Chan had wanted so badly to just rush into the Cove when his father had brought him to it, to run along the lake's shore and roll in its grasses and curl up with his family in the communal den, but that just hadn't felt right. He'd been gone so long, even though this was his home he didn't still belong with them all just because he wished it. He was a yearling now, practically an adult, and he needed to expect the world to treat him as such. So he remained outside of the territory, just outside of it and always available if needed or desired, until his wounds healed and he was once again able-bodied; a proper candidate.
Kajika had visited him a few times, bringing him salves that helped him to heal quicker. He knew too, that his siblings had been born. It had been painful to wait, to not follow each adult that visited him back into the territory. To keep his resolve, but he did it. Now, he stood amongst the scent markers that edged the Cove's territory, and sent out a howl, asking for Kajika to meet him once more, as he assumed his mother would still be laid up with the newborns.