Blacktail Deer Plateau soft words don't

AW, but preferably someone he hasn't talked to in a while, or one of the newbies. Tags are for reference, but feel free to jump in, also.

After spending the late afternoon giving an impromptu hunting lesson to @Dauntless, @Lavender, and Easy, the male had left them under @Pema's watchful eye before venturing out into the further reaches of the territory. Although they lived in a relatively quiet pocket of the Teekon Wilds, there were still things they had to worry about. Intruders, for one thing, and loiterers for another. Today, Grayday travelled to the area furthest from the rendezvous site, where his plateau looked out into the bottleneck that Constantine Mayfair had claimed. (Grayday wondered if he was related to Deirdre Stella Mayfair, and made a mental note to ask the next time he ran into the dark young male.)

Their scent was faint, but detectable from where he stood. It tickled unpleasantly at his nares, but he hoped that his discomfort would ease in time. Perhaps it would be better to try and get to know the bottleneck wolves - or perhaps it would be best to leave well enough alone. Only time would tell how their packs would get along, but the male had ever reason to believe they'd have no trouble with each other.

days of physical and mental rest had put aditya in even better spirits than he was usually, and so, on this cool autumn evening, he decided to venture out from the den, meander around the plateau. dawn had offered him a tour, and he would definitely take her up on that offer eventually, but for now, he wanted to see things for himself.

they were vast, these teekon wilds. for all his life, aditya had been south, always only a few days removed from humans. but during his travels here, he had not encountered man nor civilization, merely wolves and other wild flora and fauna. it was a relief to not feel as if he were constantly being hunted or tracked down by those who sought to harm or trap him.

lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice grayday's presence until he was nearly upon him. the alpha male was looking over the tangled forest to the west, surveying the lands beyond his claim.

"i traveled through there on my way over here," aditya said as he pulled alongside grayday, nodding to the darkness beyond. "this place is a lot more beautiful--and easier to navigate, too."

he gave the leader a look full of kindness. "i can't thank you enough for letting me stay here. i wasn't looking forward to spending another winter alone. it'll be my fourth, this year." looking back out, he sighed. if you pricked your ears, you could almost hear the faint murmur of the sea from whence he'd came. "i'm a child of the summer, at heart. not looking forward to the snow. but at least i'll be among friends this time."

Grayday heard the other approach, and one ear flicked back to mark his progress while the other remained pricked toward the bottleneck, where he imagined he could hear the machinations of the dark Mayfair wolf. If he was a relation of Deirdre, Grayday was interested to take note of the startling differences in demeanor between them. Still, there was no arguing that they both seemed to be made to lead.

His attention turned fully toward Aditya as they came to stand side-by-side. Grayday greeted the other with a friendly grunt, the ear closest to the other male swivelling in thought as he listened to the words of thanks. "You don't have to thank me," said Grayday. "When wolves come together, it benefits all involved."

"I was born into the winter," he went on, not giving Aditya a chance to refute these words, "in the far north. This one will be my fifth. After my first winter, I traveled from home, and before my fourth, I came to these lands, and found a pack before the snow. They're better weathered together."

He looked curiously at Aditya, finding it hard to believe they were so close in age. For some reason, he'd expected the male to be much younger. "What's your story?" he asked.

coming together was not the culture he had been born into. at least, not this rigidly. bands of loners, sure, finding places to sleep together, keeping warm and fed. but not structured packs. not families. and it had never gotten very cold in the south, not even in the mountains, and aditya had rarely ever wandered there.

grayday explained that he, too, had come to the wilds before his fourth winter, and found refuge with a pack as well. it must have been quite a year for the man, then, to have ascended from newcomer to alpha over a vast territory.

he smiled, chuckling softly. "my story. . .is complicated. it's one of those stories where i could regail you for hours about all the small details. but at the same time, i feel like so little of true significance has happened to me that i could sum it up in a minute or two. i think," he decided, stretching a little, "that i'll spare you and opt for the second option."

aditya looked out to the forest. "i was born fatherless. for the first few months of my life, i had my mother, my uncle--or so he said--and a few of their friends. but they scattered, one by one, and shortly after i was weaned, my mother died." he paused for a moment, not so much out of sorrow but reflection upon the mysterious circumstances regarding that particular day of his life. "or not. i never saw her body. i just know i woke up one day and she was gone."

"so i've spent the rest of my life a drifter, moving up and down the coasts without any real purpose," he continued. "i've loved, i've lost. i've lived a very full life, and yet, at the end of the day, it bothers me to know that i've not left any real legacy behind."

he looked at his alpha. "no one to remember me by. no future generations telling my tales. i have been so good at living life to the fullest that i have given it all to each moment, leaving no impression." laughing again, he smiled sheepishly. "so, in just a few words, that's me."

"I can't imagine what it's like not to know your family," said Grayday, not remembering that he had many young siblings that he would likely never meet. It was different either way, but other than that...

It was a maddeningly familiar tale. Aside from the absence of family in Aditya's early life, Grayday found that his own tale paralleled this one rather well. He knew how it felt to wander for years, never finding a place for oneself... He knew the desperation of being without progeny, and the hopelessness that went along with being the last of your line.

