Secluded Spring Defiance

Apologies for the wait!

The kid was quiet, understandable given the nature of the task, and Rayza shut himself up to let the boy do his work. He preferred he busy his mouth with the vines, anyway. Words made idle teeth, a thing the Delaney didn't think he could afford, not now. He reclined, and shot another glance toward the shadow of the woods, and wondered - what would dad say to him now?

The berating words almost seemed audible, and Rayza slicked his ears. He didn't hear the vine's final break so much as feel it; the loosened plant slithered limp and lifeless from his leg, but the pleasure of freedom soured. He shook the final tendril to the ground like the thing was a snake, and he shuddered at the sensation, and at the shame. Making a child do his work. His brow knit, frustrated, and his eyes fell, but he forced a wide grin to cross his face as he turned his attention from the fallen vines to Elyan. "Sure am, thanks to you." Because the boy had helped, and he'd kick himself times over if he sullied a spirit so young and bright with the pitying words that begged to surface.

He moved to stand, but something in the way his ankle throbbed made him shift his weight onto his other three legs to keep his hind left raised partly above the ground. Concern slithered through the cracks of his mind, but he shooed the worry away with a hobbled step and a squared look toward Elyan. "Now what of you? Don't tell me you live here." He had no intention of getting wrapped up in the boy's affairs, but these woods seemed hardly a place for a child.

No Worries!

The agouti boy worked hard to chew through the vine so he could free the man. He was sure that his father would be rather proud of him for being brave enough to help. He would probably also be in quite a bit of trouble when it was discovered he'd left pack lands. He wasn't thinking of that in the moment just waiting for the man to be released from his restraints. It didn't even occurred to him that Rayza could be a bad man and would show that as soon as he was free.

Finally the vine did snap and recoiled to allow the man his freedom once more. Elyan cheered for himself a little and announced to Rayza that he was free. The boys jaws hurt a little from the repeated movement but he ignored it as he watched the man kick the vine off himself. A wide proud grin crossed his puppy features at the man's words. “Elyan glad he could help,” he stated his tail wagging rapidly behind him. Maybe one day he would be like his father after all and be able to fix anything. He had done exactly what he felt his father would have done in the same situation. The Myrddin boy backed up to give the man some room to stand and waited his face falling a little as the man stood on only three of his legs. “It hurt?” He asked concerned.

He was so engrossed in what was happening with the man that he wasn't even thinking about the fact he was far from home. “No, I live in the notch,” he replied his eyes moving to meet the man's, “Was exploring past border.” His heat tilted to one side thoughtfully as he became curious about the man. “Rayza live here?”

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Rayza couldn't help but mimic the boy's smile, touched with a certain levity in seeing the joyful manifestation of his praise in the child. He nodded to the simple question raised, and said with a casual shrug, "Yeah, just a bit, but it'll be fine." Under normal circumstance, the Delaney would have kicked off any notion he'd managed to sprain himself on a plant, but Elyan had seen him quite close to his worst, and something just felt wrong about lying to the boy.

Not when the child was so readily open himself - a little explorer, past the borders - which nixed the chance Rave trespassed here, but did nothing to soothe his growing concern for Elyan's safety in the bush, nor for his own. He took another sweep of the place. His parents had to be around - but he knew he would have seen, smelled, or heard them by now. No, as far as he could tell, Elyan was completely alone, and a grim line threatened to steal the grin off Rayza's lips.

"Nah, Rayza's just passin' through," he managed in a chill voice. "I'm heading East, looking for my brother." And with that, a sudden revelation dawned on him, and his eyes brightened. "Though I didn't know there was a pack here. I've never heard of the Notch, nor smelled your borders, really. D'you think you can show me to the edge of your place so I'll know what to look for to keep myself from accidentally wandering across?" He half expected Elyan's sense of stranger danger to kick in here and now, and for the boy to back up, shake his head, and flee, but for this one instant he hoped the boy's sense was lacking in some way - or that their sticky situation stirred some sense of trust in Rayza. He needed to see Elyan returned home safely; he needed to get out of the forest, but didn't think he could leave the woods knowing he'd just left a child to wander like a fly toward a widow's web.

(This post was last modified: Nov 07, 2017, 04:10 AM by Rayza.)

It was a good thing he had done for the man, to help him get untangled and free of the vines. Elyan recognized that but more than anything he was glad that he had been able to help. Everyday he was aware if his small size and how much that hindered him from doing things that grown ups could do easily. The boys head canted to the side at the man's response, “Dad look at it?” Elyan was sure that if they went back to the notch his father would make it feel better. The little gray boy knew he would probably get in trouble but Rayza was hurt.

He'd thought it over and while he didn't want to get into trouble for crossing the border he also knew how disappointed his father would he if he left someone hurt. Elyan also considered telling Emrys a small lie about how he'd been just inside the border when Rayza had come looking for help. He didn't think that would work especially if the man didn't okay along.

As it turned out Rayza didn't live in the forest but was passing through looking for his brother. “How lose brother?” Elyan couldn't imagine losing Arwyn and not being able to find her. He knew the two of them didn't always get along but she was still his sister and she had been with him always. “Notch not far. Elyan show Rayza the border do he know where is. Find dad, he look Rayza’s ankle and make better,” said the boy in his broken language. He was sure that he could find the notch quite easily and then he could call for his father so he could take a look at Rayza's ankle. Everything would work out and he would he able to help his first wolf.

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