Windsong Fjord Kids screaming in their cradles

Mid-afternoon, broken clouds, 39F/4C. For @Seri <3

He had moved north from the strange spring nestled within the forest, glad to leave its grasping branches behind. Keeping the mountain to his right, he hoped to come upon some way to get around it, not wanting to take the risk of going over it. At the very least the trees provided some protection from the elements, whereas he would be at the mercy of the wind and rain if he trekked up the mountain, and being a wolf that was easily cold, he felt it best to stick to lower ground.

Wrynn grunted as he heaved himself over a fallen tree, but misjudged how low the ground was on the other side due to the steepness of the forest, and found himself scrabbling desperately with all four paws to stay upright. A few moments later he fell face-first and head over heels with a yelp that cut off suddenly as he fell onto his back, the wind knocked fully out of his lungs. He lay there dejectedly, staring up at the tree canopy with a grimace as he attempted to regain his breath, his soft gasps too quiet to be heard over the rushing wind.

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

The Donata boy had been pushing his limits every day. As he was starting to grow, as he was starting to grow into the awkward limbs he had been given and grow into himself as a young man, he was pushing for more and more adventure every day. Normally, he was reserved and cautious, but even the most reserved and cautious had their rebellious streaks in them as well. It was just him and his mom, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t want to go out, meet others, and see the world. He had yet to have any kind of bad interaction with a stranger, after all, and he was always quite cautious about what information he gave away.

He was smart… at least that was what he liked to tell himself.

He had wandered out to the Fjord. He had only been a few times, but now seemed as good a time as any to revisit the place. What he wasn’t expecting was to watch someone tumble over. The boy’s head tilted curiously to the side. He was older, an adult, but not quite as adult as his mum was. “You okay?” He asked, curious but sincere as he headed closer to him. He had taken quite the fall and there was a grimace on his face. From Seri’s experience, a grimace meant pain.

His misery was interrupted by a voice, sounding childlike in nature, and asking if he was okay. Sure, he was okay, things could be better, but this was not the first time he had had to try and catch his breath in gasping inhalations, and it would likely not be the last. Wrynn shifted his head to look over at them, and immediately took note of the fact that they were most definitely a kid, even though they were larger than him. But that was pretty normal in his case, given his small stature and demeanour. He knew kids could be cruel, sometimes even more so than adults, but this one seemed kind, if not a little worried.

"Mostly," he managed to groan out once he had gained function of his lungs again. It would take a few minutes until he could breathe normally again, but he had enough control to be able to talk. "Just fell off this fallen tree... I'll be fine." Wrynn didn't want to worry the kid, and speaking of kids, where was the parent? His tail instinctively curled up by his hind legs at the thought of an angry parent berating him for talking to their child. "You got a parent nearby?" He asked quietly, gazing up at the kid with a pinched expression, half hoping there was one nearby and they weren't lost, but also hoping there was not one nearby and he could slip away before angering said parent.

(This post was last modified: Nov 27, 2021, 02:44 AM by Wrynn.)

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

There was concern as he watched the teen seem to heave and catch his breath. Never before had he seen such a display, though he knew he had certainly experienced having the wind knocked out of him before from a similar circumstance, though he would never admit it to anyone. Mostly. He bit his tongue to fight back from the chuckle, afraid it might offend. He was still cautious around adults he didn’t know, which was anyone who wasn’t his mother, because he knew they could flip like a switch if they got irritated… at least, that was what he wholly believed.

He had fallen off a fallen tree? “But why were you on it?” He asked curiously with his head tilted to the side. The weather was starting to chill, and he assumed trees could freeze just like the ground and make things slippery, so he knew he would personally never want to climb on one if it he was just going to fall out anyway. The question came and Seri just shrugged in response. “Nearby enough. Momma trusts me to not get into too much trouble and I always tell her where I’m going, never go too far.” He offered noncommittally, leaving it vague as to whether or not his mother was actually close enough to berate him if he chose to mess with him. “I’m Seri.” He introduced himself formally. "Who are you?"

He gave a chagrined smile at the kid's innocent question, feeling a little embarrassed to say the least. "It was in the way of the path, didn't think to go around at the time." Sometimes his brain told him the better option only after it was too late to do it, and this was one of those occasions. At least the kid wasn't poking fun at him, even though he had every right to. Wrynn knew he looked quite ridiculous all splayed out on his back, and had half expected to be poked and prodded and teased for it.

A soft whine slipped from his maw as the kid told him his mother was somewhat close, knowing that mothers could be particularly vicious of prompted enough, and that was not difficult to do when they had a child or two. At the very least she was not about to suddenly show up, and so he felt comfortable enough to roll over onto his stomach and lift his head to look up at the boy. "Wrynn, he said in response to the kid's formal introduction, no formality in his tone whatsoever as he spoke. He was as low on the totem pole as the carrion picking at the leftovers of a meal; for him to use a formal tone was a joke at his own expense.

He cleared his throat, feeling it easier and easier to breathe normally with each breath he took. "What were you doing... before you found me?" Hopefully he hadn't interrupted Seri's plans for the day with his misjudgment of his own abilities.

