Hearthwood River the world i know

@Lachesis <3

Playtime with Risaela was always very physically draining. At just over eight weeks old, the little pup was getting very hard to keep up with - particularly for a wolf as massive as Aytigin. It was so much easier to spend time with almost any of the other pups, but Aytigin also liked to have some time set aside to spend with the silver-and-cream pup. He'd noticed that she wandered off on her own most of the time, and he didn't want her to be lonely. Even if that aloneness was self-inflicted, it was still bad for her. Puppies needed to be interacted with.

But damn, he was tired. His shoulder had loosened back up ever since he'd twisted it in the heavier rains, but now that he'd had some time to heal, it felt better. Ayti expected that he'd probably be much more prone to aches and pains as he aged, as he was very - very - tall and wide. Even if most of his weight was muscle, he had no real way of knowing what pressure he was putting on his joints every day just by being as active as he was. He liked to keep in top condition, but maybe it wouldn't be quite so bad if he would just take a little break every now and then.

A heavy, longsuffering sigh fell from his lips as he flopped down on the damp forest floor beside the river. His hazel eyes creaked open, watching the water as it bubbled along at his paws. It was hard to believe that, just a month or so ago, it had been a rushing, flooding mess. What chaos that had been - he was thankful nobody had been hurt in the fallout.

Far from it, in fact. It seemed - to the mocha-colored man, at least - that the pack was flourishing. He might not personally get along with every single individual, but it wasn't bad. Aytigin loved Hearthwood River far more than he'd ever thought possible. Most of them, he had come to think of as some sort of makeshift family that he'd never had before. He hadn't been spending as much time with Inna since Otter had made it slightly awkward between the two of them, but he still would bring her some food or a present almost every single day. He liked to think that, perhaps, Lilya and Kisla and Lorcan and Lachesis and Otter did not hate him - though he couldn't speak for Laike. And, of course, the pups were wonderful.

Maybe the dark wolf just needed to dedicate more time to spend with his packmates, in order to get to know them and vice versa. He just needed to put in more effort, he decided.

@Aytigin <3!! thanks again for starting

Despite their swell in numbers and the age of the Hearthwood puppies, Lachesis still found it difficult to travel far from the river’s edge. Occasionally he would wander south to the lake he favoured, but he kept to the tree line when looking out onto the tundra. He had only ventured west a few times—mostly for Wild Rye Fields, as he was trying to rebuild their relationship. XIX was still unsure of how he felt about their northern neighbours after the rogue Whitestone wolf had been removed. Wraith and his scarred mate had appeared just as angry as Lilya and the ghost—if not angrier—so he doubted their involvement in the attack. Either Mittani had acted on his own accord, or he was acting for Craw, who had fled the lands of Lore just before the attack.

Either way, it was going to take some time before the ghost was able to trust the monadnock wolves once more.

In the meantime, he would build an alliance between Hearthwood and Wild Rye for there were no quarrels between the two packs. He hoped that the herbs he had delivered had been put to good use and that Jessie had an easy delivery. XIX meant to visit but the journey was a long one and he hated the thought of leaving his children for more than a day.

As the ghost ventured toward the river he found that he was not alone. A dark shape at the water’s edge caught his attention, causing his brows to narrow instantly. Aytigin. It was strange to see the large male alone, for he was often tending to Kisla’s children or delivering Inna food. The corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement but he said nothing. Instead he folded his legs upon the soft ground a few paces away from his subordinate, his chartreuse gaze fixated on the rushing water before them. “Taking a break?”

stick with those who stick with you

Not a problem at all! <3

At first, the dark wolf was too wrapped up in his dozing to notice his alpha approaching. The water lapping at his paw pads and rushing downriver was like a sort of soothing lullaby, and he was content to let it take him off into dreamland. He didn't notice Lachesis until the white wolf spoke, eliciting a slight jump from the younger man. He creaked open one eye and swiveled one ear over toward the ghost, his tail giving a couple thumps to the ground in greeting.

"Kitty - er, Rissy, -" he corrected, accidentally using his nickname for the girl instead of her real name. It had come from an offhanded remark that Ayti had made about the silvery pup being as 'sneaky as a kitty cat,' to which the girl had repeated his phrase back at him, and the pet name stuck. "Ris beat me up. She's violent and dangerous, Lachesis. Watch out for that one." His warning was halfhearted at best, a smirk finding its way onto his maw.

His forelimbs found their way underneath him, pushing him into a sitting position to watch the river. "How about you?" he asked, hazel eyes flicking over to his leader. "Lav and Lil giving you hell yet? I've been meaning to come by and let them use me as a chew toy, too - I just haven't been over that way today just yet." He chuckled lightly, going back to watching the water. A fish swam down past them - not big enough to catch, but pretty in the light filtering through the trees. "It's nice to have all these pups around. I forgot how much I missed it from last year."

