Cold Water Creek I stretched my hands out to the sky

early afternoon 8/12. Adventurous puppy has a lot of hubris... @Kyrios

Enera knew she was gonna be in biiiiiiig trouble if anybody found out she came this far, but she was bored and she wanted to see something new. She wanted to be out before her friends; she didn't know why that was important to her, but for some reason it was. It must have been the boredom talking.

Sneaking out was easier than she expected it to be. @Rhaegara was used to Enera wandering about playing, and she hadn't run into anyone else as she sneaked toward the place everyone's smell was the strongest. Beyond that... the unknown. It was as though there was some invisible line holding her in, warning her back. For a moment, she nearly turned around, went back to the safety of Mama and her friends and the familiar.

But she'd come this far, hadn't she? If any of the grown ups discovered she'd even come close to the Other, she wouldn't be able to again. Mama would keep a close eye on her. She wanted to see it at least once before she got in trouble. She hoped it would be worth it.

Where his confidence faltered, his curiousity took over. If he'd known what a cat was maybe he would have compared himself to one; careful, watching, thoughtful until the moment seemed right. But he was also still a child and there was a heavy dose of ignorance in there. Not realizing what you'd done until after you'd done it, or worse, when an adult caught you and had to correct you. Aweho didn't always mind being corrected though. It kept him from messing up again. All those thoughts locked up nice and tight.

Aweho never strayed far from the dens and the overwhelming scent of home. Sometimes he pushed a tiny bit past where he ought to, especially if there was a good thing to collect. Today, though, his nose had accidentally dragged him out and out and out because he thought he smelled Enera. And he was still learning to use his nose well, so he sort of spaced out on the trail. By then it was too late.

"Nera?" He looked up because the scent of her was big now and there she was. And where...were they? "....Really far."

Enera was looking around her with wide eyes as she looked around. It wasn't too different from home, except the trees were thicker and the ground was... Flatter. She could hear water rushing not far off and decided that would be her destination. She wondered how much there would be.

But then she smelled something familiar, and as she turned around with a sinking heart she heard Aweho call out to her. Her ears flicked back in dismay. How long had he been following her? They'd played with rocks that morning but she'd thought she was alone. "Way?" she asked, going back to him. He seemed really scared, with his faint question. "Why'd you follow me? Mama gonna be mad."

She was just beginning to understand the difference between them and her, but she still thought of all her age mates as family. Marrah and Aweho were her best friends, and she though Caelyn could be too if he played with her more.

She looked around her. "Yeah, really far. Not home." she'd been prepared for this, known where she was going, and she was mostly confident she could find her way back. Aweho, however, seemed confused. Had he not been paying attention? How could he get all the way out here without noticing? Worry gnawed at her. As much as she was secretly relieved to have him here, she didn't want him to get in trouble too.

Not to mention the last time she got him in trouble the Scary Lady tried to take her away.

He’d originally planned to head back south down the other side of the mountains, exploring the lands where he’d first cultivated his adventurousness; Leaving home way too early, to track down his foster sister. Not even a yearling, many might say he’d been much too young for such a journey, and in some respects, the Captain agreed, but looking back, he wouldn’t have changed his actions, even if he never succeeded in finding Bennet.   Still, when he had reached the spot where the western edge of Turtleback Lake tapered off, to form the outrunner that would eventually become Windsong Fjord, something had kept him from making the turn. Despite what he would generally consider pleasant childhood memories, he seemed to hold some aversion towards crossing to the other side of Serpents Pass. At first, he hadn’t thought much of it, simply walking on, figuring he’d visit the former lands of Driftwood Surge and then cross the mountains from there. But again, once he got to the turning, something drew him back down into the Vale.   Like any seasoned pirate, Kyrios knew to trust his gut and didn’t test the waters further, returning to his route along the creek, winding its way south. It had been about a day since, with no significant happenings to satisfy his thirst for adventure. That’s when he heard the low voices, barely audible over the bubbling of the brook, but enough to catch the rogue’s attention, ears twisting in their direction as he paused mid-step; They sound young… His curiosity thoroughly peaked, Kyrios stepped away from the creek, moving slowly to avoid startling the pups as he pushed through the undergrowth.   And there they were, one pale, the other dark, clearly from this spring and far too young to be out on their own. Glancing around and sniffing the air to confirm that the kids were indeed alone, the pale man kept his voice soft and slow; “Well, hello there.” Thoughts "Speech"

Betty Wiley

Enera's flattened ears made him feel worse. But he discovered quickly enough that it was aimed at him. She didn't seem worried. But she was upset at him. Which didn't help. Aweho was worried about her! She should also be worried about him because they were both out here, too far!

"I-I smelled you! Too far! Shouldn' be out here." Maybe if he'd been bigger this would have been a fun experience. There was a lot to explore; smells, sights, stuffs! But he was small and she was small and this was bad! He stood up a little taller, though still felt smaller than her. Certainly not confident. A shrinking violet of a boy. "Not home at all. Lets go back." He couldn't be less demanding if he tried.

