Sanguine Cove what will tomorrow bring

A few days had passed since his ascension of the mountains with Siyet, and the rather eventful reunion with the cove wolves. But it had gone well, and so far, he felt good about it. Maybe coming back here had been the right choice. There had also, evidently, been a change in the leadership of the Cove that he hadn’t been aware of at the time. Chan was apparently the leader, for now. That news had come as something of a surprise, but a welcome one.

With a few days to rest and ponder some of that, the dark one opted to seek him out. Jethro recalled he’d expressed interest previously in learning how to craft the skins the two of them had previously used to transport goods, as well as to gain further knowledge of herbal remedies. He hoped Chan wasn’t too busy with new duties, and that he might be able to spare some time to pass on such knowledge.

Not for free, of course. Whatever he had to do to earn the knowledge, or trade for it, he would do without question. The thought of committing himself permanently to the pack had crossed his mind too. Jethro did not find himself as staunchly opposed to the idea, anymore. In the event Chan hadn’t the time for anything else, perhaps they could at least discuss that topic so that he might find some clarification there. And maybe, come to some kind of conclusion.

-for @Chan -- sorry I'm a little late getting this up

Chan rested near the main den, keeping tabs on the children and their antics to allow @Kip and @Aquene a reprieve. It took a pack, after all. His shift so far had been calm; the pups had gotten old enough that they could be trusted to wander a little ways without direct supervision, meaning he mostly needed to just keep an ear out and do a round every so often. A low-energy task, unless something went wrong. What was there way up here to harm them, though?

He heard Jethro's approach before he caught his scent, tawny ears lifting as his mismatched eyes opened. The Eastfall smiled and rolled onto his side, stretching all four legs out to bring them back to life. He didn't get up yet though, comfortable enough with the young man to remain relaxed.

"Heya Jet, how's it goin'?"

The search for the Cove leader brought Jethro further into pack territory than he’d been, before. Scents were more prevalent, including several he had yet to meet. Undoubtedly, there would be kids running around somewhere, too - and he’d have to keep an eye out for them.

Thankfully, though, a bit more walking revealed Chan resting alone amidst all the scents. He appeared to be sleeping, but a flick of his ears a stretch revealed that apparently wasn’t the case. The cove leader flashed him a smile, but continued to lounge as he offered a greeting.

”G’morning, Chan. Going pretty well. Didn’t interrupt your rest though, did I?” The dark one flashed a wry grin toward the other as he spoke, coming to a halt a half dozen or so steps from the other, but there was a note of genuine worry in the inquiry. It didn’t look like he’d awakened Chan, but it felt courteous to ask. Besides, if he was able to stay here, this guy was going to be his alpha. It was going to be weird, getting used to those things again - even if this place was nothing like what he’d known. Maybe Chan - or those in the alpha role in general here - didn’t act like how they had in his birthplace, but it was still something Jet intended to respect.

As such, he also wasn’t going to waste too much of the man’s time. ”I was, hopin’, whenever ya have time, to learn how to make those skins we used, before.” It went without saying that those had proven incredibly helpful for their task, and Jethro had been pondering what other uses they might have. ”And.. uh, was hopin' to discuss me maybe staying here permanently.” The bigger topic, and one he hoped to obtain some advice on.

The void-cloaked wolf proved considerate in his response, though Chan shrugged away the concern and assured that "nah," he was "just on standby til a pup needs me." Or a Jethro. As the younger man went on, the temporary luminary sat up and began to look around. Chan had a couple more pelts in the works, stashed here and there.

"I can go over it now, if you want."

He'd just need to go fetch one first, as to him it was better to learn by seeing and doing oneself rather than by simply being told. There were definitely a few in the main den, which was only so many strides away.

"Whaddya wanna discuss about it?"

The question was spoken with curiosity; for to him, it was simple. If Jethro wanted to stay here, then the decision was already made. Chan certainly wouldn't be the one to chase others away and attempt to hoard the lake's bounty, pretending that he owned what belonged to all living creatures. 

Chan assured Jethro that he hadn't interrupted a period of rest and that he'd mostly just been keeping an eye out for the pups. Jethro let out a soft little sigh of relief at that, letting the bit of rigidity in his posture melt away along with his concern. "I gotcha. Hopefully it ain't too long before I meet 'em." He'd expressed some hesitancy before when the topic of young ones had come up. Though he still wasn't overly fond of the idea of spending a prolonged period of time around pups, it would be to his benefit to meet them, he supposed. And to get acquainted with the mothers too. Get on everyone's good side that he could.

Jet arched a brow in surprise as his possible future alpha sat up and offered to go over the topic now. So he had time, then. That was good. The dark one offered a nod, eager to see and study the technique, a sentiment that reflected in his eyes. "That works. I was wonderin', can ya use them, as.. like.. coverings or bedding? Against the cold, if anyone got sick?" A little extra comfort or insulation couldn't hurt, in those situations. Perhaps the pack already did that, though.

The other asked him a deceptively simple question after that, causing the formerly eager expression to morph into something more calculating. It was not what Jet might've expected from a leader - to ask what he thought about it. He'd been expecting some kind of speech, some sort of initiation, or pledge of loyalty. Maybe even a combination of the three, if not more. Perhaps those things were to come, but it wasn't how he'd anticipated the discussion would start.

"Well, first.. I suppose, I was wonderin' if there's anything specific I have to do to become part of the Cove?" He supposed it didn't hurt to lead off with that inquiry, get that out of the way up front. "Where I come from, was nothing like this. It feels weird that I.. just show up here, and y'all are more welcoming than -" he cut himself off there, taking in a breath before he said too much about his birthplace. "Well, that you all would just let me stay. Never seen anything like it." The astonishment surrounding it all had not ceased as of yet. If he did stay, Jethro hoped he never would. He didn't want to take such a blessing for granted.

