Rising Sun Valley säsìlpey

uktark stood at the crest, a dark cut against the gold-washed ridgeline, the wind combing through his fur like slowmoving ghosts. he did not look back at first—he didn’t need to. the boy’s small weight on the snow, the uneven rhythm of his breath, the way grief dragged at his steps… he knew it all as clearly as scent.
when tsu’tseya’s searching gaze finally reached him, uktark’s head turned. he held the boy’s eyes from above, assessing him, seeing if he'd changed since the journey south; albeit the pines were still covered in snow.
a short rumble left his chest, deep and low, a summons without force.
come.
the single word rolled out like stone shifting, leaving no room for doubt.
he waited there—
still as the ridge,
solid as the cold beneath them—
making space at his flank for the boy to stand, should he choose it.