She'd told him what she hesitated to tell everyone except Triell because she didn't know how they would react. Would they all react as he did? She did not want to lose what she had worked so hard for during her time in the lore over something she had clearly overcome.
He had to know and she had to tell him, Leotie knew that because she now like everything else knew what it meant to have a friend and she wanted to have Sven as her friend, she could not keep it from him. She already hated that she had not shared the truth with Kerb and the rest of her packmates but their time to know would come, she was sure of that.
His reaction...She supposed that was normal having lived in the lore his whole life and humans not being there. Now that her secret was out it would become easier to share the details and she was more than willing to explain them to him.
“They are animals that walk on two legs and they talk like us but I never understood what they were saying to me,” she explained, “And they live in really big dens with lots of things, I don't know the names for all of it. Some are nice like the humans I lived with but some aren’t so nice. Does that help?” She asked him because she could tell how confused her was.
“I'm sorry, it's a lot to take in,” she said as she looked at her paws, “It's not too much is it?” She asked her eyes meeting his paler ones the hope that he would hear her out clear on her features.
It wasn't easy explaining everything to her because she didn't know what some of the things that had surrounded her were. Like she didn't know that what had kept her confined was a fence or that the little brown round things she ate was called kibble. What she did know was that her humans had been kind to her and made sure she had what she needed. Leotie worried that she might have told him too much and that he might not be taking her secret as well as Triell. She didn't want to overwhelm him with too much because it was a lot, even now she had a hard time understanding it all. As it turned out he was only having a hard time imagining what she had described.
Leotie offered him a small smile, “That's understandable, I mean if you don't know that exists then it would be hard to imagine. When I first came to the lore I never knew that it was there or that life could be this way. It was horrible being taken from my family, I remember being very scared at first but it did get better. Everything I needed was provided and didn't have to worry about anything.”
And that was the whole problem when she first came to the lore, because she didn't understand how life worked in the wild she had nearly starved. If it hadn't been for Drestig's kindness she wouldn't have made it through that first winter. Now she didn't know where to find the dark furred man to even thank him now that she really understood exactly what he had done for her.“It hasn't been easy,” she told him, “I had become lost from the human den and had somehow wandered into the lore. I didn't know anything then, border patrols, hunting, pack law, I didn't know any of it. With the help of some loners I was able to get by just enough to find my way to my former pack. With a lot of help from my current leader and a few others there I was able to gain more skills that I have worked hard to become better at. It's been hard but having friends like my current leader has really helped me get through the tough and frustrating times,” she said with a smile.
She'd been through quite a bit since coming to the lore but she wouldn't change any of it because it had made her who she was. She was proud of what she had accomplished in the last year if her life. Sven's next question was one she'd never really given much thought but it wasn't a hard one to answer for her.
“I don't know my birth family that's true but when I came to the lore I did at least know my name and I've made it my own. Through my experiences I've learned what kind of wolf I am and what's important to me. For a long time it did bother me that I didn't know about them but I have realized that I have a family now in Charred Ash Draw that I would do anything for.”
Finally telling him about her past had been hard but once she'd gotten it out, told him about her humans. She'd been worried but when he didn't outrightly say anything bad or insult her for her upbringing she felt better. Leotie didn't think Sven to be the type to do any of those things but she'd met all sorts being in the lore. She'd learned a long time ago you couldn't always judge another by the way they presented themselves.
Still she took a chance on Sven because she liked him and wanted them to be friends and the only way to do that was to tell him the truth. To trust that he wouldn't look down on her because she had come from a place that had not taught her all of the things wolves in the lore knew. She hoped that even though she had started with nothing she had made something of herself. At least she felt she had made something of herself, the feeling being just recent but there all the same and she was proud.
Being the leader of a pack was something she had dreamed about but to her it was a funny though. Coming from being someone's pet to leading a whole pack of wolves successfully, could it be possible? She didn't know but it was something she had stopped thinking impossible.
Leotie found that once she had told him and he started asking questions it became much easier to talk about it with him. His questions showed that he was more curious than anything else and she could understand that. He'd lived in the lore his whole life so he didn't have experience with humans and what they could do. She didn't fault him for his lack of knowledge either, that's just how it was. She was glad to have finally told him and was glad to be able to talk to him about it after keeping it to herself for so long.
