The den smelled like popcorn, damp fur, and fresh laundry — evidence that someone (probably Emily) had tried to make it halfway respectable for the evening’s meeting.

Thane sat at the far end of the sectional with his laptop open, a spreadsheet glowing on the screen and a pile of printouts in his lap. Gabriel was curled sideways across the middle cushions, legs hanging off the armrest and a half-finished iced coffee tucked between his paws like a security blanket. Cassie and Maya were sprawled on the carpet with a bowl of peanut M&Ms between them. Jonah sat upside-down in an armchair for no discernible reason. Rico leaned against the kitchen doorway, picking at an unplugged acoustic. Mark stood near the window, arms crossed, occasionally glancing out like he expected another drone to buzz by.

Thane cleared his throat.

“All right, wolves and humans — tour management sent the final European leg itinerary.”

He tapped the spacebar and the living room TV — miraculously free of game consoles for once—flickered to life with a calendar layout, banded in color-coded rows.

There was a collective groan.

“So many dots,” Gabriel mumbled.

“That’s… a lot of red,” Maya added.

“That’s the ‘you’re playing two festivals in three days across different countries’ red,” Thane said. “We’re going to be flying a lot. Tight connections. Some overnight setups. But it’s doable.”

Mark grunted in agreement. “If we run it clean.”

Thane nodded. “We will.”

He went on, calmly walking everyone through the cities — London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Barcelona — and then into the nitty gritty: gear shipment deadlines, customs paperwork, backline rental confirmations, and showtime expectations. He even had a tab just for international power adapters, which Mark had personally highlighted with four exclamation points.

Rico gave a soft laugh. “You’ve thought of everything.”

Thane smiled. “I try.”

The mood in the room started to shift. There was still nervous energy — Emily had wide eyes, and Jonah looked like he might fall off his chair in either excitement or dread — but it wasn’t fear. It was… something bigger. Hopeful. Eager.

“For those of you who’ve never been outside the U.S. or Mexico,” Thane said, glancing at Gabriel, Cassie, Maya, Jonah, and Emily, “you’re going to love it. First-class flights, real beds every night. Yeah, it’s a grind — but we’re gonna do it right.”

Gabriel’s ears perked. “We’re flying first class?”

Thane nodded. “Everyone. No exceptions.”

Mark deadpanned, “I already told the management company if we get stuck in coach, I’m setting the plane on fire.”

“Reasonable,” Cassie said, sipping soda.

Just then, a thud hit the window.

Everyone froze.

Another thud.

Thane slowly turned his head toward the blinds. “Please tell me that was a squirrel.”

Mark moved to the window, peeked out — then sighed. “Nope.”

He opened the front door to find two teenagers in Eclipse t-shirts crouched behind the bushes, both clutching notebooks and smartphones like sacred relics.

“Uh… hi,” the taller one squeaked.

“We brought cookies,” the other offered, holding up a slightly crushed plastic container with trembling hands.

Behind them, the faint sound of a live TikTok stream could be heard:
“— we’re literally outside their house right now, guys, oh my god —”

Mark took the cookies.

“Thanks,” he said, then turned and closed the door.

The living room burst into laughter.

Thane leaned back, exasperated but grinning. “We need better security.”

Gabriel held out his paw. “Hand over the cookies.”

“No,” Mark said, already walking toward the kitchen with them tucked under one arm. “These are for people who show up on time to logistics meetings.”

“You cold-hearted lighting bastard.”

Thane smiled, leaned over, and closed his laptop. “All right. We’ve got the plan. We’ve got the gear. We’ve got the cookies — kinda. Next stop: Europe.”

There was a pause. Then Rico strummed a warm, familiar chord. Gabriel hummed along without even realizing. Emily hugged her clipboard. Cassie stretched and flopped over onto Maya’s lap. Jonah, finally sitting upright, just grinned.

The den may have been bursting at the seams lately.

But right now, it felt like home.