Dragoncrest Cliffs break stuff

@Blixen, sorry about the very weird and short post

Hux lounges in the garden, his head hung over the side of his paws with his snout resting on the cold earth. There isn't really any work to be done here, but he finds solace nevertheless. Although, his mind is still whirling and it is all he can do to keep himself from crying. His gray eyes remain shut, in fact, to keep possible tears at bay. Men are not supposed to cry. not even in solitude - never. He cannot help his sensitive nature but he can keep himself from bawling like an unstable mess. Lean ribs rise and fall in a deep sigh as he pushes his thoughts toward happy memories, hoping to sleep, but swell of contentment is so fleeting that he deems the power of positive thoughts absolutely worthless.

gonna say this takes place before blix & furi go exploring for my own record

 blix had already resigned herself to the idea that mother would be staying with the caldera through the winter, and so hux's return is not a blow to her, but: a new fear creeps in, something she hadn't thought to consider before. but surely her mother will not abandon her and bobby and artaax - they may be old enough to take care of themselves, now, but they are her children, and - and mother wouldn't stay, surely, if she could help it...?

 the garden has become a normal stop on her daily schedule (or almost daily, depending). she did her best to keep it weed-free before the snow started, at least, but the ground has turned cold and unyielding and she doesn't know what else she can do for it. still, seeing it still there before she starts her border patrols is calming - and the gona perks up when she realises hux is there this morning already, despite the pangs of her heart.

 "hei," blix greets, breaking out into a small smile. "i tried to keep pulling weeds like you taught me -- are you okay?" she asks, eyes widening slightly in concern as she realises how sad the kru looks. blix is not ... great ... at handling the emotions of others (and she secretly hopes he'll just say 'yes' and move on) but she owes him at least this much for teaching her something so valuable as a way to find peace of mind.

His eyes snap open at the sound of the young girl's voice, and the familiarity of it somehow comforts him. His tail thumps the cold earth, wet nose twitching as he lifts his head up. Her appearance reminds him, somewhat glumly, of those days before the search party set out, when he was cheerful and ambitious, when things were going well for him. Nevertheless, he offers a weak smile.

Hei, Blixen, he returns. Oh, thanks. he is surprised to hear that the tawny she-wolf tended the garden in his absence. There must have been many other things she had to, or wanted to do, yet she had taken the time to take care of the soil.

He grits his teeth, but nods. Yeah, er - I'm okay. Just tired. It's a lie, of course, but he doesn't want to trouble her with his emotions, nor could he explain them even if he wanted to. She must know by now that his return was premature, since he had come back to Drageda without her mother.

The garden looks great, He sits up on his haunches and looks over the plot, quite barren, as it should be this time of year (save for the perennials that were left to brave the winter.)

she lets out a tiny sigh of relief when he lies about his feelings. she's not so dense to not pick up on the fact it's a lie, but she gratefully accepts it with a reassuring smile. though - maybe he feels bad about mother? "it's nice to have you back," the gona tells him, hoping he doesn't think she blames him for mother staying at the caldera. 

pleased, she grins under his approval, though the garden looks mostly dead and plain to her. "chof," the ginger says, bashful. "what do we do with it now?" he'd said there wasn't much to be done during the snowy months, blix remembers, but there are those pere-whatsits - and really, she's  just curious to learn more about gardening in general.

It's good to be back, he adds with a weak tail-swish. This is not a lie; Hux loves his seaside home, and he loves it quite a bit more than Trigeda. The lands are still fairly new, but they are his home nevertheless, despite the fact that he bares the lowest rank possible now.

Though her demeanor doesn't show it, Hux wonders if the girl is angry with him for returning without Wildfire. He tried to empathize with her, and unfortunately he feels that he would harbor resentment towards someone who had disobeyed orders and left his mother in a distant pack. But he tries not to think about that too much. After all, he cannot read her thoughts.

mmm... he hums thoughtfully whilst gazing at the soil. A blanket of fallen, rotting leaves covers the surface, with only a few bald spots here and there where the dirt peaks out.

I need to clear these leaves and stuff. Rotting bark, twigs. They suffocate the earth, he says, glancing at the tawny girl. his voice teaching gently, without arrogance or condescension. The soil has to see as much of the sun as possible, even in winter. Fresh air, too. He gets to his feet and begins digging at the debris covering the garden plot. You wanna help again?

hux seems a little bothered, but that makes sense, blix figures. she knows nomi is unhappy with him but not the full story - she doesn't think coming back without mother is enough to warrant his branwoda status but she also doesn't doubt her nomi must've had good reason. doesn't mean she's gonna treat him any differently - it's just the way things are until hux proves himself again.

besides, there's more important things going on right now, like gardening. he explains the soil needs to be exposed to the open air even in winter. "what about when it snows?" she asks, curious and unfamiliar with the strange stuff's affects on the earth. but she perks up when he asks if she wants to help again, chirping "sha" as she falls into place beside him, digging at the nasty dead leaves and bark with gusto. the rest of their afternoon passes peacefully as blixen quizzes hux every so often until the garden is spic and span once more.