Pookastone Scowle It's sunny but I need another raincoat

For @Bojay <3

Castiel shook out his snow laden coat as he traipsed through the labyrinth of the Scowle territory. It had only been six days since he joined Morganna's pack, but he already felt more at home than he had in years. Maybe it was from being around Archer's and Lyall's, or living so close to the willows where he was born, but either way, he felt like he finally belonged somewhere. While he had only met a few of the pack members, he knew there were many more from the criss-cross of several different scents within the territory. So far he had not met Morganna's reigning partner; he did not even know if she had one as of yet.

Sighing to himself, the rugged male settled himself between the half-visible roots of a cedarwood tree, resting his face upon his paws. Pale gold eyes casually scanned the snowy ground for any signs of movement that could spur an impromptu hunt. He was not the best hunter to say the least, his large size making it challenging to catch the smaller prey, but he could do well enough to pull his weight. Being a guardian was where he really excelled, however, he would do any task that his sister set out for him.

He was lacking in meeting all the new faces. So what? They meant little to him unless they were close to his mother. The only wolves who saw Bojay's good side were his parents, siblings, along with Celandine and Maeve (particularly the latter for she seemed to get him the best). The rest were play things as far as he was concerned.

Perhaps it should have come as no surprise then that he was lurking after a new scent. He was eager to pester them for he had been rather restless as of late. If the boy was not constantly on the move than he was building up pressure like a bomb.

His tail whipped behind him as he watched through the foliage. The stranger seemed to let his guard down, laying in the snow at the roots of a cedar wood. Foolish! The young boy mentally tsked at the male. But that was his job, right? To teach those around him to never have their guard down. So without warning, he launched himself forward before throwing his paws out in front of him to reach a halt in front of the large male.

Once the snow settled, a large grin was plastered across his face as he waited for the reaction.

i know something you don't know
trouble coming to your home

He should have known one of the Scowle pups would have stalked him to test their hunting prowess, in fact, he had done the same when he was younger. But, in thinking that he was alone, Castiel did not expect to suddenly have snow shoved into his face. With a gasp at the coldness, he shook his head wildly and tried to back up but, instead, his rump collided with the roots of the tree. So much for a getaway plan.

When the rugged male's eyes finally landed on the culprit, a chuckle left his maw. While not yet fully developed, the red and black hued pup before him had certainly grown into his paws and ears. In just a few short months he would be a yearling and there would be a new brood to care for. "Well, hello there," Castiel said with a grin that almost rivalled the pups in front of him. "Guess I should have known one of you would follow me." He may have not been on the prowl for stalking pups, but it was not easy to sneak up on another wolf, and so he would give praise where it was due. "Nice work sneaking up on me. I'm Castiel Archer Lyall, Morganna's younger brother." He raised one eyebrow in a silent query for the pup's name in response, if he so wished to part with it.

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

He let forth a hearty laugh, full of nothing but lightheartedness. Despite the boy's antics he rarely meant harm to those he pestered. It seemed this male was able to take a bit of a prank too. Good. Bojay could use more wolves like this one - although it was fun to get a bad reaction every now and then.

The information that came forth surprised him though. It seemed he had stumbled upon an uncle. Certainly not the one that lived on the mountain. Bojay planted his hind right in front of the male, making it obvious he was here to stay. "Bojay Lyall, your nephew." He introduced himself with a toothy grin. "Now where did ya come from, huh? Didn't see ya around in Torbine and ya certainly weren't here when I got here." So he ought to be explaining himself. Bojay didn't let family off the hook like he did with others. He expected well enough for his own blood to put up with his antics.

i know something you don't know
trouble coming to your home

Tawny ears twitched at the delightful bout of laughter emanating from the pup before him. It was good to see he had enough wonder in his life to express himself in such a way. Hopefully the boy would stay that way for a long time and not let life drag him down. Castiel hummed softly as the pup settled himself firmly into the snow directly before him. What a power move. He had nowhere he had to be, so he was content with amusing the pup for a while.

"Ah, a fellow Lyall." That would explain the typical Lyall markings on his face, even with the more red hues than tan and white. The rugged male knew there were numerous Archer's around, but he had not come across many Lyall's in his time, and so to find out he had a Lyall nephew was great news. Castiel canted his muzzle to the side at Bojay's query, pondering how best to answer. "Well, I was born here a few years ago, but left to find my own way in the world." He did not need to mention getting lost on his way to Torbine, he had some pride, after all. "Lived with a pack far from here on a mountain range for most of that time. That's where I got this scar on my face." Castiel still remembered how he had gotten it like it had been yesterday. "I felt like something was missing, though, so I came back home and stumbled across Morganna." He would be forever grateful to her for allowing him to join her pack. "So here I am."

He hummed softly at his uncle's words. It wasn't a very exciting story. He was hoping for something more like an "I was a great king and I wrestled bears for fun" kind of story. He supposed it was still a valid reason not to show up at Torbine, though. "Well if ya ever wanna see it one day, I know the way." His grin was wide and his words were teasing. Bojay had no real intention of leaving anytime soon. He at least wanted to wait until the weather was warmer and the days were longer.

"So what do ya do here? You some kind of guardian?" He guessed with a raised brow. His uncle was a beefy looking man and the scar on his cheek made the Lyall boy think he had some kind of fighting experience. Truthfully, the boy had no idea if his mother intended on giving everyone fancy titles but it was his job as her oh so loyal son to make sure everyone was keeping busy.

Except for @Maeve, he got her whole-hearted protection from the usual rules.

i know something you don't know
trouble coming to your home

I don't really care what you do about that

Castiel Archer Lyall

Castiel smiled warmly at the Lyall pup's offer to show him the way to Torbine. It was unexpectedly nice of him to say that, but if he ever did wish to go to his mother's birthplace it would not be for a long while. He had just returned to his own home and felt no need to go away for the time being, especially now that he was back with his family. Maybe when he was older and felt like he had achieved his goals in life the thought would be more appealing to him. I'm going to hold you to that one day, he said with a grin and a few thumps of his tail on the snow behind him.

He chuckled softly at Bojay's assumption of his role. While he was not officially a guardian, it was the role he was aiming to hold in the future once he proved himself to Morganna and her reigning partner. I'm hoping to gain that title soon, but I just do whatever Morganna expects me to do. While he wanted to be a guardian, simply following Morganna's orders was what he really focused on doing. And what about you? Castiel turned his attention onto the pup with a questioning gaze. What would you like to be once you're of age?