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

Wintersbane agreed to adding a scout to his ranks. Lane wagged her tail. She was on such a role, she almost asked for a promotion. Gamma perhaps, or even Beta, should Wintersbane think they could use another member of leadership. Lane held back though, deciding to settle for her small victory without getting too much ahead of herself. She'd see how she settled into her role of mother before attempting to take on more responsibility. 

It also occurred to her that stepping into a leadership role would bind her to the pack in a more permanent way. It seemed like a long way off now, given that the pups weren't even here yet, but in a few short months her children would be grown and Lane would no longer be tied to the Glacier. Would this place still feel like home, once she had the freedom to leave it? Only time would tell. 

Wintersbane voiced some of his own plans for the children aloud, and Lane smiled. 

"My Auntie Rue called them field trips," she suggested, expression growing a little wistful as she recalled her upbringing in the Outer Wilds. Ruenna hadn't been able to get around very well, but she'd had such a way of making everything an adventure for Lane and her siblings, even their daily trips to the nearby creek. 

Where was Auntie Rue now, Lane wondered. She hadn't thought about her old babysitter in ages. 

She liked the idea of her future children having their own little adventures with Wintersbane while Lane was off scouting. That way, when Lane returned, her children would have just as many stories to tell her as she would have to tell them. It would go a long way to diminish that feeling of missing out, which Lane had been so familiar with during her own puppyhood. 

"Do you think you could do me a favor and grab a deer skin from one of the caches? I only need one more, I think.." Lane glanced over her shoulder. As pleasant as their conversation was, the pull of her hormones grew stronger with every passing moment, it seemed. Her mind was never far from the incoming children and their needs, and she was becoming increasingly anxious to have everything in place.

Feel free to fade! :)