Blackfeather Woods Praying to the label itself

@Tundra

He happily bumbled along with his siblings close or far behind. He felt that they were all safe here and he didn't have to worry too much. He was almost certain his Mother was following also. 
He'd sparred with her enough and wanted something new.
Tundra, the pale guardian of the woods that had fought like a snowstorm when the raccoons came. 
Beautiful, a blur and utterly deadly.

"Tun-drah?" He called out, hoping to find her. He didn't want to embarrass himself with howling. The boy was exceptionally poor at it. He wanted to learn to fight so he could protect his family. His family and the woods.

it was a hot day, any light that managed to penetrate the thick foliage above and dapple the floor told her so anyway and the air itself felt heavy. however as much as she'd like nothing more than to find a well shaded spot and nap in the drowsy inducing weather, there were border's waiting to be patrolled. 'i felt like a nice summer's nap' wouldn't cut it if they were invaded. stifling a yawn, the pale soldier would stretch out heavy limbs and give her head a rough shake. moving would help shake off any lingering claws of sleepiness threatening to intrude, she'd just spent too much time sitting around. bertók lets out a protestant caw at her preparations to leave but still floats after her lazily as she begins her trek from the wood's center at a brisk trot.

however she doesn't make it far before a little voice finds its way to her from not too far off. frowning with surprise she skids to a halt, leaves crackling uncomfortably under-paw and as she's shaking some of the annoying debris free from her paws- she spots no other than a pup making its way towards her. a brow arches, confused as to what in earth it could want with her when the scent reached her and she remembered- oh yeah. moonshadow must've passed her promise of giving...what was it, rowan? yea that was it, some tips and maybe a lesson or two. "oh heya..rowan" please actually be rowan. "gonna presume moonshadow passed on my promise to give you a few tips in the art of mercenary?" if i'm wrong with who this is this is going to be super awkward. lips upturn slightly, attempting to soften eyes usually so eerily hollow. she just didn't know how to talk to kids, was there a special way or could you just talk to them the same way as you did with adults? but then again, she was kinda shit at that too wasn't she.

she shifts her position lightly as bertók lets out a bemused caw- the only one always able to sense her inner agitation despite it never being obvious to those she was speaking to. once she gets confirmation that she's speaking to the right pup which shouldn't take long because from the little bit she does know, they like to talk- she continues with a brisk nod. "well one thing you've got to remember is that it's not all fancy fighting moves- there's a lot of responsibility too. i was actually just about to patrol our borders- want to come along?" she was sure moonshadow wouldn't mind her taking him to the edge of the territory, she'd keep an eye on him anyway. if he agreed she'd start to walk again in the direction of the wood's edge. she could show him what it was like to patrol the borders and explain to him why it had to be done and all that as a start anyway. hopefully it'd help to some degree.

His ears pricked and eyes searched for the pale woman his Mother sent him to find. Ah, it was her. The pale one with her face intact. At least in comparison to Maegi's. She was around when them stinky raccoons came. "Yah," he confirmed with an eager nod and swishing tail, "I protect Family." After Issy certainly being taken by a massive beastie, he had to learn from someone. His Mother was far too busy with his siblings to teach him. Plus they copied him so he could teach them what Tundra taught him. 

The borders? His Mother had made sure they kept away from them so of course he was going to go with her. He nodded again, bouncing forward and dropping into a quick play bow to see if she was game. Then they could race there. He'd beat her, for sure!

lo and behold she finds herself smiling- properly smiling, at the enthusiasm rolling forth from the little body beside her. she can remember her reaction on the day he'd been born, could recall the agony searing though her gut as she felt unable to come too close to the birthing den for fear she might collapse in on herself. but that'd been different, they were so much older now and therefore she could be around them with a lot more ease. and it wasn't like it was anything to do with them personally, she'd felt the slightest hints of it when straying too near to cassiopeia's den as well and had just plain avoided parvati's. she couldn't take it, the memories- the pain. the sight of newborns just brought it all crashing down on her again as if she were reliving the bloody thing. 

anyway, focus, they were older now so besides her lack of experience around children things were fine. she got it too,  the fondness. never had she seen a being so full of energy- naive yet to the cruelties of the world. still a pure being of happiness and hope. there was something special about that, they were the future after all. she nods, smile still lingering at his statement. "i'm sure you do" she simply murmurs, amused. he bounces ahead, and bertók floats alongside her as she walks behind. the raven observes the pup with quite the look of distaste and she chuckles softly, swiping affectionately at the bird in an effort to chide him. 

