Blacktail Deer Plateau i can't keep away from its clutch

A she-wolf stood just below the plateau, her slight form a dark speck in a sea of gold from the view above. She stood to the far north of Hoshor Plains,  the river reflecting a silver ribbon in her peripheral vision. She trudged forward, the weight on her shoulders increasing with each step.Grayday will hardly recognize me, Katya thought uneasily, glancing to the ridge of Sunspire mountains, their rugged surface reminding her of the canyons she was raised it. It had taken her four days to find where Morningside had gone. When she found the cuesta devoid of any pack, she had thought the worst before being directed to the flatlands. Underneath what was once skin and bones lay taut muscle, her stance making use of her full 29 inches in height. Currently, her eyes broadcasted apphrehension, but underneath was a shadow of something primal, dangerous. Nature had not been kind to her, but she has never been one to bite the hand that fed her. Adaptation was her reward.

As she neared her old pack's new territory, she rpvaguely recalled some scent markers, but there were many she didn't recognize. She was puzzled by the absence of others. Khoe's pups, how old would they be now? It bothered her; what she had missed in her absence, but she also understood how quickly packs could change and grow. Was Grayday even still alpha?

The last question seized her mind and caused her pace to quicken, worried now for the grizzled but kind leader, an experienced father still excited for his pups like they were his first litter. Remembering his story reminded her of their hunting session, and Katya regretted not bringing prey to share. It was rude to try to catch something so close to their boundaries, and it was too late now. Sighing, she picked a scent trail and followed it, hoping it would lead to a wolf she knew by name.

Grayday was following the same scent trail as Katya, though he was coming from inside the territory, rather than the borders. He was craving the company of a certain shewolf, as he often did during these cool, autumn monrings. Today, though, it was not Catori, but Katya that he found himself facing.

She was right - he hardly recognised her. She'd been gone for more than a month, and her scent was subtly changed - perhaps different surroundings or better eating was the source of this. Whatever the case, his first reaction was to square his shoulders and advance on the intruder.

"I've told you Vale - Katya?"

His angry accusation was headed off as he realized he knew the strange shewolf. His stance grew no less dominant, but quickly lost the edge of aggression as he continued toward her, nose twitching.

"It is you, right?" he asked, needing to hear her distinctive voice as confirmation.

Katya shifted at the utterance of her name from the alpha of Morningside, as if she just realized he was standing in front of her. Blue eyes widened, conveying surprise as she searched his face.

Vale? Not a name Katya recognized, but she stored it in her mind for later. She looked down uneasily when she realized the alpha was staring at her, but she was relieved he had recalled her name. She nodded slightly, a self-conscious smile forming on her lips.

"It's me," she woofed softly, still as a statue. "I have come back."

He stood across from her for a moment, eyes tracing the harsh set of her shoulders. You're home, he thought, trying to convey as much with a wag of his tail. The male moved forward, on a quest to know what had happened to the woman without asking directly. She did not seem very open to questioning, so he'd save that for later on - when she was more comfortable at Morningside - if he could at all help it.

"You look well," he noted, pleased by this fact. "I'm glad you found us again. We were wondering where you'd gone."

Mostly him. She hadn't gotten close with the rest of the pack. Khoe had disliked her, he knew. Khoe had disliked a lot of things, by the end of her stay with the Morningsiders.

"As do you," the dame responded politely. She noted how well-fed he was; the shine in his clouded golden eyes, and the spryness he possessed under thick gleaming fur.She glanced around him, noting he was alone.

"Is Morningside well?" Katya asked, releasing tension at the welcoming flick of Grayday's tail. She sat, wrapping her tail around her paws conservatively. "You are the only wolf I have seen from your pack, and I have heard no news since your travel to Kintla. What of your children--Khoe's pups?"

Grayday inclined his head - he was doing much better these days. Getting more sleep, eating better meals, and spending more time with his family. The plateau had been treating them well.

"They're all healthy," Grayday replied, though he worried for Dauntless and Lavender, and their poor winter pelts. It had been a mistake to sire children on Khoe; she'd been sweet and pretty, but she was bad breeding stock. His children would likely suffer in the winter for the rest of their lives. "Khoe abandoned them," he went on, hoping the words weren't colored one way or another. He had a firm opinion on the topic, but that was his business. "But more have joined - good wolves - and my son came back to us. I couldn't ask for more."

Katya gave a slight nod, happy to hear Morningside was growing. While she had sensed Khoe's distance with her since they had first met, she had seemed to be protective of her children and Grayday. She couldn't fathom why she would leave them willingly, if what Grayday said was the truth, but Katya sensed it was not her place to assume. She had never been a mother, and she too had left Morningside, though the events leading up to that decision were hazy in her mind.

Her memory seemed to be covered in dense fog, and only snippets of conversation and images filtered through it. She remembered wanting to go off alone, just for a few days, and then the rumors of the pack's westward territory. Her head ached slightly from thinking about it. There were encounters with other wolves around the valley she remembered quite well, but everything else was lost to her, like she had only been gone a day or two from the valley.

"Are you allowing me to return to Morningside?" she asked apprehensively. Grayday would want to know where and why she had gone, inevitably, but there wasn't a truthful answer he would find acceptable.

Grayday blinked at the question, surprised. "You're welcome to rejoin us," he replied, realizing that his intent had not, perhaps, been as clear as he'd thought. If he'd had any objection to her presence, she would have been chased away, or attacked if she'd stood her ground. "I'd rather be informed, next time, if you're going to be gone for a while," he added, his ears pushing forward with quiet authority. "I don't like to worry any more than I have to."

He'd still worry, of course. Just as he was worrying about Pema, Dawn, and Aditya. But at least he knew where they'd gone, and why. At least he knew - aproximately - when they would return.

"I hope you'll be able to settle more fully among us, this time," he said quietly, turning and beckoning Katya further into the territory. "We're a family, here. Outliers make everyone nervous."

Katya averted her gaze at the subtle reprimand, standing up and following Grayday. She fell into step beside him as they padded across the meadow, quietly considering his words. She hated making mistakes, especially in front of wolves she respected, but she sensed Grayday was considering her safety more than anything else.

Although she doubted she would ever be able to settle in completely, she was willing to give it her best for the pack's sake. She would at least prove herself to be a useful addition to the pack, one way or another. Her friendship would have to be earned. She isn't the most easygoing of wolves, but neither has she felt isolated. She is aware of the power she has in her intelligence and her ability to take initiative, and if played subtlely, it can draw admirers like moths to flame. Of course, it can also create enemies; creating fear or jealousy in chauvinists. Still, she doesn't suffer fools easily.