Silver Creek Pencils and Pens

With everything going on Spring was pretty ready for a break.  A breather.  If only life could bring everyone back home to Silver Creek.  Saena, Laurel, Indra, Laika and Casmir.  While she gathered why each had left, she and Heston were the only ones who either didn't have pups or weren't pregnant.  Not that she held anything against Rowan and her pups or Amber... well perhaps she was still unhappy with her sister for specific reasons, but she would never want any harm to come to Amber's pups and she knew eventually she would come to forgive her sister.  They were family after all.

Anyways she pretty much hunted for the most part now, bringing prey to Rowan to help support her and the pups since Rowan didn't have any mate that was here to provide for her.  Then she had to go mark the borders as usual, etc.  So now she found herself by the creek, staring into it's water and giving herself a nice little break from life.

The Alpha took a deep breath.  While she loved leading her at the Creek and would never give it up, she found herself more and more wishing that all her members would come back.  She felt a little insecure with just herself, Heston, Rowan and Amber the only ones at the Creek right now, plus the two pups Mona and Cortland.  Yet she knew they could make it.  Just hopefully the rest of Silver Creek's members would be back soon.  Otehrwise she might just allow Natashe to come into the ranks early and go to King Elk in search of posible recruits.

She sighed.

He hadn't been aiming to find her this time, in fact he'd been mulling over the idea of attempting to take food to Rowan if he could find her den. He wasn't sure if he'd be welcomed, though, and he certainly didn't want to cause offense. He'd heard her call to Spring, knew it must be the pups. But he knew too that mother's were temperamental and so was weighing the options of helping versus intruding. His spat with Amber hovered near the back of his mind and he was, sadly, attempting to avoid her for a little while.

When Spring's scent crossed his nose he was nearly upon the creek itself, aiming to get himself a drink. His ears perked and he lifted his head to search for her, inhaling for further catches of her scent. After only a moment of following the creek itself he saw her, gazing peacefully into the flowing water for which her land was named. There was no word yet from Casmir, Laika and from what he could tell of her scent, Saena too had joined the hunt. He worried for his friend, and for the small pup that had greet him so fiercely. (Indra too, of course, but he hadn't met her.)

He watched her as he approached, enjoying the peace on her face here just as much as he had with the butterfly. He stopped a short distance from her, turning his body to face the creek. He'd not hidden his approach, so he thought that she would be aware of him. If he gave her any fright when he spoke next, it wasn't intentional. "Hey there." He turned his gaze on her, smirking playfully. "You come here often, pretty lady?" He asked, dropping his voice to a deeper octave and raising a brow at her comically.

Spring continued to satre into the creeks silvery waters thinking over everything in her mind.  There was so much to do.  So much to do... and some of it was out of her control which she just couldn't stand.  She could be there to help out with saving Indra and Laurel from Reek because she was Silver Creek's Alpha.  It was her duty to protect the borders and her followers... she couldn't be in two places at once.  She wanted to though.

The sound of a familiar voice caught her ears and she turned to see Heston she smiled at his words and then began to stride towards him.  "Sometimes.  The waters really are just gorgeous out here aren't they?"  She flirted back with a playful smirk.  The flirt was quickly dropped though as she didn't really flirt to often and she began to speak in a normal tone.  "It's nice to see you here Heston.  How are you?"  She asked him eyeing him curiously.  "Things have been a little riled up lately after all.  I mean the Reek problem, Amber getting pregnant..." she trailed off then concern sparked in her honey colored eyes.  "Has Amber told you yet about the pregnancy?  I would want her to tell you first and not me."

Spring's voice turned flirty as she strode toward him, a smirk playing across her pretty face. It was a side of her he hadn't seen yet, and he enjoyed it. He returned the smirk, watching as she dropped herself back to normal. She, unlike himself and even Amber, was not one who flirted openly. But, perhaps, it made the rare glimpses of her flirty side all the more interesting, all that more attractive.

