Gyrfalcon's Keep moored

Just one? The question almost went right over his head in his excitement over his Birdwolf idea, but either way, he didn't get to linger over it for long. Grayday's heart performed some kind of acrobatic feat as the mention of the kids turned Catori from bright and confident to bashful and demure, and he knew - he knew he had a problem. But she was pretty and sweet, and Grayday's heart seemed to be charging ahead of his paws as he closed the distance between them in two short steps, aiming his lick for her cheek this time.

"First we'll take a bath," he agreed, "and then we'll go home."

 

Catori's eyes fluttered for a moment at the lick to her cheek, the girl giving a sly grin as she looked up through her lashes at him. "Hmm, a bath," She mused aloud, nodding towards a rock nearby. "Hand that over?" She motioned towards it with her free foot, placing the rock atop the pile of feathers to keep them in place. "I haven't explored this area much," She admitted. "But there was that river that cut through here - I'd bet there's a decent pool to get you rinsed off in." 

Catori tracked back some, careful to keep a conscious thought of where they'd left the feather pile until she found the river again. It cut away from the bird's roosting spot, but she was hopeful - with any luck there might be enough space for him to get washed up but not washed away. "So do I get to know about these little ones, or just get surprised?" She asked, looking up to him as they walked the edge of the river. 

His head was spinning as soon as she turned away from him, and he remained quiet on the walk to the river, asking himself just what he thought he was doing. And, when they reached the water and he still hadn't come up with a suitable answer, he charged right in to give himself more time.

Thankfully, Catori was full of distractions - even if the topic of his children sent a vague pang of guilt through his chest.

"I have two little girls and one boy," he replied, unable to not smile as he thought about the three. He knew that Catori would probably be surprised either way - most wolves were, when they saw Lavender. "Their names are Easy, Lavender, and Dauntless. And my two older ones are Sunny and Dawn - a boy and a girl."

 

As she'd expected, there was a grin on his face just from merely mentioning his children and that in turn made her smile. Of course she didn't know what she'd think when she actually got face to face with the ankle-biters, but, the theory of the children was cute enough. Maybe they wouldn't even like her (she didn't look like anyone else she'd ever met) or maybe they'd think her behavior was odd. Many did. And that didn't get to her, truth be told. "I like their names," She offered - they all seemed rather straight forward but also different than his own. Probably their mother's influence, not realizing, or even considering, that perhaps two mothers had been involved. 

She rounded a little bend in the river to find a suitable place for them to rinse up, smiling as she took a few steps. To her, the river was weaker than the sea and it didn't threaten to knock her off course at all - for him well, who knew? "It's not too bad," She assured but it might still sting the cuts on his legs anyways just for the change in temperature. She was only in up to her elbows, watching him intently to be sure that she didn't take him home in even worse condition. 

"I mostly just named Easy," he admitted, wading toward Catori with steady but graceless steps. He was not a strong swimmer, but he was sure enough on his paws, despite the day's misfortune. So he wasn't worried as moved deeper into the water, not stopping until the water reached his chest and a familiar sensation punched through his scarred flank.

"Holy shit!" he gasoed, sqsqueeze his eyes shut and fruiting his teeth aagainst the sudden pain. The grapefruit-grapefruit-sized circle of scar tissue on his flank felt as though it was on fire, and Grayday was sure - for a moment - that he'd been bitten again.

But when he looked back at the old injury and saw that it looked much as it always did, the leader realized that it was merely a reaction to the cold. He swallowed back the lump in his throat and looked sheepishly back toward Catori.

"Sorry. It was colder than I expected," he excused, embarrassed by his outburst and show of weakness.

The moment that he cried out Catori whipped her head around, eyes wide. Catori moved through the water to press against his shoulder gently.  She wasn't sure if it was the temperature or the shock of it or maybe those cuts hurt more than she realized. He whipped his head to look back at his leg - bringing up a new possibility. 

She didn't see any snakes, expecting that they would avoid the bitter cold - she wondered what might have happened. "It's okay," She soothed gently, hoping that he might get more comfortable in a moment or two. "We can take our time, there's no rush."  

Once he was sure he did not have another snake bite, Grayday was able to calm himself down. Catori's presence helped him take his mind off the pain, and when he turned to grin at her, it was only a little forced. "Just surprised me, is all," he said truthfully, though he'd been surprised by the renewed hurt rather than the shock of cold water. He leaned against her, anyway, turning his head to comb his teeth through the fur at the back of her neck. "Let's get you cleaned up, then, right?" he reminded her, eyes sparkling in a expression of mischief she was surely becoming familiar with.

 

Catori met his eyes, a look clear that she wasn't buying it, but she wasn't going to push him either. If he wanted to talk about it she'd be open to the discussion but she wasn't going to pry. She was placated by the way he teased his teeth along her collar, chuckling quietly at the notion she needed the bath. "My colors won't change."  She pointed out with a little smirk. "Yours might end up different after we get the muck off you."  

