It had been a few weeks since his reign had begun and so far things were going well for the new king. Gone were the days of winter, when his coat had been lackluster and his bones had protruded from under his skin. Now his fur shone brilliantly red and his body was toned and well-fed. Halcyon had come a long way and truly looked the part of king. He walked with his head held high and his tail wagging gently behind him, held up with pride. Life was good and happy, what more could he want?
Today, he was scouting one of the herds of bison that roamed across the plains. He knew his mate hated them, and for good reason, which is why he tried his best to keep them as far away from their den as possible. It seemed that they had caught wind of his scent and were grazing well away from the den. Nodding in approval, he turned to go back to the den when a scent reached his nose. At once, the smell sent his tail wagging and he darted across the open land in search of someone he hadn’t seen in years.
The lone wolf could be seen trotting along, like he owned the place, calling out to his brother. Halcyon didn’t even bother worrying about him moving without invitation. Mugen had been born here, the littermate of the king, he was always welcome. Barking loudly, the russet wolf ran up to his brother. "Mugen! How long has it been? Are you here to stay or are you…" he said, his barrage of questions leaving his mouth before he really saw his brother. The prince was in bad shape. Like their father, he was missing part of his ear but also his tail! He was covered in scars and there was a gruff look to him that made Halcyon gasp. The king carried his own scar, the one on his throat Tick Tock had given him, but he looked nothing like his brother. "Geez, Mugen, you look like shit. What happened to you?"