Ouroboros Spine and some people thrive in chaos

looking for some moonglow members to come say hi! :D

they'd been at moonglow for a little while now, and while, at the very first, kivaluk had opted to stay close to his parents — despite the affirmations that the wolves of moonglow were family and allies it was his first time meeting them and his instinctual distrust of strangers and prickly disposition upon first meetings has begun to weed it's way into his personality. slowly, kivaluk warms to the idea despite that he lingers in a constant state of reminding himself that he is a guest here and it is not natigvik; of which he could run 'round to his little heart's content.

still, that morning, awoken by the soft, buttery golden rays of the sun kivaluk slipped away from where the family ( and pack ) was staying and ventures out to explore and see about finally meeting the wolves of moonglow out from beneath the shadows of his parents.

I am working on his pup sitter trade. I would love to teach him something if you'd be okay with that or help him do something?

Sunlight trickled over the spine he now called home. There were other members of other packs here, and his own. He had initially said hello, but now he was staying far away from them. They were nice enough, kind. He had met the Female Amalia, skirted in shadows, the two leaders. They had gotten along swell, but they were not his family, and a part of him felt like he was intruding if he monopolized their time. Because they were here to see the older members of Moonglow not him.

This morning he had venture out in search of squirrel to fill the caches. He had his own cache of rabbits far away from the pack lands, he didn't want Mojag to get one and lose his life. He would feel horrible. He always made sure to clean his paws, and fur in the river further down after too. He didn't want to accidently trigger the boys allergy.

Today he came upon one of the pups from the other pack, what was it called ah yes. Natigvik. he smiled and waved his autumn hued tail. 

Heya.

thanks for joining!

reigning in the worst of his developing ...prickly ( thought kivaluk would argue that it was protective ) nature at the approach of a large, lank male draped in a pelage of browns, reds and blacks. gaze studies him for a moment, knowing that he is one of moonglow — for he was not one of natigvik and that really left no other option.

heya, the older man greets.

a beat passes and then another.

a firmer voice inside his head that sounded suspiciously like an echo of his mother's reminds him that his father was once a great hunter here. that moonglow was family. hey, he chirrups in return. i'm kivaluk. of natigvik.

Of course. I love Torvi threads

Rodyn stood still as the youth studied him. He knew well what it was like with new wolves. He himself had often stood at his father's knees and stared with the same boring stare into the wolves that came near. Though his thoughts had not been kind, his voice had been. 

Rodyn tilted his head. The silence growing and lengthening. He was just about to turn away, and leave the youth to it, when he finally spoke. Not very much, but it was a start. Rodyn was confident in his abilities to get the pup to at least like him a little eventually. They didn't have to be best friends, but aquantances would be nice.

I'm Rodyn. Of Moonglow. he chirruped back. Then he settled. Do you fish Kivaluk?

rodyn, of moonglow. though the second bit seemed a bit obvious to kivaluk, he doesn't capitalize upon it. not any more obvious than kivaluk's own 'of natigvik'; but as kivaluk understands moonglow is sizably larger than natigvik it felt right to include it all the same.

though his social mood often flipflops — something that would only get worse as he aged into the 'teenage months' — kivaluk is filled with an awkwardness towards the silence that stretches, broken only by the older man's question.

nope. kivaluk replies, puffing out his cheeks for a moment. but my dad was the best hunter during his time here. kivaluk shifts his weight then, ears cupping back atop his skull for a moment. it wasn't kivaluk's own accomplishment but it felt night to brag about it all the same.

are you a guardian? kivaluk asks then, eyeing rodyn once more, trying to unceremoniously decide if he looked 'guardian' enough ( what ever that meant ). it was, along with scouting ( inspired by this very trip ) that held kivaluk's burning interest at the moment.

Perhaps it was obvious where he was from. But it had also been obvious where Kivaluk was from, and Rodyn had simply returned the answer. He had found that sometimes, it was in his best interest to let the young control the conversation. They could get a little entitled sure, but they felt important and that's all that mattered to him at the moment. 

