Blackfeather Woods Hit all the X's

Don't worry about length, aha

The previous night had been filled with restless wandering and the inability to receive a decent amount of sleep. Sleep had always been his saviour, her soft voice never failing to lure him into her familiar embrace. There had never been a time, that he could recall, where he was unable to be coaxed into a relaxed, unconscious state. To be unwelcomed in his own land of dreams and visions was a new thing for him, and not something he could say he enjoyed. He could think of only one wolf to blame for his troubles, too—his very own sister, Nanook. Before running into her, he'd been able to get along with his life just fine. He'd just started to forget what it was like to have a full family, and had been growing accustomed to his life alongside his father. That one meeting, however, had thrown everything off. Just like after he'd first arrived, he'd found himself missing his sisters, and even his mother. It troubled him greatly, but he felt himself unable to speak with his father about it. The elder seemed to be doing so well, and Xan didn't want to send his life into a downfall once more.

It was the memories and images of what could have been that had kept him awake all through the night, preventing him from regaining the energy lost. Instead, it had the opposite effect, having drained him both mentally and emotionally. Combine that with his constant trekking through the woods, and it was a wonder his body didn't just give in and pass out from pure exhaustion. Somehow, though, he remained in a conscious state, though there were times where it seemed as if he was teetering between the two worlds. Before the howl had broken the silence of the space he'd sought out, he'd been attempting to catch a few winks despite already knowing he would not be rewarded with such a generous gift. The request for his presence made that theory all the more real, too, for he knew he could not ignore a call made solely for him. He wanted to, however, but knew he couldn't. The voice belonged to Damien, after all, which more than likely meant he'd be receiving a lesson of some sort. To ignore the call in favour of napping would give him a bad image, for what type of wolf claimed to be the best but didn't do the necessary work to back that claim up? A type he did not wish to be viewed as.

Slowly, Alexander pulled himself up from the ground and started heading in the direction of his mentor, his pace slower than usual. It was rather obvious he was tired, but he put on the best look of enthusiasm that he could muster up before reaching the older boy. He gave no greeting, having to use the time meant for that in order to find his voice, and skipped right to the reason behind why he'd been summoned. "What are we doing?" Xan asked, a yawn claiming the end of his sentence. It was morning, so he hoped that slip would be chalked up to something that was expected.