Going to the Grove obviously had not been the best idea he'd ever had. It was his desire to prey upon the small deer that roamed between the gnarled old trees, thinking perhaps he'd be able to manage one on his own given the difficulty of the terrain. It had been a foolish thought, he realized, for they were far more adapted to bounding over the tangle of roots and underbrush than he was, and after many hours of failure, he was about ready to give up for the day.
It was at least a beautiful place to look upon, he supposed. Summer roamed quietly through the trees like a panther slinking through its kingdom. Here, with no others around, he could walk as tall and as proud and powerful as he felt all the time without it being a challenge to anyone. Here, he could act like the king he knew himself to be, hidden far away from the eyes of the Spire's actual royalty.
Mallaidh's feet were tired from the walk back from the lake and she had a slight pronounced limp on her back left leg. It was smaller than it had been but it wasn't full healed. She would need to redress the small opening she created but for now, it was the least of her worries. She wanted to get back to her little home, set her herbs aside, and fall asleep.
Unfortunately, she wasn't fully aware of where she was going. She'd been in the Sunspire for a while now, about a week, but she still had a lot of land to cover to imprint it on the back of her paw.
Her head turned as she noticed a strong scent nearby, one she even recognized, and she pivoted her tired paws in the direction of Summer. With a swish of her tail, she grinned through the mouthful of plants, until she saw him strutting through the dark trees. Mallaidh was quiet, circling to try and get her pack mate's attention.
"Mallaidh?" he barked out gently, hoping to get her attention without realizing he already had it. She was roaming with a mouthful of plants--something that didn't strike him as unusual even though he'd only had one previous encounter with her.
She couldn't hide the grin from her face when Summer turned to acknowledge her, barking as if she weren't paying attention, and she rushed ahead a few steps to come to a stop, hoping to get him to halt as well. He spoke, calling out to her, and she was glad he remembered her, even if it had only been a few days ago. Her head bobbed up and down a few times as she carefully stood on her paws.
Yeth, yeth,
she said through a mouthful of plants. Her head shook with a soft laugh, dropping her baggage to the ground. That's me. And you're... ah... um,
she trailed off, striking up a confused expression and a twinkle in her eye. Winter?
she asks but before she could let the dark wolf reply, she was bursting out in laughter at her own joke.
"Close," he corrected her gently, even knowing she had said it wrong on purpose, "Just think the exact opposite." He eyed her, wondering if she would offer the correct answer or come up with something entirely different to try on him.
Close, ah?
she questions, humming quietly in serious mock thought. That's a tough one, Winter. I mean. Opposite of.
The smirk sitting behind her eyes brightened when Summer requited her play and it made her feel comfortable and safe in another's company. She hadn't felt this way since she was at Hanging Rock, glad to not be walking on eggshells around her new pack mates.
Well, Winter is cold. Opposite of cold is hot. So, it's gotta be... Hot Stuff, yeah?
she asks, winking. Your parents musta had high expectations, dontcha think?
she laughs, shuffling a step back until her rump hit the ground for sturdiness.
"Getting closer.. I guess, but no," he replied, shaking his head with an embarrassed chuckle, "It's Summer." Hopefully by telling her his name, he'd avoid any further discussion of such awkward topics as being complimented, intended or not so.
The pair spent the afternoon conversing amiably before parting ways, Summer off to hunt and Mallaidh to continue collecting herbs for her pursuit of the healer trade.