Duskfire Glacier rushing

He lounged in the sun, or as much of the sun as the trees would allow to pass. His dark fur absorbed every drop of heat with utter ease. Soon enough he would have to escaped into the cooler parts of the glacier, perhaps watch over the children if they weren't out and about scrambling around the territory.

Soon enough Aleks would become useful again but for now he lazed.

Taki had been mapping out the territories outside of the glacier and had just made her back into her territory when she scented Aleks nearby. She had been making an effort to talk to all of the new recruits, which was not something she particularly enjoyed. Aleks, however, was tolerable. He was one of her recruits and had stayed to watch the area while Taki had left to get her family; a debt she felt she owed him. 

When she found his lounging form, she gave a chuff to to announce her presence. Aleks, she said with a nod as she came to sit next to him.

It was a familiar figure that settled near him. The one he knew from the start of his time in this foreign place. His name on her tongue caused a soft thump of his tail against the earth. Hello. He murmured softly, not saying much per usual.

A raised brow left an unspoken question between them - did she need anything? Alas even if she didn't need anything he would gladly accept some silent company.

She shook her head at his silent question and sat for a while without saying anything. The sun wasn't so uncomfortable here with the temperatures being much lower. She looked up and closed her eyes as the sun warmed her face. She didn't usually stop and relax; who had time for that? This was nice, though, and Aleks' company was easy. 

Thank you for staying here while I left to retrieve my family, she finally said after a long silence, her citrine gaze moving from the sky to his face. She knew that was a lot to ask of someone she barely knew, but he had agreed, and she was very grateful.

While her thankfulness was not surprising, he had not been expecting it either. It was not like he had been forced with the task. Aleks had taken it on willingly and readily. Of course. He offered with a soft nod of his head.

He glanced at her briefly before resting his head on his paws, mimicking the pose of a lazy guard dog on someone's porch. It's a nice place, fitting for a nice family. He commented as he stared out into the lands. It made his heartache a bit worse but perhaps he needed this.

The area was nice, but nice was not a word she usually heard used to describe herself. Although, this wolf had not seen her at her most high strung like most of the new recruits they had picked up on their way to the glacier. Traveling with young in tow had put strain on all the family, and Taki had the added stress of making sure she was leading them in the right direction since she had been the one to discover the glacier and had previously made the same trip on her own. They had all made it here in one piece, thankfully, but it seemed the pressure of leading her family to their new home and only been replaced with the pressure of being Sia's second.

Deciding to join Aleks, she slid into a lying position, letting out a long huff as she moved. She studied the scenery for while, content with the silence, but she eventually turned to the dark wolf at her side and asked, Settling in okay? She had been asking everyone that, trying to be a good leader and all.

An ear flicked at her question as a hum escaped him. Yes. He finally answered. It's different but...not in a bad way. His shoulders gave a halfhearted shrug. He knew he would have a long way to go before he felt fully at home but that was part of change, wasn't it? Things never happened overnight. Not good things at least.

You make a fine leader, you know. He assured her with a partial glance. Aleks wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. While he knew she wasn't the head of everything, he knew she had done plenty to make all of this happen. If it wasn't for her he wouldn't have found a nice place so soon.

Perhaps the worst was behind him now.

She nodded at his reply and risking the chance that she might be prying, Taki asked, Different how? Of course, if he chose not to answer, she would understand, but she didn't really know much about this wolf, and strangely, she found that she actually wanted to know more about him. Whether or not she actually would be privy to his past was up to him, though. Some pasts were not pleasant and their sufferers were not always quick to revisit them.

His compliment was a surprise, and she shrugged a little before replying, Thank you, her gaze avoiding his out of her obvious discomfort. She appreciated his words, but maybe didn't completely agree with them, although she kept that to herself. It's not always easy, but I'm lucky to have Siarut to lean on, she added, wanting to shift the attention from her a little. Her older brother had taught her everything she knew, so she partially owed any success to him.