Renegades Vigil I know you said you had a fragile heart

What a mess, Levi thought as his ears slowly lowered. Thankfully, his new friend wasn't mad at him for his clumsiness, mostly caused by inexperience. The youth was also kind of just 'like that,' it seemed, and it definitely hadn't always turned out alright when these sorts of things happened in front of his peers.

"Y-yeah..." Leviticus tried to assure Sawyer, even though it was very clear he was not confident in his ability to not spin out again. Shakily, he reached one paw forward and set it carefully down, toes splaying for purchase. The other young man's suggestion prompted him to lower his chest and neck onto the ice and snow, but his back legs remained more or less locked. Slowly but steadily, he started scooting his way back to Sawyer.

"Are you f-from around here?" he asked, the snow against his face and throat chilling him. "This Winter h-heck is crazy!"

At least Levi seemed to be alright... Sawyer offered another kind smile with another step forward. His tail wagged as he took couple more, then slipped into a play bow by pure accident (he didn't whack his funny bones this time, thankfully). "Here?" he questioned, "Naw, but I guess I could brag that I'm decent in the snow."

He used his core to push him back up and stand up straight, watching Levi's every move. "You got it," he encouraged. "Jus' keep coming this way." A paw lifted slightly before pressing back down into the frost. He shrugged, "Ehhh, this winter's okayyyy... It's mild at best." Had he been human, he could have easily been picking his nails at the edge of an ice rink, talking down his nose about this mediocre ski resort of a place. "I dunno 'bout you but this winter hasn't been thaaat bad." It might've only been the second one he had ever lived through, but one of his first memories did entail being afraid of the howling winds and waking up into a world of a blanket of cold, white and uncomfortable-feeling crunchy stuff. Now that he was a lot older, though, and very much used to traveling through it, snow was just a simple inconvenience.

"Just a little closer," he continued to coach. "Maybe we should move, like, a waaaaayyyy's away from the marsh." He clenched his teeth in a mock grimace, just turning up his charismatic charm, "Avoid all the ice an' all. Yeah?"

(This post was last modified: Jan 30, 2021, 01:04 AM by Sawyer.)

you musn't be afraid
to dream a little bigger, darling
⟡ ⟡ ⟡

Levi tried to keep his eyes on Sawyer, especially when the other boy spoke. That was polite, regardless of whether you were shoveling snow with your face or not. It would make his heart do a little leap if his friend looked about to slip, but when Sawyer smiled so did he, fangs poking out and whiskers bristling. The consistent encouragement did wonders, and by the time he was nearing where it was far more snow than ice, his bushy tail was wagging eagerly above his head.

Sawyer's nonchalance and confidence regarding Winter and it's woes made Levi hope dearly he never saw more than a mild one. Had River gone too far North, where it was too dangerous? Please please please keep him warm and away from this ice stuff! the youth prayed.

Maybe though, River had been lucky enough to find a good egg like Sawyer who very clearly knew how to handle himself in this 'Winter heck.'

At last his paws found purchase that wasn't immediately fleeting, and he burst forward in a flurry of kicked up snow and jubilation.

"Woo!"

Levi shook his coat out, hard, to try and dislodge the ice and snow from his chest and dial.

"I'm all for that!" he barked out. "Let's find a beach..."

Golden sands and beating sunlight sounded like heaven right now.

(This post was last modified: Jan 30, 2021, 02:04 AM by Leviticus.)

"Where I'm from, you'd get easily snowed into a den at worst," he tossed in casually, throwing some sort of measure to back up his previous statement about how low-key the cold season was thus far. "You'll get your snow-legs in due time..."

Little by little and inch by inch, Levi crept forward. The surface of the shallows might've cracked and threatened to give way beneath him but it didn't; and, as soon Levi was able to get a grip, he did so with the sort of exuberance Sawyer had been hankering to see. See, he wordlessly relayed with a couple of raised brows, It ain't that bad. His eyes fluttered closed as he drew back when Levi shook out his coat. In turn, he did the same, even kicking out his hind legs one at a time behind him just for good measure and well-needed stretch.

"Woo!"

"Woooo!" It wasn't a howl, but Sawyer joined in, congruent and rather pleased to have helped in some small way. He leapt away in the opposite direction of the marsh just to make sure they didn't start slipping and sliding and they'd be in skating about all over again. "C'mon, Slick!" he called over his shoulder, before bounding off and stopping quite a distance away. His head came up as if he needed the height to look out for his traveling buddy. His tail rose in a friendly wave as he beckoned and barked to keep their conversation on a high note, "If we're gonna go a-lookin' for trees and a River, let's go! Hustle it up!" The sun was going to set soon and if the duo wanted to make the best of the day's last light, Sawyer supposed he was ready to drag Levi along...

you musn't be afraid
to dream a little bigger, darling
⟡ ⟡ ⟡

"Aye aye Captain!"

Levi bounded after Sawyer's lead, more assured than ever that the other wolf would keep him safe and guide him well. Hopefully, he'd be of some benefit in return; he'd certainly try his hardest to be. His company's words had him bubbling with giggles and laughter once more, spurred on to pump his legs even faster.

As they moved on from the Marsh and it's unstable grounds, Leviticus cast his olive gaze upward to the sky and thanked the universe for sending him such a great new friend.

/Fade