Noctisardor Bypass Church, women are like Voltron. The more you can hook up, the better it gets.

He'd come to the southern borders and he wasn't sure why.  Now that he was here, he had to do something, right?  Hm.  He wished they were back at the creek -- he knew where things were there and he also he had a lot of stuff hidden there that he hadn't been able to bring with him. Man.  His ears swiveled back a moment at the thought.

Sure, here there was more food and the rest of his family... but it wasn't home.  The lanky adolescent wistfully stared into the land beyond a little longer before he turned and started shuffling along in much the same way a kid might if they were just bored and kicking a pebble down the sidewalk.  Difficulty being that he was a wolf and there was no pebble nor sidewalk, just some snow.  It wasn't the most exciting, now was it?

Pheiros had tried to spend a lot of time near the borders lately. He wanted to be useful and make sure no one found any reason to regret letting him be a part of this family even after his father died. He was still not really sure what he would even do if he found a trespasser; fighting was just not something he really thought himself capable of. He supposed he would at least alert the rest of the pack and hope someone made it here before he was forced to take on anyone on his own. But he was getting ahead of himself. He rarely found anything interesting on the borders, and he didn't expect that to really change. Except today, he noticed a form in the distance ahead of him; it was moving towards him at a leisurely pace, and so he wasn't immediately concerned. He lifted his nose into the air and drew in a deep breath to inspect the form's scent. Warlock. Definitely not an intruder. Just a packmate. But that was, honestly, way more interesting to the golden juvenile. 

He trotted forward, only slowling as he drew closer to the other boy. He offered a wag of his tail and friendly smile in greeting. Hey, how are you? he offered once in front of his packmate. Are you patrolling too? Maybe they could patrol together.

So what was he gonna do?  Just rebuild, probably.  He'd been thinking about a few related things too -- wondering about how things that affected him might also apply to other things out there in the world.  It was pretty philosophical for the kid, and he hadn't worked out the details...  Give it time.  But that was about when someone else was approaching, Pheiros, it turned out.  It was kind of weird still that at some point Spook had grown taller than him (or was likely the case, given how both his parents towered over a good percentage of wolves).  But whatever, he was still nice and not like his siblings, so that was cool.

Spook smiled a little, but still seemed pretty glum.  If it had been one of his parents, he certainly would have tried to snap to attention and try to be the kid they wanted, but for just about everyone else, he was more relaxed.  Um.  Pause, before honestly, Not really, I guess.  I wish we could go back to the creek and stuff, but mom said not now.  I didn't get to bring the stuff I found.  Still hidden away somewhere that wasn't here, and that was the problem.  How long would it be before they could go back?  Or at least before he could go retrieve the most important things on his own...

Spook smiled, but Pheiros could tell that there was something off about it. And then he started talking about home and some things he had left there, and he could tell that the other juvenile was pretty down about it. For some reason he didn't really understand yet, he wanted to help him and make him feel better. He smiled a little in return. Well, what if you and I went together? he asked. Pheiros missed the creek too, and he wouldn't mind visiting. We would be safe together, and I could help you find your stuff and carry it back, he added. Surely Arbiter would be okay with that. Just in case, though, he added: I mean, if you think that would be okay with your mom. He'd hate to do anything that would get him in trouble or upset Arbiter, especially after everything that she had done for him. And he didn't think getting Spook in trouble would be a good way to start a friendship with him either.

Spook had pretty much written off all that stuff. There were no options to go back and get it and he'd just have to start over. Or so he thought until Pheiros made a suggestion. Spook certainly looked a bit more interested, That'd be nice I think. Really, it did -- he'd get to go hang out with Pheiros who always was nice, and then they could go back and Spook would get some of his things.  Hmm! 

Well, except for one thing. His ears folded back again, I dunno if I can for a while. Mom really wanted to make sure Brou didn't go anywhere, so we're not allowed to for a little while too. I could ask her, though? But we might have to wait a little bit. Part of the problem with dealing with his sister was that it was hard for Arbiter to at times predict what Brou was gonna do, so putting down a firm rule was easier than trying to explain why. Like something happened nearby I guess? He shrugged.

