at the top of the world

CHARMYTHREAD! *pounces*

Certain things about this place reminded him of home. The steep, rugged peaks that stood silent vigil over them, casting black shadows over the lands they cradled and funneling winds across the lands between their high, rocky arms. The way the mists came down from the higher elevations at dawn, creeping across the slopes, undulating over the gentle hills and rises, weaving between the trees like gauzy, veiled ghosts. The songs of the hawks and the eagles who rode the lofty thermals high above, glaring down on them like kings upon their subjects. The pure, golden richness of the sun pouring its honeyed light down upon them from the crisp, chilly autumn skies, the way the forest smelled after the rain, the way the breeze hummed and stirred in the silent nights. So many things reminded him of Anubivaalua, his home pack on the shores of Beartrack Cove; he could not understand if it was homesickness or something less somber, more powerful.

Whatever the case, it kindled within him a love for this land, the beginnings of a deep-seated attachment and loyalty to his new home. It was the bond that attached every wolf to his pack, creating within him a devotion so fierce that he would die to protect the soil he claimed as his own. And thus he was driven to patrol and protect, keeping an ever-scrutinous eye on the outlands of his territory to ensure that no one who sought to harm or threaten them ever got the chance. He was like one of those kingly eagles, his gaze of simmering fire scouring the lands from high atop the craggy spires of the mountains that hugged his lands. Ever on the move, he made it his highest priority to refresh markings, intercept strangers, and make note of new signs of prey movement.

And so, of course, he did not miss the great black she-wolf that stood perched upon the crags above him as he moved through the high ground in their territory. He drew to a halt, silvered mane bristling slightly as he scented the air. He did not recognize her, but he knew her scent quite well from around their lands and thus accepted that she was not a threat. He woofed a soft greeting to her then, ears pricked forward in interest at this fierce new packmate he had yet to meet.