It made sense. At the end of the day, it really did: he had been left alone again, another failed attempt to reclaim ground or pride. He had hoped to grow closer to his family and yet, Vesper had been quick to become absent; he had hoped to at least find comfort in Leviathan and yet, like a ghost, she had faded away in the mists. He should have expected it and yet, he had foolishly clung to hope where they hadn't been a place for it. When had he begun deluding himself? At least, he supposed, Praetor was still around, though Tesseract had failed just as sorely in bridging the space between himself and Praetor's family. Funny that - he could barely even claim his grandchildren as his own family. He had never been anything to them, much less a role model of any kind.

In any case, he had retreated to the outskirts of Iromar come the cooler season. He had nestled himself among the rocks and reeds, makeshift hollows to wait out the fleeting storms: there, he had begun to feel at home. Alone perhaps but home at least. Of course, the winter had caused the ache deep in his leg to stir more and more, an unshakable tension that left the limb quivering at times when the early snow fell. It was for that reason that he had taken to the borders just as often, desperate to shake off the pain as he loped about - some small part of him hoped that one day the muscles would be right again, that he could simply exercise away his weakness. He had become a man full of folly, it seemed.

He was surprised, then, when he heard the excitable sounds of another approaching. He had become accustomed to his solitary lifestyle and yet, suddenly, his ears had become erect as his head swung up, alert and alive for the first time in weeks. He paused in his stride, his eyes seeking to fixate on the form that had begun to emerge from the mists and reeds. Something about her was familiar - a wolf close to his own son, he knew, which made his lip twitch in amusement and fleeting happiness. Ah, maybe he ought to be nice. Perhaps he had found himself an opportunity to indirectly grow closer to his son's life.

"You seem in high spirits," he called out with a wave of his tail, waiting a moment to confirm that she did not desire to be left alone before he ambled forward an awkward pace or two, "Would you mind if I joined you on border patrol?" His head fell into a subtle tilt as he pivoted slowly, seeking to face down the same path as the other now. He was not entirely sure if he could match her enthusiasm but, well, he had hope that some of it might rub off on him in some small way.