Turtleback Lake when our worlds collide

@Adarius - let the dad meet the son <3
Backdated to Sept 26th, south side of Turtleback Lake.

Ayti didn't know what drew him to the south side of the lake. He rarely drifted far from his home anymore. Or... well, he hadn't been much of a wanderer since he got to the Lore at all so this was a small stretch for him. But it felt good to get away, especially now that the coyotes had stopped showing up so often. Those buggers were irritating, to say the least, though Ayti hadn't had any true run ins with them that caused him any harm.

He was just about to settle in a sunny spot to bask with fresh-caught fish to nibble on for a while when he caught wind of a musky odor that he could only pinpoint as coyote. It overpowered the scent of his meal, as fishy as it was. Nostrils flared as he turned around, ears erect and tail bristling and stiff as he scanned the area around him.

"Anyone there?" he called gruffly, preparing himself for a scuffle.

life could be so easy

The boy had supposed that away from the smoke was as good a direction as any. An older, wiser wolf might have identified this direction as North, but this child was something else. There was a wild light in his blazing eyes, accentuated by the angular tufts of fur sticking up over bone. Legs and ears that would have been oversized on his agemates looked comical without the bulk to even them out. He looked like something from any other pups ghost story, a wild wraith come to steal them away into the night, away from everyone and everything they held dear. A cautionary tale in motion.

The scent of food was what drew him in initially. He had gotten by so far by scavenging scraps from his captors, and as he shot up to dwarf them in size, eventually shoving them off larger portions for himself. Of course they had numbers on their side, so he rarely got more than he could swallow whole, but he had scrapped enough to live this long. Now that his captors had vanished, well, he wasn't doing as well as he had been.

The owner of the prize was far larger than he was, larger than any of the coyotes that had stolen him away. He supposed if he was quick he might be able to steal it, but the fish wasn't small either, and he was certain it would slow him down if he was lucky enough to snatch it anyway. When a sound came from the other creature, soothing in a way the sounds his mother had made, but different, the boy crouched down, muscles tensing warily, hoping the undergrowth would be enough to conceal where he was as he wordlessly licked his lips. Maybe if he just waited it out, the other would leave some scraps behind.

if you'd just start acting more like the other boys

(This post was last modified: Sep 28, 2018, 11:40 PM by Adarius.)

It smelled like coyotes, but not... an odd blend of yote and wolf, perhaps? Plus a twinge of something familiar that he honestly couldn't place. Aytigin wasn't afraid - honestly, what did he have to fear, now that he was healed entirely of his former ailments and powerful enough to take on nearly anything the forest had to offer. It would take nothing short of a bear to intimidate the Delaney man, and perhaps that was unwise of him.

The older man's nose twitched experimentally and he rose to his paws, stretching slowly. This was a wolf, he was almost certain of it. Hazel eyes and posture both were neutral as he spotted eyes near his own color looking back at him.

Oh - it was a pup.

Remembering his springtime escapades caused a chill to run down his spine, and Aytigin cleared his throat as he nudged the large fish over toward the gangly thing. "Want some?" he offered with what he hoped was a reassuring smile, tail swaying invitingly behind him.

You smell the remains of an elk nearby. Enjoy your feast! +10 Health

life could be so easy

When the other wolf began to approach, the boy turned his head, allowing the whites of his wide eyes to show as all of his muscles strained backwards in a silent lean. He was torn somewhere between freezing and fleeing, even with the other animals relaxed stance and waving tail, much like the mother coyote offering scaps to her young. He couldn't remember any other than his own mother making a gesture like that to him before.

The boy eyed the fish with distrust. Was it a trap to get him closer so the bigger one could catch him? His breath was coming in short sharp inhales and exhales, his heart was thundering in his ears, but the aching of his clenching gut won out and with an unexpected burst of speed he sprung forwards to grab at the fish. He kept running in an erratic pattern, as though dodging attacks that he expected to come at any moment while he tried to swallow the fish whole. It got caught in the back of his throat and suddenly the boy couldn't breathe. He skidded to a stop and coughed, spitting the meat on the ground between his paws, stepping to stand over it defensively. Mine! the boy thought loudly to himself, yelling the thought to his companion with raised hackles and bared teeth.

if you'd just start acting more like the other boys

Poor kid... Ayti's ears flicked backward in concern when the boy shot forward to grab the fish and promptly proceeded to run and eat at the same time. He was starving - rail thin and willowy, with swarthy fur that matched his own and those eyes with only a bit more orange. It felt like someone poured icewater down his back, because unless his wayward father had gotten around during breeding season, the odds of this child looking like him only really pointed to one thing.

