Heron Lake Plateau ain't seen nothing yet until you're, downtown

for @Rannoch <3 set before tristan asks bat to stay at coconut grove 

tristan left that dude who was seriously hounding for a bone pretty hastily, moving towards the plateau much to his dismay. he really aimed in that direction just to get away, but curiosity got the best of him. he realized as he got closer than the once incredibly strong borders were... well, not strong at all. in fact, tristan was positive that they were entirely stale. like no one had touched them in days. and... like... what the fuck? did everyone just leave with towhee?

he made it into the territory, cautious but not overly frightened. technically, he was pretty sure he'd be welcomed back with open arms at any time. but, also, no one seemed to be here. it almost bothered him, if only because he was convinced that towhee destroyed the pack, but at the same time... the wolves he actually cared about (read: mom and dad) were at the copse... so... what did it matter that no one was here?

still, the just barely-no-longer-a-yearling felt weird. subconsciously, it was for another reason, but tristan chalked it up just to be this instead. so, just like he had in the isle rivers, tristan sat in the territory, ears flicked forwards, nose twitching, and thought.

Although they no longer occupied the plateau, Rannoch frequented the tablelands. Although the territory did not suit their needs for a homestead, he enjoyed sitting upon the sand shores and observing the territory's namesake. The herons were abundant today, wading just out of Rannoch's reach; he had no interest in catching them, and instead watched them with interest. 

Tegan Tristian's scent came to him upon a humid breeze, and Rannoch turned from the lake to glance over his shoulder. There was something about the seated silhouette that struck a cord of familiarity with Rannoch, but he couldn't quite name who it was from a distance. Intrigued by his intuition, he pushed a boof in the stranger's direction.