Swiftcurrent Creek Mandolin

In the time he had spent tending to the children of Kvarshiem, he had come to wonder occasionally how the wolves of Swiftcurrent had recovered. The one tiny child had been brought to nurse temporarily with one of their own, accompanied by the girl, @Mae, whose dreams had troubled her. He watched his younger siblings grow in an environment which seemed peaceful and stable, but he couldn't help but feel as though it was time to check in on the other children he had tended to, as well. 

It wasn't often that Skáld ventured away from Kvarsheim, but he knew the route which would take him directly to Swiftcurrent Creek, and he felt certain that they would look kindly upon his visit. He brought with him a small clutch of flowers he had picked, as well as another small piece of quartz which rested within the cradle of his mouth, atop his tongue. 

By the time he reached the borders, the flowers had wilted some, but the little gemstone remained in tact- glistening, faintly purple in hue. He called out, his voice somewhat timid and trembling as he asked permission to visit.

Mae had kept to herself. She spoke to no one, not even @Arric, and had abandoned the den once shared with her father and brothers. Instead she had taken to staying in a large cave she'd found, a space which seemed, oddly, as if it had been lovingly decorated and then abandoned. She slept behind the strange wall of twigs at one corner during the early hours of the morning, always briefly.

She was spiraling quickly, but the tentative call of a familiar visitor brightened her immediately. Mae dusted herself off and set off to meet Skáld, her expression more lively than it had been in days. She stopped a little ways off when she saw that he was carrying something, and her head tilted at that. Hey Skáld! Whatcha got? Mae called out, starting forward again as swiftly as she'd stopped.

He almost dreaded being met by one of the adults of the pack. While he'd begun to cope with the fact that he was no longer a child, he still felt alarmingly small, meek and oblivious in comparison to other adults. Relief flushed through him quickly when he spotted the dark girl, raising his head and allowing his tail to swing when she paused to assess for a moment. 

He remembered the way she had stiffened when he'd touched her once, so he willingly gave her space, though his posture welcomed her completely. He looked a bit ashamedly at the flowers which had not weathered the journey so well, but he nudged them toward her. "Bluebells," He said. He'd thought that her eyes had been a very faint blue- now, he realized, they were in fact silver. He would have to find something else to match them, next time. 

The gem was nudged forward next, and it glinted in the light as it was turned over. Sheepishly proud of his find, he watched her face to see what she made of it. "Quartz," He said. "For Mae."

Bluebells. Quartz. For her.

Mae immediately lit with surprised pleasure, unaccustomed to receiving gifts. And from Skáld! They did not know one another very well, she thought, and wondered at that; she wondered at the warmth in his eyes, too.

A rare smile crept into her expression as she studied the gifts. I love them, She told him, a bit shy because she wasn't entirely sure how to handle this kind of attention. Thank you. And her eyes found him next. Mae hesitated, then reached out to touch her nose to the fur at his cheek; a light touch, brief, hesitant.

No one's ever given me a gift before, She explained next, still shy. Then a thought came to her. Mae, too, had something to give; a treasured thing, but Skáld had given her a new treasure in the quartz, and so she did not mind giving it up for him. I got somethin' for you, too! She decided, and gathered up the flowers and the quartz with a beckoning gesture. C'mon! The girl turned, meaning to lead him to where she kept her own treasure.