"It can be difficult to be with others, after being alone for so long," the leader noted. "How are you settling in?"

"oh, just fine," adi responded warmly, giving a look around him. "this place is beautiful, and everyone here that i've met has been so friendly."

he looked at grayday with a smile. "and as far as not knowing your family. . . well, you get used to it, with time. you replace your mother, your father, your siblings, with friends and acquaintances you pick up along the way. it only really stings when you're exchanging stories with someone who does have a family, and you truly feel what's been missing."

his thoughts flitted to dawn. she herself had her father here, as well as her half-siblings. he had not yet met her mother, though he assumed he would run into her at a later time. "dawn is lucky to have you as a father," he said. "and i'm assuming the young ones are yours. do you have any other children?"

the lack of a father was what aditya felt acutely. he had had his mother for those precious few months, but had spent the majority of his life looking for someone to call paa. in that sense, dawn was incredibly blessed.

Grayday felt a tiny bit uncomfortable when Aditya said it only stung when exchanging stories with wolves who had families, but the other male was nice enough, and he knew it wasn't said to make him feel badly. "Well, look at it this way," the male reasoned; "I don't have anything you can't have in time."

Meaning, he'd begotten children, and had built up for himself a pack. Aditya might find Morningside to be to his liking, or he might found his own little band. Either way, Grayday thought the man would make a good father, considering his even (as far as Grayday knew) temperment.

"That's kind of you to say," Day replied, tail wagging in response to Aditya's compliment. "I'm not half the father my own dad was, but I try my best. The youngest three are mine - and I have an older son as well. Dawn's littermate. He lives in another pack."

aditya opened his mouth to ask why grayday's son was in a different pack, but shut it before sound emerged. he might have grown up alone, but he knew well the difficult nuances of a family, and thought perhaps there had been some past trouble that separated the father and his boy.

"i do want all this in time," he said instead, voice amiable. "well, the kids, anyway. on the fence about being a leader." it seemed an awful lot of responsibility, leadership. but perhaps it might be worth it, one day.

he took another look around their surroundings, admiring the plateau and the way the mountains to the north rose like tall, blue-gray shadows. "this is a beautiful place," he told grayday. "has your pack lived here long?"

Grayday wagged his tail, glad to find that Aditya might be a family man, at his heart. "I'll pray for your virility," he teased, standing and moving along the borders once more, his tail sweeping invitingly behind him. "For now, though, you'll have to make due with the wolves we have here. Even aside from my three, there are quite a few youngsters among us." He thought of Kieran and Moonstone in particular as he said this, but Pema and Dawn were around the same age as well. Somehow, they'd escaped the role of 'child' in his mind.

"Not long," said the male in response to Aditya's question. "We moved here about a month ago in preparation for the colder months. We lived across this mountain range, before." He tipped his nose toward the Sunspire Mountains as he spoke, but continued along the edge of the plateau until he found a place where his scent was weak. There, he lifted a leg to deposit his scent before moving ahead once more.

"What about you? I understand you came directly from the sea before I met you on the borders."

He followed the direction of Grayday's nose, over the mountains in the distance. He hadn't been that far east yet, but he'd love to explore it, someday. As for the prayer for his virility, well. . .Aditya grinned, accepting it with a small chuckle.

"Technically, yes, I was carried by the sea back onto these lands," he said amiably. "As to where I'm from, I wandered up and down the southern coast for most of my life. Occasionally found myself in the mountains, but only during the warm months."

He allowed himself a brief thought of the south, its sunny days and breezy nights. "It was nice there. But. . .different. These lands are much more wild," he explained to Grayday. "And rugged. So it's a fascinating change."

The southern coast. It sounded... warm, when the only ocean Grayday had ever known was harsh and forboding. Mountains he was more familiar with, having resided on one for a time. But still, the land Aditya spoke of seemed strange and exotic to the northerner's narrow mind.

"This is as far south as I've ever been," said Grayday, looking at Aditya with a new respect in his eyes. "The summer months are terrible - my coat doesn't really thin out much more than this."

His winter coat had only just begun to grow in. It almost seemed too early for Grayday, who still got a little too hot during the day. Still, if they had another winter like the last one, he'd certainly be grateful for it. Aditya might be in trouble, though.

Huh. A stupid idea suddenly popped into the leader's head.

"It gets pretty cold here during the winter," he said casually. "You'll probably need to find a buddy to keep you warm." He marked another tree and moved forward once more. "Dawn has a coat like mine," he added, one ear cupped toward the male to get a sense of his reaction without having to look in his direction and have his face give away the game.

he looked at grayday with a lopsided grin, taking in his thick pelt. "yeah, that fur would probably be miserable down south," he said. "but we're put where we're meant to be, i guess, and you're meant to be up here, in the cold. so, apparently, am i."

and then, there it was. a sly pop from the father at his interest in his daughter. one of aditya's ears twitched; otherwise he said nothing for a long moment, weighing his words. what are your intentions? he had heard that line before. fathers, unwilling to usher their little lambs into the arms of a rogue, friendly as he was. was this grayday's version?

