take apart the counting and the flock it has bred

For @Dante, set slightly to the east of Silvertip Mountain. <3

A cold northwestern wind rolled through the Wilds that day, and behind it came the clouds in fair form. While the sun broke through where it could, a certain pallor had been cast, and the snow white cap of Silvertip Mountain melded with the sky at times to the point where Mordecai could no longer tell where earth ended and sky began. It was damp and chilly in the foothills, but the smells came to him easily with the wind. Small prey had flourished where they had left, but for the most part he found that the woods around the mountain were often just as devoid of life as they seemed when he had first arrived there. Not that Silvertip had been a small pack while it existed; the properties that they had possessed then existed now in the Spine. They were quiet, reclusive, or at least that was how it would have seemed to prying eyes.

Bracing himself against the roots and trunk of an overgrown evergreen, Mordecai drew in a deep breath and held it. If he had wanted to, he would have tried to taste what lingered on that wind. Instead what he did smell was the earth, the fragrant boughs above him, and the warren of denned creatures nearby. Everything readied for the winter, it seemed, and if following their prey had been the wisest thing they had done, then they were doing well by any means. Though perhaps Mordecai himself was an exception to this rule, as in his preparations for winter he had yet to find himself any sort of shelter that would eventually save him from inclement, frigid weather. Even now, he paid it no mind, but simply savored the silence and familiar scents of his previous residence.

brand new — degausser

A state of calm had settled over the Plateau in the past few days, enough so that Dante felt comfortable with a short trip beyond its borders. He was extremely satisfied with the decision he had made regarding Lasher and Blue Willow... the look on her face of late made him sure beyond a shadow of a doubt it had been correct (not that there was ever any question). They had a possible future set and were well on their way to preparing for the cold season.

Idly Dante wandered about the foot of a peak, somewhat less imposing than the Sunspire but still rather magnificent. The last time he had been here had been on his search for Junior, and it was then that he had first encountered Peregrine's brother, Atticus. A dark memory for more reason than one now, and he shied away from the recollection. An internal conversation for another time, one not so present and not when he had finally managed to gain some semblance of peace.

The chill had no effect through his heavy coat as of yet, though as it gained more teeth he was sure he would feel its effects moreso. Today was brisker than most but he jogged along in a rather comfortable state. The air had a clarity when it was cold that he did admit he found agreeable. Much as he hated winter, it had its upsides. If it weren't for the wind, Dante might have scented Mordecai sooner... as it was, he failed to detect that he was not, at present, alone here.

In his study of the terrain, a figure broke into the scene. Immediate familiarity did not hit him, though something familiar about the traveling male sparked his interest. Mordecai watched him as he made his way through, only to have the connection solidify itself sharply as the shifting light through the balding canopies illuminated him. “Dante!” he called out, surprising himself with the outburst. He had not seen the greyscale companion since their venture together in the summer. It had been too long, and Mordecai found himself genuinely surprised that he still lingered in the Wilds.

Leaving his perch at the base of the conifer, the tawny Ostrega readily made his way towards his friend. A smile etched its way across his muzzle, his tail falling into a overly wide swing of happiness. The odds of them crossing paths seemed so low, but there had been times where Mordecai wished they would have encountered one another. It seemed today would be that day, a bright spot in some of the bleakness that coated the world as of late.

Mordecai had a seriously long memory to be able to pick him out like that. Dante at first did not realize who had called out to him, but when he got closer, he recognized him as the fellow loner with whom he had explored the cavern. It seemed so long ago. It only took a couple of moments to remember a name. "Mordecai!"

He too was surprised, wondering that he had not moved on in the time that passed. Perhaps he had found a home here as Dante had. It was good to see an unexpected familiar face, and even better to see a friend who he owed nothing but a pleasant greeting. "How have you been, friend? It has been a while!"

Dante could not have spoken more true words than that. It had been a while. Months in fact. In all reality, perhaps even an entire season had escaped them both since they had last saw one another. For as much as it surprised him that he would find the fellow traveler, it almost meant that Dante must have found something worth staying for himself. In a way, that in itself was something, because no doubt they had encountered many who had moved on from the Wilds altogether. Stepping up near to his former spelunking partner, Mordecai offered him a friendly nudge.

“It really has been quite a while. I didn't expect that we would meet again, at least here.” They had gone their separate ways, more than likely in separate directions. “But I've been well, obviously. Keeping busy and the like. What about you? What happened after we left that cavern?” There were plenty of questions Mordecai sought to ask, but managed to keep them bridled. He didn't want to overwhelm his friend with them, nor did he want to overwhelm him with the stories and adventures that had come after their own.

Dante laughed. "Nor did I!" At the time of their meeting, he hadn't even decided if he was going to stay in these parts, let alone planned on future encounters. He'd surmised the other felt the same, but it seemed they had both planted roots.

"I actually signed on with a pack not long after. Met a decent fellow, Alpha of the Plateau. He convinced me to join." Dante recalled the day fondly. Peregrine had impressed him right off, a feat that was not easily done for a wolf as leery of power as Dante. "Been living there ever since. You?"

Their stories had not differed much in all reality. Mordecai was pleased though, that Dante had found somewhere to call home, if even one day they would both return to the long and winding road they had walked for so long. “It's been a trip, I guess,” the tawny Ostrega said with a sigh. “I made good on an offer I received when I first came here, just before I met you. I was living on this mountain here, but then we moved to a little valley to the south. That's where I've been since.” It was hard to believe that in such a short time, so much had changed. Mordecai wasn't so sure that all that much time had really gone by.

