Blacktail Deer Plateau the joy you give to others is the joy that comes back to you

Her words were touching. Some sensation akin to elation rose within him, but that may have been perhaps out of the fact that he had never quite been told that he had been missed. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that many he had traveled with or otherwise shared time with had never come bouncing back into his life in any substantial way. Harlyn was breaking the mold, so to speak, and because of that he could not help but be touched by her words. They definitely had their fun through the past, both literally and figuratively. They had seen some interesting sights and had weathered through some misfortune if it were to have fallen upon them. He shared a certain kinship with her as he had many others.

"I've missed you too," came his gentle reply, a quiet rasp as ever. Only this time it felt weighty, not as light or as carefree in gesture as he would have normally commented. This was not a realization that he had missed her — Mordecai had missed Harlyn. "I'd be happy for you to hang around with me, but unfortunately it's not my call if you stay here at the Plateau. A friend of mine heads up the pack here, which is why I came here I guess." Going back to the Spine had been out of the question, as the visit he had paid to near its borders had been nothing more than a curious question answering courtesy call. He would more than likely not go there again.