He gave a noncommittal hum to her question, his eyes not leaving her approaching form. "Mm. I hadn't paid much mind to the waters yet, honestly. Something else had caught my eye, you see." He did not allow his eyes to travel her body, they stayed fixed on her face, occasionally glancing away. He didn't want to seem a letch, on top of the fact that she was his leader and he wanted to be respectful. His grin was soft as he turned to appraise the waters. "They are also gorgeous, this land's name comes as no surprise."  He agreed.

He grinned and lifted his head at her pleasure to see him. "The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. I have nothing to complain about, I was just contemplating if I should attempt to take a meal to Rowan. She told me her mate had passed on, I was hoping to be helpful." He shrugged his shoulders, mouth pulling into a slight frown. "I didn't want to seem intrusive though. We'd only met the once." He glanced to Spring, obviously hoping for her input on the situation. "How does this lovely day find you, Alpha Spring?" His smirk returned to his face, but her mention of Amber brought his face to a more serious expression.

He wondered exactly how much the sisters had discussed him. For Spring to say that she would have hoped Amber would have told him about the pregnancy herself, it made him curious. Of course there was no way for him to ask her. "It's been one thing after another it seems, I agree." Amber was a more difficult subject to speak of, he realized. Though it struck him that he wasn't sure why. Did he not want Spring to know he'd found Amber attractive too? Was he worried it would hurt her feelings? The realization surprised him, but he decided honesty was the best course.

"Amber told me, yes." He sighed, shaking his head. "It surprised me, honestly, we had a little...not an arguement but...harsh words about it. Mostly at first because it seemed...she was blaming me for not picking up on signals that she'd given." He glanced towards Spring, frowning. "Amber is a beautiful woman, truly." He felt that he had to explain himself. He wasn't insulting Spring's sister. "When she and I had talked I enjoyed her company. But I don't like the idea of leaping into a relationship. I don't truly know Amber, we'd talked maybe twice." He shrugged, sighing. "I'm not that kind of brute. I want a mate that is my dearest friend before she's my mate. I take the whole thing very seriously, which I know might seem odd because I flirt so much... but I truly do. I wouldn't enter it lightly." He glanced towards Spring.

"I...think I just didn't feel as strong of a connection to Amber." Unknowingly, he was phrasing it to suggest a stronger connection to Spring. He didn't mention Amber's words about Spring, feeling it better not to. "I'll admit I'm still a little hurt over the whole thing, that she would blame me or seem to blame me. And," Here he exhaled and grimaced, slight anger tinting his features. "I really...don't agree with the thing with the males, honestly. I just...I've already said how serious I take a mateship, and so to lie to a brute about children..." His nose wrinkled in distaste. "I mean if he ever finds out, it'll be heartbreaking for him. I can't imagine that pain. I didn't tell her that though, we were already on bad terms so I just left it. I suppose it's not really my business anyway."

He, of course, didn't realize that Amber would have kept the details of there being two males from Spring. He looked to Spring fully now. "Sorry, I didn't meant to go on a tangent I just...well, I wanted you to know. I felt like it was important you know why Amber and I...exchanged words." He didn't want her to think anything bad of him, didn't want anything to suggest that he was not interested in Spring herself, because he was. He regarded her for a moment, interest sparking in him. What was her opinion of the male thing? Did she agree with it? If she did it'd be a telling thing about her personality, one that he would need to be aware of since it rubbed him so wrongly. "What is your opinion about the thing with the brutes? I know she's your sister but...how do you feel about it?"

Is it okay if this takes place after the thread with Spring, Amber and Dagfinn so that the time line works out better?  This is because if you go by the date that this thread was created it would be before the other one.

She listened and everythingstarted out nice and peaceful.  It was a pleasant conversation.  She gave a delicate nod as he commoneted on the naming of the land.  It was indeed true, there was no surprise that Silver Creek was called Silver Creek.  It was a name true to itself.

She then listened as heasked for her opinion on whether or not he should take a meal to Rowan or not.  While Spring found his offer very generous and caring, she wasn't sure whether or not the new Mother would want Heston around her pups.  It wasn't that Heston could not be trusted, it was rather the views of Rowan.  Especially since Heston said he had only met her just once.  "I can go with you to Rowan if you would like."  She offered, but left that at that for now.

