Phoenix Maplewood Deep down I know this never works

@Kael :)

Time to think had been granted. Mason had swung backwards and forwards on this issue of being a Beta for a while. At first: great! Dad wants me to be Beta! Sorted! Then: Will Steady be okay with it? Then : Oh, Zaria thinks I am a pile of turd still and isn't on board. Then: Oh, so I'm worrying about Steady, and he's happy to just accept Beta without checking with me.
 
Maybe Mason was trying to please too many people at once, and managing to please none. After his discussion with Steady, and determining he would take up the Beta role, he had fled the packlands. He had of course let his Dad and Steady know he was going for a couple of days. Dad understood; Mason needed to start getting out on his own. His wanderlust had developed suddenly, almost at the apex of childhood. Now that he had planned out Silvertip in his mind, thoroughly (since he had been doing it since a Pup in one sole territory) he felt he needed to know the rest of the wilds.

First Mason had been to the sea. Now he was heading in the next direction, and he had spent a couple of ragged days travelling to get to the furthermost pack on the trail of this compass-point. Dad had told him some names of packs, but he couldn't put scents to many of them. This one he did, because he knew Desna. 
He had not been inside the packlands, because he would not have dared to presume given Scarlett's situation. But Mason now headed directly to the borders and made sure to keep well back. He intended to see Desna again. He had liked her, she was pretty, and his age, and he really needed someone friendy. He looked pretty haggard, having travelled for some time now, and was a bit hungry too. His low-slung body was smeared in dirt, and some of his fur stuck up in silly directions.

It was a non-descript time of day, and Mason trotted along at a safe distance from the pack, keeping an ear swivelled inwards, hoping to spot someone soon. Maybe they would be able to tell him of the news on Desna's mum.