Moonspear Quiet and silent does a body good

@Kindle

Tiki moved through the pack lands taking in the scents of so many. It drew a slight ahudder beneath her fur. What if they all left again. 

Shifting. She settled in a small location that she could see all angles, back against a rocky outcrop. She did not know her place. She was not an advisor or leader like Tree. She was not a Songbird like Kinusi or a healer like Alaric. She truly did not know where she stood. Except perhaps uneven.

Kindle had been following the trail of a bighorn sheep, intent on seeing where the creatures laired. The rocks, however, did not hold scents as well as he wished. The whole area smelled like the ungulates, but he could not find a solid trail. The Morningsider wandered, frustrated, his nose to the ground, and almost did not notice the shadow tucked back against the rocks.

But he lifted his head at the right moment and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw her dark silhouette. The wind was off and he was far enough away that he did not smell her presence, and the one white-rimmed eye made her look, for a moment, like something ghoulish and unkind.

Then he blinked, and she was only a wolf again. One whose striking appearance grew more beautiful the longer he looked.

Kindle was beginning to feel quite strange about the arrangements. Kira, Kini, Treepie, and now this woman were all very pretty. He had the vague idea that he would have to marry one of them — that was what was done, wasn't it? — and he could not wrap his head around these women being the options.

"You scared me," he accused, in possession of no more intelligent thoughts to voice.

He was larger than most. Except perhaps Alaric. A fur of snow storms and clouds. Eyes of the sun on warm days. But not hot. He was mission intent and did not see her. But she saw him. Perhaps part of her knew that she should speak, but a darker part found unbridled amusement at his slight jump. It was always fun to give small scares.

He stared too long and it made her self conscious. She licked at the fur on her shoulder. A soft swipe of tongue over maw. A rearrangement of body. 

A tilt of her head. Her lips curving into a semblance of a less wolfish and threatening smile. She cleared her throat once, twice. Her voice coming out quiet, but strong. Even for its lack of use, it still was strong. She was pleased.

Im sorry. I'm Tikaani, but you can call me Tiki.

It was only when she spoke that he fully relaxed, and scoffed to himself when he realized there'd been a quiet part of him that still worried she was a spirit. That, and the graceful, sinuous shift of her body had stirred something in his own. But he shook it all off, annoyed and amused at once by her smile.

"You don't look sorry, Tiki," he accused in a grumble, padding closer to put his own back against the wall. He squinted out at the world, searching for whatever had captured her attention out there.

"What're you lookin' at?" he asked, all pique sliding away like water off a duck's back. Still, he held the transgression playfully against her: "Or are you tucked up here just to scared hapless passers-by?"

He paused, and stole a glance at her.

"That's me, by the way. Kindle. Hapless passer. Pleased to meet you, Tikaani."

Tiki was not sure how to quite conduct herself. She was only used to Pie and Alaric. So she found herself grasping to try and figure out what to do or say.

A small smile. Perhaps I'm never sorry. Maybe there's a reason for all I do. she eased a paw harder set into the dirt. 

I jest. I am sorry. It was not my intention to scare you. her voice grew softer. A true apology.

She tilted her head ears tweaked forward. Turning full bodied gaze to his. Well met Kindle.

She gave a soft little wiggle. I am looking at the silence. You know when the world is quiet and you simply exist in it. You learn much

She shifted and settled further down, into a lionesses lay. For example. There is a rabbit there foraging with its family. And over there newly feather chick's are learning to find their own worms. There is a goat beyond the rock face. Barely visible, but she's there. And of course. The lizards sun bathing beside us.

Kindle shot the woman a more gentle smile, shaking his head to wave the apology away; there'd been no harm done, and perhaps he should have been more aware of his surroundings — as Tikaani seemed to be. 

He looked around, seeing none of the things she named, and was torn between admiration and skepticism. He didn't doubt she heard the things she claimed, but it seemed an odd pass time to him, and he wondered if she was all there in the head.

"Well, that's not silence, then," he pointed out, looking down at her now as she laid down. "That's a quiet symphony."

And, belated, he quieted his own voice, and lowered himself to the ground with the strange woman.

"Do you do this a lot?" he asked her at something just above a whisper. "It's gotta drive you crazy to have all these songbirds around."

He was speaking not of the twittering tanagers around them, but of the resident bards: Kinusi, Alaric, and Katmai.

She received his smile in kind. At least he forgave her a bit. It truly hadn't been her intention.

She nodded, made a soft hmm noise. Perhaps i misspoke. I am listening to the world around me in my silence. I am not always certain what to say or do. But silence I can keep.

She nodded. I do. I am more comfortable in the silence. a soft tut of laughter.

I have learned to listen to them too. For instance. Alaric sings working songs when he's gardening. And when kinusi misses her mom she sings softer songs. Almost too quiet to here under her breath. She is happy in her loudness, Alaric is calm in his boldness. I am comfortable in silence.Not many can boast such a comfort qith quiet.

Kindle wasn't sure if he understood, and even less sure he thought that these were things worth boasting about. He could see the utility in having finely honed hearing, but not as much in quiet meditation.

He felt sorry for her, mostly. Obviously, she just needed to figure out what to do instead of sitting silently — but Kindle didn't quite know how to help her with that. It was becoming his opinion rather quickly that these moon wolves were a bit woo-woo and delicate, with more talent for the arts than for survival — Katmai included! Kindle decided (somewhat gleefully) that he would just have to work extra hard to make sure everyone was provided for, from feeble Treepie to quiet Tiki to the cotton-brained Kini-and-Katmai.

"Well, that sounds real nice," he said to her, making an effort to mean the words that he spoke. "It's important to have hobbies," he added, with the air of someone who was only repeating something he didn't quite understand himself.