Then of course the coversation moved onto her sister.  Amber.  As she listened to Hestons words, she found herslef increasingly upset to hear that Heston and Amber had gotten into a argument as well.  She sighed her eyes falling to the ground for a moment.  Why couldn't anything be easy for once? Although on a side note she would admit that she was happy to hear that at least Heston took a mate seriously despite his flirtatious character.  It was never good to run straight into a relationship anyways  Spring knew that for a fact, although even she and Zander hadn't rushed into a relationship as fast as Amber.

She caught his remark about not feeling as strong as a connection to Amber.  Her eyes widened in surprise just for a moment.  Was he comparing this to her or someone/something else?  She didn't press anything but a strange feeling buzzed in her chest... that was until Heston started talking about how Amber had lied about the children to who she assumed was Dagfinn... or was he perhaps talking about someone else.  She almost stopped breathing as she heard this remark, fear lodged in her throat.  How could Amber do that?  How could she?  Amber was pregnant, Spring could tell... but did this now mean that there were two males involved?

Were there even more?

She felt like throwing up.  Not only had Amber disrespected her, she had lied to her, she had lied to Dagfinn or whoever this brute was.  For a ong moment she didn't talk, feeling frozen as thoughts clouded her mind, but finally she began to speak, choking out her words.  "There were... two?"  She took adeep breath trying to calm herslef and slowly molded herself into a more presentable posture.  "I can't believe it... not only did Amber go off to get pregnant without my consent, cuss at me and disrespect me, but she argued with you and she lied to that guy... Dagfinn maybe or someone else.  I don't know!"  Irritation flashed into her eyes.  "I'll talk to her about this."  She hissed under her breath, anger fizzing through her.  How could Amber do all this?  Where was the sister that she had known?  The sister that felt like Amber?  This was not the Amber that she knew.  This could not be her sister.

For a few moments longer her body trembled with rage, but finally she was able to calm down, starring at the ground.  "I'm sorry Heston... I'm so sorry that you've been brought into this.  I don't know what happened to Amber.  She is beginning to seem less and less like my sister.  She seems to be becoming something else.  Something that I don't like.  All these reckless decisions..."  Perhaps if Amber had at least come to her first Spring would have allowed her breeding rights, but no Amber was reckless and left without Spring's consent.  There was a line that Amber would have to find sooner rather than later.  There was a line that was never to be crossed.

Of course! No problem with me!

Her offer about Rowan was greeted with a nod and a smile of thanks. With Spring as a buffer it would seem less like intrusion, and if he was unwanted he could easily leave the two of them to talk. The conversation turned quickly to Amber, and he expelled all of his thoughts, explaining the situation. He was unaware that Spring didn't know about the males, thinking that if Amber had told him then she had obviously told Spring. He certainly had a lesson to learn about assumptions, for he was quickly finding himself turned into the pre-warned ass.

It was easy to tell that Spring was unhappy about their arguing, and he felt guilty over it. It wasn't an argument that would make enemies of either of them, at least, Heston hoped not. He'd need to reassure Spring of this as well, knowing that she had a lot on her plate already. He missed her surprise as his comment about connections and so was left clueless still to his own small admission. As he looked to her after asking about the male, he noted that she bore an odd expression. He tilt his head, thinking that she looked vaugely ill. Her eyes were clouded and he began to wonder if he had insulted her, somehow, by asking. Yet suddenly she spoke, and he felt his mouth fall slack into the shape of an 'o'. Oh. Oh, as in Spring didn't know. Oh, as in he'd likely just betrayed Amber's trust. He cursed at himself mentally, angry at Amber again for not telling him that no one else knew. And suddenly realizing he had an entirely new reason to avoid the darker Ciel now.

His surprise and embarrassment were clear on his face. "I...I uh am so sorry, Spring. I didn't...I thought for sure if she'd told me she would have told you. I...damn... I could have done a lot better job of telling you about that if I'd known." Anger sparked to life in Spring's face and in her voice. He mentally grimaced at the scene that would unfold because of him. Truly, though, he'd probably done the right thing...it just didn't feel right.

