A Marvelous Return

[Venema Ikaon]

Venema had been walking by himself, exploring the green hills, and was stunned by their beauty. He could definitely see why his mother had called this place paradise. It was as close to heaven as possible. He had strolled through much of the pack's territory, but no place was more amazing than this one. As he approached the lake's edge, he looked down into it, seeing the reflection of his scarred muzzle staring back at him. He lay by the bank, just staring at himself for a few minutes before looking up. There he saw Dominick and another packmate talking. For a split second he pondered going over and introducing himself, but the thought was dismissed immediately. They were in the middle of a conversation that he had no part in, and interrupting now would be rude. He looked back into the water, and sighed. As much as he liked it at Phoenix Valley, he doubted he would fit in with anyone else. He acted too much like a servant to be anyone's friend.

But little did Venema know, that a small, barely noticeable breeze had already carried his scent over to the other two visitors of the lake.