Sanguine Cove Over the river and through the woods

For @Leo :)
12/16 mid-afternoon, light snowfall

Nash's hip was sore, but that was to be expected when he refused to rest as much as he should. There was just too much to do. Today, for example, Nash needed to walk the borders again. He hadn't been doing that as often as he should be - due in part to his injury and the time spent searching for the cat previously.

Stupid cat. At least it was gone now.

With his niece and Kip still missing, border patrols and little excursions beyond were more important than ever. His mother had returned, but that didn't mean he would abandon the others.

As he made his way toward the edges of their land, Nash suddenly swerved toward the den. He'd noticed at least one of the pups hanging around there, clearly bored. Maybe he would want to see something beyond the den entrance.

"Leo!" he called, searching through the lazily drifting snowflakes for the boy's form, "I'm going on border patrol; want to come with me? I'll take you a little beyond if you'd like." He hoped Aleister wouldn't mind him offering without asking. In Nash's opinion, the pups were beyond old enough to begin peeking outside, and they were less likely to get lost in their own excursions if they were showed around by an adult first.

(This post was last modified: Dec 16, 2021, 05:37 PM by Nash.)

He’d been sticking around the den more than usual lately. Even if it was boring, it felt like the right thing to do, not to worry the adults, and he tried looking out for his siblings as well, as much as he could. Besides, last he’d heard, they weren’t supposed to wander about alone, so he didn’t.   Instead, he was lying outside the den, head resting on outstretched paws, quietly brooding when Nash suddenly appeared. Leo’s head raised, ears perked as he looked at the adult, not daring to hope. But the question came, and Leo bounded to his feet before Nash was even finished, nodding his head eagerly.   He practically danced over to the older wolf’s side before finally composing himself enough to say shyly: “Yes please.” Thoughts ”Speech”

Lakela @DA

If Nash had any doubts that the pup might be too shy to join him on a walk, they were quickly swept away by Leo's enthusiasm. Nash chuckled quietly as the boy all but flew to join him. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to drag you away from all the exciting things you can get up to around here," he teased with a grin.

"Let's go, then," he said with a small laugh, tail sweeping behind him as he beckoned for the pup to walk beside him. "How far out have you been? Has your dad taken you yet?" He didn't think so, but he had been very distracted lately. Maybe he'd missed their scent, or they just hadn't gone the same rounds Nash usually took. Either way, a little exercise wouldn't hurt the young Vuesain this time of year; it'd help him warm up at the very least.

Leo shyly flashed his teeth back at the adult, understanding his quip to be a joke on his over eager reaction. The boy otherwise had a tendency to take things literally, though he was getting better at recognizing sarcasm. The laugh helped as well.   He fell in step at Nash’s shoulder, having grown tall enough now that he could keep up with the adult wolves without too much extra effort. Two-colored gaze remained fixed on the ground before them, even as the man spoke at his side, asking about his previous excursions. “N-not past the b-borders…” He managed to stammer in response, still looking straight ahead, or he feared his jaw would completely clamp up.   Instead he flicked his tail in mirror of the dark man, to assure him that it was not meant as an offense and he was in fact thankful for the invitation. Thoughts ”Speech”

Lakela @DA

Nash glanced down at the pup at his side. He couldn't help but be struck by how quickly they were growing; he was going to be as tall as him soon. There was the benefit of not having to slow his pace so the kid could keep up, but Chan wondered how the boy's father felt about it. Did the time pass just as quickly for him, watching his children rising? If their mother reappeared, what would she think looking at her grown children?

Nash hoped it would be with pride. They were all growing to handsome wolves, and Leo was proving to be thoughtful. He was also obedient, listening to the warnings the adult gave him. Nash couldn't help but feel a kindred spirit with him; he always seemed shy and a little awkward, just as Nash frequently felt. The dark man simply had more practice at interacting - although not much, since he'd spent so much time alone.

"I won't take you far beyond," Nash said, "but we can go a bit further than where I usually patrol. I spent a lot of time wandering the mountain and the surrounding area when I was only a little older than you are now, did you know?"