Kitty. His lips curled upward at the nickname, his brows raised in amusement, but he did not interject. Instead he listened patiently to the dark male’s words as he explained the reason behind him seeking solitude at the river’s edge. The ghost nodded silently in agreement for he, too, had experienced Risaela’s rambunctious attitude when he had caught the little agouti sneaking away from her mother’s den. The little Tainn Baranski was going to be quite the handful as she became more mobile and Lachesis feared for the wolf who offered to watch her. At least Aytigin spent most of his time with the little kitten, for his energy rivalled hers. “She certainly is quite the handful,” he mused in agreement as he flashed the darker male a sly grin. “You definitely deserve the break if you’ve been with her.”

Lachesis gave a quick nod as the Delaney returned the question to him, his forehead pinched. “Lav not so much, although she likes to bully her sister,” he commented with a soft frown. He hoped that the pale Stark would grow out of her bully attitude as she and her sister grew. “Lil, however, reminds me of Risaela. I think they’re going to get along quite well,” he added with a gentle laugh, his tail thumping on the ground behind him.

Again the ghost nodded his agreement. “It is nice to have more puppies around this year.” He just hoped that this lot stayed.

stick with those who stick with you

-casually crosses out Tainn-

The dark wolf caught sight of the smirk that the ghost adopted when the nickname slipped through his lips. His ears gave a slight burn of embarrassment, but he instead decided to snort and protest, "Like you haven't nicknamed them." It was hard not to nickname puppies - they were all different, and developing their own personalities and traits that set them apart from one another. Perfect for nicknaming, especially when they had long names like Lavender, Lilliana, and Risaela. Obnoxiously, unnecessarily long names.

Kind of like Aytigin's own.

He gave a soft laugh. "She's not so bad," he stuck up for the little pup. "Definitely not the worst - you shoulda seen this one kid from my old group. He just about tore my ear off a few times, and that would've been bad for picking up the ladies." A pang in his chest reminded him that he missed the gypsies, but he chased it away quickly. Ajay was there, and he couldn't live with that man. Besides, he had the River now, and he loved his new life.

Brows furrowed in worry. Bullying could turn into a more serious issue, if left on its own. "That's no good," he remarked, a hum low in his throat. "Maybe you should tell her to pick on someone her own size, and show her me. That'll fix her." It was a joke, because he'd never scare a pup on purpose, but he didn't want Lilliana to have to deal with that for her whole life. In all honesty, he couldn't think of a good way to break her from that.

"Mm," he hummed in agreement, stretching his limbs out to pop both his shoulder joints. "They're a lot of fun, even if they're a little rough sometimes. They just don't understand that, when you get a little older, you don't have as much energy as they do."

He could not help but snort at the darker male’s quick retort, his chartreuse eyes rolling before words tumbled off his tongue. “Yes, she-devil and angel,” he clapped back without hesitation: Risaela being the former and Mathéo being the latter, for they were almost polar opposites of each other.

After being quite resistant to Aytigin’s presence in Hearthwood the older male was beginning to—gasp—enjoy the presence of the brash wolf. Since their talk the ebony male’s behaviour had certainly improved and he worked feverishly to provide for both the pack and their whelps. He still had a mouth that needed to be watched, as the large male was more of a speaker than a thinker, but he was getting better.

His ear twitched as the darker male continued speaking, describing a wolf from his previous pack. “Did you have many puppies in your former home?” He asked, his own curiosity getting the better of him. His head tipped to the side as he angled his body toward the large wolf, his brows narrowing softly. Aytigin had not given much information about his previous pack—just that there had been no structure, much like Lachesis’ home on the reserve. The ebony wolf did not act as though he had grown up among two-legs, so he was curious as to what the dynamic was between the wolves he had grown up with.

He chuckled one more. “I think it’s just because her and Lilliana are so different, but I hope it’ll wear off eventually,” he mused in response, the corner of his mouth dipping slightly. He hoped. He did not want tension between his children, for he feared that one of them would leave the river if they were unable to get along. “At least we have plenty of puppy-sitters to rotate with,” he quipped with a quick shrug. Lachesis was certainly thankful for their numbers this year, otherwise he did not know if they would have been able to support five puppies.

stick with those who stick with you

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

-gasp-

Aytigin let out an overly-dramatic gasp and tilted his head to the side as he regarded the white wolf, faking appall. "You'd better be glad that I'm not going to tell Risaela that her Uncle Cloud thinks she's a devil," he joked, a smile playing on his lips in spite of his attempts at being dramatic. "They're both perfect little angels and you know it." Again, the tone was light and teasing - not aggressive in the slightest.

The mocha-colored man - for the first time ever - felt completely at ease with the ghost beside him. He knew he'd left a bad first impression, and second impression, and third impression, but he liked to think he was getting better. At least, he was trying his damndest to be a good, productive pack member, and he certainly hadn't been picking fights - unless they were play fights with Laike or the pups. Oh, and he mucked up with Inna, but that was Otter's fault.