Pheiros' tail wagged and a smile spread across his face. Spook seemed excited by the idea of them taking a trip back to the creek, and Pheiros was so excited that little butterflies danced in his stomach. He really liked the idea of getting to know Spook better. He started to plan in his head when they would leave and how they would get there and what all they could do while they were there. But his thoughts were interrupted when his friend began to speak again. His heart dropped a little, but he knew Spook was right: Arbiter probably wouldn't be okay with the idea of them leaving here to go back to their old home when it could still be dangerous, especially not by themselves. But they were a little older now, and there would be two of them. Yeah, it never hurts to ask, and maybe she'll be okay with it, Pheiros added, his voice hopeful. Things had quieted lately, and maybe it wouldn't be as dangerous now. But if she says we should wait, then I guess we can just try later. Whenever you want to go, just let me know. His smiled again as he spoke, his tail wagging. He paused a little awkwardly before continuing: But, um, do you need help with anything now? Or is there something else around here that you want to do? he asked, wanting to help take his mind off things even if they couldn't go back and find his stuff right now.

Edit to add: I think it's been enough time now IRL that if you want to make a traveling thread or two we probably could? Since all the murder-drama is pretty much over. XD Just LMK what sounds good!

Yeah, whoops, sorry for crashing the party already, Pheiros. Blame the murderer out there. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long before they'd be allowed out -- after all, they were pretty much adult size at this point? His mother was just being a bit paranoid. Yeah, I'll ask. But maybe if we have to wait we can just plan I guess? I dunno how well I'd know the way back, do you think you would? Warlock had spent most of the travel time just moping about, so that didn't help him remember the way to go.  Once he got close he'd have an idea, though.

But for right now? Hm. I dunno. Mostly I just gotta learn what's here I think. Like learn where to go try to hunt and stuff. Have you looked and found all the rabbit holes and things like that? That would be good. They could go find something to hunt and get some more practice in -- Spook wasn't entirely great at it, but he was learning.

i'd love that!

He considered Spook's question for a few seconds, his lips twisting some in thought. I'm pretty sure I can get us back there, he finally answered. I tried to keep track of the way we came when we the left the creek to come here, Pheiros added. Some of the details were a little fuzzy by now, but he didn't think it was enough to keep him from leading them the right way. 

He grinned at his friend's suggestion, glad that he wanted to spend more time together. No, I haven't, he answered. But that sounds fun. His tail wagged behind him and he pranced excitedly forward before turning and lowering into a play bow in front of Spook. I'll race you there, he exclaimed, still grinning and raising an eyebrow in challenge.

Woo! If you wanna make a thread, feel free, otherwise I'll make one in LCH when I next have time -- maybe the weekend?

Aw heck yes, so there'd be a way to get there, even. Spook was gonna have to pay attention for sure so that he'd be able to make the voyage if he needed to too. Great! I'll make sure my mom knows to let us know when it's ok and stuff. It should be really fun when we get to go.. His tail wagged wildly for a moment. He wasn't sure how he'd end up explaining it to his mother, but he'd figure it out eventually. She'd understand, right?


In good spirits, Spook copied the bow, I know where some are! He sprung up then, darting a few feet away, but stopping there and turning back around. There's some right over this way a bit! He'd probably only mapped out half that particular warren, but it would be good to have someone else help him find the rest of it. Maybe they'd get lucky and get a chance to catch one of the residents even -- not that he frequently had the chance, he probably still made too much noise romping about. He was, however, totally ready to go lead his friend to something more interesting.

sounds good!

He definitely wasn't thinking about the fact that in order to race, he actually had to know where they were going, which he didn't; so that was out. Spook looked just as excited and playful as he was, though, which made Pheiros wag his tail as he trotted forward to join his friend. He hadn't hunted many rabbits, but he figured this was a good way to start. And if they didn't end up catching any, then he wouldn't really care because he got to have fun with his friend. He trotted excitedly next to Spook as he presumably led the way. Have you caught a lot of rabbits? he asked, his expression curious. Maybe he could teach Pheiros something about it. Or maybe they would just be mostly winging it and seeing what happened. He didn't have much of a preference either way, although learning something might be a better use of their time. They'd probably learn something regardless, though.

Time to go, then! He pounced forward deeper into the territory, making sure that Pheiros was on his heels. The closest warren wasn't too far, so they'd be there in no time, especially with the fact Spook was doing the equivalent of speedwalking that way. Umm. Not by myself. I helped mom and dad and stuff though. And I know how we're supposed to find them and stuff. Now that we're here and stuff is getting better we're supposed to go back to learning how to hunt for ourselves and things. But they hadn't gotten too far yet, but they were working on it! What about you? He looked back a second but then was looking back forward, plowing his way forward through the snow.

