Turtleback Lake Rose-Colored Boy

RE: Lyanna, a line of ducklings seem to have mistaken you for their mother. Mid-day. Partly Sunny 84.2 ° F, 29 ° C @Elias

She liked the way Turtleback Lake seemed to stretch on forever. The sky was wide open, and there was an element of intrigue she felt over the islands that dotted the water's reflective surface - as if each one had secrets of its own. Most of them seemed faraway or unreachable, but there were some within swimming distance. Maybe if her bones weren't quite so tired from covering so much ground, she would have contemplated making her way to one.

Instead, Lyanna trailed the shoreline, soaking up the sun that beamed down between her ears and along her marbled, tawny back. The air was fresh and the breeze was just cool enough to abate some of the early summer heat. Eventually she found a bank with a pretty view, inhabited at the moment with several plumps of ducks. Others floated together in small groupings in the modest waves of the water, bobbling up and down; all of them were quacking away, as if the entire lot of them were enjoying some manner of an afternoon social hour. She didn't really appreciate the noise, or the smell of - to her - lunch in nearly every direction. But it was rest that she sought, and today she didn't really want to be alone, so their company would have to do.

Plopping down lazily, her tongue hanging out on one side, the girl shifted about until she was comfortable before nestling her face in the grass and exhaling a contented sigh. It wasn't long before there was some rustling near her rear, almost immediately followed by a bump on her rump. Her ears and head perked up swiftly and she snapped around to see what was going on only to find a line of ducklings closing in around her. Most of them, their earthen feathers lined with shades of brown and black, stood at a distance while eyeing her quizzically; but there was the one - quite possibly the least bright crayon in the box - that was content to play in the plush fur of her tail. Were they...lost? Lyanna looked around helplessly for any one of the chattering adults to come sweep them away at any moment as a couple of the others waddled over to nip at her fur, weasel their way under her tail, or simply plop down next to her and lay in the sun as she did. Any of them would have been as easy meal, but something about the way they...confused her for their own mother?...tugged at her heartstrings.

Not really knowing what to do about it and not having the heart to shoo them away, she just stayed put, resigning to watch them intently with wide, golden eyes.

Elias still wasn't sure whether he liked the Keep or not. On one paw it felt very protected, like a grand citadel made of stone and trees, constructed by forces mere mortals couldn't even dream of comprehending. But on the other though, it was rather restrictive and didn't feel-not yet at least- very homey to the Selwyn.  So once again he found himself wandering along the lakeshore. He would've been nose blind if he hadn't noticed the lingering scent of wolves in the distance by now. It wasn't just a passing smell, it was a constant, ever-present reminder that they had settled close-perhaps a little too close- to another pack. Proof that the lake hadn't been up for grabs as they had first thought.

As far as he was concerned, the wolves of Vigils Keep had yet to make contact with this mysterious pack, and Elias hadn't met any either. But when they finally met how would it fair, would they all be fast friends? Or would the situation degenerate into an us vs them mentality? Elias could only help Nin had a plan in mind...

He shook his head and continued to limp on. Elias was lost in his thoughts, silly little musings that kept his mind from wandering off onto darker paths, when he noticed a figure ahead. Rather than laying in the water as Crow had been, this one was stretched out on the grass and- had a cluster of ducklings as company.

His gaze shifted between the myriad of ducks bobbing on the lake and the little balls of fluff that seemed intent on trying to wriggle against the strangers plush coat. He could hardly blame them, cuddling was a wonderful past time, but with a wolf? Who might very well get hungry and gobble them up? Again, like his encounter with the lonely goose the prospect of putting an end to their lives seemed...disastful. He hoped that wasn't what the wolf had in mind.

"One, two, three, four, five! That's a lot of duck...Ma'm." He offered her a lazy, if not earnest smile, as he shuffled down to the ground himself. The last thing he wanted was to tower over her, he'd much prefer to get comfy, with his stomach against the grass and his front legs extended out in front of him.