He wasn’t the talkative sort; it just didn’t come natural to him like it seemed to do for most of the adults. Every time he needed to say something, he had to think carefully, taking extra time to find all the right words and string them together properly – and even then, he would often stumble over his tongue, stammering or switching up words. That’s why he didn’t like small talk, he tried to say as little as at all possible.   But he also didn’t want to be rude, and as Nash talked about his guardian work and his childhood by the Lake, Leo’s ears were politely and curiously perked. He knew from the adults’ stories that there used to be another pack here, another Cove, where his father had been born. Exactly what had happened in between then and last spring, when the Sanguine wolves had reunited, he didn’t know.   Wrinkling his brow slightly in thought, the youngster again took the time to think for a while before he answered: “I didn’t. Y-you were in the old Cove...? With my dad?” Once the words were out, he looked up to meet the guardian’s eyes briefly, showing proper manners as much as he was able. Thoughts ”Speech”

Lakela @DA

Leo was was definitely on the quiet side, and that was okay with Nash. Sometimes he didn't talk very much either. Right now, though, he wanted to try and ease the pup's boredom, and walking patrol wasn't always the most exciting thing. He listened politely, and after a lapse of silence Leo asked a question.

Nash nodded. "My parents were members of the original Cove pack; Chan and I were both born there, like your dad. I think Al started travelling before I was old enough to remember him, though," Nash added. "He's a few years older than me." He glanced down at the boy, who very much took after his dad, right down to the eyes. "I'm glad we all came home at the same time."

Nash was a good companion, casual and seemingly understanding that the pup needed a bit of time, rather than putting pressure on him to talk. It helped him loosen up a little. Bright forest eyes met Leo’s two-colored for a moment before he turned them back down, not wanting fresh nerves to ruin their report.   The answer surprised Leo a little, his perked ears flicking at the new knowledge. Somehow, he’d always imagined them all there together, the same as they were now, even though he knew Aunty Moon was Chan and Nash’s mom, and they were all different ages, it had never really occurred to him what that fully meant. Turning over these new images in his head, the boy simply nodded, keeping his eyes down.   Only when Nash added his final notion was the boy drawn far enough out of his thoughts to look, flashing a quick, sheepish smile; “M-Me too!” Then his eyes were back on the trail, nostrils flaring as he felt the familiar, sharp scent coming at them – they were reaching the border, the farthest he had ever been from the den. Thoughts ”Speech”

Lakela @DA

Leo was a good listener, clearly absorbing everything Nash was saying and taking the time to think about it. The Eastfall thought that was good; being talkative didn't mean a wolf was dumb, but mulling over one's words before responding was certainly a sign of intelligence in Nash's book. All too often had the guardian spoken too quickly and made a fool of himself. It was a miracle he managed to make any friends when the Cove first got back together, and an even greater miracle that someone he'd managed to woo someone like Aquene.

He was stalled from commenting on their pack history beyond a smile at the boy's quick agreement by the scent of the border filling his nose. He halted. "On most of my patrols I'll turn here and circle back up towards the lake," he said, gesturing with his muzzle, "and then I'll swing down the shoreline and back up around, or stop for the day. Would you like to do that, or go a little further outside?" He thought it best to give Leo the choice, since either way there was a lot of walking involved, and one might be a little more exciting to a child's eyes.

Nash came to a halt and Leo followed suit, raising his head to watch the adult closely. Reaching their destination had filled him with fresh energy, a mixture of excitement and nerves, but mostly positive, eager to learn more about the surrounding world and what the guardian did to protect the pack against it.   He was surprised to be given a choice, stumped for a moment as his gaze drifted to the woods ahead. It looked no different from the trees around them, at least not from here, but he couldn’t deny that he was curious to see what it was like outside. Tilting his head, the boy pursed his lips, trying to make a decision – whether to learn more about guarding, or satisfy his curiosity. Finally, he looked back up at Nash, wagging his tail lightly; “C-can we go out? Just a b-bit?” Then, he would love to learn more about the border itself, but first, he needed to sate this overwhelming desire; Just a little…! Thoughts ”Speech”

Lakela @DA