She couldn’t stay in the den forever, however much she might want to. The others needed her support, keeping their group safe and fed, rather than just draining their stores; Now more than ever…! Still, she wasn’t quite ready for the socialization of a group hunt – though it might be a good idea to get everyone together one of these days and head into the lowlands for some bigger prey. But for now, she preferred to hunt on her own, simply focusing on the action, getting lost in her instincts.

Earlier this morning they had let her to a burrow of lemmings. Of course, the adults had fled before she was able to catch any, but luck seemed to be with her none the less. Digging up the tunnels, she’d found three half-grown pups, too young to run. They were small, but enough to make a decent meal for an adult – or a pair of growing pups. So, making her way along the lake shore, Flair sniffed for the trail of Finley and the kids, intending to drop off her catch before going in search for something else to still her own hunger.

She’d simply intended to leave the lemmings where Finley could find them, not wanting to intrude on the family. But fate clearly had other ideas, as a ghost suddenly appeared out of the bushes. Just like the pup, Flair froze in place, staring back with wide, slightly panicked eyes.

There was no doubt in her mind that this was on of the boys, who else could it be; But is it HIM? She had no way of knowing. This could be Finley’s birth son – Ryder – or it could be Chan’s foundling. With no idea how to tell them apart, she refused to speculate, in an effort to keep herself together as much as for the sake of the kid.

Moving very slowly, she lowered her prey to the ground, placing it gently at her feet. Then, looking over at the pup without raising her head, she smiled softly. Keeping still and low, she spoke gently, afraid he’d startle at the smallest thing; “Hi there. I-I brought you some food…” She didn’t know what else to say, still afraid to move, in case she scared him off.

For a heartbeat she was frozen in place as tie seemed to stand still. Then he boy seemed to relax a little, prompting Flair to release her own sigh of breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. The pup moved closer, and she took a small step back to let him investigate the gift.

Her head now lifted back up, she studied the little one from above, noting his almost pristine fur, making him stand out starkly against the golden-brown landscape. He suddenly seemed so fragile under her amber gaze, so small in a world that was way too big.

When he spoke, his tiny voice only confirmed those thoughts, and yet, he sounded bright and cheerful, undaunted by the new thing before him. Flair couldn’t help but smile, watching as he examined the lemmings. After a while, feeling a great deal calmer herself, she spoke again: “My name’s Flair. I’m uh… a friend of y’ mom’s.” That seemed true enough, definitely the least complicated way she could introduce herself; “What’s yer name?” She struggled to keep her voice from trembling, asking the question, but she couldn’t keep it back any longer.

He took her at her word; Why wouldn’t he? His simple greeting enough to make her smile widen, her tail starting to sway softly in turn. There was a calming effect to his forthright nature, too simple and earnest to leave much room for nerves; or grief.

Single, scruffy, red ear perked up as he spoke again, the careful precision to the syllables warming her heart. And the name made it skip a beat, her eyes widening and lips parting in a silent gasp; It really is him…! It was like part of her had known all along, and yet the confirmation shook her to the point that she had to close her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady herself.

She kept her eyes closed as he spoke her name, or as close as he could get. For a moment, she felt a sting behind her eyelids, but she swallowed back the tears, not wanting to confuse the boy. Opening her eyes back up, her gaze was steady, soft smile slipping back on her features as she answered gently: “That’s right. It’s very nice to meet you Caspian.” Then, turning her attention to the dead lemmings, she asked: “D’ you want me t’ help you with those?”

She had to get a hold of herself, or the poor kid was gonna think she was crazy. Whatever feelings he might stir up in her was none of his fault, nor a burden to be put on his young shoulders. Luckily, he seemed mostly unbothered, happy to take her cue and return his full attention to the rodents. Fresh prey was always exciting to pups, especially when they were first starting out. Maybe soon she could bring him a live lemming to try out his hunting skills; Though I should probably talk to Finley about that first…

Caspian’s soft voice drew her from her thoughts, his question surprising her. “Oh uhm… Sure,” she blurted, quickly turning her eyes from the pup to the lemmings to hide her fluster. The plan had been to give all three of them to the little family, but it felt wrong to reject the boy’s offer. So, after a short pause, she lifted one paw to point at the leftmost of the bunch; “How about we share this’un, and then y’ can take th’ others back t’ y’ ma an’ brother?” That way they would still get most of the meat, and Caspian got to proudly bring home the prey; I’m sure he’d enjoy that…!