when the rusty boy starts making an effort to play- she shakes her head but not unkindly. "you're being a guardian today, remember? first thing and definitely the most important is that you've always got to be alert. it could save your life, and your family's. remember you're responsible for everyone's safety. so if you're racing around you could miss something. c'mon, just keep your ears perked and an eye out for anything strange and lemme know if you see anything" she smiles and nudges him encouragingly before continuing on. 

the trees begin to thin as they get closer the their home's edge, the light brightening. she looks down to him now, curious as to what he'd make of the open world that begins after the dark forest. strange to think he's never experienced brightness like this before, having grown up in the wood's protective gloom. "now make sure you stick close" she murmurs as they take the last few steps until they stand right at the treeline, she'd decided to bring him to the eastern side that looks out over the flatlands to the distant otter creek and then the even further but noticeable mountains. it was probably the most exciting view from the woods with the looming albeit magnificant points looking over everything. she smiles down at him, letting him take it all in. "there you go, the world's big huh.  and that's only a tiny bit of it" inhaling deeply, she decides to wait and let him look at it all for a few minutes before getting down to business.

When she refused his invitation to play, he felt down heartened. He kept to his bow for a moment longer, looking for any signs of feigning. He wasn't very susceptible to sneak attacks -- too suspicious. 
However, when he stood her explanation came and it made sense. He couldn't be distracted by other things if he was to protect. To protect meant he had to look out, that was what being a guardian was. 
Always.

He wasn't always alert when Issy had gone missing. Did that make him a failure? Surely not, he didn't know then. But by being a guardian, it made his responsible, did it not? Could he yet be classed as a guardian so young and untrained? He frowned, thinking hard over Tundra's words. 
He nodded, walking along beside her. 
No, he couldn't be responsible for Issy.
He shook his coat out, freeing himself from his thoughts and trotted to catch up, grinning now. 

Ears forward to pick up any strange sounds. All he could hear were the caws of the black birds. 
He kept an eye out, like he was told, but smelt nothing new. Though he did happen to notice scents like his siblings but not his siblings. Were there others like them? Probably. He could be responsible for protecting them.

The ambled along quietly, looking out for anything amiss. He noticed the trees, the increasing light. It got brighter? He moved to a quick trot, wanting to get past the trees quicker. Was it possible that the trees could disappear altogether? It seemed so when he was greeted with the bare landscape before him. The water, flat, rolling fields and in the distance the land seemed to rise and tower, overlooking everything. 
Rowan gaped, not knowing what to do. He didn't want to stop looking or move away but it scared him, not having the closeness of the trees. Not having shelter or limits. He didn't want to go out there either.

And that's only a tiny bit of it.

she inhaled the brisk breeze tearing across the open lands and tugging at their fur as it rustled the branches above. that was the only thing she appreciated about open spaces, the refreshing winds could be great- the woods were much too sheltered for that. she glances down at the boy then, curious as to what he thought. he didn't make it easy for her either, remaining at his quietest since they'd started moving. could she blame him though? her mind couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like to gaze upon all this after only ever living protected amongst the trees. but was it just her imagination or did he seem to shrink away from it? it came as a surprise, she'd been more expecting to have to stop him trying to venture out but he seemed all too content to stay embraced in the trees. a small smile tugs at dark lips, definitely couldn't blame him for that.

"hey don't worry, there's just as many forests out there too...although blackfeather is known to be one of the darkest, we're pretty cool like that. the other ones don't have so many trees so close together...or crows" she shoots bertók an amused glance at that as he caws softly from a branch he'd perched on. really she didn't know if blackfeather was known for that but it was certainly darker than your average forest and the raven thing had to be true, the name kind of gave that away. anyway it gave him something to know the woods for so she'd give him that. "c'mon, we've got ground to cover" she'd nudge him gently to break him out of his reverie and start moving slowly along the trees edge. once certain that he was following and paying attention, she'd speak again; tone soft. 

"so your mother might've told you but we're obviously not the only pack around here. so even though usually the other packs are good and keep to their own territory's, we've got to be careful in case another pack ever wants to try and take ours. it doesn't usually happen though so don't worry" she doesn't bother mentioning the melonii, she was pretty sure moonshadow wouldn't appreciate her making him nervous. "the borders are usually quite quiet but we've got to watch them just in case. sometimes lone wolves come here too and we can't let them in unless they want to join our pack, when that happens you'd call for whoever's leading your pack- in this case maegi, jakoul and i." she glances down at him, hoping he's able to keep up. he seems smart though so she's not too worried that he'll be confused, plus she trusted he'd speak up if he had any questions.

