Dragoncrest Cliffs Say it's here where our pieces fall in place

He wasn't expecting anyone to come up behind him and was still deep in his thoughts, so in spite of Dacio's soft voice, Ephraim jumped. Lashing his tail to dispel his nervous agitation, he spun around to confront his stalker and came face-to-face with the grey youth from Heda's welcoming party. His exposure to Portia and Dio's cubs prior to leaving with Heda was limited, so even if they had met before, Ephraim couldn't really remember Dacio. He could tell that the boy was younger than he, leading him to mistakenly guess that Dacio was a Goufa still learning the ropes.

"Hei," he returned, angling his head and turning sidelong to invite Dacio along with him. He led the way along the borders for a few seconds in silence, sniffing gingerly at the ground as he went, then asked over his shoulder, "training for Gona?" He had no inkling that Dacio was, in fact, his equal. Every member of Dragedakru that he was aware of was either his age or older, and the core wolves of Trigeda had been older as well, so he incorrectly believed that a younger juvenile couldn't have earned their place already.