Secret Falls and so the story goes.

For @Lance -- backdated to 9/1 after the exchange.

Some teeny, tiny part of him was quite smug about all of this – obtaining a puppy for this year. Sure, it was kinda sad for the kid, but he’d be fine. He’d told them, the others, that all would turn out. And here it was. Turned out.

That he had known this likely had a lot to do with how agreeable he was towards Kyna’s offer…and, well. Reyes had always liked the idea of someone ‘owing’ him one, especially another alpha. That she was taking her pack on an extended travel was her own business, but when she was pack, he’d still have her favor tucked away in his back paw.

He glanced over at Lance, keeping tabs on the boy as they made their way back to Shallow’s Edge. A chance, just a random chance – but Reyes was ever glad he’d taken that walkabout the day before.

“Holdin’ up, kid? We’re just about there.”

To be fair, he wasn't entirely sure that he had made the right decision. The decision to either go with them or stay behind but he was certain that if he had realized that choosing to stay behind meant no staying in aurora heights he might have gone with them or argued for them to stay. That crucial detail hadn't been at the forefront of his mind (and likely having slipped past him as it surely would've been mentioned that they were leaving entirely) and thus moving away from his home was rough.

He was able to keep up with the strange man's walking just enough to be able to breath even but it wasn't as effortless a journey as it would have been with his siblings or parents. Reyes was strange but he was trusted, so Lance had to put on a brave face. I s'pose, he answered quietly as he walked at an even pace behind the chocolate male, uncertain of how he should behave other than admirably. He missed his family already so how was he supposed to continue going on? How was he going to function without them? This new place - this edge - didn't have his memories in them, nor his history, and it was scary moving into a new household with nothing but a name.

Reyes glanced back at the sound of voice, double-checking that the kid, was in fact, still back there. And he was.

The deal he’d made with the Arygris Queen wouldn’t mean much if he lost one of her kids before even getting back to his own pack. Sheesh. Thankfully, the borders weren’t much further, and once arrived, Reyes slowed to a halt. Sat down, and waited for the kid to do the same.

“Well, here it is. Get used to the scent, I guess, ‘cos these are the borders. We don’t have any other pups, but Sachiel’s only a year. A good kid though.” He hummed thoughtfully. “Our neighbors up north had plenty of pups this year, too. ‘ll probably visit them later in the year. Any questions so far?”

@Lance -- I am the worst, sorry 5ever...

(This post was last modified: Oct 14, 2018, 09:22 PM by Reyes.)

So far, the scenery around them was vastly different. There was no mouintain and no open air, yet he felt as though he could breathe a little easier here. He wasn't strained and he felt more grounded than he had before. Lance had not reason to think anything of the geographical changes but he certainly wasn't going to complain about it either. The reds and yellows down here were vibrant and they were easy to distract himself with. Forcing him into a quiet stroll as he neared where Reyes had stopped, eventually stopping himself before nervously looked up to the dark male. Um, he murmured quietly as he tried to think of things to ask so that he didn't seem as incompetent as he felt. Without mom and dad, without his siblings, he felt empty - but he had made his choice. Do I... a long pause as he shuffled his right paw at the ground beneath them, where do I sleep? Where would he be sleeping? In the Heights he slept with mom and pops but here, there was no mom or pops - just him and supposedly Reyes, plus more unknown figures.  

You smell the remains of an elk nearby. Enjoy your feast! +10 Health

“Pack den. We all sleep there, usually. Folk are welcome to pick out their own spaces too, if they need alone time.” Reyes shrugged. As far as he figured, everyone needed some time to themselves now and again. Sometimes a walk would do, but somethings a wolf needed to curl up in a den hidden beneath a tree and have a solid sulk. Didn’t matter if they were grown or still pups. If Lance wanted to carve out his own space in the Edge, that was just fine, too.

With a nod, he began to move again, expecting Lance to follow as he made his way to the communal den. Showed the lad the way, though no one was napping right now. They’d come and go as did the day. He hummed, and then noticed the scent of something on the air. A wolfish grin appeared.

“Smells like someone just dropped something in the pack cache. C’mon, you oughta see where that is, too. You need something to eat after all that travel, kid?”

@Lance

The boy's own doubts were certainly playing tricks on him. For in the few seconds it took for Askan to answer him he was certain that they would force him to sleep outside of the den like an outsider. As though he wasn't actually wanted. That small bit of doubt was enough to force Lance's brain into what felt like a very deep frenzy before being pulled out when told that he would sleep with everyone in the pack den. With everyone is good, he answers in a hushed tone for he certainly did not wish to be by himself. He already felt alone as it was and Reyes was right here.

With a hard swallow, Lance lifted his nose up to the air to try and catch the scent that his superior seemed to hold onto. Senses weren't as developed as an adults but he could still smell something pretty delicious. Yeah.. he murmured, a smile growing on his face, I-I could eat. In fact, he was salivating just thinking about potentially eating something. Perhaps it was the stress of his parents going somewhere without him (his choice, of course) or the stress of the journey but he was starved!

“Good.”

The kid had grown quieter and quieter as they travelled – regrets, maybe, but there wasn’t a whole lot Reyes could do for that. He’d made a deal with Kyna, but didn’t really know the place the fire queen and the rest of her brood was travelling to. He didn’t have his own spawn to offer to Lance as a playmate, either. Sachiel was the closest in age, but yearlings grew fast – and he wasn’t exactly sure how the budding medic felt about taking a pup under his paw after Hawthorne’s surprising departure.

Right. Feeding the kid.

The main cache wasn’t that far from the main den – security reasons, harder for a stranger to steal from – and it only took a few minutes to lead Lance there. The older wolf took another moment to uncover the remains of an elk and, with a wolfish grin, dragged it up for Lance to have his fill. “For now, you ain’t expected to contribute. Eat your fill, listen to the others. Get a feel for everyone and the pack boundaries. When you’re a little older, bigger, we’ll teach you how to hunt with the rest of us.”

A pup’s main task was to survive, after all. He’d learn simply through existing.

@Lance

While he didn't know that being silent could be considered a bad thing, it seemed he had stumbled into a gutter in his mind. A place where he thought of his family and found that missing them hurt, knowing that they were somewhere altogether while he was hanging out with, well, this guy. He was nice, of course, but nothing could ever be mom or dad. He would make due though. So as he stood there as the dark male pulled forth a large animal from the cache Lance stared at it momentarily, eyeing it as though he had never eaten such a feast. In his defense, he hadn't but he didn't want to let the older guy know that. So the boy stepped forward with a nod, attempting a smile that formed rather weakly, before taking a bit of the elk. It was a little tough at the pull but he managed to rip it off with a quick tug. Chewing it sloppily before gulping it down. S'good, he states politely, hoping that he was expressing gratitude while sheepishly believing that he was doing everything right so that he wouldn't be swept out of this home either. Even if it was somewhat awkward he embraced it, finished his meal and continue following Reyes wherever he was expected to follow. EXIT.

(This post was last modified: Dec 14, 2018, 09:10 PM by Lance.)