Duskfire Glacier golden days.

Ezrah moved casually along the borders of Duskfire’s claim, his gaze sweeping almost lazily out across the territory beyond. He knew the place well enough to be comfortable letting his guard down some. His senses were tuned in well enough that anything out of the ordinary would snag his attention, even if he wasn’t being hyper vigilant. He paused here and there to mark a tree or a rock, giving the ground a few cursory whiffs before moving on. It was boring work, but it had to be done.

The rumble of distant thunder made him pause and look up from the ground. There were hulking gray clouds gathered in the distance. Ezrah watched them for a moment with studious interest, noting the direction they were moving in. A flash of lightning. He smirked briefly. Looks like he’d be getting wet in the near future. For now, the sky above him continued to glow a rosey gold as he moved on.

Would it be okay if we moved the thread date forward to August 3rd?

Lane's pace slowed considerably as the gentle terrain of the Dawnlark Plains ended abruptly at the edge of the moraine. She picked her way through the rocky debris and churned dirt, spurred forward by the gathering of storm clouds on the western horizon. The last thing she needed was to turn an ankle when she was this close to arriving back home, however she also didn't want to appear in front of her children as a soaked, matted mess when they hadn't seen her for eight days. 

Eight days. It had been one day longer than the week she had promised the children, but surely they weren't able to count as high as seven and eight yet..? Lane stuffed down the guilt that churned on her gut. The kids were fine. Tzila and Wintersbane were great caregivers and a whole lot more emotionally stable than Lane had been over the previous week. She'd needed the vacation. She'd never asked for any this.

The earthy soils of the moraine were eventually swallowed by the wet and slippery sheet of ice that was the Polaris Icefield in the summer. Normally at this time of day, sunlight would be glaring harshly off of the icefield's layer of meltwater, but the clouds had already swallowed the sinking sun. Thunder rumbled ominously, and Lane brought her pace up to a trot. She closed the distance toward the Duskfire border, her footing slipping every now and then upon the melting ice.

Sure!

Another soft rumble of thunder echoed through the air, but that was not what drew Ezrah's attention. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he spotted the girl approaching the borders. His pace remained casual for a few minutes as he watched, but then hastened when it became clear to him that she wasn't slowing down. The invisible wall that kept outsiders at bay didn't seem to be doing anything to deter her, so it seemed that Ezrah would have to since he, unfortunately, had no idea this woman was actually a packmate.

"Hold up, miss," Ezrah called as he moved to block her. He stayed back a good few yards from her, but positioned himself so that they would collide if she insisted on continuing. He looked her up and down studiously, wondering about her intentions. "You know you're about to cross into claimed territory? Most folks would consider that to be a rather foolish move," he drawled, his lips quirking in a bit of a smirk to lighten the mood. He wasn't the kind to attack first and ask questions later. He'd give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she simply hadn't noticed?

Lane concentrated on her footing as the elevation of the Polaris Icefield climbed. The terrain would be made all the more slippery by the impending rain, so Lane continued to hurry. 

She was a startled when a stranger appeared and moved to block her entry, seeing as this was her pack and she was a founding member, and he was.. who was he exactly? Her eyes widened, and it took her a moment to understand exactly what was going on. 

When realization dawned, an amused expression to match the stranger's smirk settled upon her own features.  Her body posture relaxed, and she waved her tail in a sociable, rather careless manner. It was clear that she was not intimated in the least by the veiled threat.  

"If I'd known that Duskfire Glacier had such a handsome new guardian, I would have trespassed sooner." The corner of her mouth quirked coyly. She knew she should be ashamed of herself for messing with a new recruit, but fuck it, Lane was feeling a little reckless.

Ezrah was not one to be easily swayed by flattery, but he still appreciated the comment for its charm. He breathed in her scent with interest, finding something familiar about it, though it was faint. Her words suggested she had been here before, but there wasn't enough evidence for him to come to the correct conclusion. He might've started to suspect then, but he wasn't about to let his guard down and make the assumption.

He smiled back at her. There was something sweet and shy about the way she replied, though he wasn't ready to pin those attributes to her personality just yet. She was a pretty thing, but something about her struck him as mischievous. He wasn't sure yet. "Well, if I'da known Duskfire Glacier had such charming trespassers, I'd have started guarding it sooner," he replied, "Still can't let ya in without the password, though, sweetheart."

