aditya liked to walk the streams; as a child of the coast, it made him feel more at home in the vast plains. dawnlark could be considered a sea of its own, but of land, not water--which he ultimately preferred. the burly male padded slowly along the shore of the meandering creek, eyes peeled for anything of interest. as he came along a bend, he saw a grayscale male he'd not noticed before.

his hackles raised momentarily, but relaxed as he remembered they had invited someone new recently. aviana's brother, he thought it was? his golden eyes surveyed the man from a distance. good size, the marks of battle marring his pelt. . .no tail, which adi found intriguing. he was fishing, and so aditya waited from a distance until he had seized his quarry, not wishing to disturb him.

once the fish was dead and gone, placed on the shore, adi gave a gentle chuff of greeting, trotting slowly toward the man with his head raised. he hoped he was a little more friendly than aviana had been, upon their first meeting.

"well caught," he remarked warmly, nodding toward the fish on the ground. "i don't believe we've met; i'm aditya. nice to see a new face around here--it's been a while."

he felt a small twinge of guilt at the mention of aviana, but smiled, nodding. perhaps being friendly to her brother would get him in her good graces, at last. (well, perhaps actually talking to her would, too. aditya needed to bother emily more about starting a thread for that.) he shook his head at sebastian's worry of being alone.

"no, you're making yourself useful; how could i not be okay with that?" adi said warmly. he grinned. "i'm terrible with the fishing, myself. we'll need fishers. lots of fat, good for pregnant women to eat. strong pups, and all that."

aditya's eyes wandered to the scar on the man's shoulder, his docked tail. he'd clearly seen combat, and was likely a competent warrior, as well. they needed those, too. "we're glad to have you here. say, how did that war turn out?" he asked, eyes gentle. "you don't have to answer if you feel uncomfortable. it was just. . .such a big thing, and now it's all over, and i've barely heard anything about it."

indeed, while the conflict had rattled the lives of all involved, adi had barely felt a ripple, and that seemed strange, in the wake of the build-up. he knew relocation had insulated them from the war, but he didn't think it would do this much to quiet things.

"yes, of course, i will," he said, smiling. "cat and pema have both helped me learn how to fish, but i've never quite gotten it down. lack of practice, i suppose." he settled back on his haunches, content to learn. "maybe i'll watch you for a while and then give it a go."

aditya's ears flattened slightly as sebastian went through describing everything that had happened; it seemed that even victories had consequences. blow after blow after blow had befallen the male, and adi marveled at the fact that he was still so cheery, in spite of it. at least he had been able to reunite with his sister. that was one small comfort.

"we're very happy to have your loyalty," adi said sincerely. "with grayday gone, and pups on the way, we need it now more than ever." it was a precarious time for morningside; a transitional period, of sorts. he already had taken a liking to sebastian and was happy that both he and his sister had found them. they were invaluable members of the pack, and if they stayed, they would become like family.

he listened intently to sebastian's instructions, nodding along. as for the condolences. . .he shrugged them off, but gave the man a kind smile. compared to others in this pack, he had no great claim of mourning grayday; he'd been family by marriage, and he was certain the old leader counted him as a friend, as well. but with his brother, mate, and children around, adi felt less entitled to accept condolences.

"he was a good man," aditya said simply, looking away. "he'd have liked you, too, i think." he stepped back to watch sebastian do his thing, mouth breaking in a wide grin as the gray male was met with success. "well done! looks as easy as breathing, for you," he chuckled, his voice kind.

"i guess i should give it a try," aditya added, stepping up to the bank. just a beat off it, eh? he gazed down into the water, waiting for a shape to appear. when one did, after several agonizing moments, he wasted no time in striking, plunging his muzzle into the water. it was cold, and burned his nostrils, and he felt a surge of shame as his teeth clamped down on empty space with a muffled click.

gasping, he lifted his head from the stream, shaking the water from his pelt and giving sebastian a rueful look. "can't win them all," adi said hoarsely.

he grinned, appreciating the man's motivational speech, even as the water dripped from his jaws. "well, why don't we make it a standing appointment, then?" adi inquired, a chuckle in his voice. "i'm out walking the borders. . .pretty much all the time. i'll keep an eye out for you, and we'll practice fishing every once in a while." good in more than one way. kept the pack fed, kept their skills sharp, forged a friendship between the two of them.

aditya rolled his head toward the edge of the plains with a muted sigh. "speaking of the borders, i'd best be off," he said, looking back at sebastian. "but great to meet you--and happy to have you here." he kept his gaze on sebastian, warm and molten gold, for a long moment before dipping his muzzle with a smile.

he turned and padded away, head high, a new gleam in his eyes. failure was painful, true. . .but making a new good friend had a way of dulling that pain, for aditya.