Dragoncrest Cliffs This bond we share, it's the most real thing to me.

He hadn't expected company, but the arrival of another didn't surprise him. Dacio simply stared ahead as he listened to the padding of approaching paws, hoping fiercely that the wolf who sought to join him would simply pass him by upon realising that he didn't want to be found.

A familiar woof drew him from his selfish focus, and the ashen youth paused to blink over a peppered shoulder and allow his sire to close the distance between them. He offered a smile that didn't quite reach his pale eyes before he pressed on, content to walk alongside the golden Wocha in silence as they patrolled.

After a while, Dacio sucked in a breath. "I miss her," he admitted on the exhale, though he did not seek his remaining parent's mismatched gaze for fear of succumbing to the emotion that weighed on him.