Regardless of if it was his, his father's, or someone else's... the massive wolf knew he had to do something. Every instinct screamed at him to care for and feed the boy - to make him feel safe.

Lowering his body a bit and sweeping his tail from side to side, Ayti took on a more submissive stature for the feral child. He didn't want to cause him to stress any further, and he didn't think that he understood actual speech. So the older wolf smiled instead and decided to speak only for his own benefit.

"All for you," he assured, nodding his head. "I can get you more. More? Do you understand that?"

life could be so easy

The sound was both soothing and distressing all at once. The tone didn't sound angry and the way he crouched hardly seemed a threat, but it was still foreign to the boy and he clenched the fish between his teeth, his head remained lowered, his tail tucked against his stomach, ready to run at the first sign of movement from the other beast.

But even over the scent of the fish between his jaws, he could smell it as the wind shifted its course, his stomach giving an audible growl in response and his ears fell further back against his skull. He tore his eyes from the dark reflection that seemed so much more steady than himself, and then back over his shoulder. Another glance at the wolf had him sighing, the low grumble in his throat sounding something like deafeat.

Without another sign he picked up the chunk of fish, holding it possessively as he sought out the larger meal as best he could, expecting the stranger to follow. But he wasn't getting his fish back. It belonged to Adarius now.

if you'd just start acting more like the other boys

There was no way in hell Ayti would try and take the fish away from him now, and it was clear that any conversation would likely be useless at that point. He was cool with that. The pup didn't have to answer him if he didn't want to, or if he couldn't do so. But he wasn't going to just let him go away now. He'd feed him all the fish he wanted.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts to realize that there was another carcass nearby, but the starving pup was all over it. So Ayti simply got to his feet and followed him, stepping forward and grabbing onto one of the deer's legs to yank until it came off the carcass, and then deposited it by the pup's paws so he could eat easier.

Judging by the child's scent, he wasn't in the company of any other wolves. Coyotes, possibly, but not other wolves. So if he didn't have anyone to take care of him, Ayti would be happy to do just that.

"Eat," he ordered softly, nudging the deer leg at him before sitting back.

He cleared his throat and attempted to make his words clear and concise - easy to understand, if possible. "My name is Ayti. I'm Ayti," he told him, lifting one paw to his chest. "You got a name?"

life could be so easy

The boy had stood back from the carcass when they got closer, knowing how the coyotes reacted around large kills and not wanting to lose an ear or an eye, besides, maybe while the big one was distracted yanking on the leg like that he'd finally be able to finish off the fish that he had stolen.

He was chewing the last of the flesh when a thump in front of his face sent him skittering back again, eyes narrowed accusingly and ears flat against his skull. The fuck? but his expression quickly morphed to confusion as he noticed more meat than he had seen in his life dropped right in front of him. It was tempting to gorge himself but his stomach was already rebelling at the presence of the fish, and as if his misery at going from nothing to so much wasn't enough to keep him distracted, the big one was making noises again.

Name. That was one thing he had clung to through it all, though he hadn't tried to open his mouth to form the sound in a long, long time. His lips drew in a tight line, staring at the toes of this Ayti and he tried to form the sound. "Ahh-" His voice was so hoarse he had to take a break to cough. "Ahh-dah-rus..." He stopped to shake his head, no that wasn't quite right. "Ahh-dah-ri-us... Adarius!" He said with more certainty, a nod coming at the end for emphasis. "Dari."

if you'd just start acting more like the other boys

Poor kid's stomach was probably hurting from just eating the fish on its own - Ayti hadn't taken that into account. He needed to introduce food slowly to him, or he would get sick. Slowly, Ayti moved to nudge the deer leg off to the side and sit before the kid, seeing as he didn't seem to be too terrified of him anymore.

"I'll get you all the food you could need," he assured gently, hazel eyes softening and ears pressing back just a bit. "You don't have to worry about finding food anymore, okay? I'll help you." His last three words were spoken slower and more carefully, as he wanted the pup to understand them the best. He would do everything in his power to keep him fed and safe and comfortable, if the child decided to stick around, of course. And if Neha and Nineva let him stay - but he couldn't imagine them not. After all, who could turn a pup away at the borders?

Adarius.

Well, he fit the A theme for most Delaney guys. And there was no doubt that he was a Delaney, in some form. At least, there wasn't any doubt in Aytigin's mind. Whether his or Ajay's would be up for debate.

But Ayti had decided this was his kid now.

"Good boy," Ayti praised, tail thumping on the ground as the kid said his name correctly. "Dari is a nice name."