"Don't...don't apologize to me, Spring. It's...this is what pack life is, right? Drama and spilled secrets. I'm really sorry to have to bring you more that you have to worry about, though. I didn't know any of that. That she'd disrespected you or...well I gathered her pups were unplanned but.." he shook his head and sighed. "I wish I had answers for you, Spring. I really do." He frowned. "Amber and I thought...the argument wasn't a bad thing. We'll be alright as pack mates moving forward." He paused, wincing. "Well, she'll probably be upset about me telling you this. She didn't say not to, but, I'm guessing it was something she didn't want other's to know. Better this way, though, I think." He said, growing more serious and less apologetic.

"I felt much the same as I think you feel over it, I just...it's not really my place to say anything. So I didn't. But I do think it's wrong, and sad. To the brute who isn't the father. I...I don't remember any names. Just that one male is too young, according to Amber." He shut his eyes, shaking his head. "I am really sorry, Spring. I was hoping to make your day a little brighter when I saw you sitting here...not...not this."

For the record, the reference about turning him into an ass is from the phrase "Never assume, because it makes an ass out of 'u' and 'me'."

She was silent as he spoke and when he had finished she was silent for a few secods longer still unsure of what to say.  "It's not your fault Heston, you don't need to explain to me."  She told him quietly, then paused for a moment, before raising her eyes.  "Is there anything else that you have seen going on?"  She decided on because already Heston had known things that she hadn't and Spring wanted to find out if he knew anything else that she happened not to.

"On a side note though, I want to thank you for telling me about Amber and her... two guys.  I think the young one she was talking about is named Dagfinn.  Dagfinn came here a little while ago to see Amber about the pups and now that I think about it he did seem a little bit... young..."  She trailed off there not sure what else she could or wanted to say about that.

She wondered what would've happened had Heston not told her this though.  Would she have gone on without ever knowing?  Would Amber have eventually told her?  Too many questions.  She blinked trying hard to clear her overloaded brain.

He nodded as she quietly told him he didn't need to explain himself. But he'd felt like he needed to. He wanted her to understand. His eyes met hers, but rather than answer quickly he paused to think a moment. "No, I don't." He said sincerely, before a small smile twitched at his lips again. "Unless you're not aware that Rowan had her pups, might have ruined that for you too." It was a clear joke, a bad one. He sobered quickly as his mind turned to Casmir, Laika and Saena. 

"Have you heard anything about Casmir? If they've reached Reek's lands or...or anything?" His concern was clear, Casimir was his friend as well. He frowned a little and shook his head as she thanked him for telling her about Amber and the two males. "Don't thank me. I didn't know what I was doing when I did it. Though, had I know you weren't aware I think I would have come to you anyway. Maybe...maybe not quite so..." He grimaced. "I might have prettied up the message a little more, I mean." She spoke of the male, of Dagfinn. 

"I only hope he doesn't get himself hurt in the process." He sighed, glanced back to the water and watched it flow serenely away from the pair of them. "I haven't ever had children myself, you know. I want them, someday. Not sure how together of a dad I'd be, but, I think I'm fun enough." He smiled, lifting his eyes to her for a moment. "My dad was a good dad. Mom was wonderful too. I've got a good start at least. They were so in love too, I think that's why I want it to mean something so much. I want that friendship I saw in them." He paused, a soft smile on his face as he remembered his parents. "What were your parents like?" It was an idle thought. Had she had a good life before this? Before her loss?

She listened to him speak staying quiet herself.  She gave a sad shake of her head when he asked if she knew anything about the Reek problem.  "No, sadly I don't, not yet."  He talked a little bit more about how he would've lightened the message a bit if he had known that she hadn't known and she just gave a small nod to that.

When he spoke of being a Dad, Spring's ears perked, but she found herself tossed into a memory too.  Zander had said that once, yet he had left, it had all been a game, a trick.  She silenced her thoughts about Zander almost as soon as she had them.  Zander was not Heston.  Heston was not Zander.  Heston was better than Zander.

Then the subject changed to that of her Father and Mother.  Heston wanted to know what they were like.  For a long moment she wasn't sure what to say.  Her parents had been many things.  Her Father playful, teasing, clumsy, flirtatious, determined, a little bit of a loud mouth sometimes and yet he had always been there for his family no matter what.  Her Mother on the other hand though had been more quiet, a silent determination, sweet, kind, caring, nervous, protective and one of the most wonderful healers Spring had ever known.

