Redhawk Caldera No protest from me.

The youth who trailed him must have been young, for he could not even mask the sound of his own feet. And while Njal pretended not to notice, he noticed many things. Not only was this wolf growing louder because of his proximity, but they were growing careless in their steps - bold, obnoxious even. No stealth had been taught to this wolf. Or, if it had, they were too dim to catch on to the concept. So, the wolf that watched him now was either very young or very stupid. 

As the child burst from his hiding place, teeth snapping in the direction of Njal's downturned tail, he got his answer. It was only a boy -- and as Njal returned to his four paws, whipping around in a crescent to face the oncomer as well as protect his own tail -- his first thought upon seeing the boy was, "Val-?" He didn't know he had spoken until a moment later, and the surprise, the heart-in-his-throat feeling, evaporated. Njal cut the name off before he could utter the full thing, but he still felt a weight in his heart.

This boy looked to be about the same age as Njal's own, back when they had gone missing. His expression turned quite serious then, reminded of so many things, and Njal looked around. No, this wasn't his son - but it was one of the precious children, and he was wandering the territory without a guardian. "What are you doing out here?" Njal's voice was all too firm. He gave a sweeping glance of the surroundings to be certain that the child was alone, and that only made him grow more tense. "You should be - somewhere else." 

At the rendezvous site, most likely. It was unfortunate Njal wasn't technically allowed to go there - but he would have to bend the rules a little. "Come, we are returning." Except... "Which direction did you come from?" This was a great way to spend the first few hours in a new home where nobody trusts you. Babysitting the Alpha's kid.