Slightly surprise thread for @Kisla! Hope Turtleback Lake was okay. <3 (Hunting dem 1/3)
Aytigin, while he hadn't had much bonding time with many of the wolves in his pack - aside from Lilya and Inna, - was still rather enjoying the stability he felt just from being in such close proximity to a stationary group of wolves. For his first year, all he'd had was his mother, and though they had been stationary... things had not been stable. Which, of course, was putting it quite lightly. Aytigin wasn't sure why he put up with all of the verbal abuse for an entire year, but he supposed it had something to do with him loving his mother, even if it was in a warped way. If he knew better, he'd understand that he had been suffering from Stockholm's Syndrome, and had believed his mother's words wholeheartedly.
After leaving her, he'd encountered his father, albeit briefly. The two hadn't gotten along in the slightest, and Ayti had been done sticking with wolves that he hated. As a result, he'd taken to being on his own, with only the briefest flings and travelling companions. He'd been with wolves of all ages and genders, but he leaned toward older women more in his youth. Mainly because he had been much larger and looked much older than he actually was. And, at the time, he hadn't been completely open in his sexuality.
That hadn't occurred until he met a group of gypsy wolves somewhere in the end of his first year, toward the beginning of winter. At that point, he was on the cusp of sexual maturity, and the gypsies were all about that. Polyamory was invited, as no two wolves in the ragtag group were tied together. Aytigin himself wasn't too keen on the idea of monogamy, and so he'd fit in quite well. He had been quite fortunate not to get anyone pregnant that spring, though. Instead, he'd just helped the pregnant ladies out and spent time with the pups afterward. Which, of course, was part of the reason he didn't mind spending so much time with the expectant mothers of the River today.
He'd had no intentions of joining a pack after entering the Lore, but here he was, in Hearthwood River. It was the first time he'd ever been a part of an actual pack, and he liked it. He wanted to do good; to provide for and help and care for his new packmates. Which is why he was shoulder-deep in the lake near the territory, trying to catch fish and trying to not freeze his ass off in the process. He'd seen bears fish like this, and he'd caught a fish for Lilya the other day, and one more a few minutes ago - it was sitting on the bank, - so he was determined to become a better fisher. Besides, it wasn't as cold as it had been the other week when he'd met Cottongrass, who he was absolutely still smitten with. He wondered if he'd ever see the younger man again.
A fish swam in front of his forelegs, cutting short his train of thought and causing him to react before thinking. He dunked his entire head underneath the water, snapping his teeth, and just missing the scaly creatures' tail. He popped back up with a soft growl of frustration. "Dammit," he muttered under his breath, scanning the water for more prey.