"I'm sure you would make a great Father..."  She said, surprising herself with the words that she hadn't even meant to slip out, embaressment flooding her, sending butterflies into her stomach.  For a couple seconds she was silent before continuing.  "My Father was a little... different from me."  She began.  "In fact I think Amber is a lot more like him than I am... but anyways he was playful, especially around his pups, he always was quick to tease, he was quite the klutz,"  she said this with a small chuckle a few stories coming to mind, "he was a flirt, pretty determined, although I must say he could be a little bit of a loud mouth at times."  She took a deep breath before switching gears to her Mother.  "My Mother was a little more mellow though.  She was quieter and always held this silent determination, she was sweet, kind, caring, a bit nervous though and pretty protective in her own quieter ways.  She was the best healer though, probably the main reason why I'm very into healing and all that," Spring finished with a shrug.  "What about you though Heston?"  She asked in turn.  "What were your parents like?"

He hadn't expected her to know anything about the situation yet. Surely if any news had been avaliable he'd have smelled or heard something by now. Or, Spring would have plainly called a pack meeting. Her words about him being a father made him glance at her, a crooked grin playing across his mouth. "I like to think I will be. At least I'll have a mate to steer me right." His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, before he dropped it.

He listened quietly as she described her parents, and he thought that she was right about Amber and her father. They sound like a good pairing, not quite opposites entirely, but close. Making each other stronger where the other was weak. He smiled softly as he thought about his parents. "They were good parents. My father seemed like a tough guy, but he was a big softy. I got my good looks and my charming ways from him. I never once saw him glance at another woman though, he only had eyes for my mother. He was gentle with us, but could strike fear into us all the same. His word was to be obeyed." Heston chuckled softly. "Although, he never truly punished us. The most he'd do is put us in the den and sit in front of it, forcing us to stay put."

"My mother was a little less imposing than him, but sometimes she cut her eyes at you and you froze on the spot. She was smaller, and spoke softer, but she would snatch you back to the den in a heartbeat. She was always making jokes, or telling stories. She was terribly playful, too. There was never a dull moment with her. They fit together well. Both outgoing and talkative. They liked the sound of their own voices, but not as much as they liked the sound of each other's." He had always wanted a relationship like his parents. An unbreakable bond of companionship and love. It was where all his ideas of relationships had formed and he was intent on having it.

"They're what I want to be like, when I'm mated." He looked back to Spring. "Their love was so strong, you could see every inch of it in how they looked at each other. Even as a kid, I knew it was something special. It was more than just a word, they lived it with every inch of their beings."

Heston's parents relationship sounded beautiful as she listened to Heston speak of how special they had been, his row models for what he wanted his own mateship to be like.  His parents too sounded like hers in a way, although their personalities weren't the same they were a match.  A match made in heaven.  Something that she strived to have someday so she wouldn't have to be stuck with having her only mate ever being the manipulative Zander.

"They sound like the perfect couple."  She replied to him once he had finished speaking.  "Same for my parents relationship as row models, because even though I did make a mistake with... Zander in the past I strive to one day have something real.  Something that actually matters.  Something true."  She told Heston with a small shrug of her shoulders at the words.

For a moment she found herself quiet, lost in thought until finally she began to speak once more.  "What were your parents names?  I'm just purely curious," for a second she paused before continuing, "my parents were named Shima and Pine Lake, Pine for short."  Her curious gaze now sparked to life with interest waited expectantly for an answer that she hoped to receive.

Her words made pride blossom in his chest, pride that he wasn't afraid to show. He grinned and nodded. "I thought so." He was pleased to hear of Spring's parentage being the same, though he could have guessed at that by the way she'd spoken of them before. "It's not your fault that he did what he did." He meant Zander, of course. He fixed her with a sympathetic look. "You just have to find someone as earnest as you, and sometimes that's hard to do." His last words were serious and he watched her a moment, making sure she heard him. 