"most importantly though- do you get that smell? it's like the smell on all of us but much stronger, that's the smell of our pack and we have to keep the smell strong at the borders so lone wolves know we own this. the stronger the borders smell shows how often we check them, so no one will want to try and trespass if the border's smell strong because they'll know we check them a lot." with that she crouches to add her own smell to a weaker patch. after straightening she turns to the boy and lets a small grin play at her features; "wanna mark your first border?"

His ears tilted back to him mentor but his eyes were fixated on the landscape. He could see so far! Further than the clutches of the trees would let him. This was certainly his new favourite spot.
She spoke of the crows. One followed her -- a dark shadow to contrast her paleness.
"The birds are friends."
He hadn't yet made contact with the other hatchlings. The birds could be lured with food -- sometimes when Mother fed him, he kept some for the birds. Then he sat and watched them, listened to them chatter and squabble. He was getting to know their language and soon would be able to speak it. He was sure he could with enough practice.

A moment and he was nudged back into the reality of border patrol and learning. he kept up, looking at Tundra intently. If he looked away, he'd be distracted and forget. He'd not heard of other packs. Is that where Issy went? Other packs sounded mean, maybe they took her.

Lone wolves. Funny, eh. So they didn't have a pack. How did they know what side they were on? Or did they not have a side. Did they decide themselves?
He'd find out if he was ever in the situation.
"What if a wolf who looks bad wants to join?" He knew some did have a weird feel to them. He didn't like them. He'd seen a big silver beastie prowl around.
He'd hidden from him every time.
Was this one of the trespasser people?

His head tilted, then his nose-dived down to smell. He regretted it.
The sharp smell of piss shot into his nose and made his eyes water and he sneezed successively. 
He licked his nose quickly, smelling more gently. Rowan watched Tundra add her scent in demonstration. He nodded at her question with a grin, then stepped along the border, nose down to find where the scent was weak like she did. When the ground smelt more of the earth than piss, he cocked a leg and added his scent then bounced to tundra looking for praise. He was sure he'd done a good job.

an amused smile graces her features as his little ears tilt back to listen but his gaze remains captivated by the landscape. she doesn't reprimand him though, it'd be a pretty dick move of her if she didn't let him stare at what was out there to his little heart's content. it was an oddly refreshing sight too and she supposed it left her realising what it really meant to be in a real pack with wolves that cared for each other. it was a bond like no other, generations had lived within this old pack and thanks to them now, (well to the mothers that was) there'd be another, and then hopefully they'd bring forth another and so on so that blackfeather would always live on even when they had lived their final days. why was it such a comforting thought? she hadn't a clue but she'd enjoy the feeling nonetheless. 

her head bobs in agreement at his little statement, glancing down; "indeed they are, ravens are very intelligent they've always been a companion of the wolf you should never hunt them." as for other birds, she didn't really mind they didn't stand out as different to any other prey to her except for the fact that she didn't enjoy them as much. too many little bones or something, but the crows were different. they were much too intelligent to be hunted and to lose their companionship, in her opinion anyway, was a great loss. luckily the boy already seemed aware of this at even his young age but then again, the birds here ruled the woods even more than the creatures that roamed the ground, it wasn't a surprise he sees them as friends.

as they continued to patrol and she filled him in on everything, he posed her an interesting question and she slowed to consider it. it was a smart question, the boy was a bright one if anything and her head tilts curiously. "very good question" she observes, surprised to find herself proud of this pup she hadn't even really known until today. "it can definitely be a hard decision at times and i guess it depends. if they're known to be very bad you shouldn't put your pack in danger but if they come seeking another chance..well some wolves might do it differently but i personally would accept them in but keep them low ranked and have the pack keep a close eye on them until they prove they're trustworthy- only then could they rank up and be trusted with things" she hopes it makes sense, it's definitely hard to answer with words alone. sometimes you just had to go with your gut instinct but that would never satisfy the growing mind of a pup.

a soft laugh slips free- you heard it, tundra laughed as the boy bounced over proudly after adding his own scent to the border. "good job! now if anyone comes to our borders they'll get your scent too as one of the wolves who protect our home" she nudges him playfully before straightening and stretching out. she doesn't want to tire him out so she starts walking slowly once more- "is there anything else you want to ask? i think we can finish up now and for doing so good on your first border patrol we can do some proper fighting stuff tomorrow?" she arches brows mischeviously and waits for his response whilst slowly starting to angle their movements so that they began to move back into the gloom of their home.

