The next morning came all too soon for the dark silver wolv. Bira's partner came to pick her up, along with the now strapping blotched male, only an hour after sunrise. The other four cried for a few minutes after their mother left, but were soon busy playing with each other. It was shortly before midday when the elder came for the other cubs.
The chief had come as well, deciding he wanted a look at the cubs under their original caretaker. When the elder began to pick up the cubs, he started with the grey female and one of the yellow ones. The chief offered to help carry them; he hadn't handled hunting cubs in years. He picked up the other yellow female, and began to reach for the cream male, when the final cub screeched and flung himself between Mercure's feet. He crouched there, growling, until the chief stepped back. He and the elder shared a quick look, then nodded.
"If that's what he wants, he shall stay with you. Have you decided what you will do?" The elder took his pair of cubs to the nursery tent where all cubs went before they were old enough for training, leaving the chief to hear the wolv's decision.
"I think I will head to one of the bonding places, as was suggested. I have been curious about the idea since some of our Seekers had chosen that path, but I would never give up my responsiblities here to wander the stars. Now that I have been suspended, I will use my newly freed time wisely, and do what I can. I will return, hopefully by the end of my suspension, or as soon after as I can manage."
The chief smiled. "Good! I was hoping you would take advantage of the opportunity. Make sure you remember all the important parts, so you can tell us planet-bound elders what it was like out there." He turned to go, then added, "And make sure you take good care of your cub. He is a loyal little one, and his condition when he returns may make him very desireable as a stud. If he is as capable as his potential suggests, even his color will not hold him back."
Mercure watched his chief leave, speechless. Not only did he have the chief's wholehearted approval, it seemed, he was also being allowed to keep one of Bira's cubs! He promised himself to make sure this little guy was very well-trained; good training and other qualities had overshadowed defects in potential pairings before, it was possible it would happen again. He looked down at the now relaxed and purring cub.
"I think I'll call you Talve," he said as he reached down to pick up the cub. The newly named male allowed himself to be scooped up and continued purring as the wolv left the tent. He went to the meat tent to request a small package of meat to feed the cub in his travels; he would be able to find food on the ship and anywhere they stopped, but not every place would have food suitable for a newly-weaned cub. Then he went looking for a Seeker or two who had recently returned from trips who may be able to suggest a specific location.
After speaking to several, he decided to visit a place called Avengaea. They had an entire complex devoted to bonding, though the practice was fairly new to them. The dragons that the Seeker described sounded very interesting, and Mercure was looking forward to meeting some of them. He picked up Talve's travel rations, and headed home to pack. The next shuttle was scheduled to leave in a week, and it usually took about three days to get there from this location. He wanted to give himself plenty of time.
He left the next morning, saying farewell to his friends and family, and promising to send word if anything happened. He spent a little more than three days travelling, as he took extra breaks so the cub could get down and play. Still arriving with plenty of time, he camped out near the shuttle until it was time to go, so as not to confine the young cat too long.
Once on board the shuttle, the trip to Star City didn't take too long, and once there, he explored a bit. There were a lot of interesting dragons there as well, but he had his heart set on going to Avengaea. Maybe he would come back here to explore more later, before going home. He found a ship that was heading to Avengaea, and paid his passage. This trip took a little longer, but it had a few stops elsewhere, so he didn't mind. Even the cub seemed content with the way things were going and didn't complain at all about being stuck on a ship where there were few natural smells.
When Mercure finally arrived at Avengaea, he was amazed by the architecture, so vastly different from the tents he was used to. The space station he had expected to be technologically equipped; it was in space, after all. This was a planet, though apparently a far more advanced one than his own. He found his way to the Bonding Complex, and asked if he could apply.
He agreed to the terms of a potential bonder, basically being that he would stay here, interact with whatever kits were actively looking for bonds, and wait to see if any of the kits liked him enough to want to share his mind forever. He didn't have any problem with these rules; he would stay as long as he felt he stood a chance. If none of the kits was interested in him, he couldn't force them, and he wouldn't want to. In the meantime, he would have fun making new friends and training his hunting cat.

Continued...

Mercure is standing as a candidate at Avengaea's Sanctuary