Blacktail Deer Plateau oh hey hey

Maybe @Dante will hop in? :D

It took a long time for the white noise to subside. The older, the more aware he became, the less tolerance Pura had for it.

He hadn't gone far. For a full moon's turn, he hugged the edge of the plateau, rarely venturing beyond his self-dug little den. He ate, slept, ran, and pondered - endlessly. The silence was wonderful. He missed Saēna. Occasionally, her scent wafted down from above - but never Kisu's, and it wasn't long before he could smell neither Fox nor Peregrine. The world kept on turning without him, and Pura was glad.

But now, at seven months old, he felt ready. It was an hour shy of complete darkness when the blue-grey youth reached his birth pack's southern border, lowering himself onto his haunches to wait. He didn't howl.

set before Junior debacle? :D so glad he's back! I love Pura

Dante had been focusing more on hunting than patrolling these past couple of days. With injured to care for, their stores would start to suffer if they did not keep up. Today, though, he needed the peace as clarity that a walk of the perimeter would bring. So he had changed it up.

He had not been expecting to run into anyone, least of all Pura. In previous passes he had sometimes caught traces, but never had he actually come across him. "Pura!" He greeted him, smiling broadly. He had always enjoyed the quiet pup's company and was glad to see him doing well. And so big! "You've returned?" It was a question, for perhaps he had just had the luck of meeting him in a visit. His posture, though, indicated otherwise. He appeared to have been waiting.

Totes - set before everything. :D

"Pura!"

The sharp sound made the boy's body contract like a Hoberman's Sphere, but he was quick to unfurl when Dante stepped into sight. He'd always liked Dante. And, if the pattern of scents around the Plateau were anything to go by, this was also his new Alpha. The circumstances around the change couldn't be deciphered from scent alone, but Pura wasn't about to start his re-entry into the pack by asking questions.

"Yes," he responded, never one to mince his words - although to make it understood that he was happy to be returning, Pura gave a couple of wags of his tail.

The boy's taciturn nature had never bothered Dante before and it wasn't about to start now. He was just happy to see a familiar face finding their way home instead of heading out the door as seemed to be the more frequent occurrence. "Great!" He said with feeling.

"I have to thank you, though. I know you've been watching the borders despite your absence. I appreciate it." He'd shown signs of being quite the warden even as a pup, his quiet observation and large size lending him a lot of promise. He remembered their patrols with fondness and hoped Pura did with a bit of the same feeling at least. He seemed happy to be back in any event, or so his body language told.

"I have to thank you, though. I know you've been watching the borders despite your absence. I appreciate it."

Pura smiled vaguely, pleased to know that his efforts as a second ring of defense around the Plateau had not gone unnoticed. He hadn't scared off more than the occasional small predator - hardly a threat to a full pack - but that was not for lack of patrolling. They simply weren't being approached.

"No intruders," he reported, glancing over his shoulder. An unwelcome body would have to be utterly stupid or very desperate to attempt entry into a territory that was bordered by cliffs on three sides and well guarded. "Are you Alpha now?" The question was asked without malice.

We can fade this out since it's outdated, if you want. :) Or rush to ten!

i think fade, trying to keep moving forward as writing has been harder lately ^^; you can fade with your post?

Dante nodded to acknowledge his words. He had met with a couple himself but none of them had really the chance to get far into the territory. He figured that was in part due to Pura's diligence.

"I am," he stated simply to the question, figuring it was all the more detail that Pura needed. "Blue Willow has remained as Beta," he did add after a minute, clearing up the hierarchy situation. So he had heard about Peregrine's departure then. Fortunate for Dante wasn't much liking the idea of trying to explain it at that moment.

"Hey, I promised you a hunt that I never got to make good on. Got a while to spare?" If the boy wished, they would go on a hunt. If not, he could continue on as he began, and perhaps another time they could get together and try to take something down. Leading off, he allowed Pura to decide whether or not to follow.