Dragoncrest Cliffs the bus earned a drink for sure.

life in sapphique isn't idyllic,
but it's not bad either.
cayetano has weathered worse
and reminds himself that
he will never stop running.
for now, he's safe.
this place is perfectly suited for a fortress
and at times he wonders
as he walks down a tunnel to the beach
if he's hearing the voices of malcontent ghosts
or if the wind's just fucking with him.
what happened in this place?

he's stocked the caches,
two hares and a silver trout.
he searches for @Kheviel
wondering if she prefers surf or turf
and having neither --
just the half eaten chest of a ptarmigan
eh,
he'd meant well
before hunger sunk its claws in.

A young dark male made his way toward her where she napped—or tried to. Why were youths here always bothering her? Didn’t they have anyone else to bother—wolves who were younger, who had the energy to deal with them?

What do you want? she snapped, watching him with hawkish eyes.

they say let sleeping dogs lie,
and the same should be said of hags and old ladies --
cayetano's grin strips from his face
as he meets sapphique's saltwife;
all barb and no play.

quick and to the point.
as a man held against his will
through many pontificating speeches,
he can appreciate that.

val sent me.
cayetano offers the half-eaten bird
it's not much, but 
the meat's good.
i'm cayetano, your new ward.

My new… Kheviel trailed off, staring at him. Val… She’d have to have a conversation with them later. Ward, huh? So, does that mean you’re watching me, or I’m watching you? She eyed the proffered food before reaching down and dragging it toward her. I suppose you’ve been sent to ensure I don’t starve. She didn’t know whether to be grateful for that or offended.

she takes the gift,
but not before a long pause.
no doubt wondering
the merits of this proposal.
a little of both.
cayetano plops to a sit
without much ceremony.
maybe i watch you,
to make sure you don't waste away
and maybe you watch me
to keep me out of trouble.

after all,
that's what accountability did,
didn't it?
made the recipient protected,
and the giver obligated
both bound together
by responsibility's tether.

She took a bite of meat, chewing slowly. Are you going to be trouble? she asked, eyeing him. Because, if you are, I don’t have time for you. I’m old. I can’t be chasing you around. Well. She snorted. I’m not so old, but my body is. She took another bite and spoke around the food. I guess that’s why Val thinks I need looking after.

she takes the food
rolls the gristle between her tongue
and speaks.
cayetano's hardly a philanthropist,
but he can put two and two together.
crone and young,
old and new.
two birds, one stone.
i don't plan on it.
he announces with a grin,
setting on his haunch
in the manner of a stormbird.
how old are you, anyway?

Six passings of the four seasons, Kheviel replied, but the years have not been kind. I suppose I could live another three or four if I am lucky, but I doubt it. She took another bite, asking, And you, young pup? She said the last two words as an epithet, as if being young was inherently bad. But she was a woman who's body had troubled her almost all her life, the arthritis setting in early for some unknown reason. She'd felt old since she'd turned four, and she was bitter about it.

six passings of four seasons
and how many seasons were truly kind?
fall and winter were cruel
spring a tease
and summer so short she may have been a dream.

cayetano had lived
one revolution around the sun
and he wondered
what must it be like
to know you have more looking back
than going forward.

young pup?
cayetano grins
i'll have you know
i'm mature in all the ways that count.
he turns his body sidelong
so she could sup her fill
of the tall, dark drink
that was cayetano saborico.
i'll be two soon.
why, you interested?

Kheviel eyed the young male as he turned for her, and at his question about whether she was interested, she actually laughed--a sound like rusted metal against rusted metal. I am in far too much pain to be rolling around in the grass with the likes of you, she said, a gleam in her eyes. What would the birth be like? I'd die in the process and then you'd be stuck raising the screaming babes. She'd pay a good amount of fresh meat to see this one caring for tiny pups with all the patience of a yearling. That is to say, none. Come ask me again when you're older and I'm dead. Maybe if I'm dead, it won't hurt anymore.

it's not a laugh he's expecting
but he grins to see
a brief image of what
young kheviel would have looked like
sunny and care-free
before the graft of old age
set in
and rotted it all away.

he's hardly dissuaded.
for real?
his hips angle forward
inviting
that's a sacrifice
i'd be willing to make.
and he's serious
he's hardly a man of scruples
besides
when was the last time either
felt the sweet pulse of a warm body?

he sets his twinkling gaze
upon her
half-serious
half-jest
and ready to follow through:
wanna try it and find out?

Kheviel's head reared back in surprise, and she gave the young male a once-over. She thought about it for a few long seconds, wondering if her aching bones remembered how to do this, and then her eyes flickered and she shook her head with a wry look. I'm not sure the leaders would approve of me... taking advantage of my ward. Or was I the ward. I'm not sure they'd approve of a young buck like you taking advantage of an old woman. Go find someone your own age to play with, rogue.

She took another bite and was sorry to see that the food was nearly gone. Have you ever even done anything? she asked, almost to herself, not looking at him.

[large]
that small pause
was enough to buoy
cayetano's hopes to new heights.

hey, blame val.
cayetano interjects
luxuriating in his own amusement.

he can't help he's a dog
she can't help she has a pulse.

she eats the scraps
her meal thinning out
cayetano notices this
with a slight frown.
what kind of ward
starves his wardee?

have i done anything?
he scoffs
trotting out the male machismo
that's for me to know
and you to find out.

he's rising on dark limbs
looking to the water behind her
offer still stands,
he prowls past the reeds
calling out behind him
don't women find rogues irresistible, anyway?

Kheviel watched him go with a snort. He certainly had balls--she'd give him that. But when he moved on without her to do whatever he was doing, she fell back and lay there, drowsing.

The two of them being forced to look out for each other would certainly be... interesting.

Fade?

she didn't answer,
but she didn't say no either.
cayetano waved her off
with a grand announcement
i'm off to get you more food,
he motioned to the bones left by her feet
can't have my wardee
all skinny and shit.

he began for the pond
where more than once
he'd caught the silvergleam of trout
rippling through black water

later he'd return
with silverfish and sunstripe;
not much
but enough to keep kheviel
from eating him instead.