With the situation of joining New Dawn over and done with, Sky and her kids had a few hours to relax. They'd scoped out the den while the pack was out and about, finding a spot that was unclaimed and marking it at their's before heading back outside for some relaxation and fun. After an hour or so of lounging in the sun while the pups played, Sky decided she'd become bored.

She lept to her feet suddenly, fur on end and ears pinned forward as if startled. "Lena! Cody!" She cried sharply, earning their startled attention. Both pups stopped their tumbling and stood at attention, looking around to try and spot whatever danger their mother had. "The ground's lava! Quick, get to safety!" With that, she lept away and onto a rock nearby, standing as if touching the ground would truely burn her paws.

At first, the stared towards her in confusion. Then, recognizing the play in her words, the pair squeal in delight and mock terror, running for the nearest rock they could find and climbing on as quickly as they could, being careful not to fall off.

"Mom! Watch out! The lava's rising over there!" Cody shouted, acting the part almost perfectly. Lena giggled beside him, breaking the suspense but adding to Sky's mood of play. She yelped comically and lept over to their rock, standing above them carefully on her toes. "Whew. Thanks for telling me. It was hard to see through all that smoke and heat!"

"No problem, Mom. But what do we do now? It's so hot! We need to find water, right?" Cody looked up at his mother hopefully, Lena still in a fit of giggles beside him. Sky shook her head. "Can't. Nearest water's too far away. We'd never make it. We need to find shelter, and fast! Look!" She pointed her nose to the sky, where the clouds were white and fluffy and the sun was warm and shining above them.

Cody didn't catch on. Neither did Lena. "What? What is it, Mum?" Lena cried, trying to hide her giggles this time. "Fire balls! Raining down from the volcano! We need to find cover, and quick!" She looked around quickly and pretended not to see the den just a few feet away. "Cody, look around! Do you see anything?"

"The den! It's got rocks in it! We could go there!" Cody barked, pointing at it with his paw. Lena yipped her agreement. "But I don't see any rocks nearby to jump to. What do we do now, Mom?" Sky scanned the area. A rock a few feet away looked promising. Easy, even for them!

"That rock over there! Cody, you first. I'll bring Lena with me when I jump. Make sure it's safe!" Cody jumped into action, rushing for the edge of their rock and leaping for the other, scrabbling to catch hold before climbing up onto it victoriously. Then, he stepped back and barked his approval. Sky scooped Lena up between her teeth and lept for the rock as well, landing beside her son easily and setting Lena down infront of her. "Good job, my boy! Now, let's get inside the den. Hurry!"

The two pups moved to jump down but Sky stopped them by their tails. "Not that way. We have to climb up on top and swing in from above, or else we'll burn up! Come on!" With giggles the entire way, the trio climbed up onto the den's mouth and quickly filed into the den, laughing as even Sky tumbled along inside. The three landed in the middle of the den in a pile, laughing and giggling the entire time. An adorable sight to behold and a wonderful bout of play for the mother and her children...

With puppy fluff in her face, Sky couldn't really see who'd come in. The pups, however, were more than happy to greet a fellow packmate... especially one that brought food. Still hyper with their game, Cody and Lena hopped up and squealed. "Oh no! Look out, mister! You're gonna burn up in the lava!" Lena cried, climbing up onto a rock as if fleeing for safety. Cody climbed up after here, yelling, "The floor's lava! Watch out!" Both squealed in laughter as they tumbled off of the small rock and into a pile of dried grass below.

Sky rolled over to watch them, then laughed as they fell, sitting up to greet the male who'd come into the den. "Good afternoon. Sorry. They're a tad bit hyper today." Their laughter and giggles were contagious it seemed; Sky rarely smiled so openly when greeting new people, but in this case, it was as if she couldn't stop the grin on her face.

She stood and lowered her head in a proper greeting, then glanced at the grouse he'd brought in. "Good hunt." Then, introductions. "My name's Sky. Those two balls of excitement are my children, Lena and Cody." She looked over to them as they popped their heads out of the pile of grass they'd made, both yipping a surprisingly polite 'hello, sir. nice to meet you' before going back to playing, sending grass flying everywhere. Sky laughed and turned back to the male.

Sky hadn't really paid it much mind before, but now she noticed; everyone in the pack seemed to accept the pups as family almost instantly. Zalen acted as if he'd adopted the pair himself and now this fellow was bursting with pride. How strange it was to see complete strangers accepting and defending them as family without even knowing them. It warmed her to the core to think that her children, so targetted by evil in the past, were protected now more than ever before. They were safe here.

"A pleasure to meet you, Tharin." Sky finally said, sitting up straight and wrapping her tail around her paws. "And I know what you mean. We've been rogues for so long... it's nice to see them both so happy and relaxed. We've been running away from danger so much, I..." She trailed off, ears falling backwards at the thoughts running through her head.

Liam was still out there. He was still just as dangerous here as he was in d'Arte, except now he wouldn't be able to find her as easily. They were safe here... but if he managed to track her down... then what? She'd seen plenty of black furred wolves in the pack already. If Liam were to ever discover this place...

"Ah." She blinked away the thoughts, turning back to look at Tharin, having realized she'd been staring at Lena for a moment. "Sorry... I zoned out there for a second. It's been a rough couple of months." Tilting her head to the side, she smiled, almost shyly. It wasn't often that she zoned out mid-conversation but it was always embarrasing when it did happen. Sometimes it was hard to stay focused...

Sky tensed at the touch, eyes snapping open. At first, she wanted to bite him, to move away. Then, she blinked at his words. So protective. She wondered for a moment if all of the pack would be like this to some extent. Zalen had been more than welcoming... and of course she'd known Deuce and Titania before joining. Shandom was nice too. She'd never felt more at home.

She gave a slight whine and returned his affection, which earned the curiousity of her kids. Having never seen their mother affectionate to anyone else but them before, they decided that something was up. Cody was the first one to come over, after whispering his view to Lena who gasped in surprise.

"What're you doin'?" Cody barked as he trotted over. Lena followed him by biting onto his tail, releasing as he sat and then she sat down beside him. "Is Mum sad again?" Lena whined softly, ears pinning back and sightless eyes pointed towards the air between the two adults.

Sky sat straight, smiled at the heartbreaking sight of her worried pups, then barked. "No, no. I'm fine, kids. Why don't you go and play outside for a bit? Mum wants to relax for a bit." The two exchanged nudges and yips, Cody sent on last suspicious glance at Tharin... and then the two ran for the exit. Before they left the den, both paused and looked back, suddenly appearing confused. "...are you sure it's okay if we go outside without you, Mom?" Cody.

"Of course. Just stay near the den and howl if you need me. Remember what I taught you. You'll be fine." The two exchanged another few nudges then ran out squealing. As their voices faded to muffled squeaks and yips, Sky sighed. "...I think they worry more than I do, sometimes." She cast a look to Tharin, brows raised and a tired smile on her face. After a moment, she stood. "...thank you, Tharin. It's comforting to know that they're safe here." She paused, then offered the male a quick nuzzle to the underside of his chin, an extra show of gratitude.

As she pulled away and trotted closer to the entrance of the den, as to keep a better eye on the kids as they played, her voice took on a more casual tone. "So how long have you been a part of New Dawn? We joined officially this morning, ourselves. Mind you, we've been here in the territory for two days... Zalen was giving us time to cope and decide." She settled down near enough to the entrance to hear and spy on her kids without getting in the way of anyone coming inside, wrapping her tail around her side as she folded her legs beneath her.