Swiftcurrent Creek dreaming through the thunder

Juniper, who looked more like a long-legged silver fawn than a wolf, explored the den’s rendezvous point. A fresh blanket of snow has fallen overnight and gave new cause to explore. She tracked a vole beneath the snow… but her mind was distracted, thinking of Swiftcurrent’s leader’s words.

Call to arms… what did that mean?

Normally I'd send Arric. But I am working on Etiennes pupsitting specialty

Etienne had cleaned his face. Had worked his paws through what he could reach. Licked his fur down. And he headed towards the center of the pack lands. In his jaws he held the femur bone of some large creature he had found. Thought it would be nice for someone to chew upon.

He was thrown from his thoughts by one of the pups of the beta pair. A brief sadness reached to ensnare him as he thought of his poor sister missing one of hers. This one was Juniper he was certain.

Dropping the bone. Bonjou Juniper I mean 'ello Juniper.

A mound of snow moved! Juniper’s muscles coiled and then she leapt into the air. Thump! Her face sunk deep into the snowpack. She reeled back, spraying powder to and fro.

“Ughh!” she growled, frustrated, until she realized Etienne was here.

“Oh, hi!” Juniper said, switching emotions as if somebody flipped a switch.

“Does bonjou mean hello?” Juniper asked as her eyeballs tracked Etienne's delicious looking bone.

He had to hide a laugh as she leapt and had landed in the snow. It was absolutely adorable and as such helped his melancholy better than any herb would ever.

She was quick to greet him. But he saw the way her eyes alighted upon the femur. He lay a paw on it to keep it steady.

A small nod. Yes it does. I be speakin' different languages.

Juniper giggled. “Bonjou!” she parroted, testing the word. “Bonjou! Bonjou! Bonjou!”

She tip-toed closer to Etienne… and the bone beneath his paw.

“What’s a language?” she asked.

Etienne chuckled at her parroting. The way she formed the words and giggled after. He loved sharing his language with others. Though her question caught him off guard. He was unsure how to answer.

He lifted a paw and pressed the bone forward.

It is dey way we talk. Sometimes if you be from different places you speak a bit different. Like my granme and family were not from 'ere originally. So w'en dey came. Dey broug't deir own words.

When Etienne presented the bone, Juniper snatched the opportunity to pounce on it. She laid down, slung one paw over the long end, and began the gnaw at the ball joint.

Yet, even as she chewed her blue eyes never left Etienne as he explained. Juniper found she enjoyed listening to the unique cadence of his accent.

“They weren’t from here?” she asked, “Where did they come from?” Her whole life was like a little terrarium – contained to Swiftcurrent. So to imagine a great big world was fascinating to the young adolescent.

Etienne chuckled again when the sweet girl pounced on the bone. He did not fight her for it. It had been meant as a gift as it were anyway.

However, she did watch him with quiet curiosity. She was such a sweet thing little Juniper. he could see her parents in her manners.

No dey were not from 'ere. he blinked in surprise. And had to think for a moment. Where had they come from. If stories were to be believed, they just showed up one day. Washed up on the shore.

Dey ocean brout dem 'ere. Dere be lands on dey otter side. Some even in it. But it be dangerous. Sometimes dey sea, 'er rises up and sweeps you away and sometimes you find your way to anotter place.

Juniper only knew the creek… and so her imagination ran wild as it painted a picture of the sea in her mind. A body of water so vast you couldn’t see its and… so perilous that its large mouth could swallow you whole and spit you out elsewhere. If you fell into the creek, chances were you would only travel a few meters at best.

She chewed the bone in thought, fascinated.

“They wanted to leave their home?” She asked Etienne. It must have been terrible, she thought, to risk traversing the wild saltwater.

Etienne was well traveled now. And he realized that many wolves spent their entire lives in the boughs of the home that birthed them. But he also knew just as many did not. And there were cruel and heartless individuals out there that could cause chaos in their wake.

He nodded. Yes it sounds like it was not a good 'ome. Dat dey were not treated well. But dat was long time ago and I was not borned yet. So I am unsure.

“Oh, that’s terrible…” Juniper thought aloud at the notion of a bad home life.

“Well… are they happy now?” she asked, wondering if Etienne’s kin found a better life. “Do you ever visit them?" she asked.

Etienne nodded. It was horrible. Sometimes he wondered if his family could be cursed from that awful place. There always seemed to be something happening. Or some darkness taking root. But he did not voice this thought, for she was little and did not need to know that.

Dey are. he smiled softly. W'en I can. I love to see dem. Dere is notin' quite like family.

Juniper continued to gnaw on the bone as Etienne reminisced and enjoyed the feeling of testing her new set of adult teeth.

Her head perked up when a new idea light up in her mind.

“Maybe when you visit your family next time, I can go with you!” Juniper suggested with a small wag of her tail. The bookish adolescent was keen to know more about the world around her.

She seemed to enjoy his gift and that was fine with him. A small smile.

As long as your mama and dad say is okay. I will take you wit' me.

He did not know of the turmoil between his mother and the girls father.

Ah – what would Chacal do if she saw the familiar white ring around a pale blue eye?

Juniper’s face beamed, followed by a shrewd expression.

“Promise? Cross your heart?” the girl asked.

Etienne did not know of the turmoil between his manman and the leader of the creek. But he had seemed willing to help his ma before. So it made sense that he would allow Juniper to come with. And besides Etienne knew he would have other siblings or cousins or both now or soon. That would probably get along just fine with Juniper. Her own age.

A soft trilling laugh. I promise. Cross my 'eart. He moved his claw to etch a cross in his heart as well as he could. IT was ungainly and probably didn't quite look like an x but the sentiment was the same.