Blacktail Deer Plateau A slamming door and a lesson learned

a thought had been expanding in lasher's mind, one of rebirth and renewal, and with the abandonment of a warrior and aspiring medic, their ranks had dwindled further. there were not many joiners upon the borders as of late. he sidled toward the silver man, pressed his muzzle briefly against a hard-muscled shoulder in a show of silent solidarity.

"have you thought of relocating, dante?" the beta asked suddenly, words following one another in a tumble. "i love this place; it was here that i adored peregrine, blue willow. it was here that my children were born. but it is also a place of dismal memories and painful recollections," he added, casting a look over his shoulder in the direction of the burned area.

"if we removed ourselves, we might be able to breathe anew. no one need know where we have gone, save for saena; the children are old enough to travel. we could move to the north, farther from the caldera, into the lands yet unexplored. it would be a great undertaking, but it may revive our spirits."

as the last echoes of his words fell away, lasher sought dante's eyes, searching them for an answer he himself did not have.