Paradise Falls even if you miss

@Caiaphas ^^

Riven was tired. It wasn't a normal kind of tired, either, and for a while he thought he might be getting sick. His back had been hurting more often than usual, and he felt like his limbs were dragging, but he didn't know why. There was nothing wrong, necessarily. Nothing that directly affected Riven in any real way.

Finley had passed, he'd failed to make any sort of difference there, and Adelard seemed morose after losing the Lyall boy during that attack. Hazelnut had gone missing. These were all things that affected others far more than Riven.

So why did he feel like he did now?

He decided to take a break from his mundane routine, hoping that a change in pace might help him out of this funk. After all, he'd no reason to be in one in the first place. He had no idea how he thought sulking by the river would help any more than sulking near his den, but hey. Maybe a change of scenery would do something positive.

Caiaphas did not shed his baby fat. In fact, he seemed to only stack on the weight as he grew older. His paws large in a way that gleamed his future size. His eyes shined somewhere between fiery sunsets and summer peaches. His ginger fur had come in nicely, even if he despised it.

He had come to the river to do nothing other than splash alongside it. Maybe see if he could find some scales or a shiny stone to give to @Constantin when he returned.

Only to see a blonde, older man already there. All scarred up and looking worse for wear than anyone else Caiaphas had seen in his short life. He blinked before he unceremoniously asked — What gotcha?

Riven's single ear perked up in surprise at the sudden question and he turned his attention to the asker. A large boy, more red than any wolf Riven had ever met. One of Isla's - and Adelard's? - boys, he assumed, though they hadn't met officially. It took him a second to register just what was being asked, and he felt a small, half smile stretch his maw.

Pups had no brain-to-mouth filter. No worry about hurting anyone's feelings. Just simple and straightforward.

"Monsters," he said, ignoring that strange whirlpool of negativity he'd been spiraling down. "A very long time ago." It was hard to remember the exact sequence of events that led to him getting these scars, he'd been so out of it for the recovery. Just teeth and claws and running. It didn't bother him as much as it used to, nor did the scars marring his body.

Monsters were no new concept to a Valle child.

Of course, he was used to them in stories and tales. Never before had he seen the physical remnants of one. Unfortunately for the medic, curiosity had been sparked in the youth. The kind that queued up a million more questions.

What kind? How big wassit?

He stood there, deathly still and bright gaze fixed firmly on the man. Caiaphas expected answers. The idea that his questions might had been too intrusive or blunted had not occurred to him. Especially when neither mother or Tin were here to clip an ear for his behavior.

Fortunately for the pup, Riven didn't mind such straightforward questioning. It didn't bother him in the slightest, not in the way it would have, if it were someone his age demanding answers like this.

"The kind with sharp teeth, like us," he said, tail swishing. "They weren't too much bigger than me, but there were more than just one."

He settled into a seated position, tilting his head to the side. "Why do you want to know?" he asked, deciding to be straightforward in return. He doubted the boy had much experience with danger just yet, so these would only be concepts to him, rather than something concrete.