Qeya River but oh, it kinda sets me free

The boy hadn't expected to run as far as he did, but in his hurt confusion had covered more miles than he realized. He had almost run into the claimed Maplewood-- but steered away from the scent markings as soon as he noticed them.
In the back of his mind, he half-hoped to run into Aditya or Dawn again, or perhaps some other member of the Morningside pack. Ali had already decided they were a friendly bunch, based on his interactions with the two he had met. And it was never a bad time for new friends. The relief of someone new and unattached would be welcome, in fact; Ali craved simpler interactions as of late. Something light and fun, not weighed down by the heavy emotion he had been drowning in.

after roaming the north part of the maplewood for a few hours, aditya had meandered even farther upward, coming to a halt at the river that cradled the small mountains ahead. the crag was daunting, the glacier even more so, and perhaps if he was in a more adventurous mood, he'd seek to climb, to explore. for now, adi was contemplative, and he sat on the banks of the river, looking across the water quietly.

his conversation with grayday still rang in his ears. he wondered whether he was being too demanding of his young mate. was he tethering her to reality too soon? was he crushing her spirit? he thought he had done an adequate job of letting her be who she was so far, but her father's words had cast the shadow of doubt upon his mind.

and then there was the other shadow--coelacanth. aditya heaved a long sigh as the woman's face danced before him. he'd heard through the grapevine that she was attached to someone as well--hell, he'd seen her cozy up to the burly male at the hunter's moon, but had thought nothing of it then. perhaps he didn't want to admit any evidence that they would not be together, at least not in this life. still, he pined for her, and if dawn were to flee--

his thoughts broke off abruptly as a figure appeared in the near distance, looking winded, almost panicked. twitching his ears in concern, adi rose, peering at the dusty shape. the scent carried over the wind identified the stranger as alarian, the boy he'd met to the south. a friendly smile playing over his muzzle, he trotted toward him, canting his head in inquiry.

"fancy seeing you again," he greeted warmly, pulling to a halt a few paces away from alarian. "have you settled up here, as well?"

Alarian noticed the other wolf's approach only moments before he was upon him; it took only half a beat for him to identify the scent. He tried to wipe the hurt from his face, but his chest still ached. The boy only chuffed at first, tail wagging as he gathered his wits for a proper response.
Aditya. The Governor greeted with a dip of his head. I'm glad to see you're well, and your pack escaped the war in the valley. We-- my group is a pack now. My pack, I guess; The Bracken Sanctuary. We settled in Broken Boulder, northeast of here.
He gestured with his muzzle in the direction, thinking to add after a moment: One of your leaders visited. Dawn.

something was clearly bothering the slight boy; the pain in his eyes dulled the spark he'd seen there before, and it seemed to take him a while to speak. when he did, it was quite businesslike, honeyed words layered over. . .well, something. and what of his companions? korei, lennon? were they here now, too?

"i haven't been quite that far north, yet," adi responded amiably, golden orbs following alarian's gesture. his face broke into an easy grin as the young man mentioned dawn's name. "dawn is my mate, the daughter of our first leader, grayday. i'm happy she got the chance to visit your group."

still, for all the pleasure he felt that his mate had managed to connect with the wolves now living in the bracken woods, the feeling that something was wrong still gnawed at his conscience. softening his gaze, he blinked at alarian and asked, "are you all right?" nothing more, nothing less. he wouldn't force an answer out of the boy, but he hoped he'd find some answers to the turmoil that hung over him like a storm cloud.

Ali took in the information with only mild surprise; that the pack seemed so much more familial than his already caused a brief flash of insecurity. It seemed a stronger tie than whatever held Bracken Sanctuary together. The name Aditya provided, though-- Grayday-- was tucked away for later, filed under 'useful information'.
Dismay dominated his expression in the next moment, as soon as he registered the other's question. I-- no. Not really. It's... Lennon is gone. Alarian sucked in a breath, and quite suddenly was rambling. I loved him-- and I thought he loved me. And then he started acting strange, and he disappeared, and I'm a little relieved he's gone because he loved everyone that way, but I just wish-- I wish I had been enough.
He was breathing a little harder, now; something cold and burning and desperately urgent rose in his chest. Some part of him realized already that he had overshared, but the mortification had not yet set in. He wasn't done.
He left me with Korei-- and I wanted to always be there for her, but I don't think I'm into women and-- and I panicked and broke up with her-- and I don't know how I'm supposed to keep this pack together when I can't keep myself together. There-- it was out. Most of it. He paused and tried to calm his panicked breathing, but it was little use. Only a few beats separated the end of his rant and the moment he realized what he had done. The boy took a few more steps back, stiff and wide-eyed now.
I-- I'm so sorry. That wasn't... supposed to happen. Maybe I should, um, He glanced around and behind him uncomfortably, but realized as soon as he said it that he didn't want to leave. Something urged him to stay and make sure the acquaintance's opinion of him wasn't ruined forever. Ali felt he had to offer anyway, though. Should I go?

