Fool's Gold Chasm gold into glitter

The subtle touch exchanged between the two was pleasant. It wasn't complicated or finicky - affection at its simplest. How Riven took to his words, however, took him by surprise. He tried to steal a glimpse at the younger wolf's face, but couldn't. His ever-present concern about potential threats held precedence.

"Oh, I assure you, I am myself," he huffed, side-stepping around a boulder and continuing through the ferns.

"I want to know you. I can't help it-" Riven continued. "I just... I feel like there's so much of you that I don't understand, and I want to, more than anything."

Adelard's steps slowed to a stop. Again, he peered into the other's face. The features of his masked face were soft; and, though his ears tilted forward, they definitely read as curious rather than offended. It was a lot to take in at first, to process and comprehend. His younger self would have easily told Riven all about himself, bragging and crowing. As it stood, the Gerau had matured with a sense of modesty after his time alone in the wilderness.

"Then, ask away," he proffered the opportunity. "Where I'm from, no one thought to. Being groomed as my parents' heir and successor brought on assumptions and speculations. They thought wrong when they all believed to know me." Even Aubine, in the past few months, had lost her touch. These days, they were mere strangers who were becoming best friends again.

"What do you want to know?"

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

He'd had no anecdotal evidence, but Riven had figured Adelard to be from a proper upbringing. A different type of proper than his own, where there was a more structured hierarchy. They'd had stories of kings and queens for the pups, and something about the Gerau siblings did seem... regal. Reminded him of princes and princesses. So hearing that Adelard had been an heir did not surprise him.

Still, he wondered how that must feel, going from a kingdom to a chasm, and suddenly being subordinate to someone else and taking on a completely different role.

Riven smiled a bit, pretending to give his question a great deal of thought. It would probably be best to avoid extremely personal questions, at least right off the bat, so instead of commenting on his upbringing or family, Riv began with something easy.

"Do you have a favorite color?" he questioned, glancing up at the other man.

For such a simple question, Adelard had to mull it over with great thought. He had never even considered such a thing before. He had a collection of favorite memories, favorite smells, a favorite treat, and favorite pastimes... but not a favorite color. He hummed as they stood in place. His eyes had honed in on the shadow beneath a particularly large fern when he thought of it.

"Blue," the word was so light on his tongue that he thought he might have breathed the color into being... as if the sky above would lighten into a new day just so he could show Riven which blue he meant. In fact, he could have used anything from his curated list of novel, blue-hued things: a cloudless afternoon sky, faded cornflower petals, and ever-rare budding blue poppy blooms from the edges of his homelands. Instead, he slipped, "Light blue like your eyes."

Embarrassment and bashfulness threatened to take him under again, but he recovered. "How about you?"

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

Riven's eyes widened at the honesty - and boldness - of Adelard's statement. His face heated up and he felt the need to look away, but forced himself to maintain eye contact. If Adelard was being honest tonight, he wanted to reciprocate.

His mouth was dry, and he had to clear his throat before he could respond.

"I've always been partial to green. Ferns and herbs and leaves," he admitted, taking a deep breath and offering the other man a gentle smile. "Though, recently I've been preferring gold." Sunshine, dandelions, and Adelard's gaze. It was difficult to look away sometimes.

His flank brushed against the other man's again as they walked. "Do you have questions for me?" he asked quietly.

Green. Before Adelard's unseeing eyes, his mind painted a scene of an endless meadow. The most perfect tint of blue meeting the most vibrant of greens of ferns and herbs. Then...

"Though, recently I've been preferring gold."

Immediately, his picture-perfect clearing in the forest grew dark. Every fern, every herb, and blade of grass bathed in the glow of a magnificent sunset. From the corner of his mind's eye, the cavern they called home glittered and sparkled from within. Gold.

"Hmm," he mused as they picked up the pace again. They were no longer wading in unfamiliar waters. The air between them had neutralized at last as they began to lay down some foundation. Their friendship was only just beginning to take flight. "Do you have any siblings?"

(This post was last modified: May 28, 2021, 06:58 PM by Adelard.)

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

That description is so good~

Riven took a deep breath through his nose and settled into an easy gait alongside the other man, losing his embarrassment and nervousness as quickly as they'd come. He felt soothed, almost, at the simplicity of the conversation. Nothing too heavy or urgent, and they could move at their own pace.

"Possibly," he responded to the next question, taking in a deep breath of cool night air. "I know that my parents were going to try for another litter this year, so I might have some younger siblings back home right now."

