Greatwater Lake That's not my name

Set for around... noon-ish yesterday (June 22nd). @Sao

Since finding the child, he'd not left her be far from his sight. Protective already had he become of the girl, taking breaks often so that she could rest, and guarding her during each and every one of them. Though, by blood, she was not his—nor did he have any clue as to whose she was—he treated her just as such. With his first litter, he had failed, and so he viewed his finding her as being a second chance. An opportunity to raise a daughter just as he should have done with Xan's sisters, and an opportunity to prove that his life was not a total waste. He could be useful, he could provide for another being, as well as the Brotherhood. Somehow, he would manage to work everything out, and it was his belief that he'd be able to do so that kept him moving.

The latest of the male's stops had been at the lake, its surface and surrounding areas being things that he could easily recognize. They were nearing home now, and so he'd need to further prepare her for their arrival. Thus, it was after he'd placed some distance between the water's edge and himself that he'd set the young wolf down, nosing over her briefly before lowering himself into a laying position. "Name?" he'd then asked, deciding that it couldn't hurt to try and urge a word or two out of her. Even a sound—something other than crying, of course—would be satisfying enough, if only to make him feel more confident in her chance of survival.

Sao alternates between sleeping, trying to sleep, or for short periods crying about her discomfort. How long she'd been carried, despite the stops, began to lose her. How long ago had she been with the coyote? How long since she'd been snatched? However, Sao's mind couldn't travel that far back to remember and they slowly became shadows of memories, distant in the background.

When they slow to a stop, she eagerly welcomes the ground. Her center of gravity shifts and shaky limbs carry her a few inches. Her stomach roils, upset and tired and hungry, and his voice goes unnoticed. He's a different color than she's used to, doesn't have the same scent she's used to, but beyond a gentle grasp of a thought, she's no sure where it comes from. She stumbles forward into his fur and searches—perhaps not even for the first time—for milk.

At first, he'd been unaware of what she was doing. He'd watched her stumble towards him, the close proximity—which he related to her growing more comfortable around him—pleasing him, but her actual intentions weren't caught on to right away. He'd been glad, distracted even, by her movements. When he did finally realize what she was doing, what she was looking for, he'd backed away a bit; he'd remained close enough to be followed. "I can't give you what you're after," he'd stated. Even when Xan had been far smaller than the girl currently was, he'd spoken to his children as he would an adult, treating them as if they could understand his every word. He wanted to believe that, in some way, he could be heard and understood, if only to better get across how much he cared. In this instance, however, he just wanted her to know that he wasn't able to offer up any milk.

Though the nutrient dense product could not be provided, he could offer to her barfed up regurgitated meats instead. Towards the lake he had glanced, then, only to look back to the child shortly after. After some careful deliberation, he'd stood and trotted over to the lake's edge, peering into it with the intention of locating a fish. Sadly, though, he was unable to find one, and was forced to return to the little girl without a meal having been prepared. Again, he'd lowered himself into a laying position next to her, pulling her closer to his chest in an attempt to take her mind off of her hunger. "Don't worry, I'll get you something once we're home," the man had said, feeling confident with his almost-promise. "For now, just rest your legs. We'll continue in a bit." A bit meaning however long it took for her to possibly doze off. Carrying a sleeping child was, by far, easier than trudging along with a conscious one.

In the meantime, he'd considered names for her. It had to have a meaning, that was for sure, and could relate to nothing of grim origins. No, he needed to think of brighter things, names that would lighten her mood each day she awoke when older. Anana, Buniq, Pukiq, Ublureak... Every name that drifted through his mind served as a reminder of the land that he'd been born into, but none seemed to really fit her. Their meanings were generous ones, and yet the names themselves just didn't match how she appeared to him. That is, until a final name puttered on by, one of which that stood out in front of all the others: "Qilaq." It seemed soft as it rolled from his tongue, the tones he'd used having been gentle ones. To her he'd then looked once more, smiling despite how tired he was, for he'd discovered who she was to be.

Sao loses the source of warmth, of food, by the rumbling of the larger creature. Words she doesn’t quite understand, so she blinks slowly a few times before he gets up and leaves her by herself for a few minutes. She picks herself up and takes wobbly and un-calculated steps forward until she stumbles back on her rump, waiting for his return. Trying to grasp where he might be going, why he might be going, when she’s hungry—her food source having always been readily available—and this guy is toying with her. 

He turns back to her and lowers to the ground, disappointment in his voice and more words she doesn’t understand. She’s quickly tucked away beneath his chest that, no matter of burrowing in is she going to find a food source. A whimper quickly turns into a cry and she’s left unsettled for several minutes, crying herself into a fitful sleep where she temporarily forgets her hunger.

His best efforts were put into comforting the girl, and yet he'd not succeeded in doing very much for her just yet. He was not capable of producing milk for her, nor had he been able to catch a different source of energy for her. He'd gotten off to a terrible start, and felt disappointed in his inability to provide for her in that exact moment. Even as she'd cried, he'd been unable to do much more than hold her close and offer her warmth, trying to relax her but knowing that it would never work. Kove was certain, then, that he needed to act quicker. So once the girl had cried herself to sleep, he'd risen slowly, picking her up carefully in the process and then continuing with their journey. Soon, he'd arrive back home, and then once they were there the child would be granted the meal that she craved.