They fell silent again, lost in their thoughts. Was she thinking of Zander or her parents? His mind was full only of her, of what she might be thinking. He felt no sense of jealousy towards Zander, he had no doubts that the brute was far from Spring's affections. Instead he felt a kind of transferred anger, upset that the brute had hurt Spring the way he had. Upset that the male hadn't been there for Hazel.

His ears perked at her voice and he found himself grinning. Her parents names were good names, he wondered if Pine had been the reason for her being named Spring. His parents culture, the small pack they'd been in, all named children with the same technique. It was for this reason that he bore his smile. "My father was named Hessar. My mother was named Catonia. I had two brothers: Harto and Hintar. And a single sister, Cassia. It was traditional in their pack to name the children a name formed by both the parents names, you see. And so I am Heston. If you ask me, I got the best of the names." He smirked, though soon after conceded with a small shrug. "My sister had a fair name was well, I'll give her that."

"Were you named for Pine?" His interest was piqued here, did Spring have any naming conventions she followed for children? He tried to play off his interest, tried to pretend it didn't have to do with attraction to her. After a moment, he pointed out a difference between their ways, smiling softly. "You have a last name, though, a surname. We didn't have those because our names bore our parents in them directly. Within the pack, and a couple nearby, you could tell who was who's pup just by their name." He was proud of this cultural quirk, even as a child he'd fantasized about the day he would pass pieces of his name to children.

It was interesting to hear how Heston's parents had named their children.  In fact it was very creative, quite cute, it also must have taken quite the bit of energy to come up with the right names when you had so many options, but only some that actually sounded good.  It sounded like a challenge, but a sweet one.  She liked it.

Her ears perked up when she was asked if her Father had named her and found that she actually wasn't quite sure.  In ways it did make sense because Pine Lake her Father was named after something... well two things.  So wouldn't that make it more obvious as to why she had been named Spring, why Amber had been named Amber and why Fluer had been named Fluer.  She had never really thought much of it though so due to that she had never asked her Father, never found out.

She gave a small shrug of her shoulders.  "I'm not sure actually, although it would make a lot of sense so you do have a point there."  She cocked her head a little bit drifting between a few more thoughts before she spoke again.  "And yes I do have a surname, Ciel," for a moment she paused, "it means Sky in French.  We spoke it back where I'm from along with the common tongue too of course."

"I know your name, silly." He said with a smile. "You gave it to me when we met, do you think I'd forget?" He raised a brow at her, still smiling at his gentle teasing. "Huh. Sky. I didn't know that, though, that you spoke French. Wolves back where I was from spoke French, too. Did you come from the North?" Heston, though he didn't know the name, had been born within the Canadian Wilderness. The wolves there had a different accented French than Spring, though his ear likely wasn't learned enough to detect it. Still, it was a language he had heard before. "I wish I'd taken the time to learn it now. I was more interested in learning to hunt than languages, and since neither of my parents spoke it...I never had to learn. Did both your parents speak it?"

He paused for a minute, seriously regretting his decision to not learn French in the past. He could have surprised her and swept her off her feet just now by uttering some fancy french sentence. He vaguely remembered a handful of words, but they were all curses and that was likely the only reason he remembered them at all. He thought it best not to attempt, lest he call her something horrible. "Can you speak French for me?" He asked, ears perking with interest.

She glanced down a small sheepish smile covering her face as heat warmed on her cheeks at the sound of Heston's tease before she glanced up again to hear what else he had to say.  As he began to speak about how others had spoken French back where he was from, yet he had just never taken the time to learn it her ears perked up and she gave a surprised nod as he asked if she was from the North which of course she was.  

She found herself quickly cast into thoughts after this, there had been a few other packs that she had come across back in Yukon and she found herself wondering if Heston's had been one of them.  That had been a long time ago though so it was very unlikely that she would actually remember even if they actually did cross paths.

He wanted her to speak French for him.  Her thoughts were dashed at the sound of his voice and Spring found herself wondering what she would say, what she could say because there were so many things that she could tell him through the language.  So perhaps she supposed, Heston would have something in mind that he wanted her to say so with that in mind she began to speak.  "Both of my parents spoke it, yes, my whole family too actually," she told him with a small shrug, "and in answer to me speaking French for you, what would you like me to say."

