They rested in the valley below the mountains that made up the Fringe, north of the Desolace but south and west of everything else. Everything except the valley that had once been home. Puffin gazed up at the mountains that made up the perimeter of Nardir's crater, his gaze one of great longing, and sighed. His conversation with Alana had been deep, cutting right to the bone, but there was no bad blood. She was his queen, always and forever, but it was time for him to answer another calling. They had all lost so much, and though he knew this was one of the hardest challenges Nardir had faced, the way his heart head eased when he made his decision told him everything he needed to know. This was the right path for him. Nardir would be just fine without him.

Puffin stood before the remaining members of Nardir, counted their faces, felt a pang of loss for each face not there. To them he must look worn and harried, tired and broken. After the initial evacuation, he had gone back into their crater twice more to search for survivors. To search for Kestrel. He hadn't found anyone. This was all that was left of their pack, their family, and the reality of it left him stricken. "My fellow packmates," he began, and then paused for everyone's attention to find him. "The monarchs and I have spoken at length about our next steps. Nardir will seek sanctuary in Inaria for now, to rest up and recover, and the bigger decisions for the pack will be made there."

He watched their faces. He knew the questions on their minds: Where would Nardir go now? Was the pack done? Could they claim territory somewhere else? Would their valley ever be habitable again? He was just as uncertain as they were about these things. But the weightiest part of his speech still remained. "I will be remaining here to watch over the mountains and continue searching for survivors. Those I find, I'll send to Inaria." He took a breath. "I am stepping down as Viceroy and leaving Nardir, as well. I love you all, more than I can say, so I'm sorry to leave you in such a time as this. This was...not by any means an easy decision. But Nardir has a future, in Inaria and beyond, and the pack can survive without me. There are others whose fates are less certain."

He looked at Phillip. "There was a village of humans, once, and a pack of dogs that inhabited it. A long time ago. It was my home, before a hurricane destroyed it and scattered its surviving members across the strait and beyond. Some found their way to Familiaris, which fell as well. Nardir is home to some and sanctuary to all, but it is at its core a pack of wolves, and thus a place many dogs would not voluntarily go. I have it in my power to create a place like my old village, like Familiaris, that is a home to dogs. So I should. I need to. I have learned so much from you all, lessons I can pass on. We'll trek the mountains and valleys around Nardir's old valley and search for survivors, and we'll be a dog pack, however small."

He looked for Hudson and Alue. "Anyone who wants to come with me and join this pack is welcome. Even if you're a wolf, you're all honorary dogs to me." His lip quirked up in a small smile, the first since this tragedy began to unfold. "And Nardiri are always welcome to visit. Nardir will always have a place in my heart, and wherever you end up, you'll always have a sister pack in us."

He nodded to Alana and Julek, and found tears in his eyes. It was a goodbye he had not predicted having to make. It was a door closing shut on some of the best years of his life, with nothing ahead but a dream and a bit of conviction. "Thank you, everyone, for the joy that has been my life in Nardir. I am grateful to you all, and I will never forget any of you."

He took a step back then, and waited for what would happen next. Would anyone join him? He almost dreaded the goodbyes. No matter his conviction in the path he had chosen, saying goodbye to these wolves would be hard. Beyond hard. And his heart ached for those not there to say goodbye to. He thought back to the day he met Starfire, to the day he came to Nardir's border, to the day he and Alana saved Phillip, to the day he met Kestrel, to the trip he took with Julek to claim the crater for Nardir, to the day Alana and Julek raised him to alpha, and his heart felt like bursting. There was so much love here. The end of an era, he thought.

And the beginning of a new one, he hoped.

    During the short time being away from Nardir, Alue and Phillip had managed to get lost. Phillip was blind, unable to lead, and the one leading him was a scared, anxious adult child that barely knew how to defend the two. They had shortly found their way back to the Nardir group, and it seemed everything was as fucked as they had thought. Alue noticed that even Phillip seemed almost saddened at the lost of the crater, but suspected part of it was because he had to move on more now. Phillip had shared his history; the man village, and then being enslaved by Paradox, and then being rescued by Alana and Puffin. He had been through enough, and Alue worried if this would be the final straw on the old man’s back. During the big pack move the elder had gone blind, now what would happen?

    Even if the elder was, well, elder, he still stood strong, despite his limp. Alue stood with the husky, watching the group and offering to carry whatever he could. Phillip had seemed to long for a sled to pull, speaking softly to his medic of his wishes. But Alue was against the idea; they had traveled enough and were tired. If it had been a light load, he would have let the elder take a sled, but it wasn’t. It seemed they were all carrying the entire pack. Eventually, though, they stopped, and Alue let the bags slide off, his crystal bumping against his chest. It was the last thing he had to remember Kestrel with, his best friend. He knew the pain that Puffin was feeling, and tried to give his leader a look that showed that Puffin wasn’t alone in his suffering. Puffin had gone back to find Kestrel, but nothing had come up of it. If Alue hadn’t dedicated himself to caring for Phillip, he would have been right on Puffin’s heels to find her.

    "My fellow packmates, the monarchs and I have spoken at length about our next steps. Nardir will seek sanctuary in Inaria for now, to rest up and recover, and the bigger decisions for the pack will be made there." A soft sigh escaped the wolfdog, tired already from walking. "I will be remaining here to watch over the mountains and continue searching for survivors. [...] There are others whose fates are less certain." Alue looked hard at Phillip. Would the elder want to go on with Nardir to Inaria? If that was the case, Alue was willing to stay back with Puffin, living as loners to point out to lost members where to go. The two could mourn as well, together. Puffin looked towards Phillip, and even the elder seemed to know even if he couldn’t see it. "There was a village of humans, once, and a pack of dogs that inhabited it. [...] We'll trek the mountains and valleys around Nardir's old valley and search for survivors, and we'll be a dog pack, however small." He must have been speaking about the human village that Puffin and Phillip had been apart of. But this seemed like a solution that Alue could get behind, and Puffin looked at the wolfdog.

    "Anyone who wants to come with me and join this pack is welcome. [...]Nardir will always have a place in my heart, and wherever you end up, you'll always have a sister pack in us." Phillip was already on his feet before Alue noticed, going towards his old friend. Alue gave a smile - not really happy, after everything that had happened - but of agreement with Puffin. "Thank you, everyone, for the joy that has been my life in Nardir. I am grateful to you all, and I will never forget any of you." Alue and Phillip made their way towards Puffin, making it obvious what they were choosing to do. Phillip was old, moving with his limp, but seemed to move with confidence and what seemed to excitement and happiness. Like something good had flooded around him, and he was getting a new chance. Alue knew the feeling, even if he were part wolf. “We’re coming with you.” Phillip said as if he was forcing the pair into Puffin’s pack idea. “We can make it work.” Alue said, smiling somewhat painful at Puffin. There were tears in his eyes already, even if he knew that what was happening was good. It didn’t stop the pain of leaving Nardir.