Bramble Falls tiptoe through the tulips

<i>ooc; just as a warning, if any Tainns make an appearance, Kinis will disappear immediately! So if you want to pop in, you'll have to powerplay Kinis being gone before they've had a chance to properly see him.</i>

What, exactly, was he trying to achieve?

He had left only to crawl back. He had struck out alone only to find himself lonely and dependent. He had tried to convince himself of a falsity that he now no longer believed in the slightest. He had thought himself bigger than this, and now he felt like a worm.

He had returned... only to avoid going home.

Perhaps, at some level, Kinis knew that things had changed in his absence. Considering how much had happened in the short time between his parents' death and his leaving, it wasn't beyond the realms of possibility. Frankly, Kinis was afraid to go back even if nothing had changed; his fleeing had no doubt caused all manner of cackling delight in Borlla, who wouldn't be any less hateful than he last saw her. Maybe she had chosen to leave again?

Alas, that slim chance wasn't enough to tempt his paws to move in the right, Sacred Grove-esque direction. Though he sorely missed Ruiko, almost to the point that he physically hurt, he was terrified of the disappointment he might be greeted with. The memory of Ruiko's happy surprise at Borlla's return wasn't enough to quell his concerns. Though it was unusually egotistical, Kinis simply thought - or was it hoped? - that he had meant more to Ruiko; he had chosen to stay behind when everybody else had left, and he had tried to be enough for his brother. Had Borlla ever meant that to Ruiko? Or was Kinis always going to be second-best to her?

If you counted the more kindly Triell, of course, that made him third-best. Did the word 'best' even apply? Considering his shameful running away, it definitely made him first-worst.

--

Where it once had been unusual for him to wander past Sacred Grove, now he felt compelled to be anywhere else other than there. It almost gave him a new freedom and desire to get somewhat familiar with the lands he had known but never known, and this was one thing that he found himself quite enjoying. His only complaint was the lack of anybody to vigorously question on all the new things he had seen... but then, that was his fault. He knew it.

One such thing would have been the curious formation he found himself presented with right now, as he stuck to the outskirts of Sacred Grove yet shied away from Swift River's scent borders, unable to bring himself to cross them. No doubt he would find a good enough reason to overcome his incredible fear soon enough, but for now... well, it was enough to be back in Relic Lore. But what was this? He had never seen such a thing before, he was certain.The water crashed down into the pool below, almost as if the drought had never happened, and Kinis felt some great relief that the water had managed to return so well. He had left just after it had begun to reappear, so he couldn't even cite thirst as his reason. Still, at least this didn't mean he was to come back to Ruiko's empty, dry husk, so that brought a little relief to the boy. It didn't solve the mystery of why the water was being so dramatic, though! Cooling his throat with the water of Bramble Falls, Kinis sat by the lake's edge and contemplating the mystery peacefully, quietly adding it to the long list of questions that he had in store for Ruiko upon his eventual return.

<center>
<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

When one lived on a mountain, one usually didn't come down from the mountain. Everything you needed and wanted was there. Water, food, your friends (essentially, your family). There was no need to come down to earth. So, why had Alexander chosen today to feel the flat, albeit snowy, earth beneath his paws? Because. There wasn't much of a reason behind it other than because he just wanted to. He was born on the ground. He'd been raised on the ground. One wouldn't call it homesickness, but he decided that he just wanted to see what the rest of the world was up to.

The descent was a bit intimidating. It had been so long since he'd been off the mountain that he'd kind of forgotten how steep bits of it were. He was just fine with the slopes he had, but the ones nearer to the ground nearly sent him tumbling. Admittedly, however scary it was, it was also rather fun. Rather than worrying about tumbling off a cliff, he worried about ice burn. He'd slide down various little paths, and eventually he made it to the bottom, unscathed, and with the knowledge that he should probably at least go to the bottom of the mountain every so often.

At the base of the mountain was Bramble Falls. That was always the path he took that would take him here. Well, usually. It was probably his favorite place, aside from the mountain. You could hear the waterfall before you saw it. Chunks of ice floated in the pool, adding a rather arctic effect to it all that he found endearing. And, it could sometimes be a watering hole for lone wolves. Not that Alexander knew that he was a lone wolf. Alexander approached the pool slowly, cautiously, wondering if he was right. He'd only met the boy once, but he had a certain air about him. The Plateau Leader kept his mouth shut however, only sending glances towards the wolf as he took a few laps of water.

