Blacktail Deer Plateau hey man,

There was a break in their play. That was fine; nearing two, Kindle was beginning to mellow out of his more hyperactive beginnings. He rolled onto his belly, panting companionably while the dog looked around. He, meanwhile, looked at the dog, still fascinated by its familiar-yet-alien composition.

"Who knows," he said with a roll of his shoulder. "Here, there — " he gestured vaguely to the valley — "It's up to the kid, really. Katmai's his name. He's lookin' for someplace to settle down and start a family. I figure I'll do the same once he knows where he wants to stay. But I imagine it'll be this general area. We've got family down there."

Kindle hadn't met most of it. His cousin Valiant, for example, had only ever been described to him. He knew Angel Oak from her visit to Round Valley, but not her sister or mother. Not any of Valiant's kids, either.

"You're going to have to find a pack, too," he said to the dog, though even by his tone, he did not sound sure of this. It was in his nature, however, to try and tell others what to do. "You're too little to go around without packscent on your pelt. Somebody's gonna eat you, Cosmo."

That was how the stories went, anyway.