Dante was standing in the midst of the Plateau's forest, not far from where his new den lay. It was strange to have a permanent sleeping place after so long being out in the open, but not unpleasant. He had finished hollowing out the space, but it's position under the stone ceiling still gave him pause. So he had located a large stone and was currently throwing his shoulder against it, pushing the rock towards his den. He would push it inside and back against the wall that fell closest to the edge of the stone. It would there provide some extra support should the elements shift the ground that held the roof in place, or so he hoped. He had no desire to wake and find it had collapsed.
As he worked he pondered the state of things. They were at their smallest in a long time, Amber and Sylvaine both having disappeared in the wind. Osprey was still gone, his attempts at finding signs of her coming to naught. He needed to stop looking, however, unable to spare the time with their numbers so low now. Nor did he seek the others. His place was within his own borders, and the members they had now were few but a loyal and true bunch. Saena, Finn, Koda, his new mate Kesuk, even Pura... All he felt he could count on. And of course Lasher and Blue, their new family on the way. Most had been here almost as long as he (if not longer).
As he gave the stone another hard shove, he resolved that he would works towards being the kind of alpha they deserved. More sure, less reserved and less distant. Perhaps if he could make himself better, the plateau would follow, and whatever negativity still lingered over their lands would dissipate.
With a relaxed grin on her face and a backward tilt to her large red ears, Saena loped loftily through the forest without a care in the world. The disastrous events of the past seemed far from her that day. Her recent excursions had resulted in about 50% of her hunts being successful, with the failures often attributed to external forces more so than her inability to capture her prey. The Plateau was thriving, Blue Willow's children would be arriving soon, Junior was safe at Thief River Falls, and the weather was great to top it all off.
When she came across Dante shoving a large rock around, she was content to stand and watch and fight down the giggles that threatened to burst through her lips. Whatever the smoky Alpha male was doing, it was unusual and extraordinarily hilarious to the giddy youth. When she couldn't hold it down any longer, she took the extra steps to bring herself in view of him with her copper tail swaying merrily and, giggling, asked, "is it leg day?"
It wasn't until Saena came upon him giggling that he realized just how ridiculous he probably looked attempting to push a rock through the trees. "Oh, you know. This figure doesn't come free. Gotta keep my bulk up." He chuckled in response to her obvious mirth, good mood catching.
The rock wasn't particularly heavy or huge, but it kept catching on roots along the way. There had to be an easier way, but being a straightforward sort of guy, Dante hadn't really thought about that. Stood to reason if he wanted to get the thing from point a to point b, pushing was the way to go. "I'm going to use this... To reinforce... My den." With a hearty shove the stone flipped over the roots, rolling over a couple of times before coming to a stop. Walking after it, he took a seat next to it. It wasn't much farther but a minute break wouldn't go amiss. "So what brings you to this neck of the woods, glowing like a bear in a berry patch? Good news?" The day was beautiful, so he wasn't really expecting it to be more than that, but he liked to check in. Last time they had parted on less than amicable terms, so in part his manner was a bit of an apology for that also.
As Dante chuckled in response, the teen drew nearer with tail wagging. "And I always thought it was natural," she joked. Dante had never caught Saena's eye the way he'd caught Junior's, but the male was strapping. Any female wolf would be foolish to deny that. She was only a juvenile, though. She had yet to have any thoughts along the lines of who was attractive and who wasn't. She joked, but only because it was humorous, and not as some sort of subtle comment on how she viewed him.
The Alpha was pushing the rock once more, and explained in grunts his plans for it. Saena moved as though to help him, but Dante reclined next to it, seeming content to take some time off from his labour. She stopped mid-stride and quickly sat instead, chortling when the Alpha compared her to a bear. Sure, she might have been as happy as a bear, but all she could think of was a large white, copper-marked bear.
"Nah, just looking forward rather than back," she said brightly. Her tail patted the ground behind her as she announced, "I've actually decided to become a Gamekeeper, now that I've got a good handle on Naturalism. Aunt Willow—and the pack—needs one, since Tytonidae is gone."
Dante hadn't meant the words in any way but teasing, so it was good that Saena caught the tone. Sometimes Dante wasn't the greatest at letting his joking manner be known. "Nah, you should've seen me before I started pushing rocks."
