Whitebark Stream cerno

He'd been lounging in the sun when a call sounded from his territory outskirts, gaze soft on his cubs as Dawn settled them for a lesson in nearby flora. Artyom felt his heart expand and still, after all these weeks of being made anew by fatherhood, he could not believe his luck to have found something far more wonderful than he'd ever dared to hope for.

He exchanged a knowing glance with his mate, who made sure that the children's attention were on her to allow him an opportunity to slip away unseen. The gilded ranger vanished from the scene with a hunter's silence, and made his way at once to Whitebark's borders.

The figure he found there was not what he expected: a young wolf, but a strong one. A warrior's frame, he felt. Artyom regarded him curiously; Whitebark's ranks consisted mainly of healers and hunters, and he wondered what it might be that brought this male calling. News of Aphrodite, perhaps? Another of his lost pack-mates?

"Good day to you," the Alpha called out to his latest visitor, tail offering a friendly sweep. "My name is Artyom. How can I help?"