Lost Lake all you need is love

All Welcome! This thread is intended to help kickstart the Charity Chain, and therefor Chan is looking to help another character in some way!

Chan relaxed atop a wind-smoothed bolder that stood just tall enough to lift his tawny form above the waving grasses. Blood dribbled down the sides of the stone and soaked into the shaded earth below as Chan gnawed away at an exceptionally plump kill. Feathers stuck to his maw and legs, and already aerial scavengers were beginning to circle above his head.

It was a wonderfully messy and peaceful lunch, but he was growing full and there was plenty of meat left. Chan stood and lifted what was left of the carcass, thick slabs of rich meat still holding most of the skeleton together, and looked around him, nose wriggling to try and decipher other scents beyond the sharp tang of blood.

Someone else on the mountain had to be hungry, right?

Nash had been up all night, pacing the borders and keeping an eye out for any adventurous pups that might decide to sneak out and see the wide world at night. He was hungry, tired, and ready to take a nap when he smelled Chan - and blood. Lots of blood. His head lifted and he sniffed the air, concern blooming in his belly, until he realized the blood was definitely not wolf's blood. He relaxed, and turned to find his brother.

It didn't take long to find him, standing atop a low slab of stone with the mangled corpse of some sort of bird hanging from his jaws. Nash wrinkled his nose at the mess of feathers sticking to Chan's front, trying not to laugh. "Having fun?" he asked, unable to keep the bark free of amusement.

Something clicked, and in nearly the same moment, Chan heard a voice off to the side. He turned promptly to catch sight of his brother, and the grin was clear past the bloody clump of meat and feathered skin.

"Na'hh!" he greeted through the mouthful, then tossed the kill down between them.

"Always," at last came the answer to Nash's lighthearted query, Chan taking the brief moment to looking his sibling over.

"You've been up all night, haven't ya?"

He'd thought so, doing his best to keep tabs on all those under his charge, but had hoped the younger wolf had gotten some sleep in regardless; last he knew, nocturnal was not Nash's normal rhythm. For all he knew, the shade-cloaked wolf wanted to become a night owl.

Nash grinned back at his brother, not bothering to hide the snicker at the muffled words spoken through his obviously half-finished meal.

He shrugged at the question. "Been walking the borders," he said dismissively. "Didn't want to quit halfway through."

The scent of the chewed bird hit Nash's nose fully and his mouth watered. An audible growl rumbled from his stomach. He looked sheepishly up at his brother. "...Gonna finish that?" he asked.

Chan's mismatched eyes looked over Nash one more time, re-assessing his well being. In this time, a question was asked of him. Chan smiled and promptly gave the carcass a nudge with his nose, putting in enough force to make it roll twice or thrice toward the other wolf. 

"Not at all, help yourself," he encouraged, plopping his haunches down upon the ground.

"You've definitely earned it. Don't forget to take care of yourself, okay?"

The hard work was appreciated, but in Chan's mind, his brother's health came long and far before monitoring of the boundaries.

"I can always pick up where you've left off if y'need to sleep."

Chan after all was used to operating at night.

(This post was last modified: Aug 06, 2021, 02:20 AM by Chan.)

Chan rolled the bird carcass to him, and Nash fell upon it hungrily. It tasted amazing; better than any other fowl he'd had. Then again, that might just be because he was so hungry. Food always tasted better when he was hungry. Except for that one time when he hadn't eaten in a week and when he finally came across a fresh coyote kill and ate too fast and then was sick.

He'd learned that lesson.

Today, though, he didn't have to worry about being ill, as long as he didn't inhale his food.

He looked up at his brother and cocked his head. "Of coursh I shake care of myshelf," he said through a mouthful of meat. He swallowed. "I can take care of the pack, too," he added. "I don't want to leave it all on you, especially with @Aleister still sick. You need to take care of yourself too."

Chan watched his brother eat with a raised brow and amused expression. Nash really had been hungry, huh? He decided he'd keep an eye on his brother going forward, just to ensure he wasn't working himself too hard. Of course, the younger Eastfall insisted that he was just fine and it was Chan who needed relief. The tawny wolf chuckled.

"It's really not so bad, not when you got a pack of wolves like this," he gestured vaguely, clearly meaning the entire group. Each of them did more than pull their own weight in his eyes.

"You guys make this job easy."

There is a small pile of bones gathered on the ground, there might be some marrow left in them. +2 Health

Of course Chan shifted the credit to everyone else, Nash thought as he scarfed down more of the bird. He huffed at his brother, tail swishing good-naturedly behind him as he rolled his eyes. "You're always so humble," he said through a grin. Nash was always so impressed with his brother, and wished he could be like him. Yet Nash was always so awkward and any time he tried to interact with anybody other than his mother or brother he felt like he came across as clumsy. He didn't know how to talk. His behavior when Nori joined the pack was proof enough of that.

{b}"How's Al doin'?" Nash asked, sitting back and licking his lips. "I haven't been to visit him in a few days; I should probably stop by."

It was sad, knowing that Aleister was too sick to enjoy watching his pups grow. They were growing so fast, and by the time he was better, Al might have missed it.

Chan couldn't help the reddening of his face and sheepening of his expression as Nash teased him. In all honestly, the man didn't really like being complimented. It created this weird, aversive feeling inside of him that he really didn't understand. He was happy to move on.

"Last I knew he was pretty much the same, it might be something he'll be fightin' for... a bit."

Of course, there was no way for any of them, even @Aquene and Landen, to know for sure what Aleister's future held.

"You should take him some of the pheasant, yeah? Pay it forward?"

Chan said this with a wink; he knew Nash didn't need him whispering in his ear to do thoughtful things by any means, and clearly his brother had already been thinking about their infirmed leader.