Lost Lake You Grow Up in Steps

Backdated to 01/30, mid morning. For @Chan. Feel free to pp a little to wherever Chan is hanging out this morning if you'd like.

Nash had slept well knowing their pack was slowly growing stronger. His mother was home, and even if Lila wasn't going to stay permanently, at least there was somebody else here for a while. It would help them to settle, if nothing else, and maybe they could convince her to stay. Nash would have to take time to get to know her; she was Chan's friend after all.

But before any of that, there was something Nash needed to take care of, that he was a little embarrassed about. He thought about finding his mother to ask for her help, but decided against it; she would only feel guilty for not being there to teach him, and he didn't want to disturb her rest. So with a stretch and gaping yawn, Nash set out to find his brother and see if he might be up for a little hunt.

Nash wouldn't need to look far; Chan was on his way back to the den from his usual nightly routine. Still possessing plenty of energy in his frame, he perked up as he noticed his brother's moving form and trotted over to him.

"Heya bro," he greeted happily, tail wagging at a lazy pace behind him. Chan supposed he might also be in a good mood due to the arrival of their newest guest; given how sparse their encounters had been in the past, he really hadn't been sure of when he'd run into @Lila again. Now, he actually had the chance to really get to know her, without having to sacrifice time with his family to do it.

"Watcha up to?"

Nash had only just started on his search when his brother came bouncing into sight, greeting him with an enthusiastic tail-wag. Nash returned the greeting, bumping Chan affectionately. "Morning, Chan," he said. How did he have so much energy this early? How long had he been up?

The younger Eastfall paused, embarrassed, but he might as well leap right into it. It was just finding the right words, and hoping his brother wouldn't judge him too harshly. "Um, so, I have a favor to ask, but you have to promise not to laugh," Nash said, stepping back. His ears flicked self-consciously. "You know how we were talking about hunting when your friend showed up yesterday? Well... I'm decent on my own, but I've never actually... ahh...."

Why was this so hard?

Nash looked at his shuffling feet and mumbled, "I've never hunted with a group. Could you... maybe... teach me? About hunting with a pack?" He glanced up hopefully.

Chan leaned heavily against his brother's affectionate gesture, muzzle knocking against Nash's brow in return. The way the answer began, the elder Eastfall's felt a moment of nerves, but it quickly allayed by the promise asked of him. Chan smiled gently.

"Promise."

As Nash went on, dragging the explanation out a bit, his big brother somewhat figured it out by the time it was clearly stated. It hit Chan harder than the younger sibling might have anticipated, and hopefully more than would be noticed. Of course Nash wasn't used to hunting with a pack, his pack had vanished and he'd spent his time dutifully searching for them instead of giving up out of desperation or anger and moving on. It was another way in which Chan should have been there for his brother, far sooner than now when he was a man of nearly three years.

Swallowing his own emotions, he focused on Nash. This wasn't about Chan.

"Of course," he assured, smile growing tentatively, hoping that the reassurance would lift his brother's spirits. It wasn't Nash's fault that he had to ask this, and it sure as hell wasn't his shame to bear, but Chan knew that logic did not always trump emotion and chose to move them both forward rather call Nash out on his insecurities.

"It's really not all that different bud, I bet you'll pick it up without a problem. When didja want to do it?"

(This post was last modified: Feb 26, 2021, 06:08 AM by Chan.)

Sorry for such a short post again!

Chan didn't laugh, and that itself was enough to lift Nash's spirits a bit, although a troubled look had flickered briefly over the older Eastfall's face. It was quickly gone, replaced by a tentative smile that, to Nash's relief, was reassuring rather than teasing.

He agreed! Nash returned Chan's smile, tail swaying slightly behind him.

"Do you have time right now? If not it's okay," he quickly added, not wanting to pressure his brother into giving up his time. "I just want to get some practice in, before I embarrass myself in a full pack hunt, you know? I've done a little bit of partner hunting, but not a ton."

Seeing Nash's hesitation dissipate eroded Chan's own reservations. He grinned back at his brother, and chose to be glad that at least he was here now, to be the one passing on his knowledge to his younger sibling instead of a stranger.

"I've always got time," he spoke earnestly; Nash was a priority, possibly more so than he realized.

"I gotcha. It's really not so different, though you got less to worry about since you're splitting up the work. I mean, it varies pack to pack of course. I came across a few that had really complicated and like, specialized roles. But mostly, it's more just learning about how the wolves you hunt with work so you can best compliment them and vice versa. Only one way to do that."

Nash listened with rapt attention as Chan began telling him about pack hunting. There was a warm glow in his chest from "I've always got time" that had his tail swaying. Any missed time was mostly forgotten; they were here now, together, and Nash was getting to learn from his brother. It was almost like having his father back again.

But thinking about Tagg would make him sad, so Nash refocused his thoughts on his brother's words.

Only to get distracted again by his regret for not finding another pack to spend at least some time with. He always would have returned home, but maybe he should have spent some time around other wolves too, to learn and not grow up alone. There was no use harassing himself about it now though.

"Only one way to do that"

Nash looked up into Chan's mismatched gaze. "What's that?"

You smell the remains of an elk nearby. Enjoy your feast! +10 Health

Chan almost felt bad he didn't have a better answer for his younger brother.

"By doing it. Getting it wrong, and tryin' again. Everyone makes mistakes, it's how ya learn."

He hoped Nash understood that regardless of whatever training his sibling gave him, at some point he was going to have to suck it up and let himself mess up in front of the others. It wasn't anything to be embarrassed about, but of course that was an easier mantra to repeat than to truly live by. Chan had all but mastered it, though he found his aloofness had come at the cost of being more... detached than others. There was safety in it, which he of course wanted for the younger Eastfall, but if Nash was a wolf that felt strongly, well that was something to be cherished, not muted.

"But I think I can give ya decent idea of what it'll be like."

Chan nodded with his muzzle toward the flatter section of forest which surrounded the Lake. In areas the trees thinned almost into nonexistence, and the animals forced to endure rather than hibernate would forage in calmer weather like today's. All they needed was something to chase. If his brother had no reservations, Chan would begin to trot toward the chosen hunting grounds.

(This post was last modified: Apr 04, 2021, 01:25 AM by Chan.)

Chan's answer did not instill confidence in the young Eastfall, but Nash supposed he should have known the answer would be something like that. His disappointment must have shown, because Chan followed up with a more reassuring comment.

"I think I can give ya a decent idea of what it'll be like."

Nash perked up and glanced to the side, where his brother had nodded his muzzle. The forest was beautiful today, and the weather calm and growing warmer. It was the perfect day to be out - and therefore the perfect day to hunt. He immediately understood his brother's intentions and nodded before heading down the last of the slope towards better hunting ground, glancing back to make sure Chan was following. "What should we try to find?"