ever since he had gotten back, he was keen to see the puppies. when he'd left, they'd just been born, tiny blind things that more resembled rodents than wolves. with a moon past, they should be more grown, and--if catori would allow it--he wanted to get to know his newest in laws.
just to seal the deal, he brought a long, thin bone and a feather from a turkey--something fun, something shiny.
he set these objects down outside the whelping den and dropped to his belly, keeping his posture low and submissive. "hey, cat," he called gently, assuming the new mother was in with the children. "wanted to drop by. can i say hello?" a smile bloomed over his face as he caught the smell of puppies, and he wagged his tail, eager to meet them already.
Doesn't fuggin matter what mom says, mobile baby Kasat had become used to newcomers. As always she set upon the stranger with a healthy curiosity before she was distracted easily by the way the sunlight refracted on the hard shiny thing.
she put it in her mouth.
The moment he heard the approach of a newcomer, River bolted towards him as quickly as his stubby little legs would take him. He barreled straight into the new wolf, but was unfazed. This was way too exciting! The young Corten's tail was wagging furiously, his entire body wiggling with joy. He arched up into the big golden man, yelling, Hi hi hi!
and nuzzling at him with great enthusiasm.
it didn't take long before a young girl emerged from the den, making a beeline toward him but soon distracted by the feather, which she promptly started chewing. aditya smiled, but before he could say anything, a male pup burst onto the scene, careening into his chest and wiggling with excitement. hihihi! aditya grinned benevolently down.
"hello, bachcha," adi crooned, dipping his muzzle to cuddle the boy into his embrace. he whuffed quietly to the girl, urging her to come forward as well. "you found the feather. it's from a bird--those things that fly above us."
he nudged the boy, running his tongue along his small, silken ears and forehead. "what's your name?" he asked, wondering how many words the children had as of yet. there was a third, he knew, but it clearly hadn't emerged from the den yet, and neither had catori. he hoped this was okay. grayday and cat should know him well enough by now to understand he was no threat.
Wow, feathers tasted awful. She spit it out as her brother came up behind her and shouted at the stranger. She moved onto the bone — now that was better — and dragged it along with her as she came up beside River as Aditya called her forward.
That was a question he hadn't been asked before. River!
He answered immediately, cheerfully, then paused. His expression became confused, then. Winterbourne? No... River.
Ahhhh! He was too young for this identity crisis! The young Corten huffed out a sigh through his nose and gazed expectantly at the golden wolf.
Your name?
He requested, though his attention was drawn to the feather his sister had abandoned immediately after. The pale boy moved to grab it, turning to wave it at the big wolf. Birb?
River repeated, voice muffled by the feather. Where was it now, then, if not attached to the feather? And why hadn't he brought it, too?
he laughed as the girl abandoned the feather, choosing to bring the bone over instead. he got a name from the boy--well, two--and settled on the easier of the two, figuring that would be easier to remember. he was a sharp kid; he threw the same question right back at aditya, and his ears perked up to hear it. "my name is aditya," he said, "but lots of people call me 'adi.'"
then another question, about the feather's origins, and he nodded sagely down at river, nose running gently over the edge of the feather. "haan, bachcha, a bird. the feather must have fallen off. sometimes we lose our hair," adi added, preening at his shoulder in illustration. a few hairs, part of the pathetic excuse for a winter pelt he'd grown, fluttered to the ground. "see?"