Elias' paws were coated with mud as he limped along, his tail held high to aid his sense of balance. As much as @Nineva seemed to appreciate these woods Elias couldn't help but wonder if she'd misplaced her fondness. After all, the Cedarwood forest was anything but welcoming these days. The torrential rain had made the ground slick with mud, so much so that the land itself seemed to be slipping out of place.

Worse yet, there were newcomers to the forest. Elias hadn't seen any yet, but he recognised the lingering scent of coyotes in the air. If it had been one or two he wouldn't have minded as much, but it was evident that there was more than just a few, almost as though they were massing together to form an army, or something equally as frightening. A frown settled onto his features as he trudged along, how was he supposed to provide for Nin and her unborn with so much competition? His empty stomach rumbled, he couldn't even recall the last time he'd had a proper meal-not since he'd left the Heights. And that was fine, he was happy with going without if it meant Nin could eat but...

He wouldn't lie, he was struggling here, the abundance of coyotes merely extenuated that fact.

Elias' ears perked as the familiar nickname reached his ears. It didn't even take him a moment to figure out who it was, there was only one wolf who called him that: Morganna. With a grin and a spring in his limpy step, he galloped over to meet her. Much to his relief he didn't lose his footing, or tumble to the ground just as he had when he'd first met her. That would have been awfully embarrassing.

"Not this time."He beamed, his tail waving high behind him. Ducking his head down, he nudged his crown against her chin in an affectionate boop. He'd missed her, it was good to see yet another friendly face. "I'm staying in these parts with Nineva." He said, only to realise that Morganna probably didn't recognise that name.

Now that he'd started talking though, he found he couldn't really stop.

"Nin is having my litter...and so is @Ravenna, sort of." He wondered if she knew that already, they were siblings after all, weren't they? This was awkward. Elias snapped his mouth shut and actually thought about the next words that passed from his lips.

"So uh...my spring has been rather eventful so far-" Speaking of...it was blatantly obvious that Morganna had a litter growing inside of her as well, her belly all round, just like Nin's. "I see that you're pregnant as well....is that good? He honestly had no clue anymore, which was was up and what way was down?

The wind just happened to blow in a certain direction and the scent of carrion drifted to his nose. Elias' eyes widened at the scent as he instinctively licked at his lips. He was so hungry. The scent of food didn't hold dominion over his nose for long, sure enough another smell became apparent. This was one far less tempting, it was what he feared, really.

"Perhaps we ought to....take this conversational else where?" But where? He wasn't going to abandon Nin to gang of hungry coyotes, he'd rather take them all on his own, as idiotic as that was. "Nin is a little north of here it's... probably not wise to leave her alone."

Oh...congratulations." His words were a little clunky, awkward, but his smile managed to be endearing nonetheless.

And he meant it too, he couldn't imagine being with someone for so long without actually...making it official, he supposed. He idly wondered if that's how he and Nin would end up: together, but only sort of? It was a sad thought, sounded awfully lonely. Not that he could blame her, of course, there wasn't much about Elias that was special, let alone captivating but...Was it so bad he wanted to be wanted?

Now was hardly the time to stand around and chat though, not when they had such undesirable company. The duo moved away, slowly, granting the coyote's dominion over the carrion. He could have fought them for it, brought it back to Nin but...he didn't really want to tussle with them unless he really had to. He'd much rather enjoy the moment with a friend.

"She's...." Hundreds of adjectives danced on the tip of his tongue. She was so much to him, but putting it into words seemed hard, he feared he wouldn't do her any justice. That he'd paint her in a false, unworthy light. His nose twitched as he thought and the tip of his tongue poked out the corner of his mouth."She's strong, determined. I'm...in awe of her really."

Apparently that was his type, large and in charge ladies. Go figure.

Elias shook his head.

"Probably, but not here...She's never outright said anything but I think this place holds a lot of memories for her. Not all bad-she wants a fresh start, I think." He said slowly, as he rolled the words around in his mind.

Was he saying too much? He trusted Morganna, even if he did overshare he doubted anything would come of it. She had his back, always had from the very start. Elias hadn't forgotten her kindness, nor would he anytime soon. Archers- from his understanding- were good folk, looked out for others, and in a sense were what he aspired to be. A part of something great.

"She wants to leave soon, before she gets...too pregnant. Hopefully wherever we go there will be less coyotes."He sighed a little at that, it was good to hope but he had a feeling they wouldn't be so fortunate. "You said they're causing trouble for you as well, even though you're in a pack?

His brows drew together at that. Loners seemed to be a logical choice for the coyotes to pester, but a pack? That was practically unheard of.

Elias couldn't say he was awfully surprised. Morganna seemed to be the sort who was wise beyond her years, that she'd been through a lot and lived to tell the tale. If he had to take advice from anyone he'd be more than willing to hear what she had to say. That said, she had read him right, Elias had no intentions of telling Nin what to do. He might...make suggestions here and there but she was her own woman with her own ways. Elias was merely...along for the ride.

The fact that they were pestering pack wolves too was rather troubling. The sooner they got the show on the road the better, or so Elias thought.

"I'm sure if anyone can deal with them it's you. What's your pack like?" He asked as he limped along through the mud. The wolves had recieved their message loud and clear, that seemed to appease the coyotes. For now.

Still, Elias could only hope the coyotes wouldn't follow them, the journey to their new home would be difficult enough without having to constantly look over their shoulders. Elias grimaced at the thought.