Post by Pavane on Oct 9, 2011 23:44:19 GMT -5
Kai - Male Juvenile Coyote
Bristlecone - Male Coyote
Coinin - Male Wolf
Neero - Male Juvenile Wolf
--- Merging Tributary ---
Kai leaves the den to stretch his limbs, and get him a nice morning drink. He faintly remembers Aolani breaking the ice in the center of the river, so assuming it was the easiest option, Kai wanders over to the riverbank. The river moved ever on below the surface of the ice. Kai looked down at it to judge it's stability, then carefully puts his forepaws down against the ice to see if it could handle at least half of his weight. Nothing happened. "Hmm.." He says, and slowly moves out onto the layer of ice. Maybe it was thick enough to handle a young coyote after all? Kai carefully walks out towards the center till his front paws begin to add too much pressure to the ice. He could tell by the sound of a crack as he got closer to the break in the ice Aolani had made to get some fish for him. This is a stupid idea. He thinks, but he was feeling somewhat impulsive after having been playing possum in the den for a good portion of the day. Kai manages to lay down and stoop far enough to get himself a nice long drink of water. Kai then hears more cracking, jumps up, and quickly scrambles back to land. He glances back at the river. "You are a worthy foe, but I have won this round.." He says, then stretches and shakes off the last of his restfulness.
So. Kai went exploring. Bristlecone remembers when he did the same. There's so many interesting things out there, it's no wonder a pup wants to see them all! The grownup (when'd that happen?) coyote can't really blame his nephew in the slightest. His mom seems to think he's supposed to 'talk to' the boy, though, so... here goes. He sniffs around the area, looking for Kai. It takes him a bit, but then he notices the fluff on the ice. Ah. Bristlecone goes still, not wanting to disturb the pup while he's on fragile ice. If it breaks, he'll have to dive for Kai. Can the pup even swim? Even if he can, not in icewater! Bristle breathes a sigh of relief as his nephew makes it back to land, then pads down toward him. "Can you swim?" he asks without preamble. He doesn't sound angry, though. Just... curious.
Kai was a little surprised to see his newfound foster-dad after his little ordeal to get a drink. "Of course I can swim!" He exclaims, then gives the older coyote a big innocent smile. Surely he had let his little incident go from yesterday, and would pretend nothing ever happened. Wouldn't he? Or maybe he hadn't been told yet! Kai smiles a little more without even realizing it. He knew better then to hope for such luck.
Bristlecone nods. "Good," he says in reply to Kai. "In the summer, this is a nice place for that. Bit cold this time of year, though." He goes silent for a moment, looking at that big innocent grin, and chuckles a little. "I heard you had a bit of an adventure yesterday." At least he still doesn't look angry. Curious, yeah. Amused, even.
Kai studies Bristlecone for a moment, his head tilting to one side, and sees that he wasn't angry. "Yep! It was fun too untill I met this wolf guy, Coinin, and he said I shouldn't have been out exploring on my own. He, and Aolani took me back home." His tail sways a little as he tries to keep a smile on his face. "He wasn't mean about it." Kai adds. He wonders idly if he'd get to go back there again someday. Kai grins thinking of all the many other places left to explore. Fun!
"You were pretty lucky," says Bristlecone. "Some wolves can get angry. You could have gotten hurt." He looks a bit more serious now. "He's right that you shouldn't be alone. Not until you can take care of yourself. That means being able to hide well enough that nobody can see you, and being able to run fast enough to get away. Not everyone is friendly like that wolf was." Stern, right. He's supposed to be lecturing the boy. "So, I need you to explore with someone until you've proven you can take care of yourself. With me, or Felix, or your grandparents, or someone else we say is okay for a trip."
Kai nods. "Sorry.. I'll be more careful next time." He looks down and wonders how he could improve his survival skills. He sits, and ponders this issue for a moment. "So how do I get better at those things?" Kai asks, and waits. His ears stood up straight, and he was over all intentive. He half hoped someone would take him to go hunting sometime.
Okay, good. Lecture successful! Bristlecone is glad that's over. Whew! The coyote grins. "You practice." He lifts up his nose and sniffs at the breeze, then chuckles. "Here. Do you smell that?" Bristlecone certainly can - a pheasant, probably tucked away in one of the little bushes nearby. Nervous birds, those. It took him months before he could sneak up and catch them. But it'll be good practice.