Rodyn wasn't entirely how to precede with this conversation. Stratos and Mojag and even Callyope had been eager to speak with him. More than willing to speak, this one he wasn't certain where they stood. 

The boy was clearly proud of his dad. And as every son endeavors to be probably like his dad too. At least some small part of him, this Rodyn could work with. I heard your dad was the best. I'm trying to be a good hunter too.

Rodyn shook his head. Not really the guardian type. However, I have been known to go far and wide and meet all kinds of wolves, like a scout. I'm actually not originally from here. I had to travel a long time to get here, over many different lands.

a small puff of kivaluk's chest is given as the topic lingers upon his father; though not his own accomplishments to kivaluk: his father was his hero and that kigipigak was his father was the rooting source of this pride. d'ya know him? kivaluk asks, eager enough to let his prickly guard down ( even if it was by a bit ) to gush over his father with stars in his eyes.

maybe he can teach you too! at least... while they are visiting. in any rate, kivaluk understands that this visit is not meant to last forever and very soon they would be making the return trip to qeya river. which was good as far as he was concerned because it was their home.

oh, the boy deflates a little at the other man's admittance: that he wasn't the guardian type. it was, admittedly, a bit disappointing but kivaluk doesn't focus on it for long; attention snared quickly by the mention of scouting.

is scoutin' travelin'? he asks, not quite sure how to 'define' it yet; or if like many things in life ( kivaluk was beginning to learn ) it was multifaceted.

Rodyn shook his head. I've only seen your dad briefly when you first arrived. Rodyn offered a smile. Rodyn settled to his haunches.

Rodyn nodded. I'd like that. I was just hunting for some rabbits earlier. Have you hunted yet? Rodyn wouldn't mind lessons from a master hunter. He was always willing to learn more.

Rodyn felt bad that the youth wanted him to be somwthing that he wasn't. But he was happy to be a hunter. Preferring that to guarding though he probably could if the occasion called for it.

Rodyn spoke kindly. Yes. Its traveling and meeting different wolves and learning about them. I traveled for almost a whole year before i got here.

oh, kivaluk says on a heavy and dramatic exhale. it was a let down: that not everyone in moonglow knew kigipigak personally; without much rhyme or reason to this pang of disappointment. true enough though he knew at least of names and faces of those that made of natigvik ( small as it was ), he couldn't say he knew cerne — or even amalia for that matter.

uh-uh. kivaluk responds to the question with a firm shake of his head 'no'. not old enough. which seemed to be the answer he was presented with more and more lately. not big enough, not old enough. it almost wasn't fair.

papa hunts for me and 'kuma. sometimes mama. but more oft than not, it was kigipigak bringing them all sorts of woodland critters to eat. then...i'm scoutin'! kivaluk concludes with a soft wag of his tail. so, perhaps this was more than just a visit: perhaps, he thinks, there were valuable teachings hidden within the guise of being an adventure.

Rodyn winced at the youth's heavy, exhale. He was new himself, felt out of place, hunting down this youths father to speak with. Though now he may have to, just to appease the youngster and because he was no curious. He wanted to learn some more hunting skills, maybe this wolf could teach him more than he knew.

Aww man. Well, if you want I can show you how Mojag and I killed a squirrel? Squirrel was easy enough, the youth could come with and he could show him to rap it a good one in the head, as he had with Mojag. He smiled at the thought of the sunny child Mojag.

Rodyn returned the tail wag. You'll be a scout before your a year old then. That would be awesome, and you'd beat me. I wasn't a scout until recently.

the older man's response to kivaluk's honesty about not being able to hunt yet — or more so having not yet begun hunting form himself in any sort of capacity — appears to mirror kivaluk's own disappointment and this warms the boy to him; if by a small fraction.

they were still practically strangers but it was a start.

visibly, kivaluk hesitates at the offer instinctively wanting to seek one of his parents' approval before agreeing to such a thing... and he wanted to be trained by his father. `dunno if i'm allowed. and though kivaluk didn't always think the 'when you're older' statement was fair it sticks in his mind here and now. was a squirrel likely to hurt him? no. but obviously, his parents knew what was best for him —

intuition told him 'no' and he deflates some, shoulders sagging. dat's okay. but uhm, thanks.

