Duskfire Glacier when the summer dies

The shepherd became distracted with the other adults for a moment, though her cracked gaze still occasionally searched for Liak amongst the other children. With all the chaos going on, she almost didn’t notice when Wayfarer arrived on the scene until she began nudging her son just a bit too roughly for the she-dog’s tastes.

 She was fully aware that soon Siku would begin interacting with the other pups more — and learning his place in the pack’s hierarchy as a consequence. He was the only child in the group that did not bear the Duskfire surname and both his parents were lower in the ranks than others who had procreated that year. It was inevitable that he would find himself placed beneath Tzila and Lane’s children, unless he strove particularly hard against such a fate. Such a time was a ways away still and in the meantime, the one thing Imaq would not abide was the navy merle suffering the same bullying and prejudice that she had faced amongst her own kin.

As such, she drifted away from the women, gravitating towards her son. A soft rumble escaped her as she took up a spot near he children, a few feet behind Sikuliak. The spotted femme did not interfere just yet, since Wayfarer wasn’t really causing the boy any harm, but her presence — complete with an alert gaze and floppy auds pricked in the girl’s direction — would hopefully act as a deterrent against any negative behavior. If not, she was not adverse to correcting Wayfarer with a harmless nip and removing her son from the situation. Conflict or whispers of her being a helicopter mom be damned.

Meerkat seemed to have realized what was going on since she seemed to try and direct Wayfarer’s, and the rest of the children’s, attention back to her with a game. Eager enough to comply, Selkie scooped her son up with another rumble and moved to join the circle — glad that any crisis was averted. 

She settled Sikuliak between her fore paws, though she sequestered him by no means. He was free to toddle back off to join the other pups if he wished. His dam nestled on her freckled haunches comfortably, looking towards the Counselor for further information attentively.