Kai tilts his head up to sniff the air. "Yeah, I do." He says quietly, and looks at Bristlecone. Taking the que from him, the adventurous coyote quietly wanders off into the brush and tries to find the bird. He creeps through the long grass, carefully peering through the blades for any movement, and listens intently to his surroundings. I'ma get me this bird... He thinks to himself determinedly.
The grass rustles softly as Kai steps through it. Bristlecone smiles, following a few steps behind his nephew and far more quietly. There's some trick to moving with the grass, where his paws barely even seem to touch the ground. The pheasant is hiding in a small thicket, the branches dead with winter and breaking up the mottled feathers. The scent is strong, though, and there are occasional flashes of motion.
Kai sees the thicket, and the quick movement. He moves in a little closer with a sense that this could be the life or death of him if he botched this later on down the line. Kai was a serious observer in times like these. To him in that moment, every step counted, and the moment to pounce had to be timed just right.
Bristlecone stops, crouching down into the grass and watching. As Kai grows closer, he can hear the occasional soft cluck from inside the thicket. The pheasant is there, nestling in amongst the dry branches. It's right there. Unsuspecting - at first. Then the pheasant cock lifts his head, with a ker-cluck of concern. He hasn't lived this long without developing a great deal of caution. Something's not quite right.
Kai judges the distance between him and the pheasant. He wonders if it was too soon. He sneaks in a little closer with his belly nearly to the ground. I'm gonna get you.. He thinks at the bird, and in that instant he makes the choice to spring from his spot. He lands on top of the pheasant and it lets out a squawk of alarm before Kai nabs it by the neck, and makes it go silent with a quick crunch. He gets up from the ground, and looks back at Bristlecone holding his prize between his sharp teeth. "Loowk whut I go-t." Kai says through the feathers.
Bristlecone watches from his spot in the grass as Kai sneaks up and pounces. When the triumphant pup returns with his prize, he grins, and nods. "Well done!" says the coyote, and lets Kai glory in his triumph for a moment. "Now. What did that bird do wrong, to let you catch it? What gave it away?"
Kai drops the pheasant to the ground, and rests on his haunches. He looks down at his dead prey contemplatively. "It hesitated." Kai says simply, "If I waited any longer he may have spotted me too." Kai bends down to eat happily.
Bristlecone nods. "That's true. Hesitation is sometimes what gets you in trouble. But moving too soon gets you in trouble too. If you had pounced before you were close enough, the bird would have gotten away. Hunting - and hiding - are all about finding the right moment." He grins. "You were lucky you were downwind of him, or he could have smelled you coming. Always pay attention to the wind."
Kai thinks at what Bristlecone said as he eats. "Oh yeah, the wind. I forgot about that!" Kai says between mouth fulls. He finishes his meal, sits, and licks his chops clean, then listens to the forest. He thinks, slightly entertained, and still feeling self-fulfilled, that for every tree there was another tasty morsel just waiting to get caught. Kai looks at Bristlecone with some respect. "Thanks for that. I needed a good hunt!"
Bristlecone chuckles as Kai admits to forgetting the wind. "And that, young coyote, is why you are not yet ready to go out on your own," he says with a fond smile. "You'll get there, though." He nods to the yougster's thanks, then grins as he gets an idea. "Have you met my friend Felix yet? The fox?"
Kai shakes his head. "I don't remember meeting a fox. Does it live around here?" Kai sniffs to see if any foxes had been in the area. The cold air relaxes him as he does. He was picking up traces of two distinct foxes. "Hmm.."
Bristlecone nods. "He does. I'll show him to you. He's someone else who you can go places with. He's also - " and here's that grin again " - someone you can practice your sneaking on. Pheasants are one thing, but remember. If you want to go out on your own, you need to be sneaky enough to even hide from other hunters."
Kai nods. "That would help, wouldn't it?" He smiles, and leaves the pheasant corpse behind to make his way back to the den. He wonders what the other coyotes do all day. Probably out exploring, and getting into all kinds of neat adventures while he still has to mill around the den all day. Kai plunks himself down next to a nearby tree on top of a thick root that was exposed from the ground. The forest sounds made him more aware of what was around him, and relaxes him as his stomach settles from his snack.