He was surprised to learn she was from the North as well. Like her, he began to wonder if they had ever come across each other. It was impossible to remember anything specifically dealing with the wolves that spoke French. He wished that he could say that he'd seen her, tell her some dazzling romantic tale about it, but that was a lie and he didn't want to get caught in a lie.

He had expected her parents to speak it, perhaps if his own had he would know French too. Her question seemed slightly playful, what he wanted her to say in French. He considered it for a moment, talking while he did so. "Interesting to think we might have crossed paths sometime, in the North. I think I would have remembered you, though. You aren't a wolf someone easily forgets, at least, you're not a wolf I could easily forget. But, back to the French..." He paused to think again, letting the flirtatious comment settle in the air. He cracked a smile after a moment, the corner of his mouth lifting upwards crookedly. "Back-Flip. What's the word for back-flip? Tell me my French name."

He spoke her previous thoughts, wondering if they had ever crossed paths and a spark of electricity fizzed in within her.  She gave a small wag of her tail as she began to imagine times that they could have meet, and even though most all were fantasies, each one that she thought of felt more and more real it made her feel a great warmth.

Back-Flip.  His nickname.  That was what he wished to know how to say.  It was easy enough for her as Back-Flip was a pretty short word, same in French, although there was no literal translation of flip so she would just substitute it with somersault which in her prespective was close enough, so with that she decided to get on with it and tell him.  "Saut Périlleux Arrière," she told him with a small flirtatious smirk that lasted for only a few precious moments.  "There you have it, Back-Flip in French."

A small smirk covered her face, bringing his own rising up to reflect back at her. She looked devilish with her own smirk, and while he wouldn't say so out loud he found it downright sexy. It fell quickly from her face, a rare but treasured thing. Her tongue seemed to somersault around the words, they fell from her lips light and airy, like the action itself should be.

"Bit more of a mouthful that way." He said, liking the way the french sounded on her tongue. "Not sure that would quite work as a nickname. I remember the packs used to greet with a word... bonejor, for hello, right?" His ears flicked backwards in an embarrassed fashion as the word fell from his lips. He was sure he'd butchered it. He began trying to recall any and every word he'd heard the wolves say. His mother had encouraged him to learn, telling him that he might one day mate with a female from the french packs. He knew she'd be delighted to know that she may very well have been right. Mother knows best.

The moment that thought crossed his mind he flushed inwardly, though did not let it reflect without. He was merely surprised by how easily the thought of mating to Spring came to mind. They needed to know each other better, his fear whispered. He needn't go thinking such things so quickly. He swallowed, shifting on his paws.

Her tail gave a playful wag and she gave a nod when Heston expressed that Saut Périlleux Arrière did not sound like the best nickname, because while it was only three words it was still quite the mouthful for a nickname.  She racked her brain for a few moments trying to think up any shorter way to say Back-Flip or a rough translation of it.  When nothing really came to mind she dismissed it.

She had to hid her laugh of amusement when Heston attempted the French word bonjour, instead say "bonejor."  She had to admit he was close... sorta kinda, but not all the way there, he still needed some work.  "Almost there," she began with a twinkle of laughter hinted in her warm honey golden eyes, "but it's actually bonjour.  You were pretty close though."

He grinned in a bashful way, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, at least my memory isn't that terrible. Good thing I didn't accidentally call you a name either. I suppose I'll just be Back-Flip then for a while longer. Although, Casmir has taken to calling me Hestbro...but I think that's a guy thing. Might make him jealous if he catches you using it too."  He grinned thinking of his friend, but the smile fell from his face before long. Casmir still hadn't returned yet, and Heston worried for him. Would he bring the girls back? He hoped so.

"So, do you have any nicknames with self-depreciating stories attached, speaking of Back Flip?" He wanted to know more about her, about her past...everything really.

He made her smile, his every word, it just made her feel so good, like an explosion of fireworks.  Hestbro.  What a silly name she thought to herself as Heston spoke, what had triggered that story... did Casmir have a nickname for Casmir too then.  Casbro? Mirbro? Casmbro?  Eh, maybe one day she'd find out.  Anyways she would leave all the bro nicknames to Casmir and Heston... because to her Heston was right, it seemed more like a guy thing.

