Heron Lake Plateau missing you

Sorry it took me so long to reply! I've been really excited about this thread. These two are very overdue for a good talk. <3

Raven had always kept herself busy, but ever since her sudden rise to alphaship, "busy" had taken on a whole new meaning for her. She often returned to Quixote late in the evening, totally dog-tired and mentally drained. Leadership was a tough job but so far, she thought she and Qui were managing it pretty well. The entire plateau hadn't gone up in flames, so she took that as a good sign. The pack seemed to be pretty happy in general, food was plentiful, the weather was good, and nobody was trying to kill them. All things considered, Raven felt pretty good about things right now.

Her unborn puppies were growing quickly, and her belly was getting noticeably rounder now. Occasionally, she could feel little kicks and flutters in there, and it was such a bizarre and unexpected sensation that she laughed out loud every time. As active as they were now, she could only imagine how much of a handful they were going to be when they were born.

She was heading back from a visit to the borders of the packlands when she rounded a bend and suddenly saw Eljay. While they'd seen one another in passing from time to time, Raven hadn't really made time to talk with him in a long time. The last time they'd had a heart-to-heart, she'd been bitter over his decision to leave the Caldera and join a different pack, and that bitterness had put an uncomfortable rift between them. She'd been meaning to get together with him and smooth things out, but life had been hectic then, and it was even more hectic now. As she approached him, she greeted him with a grin and a waving tail, genuinely glad to see her old friend. "Eljay," she said, her voice warm. "It's good to see you. How's it going?"