Lost Creek Hollow been a while since we met

Mordecai too wondered what had become of the packs that had more or less surrounded them. The valley to their south had been quiet long before the grove to their north, and the best he could suspect was that they did not like sharing their hunting grounds. Of course there were a number of reasons why either pack could have up and vanished, the biggest of those thoughts simply being the desire to go somewhere more open, much less impacted by competition. Disease could have ran rampant for all he knew, though the thought did not entirely breach through his thoughts. Instead, his focus shifted gears along with Ancalagon's, settling on the short history of their claim.

"Since the end of summer, more or less," he answered, taking into consideration what else the yearling shared. "We wanted to lay claim somewhere of our choosing, and this is what we decided on. Needless to say, we liked it, and others have found their way here like yourself." It was a concise if not vague history, avoiding bits and pieces of his choosing. Mordecai found that his leading tenure here was much the same as the Spine; he cared little about the past and what had brought them all there. In truth, he had gone because Harlyn had wanted it, content to share with her.

Still, a small smile graced his otherwise unappealing features for a moment.

"I'm presuming by you wanting to be a guardian that you have no issues in tending to the borders then," he went on, opting his way out of a historical conversation. "Right now, I'm sure we could use that." It didn't feel fair to him to saddle Harlyn or Luke with the task, though he knew the others helped in their own way. His hopes were that he healed long before the worst of winter set in, so that he would at least be able to resume his rounds and keep them solid. And of course, to be leery of the lands beyond their claim. Between the bear and the cougar, he only suspected things would be rocky to start with. The depth of winter would surely draw any other hardships to a head.