Bristlecone pads back after Kai, and settles down. Now what? When he was a pup, he played with the others his own age, but... there aren't any of those. It's just him and the youngster. He racks his brains for something to suggest, and comes up with something his dad used to do. He never paid much attention at the time, but... "The forest can tell you a lot, if you learn how to listen. The sounds of the wind, the creak of the branches, all of these are part of the forest, as much as your breath and your heartbeat as a part of you."
Kai sighs, and nods. "My mom told me to always pay attention to the land." He remembers when she used to get mad at him for being too loud, and obnoxious. Kai grins, and glances mischievously over at Bristlecone. "I wonder what the wolves are up to."
Bristlecone nods. No wonder! She had the same dad to try to teach her that stuff. "She was right about that," he agrees, and then chuckles. He stands up, stretches, and then gives himself a shake. "Well. Why don't we go find out?"
His ears perked up at that. Kai quickly gets back up onto his paws, and looks out in the direction of the creek. He wonders if it was really ok to wander back into wolf territory, but Bristlecone's easy reply was all the motivation he needed.
Well, there are different definitions of 'okay'. Some might argue that Bristlecone is being careless, and shouldn't take Kai there. But he's supposed to investigate there, right? And the wolf there was friendly to the pup before, brought him back and everything. Soooooo... why not? Yeah, maybe Bristle isn't the most responsible of coyotes, but... oops? "Come on," he says to his nephew with a grin. "We can practice stalking along the way."
---Trickling River---
The trip was a fun one. Kai weaved in and out through the trees it seemed like, but fell back in Bristlecone's tracks to learn from the way he moved. When he could hear the creek not too far off Kai sniffs the air to inspect the area while keeping up with Bristlecone still.
Bristlecone leads his nephew along first one trail, then another. Sometimes he points things out - the broken branches where a deer has passed, or the scratch-marks of a cougar left on a tree. Important lessons. Soon, they grow close to the wolf territory. The adult coyote points out the scent-marks on the borders. See? This is how you /know/ when you're trespassing! Not that it stops him.
Kai hums a tune inbetween instances where Bristlecone shows him this or that thing he needs to pay attention to. He wonders if any wolfs were in the area at the moment. Hopefully they wouldn't run into an entire pack, but that couldn't be too bad if Mr. Coinin was there. Kai's expression drops. What if Coinin got angry? Well he'd find out soon enough if he was in the area.
Coinin is pretty much in his usual spot a few feet away from the river. Its a spot that more or less has become his over the last few weeks. At least no one else seems to have claimed it. The day has been uneventful. No sign of anyone really. All it all rather boring. He has a couple of things on his to do list, but most of those things he needs Tariro around for. The first being he wants to find out exactly what are the boundaries of the land controlled by the pack so that he can patrol them as he said he would. His attention is drawn to the sound of the approaching paws and voices. It seesm a visit is being made. He lifts his head and spots the new arrivals, "Hello." he says.
Bristlecone continues on past the wolf-borders, to find - oh, look at that! A wolf! He grins cheerfully, and gives a nod of his head. "Hello," he replies, glancing back to make sure of Kai before returning his attention to Coinin. "I bring greetings, and hope your hunts have been well and fruitful." Politeness, even!
Kai wanders over to stand next to Bristlecone. "I brought an adult this time." Kai says, and grins. He makes a note of Bristlecone's demeanor, and that of the wolf, then goes into "survival mode" and measures his surroundings for any potential threats. Or at least what he could gather. He looks back at Coinin with inquisitive eyes. He thinks Bristlecone's greeting over, trying to learn something from it, and finds that it made sense to ask if the wolf had eaten or not recently. Kai wouldn't want to be around a hungry wolf. At least not alone.
Coinin has no reason to treat the group with any disrespect. Tariro has shown that he doesn't care about them being there and until he hears differently from the alpha he will treat them as friends, strange friends, but friends none the less, "Thank you. You are most welcome here." he says in reply to Bristlecone. Well the coyote is certainly capable of being polite...politness is good. He then turns his attention toward the younger of the two coyotes, "Good for you. Definitely the right way of doing things."
Bristlecone nods to Kai, and smiles. He looks to Coinin. "I understand you found him wandering the other day. Thank you for returning him safely home," he says to the wolf. "I've had a talk with him about that." He sounds all parental and responsible-like!
