A call at the border was the last thing he needed right now, recruiting was about the last thing on his mind and he didn't much feel like striking up the usual, jovial greeting. Perhaps he would have even ignored the howl entirely, had the voice not been a familiar one. Now instead he paused in his walk – back towards the den from the southern border – raising his head and ears high, a frown on his face; Sahalie..? What's she doing up here? If the Tainn had come for a visit, she'd certainly picked an unfortunate time. Though, of course she couldn't know that, and he wasn't about to leave her at the border, no matter how exhausted he was from a long night of searching. So he set off at a quick trot, shoulders slumped and tail hanging low, focus only on getting there; Not in style.

He wasn't the first to arrive, no to his surprise, Askan took his tasks as guardian seriously. Though now that Drestig was home, his second would likely be on his way back out to keep up the search for Percy; They'd been following such a back and forth for some days now. Brushing against the younger man's side appreciatively, the Rye king came to stand beside him, ember eyes falling on their visitor. Sahalie looked, well, like herself would not be quite true, even in his worn out state, Drestig noticed a change, subtle but powerful. It was hard to place exactly; Confidence? Maturity..? This spring would see her turning two after all, an adult. Another thing about the girl instantly caught his interest too though, something far less amusing; Whitestone..! The older wolf stiffened slightly at the smell, eyes narrowing a bit as they swept over his guest one more time, before finding her eyes.

"Sahalie," He greeted, voice not unkind, but weighted by the exhaustion he felt so potently; "What brings you here?" The ghost of a smile curved his mouth. No matter how tired, confused and on edge he might be, seeing her would always make him happy. But he expected her to explain what smelled suspiciously like pack markers on her fur, preferably without him having to ask directly. Then of course, he would have to relay his own bad news, though he wondered of the youngster's visit might be for something more than a casual catch up.

No this definitely wasn't just a friendly chat. Sahalie was visibly nervous, more so than the elder man had ever seen, and her stammered answer made his brow crease deeper. Sounds of more wolves approaching drew his ears backwards, just as the dark girl mentioned the same, gesturing over his shoulder. Ember eyes widening in surprise, he turned his head to look for himself, first seeing the female second and growing even more confused; Adelayde! What does Sahalie want with..? Then the excited howl drew his eyes to the final figure, racing towards them at a wobbling gallop; Castel. Without as much as a glance to her pack mates, the yearling rushed their visitor, greeting her with an overwhelming happiness that spoke of long, or at least tight, friendship. Again Drestig frowned, looking between the two of them expectantly, and Castel indeed was quick to move on, after finally giving her superiors a faint hello. Her questions made the king's ears twitch, eyes narrowing intently; "Tell me what?" His voice was neutral, gaze settling on Sahalie; What have you come for?

And so the girl began to explain, her very first sentence bringing fresh shock to the old man's face; A pack? It was true that her ambition was not news to him, but she was still so young, it had taken him years to reach his own goals and here she was already. Pride, and no small amount of awe, swelled in his chest, but he kept his face blank, eyes shifting to Castel as the true purpose of this stop on Sahalie's journey was revealed. It was no surprise that the two of them would be drawn to each other, both young and with a similar, positive approach to life. The young Tainn had even had some practice in healing, so it was possible she could aid the sick wolf in that way as well. No, what was so glaring to Drestig was that this was the very first he had ever heard about it.

There was more for Sahalie to explain though, and as she did he forced his attention back to her, eyes growing a little softer. The thought of her among the Whitestone wolves was sickening, and he hated to think what she'd needed to do to appease those sardonic bastards. Why Spieden had chosen to come there was a mystery to him as well, but at least he knew that Sahalie had followed her, and not chosen the Monadnock over Wild Rye Fields. There were still many questions whirling around his mind, but he felt a little less hurt, and at her final words, he couldn't help but answer softly: "Of course you are, you and Alastor will do great!"

Then his attention shifted again to the tan yearling, and the warmth faded from his face, voice growing colder; "What I don't understand is…" He shook his head, fixing the girl with an accusing stare; "Why didn't you tell me?" The tone was not exactly angry, but it held a measure of blame, brows again set in a deep frown; "When did you arrange this? When you came here you promised me loyalty, you said you'd offer your life to the pack, those were you exact words." He shook his head again, the fatigue starting to show on his face, a touch of sadness now in his voice: "I won't stand in your way, I want to see you succeed Halie," Again he looked at the young woman - the pup he had helped raise, who was no longer a pup - a weak smile creasing his lips; "But I wish you would have told me." This was aimed at Castel, and the gaze he gave her showed no affection. He'd been prepared to care for her until the end, keep her fed and warm, even when she grew too weak to hunt with the pack; And all this time I was only a stopover, a place to scrounge off until something better came along!