The passage of time

He was truly beginning to feel as though there might be a chance in getting the pack moving again. First Lais, then Fable, had been to the Field for spars. He considered having them spar each other. With Castiel’s kids barely active, he had a feeling that he’d be calling a small fight training session soon; after the meeting, perhaps. His tail waved decidedly, then stilled as a howl rang out, calling for him. He searched through the voices in his head, connecting the howl to a face, and a name, then smiled.

He’d been meaning to take Baine out to visit Leo’s Pack, but perhaps this was better. His smile faded. It would be a good chance to tell Leo about Surreal and Falk, so that the King of Fiori could carry the news of the deaths to Epiphron, and let her know of her sister’s passing.

He picked up into a quick trot, that slight hitch in his right foreleg’s stride something he’d come to be accustomed to. It didn’t hinder his day-to-day tasks, and he didn’t think it would harm his fighting skills, either. He’d well and truly proven himself at the Challenge, and hopefully, word that a strong leader protected Celestial from challenging wolves would prevent others from trying their paws at taking his family’s structured home away.

The bright russet male came into view as Regulus arrived, and he gave a welcoming woof as he drew close. “Leo! How are you today?” There was indeed much to catch up on; had his cousin heard of the Challenge? With how that one female at the Challenge had looked so much like a smaller copy of his Aunt Epiphron, albeit with a bunny fluff for a tail and a black foot instead of a russet, he had assumed somewhere in his mind that maybe she was from Fiori, and a relative. He’d been too weary, achy, and heartsore to stay and ask.

His haunches lowered to the ground, tail curling about his hips. No doubt his cousin would likely have noticed the slight hitch in his gait, or the less than ancient scars running down his face starting just below the right eye, but Regulus left it to Leo to mention first.