Being surrounded by the little group of ducklings was anything but natural, and although it was against the grain she couldn't help but to find the experience to be somewhat pleasant. Their innocent, tiny noises. The way it tickled beneath her fur as they attempted to snuggle up with her. Their clumsy way of waddling about. How unexpected. She still was rather confused when none of the many ducks around didn't come to claim them or attempt to attack her. The relative emptiness of her belly might have implored her to attempt to make quick work of securing a meal of something grown at that point. But, that point didn't seem to be occurring anytime soon.

One of the ducklings emerged from beneath her tail to scurry over one of her hind legs, stopping close to her side to stare up at her with beady, watchful eyes. Another was pecking at a bit of dried mud on one of her feet in a pedantic manner; she flinched as it's bill managed to catch part of her pad, and she looked around incredulously as if to see if anyone, anything, had managed to take note of the ridiculous scene. Still nothing. Her brow furrowed briefly before she leaned to reach out and nudge the chest of the one who was observing her with the tip of her nose. It's fluffy feathers were quite soft and one of them came loose, lodging right inside one of her nostrils. She snorted, then sneezed awkwardly.

Another was attempting to scurry atop her back when a foreign voice finally broke through the clamoring chatter of the surrounding plumps. "That's a lot of duck...M'am." Her gaze quickly shifted to the blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy that had managed to catch her off guard in all her confusion. He limped over and settled right down. What was it with limpy wolves here? And should she be more concerned that she was covered in ducklings or about how easily the stranger just appeared and hunkered down like they were lifelong friends? Yet, her always-openmindedness gave her no cause to resist any of it. She didn't seem to be much of a big, bad predator today, did she.

"Indeed," she replied, taking in the sight of him, halfway embarrassed to be seen like this but also, strangely enough, inclined to want to protect her little brood from his jaws. "...I...I'm not really sure how this came to be," she motioned to the ducklings, "but, what do you do?" It was a figure of speech, but she was literally open to any suggestions at this point. The sun shone in her eyes, which remained soft and watchful.

Elias wasn't sure if he'd been a little too forward in getting comfortable, but he didn't mean any harm and hopefully she could see that, He was just a big, blonde softie, just because he could hurt people didn't mean he wanted to, at all. He was far more interested in talking, in getting to know others on a friendly basis. A man could never have too many friends after all. He smiled a little at her words, soft and gentle, the ducklings were in no danger from either of the wolves, it seemed. That was good. Elias let out a long relieved sigh as his tail tapped at the grace, a steady, content beat.

"I'm sure they'll find their way soon."Or at least he imagined.

There was no harm in letting them stay for now, they weren't doing her any harm. It was all rather cute really, it was a shame Ellery wasn't here to see them. Perhaps he would tell her later, even at her age she was awfully good at listening to him natter on. She truly listened to what he had to say and absorbed it into her clever mind. God he loved her.

"I was once told that young ones are good judges of character, that they pick up on things adults tend to not notice."As to what the ducklings had homed in on...well, Elias couldn't help but wonder. Her kindness perhaps? Maybe she was the motherly sort?

"I'm Elias." He offered gently, as to not pressure her to supply her own.

The boy offered a kind smile and words of reassurance. He certainly didn't appear to mind the situation at all, and in that she found some relief. If what he had said was true, she wondered what was within her that had drawn the ducklings in the first place; then she wondered if he'd perhaps seen the same thing somehow.

"I'm Elias." The name suited him - there was something light about it, heavenly, even, which matched with the desaturated shades of blue in his eyes. "Elias," she reiterated, her gaze roving over his features. "I'm Lyanna." Now that they were at least acquainted and there didn't seem to be any danger to be had from their unexpected meeting on the bank, it wasn't difficult to relax some. There in the sun, nestled in a blanket of ducklings with friendly company. She shifted her weight accomodatingly as one of the fuzz balls came over to investigate the creamy fur of her chest.

"...Perhaps it's easy to see the nature of a thing when the mind isn't clouded with the kind of doubt the world tends to imprint on everyone in time." She offered a gentle smile to him and averted her gaze to the rolling, sun-kissed waves of the lake and back. "-You come here often?" The pack scent he wore was fresh enough that he mustn't have been too far from home.

