Heron Lake Plateau take me above your light.

A companionable silence descended over the two she-wolves, and Raven felt at ease. Gone and forgotten were the tensions that had simmered between them only a few months before. Finley's presence had always been a comfort to Raven, and even now at the peak of her prime, she still learned a great deal from her aunt. It was the way of young wolves to disperse and travel, and the possibility was very real that her own pups might one day choose to do the same. When that dreadful time came, she hoped that she could lean on Aunt Flea to help guide her through the emotional ups and downs that would inevitably follow. After all, motherhood didn't stop when one's children became adults, and the Blackthorns had been through more than their fair share of goodbyes at this point.

The sound of soft footfalls came to her ears and she glanced aside to see Elwood approaching. Each time she saw him, it seemed as though his face were ever more silvered than it had been the last time. A warm smile painted her features with affection as he drew near and her tail brushed the ground behind where she lay. He greeted them, and Finley's words drew a quiet giggle from her. "Hey, Uncle El," she said, and added with a touch of humor, "Come sit with us. There's plenty of doom and gloom to go around."