Redhawk Caldera Walk with me for just a minute, far from the walls where I’ve been livin’

He couldn’t say whether or not he would be happy in Akashingo. He hadn’t necessarily felt that way in Mereo. For the most part, Atreus just wanted a place where he could make himself useful. He found connection and purpose not in socializing for its own sake but in learning new skills and putting himself to good use.

I do like her. I don’t know what that word means, Atreus said with his usual candor, but she’s not vicious, at least as far as I know. She seems like any other wolf, just powerful in a way I’ve never seen before. Like, my aunt was the leader of my birth pack, right? She was brawny, intimidating, tough, all those classic Alpha things. Makono isn’t particularly big or strong but she seems like she has way more power over Akashingo than Aunt Avicus has on the rise.

He didn’t know if that made sense, though Amalia was pretty good at figuring out what he meant. The fond friendship that had sprung up between the two of them was an anomaly, which had nothing to do with their packs. Even if he never found any strong bonds in Akashingo, knowing he could always come find her here—and that she was much closer, now—brought him a sense of peace.

Now that I live there, you should come visit sometime.