Blacktail Deer Plateau a bruise upon the silent moon

@dante. set for tomorrow evening

dante's wrath would be well-warranted, but lasher had received an explanation. a poor one, and one which was riddled with vagueness, but one all the same. it explained finley's sadness that night, her odd behaviour, and fox's vengefulness -- though not her inane and rabid attacks of all who came to the borders. and the more he mused, the more questions were uncovered. peregrine had claimed a stranger attempted to kill wildfire, then took the blame upon himself for what had transpired. 

had one of his own children been attacked by a rogue, lasher would have called the pack and slain the beast then. a stranger had no bearing on the whims of the plateau -- why would peregrine blame himself, if it was a mere twist of fate? and then there was the matter of junior, about whom saena had been quite worried.

it was altogether fathomable that the flighty girl had simply gone on her way, but lasher recalled she had come to pay her goodbyes before the last departure. he fretted for her also, and the weight of his own worries caused great weariness to put its stamp upon his countenance.

he entered the lands and called immediately for his leader, seeing no reason to prolong the inevitable. surely dante, blue willow, and osprey knew he had gone away -- they were intelligent enough to guess where he had taken himself. all but swaying with sudden tiredness, lasher straightened and awaited dante.