White Fir Notch who watches the watchers

All welcomed <3 || RE: A double rainbow stretches through the sky. || Afternoon, Patchy rain possible, 67 ° F, 19 ° C

Today had been one of her less eventful days. The child had napped most of the morning away in the warm safety of her den. Those droplets had fallen from the sky most of the morning and while they had been exciting at first she no longer found them as interesting. After a while they made her coat feel funny and her body feel a lot less warm. Hawthorne liked warm. She liked cuddling into her mother's side for a nap or even her pale playmate! He had let her nap with him and he had very soft fur. Maybe he'd come visit her and mom again sometime. Maybe then they could all play together! The thought alone was enough to make the young Riverflow's tail thump against the earth.

After some time of staring out into the world outside of her den, she noticed the droplets seemed less frequent. Still there but not so constant. Her growing body carefully moved from the back of the den to the mouth of it. Denim blue eyes examining the world. No visitors here but there was something strange in the sky. Two things seemed to curve across the sky side by side. What were those things? Were they friends too?

In an attempt to get the curves in the sky to talk the young girl let out a bark. She was getting better at those sounds but she certainly still sounded high pitched and puppish.

It had been a few weeks since his talk with Emrys and while Ryker truly still wanted to leave, something was holding him back for now. Was it because a small part of him still expected Lucia or Aleris to return? Or his parents? or was it because this was still his home, not matter how empty it felt now and he was having trouble leaving it? It was all he knew, ever since his birth and even with all the negative feelings swirling in his mind about it, his heart still felt somewhat tied to this place.

No, I'll have to leave at some point. Inwardly he told himself, having already made the decision and wanting to stick by it. Deep down he knew if he stayed and didn't leave soon, it'd be much worse for him in the future to leave. A few more days to sort out his mind and then he'd be off.

but for now, a bark tore him from his thoughts and his ears perked. It sounded like one of the pups and a quick sniff told him no one else was around to watch over her. Swinging around, Ryker headed straight for the young pup and soon his eyes landed on a slightly blurry blob sitting all on her own, just at the entrance of the den. The pup smelled strongly of Sylva so it must be hers.

"Hey there," He awkwardly huffed at the small bundle, having no idea how to handle a pup but he was curious about her. Were him and his sisters this small once? So not caring about the dampness on the ground, Ryker found himself lowering to the ground and he crawled towards her before stopping a few feet away. "What are you doing?" Could she even talk yet? Ryker had no idea. He didn't remember when he first started talking, though he did remember faintly his parents being excited about something when he was well, younger.

It seemed her bark had summoned something - or rather someone. Hawthorne had come to accept visitors even though she had really only had two other ones. Her thought constantly drifted to where they disappeared to when they weren't here. Where did they get to go that she didn't? Maybe if she asked her mother nicely she'd take her where the others went.

Denim blue eyes spotted the stranger who had answered her call. He looked the most different of them all! His colors were far more strange and mixed. He got low to the ground and she stayed put to watch him. He spoke those words she didn't exactly understand just like the others did. Hawthorne wondered when she would get to understand and speak just like them. All those lengthy sentences that didn't make sense would one day! Or she hoped so...

The young Riverflow got to her paws and toddled closer to him before plopping down in front of him. Her head looked upward towards where the double curved thing in the sky had been and still seemed to be. "Ooo?" She called out to the thing above them before her eyes looked back down at her company. Maybe he knew what that thing was.

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

At first, Ryker panicked a little on the inside when the pup toddled towards him before plopping right down, just between his front feet. but the small girl just tilted her head back, looking up at the sky above them before looking at him, a noise dropping from her mouth.

"ooo?" Glancing upwards and spotting the double rainbow, which was pretty, Ryker was confused as to who or what ooo was until after a few minutes, it clicked in his mind. Was she asking what the rainbow was? Or who he was? Deciding to answer either way, Ryker glanced back down to the girl and answered. "That's a rainbow you know?" Of course she wouldn't know, he scolded himself. she's only what, a few weeks old? "Can you say it? Rai-n-bow." Trying to say it slowly, because part of him wondered if she might be able to copy him since it appeared she could make some noise. "It's like I'm Rai-ker."

He had no idea if she could understand him at all but he figured he could entertain her for a bit. This was the first time ever meeting a puppy after all and so far, it didn't seem so bad.

