Blacktail Deer Plateau You got a perfect one

Post #600 for whoever joins! :D

Several days had passed at Redtail Rise without incident, enough time that Saena felt comfortable leaving the pack temporarily in the paws of the Redtail wolves while she paid a visit to her former family at the plateau. She'd intended to take her sister with her, but Junior was paying a visit to the Sunspire, and Saena was much too antsy to wait any longer. Now that things were settled, she finally felt comfortable enough returning to the plateau to update her friends and family there.

She arrived midafternoon in the shadow of the plateau, her fur wet from fording the river. She turned her muzzle up to the lip high overhead, the dark tops of the trees barely visible over the edge. She smiled lightly, breathing in the spring air and the strong scent of deer, before howling loudly for anyone from the pack (specifically excluding Koda, whom she believed still lived here) to come and say hi.

Saena's voice was not one Dante had expected to hear, at least not so soon after her departure, but he was glad to.  The call was one he wondered about leaving to Blue Willow, for surely it was she that Saena really hoped to see, but a second thought sent him wandering that way.  He could at least say hi, learn how she was faring and if she'd found a home yet.

He was in better shape, healing well, yet still he took it easy on the jog to where she waited.  He hoped she would stick around, and was gratified to see her still there as he approached, though he had taken a bit to arrive.  "Saena!"  He greeted her happily, tail waving.  "I hadn't expected to see you, how is everything?"  He had heard her omission of Koda, but did not say anything on the subject.  It hardly mattered enough now to bring it up, since she no longer resided here, and he knew she would find out eventually that he was no longer present.

Bleh, sorry for the wait. I've been bad about replying to things lately!

She waited and waited, but for a little while, nobody answered her call. Trying not to let it bother her, the Redtail waited some more, and was just on the verge of turning and leaving when Dante of all wolves arrived. She hadn't expected him, but was just as happy to see him as she would've been had Blue Willow been the one to greet her.

"Hi, Dante!" she said cheerfully, pressing her tail and ears down deferentially and respectfully. The two wolves had their differences and had clashed over them in the past, but the damage was never permanent, and even when she disagreed with his decisions, Saena respected him. He was the Alpha her father had once been, the Alpha Peregrine ceased to be the moment he brought Fox on board. The perfect Alpha for the plateau, truly. She could think of no one better, her own previous aspirations aside.

Even though he was perfect for it, he was changed from when she last saw him. His injuries were healing well, but were still very evident. "Oh my god," she gasped with concern knitting her brows together, "what happened to you?" She knew it wasn't necessarily her business, but Dante was like family. Whoever or whatever had inflicted this injuries had done them with the intent to harm, and that shook Saena to the core.

"Actually, I stopped by to break the news. I founded a pack!" Saena was giddy about this, as evidenced by her shaky, elated tone and the back and forth switching of her tail stub. "It's north of here, on a little ridge not too far from the coast. We called it Redtail Rise because there are loads of hawks there. Oh, and Junior came back!" Junior's story was sadder than Saena wanted to admit in detail, so she just said, "I guess things weren't working for her where she was."

And there it was, the inevitable question. He did not shy from telling her the truth, though he did not wish to expound on details. "Koda. I finally confronted him about his mouth, but he wouldn't listen. We fought, and he left." The short tale, and glossing over a few points, but the story was there.

Her news was much more interesting in his opinion, and he was truly overjoyed to hear she had found a place to claim as her own. He had worried, for he couldn't help but draw that the last time he had bid goodbye to a young woman such as she, it had been to hear of her demise a short time later. Amelie's fate still haunted him a bit, and he feared history might repeat itself. Thankfully Saena had ensured her new start.

"That is great news! And a fitting name," he said with a smile, his eyes drawn to her own russet tail. He didn't share his other thought... Of course it would be birds. "Perhaps one day I could come see it?" Just the panorama, of course. He did not expect to be allowed within.

