July 1st; Early Afternoon; Partly Cloudy; 63° F/17° C

Everything hurt. It hurt when he followed Asphodel and Hemlock a few meters too far from the den. It hurt to patrol the borders. It hurt to eat. It hurt every time he moved just to snuggle up to Naira in the evenings. This had been a long time coming and it was now that Mapplethorpe realized that it was all downhill from here.

The grizzled Leader had just pulled himself from his mate's side when an itch at the back of his throat urged him to reorient himself. Instead of going to fetch something for Naira and the cubs to eat, he was drawn to the creek that snaked its way through the lands surrounding the Keep. He huffed and puffed and wheezed as he focused on keeping his limbs moving, placing one foot in front of the other. One at a time.

Eventually he came upon the edges of his domain, where Sagacity and Chulyin and most recently passed through during the night. There, he traced their steps, deviating from them only when he had had enough of following. A sharp turn to the left brought him to the water's edge. A painful tilt of his head and the lowering of his neck and he was able to drop his tongue into the cool current. With his thirst quenched and his spine relieved with the leveling of his skull, he settled down on the stony river bank.

His ears came up and he looked over his shoulder once before assuring himself that if his son and daughter needed him, he was just a call away (not that they usually did since they usually played well with one another, but just in case, he decided to keep close). Sprawling out on his side and resting his head comfortably on a bed of old leaves and fir needles, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before drifting easily into a light slumber.