Chan did have to wonder about Jethro's past, given how he'd kept his distance thus far despite the Eastfall family's welcoming ease. Whatever had helped to mold the young man, he was glad that Jet had seemed to hold onto plenty of good qualities rather than hermiting completely or being sour with others. Or maybe, this was just him, who Jethro was. Cautious, thoughtful.

"Absolutely," he replied to the younger man's inquiries about utilizing furs. It was clear the black-furred wolf had given this some thought, and in a way that showed consideration to the needs of others. Chan appreciated that.

At last the leader got onto his paws, hefting his weight and muscle back atop those long, thick legs before stretching his spine out one more time, tongue unfurling with a yawn. He was aiming to fetch a pelt, but the conversation was still moving and he didn't want to pull away just yet, even if only for a moment.

"No specifics, not as far as I'm concerned. You wanna be here, then you're home."

Maybe @Aleister would have tested the younger wolf or given him stipulations, Chan couldn't really be sure. As far as he knew, everyone else had simply expressed the desire to stay and were allowed, and that's how the Eastfall believed it should be. If it was to be different, that could be enforced by the Vuesain himself when he took back the reigns.

"I've seen packs run things so many different ways, and some were... pretty hard to not interfere with. I think trying to force order and compliance on the world is pretty futile, though."  

In a single word response, Chan confirmed that the skins could be used for some of the purposes Jet had asked about. A part of him was ever so slightly disappointed that his ideas weren’t some kind of new innovation, but at least it proved he’d been on the right track. The dark one offered a curt nod and afforded himself a wry smile at that, anyway, excited to learn the skill for himself. The more knowledge he had, the better.

The Cove Alpha stood and afforded himself a moment for a luxurious stretch before moving on to address the second topic. As far as he was concerned, Chan said, if Jet wanted to be here, that would be that. Such a declaration fit everything Jethro had seen thus far, but the sense of surprise remained. ”I see. Guess that’s what I have to decide.” Jethro murmured, brow furrowing in thought.

Remaining here sounded appealing, more so than it would've mere months ago, for a plethora of reasons. The desire to remain was stronger than before, but hesitation refused to dissipate. Jethro felt undeserving of such kindness, like a derelict trying to convince himself he could fit in.

The other spoke up again though, offering another bit of useful insight and one particular observation that Jethro was pretty sure he agreed with. Jet hadn’t had much experience with packs and was content to defer to the other’s judgment. If he had seen packs run in a variety of different ways, the dark one was inclined to accept that as probable truth. ”Makes sense. Forcin’ anything on anyone will just eventually cause conflict, somewhere. Live and let live,” he spoke with a small shrug. Some kind of structure was likely a necessity in a pack. But something like this - Jet thought - was far better than what he’d once known.

He wouldn’t have had any problems letting folks like those at his birthplace die or be killed. But here, for someone like Chan? Jethro was pretty sure he’d be willing to risk injury or death to protect someone like that. Maybe that could be his purpose. Like Nash, if he stayed, he could be a guardian.

Chan could definitely understand the younger wolf not being certain what he wanted to do; he'd understand Jethro never really knowing. After all, it wasn't like he himself had really found a permanent home even as his fifth year peeked out at him from over the horizon. His shoulders rolled in a sort of shrug, as the words 'I guess that's what I have to decide' fell from the other's tongue. Sure or not, there was plenty of room at the lake for Jethro to live amongst them, no matter if he eventually discovered he'd want to move on.

Live and let live, yes, that was very much how the temporary alpha preferred to go about things. Chan's head bobbed along to the words, nodding in agreement.

"There's no pressure from us, Jet. All I want from you is to live your life however makes you happy, and allow others to do the same. If that leads you out of the Cove, even without a word, it's all the same to me. I trust you're doing your best to do what you feel is right."

They all were. Even the worst of them.

The cove alpha nodded in agreement to the mantra Jethro had spoken and adopted throughout the last year. He was silent for a moment, and when he did speak, it wasn’t to try to sway Jet’s opinion one way or the other. There was no pressure from any of them, he said. All he wanted or expected was that Jet live his life in whatever way made him happy, provided he did not prevent others from doing the same.

”Is it really.. so simple?” He questioned softly, finding such a concept almost unimaginable, so contrary to what he’d always known. Happiness was another foreign emotion the dark one had little experience with, something he’d thought unattainable for so long. He’d spent very little time assessing the situation through that lens. Jet’s brow furrowed in thought - would remaining here make him happy?

Loneliness had been his constant companion, solitude the one thing that’d brought him peace. Jethro did not believe he’d ever relinquished that bit of himself completely. But all of the new things he’d experienced, first with Nori, and now the others here? It was not unpleasant. Far from it. It was, in fact, quite nice.

”This place ain’t like anythin’ I’ve known. In good ways, so I think.. I wanna stay. At least, for a while. And see how it goes.” For all of the practical reasons, and for some of the ones that were less practical and had more to do with these new experiences. It was worth an honest try, at least.

It should be, Chan's thoughts reflexively answered Jethro's uttered query. He knew often that it wasn't, or more accurately that a lot of wolves got lost in complexities instead of letting go and properly minding the scope of their own control. Hopefully, this mountain home would remain simplistic.

The tawny wolf's smile was bolstered by Jethro's following statement, glad to hear that he wanted to stay with the Cove wolves longer. In his opinion, the young man was a good wolf, and could only benefit those around him.

"I'll be happy to have ya around," he replied.

"I'm sure the others will too."

Feeling the matter had reached an end, he turned toward the pack den, still intending on fetching one of the fresher skins he'd been prepping.

"Wait here, I'll grab a pelt n' show y'how to clean it."