In the distance there is a large pack of coyotes howling.

Yotes really like Lyanna omg

He beamed at her name. It was soft, gentle, like the soothing pitter-patter of early morning rain. Not only that, but it instilled a sense of comfort, like it was a name that was supposed to be said with a smile. He had to agree with her though, it was so easy for judgements to get clouded, distorted by experience and prejudice. Innocence-or so Elias thought anyway- wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Even if it had inevitably led to hurt and heartbreak Elias couldn't find it in himself to regret oblivious he'd once been. If anything, he missed it sometimes, wished that he hadn't seen and done the things he had. Ah well...

"I do." He admitted, perhaps a smidge sheepish at being called out. Was it obvious? That he seemed at home out here? That he wasn't meant to be shackled to stone? "I like seeing the sky, all that blue...It's sort of- it puts things into perspective, I think."

He tilted his head up a little to watch the clouds roll on by, without a care in the world, so light and unburdened. Maybe he was a little jealous. He parted his mouth to speak, only to snap it shut when a loud, echoey call cut him off. For a moment he thought the wolves of the Keep were calling for him, dragging him back to his duties. But it was wrong, too shrill and brazen. Coyotes. Normally, it wouldn't be too much of a problem but...they seemed awfully bold as of late. Elias would much rather avoid them if it was possible.

Instinctively his attention snapped to the little ducklings, still nestled up against Lyanna's stomach as though there was no place they would rather be. Heck! He had not anticipated this. The birds weren't his responsibility-or Lyanna's for that matter- but leaving them alone to be gobbled up by coyotes was the last thing he wanted. Maybe all the ruckus would encourage their mother to swoop in and corral them?

He shifted his weight to his haunches as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. What was he supposed to do? He didn't know, so he asked.

"Uh...What should we do?"

Lyanna: The Coyote Magnet.

Surprisingly, she identified easily with what he'd gone on to say. There was something in the vastness of the sky that did put things into perspective, especially the things that at first seemed big or bothersome but really were little or nothing at all. The kind of things that were hurtful or weighed you down, or the kind of things that felt heavy to carry - not on the outside, but on the inside. All the kinds of things that made you feel blue, but were made to feel better by the soothing blues that, up above, carried on for as far as the eye could see. Lyanna looked at him then, as he inclined his head to search the sky and all of its shades. Such a softness about him, something good in a world that could be so cruel. If he had an aura, she thought then that it would be as blue as his eyes and as bright as the sun...And she liked that in a way she hadn't quite liked anything.

"It certainly does," she added to his words as if it were an afterthought, her gaze never leaving his face as a small crept to touch her lips. She could have gone on to share her own thoughts on the matter and would have if it hadn't been for the sound that rang out across the openness of the area. She'd heard it before, and hearing it again now was like listening a broken record on repeat that she didn't want to listen to anymore. It was as if the coyotes followed her everywhere she went, especially if there was a wolf with a limp around. As inconvenient as it felt to hear their shrill cries and to feel the tiny bit of adrenaline that flowed through her veins knowing that this could mean danger, it felt even more inconvenient to have their moment of solace disrupted. And as if that wasn't disheartening enough, her little ducklings all froze in place at the sound. One look at them and the coyotes would surely be eager to snatch them up, their innocent lives right along with their fuzzy forms.

Elias seemed to share her train of though, his attention quickly shifting to them as well. Lyanna perked up some, craning her neck to search for any sign that their mother or at least one of the other ducks was on its way to hustle them to the safety of the water. There was no such duck coming to the rescue, not yet anyway. "Uh...What should we do?" Good question, she thought. It wasn't like they could just waddle onto her back and ride off with them, and who knew exactly how many coyotes belonged to the not-so-distant band that was raining on their afternoon. "It doesn't seem like anyone is coming to collect them," she returned with a frown. "Maybe if we head over there," she motioned to the spot further down along the bank where the ducks who weren't flying off into the sky or lake at the sound of danger remained, "they'll follow and one of the ducks will take them, or they will find their mother?" It was all she had at the moment. Carefully she rose to her feet, a number of the little ones sliding from off her back and hind legs. They quacked helplessly, waddling together beneath her in fear as the calls of alarm rung out among the tens of other ducks on the lakeside. She lowered her head to nuzzle a couple of them reassuringly with her snout. How unbelievably unnatural, and yet she couldn't help but to feel responsible for them. She looked to Elias. "Come."

