Wheeling Gull Isle meanwhile, i ask you to be my clementine

for @Spiritwalker -- joint counseling sesh! set pretty soon after they arrive at Undersea

the reception at undersea, as compared to the hostile one they'd received at grimnismal, had been sublime. why wouldn't it have been? everyone had been over the moon to see each other, and, as members of the same vast extended family, there was a feeling of connection on the island that was infectious and intoxicating. aditya felt himself smiling more often than not; he was happy to be here, by the sea, with many friends.

the burly wolf sat near the edge of the beach, wind rippling his pelt as he looked over the channel toward the mainland. the weather was growing warmer, and with it, adi's spirits rose. everything that had shattered in the last clutches of winter had been repaired. he and dawn were fine, now, and his health was back to tip-top shape. he was content.

but there was a feeling of worry, prickling ominously at the edge of his thoughts. or not, worry, but rather, anticipation. grayday and catori would soon have their litter, and the pack would swell once more. the need for constant food and care would grow. aditya had never been part of a band with small children; he didn't know the slightest thing about what sort of effort went into raising pups. he wondered whether he'd make an adequate brother-in-law to the newborns.

and then there was the maplewood. lurking ever-presently at the edge of the plains, its shade and comfort a respite from the stresses of life as one of morningside's top dogs. he knew it was a de facto part of their territory, but part of him claimed the woods as his own, and wished to stay there, rather than out in the open with the rest of his family. his heart had been won by the towering trees, and to eschew it for a territory he preferred much less gave him a pang.

his smile faded a little as he sighed, watching the waves. things had been much simpler out here, by the sea, with no one to worry about but himself.