Noctisardor Bypass no context.

was this... was this it? 

pike stood at the edge of the bypass, claws flexing gently into the soil beneath his paws. inhale... yes... exhale... she was still here. or had been recently. 

he was bigger, for sure, wider. he’d filled out the lofty frame he’d been gifted by his parents, somehow. he looked healthy. strong. grown. sane. sure, he’d still have some growing to do... but he was certainly different than he was when he’d gone. gone... or had he just disappeared? who’s to say this early in the post?

it was hard for him to feel anxiety in the same way his brother did, nervous creature, pike rarely felt held back by his own mind. but he certainly did stand still and silent for longer than most might there along the borders. but, finally, he drew another breath, tilted his head back, and called own for the packs leader. for his mother. @Arbiter

and then, with a good flick of his ear, pike stood still again. waiting. signs of dawn just breaking over the landscape.