...really? kivaluk asks, shifting his focus to the talk of 'scouting' and that it was only recently that his companion became one himself. i like adventures. even if he had to work on his socializing.

Rodyn remembered well the bite of disappointment at being told "You're too young, when you're older." He wasn't so far into adulthood that he couldn't remember that small bite of irritation and pain.

Rodyn realized a beat to late, that he had probablly overstepped a boundary. However, he hadn't thought of that. He simply had remembered that he had already taught Mojag to hunt, had helped the youth of Themis and Astraios. So it made sense to help this one too, though Kivaluk, may well have been younger than the former pair.

You're welcome.

Rodyn nodded at the youths question. Yea, my parents didn't let me leave the grove I was born in until i was much older. And I only sought out other places after I turned 1.5 years old.

He would not tell the youth, that he father's teeth and claws had chased him from his home. That was not something that needed shared.

What kind of adventures do you want to go on? What have you seen? Rodyn settled to his stomach sphinxlike to listen to the youth, full attention on him.

a soft hum lingers in kivaluk's throat as the older man shares ( some of ) the details of his youth: that his parents wouldn't let him leave. the specific age means little to kivaluk, of whom fills in the blanks and assumes that this moonglow man is probably not too much older than the numerical age he gave ( whether he was wrong or not ). still, it seems a bit ridiculous for parents to tell a grown adult ( for in kivaluk's eyes the older man is, without a doubt, an adult ) that they couldn't leave.

lotsa 'em! though it was as far from a specific answer as kivaluk could possibly get. i found a bone! he proclaims though it had been tucked away for safe keeping. though whether the small group would follow the path back that they took to make the journey to moonglow was unknown to kivaluk ( and truthfully, he would likely forget all about said bone in time ).

Rodyn hadn't meant when he was an adult, but it was no use to clarify such things. Not to mention he wouldn't have been privy to the youth's thoughts anyway. He had finally went on a few forays, but it wasn't until he started traveling this way, that his eyes were really opened to the world around him.

Rodyn smiled. what was your favorite place to see? I think mine was the mountain. I've never seen a mountain really up close until i came here.

His tail thumped against the ground gently. His face eased in gentle happiness. He liked this little wolf, and this little pack, and this large place. He was content here.

uhmmm, kivaluk drawls out the word on a breath; contemplating. there were so many places! instinctively, he wants to say his home on the qeya river: but seeing that hadn't exactly been an adventure ( at least, not since he'd been able to step outside the birthing den ). his head cants to the side; spending more time thinking about his answer than he'd have liked. i dunno what its called but the place with the little hills. he knows he's not doing it justice with his basic descriptors but it's all his limited vocabulary would allow him at the moment.

mama and i found a bone in one of the hills! he proclaims.

Rodyn hummed softly. I know it I think. You are almost as much of a scout as me. Rodyn had not clue where the boy had talked of. The description to vague, but it was better to humor than argue, and besides the youth probably didn't know much more than that anyway.

Did you hide it somewhere special. That's a bit like treasure. He smiled at teh youth, his happiness contagious.

this seemed like a good place to wrap this up. thank you for the thread! also teeny power-play of akkuma. <3

a soft, childish giggle escapes kivaluk as the older man offers what the boy takes to be as a compliment that he is almost as much of a scout as him. yep! he chirrups in response to the question about hiding it; though he was ultimately unsure if they would retrace their steps on their way back to natigvik — for surely if they opted to go a different way he might very well forget about his briefly had treasure.

i hid it well — he begins to say, a breath cutting his words off; ears perking as he hears @Akkuma calling for him. oh! that's my brother. i gotta go! he offers the older man a wide smile and a wag of his tail before he darts off in search of akkuma.