Dusk was spending more and more time on chores recently, training, patrolling the borders, even going outside Casa's territory to patrol the neutral lands immediately outside their borders. In all honesty, she might have been a bit paranoid. She wanted to ensure Shaamah wasn't anywhere near Casa, looking to finish the job he started. The Hushhowl matriarch would do everything in her power to protect her son and the rest of her family. There was no way she would let that monster anywhere near them again.
Still, she often found herself thinking about her son's father. They truly hadn't known each other long at all, and they really only started talking because her mother had insisted she be nice to the man. Even so, she found herself missing his company. Perhaps she had grown to care for him, to some degree at least. She was sure she wasn't in love with him, though it still seemed there was something there. There was the chance he had been killed by Shaamah as well though, but in those few moments she had with him, he did seem willing and eager to be a present father to their pups. If he was alive, wouldn't he have been there by now? If he truly wanted to be a father, she would think he would be there. Unless he didn't really want to or was unable to come for whatever reason.
Even if he had wanted to be a father, it didn't necessarily mean he wanted to be with her. After all, the only sign of affection either of them had shown one another was while they had been drinking heavily after her mother's funeral. There was only ever one other who showed her any sort of affection, Greed Lykoi, and again, that was while he had been intoxicated as well. Even then, he truly didn't show her much affection, but simply said he wanted to kiss her. Nothing else really happened. It led the Hushhowl woman to begin thinking that males were only ever interested in her in such a way while intoxicated. No one had ever made any advances or attempted to court her by any means otherwise. With her position in the Hushhowl clan and with a pup of her own, she wanted to settle down, find someone who cared for her the same way her parents had cared for one another, and to eventually have more pups. It certainly seemed like the logical move for her, she was simply lacking willing suitors.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, a howl called out at Casa's borders, calling for her. Dusk felt like she recognized the voice, but couldn't quite place it. It was undeniably male, though she couldn't place a face with the voice. Seeing as she was already out on patrol around the borders, she really wasn't too far from where this person called for her. Turning Oakley around and nudging her in the right direction, the Hushhowl matriarch headed towards the voice. It didn't take too long to reach him, his scent on the breeze as she got closer. Confused as to why Greed would be there for her, she picked up the pace, knowing his earthen toned pelt would soon come into view.