He paused for a moment, then went back to business. "What business have you here?" he asked.

The guardian retorted with banter that did not disappoint, and a grin spread over Lane's features. She was impressed by the clever comeback, and she was glad that he wasn't swayed by any random, as he called her, "charming trespasser." Lane had kids here after all, so it was reassuring to her to see that their border was well protected.

"I wondered if you might have heard of a wolf named Lane. She's a founding pack member here. A kickass medic. She's got a wicked sense of humor, and amber eyes you could get lost in..." 

Lane fixed him with her amber gaze, humor dancing in her expression.

She didn't quite answer the question, instead spinning some fancy words about a wolf he suspected was her. Or, that she wanted him to believe was her. There was every possibility that this was some fabrication designed to make him believe she was part of the pack, but his nose was not convincing him of truth. His memory was trying to, though. There was something familiar about her scent, but he was still deciding if it was one he'd picked up around the territory or elsewhere. He'd covered a lot of ground in his day.

"Why do I feel like I'll be getting myself in trouble if I say 'no'?" Ezrah mused aloud, canting his head to the side. There was still humor in his eyes and a small upward twitch of the corner of his lips. He usually avoided looking other wolves in the eye on principle, unless he was asserting dominance over them. He accepted the apparent invitation though. They were quite gold, as she'd said. But were they the gold of a packmate?

Veteran had only been alive for six weeks at this point, and his mother had been gone for one of them. Although it had felt like the blink of an eye for Lane, a week was a significant amount of time for such a young man, especially during such a formative stage. He had changed quite a bit, adapting to his newfound independence easily enough. He was often on his own, with the other adults caring for the younger kids and his sister moping around about being abandoned. Funny, if anyone had to guess which of the two siblings was likely to be the more resilient one, it probably wouldn't have been Veteran. 

The boy was very serious about his border patrol, which in reality was just a walk between the rendezvous point and the place where he'd last seen mother with Mahler. He was still a little fuzzy on what a "border patrol" actually was, or even what a border was. 

On the eighth day of mother's absence, he found her here once again. With a stranger, once again. 

"Mama," he spoke, interrupting the conversation. His little puppy hackles rose, and he glared at the strange man. He didn't have the words for it, bit his expression stated very clearly, who the fuck are you. 

The six-week-old puppy inside of Veteran wanted to cry for his mother and rush into her embrace, but some bitter element of the maturity that she'd forced upon him far too early held him back. When he looked at her he was reminded of Wayfarer, crying and moping and suffering the last eight days, with Lane the only one to blame for it.

Mischief glimmered in her expression, and Lane opened her mouth to reply. 

However, she was interrupted by her son's swift appearance. He looked frozen on the spot, and he uttered only one word: Mama. 

"Well, how's that for a password?" Lane breathed, gaze snapping to the guardian for a moment before settling once more upon her child. 

"Come here, then," she crooned to the boy. She held her position, waiting for him to approach despite her eagerness to have him near. She was made a little cautious by the chilliness in his tone and expression. Was he mad, then? Really? She hadn't thought him capable at such an age.

Before she could grace him with more of her wit, a newcomer entered the scene. Ezrah turned to peer at the little wolf with interest, stifling his smile, though one glimmered in the pools of champagne that were his eyes. The boy wasted little time announcing to whom he belonged, which appeared to give Lane just the proof she needed to show she was who she said. It was good enough for Ezrah, though he didn't let the game end so easily.

"Good, I was hoping for some back up with this one," Ezrah said to him, gesturing towards Lane, "Now Wintersbane has put me in charge of helping out with keeping these borders safe, but I could use the opinion of an experienced soldier such as yourself. You tell me now, is this here she-wolf a friend as she claims to be?" He said it all without a hint of mirth, giving the boy a very serious look as though he were the highest ranking member of the pack.

Given his tender age, the nuances of the situation were entirely lost on Veteran. He was utterly bewildered by the question that the stranger addressed to him. The man was the intruder. Why was he questioning Mother?

"..is this here she-wolf a friend as she claims to be?"

"No," Veteran answered, his brow wrinkling in an adorable expression of intense confusion. No, this was not a friend. This was Mother. In his young mind, "friends" were children and mothers were in an entirely different category. 

