close your eyes for this

Sure, he'd been accepted by Bazi but that made him no less nervous about being alone in a pack full of strangers. He knew he needed it. He needed the companionship, and the support of his fellows, but he also knew the hole Carolina left would not be easily mended. She was needed at home, he knew. Her father had passed and she needed to be present for whatever came next. She'd promised to return, and join him. Maybe then they could pursue whatever this was between them. That sure would make his dad proud.

Maybe. But probably not.

Rainier sighs and plops down beside the pack's namesake creek, ears set back, and eyes unfocused. Beyond his paws, a few stragglers of the summer run wiggle ferociously upstream, and he observes with a passing interest until one splash gets him right in the face. A snort, followed quickly by a whine of frustration escapes him and he rises only to wade into the water. He snaps at the nearest fish and misses as it darts away and into the depths. He whirls, and then spots another, bounding recklessly after it.