Honeyed Pasture sheets crumpled, the blankets are cold

Gold guard hair glinting in the sunlight, it was impossible to mistake @Sumac for any other. So it was that, not long after Sumac had reluctantly gained a follower, Dutch came bounding toward him calling, "Mac! Sumac!" at the top of his lungs. His dark tail wheeled high as he drew closer, closer, close enough to utter a breathless, Anurag," with a bright smile in his eyes.

"I wondered when I would see you again!" he said, high-stepping in childish joy as he moved to walk alongside the other man.

He had briefly considered that something awful had happened to the black bear — but Sumac's body language was not heavy enough for such a thing. In fact, Dutch thought he looked a little more settled in himself compared to the last time they'd met.

"Were you just going to pass by without saying hello?" he accused, but there was no real heat in his voice. He guessed, somehow, that they would be seeing a lot of one another.

The lanky Mackenzie did his best to ignore the quiet pitter-pattering of diminutive feline feet incessantly accompanying his slower footfalls as he made his way steadily across the Wilderness. Head down, his liquid golden eyes focused to his right, where in the distance, the massive glacier inhabited by Moonsong was visible. He found his mind wandering to his encounter with Dutch after the other male's long-awaited reunion with his mother, Easy. A soft smile played at his lips, and his gait became just a bit easier.

As if it was a phantom conjured by his very thoughts, Arjun's distinct voice reached Sumac's ears. 'Mac's head shot upright and he came to an abrupt halt. Joy and familiarity sparkled in his gaze, tail waving easily at his rump as Dutch's inimitable profile drew closer.

"Arjun! It's fantastic to see you!" he called back, altering his course to meet the other man halfway.

Sumac's eyes squinted into half-moons with the width of his grin, and he allowed himself a gentle laugh.

"Ah, sorry. I've been sort of... single-minded lately. I've been spending a lot of time on the Coast," he replied rather enigmatically, though his visible excitement at mentioning the northern lands was palpable.

Behind him, temporarily forgotten, the cat complained. Loudly.

"Uhm... This is my new traveling companion, I guess... It keeps following me. I think it's a miniature cougar," he elaborated, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head with a forepaw.