Blackfeather Woods At least we'll both be numb

I tried to resist, but couldn’t. (･ω･;)
Parents have permission to get rid of Xan if wanted~

 
Day by day, Alexander found himself exploring and learning about more of Blackfeather. He’d managed to trek through a great deal of the pack’s territory, discovering all sorts of things about the land itself. Often his interests lied in the swamps, trying to figure out which parts of it smelled the worst, and which parts he could tolerate enough to walk by with ease. Another thing that always managed to catch his interest were the wisps, whose bright glow often left him feeling breathless. The colour was like that of what he could imagine in his dreams, having once made him ask himself if there was a chance of his inner visions escaping his mind. That personal theory had been discarded immediately, however, because he knew it right away to be impossible. His thoughts were his own, unable to ever leave his mind unless through the usage of words—words that could not be spoken unless he wished to share them. While he knew their origin to be far from magical, that did not keep him away. In fact, it only seemed to draw him closer, leading him to spend a reasonable amount of time within the grotto.
 
The young Inuit had been leaving the grotto for the day, aiming to spend some time with his dad, but something prevented that from happening. He’d opted for taking a trail closer to the swamps, and eventually found himself in an area unfamiliar to him. Never had he drawn near the space before, usually taking a different path during his trips home. Curious, Xan chose to stick around a bit longer and look around, though the scent that reached his nose had him thinking that might not be wise. It was the scent of the woman he’d met at the borders, the Dark Queen known as Meldresi. There was another scent—or scents, rather—in the air, too, but it was one he didn’t recognize. Not wanting to intrude on something and risk upsetting the elder woman, he’d tried to leave, but a noise made him stop dead in his tracks. Xan’s brow furrowed and his ears perked up, trying to figure out what the sound had been. Unable to figure out its origin from memory alone, his legs started in the direction from which it had sounded, carrying him forward in spite of his better judgement.
 
Soon after, Xan found himself approaching what appeared to be a den. It scented heavily of the dark woman, as well as several others who he could not put a face to. Something drew him closer to the private space, like an invisible rope dragging him along. Once close enough, he attempted to peek inside, but kept his distance at the same time. With the lack of light, he could only make out some shaded forms, but had no clue who—or what—any of them were. He suspected the larger shape to be Meldresi, but the smaller creatures were nameless, completely unknown. The albino child did not know of the woman having given birth, not yet really knowing what birth even was. Keeping his paws planted firmly to the ground, he stretched out his neck and took in several deep breaths again, before pulling back and letting out a noise that could only be described as a mixture of a quiet bark and a high-pitched whine. Though he did not wish to disturb the woman inside, he did want to know what the wriggling furry-things were that laid beside her.