Stone Circle buddy's back!

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Akuti was in the middle of the territory sprawled on a large stone, basking in the midday sun. Her eyes were closed and her breaths deep; she had reached a level of relaxation which she'd never experienced before. A day away from her purple ladies and she'd already found a new spot with just the same effect on her mind, though it would be a lie to say she didn't miss the sweet scent of her lavender patch. Something else she missed? @Grayday; it had been a day or two since she'd last seen the large male, and she longed for another of their conversations. 

Akuti lifted her head from the warmth of the stone and looked around for any nearby packmates, but because she did't immediately noticed anyone, she retired back to her relaxed position.

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The familiar scent of lavender turned his head that day. The weather had been warmer, a fact he and his packmates had been taking full advantage of. Today, it was Akuti he spied upon the rocks, her small, ink-dappled form unmistakable even in the distance. That, and he knew her scent, by then. Mother's milk - quickly fading - and lavender. Always lavender. 

Silently, he approached, ears twisting back as he heard the steady sound of her breathing. A familiar fondness burst up in his heart. There was nothing better than knowing his packmates were happy and safe. For a moment, Day simply watched her, wondering if she was asleep or merely enjoying the sunshine.

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Akuti's ears swiveled slightly around as she heard another approach, though her eyes remained closed. That is, until a strangely comforting scent drifted into her nostrils and her olive painted eyes burst open to see her friend. Akuti's bobbed tail began a quick wag behind her as excitement began to build in her small body — she was so small, there was nowhere for her to hide all of the joy — and she contemplated moving a bit closer to Grayday.

Grayday! she called excitedly, only slightly shrill, Where have you been? Akuti had seen enough people walk in and out of her life to keep a bit of skepticism in her pocket for whenever someone new tried to sneak in. She bit her lip as she allowed her childish joy to take over, moving her toward Day with a light hug to his shoulder. However, Akuti quickly composed herself and sat back on her haunces with a bit more space between them.

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His own tail wagged - albeit more tentatively - in response. With a bemused expression on his face, he endured her enthusiastic greeting and replied: "I've been around."

Truth. But he hadn't necessarily been around here. After the whole Remy-and-the-stranger debacle, he'd been spending most of his time on the borders or near his den with the kids. The break in the weather had enabled his return to all his favorite napping places as well, so a lot of his time had gone into that.

"You looked real peaceful just now," he added, glancing back toward the rock. "Didn't mean to disturb you."

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Akuti took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself before responding to the Beta's observation. You didn't disturb me, she said with a playful lilt to her words, I needed the company. A smile teased at her maw, though she tried to keep her expression neutral. I met the kids. You were right; they look just like you. Both pretty sweet, too. Akuti had taken a liking to all of the pack's children, as they seemed to fill a hole in her heart growing ever deeper. She missed her own children as much as she had when she first had to leave, though it grew easier each day she was away. In a sense, she'd adopted the purple ladies as a replacement for her lost family. Akuti cherished them greatly, though she knew they would never compare to the lives of her children.

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"Oh," Day replied, feeling a little off-kilter. He never knew what to say to this woman. It'd seemed like she was flirting with him when they first met, and then the last time in the lavender grove, he'd said some things he wished he could take back. Well, he was glad he wasn't disturbing her. "Then it's a good think I showed up, I guess."

Beyond that, he wasn't quite sure what to say. "I'm, uh, glad you're settling in," he said lamely.

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Akuti could tell that Grayday was at a loss for words, though the chatterbox saw the silence as nothing but a challenge. It isn't hard to settle in with so many kind packmates. I have to meet a few, but I think things are looking up. What do you think of the pack? I know that you're Beta now, but that doesn't mean you have to be everyone's number one fan. She smirked, one eyebrow lifted higher than the other as she waited for Day's response.

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Day's ears pushed back in concentration as a torrent of words fell from Akuti's maw. She's got a lot of lung to her, for such a little thing, he thought wryly.

"The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack," he said diplomatically, not wanting to speak well or ill of any of his packmates. It felt too much like gossip, and he just wasn't close enough with Akuti to have the same kinds of conversations as he would with Steady, Krypton, or even Remy. "We've got a good pack, and no matter how I feel about them, they wouldn't be here if they weren't worth caring for."

The words came out a little more defensively than he meant them - the fact was that he had a good opinion of all the wolves in the territory. Some were more favored than others, but he didn't think any of them needed to be spoken ill of to Akuti. The notion that she could think otherwise left an uncomfortably sour taste in the beta's mouth.

Akuti's ears flattened back and she cowered into herself, seeing the slight divide she'd caused with her words. She'd always been guilty of blabber, and it wasn't often that she thought of her words before allowing them to slip. I'm sorry, she mumbled, It was an inappropriate question, you answered properly; I need to practice thinking before I speak, as you can tell. She smiled and gave a light laugh before perking back up just slightly. Maybe you should take the reigns here.

Day flicked his ears, brushing off her apology. "'s'alright. I'm not know for my tact around here, either," he replied. Truthfully, he had a mixed reputation for both his therapy sessions and his ability to reduce small girls to tears with absolutely no effort on his part. Humility and poor self-image caused Grayday to lean more toward the latter in his own opinions of himself, but doubtlessly, there would be some who agreed with this assesment.

"Well," he said, clearing his throat. "Well, uh, how are those flowers doing?" he asked, groping for a safe topic. One that couldn't offend either one of them.

Wrap up?

Akuti giggled in her same demure fashion as Grayday tried to stir up some small talk between the two. They're doing great. As a matter of fact, would you care to join me? I was just thinking about checking on them. She nodded her head in the direction, as if to serve as a second invitation for Grayday to follow behind her. You don't have to, of course, but I could use the company. They look lovely in the sunlight.