It wasn't like Alexander to be so...Impolite, but he also didn't want to be wrong. If he was correct, than this brownish wolf near him was Kinis Tainn. Just a bit bigger. The wolf he'd met, wandering by himself in the Wildwood, looking for the water. It was a bit of a relief to see one of the Tainns again, and certainly Kinis. He'd survived the drought!

<b style="color:#51b85f">"speech."

<blockquote>Tired as he was on a daily basis, Kinis' usual heightened awareness (paranoia?) was somewhat lax today. It could have been the cold was getting to him, slowing his reactions and acting as an oddly calming influence. Though his fur was thick, he could feel the icy movements of the air on his nose and his more fleshy parts, and the cold was enough to be a constant presence. The water didn't help, though he was almost masochistic in his enjoyment of its biting temperature.

Something stirred at the edge of his vision, though, a movement which was slight and careful in comparison to the crashing water, and it was nothing but the lethargic cold in his muscles which prevented Kinis from panicking. He could not honestly move fast enough to freak out, and thus had to be content in glancing sideways at the visitor, bemusedly breaking his waterfall-induced reverie. Though the chilly air was harsh in his nostrils, they automatically sought out any hints of identification on the air. The scent which was faintly returned did click, though it took a few moments of mental effort to put together the smell, sight and locate a name. Alexander? From the mountain?

Memories of friendliness prevented his instinctual panic at being in the presence of another. Alexander had been nice, and they had parted ways without any signs of aggression. Though Kinis was hesitant to trust anybody but his family - and even that trust had been stretched considerably - he knew he didn't have to be afraid of Alexander.

Being afraid and being outgoing were two very different things, though, and it was with a very real cautiousness that Kinis pushed himself to his shivering hindquarters, compelled as he was to make this first re-connection with his past. His past! Bah! He was barely old enough to have a past; this was just him testing out the waters of the only life he had ever known, with some virtual stranger.

Still, at least Alexander had no reason to judge him or think badly of him... that made him a tempting enough target for re-introducing himself back into Relic Lore, reminding himself that this was where he belonged.

<b>"... Alexander?"</b> he called, tentatively, suddenly overcome with worry that he was overstepping his boundaries and completely losing sight of his rights. What if the wolf was busy? Didn't want to talk? What if it looked like Kinis was begging? Acutely aware of his physical state and ashamed of the implications it brought (perhaps Alexander would be able to judge him after all), Kinis nevertheless calculated that it was too late to pretend he hadn't said anything, and waited for some kind of positive sign.</blockquote>

<center>
<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

your postssss are so big. -is shamed-

With continued observation, Alexander noticed how...Small the boy looked. He was certainly bigger, but it looked as if he'd been neglected or something. Wasn't Swift River feeding him? Hadn't they recovered from the drought yet? No! Of course they had. A look of mild anger and worry passed over the gray wolf's face. His pale brows furrowed of his pale eyes, and he took another absent lap of the water, choosing to simply stare down at it for a moment, as if he didn't quite see the boy yet. Another absent lap, he rolled his shoulders into a standing position, and turned to face the boy.

But Kinis had already risen, and called out. Alexander felt a bit awkward, with his preparation and all. His actions had revealed that he'd actually seen the boy before all this. Of course, maybe it didn't matter. <b style="color:#51b85f">"Hey, Kinis." He smiled, moving towards the smaller wolf. That concerned look was in his eyes again. Almost like their first meeting. <b style="color:#51b85f">"You look..." He wasn't going to fill that in with something positive. He wasn't going to lie. <b style="color:#51b85f">"Hungry." His smile dropped, and he met the boy's eyes with honesty. <b style="color:#51b85f">"speech."

<i>Naw! Kinis just over-thinks everything, plus I fail at concise Dx</i>

<blockquote>There was no doubt that the wolf who was he appeared to be. Kinis' relative innocence prevented any kind of suspicion or offence being taken at the small game of have-I-noticed-yet that Alex seemed to play - in fact, he barely registered it at all. Instead, a small spark of excitement ran down his spine as the older, more impressive male acknowledged his presence. It felt strange not to be panicked, but the boy was so starved for comfort and safety that he was willing to trust, just this once, in the brief memory of a friendly stranger.

