Étoille keeps an eye on the pups enough to note Ephraim's adjustment, and it pleases him. Maybe that's part of the difference between his new ward and his old -- Furi had been older, and though heda had a similarly aged batch of children they'd not been the same rowdy, full crowd as these. Either way he is glad.
He spots the boy and makes his way over silently, unbothered when it takes him a second to be noticed. Ephraim's greeting does make him start -- a flicker of surprise and -- pleasure, maybe, in the mistake (?). Étoille did not ever imagine himself to be a father, and even now he does not think of it in those terms so much (Furi was not his daughter, Ephraim is not his son, but --).
Unsure how to address it, he choses instead to let it go, offering the boy a brief smile and a "bonjour, Ephraim. How are you?"
Someone with more interest in social patterns might have found the way Étoille was accidentally merging French into the language of Drageda interesting -- between Wildfire and Thur's litter and Ephraim -- but Étoille is not that man. So instead he only offers a little smile at Ephraim's butchering of his greeting, finding it very cute, and glad to hear that he is doing well. His increase in size does not go unnoticed, bringing with it a set of complicated feelings (how quickly children grow). "Keeping watch," he says, indicating with a broad gesture Hougeda around them.
"Would you like to explore?" Étoille asks, leaning down to affectionately bump his nose against his head. He does not know if the boy has gotten much of a chance to investigate Drageda and is happy to take the afternoon to walk around with him if that's what he desires.
Ephraim's status report is cute -- amusedly he says, "merci," thanking him genuinely for his offered observation. To answer his questions he says "oui, outside," taking a moment to stretch before beginning to walk towards Hougeda's exit. He pauses at the entrance, assuming Ephraim has followed him, and looks to the boy with a gentle smile. Ahead of them the redwood forest looms comfortingly, wrapped around the lake like a shawl. "Which way," he offers, allowing his young ward to lead their little expedition -- after all, the territory is safe, especially with his stalwart presence near.
Ephraim's butchered French wins him another slow and easy smile, content as he watches that little tag set to wagging. It is nice, he decides, to take the boy on an excursion like this -- he'll have to do it more often, especially now that he is big enough to more or less explore unsupervised. Or with minimal supervision, at least. (He does not quite have a grasp on the timelines yet.)
"That way, then," Étoille agrees, picking his feet up and heading them in the direction his ward has picked. They trail the lake's shore, the Steltrona's pace slow enough to allow Ephraim to meander if he wants, letting him more or less decide what he wants to do or look at. "Do you like it here?" He asks, curious to assess how he is settling as they explore.
Easily he follows the path the boy makes, giving him space to plow ahead -- a little independence seems warranted at this point. His question makes him smile, making his voice soft as he corrects, "no -- it is a lake." The space here is open enough for Étoille to keep an eye on him without trailing close behind, and so he settles, leaning back on his haunches to idly observe the boy's movements.
Ephraim's story contains more details of his history, which the Steltrona has not pried in to. He is secretly pleased the boy feels comfortable enough to share this now, and even more pleased by the assessment -- and slightly guilty. Had he not done that, too, found a "new kid" to replace Furi? (Such things he keeps to himself -- Ephraim has no need of such emotional energy). Instead he says, "bon," smiling down at him. "I am glad you like it here," he says, choosing not to comment on Ephraim's parents. After a moment, though, he thinks to say, "I left my maman when I was young, and my brother too. I was not so young as you, yet." He rolls one large shoulder in a shrug. He has not seen his mother in many years, nor his brother, nor his father he never knew anyway -- perhaps in this way he and Ephraim are alike, except he was not taken in by a kindly stranger and it was his decision to leave. So not very similar at all. And yet.
And so their walk together passed in this gentle way, Étoille speaking with Ephraim of their histories and of Ephraim's thoughts, until it grew late and the boy is lead back to rest.