And then it got infinitely worse. Like, in his short little life, Aweho had not experienced as much fear as when this unfamiliar everything wolf approached them and spoke to them. He lowered to his belly, ears flat against his skull as he licked at his lips. "Go...go away." He said, quietly.

Enera immediately regretted the harsh tone to her words; Way seemed upset by it, and she didn't want to upset him. He'd already followed her out here, and was clearly. Much more than she was, and she wasn't about to admit she was nervous in any capacity. She'd chosen to sneak out, after all, and she was the one who was prepared to get in trouble for it.

Aweho was just... being Aweho. Why did her friends seem to want to follow what she did? Now she had to go back, and try to sneak out another time. She sighed.

"It's okay, we'll go home," she murmured, licking the back of his ear to settle him even as the stranger appeared and she stiffened. Aweho's response was very different; he was crouching, and his tiny voice demanded - maybe pled? - that the stranger go away.

Enera was definitely scared now, but she'd met a stranger before and it had turned out okay. @Riven and @Woya and that unknown pack member had come, but she had been ready to run the interloper out of the territory on her own. The instinct to protect Aweho outweighed her fear. She stepped protectively in front of him, fur fluffing up. "Who're you?" she demanded, proud that her voice was steadier than her heart, which was racing. But she needed to be big and brave, because Aweho was scared and nobody got to scare her sibling-friends.

They were definitely too young! Sticking close together, appearing much too small for the world around them, the darker boy cowered at Kyrios’ sudden appearance. The girl, meanwhile, boldly stood over her comrade, challenging the stranger like the size difference didn’t exist; Brave lass!   Trying his best not to scare the pups any further, Kyrios smiled softly, lowering himself slowly to the ground to be on their eye level. Breathing slowly, he studied their scent, noting the marks of many different adults, though still, he could smell anyone nearby. The hint of a frown creased his brow, golden eyes sweeping the clearing, looking for any signs of danger; Why are they out here? He didn’t like it one bit, and despite the boy’s anxious plea, he wasn’t about to leave them alone.   Talking slowly and keeping his voice low, The Captain made every attempt to appear friendly as he addressed the kids; “S’ry lil’ ones, A’ did nay mean t’ scare ye. A’m Kyrios.” Golden eyes focused on the girl as he answered her question, not wanting to make the boy feel any more threatened if he could help it. ”Are ye out ‘ere all ‘lone? Are ye lost?” Even if their parents were right around the corner, Kyrios wouldn’t feel right about leaving them until he was sure they were safe in someone else’s care. Thoughts "Speech"

Betty Wiley

He felt like a cornered rabbit. The fur around his neck rising like porcupine needles. He had room to back up and escape, but his nose twitched and wrinkled in a puppy fear. But Enera was his protector and the lick by the back of his head relaxed his jowls. But not his hackles or the racing in his brain. But he wouldn't try to chomp the big male as he lowered himself to their level and spoke in a way that his ears couldn't keep up with. Not really. The features of the male softened.

But Aweho didn't know if it was a trick and now he was closer to them. He could just reach forward and bite their whole heads off!

"We're not alone!" He insisted, unnecessarily yelling. The lie felt hot in his throat. He didn't like it. But if they pretended there was a whole army of familiar grown ups near by, maybe he would run away, just as scared as he was.

The strange man came closer, and Enera tried to puff her fur up even more. The man lowered himself, which did help Enera feel a little better - even if it didn't seem to sooth Aweho. At least this way the stranger would move slower if they decided to run, or if he attacked. Her mind raced; if they could make it back to the territory, the other adults could handle it. They'd handled the other stranger really well.

But no, she couldn't do that - then she'd have to admit she'd left the territory! And worse, she'd brought - however accidentally - Aweho with her. She would be in big trouble then.

So they had to deal with this now.

The man introduced himself as Kyrios, though most of his words were difficult for Enera to grasp. He seemed friendly enough regardless; his body language indicated non-aggression. Enera relaxed, but she didn't fully give up her defensive position. Her ears flicked back as Aweho shouted, but she didn't take her eyes off Kyrios. "'m not lost," she said, still eyeing him suspiciously. Why did he want to know if they were alone? She wasn't about to contradict Aweho.

The pups’ obvious fear only strengthened Kyrios’ resolve to look after them, although, clearly, they weren’t at all interested in that prospect. Despite his attempt at appearing friendly, the boy remained flush to the ground, his trembling shout making the Captain’s ears flatten back protectively; the shrill ring of obvious lie would have been comical, if it hadn’t been for the utter terror on the pups face. His sister maintained her defensive stance, bravely countering Kyrios’ question while maintaining eye contact.   Her gumption made him smile wryly, flipping his ears back forward while he maintained his low position, staying eye to eye with the girl. “Well tha’s good,” he answered pleasantly, keeping his attention on the lass in an attempt not to further frighten the boy; “Would ye mind showin’ me where ye live? A’d like t’ introduce meself rightly.” It wasn’t a lie either, if there was a new pack around here, he would like to learn more about it – Maybe they know something about where everyone went – and of course, at the same time, he’d make sure the little ones made it home safely. Thoughts "Speech"

Betty Wiley