The run this time had been fleet and quick, Indru running as fast as his paws could carry him, eager to take her and show her home, some place she could stay and he could find her knowing she would be there at some point. It was a thrilling thought, one that rested much more comfortably on his shoulders than her being a lone wolf where she could disappear on the wind. He didn't speak as did not need too, just the feeling of her fur brushing against his own as they ran enough. Occasionally, unable to stop himself, he would turn his head, grinning, and quickly dart his tongue across her muzzle before turning away like nothing had happened, his heart singing.

They neared the Swift River Indru followed it's path through the Grove, the smell of the borders getting stronger as they approached, the strong smells of his family crossing through the trees littering the place.Home, he whispered to her, excited and pleased. Indru could never leave his family, especially not now when they needed him without Honijo and Rihael to guide them, but the thought that he could stay here and Feather stay with him was thrilling. His paws started to slow as they crossed the boundary, his movements a gentle jog as he led her along the stream, letting his paws splash in from the thrill of it. Their coats were still damp, the worst of the drips dried by the wind as they ran, but even this could not stop Indru's habit even as a pup of walking through the water. He paused in the centre of the pack's territory, the water on the right and the small clearing that surrounded it and now them and repeated his earlier sentiment, home.

She ran beside him, as she had a while before, but now she knew something she did not know before. Her strides matched his own long ones, Indru seeming to be ecstatic to show her his home. She was tired, but she kept up until they arrived. He said a word that buzzed in her head, a word that for months had been foreign to her. Home? What was home? She took in the expanse of land before her as they breached a clearing, and her eyes glittered with excitement. Not for the place, but for what this meant for them. Somehow it was a stepping stone. Somehow. In truth, she preferred the Cottonwood trees and that Creek, but she could not deny the beauty of this place.


You're home, She said aloud, being nothing short of honest. Wherever he went, she would follow. That had not been a lie. I love it, 'Dru, it's beautiful. That much was the truth. She loved it because he was there. It was beautiful because he lit up when he looked at it, was so infinitely proud of this. The earths beauty was there too, but everything paled in comparison to his reactions, to his expressions. She took a step away from him to get a better look around the clearing, and she nodded her approval before turning to face him. Home, She said softly, moving to murmur the words in his throat.

We're home, he corrected her gently, his smile irremovable and stuck there now he was at home, with her, and she was staying, they both were. His new nickname was not unnoticed and he twitched his ears at it but her compliments of his home were what make his smile widen and his tail to sway in happiness. She loved it and it made him love it even more, it had already begun to feel like home, but now the boy was certain it was. Her felt more than heard the word rumbled into his throat, and he dropped his head to rest it against hers, tilting to the side so he could rub his face against her gently. Yes.

His relief at her appreciation of his lands left him giddy, and he rushed forward a few steps his nose to the ground as he trailed the familiar scents along the floor which he adored. My family, you smell them? He grinned back at her, his tail a blur as it swayed side to side and Indru dropped to rest on his elbows, his rump lifted into the air. My siblings, you can met them. They'll love you. He spoke with utter confidence, as who couldn't adore this creature infront of him like he did?

His correction was met with a bashful grin and, although he could not see this it was still a significant result, the fluttering of her heart. She shifted in anxious excitement and inhaled the world around them, overwhelmed by the scent of not just him, not just home, but others here. She had almost forgotten anyone else even existed. As he moved to rub against her, she let out a growl that allowed him to know she was quite at ease before rubbing against him as if she were some sort of kitten. Her tail waved left and right though slowed in the slightest when he brought up a more serious topic.


I smell them, She said, inhaling the air again. Anxiety pressed onto her shoulders when he brought up meeting them, and she only relaxed slightly when he brought up that they would love her. Would they? You sure? She could only squeak that in response, and turned her head into the distance to look on at the horizon — undoubtedly the horizon his family rest within. I don't know, She said then, in reference to them liking her. She would of course meet them — for him more than herself, given how anxious she felt about it (what if they don't like me?). But she would meet them — she just hoped not at this time. Why? She selfishly wanted more time for herself and Indru. And to make this a point without words, she rubbed into his chest once again (a spot she thought made for her, for she fit there like a charm).

Her concern and lack of confidence in herself made Indru shake his head, smiling at her. Of course, he stressed, completely certain and self assured. How could anyone not love her after all? With their smells still lingering in his nose he watched as he pushed herself closer to him and he licked her nose and brushed his chin along her skull trying to project his confidence in her through touch alone. No one could not, Feather, trust me. Indru could sense her slight nervousness and he understood it, everything had happened so quickly after all — their meeting, their bond and now her arrival into his home, his family and his heart.

Now come on! Indru pulled away from her lightly, dropping his elbows to the floor, his rump in the air as his tail flashed behind him excitedly. With a bark he leapt towards her, as quick as a cat, and flicked his paw up to try and nudge her gently and encourage her to follow. Here, this is the main den. He showed her a hollow cave that's entrance was hidden behind the thick bushes and foliage of the Sacred Grove, the swift river following only meters from it and curling slowly around behind it before trailing off into the trees. It was the biggest den of his siblings, the best in other words, and it needed to be as it was here pups would be raised eventually, if the Leader was to have any. Indru had tactically used the word 'main' to substitute the word 'my', it seemed less awkward for him to introduce it as his own personal den after all, but his scent around it was clear enough if the size and position of it did not give it away as the Leader's den.