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

He supposed the other boy’s story made sense… boy? Man? He didn’t know the classifications for lanky yearlings hovering in liminality, so he figured either would work. He shrugged, leaving it at that because he saw no reason to pursue the topic further. He sat down, his head tilting to the side as he listened for the greeting. Wrynn. He saved it in his head along with the way the man looked. “It’s nice to meet you, Wrynn.” His momma had taught him to be polite and use his manners, so the formality returned despite having not received any of it. They were strangers, and despite the funny way in which they had crossed paths, he did not trust the boy to not try and fight or kill him just yet.

Seri stood a much better chance now than he might have months ago should a fight occur, but he was still young and he could recognize he had much room to both learn and grow. The question came and Seri hummed, a devious glint lingering in his eyes. “I was just exploring. I like to explore the land and find all kinds of hiding spots, plants, and prey.” He explained. One time he had come across a hibernal rabbit den and that had been much fun though the rabbits had been less than amused with his antics.

"Uh... you too, kid," he added quite lamely, nervously licking his lips as he spoke. Seri was very well-spoken, and that could only mean the parent was highly intelligent too, which spelled trouble for him if he managed to either scare or annoy the boy. He resolved to do his best to make his escape as nicely as possible without causing the mother to be called over.

Wrynn listened as he began to explain what he had been doing, the tip of his tail twitching a little where it was partially tucked against his stomach in the beginnings of a small wag. What the boy described sounded quite fun, and was a far cry compared to what he had done as a younger wolf himself. There had been no exploring the neighbouring lands for him, but maybe that had been a good thing as he had been quite a sickly child. "That sounds like fun," he said with a wiggle of his ears, the corners of his mouth curling up in the smallest of smiles as he imagined what kind of fun the boy got up to.

But doing something was always more fun in a group than alone, and he wondered briefly if Seri had friends to share in his explorations. He certainly hadn't had friends growing up, or at least not the normal type of friends as there had been others around his age, but they hadn't been allowed to interact very much. "Do you have any friends you... explore with?"

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

Seri found this man’s company entertaining. He was funny, and blunt, and he could appreciate both things about it. He was proud that the man seemed to appreciate his activities. Some might frown upon him wandering so far from his mother, but he knew his mom trusted him to not go too far, and he always told her where he was going. “It is! As long as I let momma know where I’m going, otherwise she worries.” He added, because it might have happened a time or two and there had been quite a lecture. His mom was his whole world, and he didn’t like to upset her or disappoint her.

The question came and he frowned. “Not really… unless you count mom. It’s just me and her… and the wolves I meet when I travel, like you.” He added with a soft smile. It was… a little lonely, but it was also all he had ever known, and he didn’t know that it could be any different. He’d never so much as stumbled upon a pack wolf… let alone spoke with one and learned about what a pack even was… similarly, he’d never met a wolf his own age, only adults, which might just be the reason he was so well-spoken for his age. He learned what he witnessed. “What about you? Are you out here with any friends?” He hadn’t seen any, but that didn’t mean that there weren’t any nearby.

At least the child had enough sense in him to tell his mother where he was going, and hopefully that meant he was trusted enough to be out by himself for a while. That would give him enough time to get away before she found them, as he wasn't particularly interested in meeting any parents on the chance they thought he was some type of threat. But who was he kidding, he was as soft as a young pup, no bite, and certainly no bark either. At most a whine, which at the very least some wolves found amusing.

"No dad?" Wrynn knew enough about the world to know that it took two parents to have a child, and Seri had only mentioned his mother so far, so he wondered about where the father was. Or if there even was one. Oh no, what if he'd asked a sensitive question and the child got angry at him and called out for his mother? Oh, that was not good. He quickly rolled onto his stomach, that way he would be able to get up to all fours and make a quick escape if he needed to.

He shook his head at Seri's question, a forlorn look on his face. "No. Just... just me." His ears drooped a little as he spoke, lips turning down in a frown as he thought about where his family was. At least they were all together, and hopefully they were happy. "But uhm, I don't really have... friends." Wrynn cringed a little, raising his shoulders, almost like a turtle retreating back into its shell. There had been others his age, but none of them had really been friends with him, even if they did interact here and there. He hadn't been deserving enough to be considered friends with them.

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

Seri frowned at that strange word. Dad. What was that? He looked confused for a moment before the question fell. “What’s a Dad?” He asked, hoping the man could shed some light on this new mystery… if not, then perhaps if he still remembered by the time he went home, he could ask his mother about it. His mom always knew the answers to his questions so surely she would know what the man was talking about, right? He frowned as Wrynn spoke about not having friends.

His ears drooped a little bit and he looked sad as he spoke, making an offer that he truly seldom made. “Well, you do now.” There was a certain vigor and insistence to his words. “I can be your friend… and my momma too. She’s really nice and smart. She makes a good friend.” Everyone deserved to have a friend, and Seri was more than happy to fill that role if the man needed it. “I don’t really have many friends either…” He added, admitting that he was a little selfish in seeking friendship with the man. “I just have Mom… and a friend named Alarick who taught me how to hunt birds but I haven’t seen him sense.” Not to say that technically the man was a friend, but Seri counted him as one despite their fleeting interaction.