Cedar Sweep Do you believe

"Yes, of course," Lane promised to look after Imaq and Sikuliak while Rye was away. Both his wife and child were quite self-sufficient, Lane was coming to see, but she knew that the promise would reassure Rye. 

Rye couldn't risk losing his family again. "I understand," Lane assured him. She would never hold a grudge about a member doing what they felt was best for themselves and their family, even if that meant they had to leave. Departures always held the possibility of paving a new beginnings, as she had seen with Meerkat's move to Sapphique and the budding friendship between the two packs. 

"If you do decide to stay, I would like you and @Imaq to be our Gamma pair," Lane noted, wondering if that might do anything to sweeten the pot. "Moving forward, you'll have a say in the decisions made for Atautsikut. You'll be in a better position to shape the pack according to your family's needs, and--" 

Lane's offer was cut short as the strange woman arrived. The alpha's ruff rose immediately, and then settled as she recalled that they were technically on unclaimed ground. 

Well. How strangely convenient. This woman seemed to be a messenger for the very group that had Rye and Ensio so concerned. Ensio spoke up first with a question, and Lane simply looked to Rye. She wasn't sure if she was ready to admit that she was the leader in question, and she was content to allow Rye and Ensio to do the interrogating. They seemed to know the most about the strangers in the Strath, after all.