Of course you'd pin the blame on Otter, his conscious whispered, but he ignored it.

Lachesis asked a personal question then, and Aytigin found that he didn't mind answering it - in spite of the fact he truly despised talking about his past. "I didn't, personally. Shocker, I know," he teased, tail sweeping across the dirt behind him. "But the way the group did things, it was kind of like I did anyway. So, like, the women that travelled with us would go a little wild during mating season, and were really open with the whole birthing process. Then it was like they all just forgot which pups belonged to who, because pup-rearing was a group activity." He wrinkled his nose a little, trying to think of how to describe it. "We shared pretty much everything, anyway. Everyone was family." A laugh slipped from his maw, and he gave Lachesis a sheepish grin. "Pretty weird, isn't it?"

"I'm sure it'll wear off," he assured, inky black lips curling up in a smile. Then the white wolf mentioned puppy-sitters, and he nodded his head. "These pups are the safest in all of the Lore," he remarked, chest swelling with a bit of pride in his pack. "It's really nice to know that we don't have to worry about them getting hurt. The River is filled with wolves who want the best for them." Except for maybe Laike, but he didn't mention him.

Uncle Cloud. At the mention of the nickname XIX glanced down at his snowy pelt, a single brow arched. It was fitting. “I call 'em like I see ‘'em,” he responded in a light-hearted tone, another shrug accompanying his words. “I think she just sucks up to you,” he added with an accusing smirk. Risaela wasn’t so bad, but the ghost knew that she was going to be a great deal of trouble as she aged. She was determined and curious: a recipe for disaster. At least Aytigin seemed keen on reigning her in. Lachesis just hoped that he would continue to do so, instead of encouraging all of her ventures. There were still boundaries, even as a puppy.

It felt odd being so informal with the younger male, for he had always displayed dominance over the Delaney. His ears were still pinned high above his head, his chin angled slightly upward as he spoke, but aside from that his posture remained relax. It appeared both males were taking breaks from their respective duties; there was no need for elevated conversation and sharp words. Especially since Lachesis had noticed how hard the dark male had been working.

The alpha listened patiently as Aytigin divulged into his past, explaining the peculiar events that occurred during mating season. XIX did not think it was entirely strange, for he was sure that some females in the lands of Lore acted similarly, but it was certainly different. Once his subordinate finished explaining that the puppies were almost shared among each other a question rolled off his tongue, paired with a sheepish grin that tugged at the chocolate male’s lips. His tongue clucked against the roof of his mouth and XIX shook his head slowly. “I don’t think so,” he answered honestly, “It’s similar to how I view Hearthwood. We’re all family and we all work together, despite our differences and backgrounds.” He shrugged once more—a gesture that the anxious wolf was all too familiar with. “The puppies this year are sort of being shared with everyone.” Kind of. But they certainly would not forget who belonged to who.

A smile pulled at his lips. XIX did not doubt Aytigin’s words. So far the pack had shown their devotion to the hodgepodge group of puppies and he was confident that it would continue. “I couldn’t agree more,” he added coolly, his peridot’s still focused on the young subordinate. 

stick with those who stick with you

;.; bros

The dark wolf smirked proudly. "Maybe she does, but that's just because she likes me best," he goaded, tail thumping on the ground behind him. In all honesty, the chocolate-furred man was more biased toward Oksana, but that was because she was Inna's and that obviously tugged him a bit more toward her. He liked to think it was because Inna didn't have the father around, but deep down he knew that wasn't the case. Ayti didn't know exactly what he felt for the swarthy young woman, but it was something far different than one might feel for a friend. But then Cottongrass popped into his mind, and he felt kind of sick to his stomach. He just had no clue what to do about... feelings, in general.

Despite the fact he was briefly swamped with emotional turmoil, the mocha-colored man still noticed the informality Lachesis was treating him with. For so long now, their relationship had been so strained and awkward and kind of intimidating - from the white wolf. But now, he was hardly posturing at all, and Aytigin was more than grateful for the brief respite from having to bow down and feel afraid of a slip of the tongue.

To the former casanova, it was a bit of a surprise that the alpha didn't find his story overly-odd. Of course, he hadn't told him everything that had gone on with the gypsies, but there would be time for that later. And besides, it wasn't really something he loved talking about anyway. It sent spikes of longing and nostalgia into his chest, and he welcomed neither of those emotions. It was a testament to his trust in the lead male that he said anything at all. "That we do," he agreed, relaxing and laying back down on his stomach. His paws touched the water again, enjoying the feeling of it brushing against his pads.

"Hey, Lachesis," he began, watching a minnow or two bubble up to nip his toes. "Have I ever thanked you for letting me into Hearthwood?" The question was casual, but genuine. A smile danced up onto his lips, and he glanced over from his laying position toward Lach's peridot gaze. "Because this pack is the best thing to ever happen to me, and I hope you know that." It really was, too.