Ouroboros Spine Send up my heart to you

It was good to be back in the territory, though he'd enjoyed his time away. Refamiliarizing himself with the pack, he realized that a scent he'd caught before had joined them. It was one of Paula's children, though his scent now mixed with Raindrop's, and his mother's seemed entirely absent.

He followed it, and came to find a half-grown boy playing in the grass. It was a childish game, perhaps something Valiant might have found frivolous a few months ago. Now he was heartened to see life taking a more leisurely, meandering pace.

"Whatcha got there?" he asked, though he could see it was a leaf.