Blacktail Deer Plateau This old world is cold and getting colder

Dante had noticed the girl's absence but had tried not to worry overly much. She and her brothers were growing quickly, setting out and finding their own paths. All seemed to have a knack for exploration, so it didn't occur to him that her disappearance would have meant more than a trip to visit far-flung lands. The only tip-off that gave him unease was that she'd said nothing of it to him.

When the lurker nearby turned out to be her returning, bedraggled but seemingly sound, he breathed a silent sigh of relief. He remembered too well how Peregrine's children had scattered to the winds and dreaded the day Lasher's brood chose to do the same. It was natural, and their prerogative, but he enjoyed having them and would sorely miss them if they left.

"Where've you been?" he asked, his tail waving in greeting but his voice holding a stern note beyond the curiosity. He would have liked to have been told when she decided to depart, as it was hard to lead when you had packmates wandering about willy-nilly.