Things were…were they improving? She still hadn’t found hide nor hair of Heigen or Iyes, but Pyriel and Tinley seemed to be settling in okay. The former was even helping her fill the caches! And Abbadon seemed to be settling in well. That left Eiran. She didn’t know the older wolf very well, but he led once, and it left the strawberry blond female wondering if he wouldn’t want to again. Of course, she didn’t doubt Greer and his abilities, but—

Well, a wolf could never be too careful.

So she patrolled. And when she didn’t patrol, she went on little hunts, so there were always caches for hungry wolves – her daughter included. She hoped to take Revon on her first hunts soon. Soon. When she was just a little bigger.

The thoughts soon vanished from her mind, a stranger appearing up on a perch – it wasn’t the same male she’d run into before. This was a pale wolf, a female even, and curiosity quickly took over. Ember!? Kyna chuffed as she loped forward, ears strained forward. “Ember?” she called for her friend, tail wagging eagerly – her second had come home! Her second had—

Oh.

Oh.

“I’m sorry! You look-- Very much like my friend!”

“Oh…really? I’ve only ever met one wolf that looked like that. Like you.”

Only Ember… If they were at all related, the woman would have assumed the stranger to speak up. Her second had left to find a missing sister, but this couldn’t be here. (Which was probably for the best, for Kyna had no idea what she’d do if she found the missing Renier, and not the one she wanted.) She sighed softly, shaking her head at her own wishful thinking. Wasn’t she trying to be more of an adult now? Ember would come back when her affairs were settled and she was ready. Until then, it was Kyna’s job to keep Aurora Heights together.

“So – what are you doing up here? Not many wolves venture so far up my mountain.”

And indeed, it was her mountain. Maybe the Aurora pack wasn’t able to maintain the territory that spread across the plateau and the slopes, but in Kyna’s mind, it was her mountain. It was the moment she’d stepped off it all those seasons ago, after Phineas died, it was when she lived among the trees, and it was even now, now that she was finally home.

But that was true. Not many wolves came up here without a reason.

“Oh! Oh, you’re quite alright. My pack is further up, yet.”

They weren’t quite at the top, after all, because that was where Aurora Heights lay – but it was close, wasn’t it? The thin air, the scent of ozone, the pine trees lining the heights, it was everything that made up her home. It was the only home she ever wanted – and so she could understand whatever nostalgia had taken the smaller female. They even seemed to be close in age, and considering how often she found herself caught between her puppyhood wishes and her new responsibilities, she assumed it was the truth.

So the alpha gave a friendly wag of her tail before she sat, content to enjoy the mountain with someone who could clearly appreciate it.

“You’re welcome to stay here, if you want. As I said, my pack is a bit further up. We aren’t very large, so another wolf in the area won’t put any stress on us.” Her tail swept across the ground, sweeping stones and dust. Greer didn’t love the mountain like she did. He respected it, and that was good enough. But the mountain was special. “What’s your name? I’m Kyna Argyris Archer, and my pack is Aurora Heights.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Muses.”

At least manners had never been difficult for the young redhead, not once she’d gotten over her shyness in approaching strangers. It was, perhaps, still not her favorite activity, but she’d grown a far way from the little ginger puppy that Greer had found tucked underneath the lonely stump. So she allowed the girl to talk, suddenly all chatter, now that they shared their mutual love for the mountain air. On some level, it was nice to know that there were other mountain packs out their somewhere – it wasn’t just her father or their familial love for cold ozone and rocks beneath their paws.

“We named the pack for the lights. We saw them, founding it. When we found the plateau again, too. This is where I grew up.”

Would Phineas be proud to know his last-born child, his bastard child, was the one to return to Riddle Heights and raise a pack in the memory of what he’d created under the silent moon? She certainly hoped so. “Oh, the other side? The forest continues. There are several more packs. My mother’s is in the oak forest, my best friend has a pack just south of that.” Orange eyes twinkled. Never let anyone accuse Kyna of failing to make connections. “Planning on exploring instead of sticking around?”

“Ah, I grew up in a couple of different packs. Some of them still exist now.” The one her mother was currently leading, for example. If Aponi had never taken the lead, there was a distinct possibility that the fiery blonde might still be down amongst the trees, instead of on the mountain she so loved. She might not have reunited with Greer – and if she was still down there, then she was quite certain she’d not have little Revon. Life would certainly be quite different, and she could confidently say she could not call the life she might have had ‘better’.

It was nice not to wonder ‘what if’, for once.

“Ah, your alpha is very generous!” Travelling as a brand new member? Kyna wasn’t sure she’d have granted someone those same permissions. “Do you mind me asking which pack you are from? Is it the one down at the lake? I haven’t had the chance to familiarize with the wolves down there yet. My daughter is still quite young, and my mate has done the most of the…socializing since she was born.”

Heh. Greer, socializing? Wasn’t that a hilarious thought. She’d have to run it by him once she’d returned to the grounds of Aurora Heights proper.