Archer Valle

He wasn't exactly looking for her. Or, well, he was, but only because she'd been acting so weird lately and with everything that happened with Sephrina and his da going crazy... he missed his best friend. Eros and Seri were back, sure, but Kat was special. And with his da's declarations against the Cove, it had to be hard for her. Archer wasn't sure she'd be allowed to go and visit her family and return home without repercussions.

So he was going to check on her.

Archer hadn't expected her to be so close to the borders, or to smell so... good. She smelled really good. He quickened his pace without thinking about it for a moment, and that was enough to give him pause. He had an idea about how this worked. He'd gotten the talk through Eros the previous year, babies and other weird stuff. He knew there were rules - and Da had never really explained those to his sons. It hadn't mattered last year.

Well, Archer was sure it would be fine. It wasn't like he was looking for her for that, anyway. He shook his worry off and followed her trail, letting out a soft bark to announce his presence.

Archer Valle

He knew she felt out of place here, now more than ever. His da didn't seem to think of her as a Cove wolf, didn't seem to pass blame for Sephrina's death onto her simply for her birth, but his da also didn't seem much of anything anymore. Just a shell. Eros had been right - everyone was leaving him, and now he was leaving the rest of them... just not in the way they'd all come to expect.

Archer didn't know what to do for him.

He was glad to see Kat hadn't just left for a little while and at first allowed a small smile to adorn his face until she told him to stop. He pulled up and cocked his head. "Why?" he asked, checking her over. He sniffed toward her again. She didn't smell sick, just... that sweet, intoxicating warmth. "You're not sick," he said, though it was almost a question.

Archer Valle

his stopping seemed to sooth Kat, but Archer just wanted to sit beside her and have her comfortable presence at his side. Resisting taking the next step was a task, especially with her scent, but he held himself in check. She seemed to think she was indeed ill... And perhaps that was part of why he adored her so much. She was always looking out for the rest of them instead of herself.

His head tilted again, the opposite direction this time. "I can't catch it. It's just that thing the girls get every year," he said, surprised she didn't know about it. Eros has figured it all out the first time he'd met Seri - one of the first things the older Valle boy had known before his brother. "Remember when your ma got all stinky last year, before she had your siblings? My ma did too, and Clover and Aunt Shar."

He couldn't remember what it was called, but at least he remembered what it was.

Archer Valle

It was with great relief that Kateri seemed to believe him. She rushed to him and as she stopped he closed the distance between them and butted his head against hers before gently kissing her crown.

"I'm glad you're here too," he said, voice suddenly thicker than he would have liked. "With everything that's happened... I'm just glad you're home. You help me feel like things are going to be okay." he wasn't just speaking with honeyed words; he meant it. She was his best friend.

Archer Valle

Her touch felt good. Right. Especially when she returned his sentiment and embraced him. Archer mirrored the gesture, hooking his chin over her neck and pulling her in tight. "I'm sorry, about all this with the Cove." He knew they weren't at fault for Sephrina... Even if he'd thought about fighting Chan when he'd brought her body. But it was unfair to Kateri that she might not get to go visit for a while.

He began grooming her, just enjoying her company and smell and hoping to offer further comfort in the small act of intimacy.