Blacktail Deer Plateau Sometimes you're the train, sometimes you're the track

Tension fled from Malachi's shoulders at Dante's reception and his anxious thoughts relaxed. They were not in the clear yet, but with Dante in the know, they were well on their way to preventing any damage from happening on their watch. "Yeah, of course." It was only natural that the Alpha should assess the risks himself, and Malachi had counted on Dante's concern to move the predicament toward a favourable end.

Malachi turned himself around and gestured to the swath of charred trees hugging the mountain not far from their vantage. "One of the areas is just through here," and he set into a brisk walk, certain Dante would follow. With his news given and measures underway, Malachi felt the familiar coil of dread twist his stomach again. "So what did you want to talk about?" His voice squeezed through a tight throat, and his attempt at nonchalance fell flat. The storms had kept his mind from straying to thoughts of their recent meeting and the neighbours in the South, but he couldn't stop his thoughts from wandering that direction now.