Lost Lake Keeping with tradition

RE: You keep hearing loud snaps and cracks, and when you look up you see that showers of color are exploding and disappearing from the sky in the far distance. For @Chan only please :)

The harsh winter was sitting poorly with Nash. Last winter had been heavy too, anticipatory of a wet summer, and look where that had left them. What if this summer was the same? The Chasm had already dissolved, partially due to the drought... how would the Backwater fare if they too lost water once more? The leader knew Viorel wouldn't venture up the mountain, even if they invited him to stay for the dry season... what of the others? Would Oksana be okay welcoming more into their territory to share their precious resource?

And then there were the children. They were prone to wandering, and several were still missing. He didn't like it. He worried that with the thaw would come gangly bodies, not fully grown but hidden beneath the snow for months. He couldn't bear to see his son, frozen and cold. He hoped none of them were.

Nash found a lookout over the valley not far from the lake and looked over the pass, hoping to see some sign of movement. He knew the distance was too great, but it was some sort of hope. As he settled a boom hit his ears, followed by a series of fizzing cracks. It sounded distant, but Nash looked up in alarm, looking for sign of danger. Was there an avalanche?

Chan heard the sounds and looked to his right, out over the Western expanse of Relic Lore. In the distant, sparks of colored light came to life and then died away in seconds. A year ago, he would have simply enjoyed the show. Tonight, after this past Summer, he just thought it... pointless. Maybe even a little pitiful. He watched them a moment, then continued on.

He'd been following after Nash's tracks, having come across them during his own routine search of the valley's rim. It wasn't too long after when he found him, a dark smudge upon the snowy landscape. With a few barks he said hello while still making his way to his brother, not yet close enough to converse. The snow up here was thick and hindered movement, and it took time to make it to the alpha's side.

"Hey."

The leader was still on high alert when he heard his brother's call. His ears twitched in surprise, but he didn't turn. He continued watching the colored fizzing lights in the distance. They didn't seem close enough to be a threat, so he might as well enjoy the oddity. Perhaps Chan would know what they were... if he would even share it. At least he was approaching Nash this time instead of the other way around. Nash could be content sitting in silence for a while if it meant his brother was out and moving around more again.

A second surprise: Chan spoke first. Nash glanced at him as he joined him. "Hey," he echoed before returning his gaze to the night sky. It was perfectly clear, lending to the cold, but offering a beautiful view of the stars. Another pop, and another rainbow of sparkling red painted the inky blackness.

Chan didn't mind silence. In fact, it was refreshing not to be promptly asked about his emotions, even if it was as innocuous as 'how're you doing?' He settled onto his own haunches next to his younger sibling, and looked back up at that sparse firework show. His mind wandered, wondering after what the source of them were, if it was something that would live on or if they were like clouds, gone once they released their rains. How sad would that be, if these few seconds were each an entire lifespan come and gone without doing anything more than briefly sparkling?

That reminded him.

"I'd like to visit Jethro and the others, probably after the exchange? See how they're doing, if they'd made things official yet."

If he was to live amongst the Cove, the best function he could serve was as a messenger. They'd sent them one in the form of Auburn, and he wanted to return the favor as well as give himself a breather from pack life. The truth of the matter was, though, that telling Nash of this was merely a courtesy. Even if the Cove's latest alpha had reason to tell Chan no, the Eastfall would do what he wanted regardless.