. He had once been pack, and despite the rumors and tales that were widespread about the two wolves that lead the plains pack, I would give Galileo the benefit of the doubt.