Neverwinter Forest alone in the clouds all blue

the yuelong wolves were gone. cam would miss the extra faces, especially those of which he'd gotten to know. they were to return to their island in the sea, and the forest belonged entirely to the neverwinter wolves once more. his already solitary existence grew even more so. apart from occasional conversations with mal, he was isolated.

and that was okay.

he liked the quiet. he liked being able to patrol the borders on his own, at his own pace, taking stock of all the plants and insects and birds that he passed. today, as he marked a small boulder at the edge of the trees, he saw a vibrant butterfly perched upon a bush, flapping its wings.

cam smiled to see it flutter about, dancing among the bees that pollinated the flowers. it was beautiful, fleeting, a stark contrast to the greens and browns of the forest. it was only after a few minutes had passed that he realized he'd been transfixed by the sight, standing still, his urine drying on the rock behind him.

Simmik also liked the quiet and like Cam, had remained fairly isolated since returning home. She had spent most of her time on solitary patrols or hunts, or exploring the cliffs that hugged the northern edge of their territory. As she had learned during her conversation with Mal upon his return home, she wasn't always the best company. So to save everyone the discomfort, herself included, she had tried to keep to herself as much as possible.

The scent of the newcomer drifted by on the breeze, making her freeze and inspect it further. She had picked it up around the territory, knew it was a recent joiner who was supposed to be here. Still, she couldn't stop the momentary panic that sent a jolt to her heart. She gave herself a minute to get things under control before starting to track him down. She should at least introduce herself to the new packmates since she hadn't met any of them on the borders recently. 

When she found her new packmate, he was staring strangely at a butterfly. She watched him for a few moments, gaze moving between the shadow and the insect. She never paid much attention to the bugs around here, but she did always appreciate the beauty of butterflies. That's an interesting one, she finally said, fiery, intuitive gaze locked on him as she waited for him to acknowledge her.