It didn't really hurt to talk about, per say, but he did feel a little down at the idea that he might never actually get to know his siblings, if his parents had decided to conceive another litter. Their coupling had been unsuccessful last spring, though they'd been given blessings in hopes that it would help out this season. Riven wasn't sure how much of that he believed, but he did hope that they managed to have more. Even if they had hurt him, he didn't want them to be lonely when they were old.

"And you?" he asked, looking back up at the man. "I know you have Aubine, but are there more Geraus?"

All too soon, the forest before him darkened further. Gone were the shimmering sunbeams and glittering golden sparks of the chasm. Evening had fallen and he was here... with Riven. He was on his nightly patrol and the Healer had come along for the stroll. So far, so good. Usually, by now, something (or someone) ambled out of the blue and rained on his parade. He was grateful to have Riven all to himself again; frankly, he had started to miss him.

"Aubine and I are the classic 'heir and spare,'" there was a smirk on his black-lined lips. "After us, a set of triplets and another set of twins. Rambunctious. Obnoxious. Each one of them. It's all up to them now how my father's pack will fare. I'm sure there are more of them this year; another set of twins if my parents are lucky."

He navigated around a fallen log. Just a little further, then he would start taking Riven back around and away from pack borders. At a moss-covered boulder, he stopped again. He pressed his pads to the soft, cool surface. "Hey," he mused, looking to the blond, now, without lifting his paw. There was a playful lilt in his tone; had it been anyone else, he might have been more haughty and reprimanding. "You've been reinforcing my markers, right?"

He set his paw down, then pointed with his nose to the place where he had touched the rock. "It works a lot better when it smells like there's more than one brute at the border."

(This post was last modified: May 30, 2021, 10:23 PM by Adelard.)

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

"Oh, your family is big," Riven marveled, a smile spreading across his lips. Six siblings sounded amazing - the healer's parents were not blessed with such fertility, though he'd always secretly longed for more playmates growing up. He'd had a few - Leviticus popped into his mind, briefly, and his brows drew together for a second before he whisked the thought away. Hopefully the other boy was doing just fine. "I've always wanted a big family. Where I was from, that was counted as a blessing."

His ears perked when Adelard propped himself up on a mossy rock, his head tilting to the side in confusion. Reinforcing the markers? He knew that that was a thing that guards did, but he'd never thought through the logistics of it. The fact that he didn't know that that was something he was supposed to be doing was embarrassing - the fact that he wasn't really sure how was even more so.

The healer shifted his paws and couldn't help but laugh a little at the man's next statement. "Am I a brute?" he questioned, before looking over at the rock again. "I've never... reinforced markers before." That was more embarrassing to admit than he thought it'd be. "It wasn't part of my training. But I don't mind doing it, now!" he amended quickly. He felt the first pinpricks of shame heating up his fur as he finished with a lame, "Just... how do you... do it, exactly?"

"Am I a brute?" Coming from Riven, the question sounded almost comical, but Adelard held his composure. "I've never... reinforced markers before." When the blond continued on, the Gerau still smiled. "Just... how do you... do it, exactly?"

Adelard felt a chuckle bubble up in his chest. "It's easy," he assured him. "Just set your paw where you want to place a marker. This establishes our borders." Urine and scat were other ways to put up a keep out sign, he knew; but, those types of markers were reserved for those in Leadership. Adelard was neither truculent nor the type to get caught raising a leg.

"Your scent will be left behind," he knew Riven wasn't stupid. He just wanted to rehash the idea, put it in so many other ways that were more easily understood. "Like an 'I was here' kind of deal. 'Watch out.'"

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

Oh, so all he had to do was put a foot down. Riven padded his way over to a tree and pressed his paw pad against the trunk, a small smile forming on his maw. "Watch out," he repeated, lowering his voice into something he hoped was a tiny bit more intimidating. He turned his attention back to the larger man with a light laugh. "Let's hope it doesn't end up like my encounter with Hudson's sister. She wasn't afraid of me at all." It'd been embarrassing, actually.

He sighed through his nose and glanced around them, the darkness lingering on the edges of his field of vision seeming far less intimidating with his companion by his side. "Are you planning on staying out all night?" he questioned, tilting his head to the side. "Or would you like to sleep sometime before dawn?" It was more healthy than sleeping through the day, and it was Riven's job to make sure his packmates were as healthy as they could be. Though he had some more personal investment in this one, he had to admit.