"Is she?" This was news to him, though perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised. She and Saena had been very close towards the end of her plateau days. What better reason to return than to aid her sister in her new pack? He assumed her mate had accompanied her, but did not ask. Such things he could hear from Junior herself if they met again. "That is good news also! I am glad she has a place she can belong. You two will be a credit, and if you need angthjng, we are here. You have any others yet?" He guessed she did (why would she not?) and was curious to hear of the type of Wolves she would surround herself with.

Dante's explanation, though brief, made Saena's jaw drop in utter disbelief. Not that Koda would do such a thing—he was the worst wolf she'd ever met, a complete waste of flesh and air that would serve them all better dead than alive—but that he would do it to Dante. After all, the Alpha male had seemingly always given him the benefit of the doubt. Had Saena or even Blue Willow led the plateau, he would've been gone long before he could do any harm to anyone. "That prick," Saena spat. "I hope you kicked his ass real good, Dante. He deserved it."

She managed to bit back anymore acerbic words about Koda, if only because she knew the adults of the plateau had never really approved of her over-the-top opinion of him, or at least her voicing it. Her language hadn't improved since her departure, but that didn't really matter, she thought. If anything, that male deserved stronger words than she could even think of.

"It's great. Of course you can come see!" With it being so new, and with more than just herself there, Saena couldn't promise a picnic on the peak, but she had no trouble with Dante actually entering the territory with her accompaniment. He was no danger to her or hers. "And she's doing great. She's Outriding like crazy, but it keeps her grounded I guess."

When asked about the others, Saena grinned broadly. "Oh yeah, there's a few of us! A couple former members of Ankyra Sound, Reek and Wynter, were the first. Guess they had a really rough time there and were looking for a new start. And Ragnar's kid, Gunnar, decided to come as well for a fresh start." There were a couple others, but Saena remembered herself before she even got to saying their name. "Oh, shit, Dante, I forgot... Ragnar was murdered. Did you know him at all? That's why Gunnar left the Bay."

im gonna just ignore the fact that he reacted like this was all new news from Junior since their thread is after this one LOL

He hadn't, but he neither confirmed nor denied, and instead let her continue uninterrupted. He would tell junior later, and still remained unashamed, but in this instance he held his tongue. Perhaps it was because so recently ago Saena had left, terming him as too soft to follow. While her opinion hardly mattered anymore, still... he found if it wasn't necessary, he didn't want to open that can of worms now.

"That sounds like her." Junior had always been a wanderer, even when grounded to a pack. "Thanks, though, I'll make sure to stop by sometime! Though Blue might have the pleasure first, soon as the kids are alright without her for a time." He would offer to watch them while she went, if she wanted to go. "She's had her hands full with those little wanderers." Likely a major part of the reason she hadn't been able to yet answer Saena's summons.

Dante had met Gunnar and liked him, the younger man was both polite and seemed a dependable friend. After all, their meeting had been when he came to follow up on Osprey's return. He hadn't needed to take that trouble. The news about Ragnar was sad, though more for everything he had done for them. "I didn't know him, but I met his wife once. She seemed a good soul, I'm sorry to hear that." Junior would likely be hit hard by that news.

"I am glad that Gunnar and Junior have one another to gets through it, though, and that you seem to have a good group together. Those looking for a new start are often the most loyal, for they will seek to prove themselves to you." He was also glad they were kindred souls, of sorts. Saena had been looking to start anew, after all, shedding her surname and leaving home behind. With any luck they would become a pack with bonds that rivaled the most well-established.

Saena was glad to hear about Blue Willow's children. Truthfully, she had ceased to think about them much since leaving. She was a little guilty about it but knew it was just one of those things that happened over time. Eilidh and Casmir were never close with her, and what little time she'd spent with Constantine was but a happy memory. She was certain all of them would grow to be brilliant wolves. Once, she had felt mildly threatened by them, but now the plateau was theirs to inherit, at least until Dante had children if ever he did.