He fell silent, wondering now if he was bothering her.

"Doesn't it get lonely?" he asked her — for he was nearly as incapable of silence as his nephew.

Not everyone could be like Tiki. And frankly she couldn't put voice to things she knew, in any semblance of sense. She just listened. She knew when someone was sad by the way they sighed. She knew the quiet little quirks others had when happy, angry. Or she tried. She observed and listened instead of filling the silence with even emptier words.

Tiki was a fair hunter. A good scout. A fisherman. These were things she knew, but all wolves could hunt? All could mostly track a little 

Tiki stared at him. Made a soft huff of laughter. He was trying. He was. But she could tell he didnt quite get it and that was okay. His words were empty. It is nice to me. I don't fit the mold of others. But I can hunt and track and scout too.

A soft tilt of her head. Circles in the dirt woth colored paw. Sometimes. But everyone ive cared about except Pie and Alaric have left. So, I suppose it's easier than being abandoned again.

Kindle turned his head away, squinting out at the horizon once more. He was reevaluating, now, thinking that Tikaani might not be useless. Just... sad. Which felt like no less daunting an issue to solve for.

"Easier, maybe," he said, making no apologies for her sorrows, since they were not his fault. He didn't really want to get down into the emotional weeds of it, anyway — but he still wanted to help. "But dangerous, too. Two wolves is hardly enough to rely on for the rest of your days. Wolves disappear all the time. They don't always mean to, but by and by, you end up knowin' less wolves than you once knew. You got a keep making friends. Keep making connections. 'Else you'll wake up one day and find yourself alone."

Dire words. Perhaps he spoke them too freely and too brusquely, but he thought this was important wisdom to share.

Tiki was not sad in her lot in life. She had been left and no one had come since. They had been alone up until then. What didnt this wolf understand. Her ire was slightly elevated.

Tiki looked at him. And shook her shoulders. You don't lie, but Kindle you need wolves to show up to make friends. You have to see wolves to make friends. Simply put. You and yours are the first to come to this mountain in months. Perhaps you should learn the whole story. Instead of assuming I just didnt make friends.

A tilt of her head. A small slow blink. Her voice had not risen. She had simply stated facts. The truth. It was a bit hard to make friends when there was literally no one around.

Kindle's brows popped just a little higher as she finally spoke with a little firmness and passion. He was feeling out her boundaries, still, and trying to figure out how best to speak with her. Internally, he labeled her "touchy" and moved on.

"I never said you didn't try," he reminded her, though he did doubt it, then and now. "Just that easier and safer aren't the same."

He stood, feeling restless and wrong-footed.

"Listen to what you're saying, too," he told her. "We came here to meet you. No one came to us. Katmai, at least — when he wants to make a friend, he goes out and he finds one. That's why we're here, now."

Kindle didn't know if he felt the same way about himself. He'd sort of stumbled into Cosmo and Haedwig, and he felt much closer with one than he did with the other. He was surely riding on his nephew's coattails in terms of connections. For now, anyway.

"Look, never mind that," he said, still a bit huffy. "My apologies if I've offended you. I'm glad to be here now — and I'd like to get along with everyone, if I can."

Tiki knew perhaps she had sounded touchy, but she wasn't to a point. More so she just wanted him to know he had in a way overstepped
 But it seemed she had in turn offended him.

She studied him. She knew all about safe and hard. She knew more than most. She knew hunger in your belly. She knew lack of a parents warmth. She knew all that. But there was no point in voicing it.

She shook her head. You didn't offend me. But I apologize if I offended you. I did warn you though. I'm not very good at these things.

Kindle thought about it for a moment, but then he shook his head.

"No, you haven't offended me," he replied, faintly baffled by how they'd come to a head without actually having offended each other. He had the sneaking suspicion that one of them was lying. But he was not quite sure who.

He sat down again, trying to muster some silence and some critical thinking to go along with it.

"It seems like I must not be very good at it, either," he told her, though he'd never thought so before. "Takes two to make polite conversation and all."

He gave a tentative wag of his tail.

"Maybe I'll give some silence a try instead," he offered, his tone wry.

Maybe she was offended and didnt realize fully what that emotion was. Her emotional range was lackluster. The adult she had been around most of her life was loud and happy and caring. Hardly ever upset.

Tiki chuckled. Don't be too hard on yourself. I havent really had polite conversation in months. Pie is my sister so I can be blunt with her and she understands. And Alaric well if you haven't met him yet. You will eventually. He's a delight almost always

A small smile at him. Only if you want too. After all it is better to be unapologetically ourselves than anyone else.

Kindle felt a momentary spark of unease kick around in his chest at the mention of Pie. The idea of being blunt with her was an evocative one, and one that he felt the need to quickly quash. Thankfully, Kinusi had rich topics at hand.

"Ah! I ain't met him, but my brother sure tells stories," he said, thinking fondly of when he'd first met his eldest brother. He'd still been a half-grown punk, and stories had been just about to lose their shine for him before the bard had arrived at Round Valley with his family. 

He settled in despite her words, shooting her another wry smile.

"Bein' unapologetically oneself ain't the same as never changing," he replied, tipping his head back against the rock wall behind them and shutting his eyes. "I can give it a try, at least."

Would you like to close this up soon? He is just gonna try and sit quietly. But also he will keep making conversation if prompted.

I'll throw a ending on her for ya :)

Tiki didnt really know how her sister interacted with many others. She was just beginning to learn.  As more wolves arrived.

A small smile. Hopefully good ones.

Tiki curled her tail. She would do her best to engage him with conversation, even if she didn't know what she was doing. Maybe ask him his favorite pastimes? Or sounds? If he liked certain prey over another?

But she'd pass the time with him as best she could.