Swiftcurrent Creek ghost in hanging lights

vague on timeline placement! <3

lestan had begun a practice of bringing part of his kills to @Suzu's densite. he did not stay long, or at all, for that matter; he did not come close, but instead left the meat in the nearest cache, or set beneath one of the shrubs nearby.
with etienne accompanying akavir, and swordfish apparently gone, he saw fit to find himself in the role of hunter.
it was on one such day that he found himself close; he was depositing portions of a duck beneath a blackberry bush, quite lost in his task as he considered his talisman yet again.

Caliste had gone to the pack hunt with Etienne, leaving Suzu behind with Leonore, Saturin and Shark. She felt comfortable now, to leave them in Arlette's care when she needed to go out to hunt (or just grab a breath of fresh air for herself), and willingly watched over the medic's brood as well. But with every day that passed, she found herself pining for Etienne's return. The other members of the pack were pleasant enough but still...She felt like a stranger amongst them. 

She'd noticed that someone had begun leaving her food, which she inspected and then shared with the pups and had begun expecting drop-offs regularly. She depended on them, the way she might depend on Etienne to help feed the children. She knew the hunter to be Lestan- the one who had first pointed her in this direction- but the shy man seemed respectful of her densite, and was often gone long before she found the food he left behind. 

Her children called for food, so she set out to check the 'giving tree' which had become Lestan's usual stashing place- only to arrive before he could drop off and leave. 

Caught you, finally, She said with a laugh.

"h-hello, s-suzu," lestan managed bashfully, paws dirtied from his digging and mouth still smeared in a little blood. swiftly he tired to remedy both in one movement, coming across as rather disjointed.
"are y-you w-well? and th-the l-little ones?" lestan was aware that the creek was one short for now but had no real notion beyond that of who had gone where.
"a d-duck, th-this time," he said at last, motioning to the mound of earth beneath the blackberry bush. "i h-hope all of y-you enjoy it." it felt more than a little nice to be needed, though this was only a temporary state for suzu and soon she would be up hunting most of her own meals again.

T'anks to you, She said, her smile slightly forced. It made her feel slightly guilty, to know that she was implying that Swordfish had failed his family- but she also felt entitled to her opinion. He'd come, pledged to help out, and then had disappeared; perhaps she had set the expectations too high. Amusing, though, how Lestan- little more than a stranger- seemed capable of meeting them.

Dey be gettin' less an' less little every day, She said. I be weanin' dem an' not a day too soon, Her smile was more earnest, though it was half a grimace. The pups' teeth had come in, mercilessly sharp. Ey, do you t'ink...If you will be still bringin' food around...It be time dey start wid live prey, She said, blinking at him hopefully.

lestan too was rather mortified over shardik and his departure. it was not something he could understand, not after his own maddened flight following blossom. and what was more, shardik had been so completely invested in lestan's own search when it had culminated in the discovery of the younger man's pups.
live prey. lost in his own head, it took lestan a moment to register that suzu was hinting at his next hunts, and he nodded. "y-yes. i c-can do that. i c-caught little c-crabs for my d-daughter, b-but I'm afraid w-we'll have to m-make d-do here with n-non-c-crabs." a shy glow in his eye suggested he was joking, though lestan was so far out of his element these days that he couldn't be sure how it might be taken.
"and suzu," the mayfair went on, "i c-can bring f-food as l-long as you n-need. or w-want. i d-don't m-mind at a-all."

She chuckled at his story, but her laughter was a moment delayed. For a second, she was transported back to her own childhood by the sea, where she and Etienne hunted for crabs in the tidepools. She'd been pinched more than a few times, and had learned to let the creature dangle and fall off, rather than trying to pull it off. She remembered how the sight of blood used to make Etienne ill- and yet, he had tended to her wounds. Non-crabs would be perfect, She said, albeit somewhat vacantly. When she caught herself being distant, she focused her gaze, and smiled. He really was a blessing; she should appreciate him more. 

