Nightingale Palisade Starlings of the slip stream

Cheedo had been busy working toward her scouting title but Cyril was never far from her mind. She was sad that she hadn't been able to spend as much time with him but she supposed that was the way of things. During her travels she had been looking for a good place to take the boy. She wanted it to be a surprise and now that he was bigger she felt comfortable taking him with her out of the territory. She was also curious about what he felt in regards to scouting. She thought maybe she could pass down some of the things that she had learned.

When she had left the den that morning she saw how nice it was and decided it was a perfect day to take Cyril out. She went and did her morning patrol before getting a drink of water before she set out to find the pup. She soon found his trail and followed it until she caught up with him. “Hey, Cyril,” she said as she approached, “How would you like to come with me today?”

The boy had not made it far when the blue-eyed agouti found him, her tawny figure a welcome sight. Most of his adventures had been without the company of one of his packmates, for he preferred to explore the lowlands on his own. Even if he wasn’t supposed to. He had already encountered a number of different wolves and was pleased with how he had handled himself. He just wished that his parents would understand he wasn’t trying to get into trouble. Cyril was doing it for them. Keeping strangers away from the borders—unless they seemed like they would fit in atop the monadnock—and acquiring information from the neighbouring packs. Cyril knew what he was doing… kind of.

His steps ceased as he heard his older packmate approach him, her tone level as she offered to take him on a patrol. Nodding frantically he turned on his heels, his yellow gaze fixated on her blue gems. “Yes please!” He chirped, his tail wagging excitedly behind him. “Where y’goin’ today?” There was still so much of the lowlands he had not seen yet. Part of him hoped she would take him somewhere knew, but if she was going on a patrol he doubted that new would be in the forecast for today.

The small agouti was pleased to have caught up with Cyril so quickly. She was eager for them to start their journey to where she wanted to take him. For weeks she had been planning this little adventure for him and felt she'd found the perfect place to take him. It was a much different place than what he was used to on the Monadnock. The sooner they got started the sooner they would be there and she was rather confident that he was now big enough to make the journey.

A pleasant smile crossed her features as he confirmed that he did want to go with her, “Very good,” she stated noting the frantic nof and wagging of his little tail. She chuckled at his next question. “Silly Cyril, I'm not telling it is a surprise but I am sure you will like it.” This was not going to be one of her regular outings, it was just for him. She missed spending time with her favorite pup and this would give them plenty of time. “Now shall we get going?” She asked as she turned to lead him off to their adventure. She stopped once to make sure he was following before continuing her trek toward the border.

A surprise?! He groaned in protest but wore a wide, toothy grin on his dark features. Although surprises were incredibly frustrating, for the little Kael liked knowing what he was doing (and where he was going), they were sometimes rewarding. Like the surprise Everly had shared with him after she had woken him up in the middle of the night.

He did not doubt that he would like wherever it was Cheedo planned on taking him. She seemed eager, possessing a youthful excitement that rivalled his. His paws buzzed. They needed to go! go! go! They were wasting daylight! Now shall we get going? Yes, of course!!! He yipped in response, his tail wagging frantically behind him like a banner caught in a windstorm. Scrambling behind her the boy tried to match her pace, his over-sized paws struggling to keep up, but he did not mind. “Can y’give me a hint?” He asked as he trailed at her heels, his eyes widening in a feeble attempt at softening her up. Surely she could not resist his puppy eyes, even if they now held a brilliant shade of yellow instead of their previous deep blue. It was all in the facial expression: the soft pinch of his brows, the corners of his eyes sagging ever so slightly, and the gentle pout of his lower lip.

She'd been planning this trip for Cyril for awhile now and she was not about to slip up and tell him no matter how much he begged. She had chosen a place that looked a lot different than what he was used to and one she didn't think he had ever been before. It was times like these she was thankful to be a scout. She was able to hear about places and see places that she might not normally see if she stayed around the Monadnock doing the normal stuff like patrolling and hunting. She thought they might do some hunting as Cyril needed practice and who better to learn from than herself, she felt she was rather good at it.

