Hush Meadow where you goin'!

@Hagar

She had promised Daegal she would find him treats and that she would return to his home.

So when a herd of deer was seen in the distance, she patrolled along their trail lazy. None of them worried about her. Short, pudgy, loner. She was the furthest thing from a threat to them. They even seemed to know this when her pace was not akin to a hunter. Not spry nor hidden by any means.

Nor did she really think she could manage a herd of deer by herself.

Which led her to search the tall grasses around her, hoping to find a nest settled on the ground. Eggs would be the perfect treat! Feathers for toys. Her tail was a honey-toned banner above her back as she shuffled along the earth lowly.

Hagar was hunting for more than just prey these days. With the rains returned, @Alarick had apparently taken his leave, and their dwindled numbers could no longer be ignored. While the quartet of adults remaining might have been able to fend for themselves just fine, they were risking impact upon the children at this point.

By now, it was clear they carried his blood and while that shouldn't have made a difference, it did. He'd felt his already-strong bond with them morph into something indestructible and permanent now that he could not deny their connection, despite the subsequent relationship with their mother lacking. They consumed his thoughts even now, as he trailed the migrating herd. How his actions here could help them, what they might be getting up to while he was away, whether or not they'd be trackers and hunters themselves one day...

A new scent passed through his consciousness, causing his round ears to twitch and his attention to shift. There was a stranger about. Hagar regarded his surroundings, and sent out a few tentative barks, startling the herd into moving more quickly.

The herd startled, pushed further from her. A few ground birds startled as well. It would have been a great way to find any nests left behind but...well, it had been barks that stirred the wildlife.

She popped back up. Light brown eyes peered over the dying edges of grass. Only to spot a larger, bearish man among the meadow as well. She wondered if this was a man of the boy's home. They were close enough after all!

Hellooo! She half-called half-howled to him. Wasted no time in bounding along closer to him. A honey cloud moving along at ground level.

He couldn't pinpoint her without the assistance of her voice, and then he finally laid eyes on her stout frame. Her fur was graced with hues of honey and clay, making for excellent camouflage amongst the meadow. No wonder! Hagar smiled widely at her friendly demeanor, and abandoned the prey trail entirely to cross through the grasses and meet with the unknown wolf.

Perhaps this was just the sort of presence they were looking for? One could not help but hope.

"Good day," he greeted with serene cheer once near enough.

"What brings you here?"

As good a start as any, yes?

Oh! This one certainly smelled of Daegal! Well, not exactly of the boy, but of the willows! They shared a home and she knew that she was in good company. Perhaps hoped. If the boy had been kind, surely the adults around him inspired that.

Would you believe me if I said treats? I met a kind boy who lives in the willows. I told him it's usually nice to bring a gift to somebody's home before making it possibly their own! And now she felt embarrassed! Rambling so much to a man who could very well be a leader!

Softly, she cleared her throat, bouncing on her toes some. Probably all news to you, huh?

She certainly gave him a surprise. His small eyes visibly widened and his ears pressed forward the moment a child of the Ridge was mentioned, far more intrigued than he might've been had she mentioned any of the adults. Which of his sons had she met with, and had they been accompanied? Hagar did not worry about them running into others wolves, but he did not want the children being vulnerable to other animals. Hopefully, this was a matter @Avella was aware of and already handling.

"It is," he answered, without appearing overtly ruffled by the matter. After all, he had been home not that long ago and felt confident the children were still currently accounted for as they had been when he'd left.

"Was it Izzy or Dae that recruited you?" he asked with a crooked smile, already finding the story endearing.

Daegal, She answered with a warm smile. You have a very kind boy on your hands there. She complimented, her tail offered long slow sways behind her.

Do you, um, lead the willows? It wasn't as if he said he didn't! She had no reason to expect that the gentleman before her could not be fit to be a ruler. Perhaps it was the very man himself she'd need to appease!

Although she would not rush ahead of herself. She would be patient, and see what came of his response.

Hagar's own tail began to wag at the compliment, even if the credit was not his to take. They might each possess a measure of his blood in their veins, but he had not been chosen to be a part of their true family and his culture had trained him to respect that deeply. Even when it hurt, and at times it had.

"Thank you. We're very proud of the children," he spoke on behalf of the Ridge as a whole, his true place in their life. Pack mate, mentor.

"No, Avella is our alpha and she leads alone for now."

Hagar expected that to change soon, her favor clearly in Camden's possession.

"Could I help you? Were you looking for something in particular?"

Treats could mean many things.

(This post was last modified: Sep 17, 2022, 03:52 AM by Hagar.)

The Willows suddenly sounded cozy. The image of children running amok, presumably their mother leading them. Small but flourishing, was the image that had come to her mind.

It explained the kindness Daegal had met her with. Why he was so bubbly, ready to lead her to a home of his own.

Oh! Well, maybe you could if you know the favorite treats of the willows. He didn't...exactly specify what would be a good treat! She laughed, light and airy.

It would be nice to have somebody to help her hunt though. It was no secret she was not the most experienced!

The lilt of her laughter was kind to his ears, and his own smile widened as her simple mirth further infected him. He hoped her intentions would pan out, and that she would be yet another calming, reliable presence at the Ridge.

"Absolutely," he answered, voice mixed with a soft chuckle of his own communicating that he was happy to.

"The children can always use new toys," he mused, striding forward as his mossy gaze surveyed the field around them. With both of them searching the grasses, they were likely to turn up and carry a small trove of trinkets for the litter. In his mind, it would be a perfectly acceptable offering, for the kids were the pack's true heart.