Dragging away the stick, Cuan could see the widening gap he had excavated in the bramble-pine forest. It was a small stretch of wood, but plenty hilly, and it seemed like a badger or something had dug a den into the dry earth. The creature had long since left, for the entrance was covered in debris. By happenstance the wolf had come across it. Driven by curiousity, but also partly of necessity, Cuan decided to clear out the hollow and see if it could be of any use.
The male's pelt, usually short and rough, had grown in shaggy in response to the winter. Being in a pack had allowed some nutrients to seep into his russet red coat, so it was of a far different quality than what Cuan had showed up with in the beginning of autumn. He had still kept his slight, lean appearance, in which he used to twist and turn to snag twigs that had fallen down into the den. Several jays, curious as to the male's movements, had perched on the pile of sticks Cuan had dragged out.
Keeping busy was simple. With a recent drop in temperatures and even a small, wet snowfall a few days prior, her rounds of the mountain's border had occupied much of her time. When not that, it was hunting. Or gathering. Or.. anything, really.
She knew Rain had gone to the wilds days ago, and was left wondering of her return. Also, Vienna's healing was hovering around in the front of her thoughts. Although Mallaidh's presence here did ease those concerns -- for she noticed the tawny female's efforts already, this also made her think of Jace, then Summer... then her practical-specter of a brother Inari... and of course along the way she spiraled into considering all the individuals that comprised the Sunspire, even the new ones and those she saw just a bit less of personally.
One of which, she had not been expecting to happen upon as she picked her way through the woodlot with her collection of fern fronds in her teeth. Her head lifted and ears swung forward to the sound of his rustling about, and naturally, out of curiosity, she approached quietly.
Watching, and surveying his pile of sticks, she set down her fern fronds (which she would need to find a purpose for later, she had just felt compelled to gather them when she saw them) to wait for him to find pause in his doings long enough to notice her. She did not wish to interrupt.
![[Image: 5ifpFkc.png?1]](http://i.imgur.com/5ifpFkc.png?1)
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」
His menagerie of sticks grew behind him, but finally Cuan was able to excavate the burrow to be accessible. Covered in frosted bracken and light snow, it's entrance was an obvious dark mouth nestled in the roots of the small pine forest. Scooping some dirt out, the gangly male stuck his head into the den and gave a few tentative sniffs.
Cuan had been thoroughly buried in his studies as an explorer ever since he had come to Sunspire. He had met a few of his packmates, but he had spent many a day on the fringes of the mountain or discovering new places far outside the Spire's boundaries. His lack of involvement of the community undoubtedly had a profound impact- Cuan did feel very distant from the pack and seemed lost and shy whenever he tried to approach others. But now, someone was approaching him, and the male lifted his head in greeting, but his ears were flattened and his tail low.
He wasn't ignorant enough to know that the female who was studying him was the alphess.
Hello, Cuan greeted with a bit of a hitch in his throat, unsure how to react. Hopefully the rusted brute wasn't in some sort of disgrace with the pretty ebony creature who stood amongst the wintry debris. A little awkwardly, as if he had been caught with his paws full of honey instead of reporting of the hive to his family, the tawny male lowered his gaze.
She took the time to look this all over, the sticks and the hole he had hollowed out evidently, and wondered what had inspired this in the first place. To her, Cuan was a curious outlier to what the knew of. He was steadily present and had been for a time, but not.. exceptionally quick to make himself known, to her observations, anyway. Therefore, she knew little about the tawny-coated male.
But his hello came and her tail swayed slowly in return. Greetings,
she replied first and foremost with a relaxed sort of stance. They had never formally interacted one on one, of that she was certain, and it became apparent that he seemed.. perhaps a tad bit awkward in response to her? She did not wholly understand why, although could make a few guesses as to why that might be the case. I hope I am not interrupting your work,
she quipped, pairing it with a gesture to all the sticks and debris he had stirred up. You seemed busy, and I was.. curious.
About a number of things. What exactly he was up to, the cause at hand, intentions that would follow all this effort, and, in a more roundabout way, more about him..
She was interested in the conversation that would follow, and therefore, let it flow as it needed. Ame pried just a little further into the tawny male's nuances and tried to know him better as she did. However, summons addressed for her pulled her attention elsewhere, and she commended the wolf for pursuing a dirty duty like clearing out a possible densite, then was on her way after short farewells.
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」