as always the elk-king takes its leave: delight can't help the twinge of anxiety he feels as it seems his presence is what triggers the stag's departure. but the king elk hadn't looked at him too closely this time, so - and well, anyway, he's got the attention of the older male now, and it's safe to speak.
"we haven't - i'm delight singing-sunlight," the androgyne replies, watching the man with a touch of deference. he thinks he must be related to mato somehow, and he definitely holds a higher rank than the núro, and chance meetings with the magnificent god-creature aside, delight has an opportunity to seize here. he glances after the elk-king's retreating form, and adds a touch shyly, "umyeah, it's - he's sort of magnificent, i think." his appearance must be a sign, if nothing else, for delight's plan to work. "are you related to mato?" the núro asks the gentleman, perhaps skipping several pleasantries in his haste to confirm his suspicions, but typical to the yearling is his lack of true social grace.
oblivious as he is to burke's innermost thoughts, the androgyne can't help but fluff up a little, pleased to finally meet someone who didn't immediately mock his name. (and in truth, even if he is made known of burke's real opinion, he wouldn't find it troublesome - delight has more important things to fuss over than gender).
burke, the elder introduces himself as, and delight commits it to memory dutifully. more importantly, burke goes on to say he is an advisor, and most importantly, mato's grandfather, which makes him vital in delight's metaphorical book. in response to his question the núro says, "i met him when i first got here - mato and seabreeze - and they offered me a place in what would become tindómë." it's simple enough, but the smallest of actions do have the largest lasting effects. "i'm working on being our chronicler, since i've been here since the beginning," he explains, eager to get to his mission objective. "so i'm collecting the other founders' stories. i've already got mato's, but since you're family, you probably have more perspective - plus, um, how you came to be with tindómë, and - the other packs you've lead..?" the yearling finishes somewhat sheepishly, hoping the way his voice changed when he asks about the morwinyon isn't too obvious. either way, burke will surely be a wealth of knowledge - well, hopefully, if he's willing to indulge the chronicler.
thankfully the elder agrees to help, and relieved the boy sits back, expression alert, ready to commit whatever he needs to memory. as with mato, the key details are the easy part: blackfeather woods; a different pack based on trades; the fen mato had mentioned (lead by his father, he now notes); the caldera. though a touch disappointed at burke's professed lack of relationship with the silver prince, the details in his outline are sound. there is a legacy before tindómë in the roots of mato's family, bound by the extra souls he brought in to his home.
"ah, thanks," the androgyne says, "it's a good outline, i think." he turns it over in his head, thinking of what might be clarified, and asks: "what was the name of your pack, after blackfeather? and, wait," his voice dips, becoming incredulous, "they wouldn't let you eat?" it's a slightly delayed reaction, but he can't help the flush of - irritation, maybe something stronger, at the cruelty in that gesture: delight is a selfish brat, but he cannot imagine sanctioning letting your elders starve. (whether this thought is merely empty promise or actual praxis is better left unexamined - and anyway, mato wouldn't allow something like that!)
an interesting thing about his decision to collect the stories of his pack-mates: it is hard to remain self-centered, as each piece of the broader puzzle serves to make delight feel ever smaller and more appreciative. of course these changes are slowly won, and at the moment the boy's head is still swollen from bruised ego, but he starts to feel something now. he is glad for mato, for the decision to bring his elders with him, and he is glad to talk to burke like this, though he won't admit it in such terms. he adds arthendal to his mental registry, his collection of these legacies he is a permanent outsider to, but the observer of.
it didn't really matter if burke were being truly honest or not - delight was a boy of dramatics and frankly he appreciated the mournful flair of the elder's storytelling. it made for a much better tale this way - he was right. "well," the androgyne says with a sniff, "i'm glad you're here, and they can rot." he recalls what mato's told him, and adds: "your mate is with you too, yeah? um, malice?" he did find mato's emphasis on her as burke's mate and not his grandmother interesting, though not enough to pry into it specifically. she is high on his list of priorities (which, at this point, is less a list of priorities and more just a list to go through depending on who he bumps into first. c'est la vie, delight.)
surprise filters across his face for a moment. it'd just been an idea, a dumb one, but burke seems to like it - and it feels official, the idea of him and burke and maybe whoever else doing what is, essentially, a miniature scouting trip. for history's sake. the androgyne doesn't quite smile but he nods thoughtfully, says "i will," and means it.
he feels a twinge of something - mato's got a lot of siblings running around - delight did once but - that's neither here nor there. instead he focuses on: "it is important i think," the chronicler agrees, preening just slightly, pleased with himself for coming up with an important job for him to do. responsibility feels good on him, he thinks. he does manage a smile then: fleeting, fragile, not quite right for his face, but it's something. "um, is there anything else you think should be in the story?"