(This post was last modified: Jun 05, 2017, 05:14 AM by Ryker. Edit Reason: spelling/grammar )

Already she was deciding he was a nice stranger. He seemed to understand her which was an obvious bonus to the child. While his first sentence didn't make much sense to her the second one did. Hawthorne noticed the sounds of what he was saying much more and how his pace was slower. "Rrrr." She started off at first before deciding that didn't sound like what he had said. "Raaa." Hawthorne felt like she was getting close but not close enough. "Raaiow!" She chanted proudly. While it certainly wasn't he had said it was close enough to make her feel accomplished. Her tail thumped against the damp earth below them before she realized he was talking again.

There was another new word in there. Close to Raaiow but also not. Something sounded...different. "Rai." The dark girl started off. She already had that part down but it was the end. "Kee." Her brows furrowed for a moment. Now it was time to put the two together. "Raikee." She dubbed him with a new name and gave a wide smile. Hawthorne never imagined she would be learning so much today! She pushed her small nose out to touch his cheek before pulling back and chanting. "Raikee, Raikee, Raikee!" He was indeed Raikee. Hawthorne would certainly remember this one, or so she hoped.

Carefully watching her, the girl made a good first attempt in trying to say rainbow and when she finally managed to get around to saying it, Ryker wanted to laugh a little instead managing to say Raiow. "Yes, you got it!" He encouraged her, her little tail thumping against the ground as she beamed up at him before she tried to say his own name. He went silent, not wanting to discourage her in anyway.  

"Rai," A frown crossed her face, as if she was concentrating while trying to figure out how exactly to say it. "Kee. Raikee!" A small burst of pride filled him as she seemed to decide that was his name. Was this how his parents felt when his sisters and he had started speaking? Even though he was young, he wondered if in the far future, would this be how he'd play with his own pups? Teaching them words and other things? Even if she had gotten it wrong, she seemed to be happy about it and he didn't have the heart to try correct her. Instead, he just laughed when the pup touched her nose to his cheek.

"Raikee, Raikee Raikee!" The girl happily chanted back at him. "Yes, I'm Raikee!" His own tail thumped behind him as he grinned down at her. It then struck him she did have a name. How'd she do with her own? He remembered hearing it somewhere, though he couldn't remember where. "Do you know your name? Hawthorne?" Again, he said it slowly, ears perked to see how she'd react and what she'd do with it.

(This post was last modified: Jun 05, 2017, 05:43 AM by Ryker.)

His encouragement was met with puppy grins and tail wiggles. She had never been praised this much, it was so exciting! Hawthorne wondered if her mother would like this wolf. He was kind. Perhaps her favorite one outside of the den so far! Even if he hadn't played or napped with her or even taken her on an adventure.

She stood up as her rump moved with her tail. The young Riverflow spun around in a small circle before facing the bigger wolf. "Raikee!" She chirped enthusiastically. But she was taken by surprised when he said a very familiar word. In fact, it wasn't just any silly old word. That was her name. Or at least she thought it was. It was usually used when someone was talking to her directly. Sometimes it meant she got food other times it meant she was getting to go outside. So per usual she let out a series of puppy barks and pranced around in front of the male.

Her rump lifted up into the air as her front dropped down. What would he have for her? He didn't really smell like mom but maybe he had food. Maybe he would be like the big pale male who visited and would nap with her or play a game! There was also the dark creature who kind of looked like her mom. This was all so exciting for her! Hawthorne needed to know what Raikee had for her. Now, before she died of an overload of excitement.

The pup’s excitement was contagious and it quickly spread to Ryker.

“Okay, okay calm down before you poke an eye out!” Ryker couldn’t help but laugh at Hawththorne’s excitement. Perhaps he needed a game to expend some of the pent up energy she surely had? That he could do. And it’d be good for both the pup and Sylva, for Hawth would surely sleep better after some play? “Would you like to play tag? It’s easy you just do this - “ and with that, he gently bopped her on the head before bouncing up and back on his feet before settling into his own play bow. His tail mimicked Hawthorne’s and was wagging excitedly behind him.“Than you come and get me!”

He was more then happy to play with the pup, to forget his worries for now and just have fun. And maybe, for a time, forget he was the last Lieris in the Notch and pretend that perhaps he was merely entertaining his little sister for his parents while they slept. That one day he would no longer be here and there was at least one wolf he could make happy even for a short time, even if she didn’t remember him.