Gradually the tawny patriarch adjusted his limbs to rise so he could stand once more, the coldness of the ground beginning to amplify the faint ache in his joints a bit and Vesper knew he would need to get moving soon to allow warmth to once more ward off the chill. He gave a swift shake of his coat to remove any straggler clumps of snow that dare to try and hitch a free ride, molten gold gaze settling once more upon the inky face of his loyal second. "Indeed you have. There is a certain wait upon the shoulders of a leader that can never be truly lifted granted all the responsibilities we acquire, but it can be lessened. You've managed to do that and again I thank you for that."
Vesper paused, letting the charcoal dusted tail at his rump give a few wags. "Sometimes there are tough decisions that need to be made in order to benefit us as a whole in the long run. This choice was one of them, but I feel better now that it's not one to hinder us, but to help us grow." Then the sound of faint splashing caught the agouti patriarch's attention, head momentarily shifting toward the frozen shoreline of the lake. It was hard to see exactly what was making the noise, but the faint glint of something silver in the light piqued his interest further before returning his attention to Kajika. "It pleases me to hear that we both managed to help each other out. Now, how about we go check out whatever that is?" Nose angling to point toward the flashing pieces of silver in the distance.