He nodded vigorously in agreement. He would never eat a crow or raven even if he were starving.
He'd never want to leave the confines of the woods unless necessary. His friends were here, his Family needed protecting. He was young and small but his heart was strong and mighty.

He tilted his head slightly. It depended on what he felt? Then what of the beastie allowed to enter. Did they not feel the same? He frowned, thinking. He supposed he'd know when he'd know.
He nodded nonetheless, understanding why a feeling would be hard to explain.

Others would smell him if they wanted to come here. "They won't come in then causin' trouble." He grinned, his ears pressed forward with eagerness. He was going to be formidable! The boy nodded at her offer of physical training tomorrow. She was probably busy.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "How do I tell each pack members scent apart if we are one scent?" To him, it seemed a good question. If the pack was one scent, how could he find a certain member in the woods when he needed to without calling? To say, when he would be hunting the beastie.

want to end it with your post? c: i can start something dated the next day then

she smiles as they walk; the enthusiasm lifting her spirits. "most definitely not" she laughs back, glancing down at his energetic form as they start the walk home. honestly, although it seemed simply like she was the one helping him in reality he was helping her a lot more than she cared to admit. the idea of spending so much time with a pup let alone training one had been irrationally daunting and she'd started the interaction feeling awkwardly tense yet he'd worked the magic of youth on her and she felt lighter as they made their way home and she now understood the need to protect the innocent. whilst the idea of someone trying to take one of the pack's pups would have enraged her previously, she now felt a deeper need to defend them. it was the hope, they had so many dreams and had yet to be tainted by the world. the need to preserve that had become so painfully real to her just during this patrol and well, she understood now. as quick as that, she got it. she cared.

as well as that, she felt a new resentment towards her own kin, what had once been a hollow acceptance burned lowly now with a fiery anger. that had been her once and they'd just...killed it without a care in the world. she's saved from such spiralling thoughts though as the boy pipes up once more; tone questioning. once again, such strangely specific questions they came up with..ones you wouldn't even think to provide an answer to without them seeking it first. tilting her head to the side curiously- she shrugs as she walks. "we all have a similar smell because we all smell like the woods but if you smell beyond that we're all actually different. like i used to be a lone wolf and i didn't smell like the woods i just smelt like me, the woods were just added to that but the original scent is still there..i guess you've just got to get used to picking out everyone's different scents." once again she's hoping it's explained right, another thing she never thought she'd have to put into words. being a mother must be tiring, like she'd already known the physical side was but she hadn't taken into account how much it probably took to quench the curiosity of a whole litter of pups.

they were back in the center of the woods now and she smiles down at him; "well we're back, if that's all you've got to ask then you can go back to moonshadow and let her know you're back and where you've been. i'll come get you tomorrow for some more, also do not go near the borders unaccompanied- you hear me? there's a difference between being brave and being reckless, going there alone would be reckless" she looks at him sternly for a moment before relaxing and offering a good natured nudge, only whenever he left and faded from view would she turn and wander off- smile still lingering.

That's fine! I'm sorry it's been a while <3

He grinned at her confirmation that the borders were now definitely safe with him around. It felt good knowing that.
She answered his question and he thought about it. It sounded like something he'd have to learn. No matter, he was a good learner. He grinned nodding. He could do it, he'd practice so hard. Plus if he got stuck he could ask his Mother for help, she was good at it. She's already taught him so much.

He looked around at her announcement they were done. Really! That wasn't even a long walk. The boy totally had this whole guardian job on lockdown. 
Tundra suggested a proper lesson tomorrow and he nodded eagerly, knowing already his Mother would let him.
Then her warning came, which somewhat puzzled him. He'd not been given boundaries before. He obviously listened but he wouldn't call them rules. 
But he trusted Tundra and liked her, so he agreed with a nod and: "Yes Tundra." Because he wanted her to stay nice to him. Warriors could be mean, he knew that because he was one and his sister had called him mean.
"I'll see you tomorrow!" He called, already bouncing away to let her get on with her very important pack work she undoubtedly had.