Dante was glad to hear it, and impressed at her dedication towards their welfare. "A trade that I too aspire to get better in. Perhaps you could assist me in planning our next hunt," he said with a wave of his tail, happy that he could perhaps compare notes with her. Koda had the trade already but seemed a busy wolf, especially now with Kesuk.
She snorted, conjuring an image of a stick-legged Dante in her mind. It might have made for an okay looking Dante, if not for the fact that she imagined his broad shoulders and sturdy trunk were the same as now, and only his legs were about half their usual diameter. For some strange reason, his snout was stick thin as well. She forced that image out of her mind with a mirthful shake of her head, not wanting to burst out laughing at him like some sort of freak.
It worked out well, for Dante soon made an offer that Saena, who was growing to enjoy Gamekeeping, couldn't refuse... and not just because he was the Alpha. "You'd really like me to help?" she asked with a broad smile as her merry tail slapped the ground a few more times.
Dante nodded, delighted at her obvious delight. "Of course! I'm hardly an expert, the extra insight would help a lot." Besides, he felt like he'd been neglecting some of his packmates. It would give him some hangout time with her. He'd been closer with Junior when she'd been here, but he did really enjoy Saena's company as well.
They'd be a veritable pack full of gamekeepers by the time winter was done. Koda, he, Saena, and Finn he knew were seeking it (or held it) for sure. He wondered about Lasher, the man was a bigtime provider of prey but Dante wasn't sure if he was seeking expert status in an official capacity. It wouldn't surprise him.
"Gee... I dunno what to say, Dante. I'd be honoured!" There were a lot of rather insincere things that Saena said, especially in the heat of the moment, but this wasn't one of them. Though her aspiration to be a good Gamekeeper was a new development, she took it pretty seriously... lately, even more seriously than Naturalism. To be recognized and acknowledged in such a way made her happier than she'd been in a long time.
Her eyes wandered back to his boulder, and she grinned despite herself. "Do you need help with that? Or is it for macho men only?" Let's face it, Dante was a hunk. She had no doubt he could push that thing across the forest if he wanted to. Still, it didn't seem right to stand and watch the Alpha male shove a rock around, or take a break from doing so, without offering some assistance... even if he removed from her (very recent) teenage preference to watch men do things in their manly fashion.
Glad he could brighten her day even further, Dante appraised the rock. It wasn't all that terrible to move, just extremely awkward. "I don't think so, we'd likely just get in each other's way." He said with a gentle shake of his head. Dante didn't think of himself as much of a 'macho', so the term gave him a laugh internally.
"The sorry thing will be if I get this all the way there and it ends up not fitting. Guess in that case I'll have a nice lookout perch." He did give a small laugh aloud at that prospect. "Won't find out till I get it there though." He'd have to get back to it if he wanted to get it there and still have time to catch some dinner.
Swivelling her head to the bare canopy, Saena also noted it was getting later. With Dante not really needing help, there wasn't much reason to stick around and keep him here. She had neither burning question nor concern, and there was nothing out of the ordinary to report. A subtle appreciation for conversation allowed her to sense its end, and so she smiled with the intent of dismissing herself.
But first... "If it doesn't fit, you can always dig a bigger hole!" she exclaimed, beaming. It wasn't really ideal, since wolf dens were made with smaller entrances for a reason, but it would work in a pinch. "If that happens let me know, I'll come help. I'll leave you to it for now, though. I should take a jog around the perimeter anyway." Saena was no Warden, but she felt it was also an Outrider's duty to see what was happening from afar, and thankfully the Plateau made an excellent scouting point.
"See you later Dante!" she said, pressing forward to nudge his chin submissively with her nose before striking out for the borderlands.
"Alright, thanks. I'll be sure to let you know." And if it had been necessary, he would have. Luckily, though, he'd find that only the barest widening was needed to get the stone inside. "See you around Saena." He watched her go, then turned back to the task at hand.
Placing his shoulder once more against it, he heaved, throwing his legs into the task and rolling the rock over the path, attempting his best to avoid anything that might ensnare it. As an afterthought perhaps he could have used her help directing, but he managed well enough.