Lost Lake We're just kids tryin' to figure it out

For @Adora

Like a moth to a flame, swarthy paws found themselves traversing aimlessly along the icy banks of the Lost Lake closest to where Sanguine Cove resigned while snow fell delicately from the grey skies above. Each unique snowflake dappled the young boy's coat until the growing blanket was shed with ease by the force of his body's shaking. Just over a week had passed since the growing Vuesain boy returned from his unexpected journey beyond their lakeside domain and things around here had definitely changed.

New faces and new scents mingled among those more familiar, leaving Galen unsure how to feel about these strangers despite the adults using an all too familiar term to describe them. Family. If they were family why were they just now coming around? Were they helping search for the other missing wolves? These were only a couple of the many questions that constantly wracked the young boy's mind since his return.

Golden-hued eyes drifted their gaze from that of the slow churning waves rolling gently along the surface of the lake to the grey sky above. With a childish grin, his jaws snapped at the falling flakes while rearing onto his hide legs in an attempt to devour each snowflake that dared fall within his range. For now, his mind took a break from the trivial and settled on the current moment while enjoying the solace Galen typically found along the shoreline.

Adora still loved the mountains, but after the grisly scene with the caribou, she had found a new sense of worry. What if that happened to everybody? What if everybody who has lost had met such a fate too...?

It was why she had ventured beyond the cove. To see if anything else awful waited for them. Some part of her wish she had brought @Magg with her, maybe even @Diantha. Anybody who might have a braver face than Adora.

Only she had not found what she had thought she would. A boy on two legs, snapping at snowflakes. It charmed and calmed her at once. Quick was she to try and mimic the way he moved. Only she was hardly as graceful and softly she thumped down onto the earth.

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

The sound of Galen's gnashing teeth echoed just loud enough to fill the otherwise quietness that embraced the shoreline, occasionally a childish bought of laughter escaped the dark-coated boy before exhaustion in his limbs that were far from use to being in such a position began to set in. Each time the lad landed back on all fours the snow beneath his paws gave a gentle whumpf as it gave way beneath his weight, engulfing the boy's limbs by a couple of inches.

This rare moment of gaiety amongst a seemingly neverending bout of turmoil for the Cove was soon interrupted by one of these new strangers. Swarthy ears pricked forward once they caught onto the sound of encroaching paws crunching along the snow, his head swiveling just in time to catch sight of a strange pale-coated girl seemingly mimicking what he had previously been doing. Was she making fun of him? Alas, her limbs couldn't handle the awkward position and just as swiftly as the girl was rearing up gravity reminded her where her paws belonged. Galen couldn't hold back a chuckle at witnessing such a sight, wondering if he looked just as foolish.

"Not so easy is it?" He questioned, making his way closer to this strange girl.

She was breathless already! Perhaps it had been the way she had thumped against the earth, or the cold sucks of air into her warm lungs. Regardless, she was glad that the boy seemed to not mind her company.

Oh, you made it look so easy! She praised with warmth, as she stayed seated on her wobbly rear. Do you have a method to it? Catching the flakes?

She hoped he would not turn away her company, for she needed this. A moment of connection and warmth amidst seemingly all the lost that shrouded the mountain. Maybe he needed it too.

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

During the lapse in time it took for the girl to answer, Galen took the opportunity to better inspect his newly acquired companion for the day with each stride forward. From a quick glance, the girl looked no older than himself while sporting a coat consisting of a grey and white mixture. Settled deep within her silvered mask was a pair of yellow eyes only a few shades lighter than the golden hue of his own. Galen wondered what sort of relationship she had with him.

His attention was then drawn back to reality, once more finding himself chuckling lightly while unceremoniously plopping his rump into the cold snow in front of the girl. "Nah, not really. I just kinda do whatever." To prove his point his head angled skyward again to chomp aimlessly at the onslaught of falling flakes.

Galen would be damned if he admitted it, but the truth was he found himself quite enjoying this newfound company even if she was still but a stranger in his eyes. It was nice to not think about such worrisome things for a change and just be a kid in that moment. "Whatcha name, anyways?"

She laughed a bit sheepishly. Maybe embarrassed some by the fact that he was so nonchalant to her compliment. It was okay, she assured herself. He was just a boy, after all. Sometimes boys were not very good with these kinds of things.

It's Adora! Adora Macieo, we came here to visit family but I guess we're staying. Well. I wanted to stay, I dunno about everybody else. She rolled her eyes playfully, thick tail swept against the snowy earth. Dustings kicked up behind her.

Her features remained warm as she looked upon the boy. She wondered if he'd give his own name now, or if she might have to instruct him on that social nicety too.

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

A once relaxed swarthy ear pivoted forward in general curiosity upon hearing the spoken moniker of this new companion. "Adora Macieo huh?" Galen spoke it slowly to give his tongue a chance to learn this former stranger's name and how it rolled, offering the girl a flashy display of his pearly whites in delight upon hearing the news of them staying. This was a good thing right? The pack growing bigger with these new faces had to be after the stroke of bad luck that had seemed to cloak itself over them lately.

Nearly forgetting his manors, Galen thumped his bushy tail in likeness against the snowy earth. "Nice to meet you, Adora. My name's Galen. Galen Vuesain." It kinda felt weird saying his full name which was rarely ever used except for in those moments when his mother was mad at the inky child. Alas, those moments in themselves were few and far in between if you exclude his latest escapade beyond the borders.

"I'm glad you like it here." He then added, offering a more natural and warm smile toward Adora.

Galen! She found it sounded very much light a knightly name. Something out of a story that her father may have once told her. So she committed it to memory with a wide smile and her tail wiggled.

Do you have favorite places? I could show you mine so far! Or we could go find Magg! She knows so many good places. Her eyes crinkled at the corners, yellow eyes as vibrant as the radiant sun they resembled. She had not thought at all about how she may have overwhelmed her new friend with the sudden word vomit she had expelled upon him.

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

Uh oh, bringing on the jealousy xD

Adora's energy was quite infectious he had to admit and it was that fact Galen decided to connect with the monochrome girl for future reference. There wasn't a moment's hesitation after his own name was given that soon the young girl was spewing at the mouth, marking what he could only assume was the beginning of an onslaught of questions to come. Honestly, Galen couldn't help but chuckle lightly at her spunkiness, his tail beating faster at his rump in response to what glee riddled itself upon her facial features. Those sunny eyes were filled with mirth.

"My favorite place is down by the lake, but mother doesn't like me wandering too far now." The swarthy boy admitted once her tongue fell silent, his own gaze adopted a mirthful gloss at the mention of Magg. It was long since etched in stone to Galen that the agouti girl was probably the top-running candidate to win the title of the best friend. Although he didn't really know who else was in that contest. Perhaps Adora was now?!

"Magg might know a lot of places, but IVE been wayyy out there." A toss of his muzzle toward the mountainous terrain at their backs signified the general location of where he had gotten lost. Of course, saying he was lost wouldn't sound cool at all and Galen hadn't meant for things to turn into a competition, but something felt wrong about possibly being outdone by Magg in terms of impressing miss Adora.

Wow!

She felt utterly charmed by the boy at his declaration. While it did nothing to discredit Magg in her mind, it certainly raised the questions of what this boy had seen that they hadn't!

Will you show me!? She blurted with all the force in her lungs, as if the excitement might be enough to pop her like a balloon if kept inside. Of course, she skipped right over the fact that he had mentioned his mom didn't like it. She could not imagine why! Her mother seemed to love hearing about everything she did and saw. Why didn't Galen's mom?

Ohhh, we can see so much together! I can point out my old home from the highest heights!

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