He wasn’t sure which place he was going to show her first. His paws were doing the deciding for him as they navigated over the rock, his denim gaze fixated on the path before them. Even though he knew the monadnock pretty well Cyril was still finding new secret spots almost daily. At least, new and secret to him. He was sure his parents were aware of some of the places he had found, for they had called Whitestone their home much longer than he had, but they did not frequent them as often as he did. Their leader duties were important and kept them busy—which meant he had most of the rock to himself.

Her voice disrupted his thoughts, causing his ears to flick back as words tumbled off her tongue. Store special things. His eyes immediately widened at the suggestion as he turned to look at her, nodding enthusiastically in response. Why had he never thought of that before?!!!? How stupid of him!!! “Ev’y s’muurt!!” He chirped with a playful wink, his tail swaying dramatically behind him. Cyril had not found anything special just yet—the monadnock was filled with the same boring rocks. Once he ventured to the lowlands he was sure he would find something worthy of being hidden. Something for only his eyes.

Luckily he did not have any age-mates to share with. Which meant everything he found was his and only his.

Suddenly Cyril ducked down, dropping to a lower rock. He glanced back up expectantly at his older adventure partner, his wide, goofy grin still tugging at his lips. Without hesitation he stepped forward, approaching to the small opening tucked beneath the rock they had just been standing on. Fortunately for his older companion the tunnel was rather spacious—bringing Everly here would confirm whether or not Cyril would be able to visit this place once he reached adulthood.

The tunnel was not long—as soon as he entered it the ebony cub could see the light on the other end. He shuffled forward, his steps cautious and deliberate as he followed the light. The air was considerably cooler within the hollowed out rock—the perfect escape from a hot summer’s day.

As the cave ended it widened considerably, a large stretch of exposed rock available for both the Kael and Everly to sit on. It ended rather abruptly, a gaping hole in the side of the monadnock as it overlooked the tundra below. It was the perfect place to observe the lowlands without being shadowed by one of his older packmates. It was positive that it faced east, as that was where his father told him the forest was, but he was not sure. All hew knew was that there was another pack in the forest—a pack that they were friendly with.

His hindquarters folded against the cool stone as he waited for Everly to catch up, his features softening as he embraced the cool air.

You’re so smart too, finding cool places! His cheeks flushed crimson beneath his ebony fur at the compliment, for he had not been expecting it. He dismissed her comment with a bashful wave of his tail and responded in typical Cyril-fashion: with a lopsided, toothy grin. The cool places he had found had been a result of his boredom. Being contained to the monadnock meant scouring every inch of the rock and, one day, when he was able to visit the lowlands Cyril would explore the entirety of the tundra.

He hoped.

The ebony child glanced back at his tawny companion to see her reaction as she stepped onto the concealed ledge, her golden irises lighting up as she settled down onto the stone beside him. He remained silent, savouring the moment as his tail thumped proudly against the ground. He had done good; he was a good boy. His cheeky grin only widened as Everly finally broke the silence, dubbing Cyril’s cave the best secret place ever. It was one of the best, as it was definitely in the boy’s top three. There were still a few more places he had left to show his new friend, but this was a good place to start.

“Ev’y come whene’ber,” he suggested with a dismissive shrug, his navy gaze fixated on the tundra below them. “See sooooo far!!!!” He added with an excited chirp, his ears falling to the side. Sometimes when he came to the secluded cave he would imagine himself running through the lowlands, observing the sights he could see from above face-to-face. One day.

“Sometime see Ma ’n Da,” he added as he motioned toward the ground. Occasionally he would follow their patrols, from above, trying to memorize for when he was old enough to patrol without a guardian present.

A wide smile tugged at his dark lips as she spoke and he nodded, silently, content in observing the expanse of the tundra below them. His paws itched at the sight, for he wanted to explore as much of the lowlands as possible, but he knew he was unable to until he grew into his oversized paws. There was only so much he could see without growing tired and needing a nap. Even the adventure to his secret gave had taken some energy out of him, but he was determined to remain focused to spend time with his new friend. There was still more he wanted to show her and he couldn’t do that if he was sleeping!!

His ears twitched as she spoke once more, this time asking him a question. His expression grew more serious as he turned to look at her, his brows pinched in confusion. “Um, sometime,” he admitted in a hushed tone, his tail curling tight around his paws. “They impor’ant ’n buzy so I don’ mind,” he added with a sloppy nod, his words dripping with honesty. He liked spending as much time as possible with his parents—especially when it came to accompanying his father on his patrols—but he knew he was still small. There was only so much he could do being a shrimp.

However, Everly’s next flurry of words brought the smile back to his stunted features, and his tail immediately started thumping along the ground with hers. “Yes!” He chirped in response, flashing her his pearly whites. “Defo ‘kay! Ev’y hang out wheneva!” The thought of spending more time with his new friend, and sharing his secret spots (although not all of them) made his toes tingle with excitement.

The little smudge was blissfully unaware of the inner turmoil going on inside his companions skull. Cyril had not minded the question. He actually liked that she asked him serious, grown up questions, for he did not like being treated like a child. His parents were important wolves in Whitestone and as much as he would like to have them all to himself Cyril knew that was impossible. Plus, he liked his independence. Being alone did not bother him and if, for whatever reason, he was feeling lonely he would seek out the company of another. And now he had Everly to hang out with!! So he would never be lonely.

A wide smile stretched across his dark maw as she responded, his tail thumping harder against the cool stone. “The bes’ frens!” He chirped in response as he nudged her leg, his words accompanied by a loud squeak. The smudge watched as his best friend flopped down onto the ground, her legs sticking up above her. Without hesitation he rolled onto his back, mimicking her with a big, goofy grin plastered on his face.

However, his expression sobered as she spoke once more, her voice much softer than it had been before. Secrets?! His eyes widened but he remained quiet, patiently waiting for the words to tumble off her tongue before he responded. Trust each other. He hoped she would trust him—even with bad secrets, because not all secrets were good. He knew that. And Everly would still be his bestest friend, even if her secrets weren’t the best. “I keep all Ev’y se’cwets, p’omise," he responded, his tone barely above a whisper as he glanced over to meet her gaze, “‘cause we beeeeees’ frens!!” He added with a tremendous squeal as he rolled, playfully, into her side, in hopes of lightening the mood.

Once Everly grew tired of his secret cave he would show her another one of his secret places. He wanted to show her that she could trust him. He was still too young for big, bad secrets.

Fade.