He turned the conversation back to him which she was fine with feeling if he had more questions he would ask. What he said she gave some thought as he turned to look into the sky she watched him and the colors play across his face.
“Perhaps it's time to find out? Being around the familiar where you have been seen a certain way can keep you from ever knowing if you're being true to yourself. I can't tell you what's best but maybe some time away from those that expect certain things would be helpful?” She suggested but only that because while she felt it would help she didn't want him to do something he might not feel comfortable with and she didn't know if he was even asking for her advice.
The agouti woman believed everyone should know who they were on the inside and she knew from her experiences that it wasn't always easy to know. Sven needed to have the chance to find himself, who he was on the inside for himself. It had been a long process for her once she had arrived in Oak Tree Bend. Having to learn everything that the others had known since they were pups. Then coming into her own and learning who she was, part of her still felt sometimes that she was still learning.
It seemed her suggestion of leaving didn't go over well when his ears went back against his head and the sound that he made. She wasn't offended as it had only been a suggestion since she didn't know his whole situation. As he spoke she saw his gaze drop to their paws, she gave him a nudge on the cheek, “That's okay, if it's not you. You have to do what you think is best for you.” If staying was the way he felt would be best for him to figure out what he needed then he had to.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said when he told her he didn't have anyone to expect anything from him anymore.
Her humans had expected things from her, go outside to potty as they called it or not get in the trash. In the lore though she hadn't really had anyone that had direct expectations of her outside of the normal pack expectations. Any that she did have were ones that she had put on herself.
What he spoke of neck confused her but she also knew she didn't have the whole story. “I don't feel thinking about this is weird. I hope that your plan does work out for you so that you can find out. If you doing mind my asking what do you think you're about to find out?” she was curious about what he was speaking of and she added, “If you need to talk more about it I'm always willing to listen.”
His gaze returned to her and she offered him a small smile before he asked her another question. She shook her head, “No, it wasn't a secret there. I was nervous because I was worried that you might think less of me or worse,” she admitted shyly.
He hadn't shared a lot about what was going through his mind but Leotie didn't want to push, she wanted to give him the time he needed. She felt he had done the same for her so it was only fair and if he didn't that was okay too. All she wanted to do was offer him someone to talk to if he needed. Be there as a friend should be, like Kerb had been there for her in the times she needed. Her rank mate would always be there if she needed him and she wanted to do that for Sven because he was becoming increasingly more important to her the more time she spent with him.
The smile that came to his face brought a smile to her face, she was happy to see him smile.
Her smile only widened as he assured her she had nothing to worry about when it came to her secret. “No, they don't, it's who you are and what your willing to do. Things could have been so much worse for me if they did.” She might not be there talking to Sven had the circumstances she was born into had made her.
So many things could have been different had she not had the willingness to learn what she needed to survive. The memory of her first days and even weeks in the lore came back to her, they were the hardest she'd had to that point in her life. She'd overcome those hardships and became a better version of herself, she thought. Thinking back she realized how little she knew of life and what it could be. If asked she would choose life in the lore over her human den because she felt it was a fuller life despite how hard it could be at times.
She nodded in agreement, “Very weird and I think having someone that you can speak them aloud to helps.” She felt that things could get jumbled but having to say them in a way that the other could understand did help. Talking with Sven about her time with the humans helped her to get it all a little clearer in her own mind.
As he went into a little more detail about what he was going to find out and his plan she listened and waited for him to finish. “I think you can be what you want to be and I have no doubt you will be good because you already are.” She didn't feel that if he was bad he would have kept his promise and he wouldn't be sitting on that boulder with her. “I don't know what his habits were but if you're dreading falling into them I don't feel they could be good. I know that we haven't known each other long but from what I can see you don't have anything to worry about and should be confident.”
His plan was to challenge up the ranks to be leader which brought some apprehension to her after what had happened in the bend. She couldn't help help the frown that crossed her features, “I understand why you want to and I will be happy for you if you do win leadership but please Sven, be careful. I don't want you to get hurt,” she said placing her paw over his as she spoke. The concern she felt was heavy in her tone and when she had finished speaking she pressed her nose into his scruff.
Sex: Male