perhaps alarian expected him to turn tail and head home, in the wake of this tirade, but having spewed many rants himself, aditya stood patiently, waiting until the young man had exhausted his words. he gave his acquaintance a sympathetic look, shaking his head at the question lobbed his way.

"only if you want," adi murmured, one side of his mouth lifting in a gentle smile. "i'm sorry for what has happened to you, alarian. i know the kind of pain you feel right now."

did he? he'd been through a lot in his life, losing lovers here and there, but alarian had lost two in such a short time. he thought of losing coelacanth--the dream, the vision of what could be--and then dawn, the truth, his life. . .in a one-two punch, it would be devastating. so no, perhaps he didn't know.

but it was an emotion he could grasp, at least.

"do you have anyone to help you lead the pack?" adi asked, thinking of the support pema and dawn gave to grayday, especially as the man's sight began to fade for good. alarian was in good condition, physically, but mentally, the boy was shattered--he could use the assistance. "someone you could trust, to take care of everyone with you?"

The other male met his outburst with a patience that seemed practiced; frankly, Alarian wasn't surprised. Of course, he had expected the worst— he always did— but he got the feeling this wasn't out of character for Aditya. He calmed slightly, trying to stifle his embarrassment enough to answer the question posed.
Well... The Governor thought of Lanawyn, knowing without a doubt that he trusted her the most. But oh, her temper— he thought, then, of level-headed Lily. She was young, but patient— and certainly more grounded than many of their group. I have a friend who is... she's very reasonable. Too reasonable, sometimes; he almost resented her for it, when his own irrationality got the best of him. He was suddenly grateful for the question, though— perhaps he needed the realization, even if it highlighted his own inadequacy and made him feel a little... ah, nevermind.

aditya nodded. "reasonable is good," he said gently. "talk to her about it. see how she feels. or anyone else you can trust. morningside has three leaders for a reason," he pointed out, grinning. "it's a lot for just one wolf to handle. even grayday had his paws full."

if grayday was buckling under the stress, he showed no signs of it. but this young man barely had his head above water; aditya pondered for a moment whether he should talk to grayday, see if they could form an alliance with this fledgling pack. they could offer assistance in times of need, advice on how to function. . .

he kept that idea tucked away in the back of his mind, giving alarian a kind smile. "is there anything else you want to get off your chest?" adi asked, cocking his head to one side in inquiry. "i'm a pretty good listener, for all the talking i do. and i don't want you to go home still feeling bad."

The suggestion inspired a small amount of anxiety; how would he go about that, exactly? 'Hey, I'm a failure, please help!' (There were definitely better ways, but, this is Ali). Especially when the idea of promoting her was only just coming up— he had thought about it before, but never spoken it aloud.
Was she even ready to give the kind of help he needed? Levelheaded as she was, she was also young— but he didn't feel inclined to share this conflict with Aditya. It would need time, more thought, assuming he didn't avoid it entirely (he would).
At the male's question, Alarian shifted a little uncomfortably. Was this like, a counseling session now? Did he need that? Oh god, he needed that. But maybe— maybe not right now. He relaxed, mostly out of resignation, and answered with a somewhat apologetic smile. I think I've rambled at you enough for the day— I appreciate this, though. It— He swallowed hard. It helped. Getting it out.
He paused. Do you think you'd be up for a hunt, though?

aditya watched, with interest, the emotions flicker over alarian's features one by one. as soon as he could, he wanted to visit this pack. his friendship with alarian had begun near the cliffs, many moons ago, and now he wanted to see to it that morningside's friendship with alarian's pack began as well.

he nodded, smiling. "i'm glad it helped. let's go for a hunt." with a swish of his banner tail, he set off at a slow trot, motioning for alarian to follow. the scent of hare was heavy in the air, and like a bloodhound, he was keen to follow it.