Sanguine Cove Itchy throat and wide eyes

Backdated to 5/5. Archer is arriving to the Cove to check on their water situation.

Archer Valle

It had been a long, miserable journey up the mountain side - worse than the first time he'd done it. He nearly got lost once, and often thought perhaps he had. It looked so different in the spring, even with the wilting plants. There was no water to be found, much as Archer searched, and he hoped the lake was still exactly that. He didn't know what he'd do if he got to the Cove and found nothing to quench his thirst; he didn't think he'd be able to make it back home without something.

Finally, finally, he scented their neighbors' border and halted. He flopped onto his haunches, panting for a moment and licking his dry lips before politely howling for someone in the pack to meet him. He didn't want to intrude uninvited - even for a drink, desperate as he was.

(This post was last modified: May 14, 2022, 05:35 PM by Archer.)

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

The borders had seemed a good place for Kateri. It offered the exercise sje needed for her leg. Not to mention the space she needed from what was really bothering her. She'd spent a lot of time patrolling. Now that she was a yearling it was time she stepped up to do what was necessary to help the pack. She was starting to wonder about how much she could really do since the drought only seemed to be making things worse.

What she wasn't expecting was the howl that came from the border. It wasn't too far from where she was so she quickly made her way in the direction it had come from. A few moments later her mismatched gaze landed on Archer. Looking him over he looked rather distressed. "Archer, are you going to be alright?" she asked on her approach. They could get to the why's later.

Archer Valle

To Archer's surprise and great pleasure, he was quickly joined by Kateri. His eyes brightened as she approached and he already felt better. "Hey Kateri," he said. "I'm okay; just thirsty," he admitted. "I came up to see how you're faring in the drought." He waited until she was closer to the border before padding forward and giving her a friendly bump with his nose. "You're walking better," he noted as he stepped back. The last time he'd been here she'd still been recovering from an injury.

Unable to help himself, he glanced past her into the trees blocking the lake from his view and licked his lips again. They were still here, which meant they still had to have water, right?

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Kateri was truly happy to see Archer. Out of all the pups she'd met in the winter he had been her favorite though she wouldn't tell the others that. "HI Archer," she greeted since she'd missed that part when she'd first come upon him. "That seems to be going around lately," she joked when he said he was thirsty, "I'm happy to hear you are well otherwise." He wanted to know how they were fairing in the drought she shrugged, "We're doing okay but I'm worried. Mama just had her pups and Oksana is sure to have hers soon. I worry most for them. We still have some of the lake for now anyway."

She looked at her injured leg when he spoke of her walking better, "Oh yeah. I thought it was time to start building the strength back. The pain is finally gone thank goodness."

Kateri noticed the way he looked past her, she smiled again. "What do you say I take you to the lake for a drink and you can tell me about you studies?" She had been wanting to visit with him for awhile now so this was perfect. The thought to go to the backwater for awhile had crossed jrr mind.

Archer Valle

Archer was pleased to have been greeted by his friend and gave a short laugh at Kateri's joke. There certainly was a lot of thirst going on lately. His ears pricked up at the mention that Kateri's ma had puppies. "You're a big sister?" he asked. "What's it like? I have Eros, and my half sisters and brother, but my ma is having more pups soon too." He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it yet, but he supposed having another gaggle of siblings around wouldn't be all that different than before. They would just be younger.

"I'm glad it doesn't hurt anymore," he said, relieved the injury hadn't been something that would permanently cripple her. At her offer of a drink he nodded emphatically. "Yes, please. I'd like to hear about your studies two. Have they kept you busy while you were resting?" He couldn't imagine being stuck in the den for as long as she had been.

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

She smiled when Archer laughed at her joke. It pleased her to know that he thought it was funny. Though her face became serious when he asked her being a big sister. She shrugged and busied herself with a rock at her feet, "I don't really know. I haven't been around them," she admitted. She didn't really have any desire to be either. She felt badly for not seeing her mother but she wasn't sure her mother had noticed and she didn't want to bother her.

