The revelation at the borders had been quite the shock to young Valiant. He'd known by the look on his aunts' faces that they hadn't known, and therefore had not been trying to hide it from him, but he felt bitter all the same. Easy had dumped him at Round Valley instead of letting him help search, and he'd resigned himself to that. He'd made friends with his cousins, had grown attached to his great aunt, who had been teaching him the ropes of hunting while her husband taught him how to fight -- and then Easy dragged him back here, where she'd found a man who wouldn't even recognize him.
He'd yet to approach his "father", not sure he could stand seeing the man if he didn't remember his own son. It was just as bad as losing Ma or Steph or Aeryn, except they couldn't even move on while their shell of a dad was still wandering around.
Valiant slunk through the territory with the mien of a boy that has been wrong by the world. He had often been berated for sulking in Round Valley, so if anyone approached, he would be quick to buck up and try to disguise his ill temper.
blondine was getting better at noticing obstructions in her path. if she moved slow enough, she could pick up slight changes in sound, making it easier to guesstimate the space between herself and anything else. after the collision with siarut, she'd made sure to be extra careful.
the huntress stalked through the territory, ears high atop her head. she froze with each sound, ears spinning to try and locate the source. the faint sound of approaching footsteps paired with the unfamiliar scent warned her of a stranger; a new packmate, she hoped.
taking two apprehensive steps forward, she called out, howdy!
and waited for a response.
The approach of a stranger made Valiant quickly abandon his sulkly wandering. He straightened, ears pricking curiously atop his head as he tried to judge whether or not the woman was coming toward him. She called out after a moment, and Valiant called back and quizzical, "Howdy." That answers that.
He began trotting toward her instead, tail wagging uncertainly to broadcast his harmless and friendly nature. There was something about the woman that was putting him on guard, and he didn't realize until she drew nearer that it was the way she was moving -- and why. He was very glad that she seemed unable to see him when he couldn't keep the expression of shock and disgust off his face. He remembered Aunt Spot telling him that his grandfather had been nearly blind for almost a year before his death, but somehow, it had been made nobler than this in his imagination. "H-howdy," he repeated, still bemused by the stange greeting. "My name's Valiant. P-pleased to meet you."
He was not a timid boy, but when faced with the misfortune of others, he was never quite sure how to act.
blondine frowned but kept a smile on her maw. why d'ya sound so nervous?
she hadn't meant to scare the boy, if that was the case. ain't like i can see ya to bite.
as an attempt to ease some of his apparent nerves, the huntress settled onto her belly, propping her head atop bent wrists.
maybe he was nervous because he didn't belong here. was this an intruder? blondine thought that it was unlikely, given the faint hint of the -archs' scent. i'm blondine, blondine abernathy
, she greeted, what d'you call yerself?
once introduced, the pair sat to talk for little over an hour before each going their seperate way.