I have serious Kieran Muse couldn't wait.
Kieran had been staying far away from any and all wolves since the beginning of the trip, but he had kept a swift and careful eye on the females as they traveled. He would scout their way early morning and after they went to sleep. He hadn't slept all that much, his mind too full for him to do so. He preferred to be busy, it kept his mind on other things. If he fell asleep without being exhausted all his dreams were filled with his siblings and his parents and precious Kiva and he just couldn't do it.
Today he however was feeling a bit lonely, he was a social creature after all, all wolves are. He couldn't stay away from everyone, forever. So with that thought in mind he went in search of the one wolf he considered his friend
@Kaskara. She may ask him about his scarcity, but honestly he wasn't even sure what to say. He looked around and then sighed softly to the air
"Kiva chailleann tú mé"
No problem! :)
Their mission was a success, or at least partly. Tuwawi had gone, but Njal was still there. They had found out what happened to Bazi: she had fallen into a ravine and broken her leg, and had only recently made her way to the glacier. Kaskara had even spoken to Bazi alone yesterday, and it made her feel better knowing that her friend was coming home with them.
Today they were simply loitering around, waiting for Bazi to feel good enough to travel with them. Kas knew their journey home would take longer simply for the fact that they now had an injured wolf to take care of, but she didn't mind it. Bringing home Bazi was the important part. "Hey, Kieran," she said when she saw him ahead, and quickened her pace to his side. "I'm glad you came with us. I wasn't so sure where you were, but what matters is that you are here now."
There were many changes to the Glacier since he had originally helped them to carry their babes here. Many of them sad, but the wild was cruel and so was life and he would do well to remember that. Sure it didn't sit well with the scarred male, but fate had it's own plans and it would do what it wished with who it wished.
Kieran turned and gave her a small smile, genuine, but small.
"Oi wus alwus dare miss kaskara oi never lost sight av either wan av yer. oi kept watch over de both av yer from de shadows." He shifted his weight and sat down to his haunches to offer some conversation. The loneliness in his soul he wished to alleviate today.
During the months that they knew each other, Kaskara had grown fond of the chocolate-colored male, weird accent and all. He was strong and sure, a wolf that could be counted on. She wondered why a handsome and able-bodied male such as himself didn't have a mate, but part of her knew that the grief he spoke of some time ago was partly to blame there. Plus, she didn't want to ruin their friendship by asking such a harsh question.
"Thank you," she said softly, pulling herself into a sitting position near him. They were camping out in a copse of trees near the glacier's borders, not too far from Bazi, in case she needed anything. Kaskara would rush in if there was so much as a bark from her, the borderlines be damned. She would risk life and limb for Bazi, no matter the consequences. "You're a good wolf, Kieran, and I'm glad you're part of my pack, my family." She smiled, looking into his dark green eyes, and hoped he felt the same.
Kieran could safely say that the she wolf before him was the only one that he was at least on friendly terms with and willingly sought out. He kept to himself mostly, but she had managed to get him to like her a bit. He liked her brother too, found him to be pleasant company most of the time, though of late had not been. But that was what a lost love could do to you. It was a choice that Kieran was a lone male. He could have had another female he supposed, but none were like Kiva and it would take a strong willed woman to break his resistance.
He chuckled at her words a hearty sound, he was no saint. He was no good than any other wolf that was part of the creek.
"Oi'm neither naw more nor naw less as gran' as any other wolf in our fauld kaskara. but tanks dat is kind."
"You don't give yourself enough credit," she said with a smile. "Not many wolves would follow two girls north with winter weather on the way, or deal with an errant alpha like we have." She loved Bazi and what she said was not meant to harm her in any way. It was true, nonetheless: she had been errant for many weeks now and it was their duty to bring her home.
"But I know you're humble and won't agree with me. Just know that I appreciate everything that you have done for me, for Scimitar, and for Swiftcurrent Creek." Briefly wondering if she was laying it on too thick, Kaskara ignored that part of her and decided that the truth could never be too thick. "I'm proud to call you my friend, even if I don't know much about you." She had promised not to pry, and she would stick to that promise, but she did wonder about his past and the grief that he carried on his shoulders like a mantle or a shield.
Kas smiled slightly, knowing that Kieran was clearly uncomfortable being the center of her attention. She was just trying to make sure that he understood how much she appreciated him, especially during this time. But when he asked what she wanted to know, Kaskara simply shook her head. "I would never assume to ask any more about your past than I have, Kieran. I understand that it was sad and painful, and that you don't wish to talk about it." That was enough for her, if truth be told.
"I have faith that if you want to tell me, you will. We are friends, after all, and friends share their pain with each other." At least that's what Kaskara understood friendship to be. That's what she wished to have with others, though thankfully she didn't have much pain to share with anyone, not lately. If he didn't want to share, she wasn't going to force him.
Kieran was uncomfortable being the center of anyone's attention. Firstly he didn't deserve it, he had shirked it once when he had been the whole world of another. Secondly, he preferred to let the light shine on others, work in the background quietly and without fuss. Kieran blinked at her words and gave her a smile with a slight twinkle pleased that she didn't push, but it ended as quickly as it had begun. Like a fire snuffed out as soon as it started.
Kieran thought about her words and blinked again. He turned his green gaze towards the ground and thought to himself. There was some that he wasn't ashamed to talke about. He could talk of his parents gently and his brother and sister. But beyond just to name them and say they existed he wasn't sure if he could or even if he wanted to speak of it.
"it wasn't al' sad me life. let's clap oi 'ad a ma a owl lad a buff an' blister a brah'der. me ma wus melva. me owl lad wus rian, me brah'der kane an' me buff an' blister kiara."
When he smiled at her words, she noticed a small twinkle in Kieran's green eyes, though it disappeared almost as soon as it appeared. Kas wondered at that, but didn't ask aloud. She was glad when he decided to open up, to tell her about his life before, that it hadn't always been sad. She smiled at the thought of Kieran living with his family, his parents and siblings, whose names he was kind enough to share with her.
"What was life like with them?" she asked, wondering if it was any different than other packs. "Did all your family have thick accents like you?" Though his accent was very thick and sometimes hard to understand, Kaskara could usually decipher his meaning. Sometimes she still struggled, but she was used to listening to strange accents and dialects, so she had it easier than most.
"Oh," she said, feeling silly for not realizing that they didn't speak the common tongue in his home pack. "Would you teach me some of your language, maybe?" It might have been a bit forward, but Kaskara was good with languages. She knew Latin and even some Greek, though not much. "My father taught me Latin when I was younger and I enjoyed it. Languages fascinate me."
However, she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. She smiled and said, "If you don't want to, Kieran, that's okay. If you're up for it, though, I think it would be a fun way to spend the winter months. I wonder if it gets harsh here." She hadn't spent a winter here before. Would it snow them in the creek's territory? Would they be stuck within their dens, with no one to talk to for days? She looked at Kieran, wondering if he had been here that long to know.
I'll get this archived! :)
Kaskara smiled and allowed her tail to wag behind her, indicating her happiness.
"Thank you!" She was truly glad that Kieran agreed to teach her some of his language. She listened carefully as he spoke, pushing her ears forward to catch his words. They were foreign and thick, much different from anything she had spoken before. This wouldn't be easy.
"What words mean what?" she asked with a grin. Then she noticed the time and stood,shaking her head regretfully.
"It's getting late. Let's head on back to Falwasi. You can teach me as we walk." She led the way, listening as they walked, and tried the strange words on her tongue, tripping over the language. This would take some getting used to.