Whitefish River Double-cross the vacant and the bored

on the borders! AW

His memories of this place were blurry and incomplete, seen through the eyes of a young child. It hadn't been that long ago really, but he had changed so much since then that it felt like a lifetime ago. Still, one thing he remembered like it was yesterday was how safe he felt here; he was happy to be back and he wanted to start doing more to help out. His skills here minimal, but he was willing to learn whatever he could. 

So today, he had made his way to the borders shortly after waking. He was restless and bored and wanted to do something important or learn something new. He wasn't quite sure what all needed to be done on a patrol, he was just mimicking what he thought he saw the adults do the few times he had actually seen them here. He walked slowly, paused and looked around, and sniffed things. But he wasn't really sure what he was doing. There were a lot of smells, too many really. And his senses quickly became overwhelmed. There was no way he would be able to pick out just one scent. Still he tried, moving on to a new spot when the scents of one area became too much. 

A long stick in the distance quickly stole his focus, though. It was just the right size too. He stopped and stared at it for a few seconds before bursting forward and jumping on it. It was long but not too long for him to carry. He definitely wasn't going to just leave it here, so he snatched it up and continued on his way, occasionally dropping the stick when he remembered that he needed be sniffing things.

His injured paw slowed him down a bit, but used to impediments in the way, Eve continues his renewed love of patrolling. It’s been too long since he really got into the groove of things again. Everything is slowly turning back to normal, and honestly, the bearish wolf couldn’t be happier. Whitefish River is in rough shape, but nothing they couldn’t work on together.
Striding along the borders, he ends up spotting Acheron in the distance just as the young wolf sprints out to snatch a stick. His eyebrows lift, a deep belly laugh escaping his lips a moment later. Man, it must be good to have that sort of energy. Yet, he can sympathize since the bearish wolf often went after fish with the same excitement.
Approaching the spotted boy, Eve wears a good-natured grin; Hey, uh, mind if I join you, Acheron?

thanks for joining <3

He paused when he heard the former Count's greeting, his stick dropping to the ground and bouncing a few times near his front paws. Sure, sir, he replied, remembering his manners. Um...one second, he quickly added. Then he picked his stick back up and trotted away towards a large bush. He stashed his stick in there, ensuring that it was well hidden before turning and heading back to Evergreen. 

I was patrolling, he stated confidently. He deflated fairly quickly, though and added" Well, I was trying but... he drifted off with a shrug of his pale shoulders. Well...what exactly is patrolling? he asked, his tone a little uncertain. His deep blue gaze looked up to the bear expectantly. He would have all the answers, he was sure of it.

Evergreen hadn’t meant to interrupt him, especially as Acheron seems very pleased with his find. An eyebrow arches, following the path of the stick as it bounces with mismatched green eyes. Thankfully, the freckled boy is welcoming—Evergreen beams. He could certainly wait a moment, but he is curious as he watches Acheron go about stashing the stick as if it is food to place in a cache. His amusement is kept quiet.
Oh, uhm, well Acheron asked the right and wrong person—Ira would know, too, and most adults in general. Evergreen has specialized in patrolling, but words? Yeah, those are a mystery. Patrolling is, uh, going along the borders of our land, making sure there isn’t anything odd… like, uh, unfamiliar scents, or uh, obscurities like that. And, uh, as you go, refreshing the scent markers.
I can show you? The bear hopes that’s a simple enough explanation, god he remembered when he was explaining squirrels to the boy and how wolves can’t climb… now they’re here and he’s so grown. Time flies.

He stared up at Evergreen and he spoke, taking in every word and dissecting it. So he was supposed to walk the borders and look for things that shouldn't be there? It would seem easy enough if he weren't such a big over-thinker. But instead of just accepting the answer, his mind started throwing out questions. And then Acheron starting throwing those same questions at Evergreen. Just unfamiliar scents? What if it's familiar but I'm not sure they're supposed to be here? he asked first. What if it's unfamiliar and the scent isn't old? What do I do then? He paused his questions when he realized Evergreen had offered to show him. Oh, yeah, I'd like that, he quickly added, gaze locked on the Count for a cue on what to do next.

Acheron has an arsenal of questions—ones that Evergreen hadn’t thought of at first. He’s somewhat grateful, thinking of it as preparation for accurate training and what to mention in the future.
Well, uh… if you aren’t certain they’re supposed to be here, regardless if they’re uh, familiar or not, it would be good to call for the pack. If you don’t feel safe though, because it is nearby, you can always uh, travel further in the territory and see if you can find someone else first. He explains as the bear starts along the patrol path the spotted youth previously went about alone.
It’s… uh, all about protecting the pack. You never know what intentions people might have. Most who are good and respectful wait at the borders and call for the leaders. Wolves who are up to… no good, uh, might not. It feels weird to explain, but by now, he thinks Acheron should know that not every wolf out there is safe. Evergreen learned a bit late.

Acheron nodded, silently going over every explanation offer to him. It seemed that the consensus was that if he felt unsafe or was unsure about anything he found along the borders, then he should call for help. He could manage that. As for everyone not having good intentions, Acheron wasn't at all surprised by that. He didn't have a lot of real life experience, but he was smart enough already to deduce that not everyone was going to be nice. He had watched mom heal enough wounded packmates to think otherwise. Of course not all of those had been from fights, but that had always been his assumption anyway. 

How often do you patrol? he asked next. And do you try to cover all the borders every time? That seemed kind of hard. He was no expert or anything and he had no real frame of reference, but the territory seemed awfully big to travel in one patrol. But that was why he asked; he needed to know what would be expected and how difficult it would be to fulfill those expectations.