Though I had hopefully expected it, I was pleased when Sleekwing showed me the same level of approval for my answer that he had for Baird's. It was nice to know that my peer and I were somewhat equals in this. We had both given satisfactory answers, and Sleekwing built upon what we'd mentioned. I listened carefully to each point he made, and as I looked up into his face I began to recognize the age in his features. I liked to think of my uncle as the invincible force that aided my mother in ensuring Spirane's protection, but as he shared his wisdom about the role he played in the pack's safety I came to realize just how long he'd been doing it. He was no longer a young wolf, and though I still believed him to be a force to be reckoned with, I was slowly beginning to realize just why he wanted to retire. So many years of border patrol had surely taken its toll on the man.
The depth of responsibilities that accompanied the stead of Castellan were made clear by Sleekwing, and as he motioned for us to turn around and go back in the direction we'd come from, I remained blissfully unaware of just why we were doing it. Of course, when the heather streaked male jogged ahead of us and sat down behind a stale pile of feline dung it became only too apparent that Baird and I were novices in the field of border patrol. My ears flicked backwards and my head lowered slightly, silently chastising myself for missing something that should have been so obvious. Coming to stand before Sleekwing and the scat he sat beside, I stared at it for a moment, nostrils flaring wide to sniff the air. The scent was dull, old, but still there. Sunset rimmed eyes lifted to meet Sleekwing's gaze as he explained why this, too, was an important facet of his job. A single ear twitched towards Baird as he asked about the cat that this might belong to.
Leaning forward I sniffed again, harder and deeper this time, trying to detect the identity of the scent. The resident female mountain lion had never caused the pack any real trouble, and all young wolves were educated about giving her a wide berth and affording her at least some respect. Though this mountain belonged to us, it was not our home alone. I glanced to Baird, curious about whether or not he was right.