Swiftcurrent Creek avra kedavra

The light that had seduced him burned brightest that morning.

He found his mother's teat less and less anchoring, and had consumed much milk before his distraction toward the opening of the world.

Opening. . .to the world.

Jakub toddled forward, and thrust his dark head into the spring sunlight—immediately snuffling and sneezing with the pollen that met him. Tiny eyes streaming, he blinked fiercely, shaking his head.

Not auspicious.

But. . .what met him was so expansive.

He could handle this.

He sucked in a deep breath and opened his eyelids through the burning, tears cascading down his little cheeks.

To view life.

The dark wolf dozed lightly in the sun—an act not something he often partook in, but comforting on this day. The internal drama among the creek drifted away in those moments when he sought refuge close to @Jakoul and his children—a guardian in the shadows.

So when he heard rustling, the man shifted his weight, lazily rolling from one side to the other as his eyes blinked against the sun, vision adjusting. He had expected the spritely form of Jakoul, but instead was met with peeking eyes—a dark face poking its head out into the world for the first time.

He studied the boy a moment—amusement flickering in his chest as the cub took in the world for the first time. “I was wondering which of you would be first,” he rumbled softly, extending a paw lightly—coaxing, he hoped—to see if the boy would come further.

The wolf that greeted him looked a lot like Mother, and he wondered if his watery eyes were playing tricks on him. After all, the man shimmered as if in mirage, and he blinked profusely, then looked back toward the den. 

Then back to the man.

A double-take or two later, he took a tentative step toward this shadowy doppelganger, a tiny whine caught in his throat. He supposed this was friend, not foe, though there was no way to be completely sure.

His curiosity would outweigh his trepidation—as it would for the rest of his life.

Another step, then another, and soon, he found himself at Akavir's proffered paw, and began to nose at it gently, wondering at the myriad scents found within.

The boy nosed at his paw—wonder at the world around him and his sense of discovery, it seemed, had finally begun. He was tentative in his steps though—which both pleased the Mayfair and revealed he was still an unfamiliar figure in the lives of his children. It was, after all, hard to compete with the warmth of their mother and the milk and love she provided.

He extended his own muzzle then, enough to reach the boy, but wavering, untouching—allowing Jakub to reach out and touch noses, should the pup wish to do so as he explored. It was a more carefree afternoon--one of the last in awhile.