I PROMISE You; open

[[Midnight]]

Justyn wasn't interested in venturing too far into the Foglands. Getting lost was the least of his worries, but he was in no mood to be soaking up the mists in his thick fur, nor paying too much attention to his surroundings. Nosing his way underneathe a bush full of thorns, Justyn was simply passing the time at the edge of the Foglands after having just dug out a larger den. His paws were still dank with mud and the sensation of having clogged claws. It bothered him slightly, but the thought of having Fallon for a denmate later tonight was more than enough to neutralize the annoyance of all his hard labor. As he pulled his head out from the undergrowth, a thorn scratched a light wound on his nose, and he licked away the coppery taste of the blood.

He wasn't really hunting, just searching for a few of those birds that made nests in thick undergrowth. Eggs were such tasty morsels, and he enjoyed crunching the shells that were meant to protect the embryo inside.

Justyn felt rather lonely. It was not a feeling that he had often. It was, in fact, an emotion that he had learned to push aside long ago. Really, he wasn't sure why he was struggling with it now, here of all places, when he should be feeling more powerful than ever. He had just won another ally, and more importantly, a friend. He might've lost an equal amount, however, in his sister, who seemed determined to make Justyn acknowledge his selfishness. She was certainly someone he could not hope to boss around. Uncle Roan, on the other hand, wasn't afraid to stand his ground, but it seemed he was more willing to listen, if not necessarily wanting to accept him.

Why couldn't Justyn be more like his mother? She was still dominant but had such a meeker personality. He used to despise it, but that's probably only because Justyn had the brute strength to stay alive. Could Justyn still live in Falling Moon with Rose, Fallon, and the pups and learn to change? Maybe then he could gain his family back.

He sighed quietly and brushed his side against the bark of a rough tree. It dug into his fur to scratch at his skin, making him emit a low growl of satisfaction. There were other things to think about. Justyn promised Fallon he'd make her the second Beta alongside him. He had to focus all of his energies on that promise. He had no intentions of letting her down. Justyn couldn't even begin to imagine how he'd win Duke's favor and get him to promote Justyn's fiery-tempered, quick-witted denmate.

[Malo]

As if on cue, a dark figure began to evaporate in the fog. The form of another wolf began to become clear, and soon Fallon was standing in front of her denmate. A mock look of surprise covered her face before she broke into a toothy grin. She had been wandering the Moons territory after her encounter with Duke and her sister, Naila. She'd somehow managed to catch Justyn's scent as she was walking and decided to follow it, the first time she'd ever tried to seek him out personally. She realized she was a few hours behind, and had hoped that she would catch up to him in a dryer part of their home, but alas, it was no to be. She stood proudly in front of him, feeling utter pride in her tracking skills.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" She tilted her head curiously and, noticing his muddied paws, her tail began to wag slowly. So that's where he'd disappeared to the past few weeks. She knew he had said he was going to repair his den at their last encounter, but she didn't know exactly when he had planned on doing so. A warm feeling started buzzing in her stomach, but she suppressed the urge to give him an over-eager greeting. Instead, she searched for a clear spot to sit. She hadn't walked into the thorny undergrowth that Justyn had, so she found a spot fairly easily.

Turning to face him, she noticed the bright red mark on his nose and she raised a brow curiously. It was clearly a fresh wound, and she let out a chuckle, glad she had chosen to avoid the brambles and possibly cut Justyn off. Green eyes flashing, she perked her ears. "What have you been up to, Pudgikins?" As if she didn't know already.

[[Midnight]]

Justyn was ready to move on to the next bundle of thorn bushes for his unecessary hunt, when a familiar voice made him turn his head. He had not heard anyone approaching - his usual guard was down with his combination of deep thought and egg hunting. He couldn't help but smirk, thinking of how easily Fallon could have attacked him mockingly, like he chose to do when he caught her off her guard.

He turned toward her after backing out of the undergrowth and perked his ears in a greeting. He had been anticipating seeing her ever since he had finished the den earlier. Would she have changed her mind about his proposition of denning together? Would it work out? Now that she was standing before him, his confidence was as unsure as ever. Still, he was looking ever so proud, as was Justyn's casual demeanor.

"Well, Fawny, the den repairs have been officially completed," he announced, sitting back on his rump and lifting a paw to shake off the dirt. "I've realized how pudgy I really am. It was a lot of work."

He looked satisfied as he was thinking of it. There was no way she couldn't like it. Instead of cleaning out his own personal den, he had moved it, and he had given it real thought as to where they would sleep.

"I'll show you later," he added after he had swiped his tongue across his scratched nose. "How's life treated you since I last saw you?"
His eyes glittered with curiosity - it was indeed a genuine question.