Duskfire Glacier those of you who are last will soon be first

Mirth danced in her eyes in response to the small joke. Wintersbane must be in a good mood too; she had never known him to be much of a joker. 

He mentioned that he ladies had "beaten him to the idea," and a little half-smile twisted up the side of Lane's expression. They were still joking, right? In the case of incoming pups, denning was the woman's business.  Everyone knew that.

"Oh," Lane replied to the question, caught off guard to be consulted in a matter of pack business. In her own mind, her membership in Duskfire Glacier was still very new, cemented mere weeks before her departure on her trip. However, the truth of it was that Lane had been here since the pack's founding, and she was now playing an active part in carrying the pack's legacy forward. She was as solidified a member as any, if not moreso. 

"I thought they already did," she provided her honest answer. "At least the originals do, I think." Lane herself had never been given to dens; she  would have been perfectly happy to carry on without one if not for the pups. "It ought to be suggested to the new recruits though," Lane added, "To make them feel more.. like they belong." She knew that outsider feeling all too well. Lane had picked up some unfamiliar scents when she had arrived home, but she hadn't had the chance to meet anyone yet. 

He didn't want the mothers to feel crowded? Lane was afraid there would be no hope for that. The twisting half-smile reappeared. The mothers were destined to be crowded for the next several moons; gnawed on, stepped on, cried on, pooped on. Lane imagined in all that commotion, she would barely even notice the additional wolves present in the caverns. 

"Wonderful," Lane responded emphatically to his last question. She was grateful to put the imminent commotion out of her thoughts. "It was exactly what I needed." Lane radiated happiness. 

Oh, but he probably wanted her report. "There's packs of coyotes across the taiga, a bunch of 'em." Imaq had probably told him that. Likely the coyotes had been displaced from the southern lands by the numerous wolf packs, and they had collected here. "..And on the plateau below the westernmost part of the Sunspires-- the one with the blacktail deer herd-- there's a new pack forming, called Blacktail." Their leader had promised to visit, once the time was right. 

"And Kukutux..." Lane's expression clouded, a split second before she had resolved not to betray any emotion. Lane was loyal to Kukutux and well as Wintersbane, and incredibly grateful to the woman for her support, but her feelings were torn on one, singular, but very important matter. Important to Lane, at least.