Blacktail Deer Plateau Alien Happiness

More than one welcome! :D

The sun began to dip on the horizon, signaling the end of another spring day. Valtyr had managed to make good time from the East, traveling across the mountains that separated the valley with the flat lands. He had promised his allegiance with Luke, Mordecai, and Harlyn and felt a new purpose blooming. Now, no longer bound to the creek, he had made the decision to visit the Plateau and close the loose ends he had left behind. Little did he know of the turmoil and political exchanges the wolves in the West harbored, from Redtail Rise to the Caldera.

Valtyr approached the borders with caution -- the marks of the pack clearly establishing their plot -- knowing that even though he had friends here, this place was no longer his home. With a slight tip of his maw, he bayed for an audience and waited in the fading light. 

Dante was keeping a sharp eye on the boundaries of his domain, for many reasons, but the primary being that he was hoping some creature would try their luck. It wasn't that he was looking for a fight fight, per say, but he had gotten in a pretty good row with a coyote a few days back and it had provided excellent practice. The creature was quickly repelled but it made Dante seek out more such experience. He wondered if, in wandering, he could find some loners to offer a spar. He would speak to his betas about the possibility, though he would hate to leave the lands shorthanded.

It was with these thoughts he paced when the call rang out, but he perked up with interest when he heard that something about it seemed almost familiar. The voice was older, so not quite recognizable, but as he drew in, the face was unmistakable. Tail waving gladly, he grinned, though he stopped short so as not to spook the boy. He did not know if he was still timid, but recalled that was once the case. "Valtyr! Hey!! What've you been up to?" He had worried for a time, but since his disappearance had coincided a bit with Pura's, had eventually assumed the two left for greener pastures. Perhaps even to follow Saena.

Valtyr wasn't sure what kind of reception awaited him. How much had the Plateau changed? Did they resent him for leaving? Would a familiar face even show? The yearling shifted his weight nervously, eyes drifting back towards the valley from which he came. Luke had imbued the boy with a new sense of promise, yet as the firefoot stood before his once-home a familiar sense of anxiety burdened him. 'No,' he thought to himself, 'don't run.'

Fortunately, his fears washed away as Dante's pleasant smile emerged from the treeline. The alpha had once intimidated the young Sveijarn... and still did. Dante looked as if he had been cut from the mountainside -- rugged and masculine -- while Val, who was nearing his first birthday, was still thin and rangy like an unfortunate stick. It was quite possible the young wolf had surpassed the sterling man in height, but one would never know as a consequence of his hunched and submissive posture.

Val offered a crooked smile, thin tail softly beating against his knobby, orange hocks. "Dante! I've been good," he said as he shuffled forward to engage in the canine courtesy of social-sniffing, ears folded respectfully against his crown. "I was wandering for a bit, but I think I've found a new pack..." he winced, realizing his words could be misconstrued. "I mean," the bracken wolf blurted as he searched for the right words, "I was searching. For something. I haven't found it... but... I went North. Where I was born. But I..." His voice trailed, thought fading as he remembered his cowardice. "I decided to go South instead. Into the Valley. And, well... one thing lead to another." 

He wasn't sure if Dante could empathize with his need to find himself, but the kind alpha deserved an explanation at the very least. "I wanted to visit... and tell you thank you. For taking me in when I needed a home." His bronze gaze shifted away, a bit embarrassed and flustered.

Dante merely smiled at Valtyr's pronouncement that he had found a new home, in no way offended.  Things happened, children grew and moved on to find their own places.  Just as Saena had.  Pura's tutelage had likely had a hand in that.  He would have enjoyed a heads up, of course, but he'd been younger.  The fact that he'd returned to give word and thanks showed how much he'd likely grown since then.

"I appreciate it.  We enjoyed having you, but I'm glad you may have found a home that suits you."  He would have loved for the Plateau to have been that place, but he couldn't resent one bit that it wasn't.

"May I ask where?"  He enjoyed knowing where they ended up, even if he did not often leave his own home.  It showed him areas where friends may be found.  And allowed a measure of hope that perhaps they would cross paths again.  He also sensed that perhaps dwelling on the time between Valtyr's departure and now wasn't something he wished to do, so asked nothing further about that.

Whether or not Valtyr answered did not matter overly much. They would share a pleasant catch-up session and, when the boy left, Dante watched him go gladly. He wished he could have found a home with them in the plateau but was content he had made a place for himself somewhere. Hopefully fortune would favor him.