His ears twitched at the stranger’s voice; he had not been expecting a visitor. With pinched brows he changed direction, his paws thudding against the forest floor as he hurried to answer the call. It had asked for a leader specifically, which only added to his curiosity, but he was thankful for the request. Most of his border calls were also answered by Inna, or her daughter, and while he typically did not mind the company it could also be suffocating at times. Both Baranski’s also had a habit of collecting wolves and bringing them back to Hearthwood, which made meetings a little one-sided. Lachesis had never been one for crowds—which didn’t make any sense, given his position in the pack, but he found it difficult to shake his old hermit ways.

As he neared the borders a familiar scent reached him, causing his pace to quicken. However, the figure that greeted him was not one that he expected to see. Hugging the treeline was a small, peppered girl with brilliant tangerine eyes. While he recognized the scent that clung to her fur Lachesis did not know the face. A perplexed expression tugged at his features as he stopped, his chin tipping to the side. Good evening, he hummed in greeting, a soft smile unrolling onto his dark lips. Is everything alright in the Shallows? He could not help but fear the worse—especially since he had not heard from Askan or Reyes in weeks.

He blinked, his smile growing wider: I’m Lachesis Stark—the lanky Arctic had never been good at introductions—the leader of Hearthwood River.