Phoenix Maplewood smile no matter what they tell you

things were starting to pile up too fast for aditya to handle. now, he was doing so mostly alone--dawn was scarce, and he hadn't been able to find her and discuss all that had happened. alya was on the mend, but still not well enough to travel. they had desdemona, now, but she was still settling into the place; and meanwhile, shale was still very much absent, as were some others.

inwardly panicking, he stopped in the midst of a border patrol and took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. what normally did the trick now had no effect on him; he was well and truly underwater. he couldn't remember the last time he had felt this overwhelmed.

there were options, he knew. he had gone over them one by one every night before he went to sleep, weighing the merits, the pros and cons. perhaps two moons ago, there would have been multiple ways this could go, but now adi saw only one choice. even if it wasn't the right one, it couldn't be helped. it was sink or swim, and aditya did not intend to drown.

he lifted his muzzle and called for @Sunny, hoping the hunter caught the urgency in his tone and came with haste.

Sunny had gone off for a run hoping if he exhausted himself that day he would be able to sleep nightmare free that night. He had gotten a good distance from the territory when he caught Aditya's call and froze, panting softly. There was urgency behind it, it didn't sound like "i have good news" urgency either. Immediately he turned around and ran back toward Morningside and back over the borders, making his way to Aditya in a rush.

When he arrived he immediately looked around, spotting nobody else and then scanned Aditya over for injury. He didn't see any but he was still concerned. "Adi...is everything okay?" he asked.

he did his best to brush off sunny's concern, shaking his head as the other looked him over. "i'm fine, sunny; it's--" aditya broke off, steadying himself with a couple of deep breaths. he gazed at his former brother-in-law, eyes warm with liquid sincerity. "i need help, yaar. everything has been so chaotic, after the fire, and it's a lot for me to handle alone."

his lips stretched tight in a grimace. "i'm not saying your sister has been lax in her duties," adi responded, clearly treading a thin line here. "but i haven't seen much of her at all. and i need her--i need all the help i can get.

"i know it's been a tough summer for you," aditya murmured, blinking slowly. "and you had to take some time away to mourn and grow up. you've done a wonderful job since returning, though, and are clearly dedicated to this pack--one only needs to look at the burns on your pelt to know that," he added, dipping his muzzle at the man's patchy fur in illustration. he tilted his head, regarding sunny with a gravely inquisitive stare.

"will you step up and lead alongside me? lead hunts, take care of those inside the territory--take up all the duties i have no time for?"

He was glad when Aditya stopped saying it was fine, because it was obvious that he was upset and stressed. He remained silent, eyes soft with sympathy as Aditya talked, venting and explaining what was wrong. He felt a bit uncomfortable at the part about Dawn but he understood and agreed, his sister hadn't been seen anywhere recently and hadn't even bothered to let him know that she was okay and had escaped the fire. He had no idea where she was but Aditya was all alone here and understandably struggling. A suspicious feeling  began to nag at him when the subject turned to him, his struggles and growth and his dedication to Morningside. His eyes widened as he had a faint clue about what was to be asked.

His suspicion was confirmed and he opened his mouth, shocked and then closed it again. He had always had a faint desire to help run Morningside someday but he had kind of learned that just by doing his part and hunting and maybe bringing in the occasional recruit, he helped Morningside stay alive. Now he was being offered the chance to be on a somewhat equal level with Adi, to help lead and take care of the pack as someone they would actually look to for help. He could almost feel the warmth of his father smiling down on him "Yes....yeah of course. I'd always do whatever it takes to keep this pack alive. I'm sorry I haven't offered to do so sooner." he said softly feeling his heart begin to race.

aditya shook his head, trying to stop that line of thought. "don't apologize," he stressed, giving sunny a smile. "you've done so much for us, often without thought for yourself. i just need a little more help." he lifted his chin, surveying the gray male for a long moment in silence. he had grown up, since adi had first met him. his father's death, especially, had been a formative event in his life.

there had been some stumbling blocks, sure, but how put-together had aditya been, at his age? not very was the honest answer. truthfully, sunny was lightyears ahead of the irresponsible yearling adi once was--and even if there were some flaws, he was loyal and kind. determined. exactly what you wanted in a leader, in his view.

"you can be a guide, for morningside," aditya continued. "help keep our morale afloat, introduce new members to the fold. help keep your father's legacy of camaraderie alive." he knew that, above most else, was very important to sunny.