Golden Glade Why Bother?

For a @Dagfinn

For a long time, Reek considered the fact that he hadn't had a true, longstanding friend (apart from various significant others and lovers) since Pantaleimon or Scarlett. Both had not been long for the world and had left Reek's heart wanting in the wake of their respective deaths. Perhaps that is why he appreciated Dagfinn's company as much as he did. It was nice to have someone to talk to and to do things with that one didn't have to share a den with at the end of the night. It was simple, and fun too. For the first time since leaving the whakadoo cult behind in Larksong, Reek felt a long lost sense of normalcy.

For once, he felt that things would finally turn out ok.

The snow swept ground to the south of the glade told a story. There were hoof-prints; mule-deer, Reek guessed. He looked to his companion, whom had just recently returned from travels of his own, and smiled. Up until now, they traveled in silence. Reek had not asked where Dagfinn had gone in the weeks prior, for the only thing that mattered to him was that he returned home -- and that he had. However, part of Reek was curious.

"So, how'd the trip go?" he asked, slowing his pace as he followed the trail.

It'd been a long trip, and although Dagfinn had wanted to spend more time with his sister, he knew that those at the Glade would be wondering where he was. Or he hoped so, at least. And it was nice to be back, because among these wolves, he knew he had a place. There would always be room for him by Lotte's side, of course, but those lands were not his lands; he had not fought to inhabit them, and the young Ansbjorn male got the impression that Arturo was not quite comfortable with him, either.

It was a relief to be trotting after Reek, whose presence was as easy and calm as his own. There had been something very stiff and stuffy about Arturo that Dagfinn did not exactly dislike - there was just no relating to it for the youthful spirit.

"Good," he said with a bob of his head and a wave of his tail. "I found my sister - she's an alpha, now, and due to whelp in the spring." He did not mention that he'd almost stayed with her, or that Reek had been only a passing thought compared to his broody and enigmatic daughter. "How have things been here?"

Dagfinn was quick to respond, giving Reek the short and sweet of his recent trip to lands unknown. While it was no long, winding story, Reek listened with rapt interest. The details brought a smile to the alpha male's face. "So, you're gonna be an uncle?" he said, nodding his head. "The older I get, the more I realize that there's nothing more important than family. I'm happy for you Dag." Had Reek held fast to the values that he now held dear in the past, perhaps things would have turned out much differently. Laurel and Indra would have had two, stable parents to raise them. A proper family instead of the broken mess he had created.

There was nothing now that Reek could do to change his daughter's circumstance, but he could change the way he lived his life.

"Things have been pretty quiet here I guess," Reek went on to explain. "No trouble with the natives -- and uh, the old pack hasn't come back to stir up any trouble." Reek shrugged. At this point, the Glade's security was a sure thing. "As far as I know, everyone is settling in pretty well..." and then Reek remembered Tambourine's questions when he had called the pack to play.

"Actually, I think Tambourine's struggling with what we did to claim this place." Reek bit his lip. "You still think it was the right call, right?" he asked, hoping for some validation.

Nothing more important than family. Dagfinn wagged his tail, glad that he and Reek shared this belief. He still missed Saena a lot of the time, and he wondered every day if he should have remained with Lotte during this hard time, but it seemed like the Golden Glade was a good place for him to be.

There'd been no trouble with strangers while he was away - something that Dagfinn was relieved to know - but it seemed that one of their own was not doing well with the steps they'd taken to procure their land.

"It was not the kind choice," he admitted, feeling comfortable enough with Reek to speak what was on his heart. "But the glade is a good home. It will be good for your children, and for their children. Sometimes things are not so as simple as right or wrong."

Dagfinn was certainly glad to have security for himself and for this new family he'd adopted, but sometimes he still thought of those they'd chased away. Unfortunately for Dag, he'd come to the conclusion that they'd made the wrong call. There had been plenty of good places to choose from, and as far as he was concerned, there was no reason why the previous owners of this glade couldn't still be here, raising their children in peace. Either together with Reek's wolves, or with Dag's new family far away in their own, blood-free land.

Reek agreed, their choice had not been born of kindness. It was of necessity. The call to take the Glade was not a decision that Reek made on a whim. In fact, there were times that he still struggled with the moral implications. There had been children — whole families — that he had displaced to claim the glade. He tried not to think of them, but sometimes, Reek would remember their faces. He could remember the terror in their eyes. It stirred him.

He had to think of his family to keep guilt at bay. Reek felt himself responsible for his wolves and their safety. Their prosperity was his to ensure. Dagfinn's support was comforting. He could feel it pull some of the weight from his shoulders. "Dag -- I just wanna say, I'm glad we have you here." The corners of Reek's mouth lifted slightly in a thin smile. It was nice to have a friend, whether they agreed or not.

Reek's focus returned to the trail. The scent of the herd was growing stronger with every step. "Think they're close?" he asked.

Sorry for the wait! I should be posting more regularly again, now.

Dagfinn paused when Reek spoke next. The falter in his steps was miniscule, but propably not very covert. The statement had caught him off-guard, and he did not know what to say.

"Thank you, Reek," he replied after a moment, not quite sure he could truthfully say that he was glad, too.

But there was hunting to be done, and that would always be enough to capture the young male's attention. His tail whipped back-and-forth as he padded forward, nose snuffling against the ground and then tipping back to test the air. "I think so," he said, trying to peer through the trees for some visual sign of them.