Um, no, not really, he answered with a slight shrug. I've been wanting to learn more about hunting, but with everything that's been going on... he drifted off, assuming Spook would know what he was referring to. He followed him through the snow, some places in the land dipping and forcing him to leap through where the thick snow had gathered. What do you think is the best way to go about it? he asked next, shaking snow from his golden fur. He wondered how difficult things would be with how little they both seemed to know about hunting. Pheiros for sure didn't bring much to the table in the hunting department; a spike of anxiety shot through his chest at the thought. He hated the thought of ruining their hunting adventure with his lack of skills.

Yeah. My mom's complained it's slowed us all down a lot. We should have been hunting an' my brother and sister and I should have had our real names and everything. Maybe soon now that stuff is getting better. But that was more of stuff for the adults to figure out. Spook was just trying to be a good kid, even if none of them were particularly kid-sized any more.

Well, when we get closer, we be kind of sneaky. And wait and see if one comes out.  And when one is out, we chase it away from the holes and catch it. Pause. Or at least that's how we did it. If they're all hiding right now then I dunno. Whatever preparations his parents had done to make the warrens huntable before he got there, Spook didn't know. Maybe it had all been luck. Or not?  Should be just ahead... Do you see anything? Spook didn't, but maybe he'd overlooked something in the distance.

Pheiros looked at Spook with confusion. Your real name? he asked. Was Spook not his real name? Why did they have to wait to receive a real name? Why were they not just given it at birth like he had been. You mean your name isn't Spook?

He listened carefully to the instructions as his friend laid them out. Wait quietly for a rabbit to come out, then chase it. That all seemed easy enough, but his chest tightened with insecurity and anxiety. What if he was terrible at this and then Spook hated him forever? He swallowed hard, his thoughts slowing once Spook asked him if he saw anything. He wanted really badly to answer yes but at first, he saw nothing. He strained his gaze and looked around. When he was about to give up, he saw a few hump-like shapes far in the distance. His tail lifted and wagged. I think I see it right over there, he said excitedly. He trotted forward, slowing when the warren was in full view and turning to his friend. Is this close enough?

My mom says we're supposed to get our names when we're true adults... Whatever that means. They're supposed to like... Really represent who we are or whatever. He shrugged. It was normal to him, but so was also other people having one name and one only. He didn't know what was planned for him, but he figured he'd know when it was about time too.

Spook really hoped this hunt would work out -- he needed to get better at it in general, impress his mom, maybe make his sister be a little more bearable (then again, that might backfire). He spoke quieter, Yeah. Now we get to wait. He looked over to Pheiros with a sort of nervous smile, trying to hide the fact he was more afraid that Pheiros would think it was stupid if the rabbits just didn't show up. There was no saying the damn things were gonna cooperate. For at least this little bit of time, all they could do was wait. Spook looked back to the warren, looking for any sign of movement.

Oh, okay. he said, sadness filling his heart. He thought about dad pretty much every day, but now that he was almost a real adult, he missed him even more. Do you get to suggest a name, or does she pick it for you? Pheiros asked, pulling himself from his solemn thoughts. 

Now they wait. He could do that. He sat quietly next to Spook and watched the warren intently, murky green gaze moving between the openings that he could see. It made him wonder: There are a lot of places they could escape from; how do we know which one to watch? he asked. What if they focused on the wrong ones? There a few that he could see from where they were. But how many were there that escaped their field of vision?

Um. She picks. I don't know what it'll be. The whole thing was kind of a mystery to him, but that was probably also enhanced by the fact that he didn't have any older siblings or whatever that would have been through the process -- just his own mother. That wasn't the same thing at all!

I think we can see all of them. We should see it moving right away from here. If we can't, then we probably can't chase it anyway. He looked back out, a quiet pause. Squint. He wasn't sure if he just saw a shadow or that was actually something moving. Spook whispered, hushed, Is that..? Maybe Pheiros saw better. But even if the rabbit popped its head up, then they'd at least be on the same page.

Oh, okay, he said with a nod. Truthfully, he kind of liked the name Spook; it was cute and unique. He wondered if anyone in Spook's family ever decided just to keep the name they were born with. He kind of wanted to ask, but he didn't want to complicate something that was clearly a tradition in their family. So he let it drop. Whatever his name would be changed to, he would be the same Spook to Pheiros. 

