Willow Ridge scanning the horizon

For as long as time would allow, Niles stared into the man's spidery face. Every so often his right brow quirked, wondering if the brute would say anything - maybe he had not wanted to come here and desired to see some other part of the territory. At the thought of this, he figured he would bring Craw towards the communal den... and then maybe claim that he couldn't take him anywhere else in case his mother came looking for him. As Niles would refer to his plan, it would be: "Ditched." For the time being, though, he supposed he would see just how this encounter would play out.

The herbs barely caught the prince's attention anymore; for the most part, it merely reminded him of his mother and sisters. It was nothing too out-of-the-norm but it had obviously caught his companion's attention. Niles watched as that broad, pale head drew into the entrance of the cavern before coming back out to formally address him. He even said the "Archer" part (which was, in truth, Niles' favorite part of his name).

It was probably a good time to realize that it was "okay" to talk, especially now that he was someplace familiar and well away from the borders. "Yis," he sounded, his tone neither excited nor enthusiastic. At the most, his tail had continued to wag to extend his pleasure of having Craw for company. "An' yer stranger." It was a bit rude and curt, but, ah, cubs... The boy did have one saving grace, though, in his sense of etiquette, "You have name?"

(This post was last modified: Jan 26, 2016, 07:30 PM by Niles.)

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!

@Niles

And there it was - the key. Craw's lips pressed together in a thin smile as he watched the young Archer warm up, even if only a fraction. Was it the respect shown, the use of a full name, or some other subtle nuance which had pleased the boy? No matter what the secret, the silence was broken with a simple affirmative, and Craw nodded in acknowledgement of it. So the boy wasn't dumb, just a near-mute by choice. Yet as the words continued, it was clear there was some level of stunted speech there, a simplistic manner of talking, and he wondered if it was indicative of more. A curious child, suitable for a curious family. There was another Archer child, though a year older, who seemed similarly adverse to speech, though that might have just been in Craw's company - he had hardly been around the dark yearling enough to properly make judgement.

Moving smoothly out of the den, he came about to sit across from Niles, an ear twitching in his young company's direction. "My name is Craw," he said plainly. "I'm a friend of your sister's - Morganna." Would those be magic words as they had been with the bastard Archer child tucked out in the outskirts of the packlands? Or was Niles more wrapped up in his littermates and parents to have much opinion of his older siblings?

The man, now known as @Craw, sat down and Niles made a face, as if wondering what motives the elder held. The grimace stayed for only a fleeting moment, however, as it was easily replaced with recovered curiosity. So... he was a friend of @Morganna's. "M'ganna my sissy," he stated, as if confirming the fact word for word would further claim the eldest Archer sister as his own (and not Craw's). He was going to say something more - something along the lines of how maybe he didn't like the idea of sharing Morganna with him - but, all too suddenly, Niles had become engrossed with the marks on the male's face.

Now, it was like how he had first met @Enoki. He gave a toothy grin and sat down so that he could raise a rather stumpy forepaw to 'point' at Craw's face. "You's like Kiki." It wasn't even a question, but rather a silly observation which immediately turned into sudden concern. "Iz boo-boo?" His dark paw came down and he tilted his head one way and then the other, scooting closer to the pale brute so he could have a good look at the strange markings on Craw's muzzle. Apparently, if Enoki had scars on her snout, and Skoll also looked like he had marks on his muzzle, then maybe it was the same case with his companion.

"It owiez?" he then asked. "Mama fix?"

(This post was last modified: May 15, 2016, 07:55 PM by Niles.)

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!

happy to fade, or one more round? <3 maybe with @Niles showing more of the territory, or Craw telling nameless war stories? whatever you'd like!

It had some reaction, but not quite so easily readable as his bastard nephew's. Craw nodded once at the confirmation that, yes, they were talking about the same Morganna. Interpreting the look on Niles' face as there to be more to come, Craw just watched the boy, ears pushing forward as he gazed down at the young wolf, patient in his curiosity.

Whatever Niles had been about to say, though, seemed to get washed away by another thought, as the child's expression changed and a paw was lifted in his direction. Brows raised, the mystery was settled quickly enough as Niles drew attention to the marks on Craw's face, for while he didn't know who 'Kiki' was or, at first, what a 'boo-boo' was, Niles' continuation onto the words 'owie' and 'fix' made it clear enough. Or Craw hoped he had understood, anyway.

"No, it's too late for that," he said gently, lowering his head towards the Archer in case he wanted a closer look. He didn't tend to draw attention to his own old wounds, for they were obvious enough without needing any special highlight, and he'd been forced to parade around with some particular scars enough that he had almost grown to resent them. But Niles was just a child, and his curiosity was innocent. Craw twisted his head up, then, so that the fur on his throat parted just enough to see the thick, long, fleshy scar which travelled directly over his voice box, but only showed it for a few seconds before dropping his muzzle once more. "Do you want to know how I got them?"

Eee! War stories! 8D

"No, it's too late for that," the man had said. The cub's eyes widened; even if Niles did not truly understand that "too late" was similar to "no more," the weight of the words had given him the impression that Craw's boo-boo's were "better." A tilt of the brute's head allowed the now nosy Archer to take a good peek. Where the spidery markings on his muzzle snaked upward to his forehead, thick scar tissue did as well, the largest of them creeping up and towards his right eye - almost like Skoll's. The boy's imaginative mind ran with the idea that, maybe, once upon a time Skoll and Craw had gotten into a terrible fight over the fair @Enoki and, maybe because Kiki did not like fighting, she separated them. Angier's fantastical tales of Old Gods and stock myths were clearly at work at the forefront of his youngest son's mind. No wonder he was always told not to bite...

Craw tipped his head upward to show off the underside of his jaw and his throat. Niles' black-lined mouth made a distinctive 'O' shape and the expression remained on his face even after the older male righted his skull again. Craw seemed to indulge in the boy, "Do you want to know how I got them?" Those little whiskered brows came up and a wide smile finally graced his still all-black muzzle. <i>Yes! Yes! Yes!</i> his wiggly rump and wide blue eyes begged. Vocally, a low bark was given as an affirmation which was soon followed by a very eager, "P'ease?" The whimsical tale he had initially spun up fell away and those batty ears came forward, all too excited to listen...

(Fade.)

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!

A typical child, Niles' curiosity and imagination was snared by the scars and the hint of story behind them. Where once the boy had been standoffish and aloof, he had been coaxed into proper engagement with the right kind of patience. It was amusing to think how similar Sven and Niles seemed in that way; perhaps it was just a comment on what it was like to grow up in Willow Ridge, or perhaps it was reflective of some blood-written Archer nature. Prince or bastard, Archers were the same, and Sven had been just as allured by talk of fighting.

The Archer-Lyall's enthusiasm brought a thin smile to Craw's face, and he lowered himself onto the ground in front of the boy, so they were somewhat more of a level. Letting Niles get a clear view of the scars on his face once more, Craw considered where to start, what was appropriate to tell the boy, and how much he wanted to admit.

"When I was only a little older than you are now," he rumbled, settling in for a comfortable jaunt down the more violent roads of his past, "there was a wolverine..."