I saw the streets of gold

She laughed softly at his joking words, nodding along while she regained her composure. It was relatively simple to treat if caught early enough, and considering back home had been fraught with the danger of winter, she had learned quite young how to properly deal with it. "Of course, you'll be safe in my paws if you do manage to fall into any water." She wouldn't let anything bad happen to him, or any of the others in the pack. That was her self-proclaimed role, though now that she was thinking about it she figured she should go to Viorel soon and bring up officially claiming the role as a healer, even though she was one all but in name at this point.

Clover squinted out at the open field. Yes, that was likely a problem they'd run into with their search. Any other ungulate hers nearby would probably have fled along with the reindeer, so perhaps it would be better to return home and search another day. But the day was young still... and she didn't want to go home just yet. "Well, maybe we can just explore then. Together?" She raised the question to him with an open expression. They could look for a herd on the side, but sometimes it was nice to just look and sniff around, with no real intent in mind.

what i really need now is a double shot of crown

He chuckled softly when she insisted that she wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him. He believed it. Once upon a time he had believed anyone who was not a Valle would bring them harm or death, but he trusted Clover to heal him right just as she had done many times before. She had earned that trust from him time and time again, from the pandemic in the pack to all of the other unfortunate things to not happen to him yet. He was quite frankly shocked she had not claimed the official role yet, if he were to be completely honest.

The suggestion came and his ears perked, hints of heat rising to his cheeks as he considered for a moment. “That would be… nice.” He admitted with a strange level of sincerity. “I used to come here a lot… back when we first got here… but I still feel like there’s so much of this land and others that I haven’t yet seen.” He offered with a soft smile on his features. “Let’s go!” The comment came like that of an eager pup ready to go past the borders for the first time in their life.

Her tail wagged behind her at his enthusiasm to her suggestion they go exploring. She took note of the sincerity in his voice as he spoke, the tone sounding foreign to her ears. But that just meant it was all the more special for her to hear. "I haven't been up this far north very often... maybe you can show me a few of your favourite spots?" Clover grinned at him then, emboldened by his soft smile that light up his features in a way she didn't get so see very often. Or ever, really. She should really try to get him to smile more often, it was a far better look than the frowns he liked to wear.

At his sudden excited remark she hopped back playfully, dipping her front end down in a partial bow, sticking her tongue out at him again. "Race me to the edge of the field?" She gave him a few moments to think about her offer, but didn't wait for any verbal confirmation before rising to her paws, twisting around and making a mad dash across the snow. Clover looked over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't going too fast so he could catch up, but she wasn't going to make it too easy for him.

what i really need now is a double shot of crown

While shocked, it made sense that Clover was not often able to travel towards the north. She had children to heal and a pack to rear… or maybe it was supposed to be in reverse? “There’s a small cave to the north of here towards the thicket. It’s warm, a natural spring inside of it that I like to go when it’s especially cold and I can manage time away from the Backwater.” Lately he had not been able to get away, either because of his paw or making up for all the time he had been sitting on his ass.

She dipped down and the question fell. He was opening his maw to respond when she took off. Huffing, he took off after her, chasing though with his size and still recovering his endurance and ability to run fast after being out of it for so long, she won. He huffed and puffed as he reached the edge of the field, taking a few seconds to catch his breath. “Maybe I’m getting too old for this.” He teased lightly because it certainly felt like it. “Is this how Vi feels chasing after all his kids?” He had to ask, because if so he had no idea how the man was still standing.

The small cave he spoke of intrigued her greatly, but first she had a race to beat him at. She'd ask him about it when she won. Her short legs carried her at a surprisingly fast speed, and she grinned sideways at Vayko as they ran across the open snowy field. She slid to a stop at the edge, spraying snow up as a happy giggle escaped her maw. That had been fun, as it wasn't often she got to let loose in such a way, what with all her responsibilities in the pack and keeping an eye on the kids.

"It sure feels that way some days," Clover said with a shake of her fur, stepping happily over to Vayko. "Don't feel bad, I was always the fastest of my siblings." A sly grin appeared on her face for a few moments as she stuck the tip of her tongue out at him again, feeling thoroughly energised by the quick sprint.

She looked into the forest over her shoulder, taking some time to catch her breath again as she thought about the cave he had mentioned. "Want to show me where this cave is?"

what i really need now is a double shot of crown

They both bolted and he had a massive grin on his features the entire time. It had been awhile since he had been able to simply let loose. He didn’t want to turn around and go back to the pack, truly… it was nice to feel free again, much like he’d felt in the Estuary before all of their lives had changed. Perhaps even if they had not been taken by the beasts and moved, he would have lost that sense of freedom that came with reaching his second year. He snorted softly at that statement, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“That does make me feel a little better.” He admitted before she was asking about the cave. He gave her a light nudge on the shoulder, a totally innocent friend thing to do surely… and then he was guiding her into the cave so they could explore it. “Don’t go telling everyone in the Backwater about this place. I want to avoid it being a hotspot.” It was his place to relax, and he was okay with her knowing too.

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