He nodded his understanding as Spook explained how things should go. He noticed the movement at the exact same time that his friend did—a flash of fuzzy grey in the entrance to the hollow. He nodded again. Yeah, I think it's a rabbit, he whispered. He crouched lower, ready to leap out whenever Spook gave him the signal.

Yeah, it was! It was just moving around ever so little. Spook whispered, One sec... Just wait... He twitched, but didn't move. It was hard to wait when it was just there. Then again, that was pretty accurate about the whole thing. He didn't like waiting, but maybe that was because he had an audience so it all seemed way more odd and stuff. 

It started to move away towards a thinner patch of the snow to nibble at the grass. Wait, wait. That was probably far enough, wasn't it? Yeah, think so! Gogogo! he hissed, taking off about the time he stopped talking. Sprinting after. Just need to get it away from the warren! It was a pretty ungainly gallop, but he should close the distance pretty quick. He and Pheiros totally would have good luck, right? Hope so!

He hunched lower when Spook spoke, murky green gaze glued to the spot where the rabbit had been moving around. He waited, tense and expectant, for his friend to give him some kind of sign that he should launch himself forward towards the rabbit. He had no issue waiting, he was just afraid that he would miss the signal, which meant he made sure to drag his gaze from the prey every so often and watch Spook to see what he was doing. 

He saw it moving, too, and he eyes went back and forth between friend and prey as he waited. The excited words made him jump a little, but he quickly recovered and took off after Spook. The rabbit had scurried off the second the came bounding from their hiding spot, which would make it difficult to catch up. Pheiros pushed forward anyway, set on a successful hunt.

I literally got 1 twice (one was a lulz roll) so Spook gonna fail at least!

They were off! They tore after the rabbit, covering ground awfully fast. It was exciting! He had a feeling this was going to go pretty well. Sounded good to him, at least! They'd totally catch this thing -- just run it a while then catch. Simple.

At least it seemed that way until he didn't watch where he was going -- where his foot should have hit ground, it instead hit nothing and he toppled forward into a somersault and the world spun blurring it all into a haze as the awkward youth turned into a tumbleweed of legs before unceremoniously coming to a stop, blearily trying to stop his spinning head and figure out if he was actually ok. He was in one piece at least. Probably.

awww LOL poor guy

Pheiros tried his best to match his friend's pace as they sprinted off after the rabbit, and he managed to do so until suddenly the other boy was gone. Pheiros skidded to halt once he realized that Spook wasn't gone—he was on the ground, rolling. There wasn't much he could do to help while his friend was rolling, so he was forced to watch it all unfold before him. Pheiros winced every time Spook thumped against the ground and when he finally stopped, the golden boy ran to his side.

He touched his nose gently to the other boy's shoulder, concern clear on his face. Are you okay? he asked worriedly, the rabbit completely forgotten by this point.

It made him feel a little ill -- he'd pretty well sloshed his inner ear into spinning long after he'd come to a full and complete stop, so trying to make sense of it was a little rough. It'd take a moment or two before it settled. He'd started to sit up, but fell back to his stomach after only an inch or two of success.

Pheiros had appeared at some point, touching his shoulder. Blearily he looked over. Uhg. I-- think? His stomach churned a little more, having looked over a little too quickly. He didn't try sitting up again for now. Did y' get it...? If not, Spook had totally messed the whole thing up -- they'd been doing good too!

Pheiros' eyes widened in worry as Spook tried to get up and fell back down again, and he stepped closer to try and offer support to his friend should he try to get up again. Maybe you shouldn't try to get up right now, he offered, his words quiet and anxious. 

As for the rabbit: Um, no. It got away... Pheiros twisted his mouth some in embarrassment. But it doesn't really matter, he quickly added. It was fun anyway. At least until Spook fell and rolled. 

His expression still worried, he asked again: Are you sure you're okay? He hated the thought of him being hurt. Sh-should I go get your mom? Maybe she could do a better job checking him over.

Aw. Man. They should have caught it. It saddened him a little, because Spook saw himself as letting Pheiros down -- it was his fault they hadn't caught the rabbit. It was always his fault. Well, maybe not, but right now it certainly felt that way.

Uh. Um. I mean I'm not bleeding right? Still a little stunned, he pulled his head back, trying to see more of himself. He wasn't. I'm ok then, right? He was no medic. He just assumed nothing obviously bleeding, then he was ok. But the idea of going and dragging his mom into this had him suddenly concerned -- he didn't want to bug her over nothing, that'd be way more awful. So he looked to Pheiros, now concerned. He was a little less bleary than he was moments before.