Dragoncrest Cliffs like icarus before me, these wings are not my own

When a stranger's voice rose from the territory outskirts, Dacio regarded it with a cant of his raven lobe. He listened quietly, lifting his pastel gaze to exchange an uncertain glance with @Portia as she turned to look upon him. The boy was loathe to leave his mother, as he'd promised to keep company with her, but the softness in her expression assured him that she understood he might be needed elsewhere.

The recent earning of his surname had encouraged him to step beyond his comfort zone more often, and his confidence rose with each patrol he trailed. Young Dacio, just shy of his sixth month, did not yet trust the world to make these trips entirely alone, but he knew the day to make that plunge would soon come.

He bid his dam a fond farewell, and moved carefully through the foliage until he paused among the sequoias to peer out at the waiting loner. The figure that lingered just beyond the territory was dark-furred, and Dacio scanned the surrounding area for any sign of pack-mates. No one else had responded - at least, not yet.

Inhaling deeply, Dacio padded into the open with a low wuff to announce his presence. Inexperience meant that he didn't assert himself, but his charcoal tail stuck out straight at his rear and his ears remained forward, curious and eager to succeed in his first real encounter with a potential joiner. "Hei," the boy offered, and he faced some unexpected awkwardness as he realised that this she-wolf probably did not know Drageda's mother tongue, "uh, hi? Yeah, hi." A sheepish smile promptly followed.