It was interesting to see the difference in the two children nestled within the small cave. The girl was well groomed, her white coat almost glowing in the starlight. She looked well fed and in perfect health. Her body was still growing, still losing the baby fat that all wolves are born with. A sense of elegance surrounds her and one day a very lucky wolf would court her and make her his mate. Halcyon, on the other hand, was rugged and unkempt. His baby fat had long been used up that first winter he spent alone. He body greedily ate away at it and demanded more and more but it was hard for the puppy to find any scraps left for him to eat. The muscles around his thin body were firm showing that he was still in good shape. His body overall was a little too thin and with each passing day it only grew smaller and smaller as the cold weather made pretty scares. The two wolves were each on the polar end of the standards for their kind.

As he spoke, he could sense the change in Lailah. She did what he could not and that was to show the sadness that was hidden deep within his heart. He felt her press into him and for a moment he tensed up but he did not shy away or push her. He knew she was only trying to help me feel better and he was thankful for the gesture. Then came the invitation. It was such a tempting offer that he almost took it up but waited a moment before answering. He would be an extra mouth to feed and it seemed like this winter was already bad enough without him making it worse for another family. And, on an even deeper thought process, what gave him the right to replace his family so easily? By going to another pack and living with other wolves didn’t that dishonor the memory of his deceased parents? With a sigh, Halcyon forced a smile on his face and turned to his companion. ”Thank you for the offer but I’m going to have to refuse. See, I have to keep this place safe for other pups like you who may have angry owls attacking them.” He tried to sound much older than he was as a way to convince her he would be alright on his own.

Her beautiful sing song voice echoed in the cave as she told him about her love of exploring the night. The russet boy nodded in perfect understanding. He, too, loved the night. It brought a sense of peace and beauty to the world. At the same time, he could also understand her parents worry. There were evil shadows lurking underneath the beauty. A companionable silence took hold again and for a moment it looked like the girl would fall asleep but a sudden idea came to her and she spoke again, this time with excitement. She said that her parents had come from another pack before Spirane and could have known his parents. Halcyon’s tail wagged in equal excitement at the thought of finally meeting someone from his old pack. ”Maybe they knew my parents! Lailah, would it be okay if I escorted you back to your pack tomorrow? Then I can meet your folks and see if they know who I am!”

This had been the moment he had been waiting for. It was a slim chance but one that he was willing to take in order to fill the missing pieces from his past. As he waited for the girl to reply, a yawn erupted from his mouth as if to remind him how late it was and how tired he had become. ”But let’s wait until morning. It’s a bit of a walk to the mountains and I’m bushed. We should be plenty safe and warm in here.” He rested his head on his front paws and felt his eyes grow heavy. Soon he would fall into a deep and, for the first time in countless moons, a comfortable sleep.

((OOC: So I figured we can end this thread with your reply and maybe pick it back up in Spirane with Ever and Reich. What do you say?))