Drooping Willows we can hold hands & skip afterwards

“Oh! He’s nice,” Kyna hummed almost immediately, only realizing after she opened her mouth that her new acquaintance probably didn’t need to be told that despite his general inclination towards silence, his brother was quite amicable. The girl ducked her head with a sheepish noise, weaving hither and fro a bit, but the news came as a bit of a relief. Though he’d seemed absolutely terrifying upon first approach, @Greer had proven to be clever and sweet – were she a few months older, and the golden princess might have been smitten with the yearling. As it were, she considered him a friend, and he was the first stranger outside of Silent Moon Plateau to earn such a title. It allowed her to look at Niles in a new light. Clearly, their parents had done something right, and repeating the process should yield another sweet boy, shouldn’t it? After a moment, she zoned back in, realizing the Willow prince was trying to solve the problem she had presented. Immediately she was grateful, bobbing her head as he spoke. The incline was given a dubious look – that was the barricade standing between her and her family back at home, but while she’d scaled the mountainside before, she’d never actually gone this far before. It would be an incredibly long climb, she thought, and her legs were already tired, but she could not imagine spending the night on her outside, much less on her own. Perhaps she wasn’t quite as close with Phineas as she had been Aponi, the bond with her father was blossoming still. The princess loathed to leave him wondering what happened to his youngest daughter, to leave him wondering if she’d taken after her mother and run off, or if she’d taken after the previous alpha and fallen to her final resting place. With a soft sigh, she rolled her should in an uneasy shrug. "I…guess,” she replied slowly, dragging her August eyes away from the incline to meet that December gaze again. “Suddenly the world seems a different place…” It was an entirely different planet, with more trees, and few rocks. There was less wind, and if Kyna wasn’t mistaken, it was even a bit warmer. As nice as it was, she couldn’t stay, and they both knew that. Niles was beyond his bounds, and the girl didn’t even want to consider what her father would do if he found her so far from home. Starting towards the incline, she flicked her tail. “It’s…far. Not sure you’d be back. Before the night,” the princess hummed, assuming the other pup’s rules were much the same as her own. Kyna had her own doubts about making it back to the plateau before her curfew set in – there was no way her new friend would be able to descend. “Maybe, find a place. Or a path. Then we both go home.” KYNA ARGYRIS

A wild dissertation appears!

Would def' like to do another "play date" of sorts when the holiday festivities are over since this turned out to pretty much be an "introductory" thread. xP

“It’s…far," she told him and he wasn't sure what to make of the sensation he was feeling in his chest (he would figure out soon enough that this was an inkling of sadness and disappointment). "Not sure you’d be back. Before the night.” To the latter of her statements, he merely gave a soft sigh and a nod. There were only two things he was sure to be certain: he would help her find someplace to start climbing and, when he did finally head back into the western parts of Relic Lore and towards home, he could simply cry out and his mother and father would come to collect him (as long as the trees about him were willows).

"We look for a path then," he announced to her, standing up now to start wandering about at the base of the mountain. It was the least he could do, really; and, if he had been his father, a part of him was sure that this was the sort of thing Angier would do. Niles so wanted to emulate every part of that notion. If he didn't get back home until nightfall, he still had his scent trail to rely on and only "puppies" were afraid of the dark.

"C'mon!" he encouraged with something of a hop in his step. If she was afraid of the dark then he needed to be sure she could get home before then. Somewhere in the distance, the persistent kok-kok-kok of the flying creature echoed but Niles paid it no mind. The opportunity had already come and gone, but he knew now what he ought to be to and for Kyna: a protector and keeper in addition to a friend.

After sometime he managed to spot a not-so-steep incline that was not-so-covered with loose dirt and gravel. He gave her another smile, apparently willing to walk with her until she had to start clambering over conveniently placed boulders and other places where he knew he might have trouble descending from.

NILES ARCHER LYALL

it's too much to take it in. senses overload.

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

THERE IS A CASTLE ON A CLOUD

Niles was turning out to be a much better friend than she’d initially thought, cowering at his feet as she was chased by the horrendous bird. The entire ordeal had been terrifying – but the result? The princess was beginning to think it quite worth it. He was quiet, and kind, and reminded her of Greer in all the best ways. There would be more than one reason to venture down on this side of the mountain, she thought, with more than one wolf to visit along the way.

Even the silence was companionable as they scouted the side of the slope, looking for something passable by a cub. Her ears were up and interested, tail swinging easily behind her – the swarthy prince was someone to be trusted, admired, and someone to hold with great respect. She would have to tell Wren…or perhaps her father? She would tell someone about the wonderful new friend she made, but she would have to get home first.

Once a path had been found, she turned to bump her nose against the other pup’s. “I can go from here, I think,” she encouraged him, even if some of the rocks up ahead looked daunting. “You should get home. Before dark.” With that, Kyna began again, her climb towards home ever slow. “Be safe! I’ll see you soon!”

A wild dissertation appears!