Broken Antler Fen Mentality of tons

Khali had settled down near the water, watching as it rushed like it was headed somewhere important. The man reached his head down to taste the liquid gold. The sweet taste tingled on his taste buds, saliva rushed down his chin as he swallowed. Khali let out a small sigh as he lapped up some more not paying attention to much of anything at this point.

 It felt nice to finally be settled somewhere again. The thought of what Cam had went through before he had come back hurt his heart in a way that he was afraid he’d never be able to heal. Khali knew in his heart that he needed to try and work things out with Cam and maybe try to form some kind of relationship. For now, he was going to stay here and help with whatever needed of him.

Wraen had not spoken to Ibis's acqaintance Khali ever since meeting him on the borders and accepting him in the ranks. He had looked quite awful at that time and the older wolf had respectfull given him time and space to recover and settle. Now - few weeks later, when she happened to see him sitting alone near a river that had broken free from the icy grasp of wintertime, she walked over to have a little chat. After all, if this Raven didn't contribute much to the bigger things of the pack, she could at least make sure that people within felt noticed and appreciated. 

"Hey," she greeted him, smiling and tail wagging. She came to stand next to him, peered curiously at the river first, then lifted her gaze to look at him. "How are you doing?"

Khali had finished lapping up his share of the pristine water that ran through when he heard footsteps and a familiar voice call to him. The man planted a welcoming smile upon his lips as he turned to see Wraen joining him. Since he joined he had yet to actually get to know the others and this was a pleasant surprise for him today. 

  ”Hello Wraen, I’ve been holding up well. Getting to know the territory and where I could hunt for us is what I’ve been doing. How have you been now that we have settled as a pack?” his voice was less gruff than usual since he had cleared his throat with the water. The man gave a wag of his tail to show her his excitement in knowing he had a place here.

At the first sight Khali seemed to be like a guy, who replied to one's questions word for word and then tossed the same inqury back at the person, who had asked it initially. Whether that was shyness or a manner of upbringing, Wraen would find out, but for now she was content with, what she had found out. She herself had discovered quite a few hunting places for small game and it was good to know that someone besides her was taking care of it too. "I am well. Life's a bit mundane, but that's good," she told. 

"Care to join me to explore the western edge of the fen? That's a bit of a walk from here and a company is always welcome," she suggested, but the man was free to decline the offer.

Khali enjoyed the weather out today almost as much as the company of his friend Wraen. The sound of the water trickling it’s way down the stream made the scenery that much more of a dream. As his mind faded from the conversation his eyes wondered to really inquisitively look at Wraen. Only the sound of her voice drew him out of his own head. 

” Good, it makes me happy to hear you’re doing good.” he gave a small smile and nodded his head almost to agree with himself. After she invited him for a walk he sat there and pondered it only for a moment. It was a no brained, he had wanted to get to know Ibis and Wraen a little more after all they had done for him giving him a home and what not. ” I would love nothing more than to accompany you.” his voice was gruff as he motioned for her to take the lead.

"Okay - Tally Ho - A hunting we will go!" Wraen called and beckoned the general direction they were heading to. She hummed to herself, as they made their way along the edge of the lake and then crossed a small bridge (made by a fallen tree) over a little river. Now and then she stopped to see, if Khali was still following her and was okay doing so. 

"So... tell me about yourself a little," she said. "What kind of bird are you?"

The excitement that Wraen put off about hunting made Khali smile, he felt happy and it wasn’t something he had felt in a while. The warmth that consumed his body made him feel a bit awkward. The man hid it well as he followed behind Wraen on their journey to find food. As she hummed it was literally music to his ears, it felt as though he was reaching that light that sat at the end of a very dark tunnel. When Wraen would look back he gave a nod and would speed up a little to catch up to her. 

Wraen had stopped humming only to ask him one of the hardest questions for him right now. Was there much to tell about a man who had broken his values and left the woman he loved behind only to find out she was killed? Khali sure didn’t think so. “ Well, I left a whole world behind years ago only to come back and find out the life I left cost me something that was very dear to me. But I’m not sure if that’s what you mean by telling you about myself.” his voice quivered a bit as the words fell out. The man cleared his throat as he glanced to Wraen and study her face.

Khali's answer piqued Wraen's interest, because this was the first time during the course of their conversation, that he did not just bounce back the inquiry as politely as possible, but she sensed some emotion and personality shine through in his words. As much as she was curious to hear about the circumstances behind him leaving or exact details of, what had happened, she knew that it was not her place to ask for more, unless he offered it himself. But they were not that close friends just yet. 

"Oh, well, that's deep and I appreciate you sharing this with me," she told him. "And I wholeheartedly agree that the question was of a general kind, though, if asked, what kind of bird I was, I would probably tell that it depends on the day and mood," she mused.
"But since we know so little about each other, what about us starting with something simple. Say - favourite colour? And why," she offered.

They walked and talked with each other amicably for a while after that.