His kindness seemed to come without any catch. he'd spoken of a daughter, and yet she'd never seen him with others; she felt it might darken the conversation to bring it up. It be much appreciated, truly, She admitted. Etienne will be back soon, At least she could count on her brother to return. But trut' be told, I am glad you stayed. Arlette 'as Arric, an' usually Eti be 'elpin' eit'er wid watchin' de babes or doin' de 'untin,' but left on my own, it be 'ard to keep an eye on all of dem an' put food in deir bellies. She'd rather see her children go a bit hungry than to have one wander off while she hunted. I practically owe you my first-born at dis point but alas- I cannot remember which of dem was born first, She said with a laugh.

at the mention of the word 'owe,' lestan started to shake his head immediately. it seemed that suzu was jesting, and so he arrested the movement with a little smile of his own. "th-they're aw-awfully energetic at th-the s-same l-level," he tried himself.
he wondered what was on her mind, having noted the same little discrepancies. and she —
well;
her smile lit her bright lilac eyes to their very dark lashes. it would be foolish to pretend he had not noticed, and yet lestan certainly opted to do so, for multiple reasons even he wasn't able to sort at the moment.
"i'm h-happy to h-help, t-truly," the mayfair went on, pulling his gaze from her own to wander around the base of the blackberry bush, then the earth between his paws. 
"it's — it f-feels g-good to h-have a p-purpose."

Yeah, She agreed fondly. They were energetic creatures. Actually I ‘ave one boy ‘o is calmer den de ot’ers, a nice chubby one, is just like me at dat age, She said, referencing Saturin. You can’t ’ave ‘im though, ‘e looks de most like my brot’er an Grandme, so I be keepin’ ‘I’m. She’d push this “you can have one child as a reward” joke as much as she could. 

She sensed a little bit of sadness when he spoke next; perhaps it was longing. If he had been close to Swordfish, then he likely missed him. 

Well…You be welcome to spend time wid us, hmm? She suggested. You seem like you would be good wid kids. Do you sing at all? Dey do love songs, She suggested.

"w-well, in th-that c-case, i sh-shall be c-content with one of th-the others," lestan offered, tail stirring behind his hips with amusement.
her offer rooted around in his heart for a moment; he hadn't expected it for some reason, and the honeyblue eyes stood open and expressive. "i w-would l-like that," lestan mumbled, though already he was several mental leaps ahead as to what he might bring for such an occasion.
caught off-guard by other creekwolf's last suggestion, the mayfair let out his breath and softly laughed. "no s-singing f-for m-me, suzu; i c-can barely sp-speak! but if y-you d-do, m-maybe i c-could keep p-percussion," tapping a paw against the ground to demonstrate.

omg Suzu sounds so much like my own Mom. NO DRUM KITS. I brought one home once (it was a giveaway from a friend) and she could see it in the back of the car when I pulled in the driveway...She was out on the back deck in her slippers before I put the car in park and she said "You get back in that car and take that down to your sister's because that is NOT coming in here" and it had been my sister's DREAM to have a drum kit her entire life so she cried when I finally brought her one XD

She nodded and smiled, like a merchant grateful that while the shopper could likely commit to a tell. Well, we 'ave one dat drools in deir sleep; 'elps promote 'umidity in de den. One of dem 'ave snores dat be de right kin' of beta wave dat 'elps you 'ave better sleep, an' de t'ird come equipped wid breath dat smells like Eau de Wilds No. 2, which be all de rage right now, so! Take your pick.[/b] She scoffed playfully, glad for once the children weren't within earshot or they all would have groaned. They didn't get Dad jokes, because their Dad had split; so instead, they got Mom jokes. 

She listened thoughtfully as he confessed that he could not sing- and that he believed that it was because of his stutter. My Maman, she 'ad a stutter when she be a child, an' while growin' up. But for a few years, she become able to speak freely, if she sang. She said, she chuckled fondly. Could be dat we 'ave sea witch blood in us, though, but...Who knows. She was no speech pathologist, after all- she couldn't help Lestan with his stutter, nor did she believe that he needed anything but patience, and being allowed the time to finish his sentences. Just don't be turnin' all of my children into percussionists, hmm? She warned. I will not be wantin' every rock an' shell an' log in my den. Dey can play percussion when dey move out an' 'ave deir own den! She laughed.

LOL I love that channeling! win for sister but also how many garage bands did mom have to experience lmao

intrigue over this revelation of another known stutter, her own mother — intrigue was shoved aside by a tingling of fear and awareness in his belly, senses catching fire at suzu's mention of sea witch blood.
was it coincidental that they be speaking now? at once lestan was suspicious of himself, of lasher's unwanted bleak hand in this. his laugh however was genuine, soft and admiring of the other wolf's practicality in terms of motherhood.
"i c-could always s-sleep b-better," lestan admitted with a bemused glow to his eye. "and why d-don't i k-keep the m-many in-instruments in m-my p-possession? i c-cannot p-promise n-not to make th-them all extreme d-drummers," the mayfair jested, leaning into the warmth of the moment.
honeyblue eyes went soft and open once more. "I'd l-love to s-sing. and i w-was going to v-visit arlette. m-maybe there is a m-medicine for m-me."