It was a rare thing, managing to surprise the quick-witted scout, and Leo couldn’t help but feel pleased with himself, seeing the astonishment on her face. Two-colored eyes sparkled with amusement up at her, smile growing a little wider as she acknowledged his support. For a moment they stood close enough for him to feel the heat coming off her body, breath catching a little in his throat, then he remembered where they were, surrounded by the entire pack, all eyes on them.

Now it was Leo’s turn to feel flush, eyes dropping to his paws as his short burst of confidence was replaced by more characteristic shyness. As Nori spoke up again, he looked around, trying to make a show of taking in the surroundings all while pointedly avoiding the gaze of any of the others. At least her voice sounded less nervous now, as she tried to clarify her own feelings about the spot; Got a lot of potential… He felt another weird clench in his chest, eyes flicking back to the scout, seeing the smile on her face; It’s got something, that’s for sure…

As she finished, he would bob his head little in agreement, closing the distance between them to bump her shoulder with his muzzle. It definitely felt good to him! Then Aquene spoke and Leo dared to turn and face her, pleased to see a smile on her face too, his tail starting to wag in response to hers. Despite the tentative nature of her words, he thought he saw a softening in her that hadn’t been there during their long trek. He smiled at her, nodding his head softly as he slowly turned his attention to Nash, similarly trying to gauge his reaction before suggesting: “Perhaps we stay here for a little, get our bearings and explore the surroundings? Give everyone time to see how they feel?” He would certainly enjoy some rest, his whole body felt stiff and crocked from hobbling along, and then he was eager to explore the open lands to the north some more; Maybe Nori would like to come too… They were supposed to travel in pairs, after all.

Thoughts ”Speech”

The general reactions were muted, but that was to be expected with everything they’d gone through, it was hard to have much enthusiasm for anything; How does one even choose a new home…? Some of the older members of the group had tried it before, but both the Vuesain brothers and the Eastfall-Slayers had all been born on the mountain.

Leo sighed lightly to himself, leaning slightly towards Nori to take the weight of his leg. In any case, this would be a good place to rest for a while, and there were no obvious protests from anyone – although he did note Maggs absence but chalked it up to her being busy with the pups. Meanwhile, the gentle smile on Aquene’s face was promising, and both Galen and Matos nodded solemn agreement. Leo nodded back at them each in turn, watching them turn to go one after the other, before finally turning back to Nori, a tired smile on his face. “Rest sounds good,” he said softly, letting his shoulders sag even as his eyes remained bright; “Maybe in a few days we can have a look at those plains up north?” He would need some time for his leg to recover, but hopefully she was willing to wait.

Once she’d given her answer, he would give her shoulder another light nudge, before walking off to find a soft patch of grass – it felt like he could sleep for days!

Thoughts ”Speech”