Grizzly Hollow my head is an animal

His tail beat a rhythmic pattern against the ground as Kat revised the plan, it now sounding totally perfect. "Yeah!" he yipped enthusiastically, almost bouncing up onto his feet, impatient to get going. He wanted to see if he could move even half as fast as her, and she had been going super super fast! Maybe they could run together every day! A scout, that's what she'd said she was, and Tomen kinda knew what that was. It meant exploring and knowing what was going on nearby, which sounded pretty cool he guessed. He hadn't given much thought as to what he should aspire to, but a scout would be neat.

The question threw him almost completely. "Uhhh," he went again, making sounds before thinking. "I like it! I mean, I dunno what other places are like, but they can't be much better, right? Grandad and grandma came all the way back to live here again, and dad came too, so it has to be pretty sweet. And I think bears are awesome but I've never seen one so I like the name. Sometimes I pretend I'm a bear who lives in a big, hollow tr-."

Wait. Maybe that was too much information. He didn't wanna make himself sound like a baby in front of her with his silly childish games. "Uhhhhh that was a long time ago though. Don't do that anymore, heh. Doyouwannagonow?" he squeaked, jumping up and making a dash for the borders, wishing he had cut himself short sooner. But hey, maybe she didn't notice. Somehow.

There was a grin as Kat seemed to sense Tomen relax a bit, agreeing eagerly to the revisions to their plans to run. He answered her question, starting to go off on a bit of a tangent about a game he played before quickly silencing himself, proclaiming he didn’t play that anymore before he broke into a run, rambling off that they should get going. “Let’s go then!” She called out, breaking into a medium speed of a trot, keeping her eyes focused on the ebony cub while also mapping out her location, keeping careful to divide her attention between the path they were travelling and the youth. They were running together, so she would not press her full speed because surely he would not be able to match it.

“Ya know, that game you started t describe sounds kinda cool. It’s a shame you don’t play it anymore ‘cause I would have loved to play it with you… if you would have approved of course.” She defended his more childish side with an honest grin as she easily kept up with his pace. The imagination was good for the soul. One time, she played a game where she was a cloud wolf, who could look down on the earth from the sky because she lived on a cloud. She had a pack, a kingdom, an empire and they all were happy all the time. Of course, since then, the dream had died.

Either she hadn't noticed, or Kat was gracious enough to recognise his embarrassment and not mention it. Either way, the shame was quickly forgotten as he found the thrill in running, falling into an easier-to-maintain pace with the older woman keeping up almost effortlessly. It didn't make him feel bad; he knew he was smaller, slower, and was grateful that she would match his pace at all. It let him not worry about competiton and just enjoy the movement, how the forest floor melted away underneath them, how his heart started to beat faster to keep up. He knew the paths as well as any of them, perhaps better, for he had yet to bore of his parents' lands. Skipping over rock and tree root and up earthy ledges, he ran without hesitation or doubt, almost amazed by how his paws seemed to know where to go before he had really consciously thought about it.

He glanced sidelong at Kat for a moment when she spoke, slowing slightly, for if she wanted to talk as they ran he would have to divide his attention accordingly. He wasn't good enough yet at the moving fast thing to do two things at once without concentration. "If you like," he said shyly, a little laboured due to physical exertion, wondering if she was genuine or just humouring him - but he couldn't believe she was mocking him. She wasn't that kind of person. "I can, um, show you the tree?" It would require a bit of a detour, but it wouldn't take long at the pace they were going, and any excuse to run alongside her for longer was a good one.

There was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes though she couldn’t quite place it, and it was dispelled within seconds of appearing, a soft smile on her maw as she looked at the young prince, impressed by him if she were to speak truthfully, which she almost always did. She was a child at heart still, and she was scarcely out of the childhood years herself which was why she had little qualms about sinking into the familiar attitude with the ebony shaded prince, wondering what he felt of the entire situation. Did he think her odd? Alood? Strange? She would be surprised if he didn’t because he was a bright one – she could tell off of the conversation she had been having with them.

He offered to show her the tree like she had hoped he would and she nodded vigorously. “Yes please!” A polite tone mixed with a touch of excitement hinted at her features as she would allow him to lead the way, just to take a slight lead since she hadn’t a real clue where they were to be going. She felt a sense of accomplishment, feeling like he could relax around her and not have to look at her as an authority figure, but a friend who he could be himself and play with. That was her real goal, here.

Her enthusiasm was intoxicating, and Tomen's hesitations vanished as he grinned from ear to ear. Maybe it was the rush from running so much for nothing but the fun of it, or maybe it was the possibility of having someone to play with - someone other than his parents, who were perfectly capable of fun but were still adults. Kat was an adult, but she was different, and he was appreciating her simple, child-like joy.

With a yip, Tomen changed direction slightly, diverting them from their direct path to the borders towards their new goal. While he was not as fast at Kat, he was infinitely more familiar with the territory, and never let a single danger trip or otherwise hinder him. Being aware of how effortlessly his paws carried him was a thrill all of itself, and one which he let carry them to the huge, hollow tree - or what remained of it. It had snapped partway down the trunk a long time ago, leaving a stump which was still far too tall to jump upon. It had rotted and decayed over the years to the extent that, through a tall split in one side which had widened with time and the efforts of forest denizens, it was possible to slip inside and enjoy a small space large enough for maybe two adult wolves, if not entirely comfortably. It was lucky that Tomen was still far from fully grown.

The sight and smell of it made him smile, for he had spent a lot of time here playing make-believe with himself, and while he had shared it with his mother and father, he hadn't shown anyone else. "This is my tree!" he chirped, panting quick and fast after the run, doing a quick lap around the base of it as the energy hadn't quite run dry yet. "It's hollow and the pack's called Grizzly Hollow so... when I first found it I kinda made up that a bear lived here and that's what we're named after. But it's too small for a real bear so, uh, so I pretended it was me." That the pack was named after bear-him, was the part which went unsaid, which helped him feel connected to it all. He nosed at some crude grooves in the tree, made to try and look like bear scratches - but it was hard to emulate long, sharp claws with baby wolf teeth. The grooves were numerous, evidence of his repeated attempts as he had grown up and his teeth had matured.

Looking at Kat, he beamed, self-conscious but excited to be sharing this little, private piece of himself. "D'you wanna go inside? I think we can both fit."