“Now I guess you could say that the pack is mine, one way or another. Long story, anyhow.” He offered up a crooked grin, as though that would really answer everything. Still, he didn't mind divulging that he had done well for himself. It was comical, at least he hoped it would be to an outside perspective. No doubt if he were to be talking to Verrine then, Verrine would have not believed a word he had to said at first.

Ah, yes. He remembered having mistaken Mordecai for a pack wolf when first they met. It must have been the same group. Jinx's, if he wasn't mistaken. It seemed Mordecai had risen over the queen, a happening that Dante had not heard about. Unsurprising, considering how far apart the two were and how little Dante strayed.

Dante shook his head. "Funny how things work out, eh? Last we met we were just a couple of loners wondering whether to put down roots. Now here we are heading our own lands. I guess you could say my pack is my own as well." Dante did not ask Mordecai how he had come to lead, for from what he could tell the shift was rarely a pleasant thing to recall. The truly funny thing was he had spoken with the French woman, the one with the beautiful voice, and had actually been on his way to meet Jinx and the Silvertip wolves when he ran into Peregrine. They could have joined the same group. Fate was a crazy ride at times.

I'LL TELL YOU HAPPY THANKSGIVING HERE TOO. Lmao.

Time was a rather strange thing indeed, though it was more than likely safe to say that Mordecai only had a moderate grasp of it. More than his father, but perhaps not as much as others. The same went for the names of the lands around them as well; some wolves had a shared common name for the territories, but Mordecai kept a lot of things simple. He knew the pack territories, but beyond that, it was anyone's guess. What came most surprising to him though was the way that Dante also dropped that he was leading lands as well, and the Plateau's nonetheless. Knowing nothing of the leadership that had been there of past, it intrigued Mordecai.

“Then it would seem we've done well for ourselves,” he said, feeling a smug smile pull across his features. It also pleased him that their pack was doing well, even though for all intensive purposes, he also supposed that made them rivals in addition to their friendship. By the vying for prey and other matters was of little concern to Mordecai, who felt the Spine was far enough out not to effect things to any significant degree. On top of that however, he was more concerned with the packs closest to him, not Dante's. “I'm glad we have the opportunity to meet again, in any case. Did you ever find your traveling companion?”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!

"It would indeed," came the amicable response, and he felt a sense of pride and pleasure that they both had risen in their respective homes to the level that others would entrust them with leadership. True, most days he hardly felt like he deserved it or knew what he was doing, but still they looked to him. If he was being honest with himself, it was a good feeling despite his trepidations.

The mention of Helena took him by surprise. It had been months since he had thought on her, though the rememberance now sent a slight shock of fresh hurt to the old wound. He shook his head, letting loose a deep sigh. "No, no luck. I can only hope and assume that she returned home or moved on to greener pastures, so to speak. Guess these wilds didn't appeal to her." He wondered that she hadn't informed him, but did not hold it against her. She had been like a sister to him and he still considered her such despite her disappearance. Should she return he would welcome her as one again. "But I too am glad to see a familiar face. Crazy how that works." He had not expected to encounter Mordecai again.

"Explored any more caves?" he asked with a grin, remembering their previous adventure. Dante had encountered no more ghostly caverns or anything that had given him quite that feeling and wondered if Mordecai's time had been as uneventful.

THANKS FRIENDSHINE!! <3

Other than the sigh, Mordecai had no real clue that he had touched upon a sensitive subject. Yet then again, the loss of a traveling companion was never entirely easy, especially when things simply came to the dissolution of a partnership. That was always how he had viewed it, a loose partnership that formed just as quickly as it ended. Mordecai had said his fair shares of goodbyes in the past as well. He could only nod in a loose agreement that perhaps the very wilderness they were in had not appealed to her, just as they had held little interest to others. At one point, they had almost lost their appeal to Mordecai as well.

“Oh, no, no more caves,” he said with a laugh. “I think I've had my share of them for the year. Of course running with these wolves doesn't always give me as much time as I'd like to explore any others.” It was a light note on the fact that he did not venture out as much as he used to. But there was a rigid structure that Jinx had left behind and in tribute to that, Mordecai tried to uphold it. “What about you? Does the plateau have many caverns to check out?”

Edited an ending so you don't have to worry about this guy <33 perhaps if/when you bring him back we can thread again!

"Nothing much aside from your normal dens and the like. At least none that I've found." And if he hadn't found them likely they were inaccessible to one his size, for he had explored the plateau extensively. He could understand Mordecai's lack of expeditions since it seemed they were in the same position now. Dante hadn't strayed much before though either. Not much had changed there.

"It's how I like my land best though. Trees and streams." He enjoyed the simplicity of their territory over the challenge of living, say, in the mountains or nearer the coast. It seemed theirs was one of the few packs that saw the appeal of such a situation, the rest seemingly gravitating towards such features. The plateau was raised, true, but its lands were like that of any forest inside the borders. "Can't say I'm sorry not to have the caves after that encounter either. Your pack relocated then," he added, changing the subject. After a moment's hesitation, he continued. "If you don't mind me asking, how did that go?"

A part of him had wondered at one time if he shouldn't have declined Peregrine's offer of leadership and instead relocated. Would some have remained, or would all have followed to the Caldera? There was no going back now, and he was glad of his decision, but he asked all the same. He was curious as to what would have happened should he have chosen a different path.

However, he was not to know. At that moment a scent crossed him, prey that he could not give up for the plateau needed all it could find. With a look of apology he dismissed himself quickly, wishing to go after it before the chance was lost. "Perhaps you can tell me another time. Duty calls. I shall see you again, though." It was a promise, for he would like to continue this discussion. Leadership was a hard thing and it was nice to know he had a friend to relate to.