Fate is a funny thing, isn't it?

At the turn of the season he had decided to move on from the Armada and choose a new place to continue honing his skills. He had learned a good bit under Sirius' tutorage so his mother's recommendation had been spot on, but he had quickly decided that the rigidness of the Warlord's pack didn't suit him. He had never been a part of a pack the way his mother had been and his only other point of reference was The Hallows, but it felt a bit like the Armada was on the far end of the spectrum in that regard. For a wandering spirit like himself it was a touch stifling. Being back out and wandering free made him feel much more like himself. He planned on heading down to Auster just to check in with his parents before he went to another pack or found another teacher, but first he had to make a stop in his favorite hunting spot.

Ever since his dad brought him here when he was a pup it had become a frequent stop for him and he always made sure to stay a day or two whenever he was passing in-between Boreas and Auster. He had arrived in the prairie early in the day when the herds of pronghorn and buffalo were just beginning to drift through and graze. As much as he would have loved to take down one of those buffalo he knew his own skills and was realistic in how much of the animal he could actually make use of himself. Not wanting to be wasteful, he had opted for one of the pronghorn instead. It was probably still more than he would be able to finish himself before he had to move on tomorrow, but it was a better compromise. Once he was done with his hunt he found a lush patch of grass at the top of a slope and built himself a camp fire, spending the rest of the evening enjoying his kill and relaxing.

The sun had fully set and the sky was dark with a bright scattering of stars all across it, the moon just a pale crescent that was sometimes partially obscured by a few passing clouds. After cleaning his paws, Malik leaned back a bit with a content sigh, tipping his head up to look at the sky with a little smile. He wondered often what his sisters were up to these days. He didn't have any issue with spending time on his own, but the last time he had consistently had company was when he was traveling with his family. He never felt lonely when he was enjoying nature like this, but even he had to admit that not having someone to enjoy it with was a bit disheartening at times. He had faith that he'd wander into someone's life eventually just as his parents had found one another. For now he could just sit back and enjoy the stars.

"Malik of the Sea"