insignificant meritocracy

He'd left his brother behind near the borders of the new pack quite some time ago. And then? He'd wandered. A bit aimless, a bit avoidant. It would be an easy feat to step up to the borders, to stand in the cascading shadows of the ancient castle, and to call for someone. And yet.. he'd lingered in unfamiliar lands, the heat clinging to his every molecule in a way that was both stifling and soothing. To be burdened under the blanket of humidity, and lay down in the shade of an old tree until night fell. It was like a warm hug. He hadn't been to Auster since... since his mother died. Died within the very boundaries of the pack he sought to join. Why was he going back? To the place whose walls towered so painfully tall in his terrified memories, and shadows stretched so far to swallow him in his darkest moments. Worse yet, to return to living under the terrible weight of his sire's gaze. To feel the prickle of judgement, the ghosts of resentment- it wasn't his fault that he looked so much like her- it ached worse than his crippled leg during the rains.

So he started small. Slunk around the fringes of outer territories, still close enough to the land bridge that he might retreat across it if he finally lost his nerve for good. The sweet aroma of berries drew him, he couldn't help it. With his rucksack over his shoulder and his companions clinging to his back, he sniffed about the outskirts of the territory markers for a sweet treat to soothe his troubled mind.