Blacktail Deer Plateau The day is set

Kaihra tapped the top of her cache with her nose and patted down the last of the dirt she had pushed into place over the prey buried beneath. The failure of the pack hunt several moons ago had made her uneasy, and the Theta had taken to filling the caches around the territory to soothe her growing fears. In a few moons winter would arrive, and though the pack still had many hunts before the cold set in, Kaihra wouldn't take any chances.

The Theta backed away from the bush under which she'd dug the cache and shook her fur free of plant life that clung to her coat. As she stood to leave, a soft murmuring caught her attention and she cupped her ears in the direction of the voice. She didn't take long to recognize the masculine voice and she craned her neck to see above the tall bushes that blocked her view of the Plateau. Her eyes locked on a burly dark figure not far from where she stood and she lowered her head in a moment of hesitant silence.

She'd been itching to speak with Sun Spark ever since she'd met him a moon ago, but now that she had the chance, she felt a strange aversion rise in her gut. Her mother had never allowed storytellers into their pack, so to call one a packmate now felt scandalous to her. She didn't know whether or not Sun Spark had seen her when she'd peered over the bush, and, at the memory of her mother, she considered turning back. But she could still hear his gentle murmurings on the late August air, and Kaihra pushed her way around the bush and past her dread until she could score a clear path toward the elderly man. He moved with creaking slowness, and Kaihra thought he looked older than he had during their first visit.

"Sun Spark." Kaihra dipped her head and tried to ignore the uncertainty she felt in approaching him. "It is good to see you again."