Fallen Tree Cove The places where you used to learn

For @Lunette

9/20/2016

Weather:

56° F, 13° C

Sunny, light breeze

4:47 PM

Cernan's large tawny frame finally pulled back from the borders with a quiet chuff. The breeze turned up nothing of note, thank god. Every threat he had detected or intercepted since taking up these occasional patrols had either been negligible or easily dealt with by the rest of the adults. Though it was hardly his official job, the prince still felt compelled to patrol the small pack's  borders every now and then. Another member had vanished from the ranks; Moonshadow this time, and Ma wasn't doing very well. The news that she had stepped down for a time from her position of Lead female was quite the shock, but that day in the Spring must have taken its toll. The Queen hadn't really been the same since. Worse, there was no one to truly replace her. @Neha was so young.  

It was a relief to finally have his sister back, and it was with her in mind that he strode toward the pack den. Maybe they could hang out for a while, or something; get his mind off of all of this. His big paws crunched orange pine needles and the occasional leaf as he trotted through their rocky mountainside forest. The golden light of evening reached between the trees to scan across his thickening beige coat. The temperatures had become so much more pleasant with the change of seasons. He remembered autumn fondly; the season of his first hunts with Pa and his first tastes of independence, scary as it was. Now he was returning from the borders like a real guardian, like Nate and his father were. 

The thought had been creeping up on him for a long time now. Someday the prince would have to decide what role would be his specialty, and that 'someday' no longer sounded so distant. What the boy wanted was a tricky question. @Nathaniel and Papa were heroes, and none of the other choices really interested the boy. As much as he admired the brave individuals of his pack, however, Cernan would always feel the sinking sensation of fear in the next breath. Whenever he truly considered following in their footsteps, there was hesitation. He no longer cowered in front of all threats like he did as a child; he had grown tall and formidable for all but the mightiest beasts. Still... Could he throw himself in front of a charging boar? Could he risk being eviscerated by a bear to buy time for the others? To save the girls? 

The questions always made him frown. Of course he wanted to be that courageous, of course he despised letting others face the danger themselves, but the reality of it was much more difficult. The nearer he drew to adulthood, the less and less he felt like he could brush it off and assume that when he was older, he wouldn't be so scared. The sight of the boulders at the den's entrance shook the youngster out of his own head. Later. He would worry about it later. His fluffy round face appeared in the opening, golden eyes panning the darkness for his sister. While Neha was absent, it was still a sister that he found. Lunette, of course, hardly ever left the place. Whatever cowardice he feared he harbored, the little silvery girl's behavior dwarfed it. She'd had a harrowing experience much like his encounter with the Swan, but instead of fearing strangers, she was now afraid of everything. That wasn't much of a change from before, though.

A long, gentle sigh drifted into the air as his attention settled on her. Better check in, at least. "Hey Lunette," he greeted calmly. The pups had grown so big already; they were definitely big enough to really play with now, and looked very much like small versions of the adults. Too bad this one didn't roughhouse all that much. They weren't like Neha. 

(This post was last modified: Oct 11, 2016, 05:13 AM by Cernan.)

Sleep, one of the few places where one could truly be safe, at least that’s how the young pup saw things as she plastered against the corner of the den dozing. So much had been happening so quickly with her body and Lunette wasn’t sure what to make of it, her mouth hurt on occasion, her movement was clumsy and she looked...weird every time she scuttled out of the den in order to drink at the nearby streams before darting back into safety. The girl’s ear twitched slightly as a familiar voice spoke up and slowly her brown gaze blinked open and took in the sight of Cernan, her brother.

A tired groan escaped as the lanky youth stood slowly, shaking the dirt out of her fur as she approached the older male and pressed her chin against his shoulder in greeting, a yawn escaping her parted maw. “Hey Cernin…” She said quietly as she settled down onto her haunches next to him, shifting slightly to try and get comfortable with her rapidly growing body. Her nose twitched slightly and a small frown overcame her mixed with concern “You’ve been out havn;’you?” It wasn’t an accusation nor laced with sarcasm, Lunette wasn’t capable of sarcasm yet, instead, there was mute awe in it as she looked up at her brother’s face. Cernan was brave, there wasn’t any other way to put it in the girl’s eyes, he went out, braved the terrifying world and all it’s dangers from the stray leaves to the falling rain and came back every day with a smile on his face. Why couldn’t she be like that?

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity