Days had passed since the tragedy that occurred on Mount Dire and Angier Lyall was silently eyeing the invisible but prominently marked border of the pack that resided in Cedarwood Forest. The scent curled in his nostrils; the musky odor of the dominant male signalled his brain to step back... and stay away. The dust-covered puppy in his jowls wriggled and he had no choice but to set her down. She (and her brother) had grown so much in the three weeks they had traveled and the tawny brute couldn't believe how fast they were picking up on things. He hushed her in a soothing manner, and gently placed his paw on her lower back to make her settle down on her haunches.

He cast a glance over his shoulder to his dearest friend, the ivory wolf who endured the poignant journey here. Truthfully, he was glad they made it - Alexander's precious cargo and Vlar... He tried to smile, but when he couldn't, he merely wagged his tail. They would be alright now and this was where he would leave them. Warmly looking down at the small girl at his feet he briefly nudged his large nose to her forehead before giving a nod to Vlar. One of his beige paws rose from the ground in gesture before he turned around. I'll see you around... it simply and wordlessly said. Good luck.

As he wove his way through the forest, he swallowed and stopped in his tracks. He wanted to go back... to be apart of the band of wolves who made their home here, but he couldn't. Something just wasn't right. He didn't feel welcome here, but he hoped with all his might that Alexander and Amélie's children would have a family again - with proper parents and caretakers - as Vlarindara was taken in with open arms. Angier let out a small whimper but with fighting off the temptation to head back the way he had come, he continued on his aimless wandering by following the river northwest.

[Applause.]

When a familiar howl rang through the air, Borden couldn't help but to question it at first. He had been on his way back towards the den where his darling and his children were nestled and had not expected such a thing; he had had a fairly quiet day away from his family and had anticipated coming across a rabbit or hearing a wary owl as it woke to greet the evening hours, but not the distant voice of another wolf. Swiftly, he carried himself through the forest, his long strides kicking up pine needles here and there wherever he bounded. He eventually came to the border but did not exactly find the caller at first. Placing his large nose to the ground, he checked to see if the visitor had been trailed his string of marked trees.

He trotted about before coming across the scent of a male, a distraught one who had been exactly where he stood only a few minutes prior to his arrival. The leader took a step along the fresh scent trail but was stopped by the soft rustle of paws along the forest floor. He went opposite of his initial path, stumbling upon a small clearing where Vlarindara and two ashen puppies stood. His head tilted and his ears pressed back against his skull before returning to their normal upright position. The dark-tipped tail at his hind legs arched over his back for a moment before straightening out behind him. He raised a paw in question, opening him mouth to address her but not finding his voice.

All sorts of newly-sprung ideas started running about in his mind as his gaze went to the whelps before her. He drew a breath, instantly detecting the male's scent in the area, prominently surrounding the trio. His muscles tensed and he quickly glanced around before looking back to the white lady. "Is he coming back?" he starkly asked, his voice heavily laced with unspoken suspicions.

The Lyall mulled over her sentence, attempting to figure out whether or not the last part about him helping was true. For all Borden could assume, the male might have decided to loiter around his territory, potentially becoming some kind of threat if given the chance. He furrowed a brow as Vlarindara braced her paws on each side of the puppies, and remained silent as she stated that she couldn't give them a home. A soft growl emitted from his muzzle; his mind was still caught on the idea of the rogue male being near. Given the timeframe and how both he Vlarindara had spent some time away from home, Borden couldn't help but to start drawing some parallels.

Perhaps this male had gotten to his Second and enchanted her when he had gone to the mountain. Then by the time Borden had returned, after having an unfortunate exchange of words with Makita, Vlar asked permission to not search for Raigo but instead seek out her secret sweetheart...

His mind made an attempt to figure out the timeline of it all... to figure out if it made sense in the least bit. The pups she was prepared to defend were both white, for crying out loud. If he and Jayse's genes had produced a fine, ivory son, what could possibly argue against his current presumptions. "Are they... yours?" he asked in an even tone, looking at the youths before gazing up to their guardian.

He watched as Vlarindara readily braced herself around the puppies. Sternly eyeing them, one side of his muzzle wrinkled as he listened to her defensive reply and ensuing plea. The mention of Alexander and his pack made him shudder, but as she slowly revealed that his previous leader had fallen and met his alleged demise by the means of a cougar attack, he eventually softened. He let out a sigh; his stance loosened and his tail drooped. As much as he wanted to keep hold of his grudge and simply ignore Vlarindara's imploring request for him to take the pups, he just... couldn't.

He let out another breath of air and looked down at her. After the misunderstanding on the mountain and how words were often lost in translation, he should have been quick to dismiss her words, but this... this was his friend, not a disgruntled leader or a distraught yearling. No, this story was coming from the one wolf he trusted and held above all others, just like he had deemed Jaysyek. He wanted to believe her. "Aww, Vlar," he murmured, his ears lowering as he saw now how she had lowered herself before him. "You know I couldn't do that... send you away... You're always welcome here."

You should know that... he wanted to add, after lowering all his guards. While he had a hankering to call her out on her story about the accident, to truly solidify the belief that Vlarindara had indeed fallen in love and such, he brushed his accusations away. Either way, he simply hoped the male would not return and that Vlarindara would not lie to him again.

He stepped forward and pressed his nose gently to her temple, lapping at her off-white fur before pulling away. "I'm sure Jayse wouldn't mind having the three of you," he said quietly. "Come on." Slowly he took a step backward, wondering if she would allow him to carry the other puppy.

Borden quietly plucked Arlette from the ground and after gazing to Vlarindara, noting her submissive stance, started walking off towards the heart of Grizzly Hollow. Evening was quickly settling in and every now and then, he stopped to glance in the direction of rustling twigs or scurrying paws. When nothing would emerge or reveal themselves, he carried on not just with walking but with thinking. The pup in his jowls was quiet for most of the way there which helped with his decision. Being suspicious of the white lady and the male who had obviously been lingering around her and the puppies would only weigh him down and question his choice of allowing her to return to his pack. By all means and for Raigo's sake, he would drop his overprotective streak and treat Vlar just as he seemingly always had... as an old friend. The verdict was this: he would simply and straightforwardly tell Jaysyek of Vlarindara's story - how something terrible had happened on Mount Dire and how Alexander's son and daughter were orphaned - and simply hope for the best.

{Presto.}