Seraphina had spent the day hunting and collecting herbs, the two jobs she spent most of her time doing. Part of her wanted to laugh as she realized that she had left her home to find a land that could offer her more opportunities and here she was doing exactly what she would have been doing at home. She could have been a scout or a Guardian in these lands, but she couldn't deny that she was better at hunting and her knowledge of herbs shouldn't go to waste. With a sigh, Phina gracefully accepted that she was doing what she was meant to do. Besides, she was comforted by the fact that in these lands she could work her way to the top of her pack. One day, she would be a Leader. And that was worth everything to her.

She was still disappointed in herself for losing against Aestyn in the tournament but her spar with Anthem had restored her confidence. She could beat Aestyn, and Aesire. She just needed to practice. Confident that with time she would earn her title and content to take as much time as needed, Phina occupied her mind with other thoughts. Phineas. And the antlers. By the light of the Moon she would work up the courage to give them to him tonight. Even though she lost the tournament, she wanted him to know that she had every plan on staying in Silent Moon Plateau for the rest of her years. This was her home. She had made the decision to be here and she would stand by her decision. For some reason, she needed him to know that.

As Phina came upon the den, she veered left and found the small crevice where she had stored the antlers. Pulling them out she trotted a little ways away from the den and settled them down on the ground beside her. Phina tilted her dainty, dappled head back and called for her Leader. She didn't think it was late enough for him to have fallen asleep just yet, but she wasn't sure. The sleeping habits of these wolves were still strange to her and she hadn't gotten her body to fully readjust its sleeping schedule.

Seraphina heard Phineas' reply and could barely believe the way every one of her nerve endings sparked, leaving her torn between a distinct instinct to flee and an inexplicable desire to see him that kept her rooted to the ground. It only took him moments to find her and she was sure he had arrived soon enough to catch a glimpse of the emotions dancing in her golden orbs before she could hide it all behind her mask of placidity. Regality rolled off of him as he presented himself to her, his large form muscular, but proportionate enough not to be considered bulky. Ivory fur illuminated by the moonlight, the darker hairs in his pelt looked only like faint shadows on an otherwise pure backdrop. As her name rolled off his tongue, she noted that his voice was deeper, more rugged. Initially, the difference served only to send a slight, hopefully unnoticeable, shiver up her spine. Immediately following that, she understood that his voice was most likely a little lower because he had been sleeping and she had woken him with her call.

"I'm sorry if I woke you. I didn't mean to pull you away from your children." Her words rang with a genuine sincerity that she hadn't intended to reveal. Though she had not had the opportunity to spend much time with the other two Argyris cubs, she had gotten to know Celandine. The ivory princess was determined, strong, willful: all of the qualities Phina had refined in herself. But Phina knew better than anyone when a girl needed her father and she would feel guilty about any time with Phineas that she took away from his children.

"I'm still adjusting to these new sleeping habits and I didn't think you would be asleep just yet." Her explanation seemed feeble and she knew Phineas to be a no-nonsense type of Leader. If she had something to say she needed to just say it. "Well, I will make this quick so you can get back to your family." Phina bent her dappled head down and gracefully lifted the antlers only to place them carefully at Phineas' ivory feet."Where I come from, it is important for a wolf to present the King with a gift when they come of age as a symbol of their gratitude for their place in the pack. I did not come of age in your pack, but I am grateful for my place in it. It has become a home to me in ways that I would never have guessed." Of course, Phineas, a strong and admirable Leader, was not the least of her reasons for wanting to stay but to her surprise a few other faces came to mind. Myrrhis. Celandine. Even Aestyn and Aesire."I want you to know that I intend to stay." She wanted to look into his fiery eyes and convey the deeper meaning of her words and of her gift, but she knew that it was not her place to look into his eyes and instead kept hers focused on his chest and his maw. Though her features remained serious, the skin under her fur flared as she tried to bury all thoughts of his strong, prominent jawline. The words were out; the gift, presented. Now she waited, suspended in time by anticipation, as she waited for his response.