The girl felt all the better for the way he emphasized — as if to rhapsodize — that they would like her, and her dull eyes shimmered brightly with their own enthusiasm. He did. And then he went on to say that no one could not enjoy her company, or not like her, which brought her head to rise for a moment as her pride swelled for an instant, but as soon as the feeling settled her ears flattened and she grinned at his touch. How she adored it! How it brought her confidence soaring past the highest clouds, no matter their altitude! As he slid to the earth, Feather mimicked the action feeling all too playful. She cheekily dodged his paw, his touch!, but to make up for it the agouti wolf pushed herself in a giant lunge to his side.



Of course, where they were going wasn't all that far at all. This... the main den, she echoed, blinking as she took its magnificence in. It was quite large, quite broad — and fitting, for Indru. Her head swung in his direction and she blinked at him, and then she queried — as if she didn't know! — Is this where you sleep? She allowed him a moment to answer, but her curiosity got the better of her. He had said 'main' den after all! Do your siblings sleep in here as well? The question came out softer than she had intended, remembering her own days with her siblings.

The question caused Indru to grin rather sheepishly, embarrassed slightly by the answer he would give but not entirely sure why. Yes, I do. He attempted his best winning smile at her before turning his attention back to the den, he was proud of it and generally the location of the pack, he felt sheltered here amongst the grove and coupled with the fresh water source it was ideal. He was drawn from his thoughts by her next question and he turned his gaze back on her again. Ruiko did, he has his own now. Since they moved out of their parent's den the two brothers had shared one of their own, at first it had been strange to not have his brother there, but now Indru had gotten used to it and the faint smell of Ruiko still lingered. The pup's still share with me though. It made sense after all for them to be situated closer to the centre of the pack boundaries, though Indru suspected Borlla may move to share with her older sisters when she got older.

Indru was unable to resist scenting the air softly, the smells of his siblings comforting to him, but this time they were intermingled with Feather's. With a grin he turned to her, tail swaying behind him. It's time to make you smell like a 'River wolf now! He laughed as he approached her with a predatory prowl, gazing at her before pouncing forward, hoping to skate down her side rubbing his smell along her as he did so. It was important for a wolf to smell like their pack — it kept them safer if they were approached by loners knowing that they had the defence of a pack.

Hm, she said, her green eyes already devouring the place up. It was brilliant, extravagant... something she somehow already could have expected without truly knowing Indru. He seemed a humble wolf, but at the same token he knew who he was. It was something Feather — who was still a stranger to herself — admired. She shifted slightly and said thoughtfully, I ought to find my own den, then. Wouldn't want to ruin your siblings and your cuddle-sessions, She quipped, though it was somewhat serious. She didn't want to invade on his familial life too much, and she supposed they needed to draw some sort of line. But as he moved to drag himself against her, she forgot the very definition of the word 'line' and growled affectionately, a feminine rumble coming from her throat while she moved to avoid him.



Such a task proved to be impossible. His first move was all too successful, and she pushed against his own side in kind while nipping him. Then she reeled backwards, forgetting that she was quite literally cornered at his humble abode. As her rump pressed against the den, her eyes sought an escape-zone that would allow her to push past him and escape his flirtatious clutches, although in truth she loved being in them. She flashed him her own smile — which she hoped was pretty rather than impish — to distract him while her eyes skirted around his sides.

A laugh broke his grin and split his muzzle as Feather's teasing and he turned his head to try and head butt her shoulder gently. Awh, the pups.. they are too young, they miss our parents. It was traditional — and logical — for the pups to share a den with their Leader as typically the wolf who lead the pack also was their parent in most normal circumstances. Indru knew that the oldest siblings — him, Ruiko and Niija — had the main role of raising them, and it had gone beyond just sibling care now as they were their sole carers, not just a brother or sister.

After the small silence that hung Indru remembered that he had not told Feather about his parent's yet. She perhaps did not notice the faint burnt wood smell that had clung to his fur when they first met seeing as it was quickly covered with flowers but it was not uncommon knowledge to know the result of the fire. A fire.. it, well, it destroyed my old home, my old pack.. Hidden Tree. Eye's were now on his paws though his tone showed his sorrow as he memory of the fire quickly flashed through his mind and the feelings he felt when he and Ruiko found their parent's bodies. It took my parent's too.

Feather held nothing against him for staying with the pups, given that eventually he would have to teach them regardless as he was the leader. Of course, Feather didn't know he was the leader due to the death of his parents... but even then, that would change little. The parents must have left somewhere, perhaps to start their own pack (or perhaps their children left with Indru when he started his). It's alright, she said fondly, One day I'll — She stopped before she could finish, but the tone could certainly lead him to realize the end, even though it was but a quip.


Then he went on to speak of a fire. Curious, Feather shifted her weight and observed him worriedly, hearing his own tone. It made her anxious. It was not so much his home she was worried about when he spoke, because she knew. She knew there was something bigger. A fire could destroy a home, and only a small ache of nostalgia would be felt. But there was more woods, more waters, more land to be had. And his voice, it led her to believe that it might have taken something more. My parents. Her face fell and she instantaneously was at his front, pushing her muzzle into her chest and coddling into him. The incunabulum of this had begun when he spoke earlier on to her of... losing something. Her mind ached as she tried to remember, but she could only think of now and Indru, Indru. I'm so sorry, Indru. I can't... I can't even imagine... There were no words for this. That pain he must be feeling. So she pushed into him even more, as if it would distract him. As if feeling her might change things, might... change his mind. She didn't know.