Nicknames.  He asked about nicknames... her mind racked for anything but frankly came up with nothing... sure maybe there had been a few but none that she could actually remember or had actually stuck.  "Actually Heston, I don't have any memory of one... or at least not one that I can think of now," she gave him a wink, "maybe someday you'll have one for me," she told him playful with a wag of her tail.

He was interested to hear she didn't have her own nickname from her past. He hummed aloud, thoughtfully. "Hmmm. That certainly deserves some serious thought. You would need a fitting name. Either something to tease you, or simply compliment your natural beauty. Of course, I could always fall back to Alpha Spring." He raised his brows a little, smirking gently as he remind her of their first meeting. That specific name, that specific meeting, would be something he never forgot. Nor would he be quick to let her forget it herself.

They settled into a peaceful silence for a moment, and then another question bubbled from his lips. "What made you decide to head down this way, from up North?" He frowned after. "Sorry, am I pestering you with questions? I'm just curious how closely our paths might have been coming here."

Her eyes twinkled as she remembered the first time they'd met, when Heston had called her Alpha Spring.  It technically wasn't a nickname, because she of course was an Alpha and named Springbjt in other ways she supposed it was, so perhaps she did have a nickname.

When Heston asked her about why she had left Canada a flutter of nervous anxiety shivers through her, not really feeling in the mood to tell that story right now... but Heston was her friend and she truelly trusted him, maybe more than anyone else right now and so she decided that she'd tell him a shortened version of the story.  "There was a virus called rabies that spread through my pack, I was the only survivor to my knowledge and so since there wasn't much left for me, I left Canada and found myself in Teekon.  It was a fresh start for me here, a chance to rebuild my life."  She glanced down at her paws for a moment before raising them again, "how did you find yourself in Teekon Heston?  After you escaped I mean."

Maybe he should have expected something more than a simple desire for exploration. It seemed that Spring had fallen in hard times no matter where she'd gone. A virus in her home, the thing with her ex mate, her children dying from another disease. He frowned, sad to have brought up these memories for her. He only hoped they'd be able to have a conversation one day where he didn't unknowingly make her sad.

He shook his head. "Spring, wow, I'm so sorry." He glanced away, thinking on what she had said. "One day I'll run out of things to say to bring up bad memories for you, I swear." His tone was half-joking, but he truly felt bad. She returned the story to him, about his journey here and he blew air through his nose then gave a small chuckle. "I don't have the slightest clue, honestly. I don't know how I survived. I...escaped," Escaped sounded so much better than ran, less cowardly. "I escaped and eventually collapsed into a bush once I couldn't run any further. I woke up sore and thirsty and feeling dead. Felt like it took an hour to get back to my feet." He shook his head, face serious.

"I wandered along streams, surviving on fish that I managed to catch somehow. I couldn't hunt well in the begining, hurt as I was. I didn't have a plan, didn't care for a plan. I was...I was in a very dark place, and sometimes I thought I should just lay there and..." die. He glanced to Spring and then let that sentence trail away. "But I didn't. And one day I convinced myself I shouldn't be a roaming cloud of darkness, so I decided to look for a new pack. That wasn't long before I found Teekon." He frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "I figured I should start my new life here, try to...think less about what happened before. Not forget, but think less."

She shook her head when he tried to apologize.  "No no, it's alright," she just told him quietly.  Then his story began.  As she listened her heart broke for him as she thought of how terrible it must have been to be so alone, because while she'd been alone for a while, she had met and then journeyed with Laika for majority of her time wandering as a lone wolf.  Her gaze trailed off feeling sick to her stomach as Heston mentioned that he somedays thoguht he would just die, and even though he never said die, she could just tell from how he delivered his words.

At the end of his story she was silent for a while, not sure what to say, because the words "I'm sorry" just didn't seem good enough.  "That's terrible Heston... I don't even know what to say.  At least I had Laika with me on my travels."  She couldn't recall if she had told him about meeting Laika originally on her long trek to Teekon, but either way he knew now.