Having been corrected, Fenru gave Belun a nod of appreciation, enlightened and astonished all the same. Vernost'. Loyalty. Doo-u-veh-ra... Dôvera. Trust. "We..." Fenru patiently and plainly answered, singling out the pronoun with a somewhat lengthy pause to emphasize that he intended to keep the man's company for some time. "...are going to meet a pack." One of his large ears swung back while the other kept forward, rendering his facial expression into a quite rascally smirk. "If you're looking to join a pack, you'll have to go through their Leader... first."

His tail swung about behind him in a way that conveyed he was more than willing to further extend his geniality and the prospect of a life lived out as a River wolf. His pace continued in a consistent tread, his practiced strides obvious by how evenly and rhythmically all four of his paws fell and lifted in sync. Belun's second apology reached his ears and Fenru just shook his head. "Don't worry," he smiled. "You're fine. Okay. Good. We're talking, aren't we? So, we're good. You're good."

For the first time in what seemed like months his smile actually touched his eyes and he beamed at the wolf at his side. "If there's something you don't understand, I can explain if need be, so don't you worry." His gaze flickered to the unmarked path ahead of him before returning to Belun's face, still smiling as wide as a Cheshire cat. "If they aren't too busy, you'll meet my mother or the new leader. Or both, but they're nice... usually. We could use some extra help." He turned his eyes and head forward again as they approached a sizable assemblage of long grass, still brown and yellow from the winter season.

Fenru stuck a forepaw out and parted the thing blades before stepping through them, not bothering to look behind him as he was sure his first-ever recruit could easily follow. The trek through the grass wasn't a long one but the boy had had months to officially consider this course of action it as a recurrent ritual every time he headed out towards Hidden Tree. Before his yearling days, he had actually gone through two month-long phase, opting to move from one makeshift shelter - fallen logs, the shadows of large boulders, the nooks between the Grove trees' roots, etc. - to another, afraid something terrible would happen to him if he did not hide. Once they were clear of the dead foliage, he led Belun through a spacious field. After some time, the distant wall of clustered gnarled tree trunks, once small and easy on the eyes, rose up taller and grander than they were several footsteps ago. Gone were the charred and blackened birch trees, and in their place older, wider, and sturdier beech, aspen, and sycamore trees towered over the pair.

"Still okay?" the youth asked. "Do we need to stop? Rest? I can only imagine how far you've come to reach the Wildwood back there."

[/dohtml]A pack! The excitement that welled in his heart was almost enough to make him jump for joy. Belun knew that there had to be healthy wolf packs in the area, the scents were unmistakable. He had already met two wolves, and if there were two wolves anywhere, there was certainly a pack. Not only that, but Belun didn't think he'd ever even heard of a yearling of Fenru's age being out on his own. Still, Belun had been alone at a year and a half, so he guessed it was close enough. Belun wondered what Fenru's pack was like, if they would have pups in the spring and who his parents were. The very idea of meeting so many new people made him happy, and a bit nervous. He didn't think there were many people who would like Belun's company since he was foreign and didn't have much to contribute to the conversation. He was afraid that the leaders of the pack would reject him on his initial appearance alone; after all, he was thin, and didn't have the strength or the bulk of Fenru, who was half his age.

"A peck!" was the only thing he could summon from his mouth. His tail wiggled and waggled and he had a bit of a bounce in his light step as he followed alongside his young counterpart. The generosity of the boy made him feel a sort of glee. Fenru was quickly becoming a friend, which, in all honesty, was not a difficult thing to accomplish when it came to the generally light-hearted Belun. The boy reassured him that his speech was fine, or at least good enough, to which Belun issued a warm smile back to him.

"Yes, I ahsk eef I do not know, ees good," he said, butterflies brewing in his stomach. "You muh-ther? I am liek-eeng thees thaht we are doeeng. I wahnt meet her," Belun grinned. It had been so long since he had properly socialized or met anyone new that the very prospect of anything of the sort was very exciting to him. He was raised to believe that family was everything, so meeting Fenru's mother was a very good thing to do in his eyes.

Belun followed the boy through a great span of tall grass, barely able to see anything in front of them as they parted it with their bodies. He followed the tan butt of his friend until they emerged from the grasses into a great expanse of fields. A small group of deer saw them heading their way and they leaped away hurriedly, afraid that the wolves were out hunting. A series of song birds sounded their calls and cries from a spread of lively forest that draped over them. Fenru asked him if he needed to stop, although he didn't understand the second sentence. "Nie," he said, and shook his head. He had been traveling longer and farther for months, and though he hadn't stopped much at all since he'd been in the Wildwoods, he wasn't prepared to do so until he met this pack the boy spoke of. His paws were raw and calloused, but Belun had stopped noticing that months ago.

He followed the boy into the great forest, and inhaled the scent of dirt and wood, a warmth coming to him.
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