Swiftcurrent Creek Here I am

The sun rose and it's pearly pink hue alighted on the wolf that lay underneath the shade tree. Green eyes of deepest hue opened up and he lay there looking around. Lifting large head he stretched, and swished his tail across the ground. He stood and stretched much like a cat, his rump in the air and his tongue lolling out. Turning his neck one way and then another he moved swiftly long legs and large paws tearing up the ground in purposeful strides as he headed for the borders.

He missed his Kiva, but for once the pain wasn't so sharp and the memories so painful. It was a dulling feeling, he supposed this would happen with time, but he knew that he still missed her more than he would ever admit.

And then there was Kieran. Bazi spotted him from her spot high atop the Guardians, and watched him for a short moment before getting to her feet to follow. He kept to himself and did his duty, though Bazi wondered if he would leave for greener pastures now that Njal and Tuwawi had removed their brood. He had cited his love for pups several times, and Bazi would not be able to provide the pack with replacements for several months yet.

"Kieran!" she called, cantering through the grass to catch up.

Kieran's ears twitched backwards and he turned green eyes towards the sound of his name being called. He stopped moving when he saw the small lithe white figure coming towards him, this was his new leader and he best stay and wait. Most of the pack were walking around with dulling feelings, but the Irishman wasn't. He had not been close with the wolves that had departed, though he had gotten to know them on his trek to their new home. He would not count them friends, merely acquaintances. Like souls passing by in the wind, meeting briefly and continuing on.

he stood to attention broad shoulders erect and back straight and ears at half mast across the top of his head. Though as she got closer he hunched his larger shoulders and averted his eyes, being sure to give her the respect that was due. After all she had given him a home, a home to a lonesome heart sick stranger. "'owaya miss. bazi. 'oy can oi 'elp yer?"

Bazi scrunched her face up when he spoke, struggling to decipher his accent. There weren't a lot of words to figure out, so she assumed he meant something about being at her service. Or so she hoped.

"No help. I just wanted to talk.." She trailed off. Truth or fiction? Which would serve her? The young girl nudged his shoulder with the tip of her nose - a signal that he should relax. "Our ranks have thinned quite considerably and I thought I would explain.. I sent Danica with Njal and Tuwawi and bid her stay, and Shadow I ejected for.. well, he wasn't a good fit." With Bazi, personally. "That started a bit of a chain reaction, so.. we're on a recruitment drive until I can fill the ranks with pups. Are you much of an outrider, Kieran?" Or would that job fall to her?

Kieran saw her scrunching up her face and he supposed it was from his language, but well it was something he couldn’t help. He didn’t much mind not being able to be understood, sometimes it worked in his favor. Especially, when he had something harsh to say. He usually didn’t, the harshest he had been in sometime was the day he told the female Erika her mate was a idiot. " Oi'm sorry yer canny understan' me brogue miss." He grew quiet and merely stood patiently waiting for her words.

Kieran stood silently listening to her, not saying much of anything at this point. He wasn’t going anywhere, as he visibly relaxed after her nudge. He wasn’t going anywhere because those arguments and those fights were not his. He caught onto what she was trying to say, she was fishing to see if he’d be staying so he decided to ease her fears as best he could. " ohs battles are not mine, oi 'ill in me rin' be 'eadin' anywhere."

Her next question caught him off guard was he an outrider. He supposed he could be, though his words could cause problems if anyone else had troubles understanding his brogue. So he dipped his muzzle and spoke softly " Oi can be though me brogue maybe 'ard for dohs bein' recruited ter understan'."

He picked up on her grimace, but didn't seem offended. Bazi grinned at him - eventually, the Teekon Wilds might soften his accent.. though the past month had done little to change it, and she wondered if perhaps he was too old now to change the way he spoke.

Having said that, his next sentence was impossible for her to understand - she squinted at him, allowing him to finish before she asked. "Sorry, what as that? in-me-rin? I got the battles bit..." And that was good enough, really. He wasn't interesting in hearing what she wasn't interesting in sharing.

As far as Kieran was concerned, he didn’t need to change a thing about himself. He didn’t even try to, if someone couldn’t understand him, or if they thought he was going to change. Well he wasn’t going to and that was too bad. His brogue was the last thing that belonged to him, and he wouldn’t allow it to be taken away like everything else.

He chuckled deeply and warmly, hinting at the wolf he used to be. He tried again, trying to be a little more clear with his words." Oi'm not 'eadin' anywhere. oi don't plan on leavin'." He looked at her then, with a small smile on his face, waiting to see if she understood that. He’d go as slow as she needed to make her understand.

"Oh! Well.. that's good, then. Great," she grinned at him. "So.. where were you, before you came here? I don't think I've ever asked. I know you said you like pups, and I'd like to have pups as soon as wolfishly possible..." Bazi trailed off, wondering how she would cope without the guidance of an experienced female. It scared her - terrified her, frankly. They came out of your butt! After a little too much red meat, even poos hurt - and pups were a damn sight larger than poo, and less malleable.

Bazi grimaced inwardly at that, and refocused her attentions on Kieran before her brain had a chance to gross itself out. "Have you got any children?"

Jammy for lucky interesting

Kieran listened to her stumble and then fire questions at him left and right. He laid his ears to his skull and frowned as he tried to keep track of what she was saying. She spoke fast and it was even hard for him to understand, though he was relatively fluent in both languages. She then began to ramble and he chuckled, "Scon are from far away. wha scon are from is naw more, it 'as been laid ter kip."

Her next question was like a sucker punch to the gut and he had to take a deep breath, when he remembered to breath. He bowed his head, the grief over taking him for a moment. He coughed and shook his head, "Oi 'av not been dat jammy."

Concluding!

Vague dot com. Then again, Bazi's answers to similar questions had been outright lies. His reaction to her final, ill-conceived question sent a chill down her spine. Pups were not a subject to be brought up in conversation among wolves that had come to the Teekon Wilds before reaching sexual maturity. Who knew what family horrors littered their past.

"Ah," Bazi responded awkwardly, and was silent for the rest of their walk.