Unlike the adults, Leo had yet to realize the seriousness of the situation – this was his first spring after all, and while he had heard a few concerned comments here and there, among the adults, he figured the water was simply slightly lower than normal. The young wolf had plenty of other troubles to occupy his mind though. In the last month, the normally reserved boy had become even more reclusive, taken to long walks throughout the pass, to be alone with his thoughts.

He was doing the same today, mulling over the changes that had happened in the last half year and the ones that were to come. The Vuesain pup was conflicted. Soon, he would no longer be a pup, he’d be an older brother in truth. But he wasn’t so sure he looked forwards to that, or more accurately, he feared he wouldn’t be able to handle it. In his first year, he hadn’t done such a great job at looking after his siblings: First Kateri had gotten lost, and Lynx continued to act up no matter how much he tried to keep him in line. And then Stella had left; just like mom…

And yes, then there was that. Another thing he couldn’t figure out how to feel about. Now he liked Oksana, she was nice, she made his dad happy, those were good things. But she wasn’t mom! Whatever that means…! The truth was, Leo barely remembered his mom. She was more of an idea in his head than an actual wolf – she was softness and warmth and safety, and a voice that, despite its rough lilt, would forever be uniquely soothing to the boy. But that was all.

The haunting screech of an owl drew Leo out of his contemplation and when it was followed by a familiar voice, the boy didn’t hesitate but rushed through the trees, catching sight of Oksana just as the owl swooped down on her again. Hackles rising, Leo barked as threateningly as he could, running to the dark woman’s side. “Hey, leave miss. Sana alone!” He called, snapping his jaws in the air behind the raptors tail, hoping he came off as terrifying as he was trying to.

Thoughts ”Speech”

As the bird swept back up into the trees, he glanced sideways, seeing Oksana take her own defensive stance, eyes directed at the treetops. It was the sound of another swooping attack that drew his attention back upwards, ears flattening back and head ducking to avoid the monstrous claws.

Unlike the dark woman, Leo hadn’t spotted the reason for the owl’s assault, and so had no sympathy for it as he spun around and jumped out, trying to snatch its tail feathers; Too slow…! But it seemed bend on hurting the wolves below, allowing only a short breath between each pass.

Oksana’s words made him glance sideways, ears perking up at the sentiment. But it lasted only briefly, before they had to duck again, to avoid getting clawed. “Doesn’t seem to have helped much,” the boy mused, half to himself as he pushed back to his feet, eyes fixed on the trees; “Whatver’s his problem, he’s not letting up!” And as if on que, the owl swooped again, once more passing over head before Leo’s teeth could snap around anything more than air.

Thoughts ”Speech”

The barrage was relentless, even with both of them doing their best to deter the attacker. The owl seemed hellbent on getting its claws into the wolves, apparently not caring at all about the risk to itself. Leo growled as it swooped over his head yet again, brows knit tight in confusion, what could Oksana have possibly done to upset the creature this much?

He glanced sideways at the dark woman, worry washing over him as she made another attempt at the owl; Should she even be doing this? It had to be wearing her out, and all the jumping probably wasn’t good for her either. Feeling again that urgent need to defend and protect her, the boy jumped again, earlier this time. Claws brushed his fur as his teeth brushed feathers, neither fully connecting but making it perfectly obvious that he would not be able to catch the beast without getting injured in the process.

Oksana spoke again, suggesting retreat, and it did seem the safer option, especially if she was right about the nest. Leo hadn’t even considered that, eyes widening in surprise and then narrowing as he tried to spot anything up in the trees. But all he saw was the owl coming down for another swoop. He ducked, letting it pass before answering his stepmother: “Y-yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” He swallowed, turning his head to prepare for the next attack, then said: “You run, after he passes next, and I’ll follow you!” That way, he figured, he’d be between her and the owl and able to shield her, should it choose to pursue.

Thoughts ”Speech”

Of course he couldn’t go anywhere until he was sure Oksana was safe – he had to protect her, just like his Da would. It was still a strange thought, that his father had a new wife, that he was about to become a big brother, for real! Honestly, he wasn’t sure how to feel about the whole thing, whether to be happy for Aleister, or angry, or sad that his own mother had never come home; Feelings are confusing…!

What he did know was that his father would want him to look out for Oksana whenever he wasn’t around, and so it had been an easy decision to rush to her aid, and just as easy to let her run while he stayed behind. The owl swooped and both wolves ducked, Leo’s eyes fixed on his stepmother, seeing to make sure she got away. A brief smile crossed his lips at her parting words, and he nodded grimly, growing serious again as he turned to face the owl above.

Teeth baring, the youth growled and barked, challenging the bird to draw its attention away from Oksana. It worked, perhaps a little too well, as the owl let out a screech and dove for him, claws passing bare hairsbreadths above his skin and grabbing hold of large tufts of fur instead. Leo grimaced, a yelp escaping him as the fur was yanked off. He didn’t pause to study the damage, didn’t even glance over his shoulder as he rushed to follow Oksana, running as fast as he could, praying the owl wasn’t chasing after.

Thoughts ”Speech”

Almost a year old, Leo was no pup anymore! He was old enough to take responsibility, to challenge a stupid owl that was attacking a pack member – especially when that pack member was his father’s new mate, and expecting puppies no less. But he was also sensible enough to know when to run, and as soon as he knew Oksana was out of harms way, he had no problem turning tail.

The now half-naked spot on his back burned as he rushed through the trees, but it was only a scratch, he’d gotten off easy for tangling with a protective mother owl. Daring a glance over his shoulder, as he cleared the last trees, he seemed to have gotten away cleanly too, the bird sticking close to its nest to watch for other intruders.

He spotted Oksana as soon as his head whipped back around, standing just a few leaps from the tree line. In fact, he almost rammed right into her, digging his claws into the gravel at the last second, to come to a screeching halt right in front of her, gasping openly. Eyes running all over her, he managed to stammer between mouthfuls of air: “A… are you… Okay?” He had to make totally sure before he could feel truly relieved. Even if she wasn’t physically hurt, maybe the stress had somehow hurt the babies; That’s a thing, right? If that was true, he could never forgive himself.

Thoughts ”Speech”