The Sunspire it gains the more it gives.

Summer wasn't generally a very social creature, but when it really came down to it, that was not for lack of want. Deep down inside, the boy wanted nothing more than to have friends and family, someone that he allowed himself to hold close to his heart without fear or anxiety. But at that young age, Little Levi saw that as an impossibility. The medical issues that ailed him were far too unrelenting. Until he was free of such a plague, he didn't see how he could ever have anything like a true or happy relationship.

But that didn't mean he wasn't willing to have relationships that never punctured the surface. And that was what he was doing in The Sunspire. He saw no reason why his inability to have a happy life meant that he couldn't have any sort of life at all. So, he had decided on a life of dedication--to pack, to packmates, and to serving them in any way that he could. And still... there was that miniscule longing. That tiny ounce of hope that seemed only to make everything that much more difficult; that much more painful.

Summer walked quietly along the edge of the territory. It was nearly twilight, but he didn't feel tired at all. He didn't sleep all that often anymore, just doggedly worked himself to the bone doing whatever he possibly could to keep himself distracted from his own emotions.

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Nighttime was when the energy of her little ones began to wane. Now that their eyes were opened and they could move with more ease, she barely had time to leave them. Most of her time was spent playing or feeding Serena and Alphonse, and both activities tired her. Tucking her pups together, she slipped out of the den, careful not to wake them. Once she was clear, she headed out to the borders of the territory.

She spent her time musing on what she could teach her children as their minds developed. French, how to read the stars and clouds, how to hunt. The mother was distracted by her thoughts for a while until she saw another figure close by. She bristled for a moment, wondering if an intruder crossed the borders, but relaxed when she smelled Ferdie's scent mingled with the wolf's on. "Bonjour." She greeted the young wolf.

The Sunspire wolves had seen little of Erika ever since the birth of her litter. More often they had seen Ferdie keeping a watchful eye out nearby her den. Summer himself had kept his distance, not wanting to upset the man who seemed more on edge than ever now that there was young in their pack. It hadn't stopped him from wondering how the mother was doing, or of the little ones. He had heard that there were two--Alphonse and Serena. Any more than that, he was yet uncertain.

Erika's sudden appearance startled the young wolf and though her demeanor was pleasant, he cast her a wary gaze nevertheless, unsure of what she was doing away from her children. "Erika," he said as he eyed her, "Is everything alright? Do you or the pups need anything?" He felt his nerves begin to tighten in his chest at the thought that maybe something was wrong or that she needed help. He obviously would leap the moment she asked, but the idea that it was something beyond his abilities to provide made him feel slightly nauseous.

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She tilted her head, wondering what made the juvenile so nervous. Was it that she was so far from her pups, especially at such a young age? The mother was assured of their protection, with Ferdie around guarding them, no pack wolf would really enter without her or his approval. And so far, neither would dare approach the den opening without her there, as far as she knew. "Non, I am fine." She spoke calmingly, wondering if this boy was used to jumping at every command. Not everything was about orders. "I am simply taking a walk. I do it when mes petits chiots are napping. What are you doing out 'ere? Patrolling?"

Summer felt relieved when Erika explained that everything was fine, that the... chiots... were napping. His mother had been french and knew the language well, but he had been so young when she had gone that he had never learned much of it at all. There were some words that Dhani had picked up from his time spent with her, so Summer knew a bit. Petits was one.. It meant small. Maybe chiots were puppies? That must be it.

"Yes," the boy responded with a nod. "Nothing out of the ordinary to report," he added after a moment, wanting to reassure the woman that her children were safe. After all, that was probably something that was always on her mind. His own safety had always been of the utmost important to his father, and he had no doubt it was the same with mothers. He did feel a little foolish at reporting it, however. She probably thought him ridiculous, being out on the borders when what good was he even going to do if something did show up?

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:D

Vienna was flitting about, as usual, busy with her own random fancies and thoughts. Currently she was trotting along, tail waving happily and a rather large stick clasped in her jaws. She wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to do with it just yet, but was sure that it would come in handy at some point.

Spotting Summer and Erika, she approached just as the mother took her leave. "Hello hello hello!" She greeted her friend after she had dropped her current treasure. "How's it going?"

Summer wasn't too surprised when Erika turned to take her leave. She seemed to be a very quiet, private woman. Even when Ferdie had introduced her to the pack, she had not said much for herself. But, she had children now to attend to, so Summer simply assumed her anti-social behavior was due largely to them. Nevertheless, when she and her brood disappeared in the coming few weeks, he would be quite surprised at the development.

Vienna arrived just then with her trademark jubilance. Summer turned to watch her approach, a smile growing upon his muzzle. He eyed the giant stick within her jaws with a quirk of his brow, but he wasn't about to pass judgement. He collected antlers, after all. "Vienna," he responded lightly in greeting, his tail wagging, "Are you building your very own tree?" There was humor in his voice as his gaze drifted to the tree branch at her paws.

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Summer eyed her find with interest and she laughed at his question, though she also eyed the stick thoughtfully. "You know, that isn't a half bad idea! I'm not sure yet what I'm gonna do with it, but you never know when such a thing will come in handy!" Mayhaps even just to help support her den. She'd found a nice little burrow all her own recently and was currently outfitting it to her preferences. She'd actually found the stick while looking for some nice soft bed material.

She looked after where Erika had gone, now wistful. "I can't wait until we can really meet her pups. I bet they are just the cutest things!" She was already planning adventures, games she would introduce them to and tales she'd share. She wondered if Summer was as excited.

Wanna wrap this up and have a new one> :D

Vienna replied to his joke with actual consideration for the idea, which simply made the boy smile all the more. She was a unique wolf with her joyful, sweet soul. Quite fortunately for Summer, her spirit often seemed contagious; simply being around her put him in a better mood.

Summer cast his gaze in the direction of Erika's retreat, pondering Vienna's words thoughtfully. He was a bit excited to see the pups more, but at the same time, the thought of actually spending time with them was very intimidating. He decided to keep that to himself, though, and simply nodded in response.

"I've an idea..." he said, turning back to her, "How about we go look for some treasures for them to play with? I bet they'd be just as entertained by some pine cones as you and I are..." Summer wagged his tail, fondly remembering the time they'd tossed a pinecone back and forth to each other. He had no idea if the pups would be old enough to actually toss them around, but at the very least, it'd be something cool for them to gnaw on.

Sure thing! You can decide if you want pre-sliced or post-sliced Vienna ^^; We can backdate if you want one before!

"That's a great idea!" Maybe they could find some nice chew-things for the pups also. Even if they weren't old enough to play yet, they would be soon enough. She was glad Summer seemed to have fond memories of the game, something some might have seen as childish. Like the male she'd met on one of her journeys who hadn't seemed too thrilled at her mention of one of the games she'd played as a kid.

Some just didn't know how to have fun. Thank goodness she and Summer were of the awesome variety.

Vienna responded with enthusiasm, which was not in any way surprising to Summer. He gave her a fond smile and motioned for her to lead the way. He would follow and help her hunt down toys for the kids. A few pinecones, some neat looking sticks, and maybe they could even find an antler for them--he was sure the pups would love them. After all, as he'd told Erika, there was nothing out of the ordinary to report along the borders.