Round Stone Crest count on me to misbehave

@Marianna

He wasn't sure, but he was pretty sure that the cubs were around three months old. Which meant several things. Namely, that they probably wouldn't break if he was too rough them. But also it meant that they could venture out a bit on their own and had enough words that they could hold a small conversation. He knew this because he had seen one of them out quite a ways from the den the other day, and on a separate occasion had heard another one talking Gent's ear off about nothing in particular. Which meant maybe they could talk his ear off a bit, now. Maybe he had been a bit over-cautious to impose such a strict quarantine on himself, but he was just so unsure. No one had invited him to see the puppies, and that was about as much of a stop sign as he required.

But this time he felt a little bold. Casually, he walked past the den. He forced his tail up away from his ankles and hummed vaguely. If a wolf could have whistled, he would have surely been doing it now. Everything about him screamed that he was trying as hard as he could to look like he was minding his own business. He hope it came off that way.

God did he want the puppies to think he was cool. 

Did the puppies even know what cool was? @Gent was cool. They probably knew that. And it would be very obvious to anyone with just a single glance that Octavius, despite having all the genetics, was very far from Gent in terms of cool.

Don't worry, Gus. Marianna had no idea what cool (or not cool) really was. Of course, she thought @Gent was the best wolf in the entire pack (outside of her mother, of course, but the fact that she was 'mom' put @Minka in another category entirely), but descriptions such as 'cool' or 'lame' were well beyond the child. Right now, she was trying to deal with her awkward body – the pup was growing like a weed! If she wasn't eating, then she was wandering around the pack's territory, accompanied by her favorite brother @Kino or on her own. Today was one of the latter episodes, and the young Lagina princess was returning to the den to seek out her explorative brother when she spotted an unknown wolf.

Well…not completely unknown. She'd seen Gus around the place before, and he certainly reeked of her mother and Gent both, so the youth was clearly an accepted member of Round Stone Crest. But she didn't even know his name, and this certainly had to change!

Veering left, the child bounded over to the new friend, greeting him with a happy bark. Her lanky tail wagged behind her as she came to a halt, tipping her head upwards as she tried to study the older wolf. "Hi!" she hummed, grey eyes sparkling. "I'm Ari! Who are you? Are you one of my momma's friends? Or one of my da's friends?" she asked, ears pricked as she waited eagerly for an answer. Maybe he would want to play – maybe he would want to explore!

 

A wild dissertation appears!

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

@Marianna
The humming ceased. His ears shot up straight at the bark from beside him.

Twisting his head, he peered down at the pale brown weed. Her vocabulary skills were confirmed as she opened her mouth. She appeared to be very adept when it came to questions in particular. Under the weight the queries, Gus felt his confidence waver as if they were an assault on him. Nervously his bit his lip, suddenly unsure how to answer any of the questions. He nearly forgot his name. Was he Minka's friend? He hardly knew what he was to Gent. He remembered asking these kinds of questions when he was around her age, and he cursed the memory of himself for being so overwhelming and excitable. Maybe all puppies were like this.

Just start with your name, he told himself. That was the easiest thing he could do. Bending down so as to be on Ari's level, he assumed an unnecessary non-threatening pose. "I'm Gu— Datura." Maybe names weren't so easy. Definitely weren't easy when you were going by the wrong one. "But ... between you and me," he leaned in conspiratorially, "You can call me Gus. It's my nickname." Not really a lie. Perhaps it was time he eased the pack into the truth. And Ari was hardly going to be a real problem. She was a small and illogical youth. Did her words carry any worth with Gent or Minka?


"I don't really have any friends though. Will you be my friend?"

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The girl bustled forward with bright grey eyes, eager to press her nose to the yearling's muzzle once he was low enough for her to reach. He was graced with kisses and chirps, her nose pressed into his fur as she tried to remember his scent. "Gus! Okay, I like Gus," she chirped as she took a step back, watching the older wolf's face as she grinned up at him. Gus was much easier to remember, and much easier to say! It was just like her, and her name. Smile widening, her thoughts quickly became words. "Gus, like Ari! I'm Ari, but I'm actually Marianna. But Ari is better. Like Gus," she explained, assuming well that her new acquaintance could follow her puppy logic. Now she had a word to apply to her short name, too! A nickname – she liked Gus already, teaching her new and interesting things.

Before she could consider this too long, the yearling began to speak again. Ears perking up, she tipped her head to one side. No friends!? How could Gus have no friends? It didn't even seem possible – everyone she met was her friend. Even @Draven was her friend, and her youngest brother was often grumpy and quiet.

With a wide smile, she puttered forward to nuzzle Datura again. "Yeah! Let's be friends," she rumbled, tail wagging so hard it almost hurt. "I like friends. Why no friends? Everyone here is a friend." Friend, packmate, it was the same thing, really. She bumped into the older wolf with another smile, oblivious that he might be upset with her questioning. "Wanna play? I know games."

 

A wild dissertation appears!