Swiftcurrent Creek Get some gravel in your claws

It was the first time in what felt like ages that Phoenix felt completely at ease. There had always been some air of anxiety in his earlier introductions— from meeting his half-sister for the first time, and feeling awkward and smitten around girls, down to trying to impress his new packmates— but this, with Clock, felt like a cakewalk. He nipped at the thin wolf's hip as he trounced off to take the lead, and made an about-face so that he might follow. His pace was decidedly slower, to compensate for his longer stride.

As the two arrived at a bottlenecked section of the creek, further choked by the addition of a farside dam, Phoenix gave pause when Clock turned around in an uncertain spin. Red ears pressed forward and he cocked his head slightly. "What? That's not true. Well... actually I mean, it's not safe all the time, like when the snow melts and the currents get too strong, but if you can swim and the water isn't like, a rapid or something, you can cross no problem!" He didn't consider the fact that he had at least twenty pounds on the other male, and didn't have to worry as much about being dragged off with his height.

"This one's real easy," he encouraged him, tail flapping like a windbourne flag. "And it's nice and slow too because the dam's got it all blocked up." Phoenix plunged into the bittercold shallows, and though he made an unpleasant noise and shook himself furiously to adjust to the temperature, he hoped his confidence would invite Clock further. 

Thanks for your patience during my absence! I adore Clock, btw.