She decided it was time to start showing her children where their  potential future home would be, and to fill them in on her plans for the family. They were a year old now, and she wondered where all the time had gone to. With her son following, she led him north to the place of her birth. The place where her father before her had claimed the day he had arrived on the continent. The day the lands became home to the wolves who now resided here. Their thick coats did well to keep them warm, for this is what they were bred for. They were suited for the snow, not the stifling heat and the heatwaves of summer that plagued the south and west, nor the humidity of the east. No...this was perfect. With the sun hanging low in the sky with clouds drifting lightly around, she thought it a good day for this. It was cooler here, much more so then the season could offer in the pack. Taking a breath, she paused among the trees and surveyed the forest. Bits and pieces of her memories coming to her. She turned her head and motioned to her son, a smile on her face. "Talk" "You" Think

The north was quite interesting. They had traversed it with ease, and Lykos marveled at how the snow felt between his paws. It felt natural. It was a phenomenon rarely seen in the south, tihs much snow - and yet, his paws barely sank into the white coldness. The air was crisp; a lot colder than the South, but he wasn't cold - with his thick adult coat, it kept him nice and toasty.

What was more fascinating was the world around him. This was his first venture out of territory, and the young male was fascinated. How wondrous the world outside Imperium was! As beautiful and stunning as the world within the borders, easily. There were other packs, too; they had already passed one northern pack on the way. The scent had been faint, but distinct. How many other packs were there? How big were they? As big as Imperium? How many wolves were there? Were they similar to Imperium's wolves, or different? The questions swirled in his mind as he followed his mother.

She had already told him whee they were going - the place of her birth. He didn't understand why that was so important; he was born in Imperium, wasn't he? But, if Imperium moved territories - not that he imagined they would - he would feel no attachment to the place of his birth. He didn't quite understand why she did.

And yet, he could see the ease in her body as she moved in the North, the peacefulness that sufficed her features. She truly felt more at home here than at any other place, even Imperium, and that in itself was puzzling. Why would someone feel more at home at some place that wasn't home? Pack was family, pack was home, and yet here she was, happier away from home. Interesting.

Before long, his mother paused, and he did as well, blue eyes on the woman. It wasn't long before she gestured for him to come closer, and he dutifully obeyed. So this was it, eh? It was definitely a pleasant place - the snow cool under his paws, the trees exuding a sort of earthy, spicy scent that was pleasing to the nose. But... there was nothing really... special about this place. Somehow, he expected more. Was this all?

He stared at Avalon expectantly, waiting for the explanation that was sure to come.

"SPEAK"

Art by Evelyn