 

Grayday paused his washing to fix her with a look of faux confusion. "What are you talking about? I've always been white," he denied, moving a few paces away from her to duck his head under the water for a moment. The current was painfully cold, but it didn't take long for Grayday to become accustomed to it. He popped back out of the water with an exhilerated shout, splashing his companion as he tried to shake some warmth back into his face and neck.

Now fully wet, the male set about grooming his own coat - in the places where he could reach, anyway. This mean that, while his flanks and the base of his tail were combed over, the back of his neck was still rather dingy. The male didn't notice this, though, and even if he had, it's uncertain whether or not he would have cared.

"Hmm, must have been the low light then," She teased with a soft hum as she ducked herself beneath the waters, giving almost a relieved sigh at the sensation of the water cutting over her. It was cold, but, the sea waters she'd grown up frolicking in were rarely warm. She shook her coat when she emerged from the water, watching him for a moment. She gave a laugh, voice warm and almost fond as she chastised him. "You're hopeless, aren't you?" She approached him again before leaning in, beginning to groom the back of his neck and scruff. 

She was methodical as she made sure his coat was clear - debris and lesser feathers being returned to the water to let them fall where they would. She wasn't worried about the muck, knowing that every time she cleared some of his fur anything she removed would end up used by some other lifeforms - and hey, maybe some bird or fish would find use for what they cast off. 

Yes. Yes, he was hopeless. The male gave a solemn nod at this pronouncement, even as he eagerly met her ministrations with his own. The ginger of her collar intrigued him, and despite her words, Grayday could not help but run his tongue over the fiery furs and wonder if the color would wash away.

It didn't, of course. The silvery male could not find it in himself to be surprised. Odd as her coloration was, Grayday had seen too many strange wolves since coming to this land to be truly taken aback. But that didn't make her any less pretty, and Grayday wasn't any less taken by her.

"Okay, Spiritwalker," said Grayday, backing away from her before he began taking liberties inappropriate for two perfect strangers. "I think you're going to have to catch me some dinner before we go any further, here."

He sloshed back onto the riverbank and shook out his pelt, sending water droplets in every direction.

Catori could only smile when he offered her name, comfortable with using it and she shook out her coat abit, an eyebrow arching as he said he needed her to hunt for his dinner now. "And I thought we had to get you home." She mused, soggy tail flickering behind her slowly. It was still a great deal to do, after all, and if he thought he'd just lay there and she'd wait hand and foot on him - well. He'd have to learn, wouldn't he? 

"So do I drag your soggy butt home and maybe get your kids a snack or do I let you dry out before deciding what to do with you?" It was easy enough to just fish for him - but why let him in on that little secret? Catori didn't want to give everything away about herself but she could of course give a few hints here and there. Of course, she'd completely misunderstood his jest - missing the connotation entirely in what he'd said, but, that was fine, too. 

He paused and turned to look at her, ears flickering curiously at the tone of her voice. He'd upset her, he realized - and she was kind of cute in her indignation, but Grayday was still quick to try and placate her. "I'm just kidding, Cat. There's food at home," he assured her, moving back to try and bump his nose to her chin in apology. The more serious mention of food reminded him that they still hadn't found those deer, and in the interest of full disclosure, Grayday felt compelled to add:

"Although, I'm going to have to catch something this week, if we want things to stay that way."

He turned back toward the place where they'd stashed the feathers, not wanting Catori to see that he was a little bit worried. They could survive on turkeys and raccoons for awhile, but they'd need large game to get them through the winter. We'll make it, the male consoled himself, nosing the rock over and snuffling over the feathers for a moment.

 

While she'd meant the words on more of a teasing jest it hadn't quite carried over - which was fine. She didn't worry or fuss too much over small moments like that, they'd overcome them quickly enough. Instead she was more curious about his intentions, he seemed a bit more worried about their hunting prospects. "Do you fish?" She asked curiously, because she could teach plenty about fishing and trapping enough that even the little ones might be able to pick it up depending on how little they were. 

She pulled herself from the waters and shook her coat out, licking a bit of the water from her paws so not too much of the grass and dirt clung to her lower legs. "I can teach your lot, if you'd be interested." She said evenly, plucking up some of the feathers to cart home to his crew - regardless of his response to her offer she was willing. 

Though she hadn't seemed too angry, Grayday's heart still tumbled over itself in relief when the moment passed. His tail flagged in idle triumph as he scooped up a mouthful of feathers and began leading the way back toward the plateau. And he laughed when she brought up fishing - all women seemed to know how to do it - but eagerly nodded his head when she offered to teach them.

"Please," he entreated through his mouthful of feathers, tail whipping happily at the thought. Although he would probably make a terrible pupil due to his decaying vision, the rest of his pack would certainly benefit from learning the skill. Besides - he was up for anything that would keep her around.

Should we close this up, soon?

 

Catori was relieved he was open to the idea, smiling brightly at him. She bumped her shoulder against his and fell into step near him as much for the comradery and for the warmth. "You can show me your pretty home," She hummed out as they headed back - away from the rocks. At least that way he might not slip again, but, she was close enough and certainly didn't mind the proximity if he did slip. "So tell me about your group." Catori instructed, curious about his life and the people that filled it. 

wanna fade out here? We can start a new one if you'd like!