"that she does," he finally said, opting for a casual response. aditya looked at grayday, a smile on his face but his gaze respectful. "she's a nice girl. she's been very welcoming. as have the rest of you."

Grayday's ears perked when Aditya began to answer, only to fall back as the question was answered with little in the way of interest. There didn't seem to be any future grandchildren in that direction, which - Grayday supposed - might be for the best. Aditya was hardly younger than he was, and what was the point of getting your daughter a partner if they weren't going to be around to care for her long after you were dead?

He supposed it wasn't his business to be looking for partners for her in the first place. Still, he liked Aditya.

"You don't make it too hard," Grayday said with a wag of his tail, deciding that the massive insult Aditya had paid him with his apparent disinterest in Dawn could slide. He'd been a good guy, other than that. "I've met a lot of assholes around here, you know. It's good to know there are still good ones left in the world."

pleasure flushed through his body at grayday's words, and he inclined his head gratefully. "you're too kind, sir," aditya said, smiling. "i've run across a lot of assholes myself. not here, yet, but in my travels."

an idea had struck him, upon entrance to the pack, and he voiced it now. "i will ask your permission for something, though." he paused, again choosing his words carefully. "i want to be of the best service possible to your pack. and to do so, i must be true to myself. i'm a natural wanderer."

"with your consent, i would like to travel the wilds for a couple of weeks to map out the land. once i have it all in my head, i would like to serve as a scout for your pack. keeping the borders up, inviting new members in, and the like. i would leave after i'm truly settled in, and will be back before the first snow. if the snow happens while i'm away, i will return with haste."

it was a gamble. aditya knew grayday needed hunters, especially as winter drew near. but the gray alpha would need them even more in the throes of the icy season, and he knew he would be tethered to the plateau when that time came. he did not want to wait months to serve a purpose.

The leader's brow furrowed in thought. He was not particularly worried about their membership anymore. He was sure that he and Dawn could handle hunting enough to keep the pack well-fed, now that she was willing to spend more time within the territory. Pema had also proven to be a blessing, and the rest of their pack members had been doing admirabel jobs of keeping themselves alive. There was no reason to keep Aditya back, but still -

"You sure you're all healed up?" he asked, turning and poke his nose at a few of the places he remembered Aditya being a little banged up. Whether or not the inspection was welcome, the male was determined to see for himself that the wolf was in shape to be out on his own. "Maybe you oughta take someone with you," he added, not liking the idea of the accident-prone (in Grayday's eyes) male without assistance. "Dawn likes to wander, and there's a wolf called Catori around here who has itchy paws, too."

He was at loath to lose either woman, but it seemed that he was a magent for women with roaming written into their DNA. If he didn't nurture that, he was likely to lose them to their free spirits.

adi was a little taken aback at grayday's prodding at some of his sore bits, but said nothing, standing firmly still as the alpha took his inspection. "i've been feeling great lately," he said as grayday pulled his head away. "really. the plateau has done me good already."

then grayday suggested he ought to take someone with him. a frown played at the edges of aditya's mouth before his face quickly faded back into neutrality again. he kept a quick pace: and that was not to say another would drag him down. he just felt as if he could complete his circuit of the wilds faster and more efficiently on his own.

nevertheless, he nodded, pleased to hear grayday mention dawn as a possibility for his travel companion. "if you think it would be best," he said amiably. "but there's no rush. i wasn't planning on leaving for another few days or so."

"Hmm," said Grayday, deciding that Aditya had passed muster. Even if he wasn't hurt, though, Day was uncomfortable with the idea of him going out on his own.

Besides,  he was still mulling over a few ideas that had been hanging around in his head for the past several weeks. There were some things he thought needed doing before winter came, but he wasn't ready to give voice to them just yet. "Why don't you wait for a bit," said the leader, with the air of a man who was not used to his suggestions being ignored. "I don't know yet, but - there might be something..."

The male wandered a few yards away, still pausing to mark even as he murmured under his breath, trying to decide who best to send on this mission. Did they have time for Aditya to go off on his own? Was that something he was willing to allow?

"I'll talk to you in a few days," he decided. "I need to talk to someone else, first."

aditya grinned, pleased enough with the reply he received. if it was not to be his own mission, he was happy to tag along with some other endeavour. besides, gaining strength and wisdom over the winter by staying put at the plateau, would do him well, and hopefully by the time spring came, he was a respected and trusted member of morningside and could go scout on his own.

"that is fine," he responded, pushing down the giddiness in his voice to something a little more reserved. "i'll be happy with whatever challenge you give me."

he cast his gaze over the horizon, golden orbs taking in the sight, before looking back at grayday. "can i patrol the borders with you today? i need to start learning our boundaries," he added pragmatically, though in truth, he wanted to get to know the gray male better, and he could do so by picking his brain while putting in some legwork.

fading here :)

Aditya easily agreed to wait a few days before leaving, and so, Grayday happily obliged his request. "Of course - what did you think we were doing?" he laughed, tail wagging at the other male's expense. Still, the male was futher endeared toward Grayday by this tiny gesture. He was terribly polite, after all, and Grayday was a man that valued manners.

It seemed like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.