He had ventured a little too far from the Vale but the russet child was not worried. He kept parallel to the river, following it as it cut through the copse and never once straying from its side. As the warm glow of the morning sun spilled through the orange leaves overhead Sachiel had snuck away from the dens. There was still much of the surrounding territories that he had yet to explore and although his packmates had promised to take him on adventures the little Leigh decided to take matters in his own hands. Some claimed they wanted to wait until he was bigger but the boy was impatient. Being a good boy all the time was boring.

The trees shifted from orange to green—or what he presumed was green, for Tikhon had described the colour to him. The leaves grew smaller and thin in appearance, much like the needles the older agouti had also described. His brows pinched together as he committed everything he saw to memory, even if he did not understand it. More questions formed in the back of his mind and for the first time during his travels he was annoyed that he was alone, for there was nobody to answer his questions. Frowning he continued forward, not allowing his sudden loneliness to deter him from the task at paw.

As he continued north the sun carried out its path in the sky, the morning turning into afternoon, unnoticed by the tawny bundle of fur. Occasionally, when his paws grew weary, he would seek comfort in the slow-moving water and take a drink to refuel. It was the sound of rushing water that caught his attention and quickened his pace, for he could not put an image to the sound. A familiar scent also splashed across his nostrils, egging him forward as he tiptoed around the river, careful not to trip on any roots or stones.

The river opened up into a small pool, a rush of tumbling water greeting the little Leigh. A lazy, lopsided grin tugged at his lips as he approached, hesitantly, his mismatched gaze seeking out the wolf he had detected. The boy spotted a dark shape beneath the falling water and he panicked—was he okay?! Sprinting forward Sachiel stopped as soon as his forepaws sunk into the water, his brows arched high into his forehead as he called out to his dark packmate: “You okay?!!”

A sigh of relief escaped him as the dark male responded, confirming that he wasn’t drowning. Or dying. Or hurt… or anything bad. His head tipped to the side as Niles turned the question back to him, paired with another question—the question Sachiel had been expecting.

First of all, was he okay? Physically speaking, yes, the boy was fine. No injuries, no bruises. His paws ached due to the length of his travel but aside from that he was peachy. Even mentally the boy was basically okay. There was no orange out here—nothing loud or obnoxious to cloud his thoughts. It was lush with vibrant shades of emerald and subdued chocolate. It was calming and he liked it very much. So, over all, he was okay. So that answered the shadow’s first question. “Yea, m’okay,” he answered with a shrug as he stepped backward, releasing his paws from the water.

Second of all, he was exploring. Duh. It seemed adults always wanted to rain on his parade, questioning him about his adventures and “going too far”. Pffff. They were supposed to, especially since he was still small and young, but it still bothered him. Even if they were just doing their job. “Went for a walk.” He answered with a soft tilt of his head, his mismatched gaze fixated on the steel-coloured wolf. He hoped he wasn't going to get in trouble for going to far. He had always been obedient and abided by the rules. Making sure he was home before dark and never straying too far. Today, however, he had done just that. Gone too far.
Oops.

“‘M fine,” he retorted quickly with a stubborn frown perched atop his dark lips, his brows furrowed as he took a hesitant step toward the ebony male. The agouti boy didn’t like being fretted over, or treated like a child, even though he was painfully aware that he was one. Until he grew a couple more inches and thickened out, the older wolves in his pack would always look at him like a cub. It was the unfortunate part of growing up.

His ears cupped toward the dark male as he spoke once more, a question dripping off his tongue. His frown deepened. “Not really,” he mumbled in response, his paws shifting uncomfortably beneath him as his mismatched gaze surveyed their darkening surroundings. “I like the trees out here better,” he admitted, keeping his gaze averted from the older male, “not so orange.” There was no amusement in his voice, for he spoke the truth. Sachiel did not know what brought on the disdain toward the striped, tangerine-leafed trees, but he despised them with every fibre in his little body. 

His paws shifted uncomfortably under the scrutinizing gaze of the charcoal wolf. He did not like being examined but he knew it was better to comply. Otherwise the older wolf might rat him out for being so far from pack territory. As Niles spoke up once more the boy returned his mismatched gaze to the darker wolf, his nose wrinkling slightly. “No,” he responded in a hushed tone, his ears falling to the side. “Just kept walking. I didn’t realize how far I was going.” It was the truth—he had not intended to go this far. Sachiel had been too transfixed by the array of colours and had not been paying attention to his path. He wasn’t worried, though. He always knew where he was going, no matter how far he strayed from the orange trees…

At the older male’s next set of words Sachiel almost rolled his eyes. “S’okay,” he mumbled with a casual flick of his shoulder. “Mom ’n dad won’t care. They never notice where I go.” Another shrug. He wasn’t looking for sympathy—he just continued with the truth. “As long as I’m back before dark they don’t say anything.” Maybe he should’ve lied. He didn’t want to get his parents in trouble. His eyes went wide, his shoulders sagging: “It’s okay, really. Don’t get mad at them, okay?”