Phoenix Maplewood How to disappear completely and never be found

For @Tavi

It was glorious; a perfect gift and nearly intact.

Reek had stumbled upon his find without intention, but upon seeing the prize that lay half buried in the earth and snow, the raggedy alpha couldn't help but stop his patrol mid-step to take the time to unearth the spoils of his watchful eye. It was the long decayed skull of a moose, ravaged by the wrath of time and thick with a dark green patina of something unknown. The skull was missing a few teeth here and there, but Reek thought it only brought the cranial bone a level of character. There was no telling how long it had been buried, lying in wait for the unnoticing wolves of the maplewood to find.

Initially, Reek wished to keep it for himself. It would be a fine thing to adorn the whelping den, and once his eventual children got to a certain age, he was sure they would love to use it as a play thing. After a moment of deliberation however, Reek decided against it. There were enough trinkets around his den, and with his herb cache, there was little room for much else.

His second thought, however, had been to give it to Tavi as a housewarming present for her new home (that they had broken in together days prior). Ultimately, Reek decided to pursue this interest, so he took the skull awkwardly in his jaws and set out into the deeper portions of the maplewood towards Tavi's freshly dug den. After their interlude, Reek tried not to think about the implications of his confusion, and perhaps subconsciously, this gift was simply a manifestiation of his lingering affection.

"Tav?" Voiced Reek after drawing near to the narrow opening of her den -- skull having been dropped a few meters away. "I, uh— I brought you a thing."