Stepping lightly, cautiously, she began to lead the way, looking over her shoulder for any sight that the coyotes were closing in on them. And, looking to see if the heavenly blonde-haired boy was following.

meant to get this up earlier but elias doesn't come to me as easy as askan

Understandably, the little ducklings seemed awfully distressed by the ruckus. Perhaps it was the paternal instincts that Ellery brought out in him, but he wanted nothing more than to hunker down and soothe them as best as he could. But Elias had to remind himself that they weren't his offspring, that even though he didn't wish to see them harmed it wasn't his place nor duty to protect them. Besides, what could he do? The coyotes weren't a threat he could face directly on his own, unless he charged off into the distance to shoo them off. He belonged to a pack now, he was in Nineva's service, he could hardly do something so reckless. If they were going to do something it would have to be smart, yet subtle.

Fortunately, Lyanna seemed to have a plan in mind. With a sense of grace and elegance Elias could only dream of, she clambered to her feet- only to duck down a little to soothe the ducklings when they cried out in distress. Just as Nin did with Ellerly... Elias sighed despite himself. She had a point though, if they got moving perhaps it would encourage the ducklings to return to their flock-if that was the word for it, Elias wasn't exactly sure how duck societies worked, or if they were even a thing. He idly remembered wondering the same thing about geese, maybe it was high time he asked about it.

And so they began the slow trek-or in Elias' case, limp- towards the bank. The ducklings with their tiny legs wobbled and hobbled after them, their little wings outspread as they tried to maintain their balance. It was awfully endearing, as much as he could have watched them for the rest of the day there was no time to lose, the sooner they got the ducklings safe with their mother the better.

"I hope it's not...imprudent to say but you're good like this, with them." He admitted as he slowed to a stop, allowing one a fluffy straggler to catch up with their little flock. Only when the duckling was in the relative safety of his shadow did he continue moving."Do you have children of your own?"

The idea seemed to work and just as soon as they could get to their little feet, the row of ducklings straggled clumsily behind, beside, underneath and behind she and Elias. The howling of the coyotes came and went and with it, so did the ducks. Many of them took to the water and some of them took to the air, flying off in variously-sized groupings to the small islands that dotted the lake or off to the horizon. She hoped as she looked down to watch one of the fuzzy children waddled skillfully between her slowly-placed paws that their mother - or whoever was ultimately responsible for them - wasn't among the feathered creatures who had opted to depart from the shore.

From just behind her, Elias made his observation of her known and asked if she had children of her own. A mirthful breath slipped from her lips and she cocked an eyebrow and looked back at him before stopping so the lot of them could regroup. When he drew to her side, she offered him a kind smile. "...Mmm, thank you." She supposed his words were a compliment. "I don't have any of my own. But I have many younger siblings - I suppose I did my part in helping to raise them. After a time, I guess it's one of those things that can come naturally." As they neared the adults who remained on the bank, she looked them over, waiting for the right one to perk up and come over to collect their ducklings - unhappily, she imagined. After all, would any one of them appreciate two wolves watching over their babies? Surely not.

"What about you? Do you have any cubs of your own?" Lyanna couldn't make any assumptions at this point as far as that was concerned. From the look of it, Elias seemed warm and kind, but that didn't necessitate fatherhood by any means. And the pack scent that lingered on his fur meant only that to her - that he belonged somewhere. Whether or not where he belonged was a place where his potential offspring may or may not be waiting for him, she couldn't possibly know. So far, there were no takers on their gaggle of ducklings, and her brows furrowed slightly in concern. One of them squeaked and brushed past her foreleg. With a soft sigh, she looked to her counterpart.