Hearthwood River nothing can compare

sry 4 wait <3

He listened, patiently, as the dark male spoke. The pale healer agreed with Aytigin’s stance on the raven Baranski. Despite her recent mishap she was the pillar of the river wolves; she worked just as hard as the others and never hesitated to go above and beyond her duties. Lachesis was thankful that she had returned to Hearthwood and decided to make the forest her permanent home. For awhile he had worried that she, too, would have disappeared soon after her return. It seemed to be a running trend with those who sought (temporary) refuge amongst the redwoods.

His brows furrowed as Aytigin spoke of the pack pitching in together so XIX could spend his time tending to Lilya and their children. He frowned, lips tight as he dismissed the dark male’s words with a sharp flick of his tail. Mate. He was not sure what he and Lilya were, but mates certainly was not it. Yet. “This pack is family and family is always the first priority,” he countered with a shrug, his chartreuse gaze hardening. “It is an alpha’s job to be everywhere.” Even when he did not think he could.

It was true—Inna did work her ass off to provide for the pack. Lachesis knew that she constantly beat herself up over her situation, especially after the blow-up she had with her mother. She felt guilty for not being able to provide for the pack as much as she used to, but XIX knew that would change once her children were born and weaned. A smile slipped onto his stoic features as Aytigin responded to his comment about the no breeding rule. He hoped the words were true, for he would not tolerate another situation next spring. They were already abundant with puppies this year; he did not know if there would be anymore room left in the pack for another three litters.

“That’s good to hear,” he answered honestly, his forehead smoothing. The Stark had a good feeling about the recent additions to Hearthwood, for they appeared promising. They had already put themselves to work, keeping themselves busy and ensuring the caches were full. So far Lachesis had no complaints. Things were looking up for the river wolves, slowly but surely.

He shook his head quickly, his features still calm. He appreciated the offer but the blue-eyed sparrow needed the food more. XIX could hunt for himself once he was sure that Lilya had gotten her fish. “I’m fine, thank you,” he responded coolly. “I think the fish will be enough for her—for now. Although I’m sure she wouldn’t refuse more food if you brought something by later.” A warm smile accompanied his words as he spoke, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement. 

stick with those who stick with you

Aytigin smiled slightly when the alpha shut down his request for him to take it easy. 'This pack is family and family is always the first priority.' The dark wolf took a deep breath, nodding his head. "I hope you know that it is my first priority, as well," he told him earnestly, and couldn't help but wish that his biological family had thought that way when he was a pup. 'It is an alpha's job to be everywhere.' The mocha-colored man smirked at the leader. He didn't think that such unrealistic expectations were good for the alpha's metal health, but he had no desire to end up in a verbal disagreement at the moment. He'd probably bring it back up later.

The rest of their conversation was mostly one-sided, and Aytigin felt no real need to respond to most of the little comments. It seemed like Lachesis wasn't absolutely hating him anymore, so perhaps, for now, his goal was met. Of course, there was no way he would slow down with his work yet - or ever, as long as he was physically capable. He wanted to continually prove that the River wolves had not made a mistake in choosing him to be in their pack, and he was excited to interdigitate himself further into the pack as a solid, dependable member.

"In that case, I'll definitely bring something else by later," he told the alpha in response to his comment about Lilya likely being hungry again soon. She - and the pups she was nursing - would need all the food they could get, and Ayti had no problem with going and catching some more fish. He rose fully to his paws, and shook out his pelt before turning to head back into the forest. He did, however, hesitate, before he exited the clearing. His head dipped down and he glanced over his shoulder at the leader. "It was nice talking to you, Lachesis. We'll have to do it more sometime," he remarked, and then slid through the bushes and was gone.

{ fade }