Winter was in full swing now and the land was covered in thick snow. The biting chill forced many animals to hide in the thick forests where the trees made it less harsh. But they also made it harder to hunt some of the larger animals. Of course, Halcyon was not worried about that because he was not hunting. The rugged looking loner was making his way from his temporary home in Iromar to the old den he used to inhabit. It had only been a week since his capture but already the wolf was looking in better health then he had been before. His fur was still scruffy looking and still slightly dirty but his stomach didn’t look like it was about to collapse in on itself and his ribs were no longer poking out through his skin. There was still a bit to go until his was fully recovered but all in all Halcyon was looking pretty healthy.

Though he was still considered a prisoner, Aithne had given him the freedom to come and go as he wanted so long as he stayed through the winter. It wasn’t too bad of a deal. Free food and a warm bed during the winter months meant that the pup would survive to see spring. He was getting older, soon he would be two, and it was getting easier to take care of himself but he still needed the help of the stronger adult wolves to help him survive. However, he still wanted to keep his independence which was why he was once again in the crags. Jumping with nimble paws over the rocks, the boy quickly passed by the area where the owl had attacked young Lailah. She had been so scared but he had managed to chase the bird away and safely see the young princess home.

It was a familiar scent that made him return to the here and now and skid to a halt. Sniffing the air eagerly, Halcyon found himself growing very excited. His tail wagged behind him happily as he dashed quickly to where the smell was coming from. The grey tone wolf appeared rather suddenly and the russet boy almost crashed into him, only giving a short bark as a warning for him to jump out of the way. Recovering quickly, Hal threw his rump in the air with its still wagging tail as a playful greeting. ”Ame! It’s great to see you. What are you doing here? How have you been? I was worried about you when I heard about the fall of your pack. Are you still living there? How’s your pop?”

In his excitement, the young boy let a flurry of questions batter Ame. The pup and his father had once saved his life during the last winter storms. To this day, Halcyon considered Ame to be a dear friend. He had been the first friend he had ever made. Hoping that the bond between them had not been completely severed, Halcyon wanted nothing more than to catch up with his old friend.