Boartusk Heights the goodbye is the hardest part

Lio had not needed this validation like Knox did. They had never been treated differently for their markings, but they had seen it. Seen the pure white faces of their relatives and wondered why their own was so mottled. It was very nice to know that they were not the only one in the world that had their color broken by a pattern.

It was... touching, to know that they were connected. 

"I believe they call it 'fate,'" Lio murmured, tail sweeping softly over the rocky earth behind them. "That if something is meant to happen, it will happen." Surely that meant that wolves who were supposed to meet would meet eventually. Maybe that was what was supposed to happen to them.

They shook their head quickly at the apology. "No! I like talking to you," they assured, offering him a small smile. "I don't have to go down tonight. It would probably be safest to wait until the morning." Sunlight would help guide them down far easier than moonlight. 

So, they'd just have to sleep there tonight. It wasn't preferable, as Lio was used to sleeping beneath the shelter of the trees, but they didn't think that Knox would hurt them. "I doubt that any predators would travel all the way up here," they reasoned, settling down on their stomach. It was chilly, but they were well-equipped for it. "If you need to sleep, I believe you can, too."