Kinis didn't have any memory of the female who spent so much time with Ruiko, but he had longed accepted her existence and presence. Ruiko was above significant errors in judgement, after all; if he liked her company, then her company was likeable.

The nomadic lifestyle was very unusual for the boy, but he chose to bear it with a smile; now that he had a person to go to, if not a place, it was a lot easier being free. He felt less afraid to go exploring and roaming by himself, now. Their strange three-way grouping - if not quite that simple since Kinis had spent hardly any time at all with Ranger - had the feel of the beginnings of something new, if only they could decide whether or not they wanted to be a pack or join another. It was extremely odd not to have any particular rank, though Kinis always deferred to his older brother. Ruiko would forever be his superior, whether they were loners or not.

It was at this creek that Kinis had been reunited with his family, with Ruiko, and thus he had a great fondness for spending time here. Having spent some of the morning practising his tracking, Kinis had chosen to retreat to this nearby water source for a rest and rehydration. It still snowed on a regular basis, but it never stuck, and the world felt brighter, warmer. It was with a peaceful demeanour that he slowly trotted to the water's edge, and though the familiar scent of Ruiko's friend took him by surprise, it was not unpleasant surprise.

Taking a breath to calm any reservations he may have had, Kinis stepped towards the water, quickly taking notice of Ranger just a short way down the creek from him. She appeared to be gazing into the water, but for what reason Kinis could not decide. She was an attractive wolf, he had to admit, and what he could see of her battle wounds only served to add to her intrigue and mystique. Nothing Kinis knew of her suggested she was unfriendly. As such, it was fairly easy to pluck up some courage.

"Hey, Ranger," he called softly, offering a wag of his tail in greeting in case she looked up.

Very much aware of how little he knew of Ranger, Kinis was relieved and grateful when she returned his greeting. Her innocent question reflected exactly what Kinis had meant about their loose ties with one another; that they had to ask each other what was going on in in their lives was proof enough. Still, he supposed that forming a pack probably had a lot more to it than just, well... he had no idea where to even begin. Maybe he should ask Ruiko sometime soon. Or would that give the wrong impression?

"All right," he said, the meaningless reply hardly conveying anything about his life so far. But did she actually want a run-down, or just to make idle, polite chatter? See, he knew nothing about her! At the moment, she was just the victim of his conversation-making. He shouldn't assume she really cared. He smiled politely and sat down as she approached, making a display of being comfortable and just giving a hint of submission, though the latter was more instinctual than anything. "What about you? You've been spending a lot of time with Ruiko." Damn, that was more of an accusation than he intended... or was it? Suddenly aware that he wasn't sure where he intended to take that statement (it was more an unnecessary declaration of his jealousy than anything) he tried to extend it as if he had always meant to. "Uhh so have you been together long? I mean - 'known each other'. 'Known each other long'!"

It was a relief that Ranger didn't seem to be taking offence to his thoughtless blabbering. He didn't mean to behave standoffish, or try to accuse her of anything, but his mouth had an innocent tendency to run away with itself when his mind was slow to catch up. Perhaps it wouldn't take her long to realise this, and, hopefully, no real damage would have been done in the meantime!

He felt all the more guilty for his unnecessary tone when she spoke, for it seemed like they had a fair bit in common. Ruiko was, to an extent, all he had as well. He was too grounded by Ruiko's side to be able to consider any other way of life; his attachment to and dependency on his brother was too strong. At her comment regarding her health, Kinis smiled at her and tried to atone for his behaviour by showing her how pleased he was that she was well. The scar looked nasty, but at least it was healing well. He didn't know how or when it had happened, but hey, at least she was okay now, right?

At her next comments, Kinis' ears flicked back and he averted his gaze for a moment. It sounded like they'd known each other for a very long time - almost half of Kinis' entire lifespan. It was very out of place for him to judge her at all, and he felt even more remorse for it. "I don't know," he said, following a solitary huff of laughter. "Ruiko stayed when the rest left. I guess I'm just..." Eternally trying to make Ruiko proud? Make himself worthy of his older brother? What? Swallowing, he glanced back at Ranger, gently apologetic and awkward in his manner, unable to make himself say any of them. "He's all I had. It's, it's weird, being homeless like this... but he's my brother. My... I'd put up with anything for him." Just on the off-chance that it meant something to him, that, one day, they could be their own family. Despite all his fears and lack of courage, he would follow Ruiko anywhere.


Did he even notice? Did he even care?

His heart swelling as Ranger spoke - see, his first instincts had been right, anyone Ruiko liked had to be a good sort - Kinis cast away any lingering jealousy and let himself relax. Even without Ruiko's approval, she seemed sensible and pleasant, and was certainly doing her best to put Kinis at ease. Young as he still was, her subtle, mature influences on his behaviour worked a charm; he smiled back warmly, and his tail gave another sweep.

"Thank you," he said, hesitating only a moment before treading closer to her, angling her body beneath her own as he offered her a kiss to the chin as acceptance and respect. "Will we ever be a family... properly?" the boy asked quietly, almost nervously, afraid of any definitive negative answer. It was clear that Ruiko was born to be a leader, and the boy's instincts told him that Ranger would be right there by his side. If this first impression of her was anything to go by, Kinis knew he would be happy living under both of them.

If she hadn't already been so blunt about her feelings for Ruiko, her comment may have taken Kinis by surprise. As it was, it only made sense for them to become mates. A pack needed a leading pair, after all, especially a newly formed one. Kinis did not know many of Ruiko's female acquaintences, but he liked Ranger, and, for what it was worth, approved. He could follow her easily. Their brief but satisfying meeting, here, had settled that. The small wag of his tail, and lazy smile on his face, conveyed that with ease.

Something else she said, however, caught his attention. "I would," he said quickly, genuinely, but there was some concern in his voice. "Do you two not plan to - to start a new pack? I mean..." Some small hope flared, but he knew it could not work. He put his feelings aside and tried to speak plainly. "There are other packs to - other packs around. I thought we might, you know, start afresh. Ruiko..." Would surely never be able to serve under another. Was that not part of the problem with Indru? Kinis may not have known the particulars, but he knew his oldest brothers. They were both born to lead.