paleo appeared to be gone.
tamar had not lingered, feeling herself rattled by the disappearance of wolves she had hardly known. it reminded her that life was fleeting, and that epoch was alone.
tamar did not return home at once; she traveled farther in the opposite direction than she had in some time, discovering strange scents that led to an unknown group at the edge of the mountains.
not close enough to be of any hunting competition, but new. tamar held far back in trepidation, though she did not hide the curiosity in her eyes.
After settling in, the pack had become busy. There were borders to establish and mark, caches to start filling for the winter, and four children to keep an eye on, among all the other daily demands of living in the wild. For the growing boy, it meant more and more independence as well as responsibility. Nothing to be taken too seriously yet- so while he'd been trailing behind his mother on his patrol, he fell behind when he stopped to investigate some interesting scents, and ended up getting left behind.
Nothing to be concerned, about, of course. His parents had a fairly relaxed view on parenting, and Baldr had already learned a couple tough life lessons on his own- enough to teach him how to be reasonably careful.
He stopped to drink from the stream that bordered their territory, before noticing a slim, golden-furred wolf in the distance. She wasn't on their borders, but she was within sight of them, wasn't she? So...That meant she was probably a visitor? He tilted his head back and called out with a couple high, childish whoops so that his packmates would be alerted. Then, altogether proud of his contribution, he sat, smiling, and tail thumping against the streambank.
Baldr wasn't exactly as fleet-of-foot as she would have liked for him to be at three months, but Solveig didn't worry when he dropped behind. He'd figure things out on his own and wander back to the Rendez-vous site eventually, likely full of smells and stories. She didn't worry about him leaving the territory as most of their current claim was still new to him. Lots of scents for him to learn, and plenty of prey to start stalking.
When she heard his call, though, she headed back, curious to see what he'd found. He wasn't a terribly loud child, so she took his summons seriously, and was impressed to see him holding his ground (albeit in probably too relaxed and trusting a manner for a border guardian) with a stranger in the distance.
She uttered a low woof to him as she approached, and nudged him so that he would rise to his feet. "Your form, Baldr," She reminded him quietly, before she turned her gaze to the woman in the distance.
She was the colour of fields in autumn, the gold of straw and the cream of cornsilk. She flicked her ears forward. "Come closer, if you would like," She called out.
she was at once approached.
a very large boy bounced forward; tamar took note of his markings and smiled as he announced her to the others.
a woman followed next, and she straightened, coming forward. they were both solidly built, her voice accented. "hello," the mountainwolf greeted. "i am tamar, of epoch. we are in the sunspire," she explained.
"are you new?" she asked, her eyes upon the boy once more. "i have sons born this year. perhaps you will meet them," tamar told the child.
He wiggled on the spot as his mother approached, feeling quite proud of himself for having kept an eye on the (admittedly, very benign) stranger. Of course, Solveig was right- he had forgotten to maintain something of a posture, and when she nosed his flank he stood up and tried to square his paws, but realized quickly he'd set them too far apart. One hind foot begin slipping out from under him on the loose soil, so he pulled himself together into a more collected pose.
He wasn't really expecting to be spoken to, so he remained silent, though his ears perked at the mention of there being other kids to play with. He looked up at his mother, hopefully, before looking back to Tamar. He wished she'd brought her kids with her- then he'd have someone to play with while the two adults talked!
Tamar of Epoch, in the Sunspire. Solveig had heard nothing of Epoch, nor had she ever heard the mountains referred to as Sunspire, though it surprised her that their first visitor wasn't from one of the three Moonpacks. She thought the woman spoke with a welcoming tone- and offering for their children to meet was a good sign as well.
"Welcome, Tamar," She said. "Yes; we have settled here, just this past moon cycle; we came down from the Keep," She said, gesturing toward the lonely peak at the very edge of the mountain range to the West. "I am Solveig, and this is my son, Baldr," She caught his hopeful gaze and she smiled. "I think he and his siblings would enjoy some new friends, as would I," She said with a laugh as she sat, hoping to invite peaceful conversation between the two of them. "We are called Raventhorpe, as a pack. You say you come from Epoch?" She asked, hoping she had remembered correctly.
she was kind.
tamar's defenses dissolved. here was only another mother with a son like her own. "then i welcome you, baldr and solveig." her tail moved once. "yes, epoch. my sons are saleem and sylianos. my older children have — gone away to find their own lives."
too early. too early. "my husband is arsenio. we lead with rodyn and meadow, who are married and recently welcomed their own children."
conversational, talkative; was this what tamar had missed?
Tamar seemed nice enough to the boy who had yet to witness any form of cruelty that surpassed the occasional squabble between siblings. He had no reason to be wary of the kindly woman, especially when there was the possibility that he might get to play with some more kids his age. While he hoped that they might leave promptly, find out where Epoch was and go visit so that he could play right now, he also got the feeling that that wasn't likely to happen.
Adults talked.
So he remained quiet, but hopeful still.
She inhaled, and nodded. She knew that the pause would go well above Baldr's head, but she sensed that Tamar missed her departed children. A blink and a furrowing of her brow was all she could muster for a second as she thought of Thorsen and Torhild, who had chosen to remain with their father. She was not particularly adept at offering words of sympathy, though she felt it well enough.
She would have to remember the names, so her lips twitched slightly after they were each pronounced. Meadow would be easy enough- but she knew she might need to hear the other two names more than once to retain them. "You have a good community then," She commented warmly, proudly. To host two litters in one year from complete couples who led all together was a good sign. "This one," She said, plopping a large paw atop Baldr's head to earn a husky giggle from the boy, "is one of three but that is all we have for children this year. My first daughter will come of age next year, but ah," She said, with a shrug, letting her paw slip to the ground. "Who knows. There is no one here her age," She said with a faint chuckle and a shrug, her eyes shimmering as she looked to Tamar- wondering if perhaps she might involve both of her broods in a visit to Epoch.
a young son. a grown daughter.
it might be the same for her own daughters.
a breath, a smile. "well. we will need to change this soon," she smiled. "you are welcome among us. perhaps we can hunt together."
epoch was quiet. tamar wished to change this.
"Yes," Eager, firm, friendly but assured. They would hunt with the Epoch wolves, and they would grow in strength by having neighbours, at last. She knew very little of Tamar, but felt completely at ease simply cementing their friendship and allowing time to improve it.
"When the elk move through the flatlands, by the river in November," She suggested. "I have...Four capable hunters," She said, knowing she would likely ask Vaettir to mind the children. She could call upon her daughter, her mate and her scout to contribute to the hunt. She felt her son looking up at her eagerly. She reached down to nuzzle his forehead. "You, son, will get to witness it all- and make some new friends." She murmured fondly.
"there will be two hunters, from us."
she hoped her sons would accompany them.
but as of late, each of them had been preoccupied with one another.
epoch held its small number. her eyes were bright on the mother and son. "i look forward to it, solveig."
A combined total of six wolves, she thought, would be capable of taking down a substantial meal. Her son looked pleased with the idea of making new friends, and she felt pleased for him. It might give even the earthy and brooding Granite a chance to meet some other children his age- and perhaps, more his speed.
"As do I," She hummed. "A feast, and then we will go to the hot springs after, to relax and share stories," She suggested.
"i look forward to this."
a glance to the sky; she must return to epoch. on impulse she offered solveig a touch of her muzzle.
"it will be good to have friends."
a lingering wait; then she was turning for the vale and eternal home.