Whitebark Stream bulletproof loneliness at best

AW but would love a @Dawn <3

he had yet to formally meet artyom's mate. there had been a puppy explosion as of late, making dawn's children the oldest of all of them. in fact, surya hadn't really met the other mothers, either. it was just as well—they were, of course, busy.

but he was intrigued to make the acquaintance of the woman who loved his savior. without artyom, he may not have a home.

surya dropped a plump squirrel just outside the whelping den, giving a soft whuff in greeting. i brought you and your babies some food, he informed her, peering idly inside. in the early morning light, it was too dim to see much. it is not much. . .but every little bit counts, right?

god. he was already talking too much. the yearling sat back upon his haunches, keeping a respectful distance from the mouth of the den and waiting to see whether dawn would emerge.

It was time. 
The pup's should have been old enough at this point, and she needed to attend her duties as a healer. So she gathered a few simple herbs, and made her way to Dawn's den, prepared to see the little ones for the first time. 
She was pleasantly surprised to see Surya, the handsome yearling who she had first met a few weeks ago, and she gave a bashful smile. "Hi. Come to see the new additions?" 

instead of the alpha female materializing, though, it was the pretty woman he had met the other day—aphrodite, the healer. he gave her a welcoming beam, teeth gleaming in his young face as she approached. yes, i was hoping to see them, he confirmed.

he dipped his nose, pointing it toward the herbs she had dropped. what are those for? surya asked, cocking his head. his eyes flashed back up to hers, gently inquisitive. for dawn, or the babies. . .or both?

a wolf in nitya-mata had whelped in late summer when he still was at home, and he remembered herbs being brought to her. he hadn't paid the slightest attention then, but now he wished he had—if only for the sake of conversation with aphrodite. didn't want to look stupid, after all.

She smiled at his question, happy to have someone other than Minnow show interest in her. "I was about to give them their first checkups. Make sure they were healthy and nursing well. And Dawn should be getting extra nutrition as well...."  She realized he was looking at her and blushed, ducking her head coyly. "Do...do you want to go fishing with me? After I'm done with this?" He wasn't a bad boy, or a traveler, or an alpha... but maybe that was for the best. Maybe her adventure could finally end...here.

oh, all right, he replied, smiling in gratitude at her explanation. he bent his muzzle and nudged the squirrel slightly closer to the den. that was what i had in mind. . .nutrition. dawn needs to keep her strength up, hai naa? the words were likely foreign to her, but he punctuated them with a shrug and a sparkle in his eyes; she could likely catch the meaning by body language.

and then an invitation was proffered; he grinned, excited at the opportunity to not only try his hand at fishing—something he'd dabbled in back home and on the road—but also to spend time with aphrodite. i would love to, he responded, trying not to sound too eager. keep it cool, surya, keep it cool.

Hey so Thalia is inactive. I'm gonna go ahead and close this thread. Slight pp

They waited a bit longer, exchanging blushes and giggles, small talk, before Aphrodite sighed. "She must be busy. Or asleep. I'll leave the herbs here and come back later. Come on... let's go!" 

no probs!

it seemed that dawn wasn't up for meeting the new recruit just yet. surya didn't blame her, what with everything that was going on. he shrugged, giving a smile and nodding enthusiastically to aphrodite's exclamation.

coming, coming! he laughed, rushing along after her toward the distant sound of the stream.