Dragoncrest Cliffs no other mind

He'd been back what- a week? A handful of weeks? The monotony of a peaceful existence suited him well. It would be short-lived, of course- give it a few more weeks and there were bound to be screaming, mewling babes around. Both his mother and his auntie carried children- there would be two litters...And with so few other wolves in the pack, it would mean that he would have to shoulder some of the responsibility. 

He hated responsibility- but he knew that if there was something he must do, he would prefer to have the choice. He knew hunting was taxing, and messy. Childcare? Completely out of the question. He wouldn't be needed as a medic, either and again- blood? Infection? Messy messy messy. 

Guardian duty seemed to be the only realistic option, and believing the pack to be established and secure, with no enemies, he felt it was probably the easiest option and declared himself a sentry. Strolling along the borders and marking was no sweat. Business as usual. Besides- it was mid-winter, the most dull time of the year. 

He was uninvested in his duties, however. It took little to distract him from patrolling and he was quick to assure himself that if he had been a part of some union, surely he'd be forced to take a break by now. 

Idly, he searched for something else to do- and found himself at least momentarily amused by the task of wedging a pebble between his toes, and then flicking his foot- in an attempt to send the pebble flying between the Y-shaped boughs of a tree along the borders of the Tangle. The pebble had to be the right size, and the flick had to be just right- and thus, be began to waste good time, flinging pebbles with middling success, through the branches of a tree.

she'd come back at last, ravished and smelling sweetly of seawater. however, chani had not thought to brush away her fragrant tracks nor truly take the time to cleanse herself. she found she enjoyed the scent of the men still lingering; it reminded her she was one of the saltwomen from the epics of her own history, ready to take her place as soldier-maman upon their proud cliffs.
flinging sounds lifted her ears as she reentered sapphique and began painting herself in its fragrances once more, brushing saltpine to her nape, corsair's frozen dirt to her belly; she found the fresh tracks of tousaint and grinned wryly, following them along until she found her cousin focused at a rather unpatrolling pastime.
for a moment chani only watched his current throw arc and pass through the tree's embrace.

He clicked his teeth together when the pebble deflected off the frozen limb with a hollow clunk. It dropped into brown, dry bushes that rattled, only to shake a moment later as Chani approached. 

For all their beauty, the women of Sapphique certainly didn’t mind looking, and smelling, at least a little bit rustic. Chani, like any young woman, might yet need to learn how much perfume was too much, in Tousaint’s eyes.

He motioned to the tree with his chin. You t’ink you can do better? He invited playfully.

longing for an extended dip in their siren's bay, chani instead rose to tousaint's taunt. "of course," she said, taking up a stone and aiming swiftly. too swiftly. sloppy was her throw, falling far short of her cousin's own.
"bah!" she snorted, but began to search for another stone. as her feet pushed among snow and soil, she was reminded again of those with which she had danced on her travels.
such images; she guarded them and hid her smile as she turned back in resolution with another pebble. "you go, t'en me," chani decided.
her gaze roved his own with curiosity. "where did you go?" she asked, though she kept her eyes trained upon their practice ground.

He mocked her gently, mouthing her words back to her, but grinned. His cousin was proud- all Sapphique women had pride in their blood, their bones, their brains- but she was not cruel. She was competitive- but not a sore loser, when her stone missed its mark. He grinned and nodded; he'd give her a few practice tries, and would have to up his own game. He suspected she would learn quickly. 

He searched for a pebble, one just the right size. 'Ere an' dere, He said with a light shrug. Went to Eresta for a bit...Den came back dis way for a while. 'Elped found a pack out in de mountains, but dey be insufferable creatures- snobbish, vain, proud... He uttered a short, high-pitched giggle. A bit like us in some ways, He mused. He seemed to sober some, as he turned a pebble over beneath his foot, feeling its shape. I 'ad a strange dream...It reminded me of dis place, an' dere was dis....Bah, He shrugged, failing to commit to the tale. It was a strange dream. But I felt it be time to check bac in 'ere, so, He said, pausing to wedge the pebble between two toes. He straightened up, tucking his foot back toward his hip, and then flicked it forward- releasing the pebble well, though his aim was off. It soared past the left branch. He grimaced, and then shrugged, accepting his failure. So 'ere I be.

He looked to her then, tipping his nose up to invite her to take her turn. What you be doin' while I be gone? He asked, with a smarmy grin.

gettin' pregnant, she almost quipped — almost. chani wanted maman to hear of it first, and not in nearly so flippant a manner. still it amused her to think of how he could react, and she tossed her stone with a low chuckle.
this time it bounced from the branch to the ground, and she looked for another pebble. "i went lookin' for sobeille. but i did not find her. i thought for a moment maybe, but — she is gone."
hurt and unsurety warred in her face. "maybe she be stayin' away for good. or for a while." her mind did not want to entertain the rest.
chani jerked her chin toward tousaint and smiled, shifting to watch his throw. "dreams. do you be listenin' to dem often?" if they had been powerful enough to lead him back, then why not lean into them?