Veteran could see that the man was speaking to him as he might an adult, and that went a long way to affirm the boy's sense of self-importance. Veteran supposed he was okay, even though he was a stranger and he asked confusing questions. 

Veteran did as his mother bid and toddled over to her-- but only to better protect her from the stranger, of course. He wasn't here for any sentimental affection or closeness or sissy stuff like that.

The child's appearance did not at all interrupt their little game-- Ezrah looped-in the boy rather seamlessly, which was just as impressive as it was hilarious in the wake Veteran's total and obvious confusion. 

When Veteran declared that Lane was not a friend, she emitted a scoffing laugh and rolled her eyes. Even more entertaining was Veteran's air of dignity and importance, which in her opinion required immediate rectification.

The moment he drew within reach, she scooped him up into her embrace and began licking him all over, making sure to nibble all of his tickle spots. 

"You're going to get me in trouble with this very nice guard," she chastised the boy lightly, in between delivering her tickles. 

Did that mean she and Ezrah were both in trouble with each other, at this point? Lane paused her reunion with her son, looking up at the man with a half-smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Where do we go from here, then? We're strangers at a stalemate, each sworn to defend the the same border from the likes of the other." Lane's smile was equal parts merry and mischievous.

Wayfarer had not been far behind her brother, though she hung back deliberately as he loped ahead. The little Duskfire's moping had lessened in more recent days, naturally, as memory of her mother began to fade. She'd found comfort in her new caretakers, albeit not as swiftly as Veteran had, but she was well on her way to getting over the very dramatic shift in lifestyle she'd undergone.

She'd paused to nose around in the dirt while Veteran carried on up front, when a voice rose close by. It lured her closer and recognition twinkled in her stormy eyes. With a soft rumble of confusion, Wayfarer straightened in effort to look for her mother, and pressed onward along the trail her littermate had taken.

Toward the medic she loped clumsily, enthusiasm in her bark to confirm that at last Lane had returned.

Going to skip Ezrah and close after this round, since it's his thread and he's inactive. Feel free to tag Lane for an updated thread once @Ezrah is reactivated!

Whatever Ezrah was going to suggest was interrupted by the arrival of Lane's firstborn. She welcomed the girl into her embrace along with Veteran, snuggling her nose into Wayfarer's side and sighing happily. 

When she lifted her head once more, a smile was on her features, although one corner of the expression tugged downward a bit wryly. Now that both children were competing for her attention, her harmless flirtation with the handsome guardian would have to come to an end. 

"C'mon," she said to her children, "Let's go inside, and you can tell me absolutely everything you've done in the last week." She shot a teasing glance over her shoulder at Ezrah, and if to ask, "you won't stop me, will you?" 

Lane herded her children over the Glacier border, leading the way home for the little group and placing kisses on the tops of each of their heads whenever they drifted in range.

Veteran fought against his mother's restrictive hold, squirming and protesting the tickles loudly. What was she doing?! Couldn't she see that there was a STRANGER here, and she needed protecting? 

The appearance of Wayfarer afforded Veteran the opportunity to wriggle free of his mother's grasp for a short moment, but then he felt himself swept up once more in another embrace, this time crushed against his sister as they were both held against their mother's chest. Oh, brother! This was the exact sissy stuff he'd been trying to avoid! Veteran's hung limply in his mother's embrace, enduring it all with his characteristic air of a hardened soldier.

Mother announced that it was time to go. 

Veteran allowed himself to be herded away from the stranger, but he did cast one last VERY dirty look over his shoulder as they walked. He imagined it must have been very scary for the stranger. That should hold him off. 

Now that the situation with the stranger was resolved, he could focus on welcoming mom back. He had so much to tell her..!

Where Veteran harboured suspicion for the guardian who monitored Duskfire's borders, Wayfarer was happy to pretend that he didn't exist. He was a stranger to her, sure, but Mom didn't seem uncomfortable around him. It was with blind trust in her caretaker that the tawny youngster felt she could be herself in his presence, as she wiggled and waggled happily in her family's embrace.

She whimpered excitedly and peppered Lane's brow with little kisses, and still sought contact even when her mother released her hold. Wayfarer pressed herself affectionately between her forelimbs, her little tail continuing to swing merrily in the air as the medic stepped over her to lead the cubs away.