Bitterroot Valley you hit me yesterday because i made you cry

I can delete this if it messes things up for Zephyr!

The journey back to the Teekon Wilds was not as long as it'd felt leaving the place. This was his first time making the trip on his own, however, and so his nerves were just a little bit shot.

But he was big, now. Not quite his full height or as filled out as he would've liked. Not yet the same side as his venerable father — but big enough to hold his own, he thought. Big enough to feed himself, and keep himself warm at night, and to bristle and growl at strangers if he needed to make himself intimidating.

On his current trail, however, he was all swishing tail and nose-to-the-ground. Here was a scent he'd not crossed in a long, long while; one of Atwood's brothers! One of his cousins, he was fairly sure, but he'd never been clear on how that relationship worked. And he didn't even know which one this was. They'd not spent much time together, except when they were tumbling little masses, and Valiant had always been too focused on fun to really get to know any of his tiny companions.

When he caught sight of the other boy, however, he knew his name almost at once. "Reif!" he called, his heart leaping at the sight of a familiar face — but one that likely had no expectations of him. "It's me, Valiant! Do you remember?"