There was nothing Kinis could contest about the concern in the wolf's eyes, though he did not feel deserving of any sympathy or well-wishing. It was his fault and his alone that his condition was so poor, after all; the boy had managed to grow up enough to accept that. Another tickle of pleasure touched Kinis' expression as he learnt that Alexander had remembered his name, and though a fairly trivial matter, this managed to confirm his faith in the pale wolf. It didn't prevent Kinis from bowing automatically as Alex approached, so automatic was his submission, though he did not go to extreme lengths. Alexander continued, speaking a truth that Kinis was all too aware of.

<b>"Yeah..."</b> he muttered, averting his eyes in shame. What had he wanted to do next? Now that he was in Alexander's presence, he was at a loss. There was no reason for the male to know of Kinis' recent transgressions... so was that reason enough to inform him? It didn't even occur to the boy that Alexander may be blaming Swift River for Kinis' malnutrition. Struggling to continue the encounter he had initiated, Kinis licked his lips and returned his gaze to the pale wolf. <b>"You... look well, though?"</b> was all he managed. <i>What exemplary conversational skills, Kinis.</i></blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

He felt bad for the boy, he honestly did. He seemed in quite a bad way, but at least he didn't forget his manners. Of course, that only made Alex feel for him just a bit more. But Kinis didn't seem all that willing to say anything about it. <b style="color:#51b85f">"Thank you," Alexander spoke, though his voice seemed a bit distant. <b style="color:#51b85f">"How are things in Swift River?" The gray wolf prodded, wondering if the boy would be willing to let him know something, anything. He wanted nothing more than to help. And if the boy didn't want to speak, Alexander would just find another way. <b style="color:#51b85f">"speech."

<blockquote>The question made Kinis freeze. How could he be unravelled this quickly? All hopes of pretending that everything was well went out the window, for Kinis could no more lie to Alexander than he could claim dominance over him. There was no need to lie save for his own small pride, and he was scornful enough of himself without adding that layer of guilt. Averting his eyes again, Kinis' features fell, internally struggling with what he was going to do next.

<b>"Err... I was more hoping that was something you could tell me,"</b> he said in a quiet voice, still refusing to meet Alexander's eyes.</blockquote>

<center>
<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

The boy's words caught Alexander off-guard, and he lowered his head to look closely at Kinis. His nose twitched, noting absently the stale, faint scent of Swift River that was layered over him. Had he been on his own? For how long? <b style="color:#51b85f">"You don't live there anymore? How long have you been on your own?" The questions spilled out, but Alexander shook his head. <b style="color:#51b85f">"You can tell me if you want, but maybe you should eat something." Twisting away from the boy, he peering into the half-frozen water, wondering how hard it would be to catch a fish. It wasn't much, but it was something, wasn't it?<b style="color:#51b85f">"speech."

<blockquote>Alexander's tone was laced with concern and friendliness, but it made Kinis flinch all the same. When he realised that the white wolf intended to feed him, it progressed to him feeling faintly alarmed; why did all these wolves he barely knew feel obliged to catch food for him? He had long digested the badger, though it had definitely managed to hold back the desert of starvation. Thinking it really wasn't fair to trespass on people's kindness like this, he took a step forward to try and distract Alexander. Was it even likely that a fish would be easily found? He couldn't let the wolf expend energy on his behalf.

<b>"Not... not long,"</b> he admitted, knowing that it made him look even more childish and weak. His expression grew pained, something his tone matched. <b>"I don't really know what I was thinking."</b> Licking his dry lips, he attempted a smile, and twitched his head in a wolfish shrug. <b>"This is the worst time of year to try and prove you're a tough guy."</b></blockquote>

<center>
<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

If there were any fish in there, they were certainly very good at hiding. Huffing out a sigh, his eyes shifted from left to right as he turned to face the boy again. There had to be something he could do. There was probably something left over on the mountain, but how likely would the Tainn be to follow him there? Alexander frowned a bit, listening to Kinis, and sat down, slightly dejected.

<b style="color:#51b85f">"That's pretty brave for someone your age." Alexander said, hoping to comfort the boy somehow. <b style="color:#51b85f">"I didn't leave home until I was four." The gray wolf scoffed, cracking a smile in return to the boy's own. <b style="color:#51b85f">"But you gotta eat something." Alexander half-mumbled it, as if he didn't want Kinis to hear. If he didn't want Alexander hunting for him, he'd try to push him to hunt for himself. <b style="color:#51b85f">"Aren't you gonna go back?" It seemed like an easy enough solution, didn't it? Aside from the fact that he'd left in the first place. <b style="color:#51b85f">"speech."