Phoenix Maplewood and it's all fun and games, 'til somebody falls in love

He knew not what brought him back to the maplewood that day, but it was with a heavy heart that Reek returned home. Most of all, Reek felt it was the desire for emotional closure that pulled his heart away from the grotto, or perhaps atonement. The trail was easy enough to follow -- even with the landscape devastated by the Summer's swarm. He had made the trip too many times to count; it was forever bored deep into the archives of Reek's memory. As the old patriarch of the maplewood placed one paw in front of the other, each step carrying him further away from his current claim, his mind went on autopilot. His misery was briefly dulled.

Passing over what was once the border (now a lingering specter of what once was), caused Reek's heart to palpitate in a sad, unsteady rhythm. It no longer smelled of him. In fact, none of the maplewood was as he remembered. What had once been a lively and beautiful place was now nothing more than a graveyard -- its headstones being the spindly skeletons of the maple trees stripped bare.

He pressed forward in the direction of the whelping den to pay his respects to his children that he never knew. Knowing there was nothing he could do to emotionally prepare himself, Reek bit his lip in a fruitless attempt to keep his emotions in check. He pushed deeper into the wood, but a victorious roar and the sound of struggle caught Reek's attention, causing him to stop square in his progress. He never made it to the whelping den. Instead, he set out to investigate, but what he found sent chills up his spine.

As soon as Reek laid eyes on the bear, he froze with fear. Next, his gaze fell on the wolf whom had unfortunalty found herself on the bear's shitlist. Even from his distance, Reek could pick up the scent of soot on her pelt. She was one of Sleeping Dragon -- he was sure. For a brief moment, he contemplated turning around and letting the bear do its thing. After all, the wolves of Sleeping Dragon were responsible for the (perceived) death of his pups -- why should Reek risk himself to save one of them?

He tried to turn away, but found himself unable. There was already too much blood on Reek's paws— even if it was unintentional. Even after everything, he couldn't just let her die. He took a few slow steps forward toward both the bear and the dragon wolf. All the while, he planned his next move.