Dragoncrest Cliffs take it in your heart now

Recently returned from an uneventful trip over their fringes, he came strolling readily back to the den and set to looking for either @Sirio or @Dalia--wondering if they would be inside, immediately at their mother's side (they really seemed to like her), or prodding around just beyond it somewhere. He worked his nose and looked around sharply, knowing he was getting closer with each stride.

More and more with every single moment, they were growing quickly. Despite not having much experience in puppies still as young as they were, he still wanted to encourage them any way he could. First step was finding them. He whuffed a short little summons to test the waters near the den itself, and loomed in anticipation.

If someone else posts, this will be a cameo! Otherwise, feel free to poke her. :)

Things seemed to be on an upswing lately. Wildfire found great solace in the spring sunshine and took the opportunity today to climb atop her family's fallen log den to soak in it while the puppies napped inside. She was basking with her eyes closed when she heard approaching footfalls and her chestnut eyes slowly cracked open to see the Wocha striding into view. A small smile curled her lips but she did not move other than to let her eyelids flutter shut again. She would let nothing disrupt her warm, radiant stillness right now.

The silence remained.. and in fact, his arrival stood tall as the most eventful matter here. Nose quivering, he began to suspect that no one was home at the moment to come greet him, but the disappointment in the notion was thankfully short-lived; after all, they would probably not be far away, and it was only a matter of time before they were back. He did prefer to wait here for their inevitable return, rather than going after them.

In pulling his perceptions back from looking for little creatures, he noticed Wildfire from her own peaceful perch. He perked, curious, and realized her pups were probably resting quietly too..

If this was how it was, he stepped closer to her delicately with a small chuff: hey? How even were things.. with her, and their whole little family? Often he was pretty invested in his own, and careful to keep from being too curious about her whelps too while everything felt as fresh and new. Nevertheless, she probably didn't find the silence eerie, and instead, a welcome reprieve. But maybe she'd seen Portia and the pups head off, and however long ago that'd been; not that he was feeling overly impatient for them to come entertain him, and potentially even awaken Wildfire's brood too--now that he thought about it like that.

A small noise made Wildfire crack open one eye. Dio was looking at her. She opened the other eye and straightened her head a bit, biting back a sigh at her disrupted break. Despite her innermost feelings, she managed a small smile for Dio. It then occurred to her why he might be pestering her when she was clearly trying to enjoy some peace and quiet.

"They stepped out. Portia said something about fresh mint." She really didn't know anything else about it, just the little snippet she'd overheard as the Fisa had coaxed little Sirio and Dalia away from the den. "They'll be back soon, I'm sure." It was tempting to go back to dozing and leave the Wocha to wait in silence but she was up now, so... "How're you, Dio?"

Swinging his ears forward, he was grateful for any sort of answer regarding what he looked for. Fresh mint? He shook his head softly: I see "Thanks." he added with a hushed voice, and would have taken that and gone on. Her question stopped him from pivoting away. "Good. Busy," he spoke on lowly while his tail swayed a slowly satisfied rhythm. "You? And them?" He was always hesitant to blur the lines between his family and hers, and because of that, he did keep poking around them to a minimum. "But I don't want to wake them up." he said, gesturing towards her denmouth with a conflicted look on about continuing the conversation. At least, he had assumed they napped if she was out here, free from their grasp.

He raised a good point and Wildfire licked her lips, glancing thoughtfully between him and the den's mouth. After a moment of deliberation, she carefully pushed onto her feet and hopped down beside him, then poked his shoulder with her nose and indicated that they could move closer to the burrow he shared with Portia and their children. They could easily keep an eye on her sleeping puppies from there.

Once settled onto her haunches in the shade beside the Fisa's whelping den, Wildfire said, "Things are going well. I struggled a bit with things for a while there." She needn't get into the nitty gritty details. Her pack mates didn't need to know about her post-partum depression. They did know about Phoenix's death, which was as good an explanation as any. "But we're on an upswing now. The sunshine is helping," she murmured, thinking of the lingering warmth on her back even now that they were in the shade.

She had been staring vaguely at the fallen log while speaking but now she slanted her smudged face toward Dio. "What's been keeping you busy—pack business or mostly just fatherly duties?"