She perked up when the conversation returned to something besides those little thiefs. "Me too! Now I can go and do stuff I didn't get to do before cause I always had to rest." The fact of the matter was she was pretty excited by the prospect of it all.

He also wanted to hear about her studies so she talked while she led him to the lake. "Not as much as I would have liked. You know mama's been a little preoccupied and all with the pups so we haven't really had a chance to have a proper lesson since my leg started feeling better. How are yours coming?"

Archer Valle

Archer curiously considered his friend as they walked. She hadn't been around her siblings? Did her ma not want her around them? He knew his ma would want her space for a little bit after, but he didn't think she'd want to keep him and Eros gone for long. He wanted to meet his newest little family members as soon as he could. He chose not to pry, though. Maybe it was a sore topic, and he wanted to enjoy his time with Kat.

He shared her enthusiasm with a wag of his tail and a grin, and then shrugged at her question. "I haven't done much either. Clo's been busy taking care of Ma, and I've been trying to keep our water supply up. It's just so dry." He sighed, then glanced at her with a wry grin. "You gotten up to any new adventures now that you can?"

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Kateri admitted to Archer that she hadn't been around her siblings. She hadn't even gone to meet them. She'd left it at that not wanting her visit with him to be affected by her feeling concerning her new siblings. Her friend was there with her in that moment and that was what mattered to her. She hoped that he might be able to stay for awhile but with the drought she didn't know if he needed to get back right away.

"Your ma is she doing okay being so close to having more pups?" She asked concerned for her friends mother. "Are you doing okay?" Her knowledge that Archer was also expecting new siblings made her curious. He also had Eros that he had to share his mother with too.

When asked about new adventures she shook her head a little shyly. "I haven't really consodered it. It still kind of scares me the idea of going too far from the border after getting lost and my accident." That didn't mean she didn't want to go on adventures ahe just hadn't figured out how to get past it all yet.

"What's it like sharing your ma?" She asked quietly. She couldn't keep the question in any longer.

Archer Valle

Archer was concerned for his Ma, but she seemed to be handling her pregnancy and everything else okay. With Clover and Da fussing over her, the boy was sure all would be well. Everything had turned out okay in the past; it would continue to do so. He nodded to Kat's questions with a one-shoulder shrug. "Yeah, she's doing alright. And I'm fine; I already have a bunch of siblings so this isn't really all that different, except they're not from a different ma." That would be the strange part, not having a second litter with a second ma this year. He still wondered about it, why Clo had been left out.

He could understand his friend's fears about leaving the territory again, given her recent ordeal. He offered a supportive bump, but before he could speak further on the subject she asked a question. He paused to think about it. "I haven't really thought much about it," he admitted. "It's always been a bunch of us, even though me and Eros are the only two of our litter. We mostly share Da's attention with the others, but since my sisters are both gone..." he paused again. "Eros and I are together a lot, so it doesn't really feel like sharing, when it's with him." he glanced at her. "...Are you worried about sharing yours?"

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Kateri worried about her mother having new pups. She was afraid that something bad would happen to her and then she wouldn't have her anymore. By asking Archer about his mother she thought his answer might help to settle her worries. She also wanted to make sure that Archers mother was doing okay too cause she didn't want him to lose his mom either. "I'm glad  your both doing well. That's how it is with me and Leo, Lynx, and Stella. I don't really think about them having a different mom." Since she'd been raised beside them to her they were her siblings.

At first Kateri was hesitant to share her thoughts about her mother having more pups. She thought she would be okay with it but as time passed she became less and less okay. She was much more used to sharing her papa than she was her mother. It had always been the two of them. They shared time together just the two of them. Kateri knew that once the other pups where there she wouldn't get those times with her mother. She nodded in response to Archers question. "I am. It worries me a lot cause it's just been me and my mama. Now she's starting this whole new family with Nash and papa is with Oksana. I guess I just feel a little left out of it all."