As she was coming in, he’d been preparing to head out. Although he wasn’t yet ready to venture far from the valley, he still frequented the border, keeping a close eye on things. He’d yet to notice that his friend never trekked far into the territory, assuming that when he saw her at the borders it was because she, too, was keeping watch, rather than because something had been holding her back. So when he spotted her away from the path leading out, he didn’t think too much of it. However, he did shift directions so that he was heading towards her instead of the exit, a throaty chuff sounding to announce his presence. He was less interested in standing guard now, figuring the valley was safe enough for the time being.

From their first meeting until now, all the encounters in between stood out in his memories. She was always so lively and quick to make contact, but easy to get along with despite that. He expected nothing less from her, but less was what he received as he made his most recent approach; the emotions in her gaze did not go unnoticed but were not fully comprehended, either. And though he could not read her in full something prompted him to stop, keep still, and gaze back at her. He struggled with his decision on how to react, settling for just ignoring what he’d seen and waiting—waiting for her usual approach, her enthusiastic greeting, but what he received was nothing close to what he’d come to expect from her.

With a now-furrowed brow he reached out to her, circling and analysing her. He looked for wounds and ran his nose through her fur, searching for any sort of explanation to her behaviour—but there was nothing to find, everything seemingly being as it should. Concluding another loop around her, he stopped when they were standing face-to-face, his own still scrunched up with concern and confusion. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, see if it was something that he could fix, but he knew she’d never answer—she couldn’t.

A soft whine, barely audible, slipped passed his lips as he touched his nose to her cheek; upon reaching his own ears, the sound made them lay flat, unrecognisable. In situations like these, he didn’t know what to do. Things had been easier with Kendra, he’d been able to ask her what was wrong whenever she was feeling down, but now he couldn’t do that, not with his new friend. He could certainly try, but that would get him nowhere, only waste his breath—so he did what he thought might help, nipping playfully at her nose and then taking a few, bounding steps away. This had gotten her to move before, and she seemed to have enjoyed it back then, so perhaps it would help now. Maybe that was all she really needed—to play again.

Although he might never fully understand what had happened, what was wrong, at least he’d found the solution. Their briefly shared embraced was thought back on as he watched her, but the newly-made memory wasn’t able to linger for very long, chased away by her reaction to him. She was back! Her previous gloom was seemingly shed as she dropped down into a bow, bringing a grin to his maw and a wag to his tail. He’d found the way to help her—no words necessary.

Alexander twisted and turned, following her wild movements as she leapt around him. He did not run off for her to give chase, remaining still instead and just watching her; he was waiting for an opportunity to present itself, eagerly anticipating the execution of his plan. And just when she landed where he’d wanted her to, the albino sprung forward, attempting to knock into her and send them both barrel-rolling through the snow. They had chased after one another plenty already, he was ready for a new game.

Should he succeed in getting her down in the snow, he’d proceed to lay himself over her and begin mouthing at her paws, tail brushing along the snow all the while. He held himself steady with his legs, keeping his weight from pressing against her fully; there was plenty of room left for her to wriggle free without much effort.

Chasing her was fun.

Tackling her was fun.

Just being around her was fun.

Alexander wasn’t used to this, not yet, but he was getting there. Each moment spent with her brought with it something new, whether it be an experience, emotion, or something else, and he was genuinely enjoying it—enjoying her. But at the same time, he was still himself, oftentimes oblivious to others and their feelings, thus preventing him from picking up on her discomfort. He just moved his body along with her’s, leaning closer to and nipping at her all the while. He gladly would have continued this new game—why should he have any qualms with it, when he was the one on top—if not for her shift in positions, which both confused and excited him; the latter feeling he tried to and succeeded with ignoring, the lure not there.

The albino rose up higher off of her as she was nearly free, helping her along the rest of the way. And when she tried to mimic his earlier decision by crashing into him, he moved along with the force behind her body, flopping over into the snow. He did not roll onto his back—he couldn’t bring himself to go that far—but he did remain with his side pressed into the white blanket, tail wagging as he eagerly awaited her next move.

Her decision to plop down beside him, rather than mimic his earlier actions, surprised him. He continued to watch her, wondering if it was just an act before she launched at him, but soon realised that, that wasn’t the case. As she licked and nipped at him a low, playful growl worked its way out of his throat. He returned the nips, aiming them all along her cheek before he began mouthing the top of her muzzle.

Alexander stretched out his forelimbs and pawed at her for a short while, then let them fall back down into the snow. His sides were heaving and, by then, his tongue was hanging out the corner of his mouth whilst he panted. Still, he rolled so he was laying on his stomach and was still for a moment before he reached towards her lazily. And though he nipped a few times in the process, his main goal was to lay his head on her side, claiming her as his temporary pillow.