The chubbiest Vuesain child usually didn't wake up like this. Usually he was sluggish; preferring to lounge on the den floor, curled up with his family until the rays of sunlight became too strong to ignore. However, the princess almost always got to him long before then. This morning, his yellow eyes blinked sluggishly open – searching the darkened den to get their bearings after such deep sleep. It was surprising how warm this many bodies could keep the place in the depths of winter, even if their numbers had dropped a bit as of late. Somehow @Neha was still dozing; tucked tightly into his side. As soon as his mind registered that all was as it should be, the realization hit hard. Nate!


The man had promised to take Cernan on patrol with him at sunrise. His eyes widened and the sleepiness in his brain started fading rapidly. The large pup rolled upward, suddenly feeling a chill where his sister's warmth once was. Yup, its sunrise alright, he thought happily; staring at the brilliant pinks just past the entrance. His jaws parted wide; pink tongue curling backwards in a yawn. It swept across his muzzle once before the youth got carefully to his feet. The last thing he wanted was to wake anyone else up. Neha would probably want to tag along, and as much as he loved his sister, Ernie wanted this to just be him and his juvenile idol.


Picking slowly between the bodies, the prince made his way toward the entrance where he knew the Guardian lay. Nate didn't look very awake yet; a problem he'd have to solve at once. At last the boy stopped; bowing to stretch his front legs beside the darker wolf. He returned to full height and stood there; watching the storied gladiator's face. Still asleep, he thought upon hearing a faint snore. The pup stood there a few moments more, just watching and wishing that maybe he'd rise on his own. He didn't. Well, Cernan only hoped he wasn't one of those people who woke up grumpy.


Impatient as any excited child, he reached a tentative foot toward Nathaniel's shoulder and pawed him a couple times. He cocked his head to the side and spoke in a harsh whisper. "Nate." No luck, only another little snore. He tried pawing again, and going from a whisper to a hushed voice. "Naaaaaaaaaate," he questioned, watching the sleeping man's face. He really hoped Nate wouldn't be angry with him for the wake up call. He just really really really wanted to get going already!

Nate was racing through the only commodious stretch of grass available to the Cove wolves, that verdant lawn that curled around the lake's edge. It seemed particularly endless today, but that failed to catch the man's attention. He was far too focused on the prize ahead, a mule deer racing for its life. It didn't stand a chance; he was gaining, quickly, and with one soaring leap he would have the beast tackled and broken. The ground between them was disappearing rapidly as each stride propelled him closer, and he was just about to snap at its hocks when suddenly, something jarred into his shoulder, forcing him to swerve.

The hell was that? His pacing faltered as his pale eyes darted about, looking for whatever it was that hit him. Extraordinarily, it appeared as though nothing had. Whatever, he decided, as his gaze locked back onto his prey only to see that it was now advantageously ahead of him. Pouring the speed back on he gritted his fangs as he attempted to regain the lost ground, but just as he grew close once more, it happened again. A frustrated yelp escaped his jaws as he stopped completely now, legs spread and braced as his head turned wildly. What the fuck was shoving him? He looked to the left, and something jabbed his right shoulder, not just once but repeatedly. Baring his fangs, Nathaniel began to snap at the air, attempting to chase away whatever invisible beast was--

Wait a minute. None of this made sense.

Groggily, Nathaniel's eyes fluttered open to see a bleary vision of Cernan. Bit by bit, the pieces fell into place and his sleep-riddled mind began to catch up to reality. "I'm up, I'm up," he murmured, stretching out his limbs and arching his back before rolling onto his stomach. A soft sigh escaped him as he took his time fully awakening.

What did the kid want from him? Oh, right... patrolling. Nathaniel pushed himself up onto his paws and slunk out of the den without a word further. If Cernan was up and ready, then they might as well head out.

The man was moving in his sleep; twitching, really. What he could have been seeing in his deep sleep was beyond the boy, and he continued to prod his dozing hero until at last the snoring and twitching stopped. Pale green irises groped about for their disturber, only to find Cernan's curious face. His tail began to wag slowly, just in case Nate was feeling grumpy with him. Instead the man sighed, breaking his eye contact and tensing his whole body in a stretch. The Vuesain child was patient; restrained to the best of his ability while his pack mate came to grips with conciousness. 

His ears were cupped forward eagerly, and he stepped back only to allow the man to rise. Doggedly, the lad pursued him from the mouth of the den and out into the frigid morning. The cold air hit all at once and Cernan shivered; waiting for his body to adjust to the temperature. His coat was plenty plush and thick to fend off weather much more hostile than this, after all. Nate was quiet, seemingly focused on getting the whole thing over with. At first, his young charge directed his inquiring gaze skyward; thoroughly enthralled with just how vivid the sunrise was. Winter had a way of making the colors extra brilliant, but maybe that was just because everything else was so white and grey.


As the pair padded toward the border, the prince felt the silence growing too thick. He was never one for initiating conversation, but the eager child didn't want them to be so quiet the whole time. After casting a few unsure glances to the gladiator's sleepy face, Cernan spoke. "So uhh," the pup started, still a bit nervous that maybe he'd rubbed the man the wrong way, "...do you usually find anything out here?" Running across a threat or monster of some kind was a real possibility, he knew, but the boy hoped that was not a common occurrence. 

The further they walked the more awake Nathaniel came to be, easily slipping into the routine that would all too soon be a year in the making. A sigh fell from his jaws as this realization surfaced; had time really flown so fast? Oh how he wished to know where it was heading, if there would be anything more to his days other than walking these same tired circles.

Cernan's voice rose up, a little unconfident as he usually was, and the words drew Nate's gaze for a moment. That was something different, he supposed, and a small smile curled his lips. Watching Cernan and his siblings grow and learn was some kind of interesting at least.

"Not really, he answered the boy as his gaze returned to the job at paw. "Your parents picked a pretty peaceful plot of land here."

Un-fucking-fortunately his mind mocked, but none of that bitterness made it outside of himself. Well, Cernan was here to learn, not just follow, right? Nathaniel supposed that was as good an opening as any to instruct the boy on what he personally felt to be a guardian's true utility: obviation*.

"If all's going well for a pack, things don't really get exciting. My job isn't necessarily to fight off problems, but to ensure none arise. That's why patrolling is done routinely, every day. You keep your borders tight, know what's around you, and nip shit in the bud before it can bloom into trouble."

Nathaniel's course was cutting through the territory, taking them to the fringe where there would be, hopefully, more to show Cernan what he meant by 'nipping in the bud.' Given that it was the dead of February, this was possibly doubtful, but a try would be given all the same. As they walked, the man weaved along the trees, rubbing his flank against their rough bark without even thinking about it.