"I'm glad they do, too," she replied to his last point. "I never met him, but I heard lots of stories." She shifted her legs then and shook out her coat, relishing the feeling that came with it. Like stretching, but somehow so much better. "How is everyone else doing?" she asked with genuine interest.

She would have named them by name, but the truth was, she scarcely remembered anyone but himself, Blue Willow and her children, Lasher and Mordecai. Just as it was when she left, neither Valtyr or Pura crossed her mind, though they were certainly the most important young wolves in her life prior to leaving. It wasn't that she didn't care, but she didn't think of them because it was so long since she last them, and she truly believed they were both long gone.

It took Dante a moment to determine who 'everyone else' might be. He'd spoken already of Blue and Lasher, and their children. Osprey, doubtless, and perhaps Mordecai? Had he been there when she still called this place home? He had a hard time recalling specifics of time. Generalizing seemed appropriate since, really, it was true of them all. "Really well. I've heard no complaints, which is both great and somewhat unnerving." He chuckled. While it was good all seemed content, at least when your packmates were vocal, you knew where things stood.

As with her, Valtyr and Pura didn't even occur for mentioning, both having been gone such a long stretch of time that he would have assumed she knew them to be absent. Timing was not his strong suit. He wished another could have answered her call as well, and was left wondering where they all were. "A quiet pack is a happy pack, but sometimes it can leave you longing for a little noise." he admitted, though keeping his humor. He didn't tire of peace as easily as others, but it was so easy to slide into the monotony of routine and let relationships slide by the wayside. He caught himself doing it often, and it was a hard habit to break, even with the pressure of leadership. He wondered if Saena would ever face such a challenge, or if she tended more easily to social graces than he.

Saena was glad to hear things were pleasant as usual at the plateau. She understood where Dante was coming from now, but would soon long for days when things were simple and pleasant. "It's better than constant drama, though," said Saena, who knew she had contributed a lot to the plateau's drama over the last few months. She would never admit being at fault in any of those circumstances, but the truth was that the pack was probably better off without her, and she without them.

"But if you ever need some excitement, you're always welcome to come by and we can go hunting," she offered. "There's a big forest and a plain right by us, and the coast isn't so far. Lots of options." The ridge where she'd made her home was too small for things like mountain goats and rams, but there were mountains nearby on almost all sides. If he wanted a real challenge, she could always take him to one of them.

Mind if I fade this? if you were hoping to go a little longer let me know and I can edit the fade out :)

Dante made a noncommital sound to her expression. He hadn't minded the drama so long as it remained manageable... Saena's issues had held to that, much more than her sister's before her. He didn't much like stress, but it kept him on his toes, and he sometimes wondered if he performed better for it. He wasn't about to ask for it, but sometimes it was easier to embrace than dread.

"That sounds like a lot of fun. I haven't done much coastal hunting. Maybe you could show me some tricks you've picked up." He imagined if it was close by she'd get a bit of practice, and was always up for learning new things. Even if he would suck as much as he did at fishing, the process of it would be a great way for him and Saena to keep up the friendship they'd tentatively struck.

He didn't want to keep her from her pack, and it was becoming clear that he was the only one with time to spare for this gathering. As their exchange grew to a close, he would reaffirm a promise to visit as soon as possible, and perhaps he could convince Blue to come with him now that her children were growing older. He knew she would regret not making this meeting to see her.

Nope, fading is perfect! Thanks for the thread!

"I'll have to brush up on it before you come, then," Saena smirked. Truth be told, the pale female had never once hunted on the coast. Perhaps it was the allure of a territory to call her own, but aside from this trip, she hadn't spent much time further than a mile from her borders. Maybe when things settled more, she would go down to the shore and practice. It would make her look less a fool when the Blacktail Deer Plateau Alpha inevitably showed up to go with her.

Their meeting drew to a close and Saena bid Dante, and the plateau, a warm farewell before beginning the journey back home. It wasn't so terribly long as it seemed, what with a mountain in the way, but she was glad to be heading back even though she did miss her family at the plateau and wished she could've stayed longer.