Silvertip Mountain The panic of your dreams keeps you awake

He laughed at her response to his pond story. "You're telling me," he teased, rolling his eyes at himself. "No, I had just known my friend for a couple of weeks. Truth be told, I haven't really had very many long-term friends. People in my life have come and gone."

Phocion then nodded at her answer to his earlier question. "Yes, that was my thought process when I arrived, too. Plus I thought the mountain was pretty." He grinned. "But I'm glad you're here. We're glad you're here."

He sighed, looking down at his paws for a moment. Finding June's body earlier still weighed on his mind, even though he had never met the girl.

"There's a lot of pain in this pack, Niita," Phocion mused, his voice a little sad. "They just lost their alpha, and we found the body of another member a few days ago. . . You can see it in their eyes. They're lost. They're broken.

"I suppose that's why I've decided to stick around. They need us. They've lost too much recently to bear losing more. I think this pack can be the greatest in the land, it just needs to heal."

He looked back down at Niita, who lay with her snowy tail curled around her nose. "Sorry, I'm ranting, now. Not very polite of me to go on and on." He paused for a moment. The night breeze came through the cave mouth, touching his face like a gentle kiss. "The air is getting warmer. Summer is coming. Do you like summer, Niita?"