Cheedo didn't waste anymore time instead setting off to lead the young Kael to their destination. She checked behind her often to make sure he was keeping up, the last thing she wanted was for him to fall behind before they even got there. “It's a lot different than the Monadnock,” she offered as his hint when he asked. That was all he was going to get out of her. The pup would have to practice some patience in this matter. A small smile did creep along her features, “We will be there soon enough,” she told him though it would take a little longer than a few hours of travel to get there.

It’s a lot different than the Monadnock. That was a horrible hint. The boy groaned in response, his eyes rolling at her words as he trailed behind her. Cyril did not have an issue with not knowing his destination—it was the fact that Cheedo knew something he didn’t know that bothered him. But instead of pestering the she-wolf further the boy kept his lips drawn tightly shut and maintained her pace, his tail hanging low as he kept his yellow gaze fixated on the bath before them. The lowlands were a big place; there was lots of places he had not visited yet. He just hoped that his blue-eyed companion was going to take him somewhere new, as his adventures into the tundra were becoming more frequent. While plenty of places still remained a mystery to the Kael, some of the lowlands had been visited by the yellow-eyed beast in the recent weeks. He was determined to see everything.

He nodded silently at her words of encouragement but they didn’t help. He remained impatient. Chewing his lower lip he struggled to think of something to say—something to distract himself. “Is it y’fav place?” He asked suddenly, his voice dripping with curiosity. He was not looking to figure out where they were going anymore. Cyril was genuinely curious as to why Cheedo had chosen this particular place.

The agouti woman didn't want to give away too much when giving him the hint he'd asked for. She laughed silently to herself when she heard the groan that came from him. She was thoroughly enjoying this little game but mostly she liked the chance to give Cyril a surprise that she hoped he liked. So often she thought about her own children when she thought of the Kael boy and would like to think that she would have done something like this for them. She was a different world than she was back then so she couldn't say for sure. She glanced back to make sure he was still with her and hadn't given up in his disappointment with her hint.

Cheedo did ensure him they would be there soon enough and as their paws carried them over the Tundra she was hoping it would be sooner. She felt she might be just as impatient as he was to get there. His question did cause her pause in her thoughts though as she turned it over in her mind. “I'm not really sure that I have a favorite place,” she admitted looking back at him again, “All the places I have been don't really hold good memories besides the Monadnock so maybe that is my favorite place,” she mused aloud. It wasn't something she'd ever really thought about.

As they moved through the tundra Cyril allowed his yellow gaze to wander, observing their moving surroundings. During his four months of life the boy had managed to explore a chunk of the lowlands, but there was still much of it that remained untouched. There was too much. It was difficult to keep track of where he had been and where remained a mystery. He often retreated to his hidden cave to map out the tundra. It was remarkable how big it was. It didn’t seem real. Not until he was travelling through it. That was when he realized how big it really was, for it took forever to get anywhere. He didn’t mind—too much, anyway. It just meant he got to explore longer.

His vision returned to the tawny female as she responded to his question, his ears cupped forward to ensure he did not miss a single word to fall from her tongue. He frowned. How could she not have a favourite? The boy did not protest. Instead he continued to listen, his brows pinched together and his tail wagging gently behind him. The monadnock. That was a good favourite. One of Cyril’s, too. “I’s a good place,” he retorted with a small smile as he quickened his pace, his large paws thudding heavily against the dry terrain. Truthfully he was not sure if he had a favourite. He liked all the places he had been to so far. And there was still so much to see... he couldn't decide yet. Not before he'd seen more.

As they made their way across the tundra Cheedo tried to keep a good pace but not too quick that Cyril would fall behind. She was eager to get to the palisade and show the boy the place she had chosen to take him. She had spent a lot of time searching out the place and she hoped they would get there as soon as they could. She wanted him to have some time to explore before they would have to head back. By the time he asked her about her favorite place they had already come a long distance from the Monadnock. She didn't expect it to take too much longer and Cyril seemed to be holding up well.

She didn't have a place that she would do anything to spend time there or a place that she went when she finished her duties. Usually she stayed on the Monadnock when she wasn't out scouting or hunting. Her travels hadn't presented her with such a place yet but there were still a lot of places to visit. “It is a good place,” she agreed smiling back at him, “The best place I have lived so far. I haven't lost anything yet.” There was Mittani but recently she had wondered if maybe it wasn't so bad that she had lost him. She considered that he might have been holding her back.