Kai smiles at Coinin, and was happy that the wolf was still as nice as he had been yesterday. Feeling free to do as he pleased.. for the most part, Kai wanders over to the creek to investigate it's shallowness. He looks around himself half expecting to see more wolfs, but all the mingled scents were old.
Coinin has serious doubts about Bristlecone's readiness to be a parent. Perhaps its a bit different for coyotes. Truth be told he has doubts about himself in that regard...folks in glasses houses and all that...probably shouldn't be throwing stones, "You are welcome. I'm pleased to hear that you had a chat with him. I'm sure that he has learned to be more careful." he says. Yeah all the scents are old...very boring, rather sad really but what can you do. He finds himself hoping Lex and Niyt find their way home soon, and Anoki too. He kind of liked that little guy.
Bristlecone keeps an eye on Kai as he explores, and nods to Coinin. "Something every pup has to learn," he says with a chuckle. "Has your pack decided to stick around here, then? We haven't had wolves this close in a while." It's not that surprising his nephew got into trouble, with temptation so nearby.
Kai wanders back to sit next to Bristlecone so he could listen to the two without feeling like he was eavesdropping. He observes their exchange with curiosity, but opens his mouth wide to yawn somewhat dismayed at the lack of others his age. Oh well. Maybe it was a good thing to have less distractions? He was allowed a nice refresher on hunting. He hadn't had many chances before to hunt on his own even though he'd begged his mother to let him help. Hmph. Kai sighed, and was a little miffed he didn't have anyone else to play with. He'd ask if there were younger wolves his age seeing that he was the only young coyote, but he couldn't seem to work up the courage to ask Coinin.
Coinin thinks thats another thing that he needs Tariro for. He has no idea why the pack is here. He knows that they moved here relatively recently but recently is all the time that he has known them, "Our alpha hasn't said anything about that. I suppose we stay until he decides that we move. I'm sure if we move we'll let you know where we are going." Coinin would actually prefer moving further away from the coyotes, not because he dislikes them, but just because it seems so odd to live next door to them. There are pups around here, but he has no idea where they would be. Anoki is one of the wolves that he hasn't seen in many days now.
Bristlecone leans over and gives a little nudge between Kai's ears when his nephew comes back, then nods. "I see," he says in reply to Coinin, and then hmms. Looking at Kai, he independently comes up with a question that has been unvoiced by the others. Surely a group of wolves this big has pups. And... "Perhaps, if you stay nearby, our pups can play together. My father always does say that we can learn from everyone. Coyotes and wolves must have something to teach each other."
Kai looks measurably pleased with the question. His tail shifts from one side to the other waiting on Coinin's reply. He's as happy as a young coyote could be now allowed to be out and about the forest. Even if he had to have a baby sitter. Kai reminded himself it was for his own good, and he could get eaten by a bear if he wasn't careful! He smiles, and listens.
Coinin knows of all of one pup, and he would imagine that Anoki would be sort of nervous being away from the group for any period of time given his recent experience. It might be good for him to have someone his age to play with though, "I'm sure that something can be worked out." he says in response to Bristle's comment. He doesn't know if its place to talk about the pups since they aren't his and he doesn't know if its polite to talk about other folks young ones. Still definitely plans to ask Niyt about it when she returns.
Bristlecone nods to Coinin. "It usually can," he says with a friendly grin. Seems like this wolf is a rather taciturn sort. Still, he's not being threatening, so it should work out. Somehow. The coyote glances back to Kai, then around the area. "Have you spoken to the wolves north of here?" he asks curiously. Those have been around for a long time, after all.
Kai shakes his head. "Since you found me I've only been able to explore this place, and around the den." Kai looks bored, and tired, but continues to watch the two curiously. "Is your pack a big one?" He asks Coinin.
Coinin actually can be rather talkative once you get to know him. Its just that he is a bit nervous about giving out too much information. The alpha being ok with being so near is one thing, but giving out pack information. That seems to Coinin to be another matter. Still even that can change with time and effort, "I'm afraid that I haven't. I've heard that they are there, but have never visited them. Perhaps some day I will, but I'm not sure if the pack would like me wandering off." he says. Part of living in a pack is that you lose a bit of freedom but gain a bit of security, and certainly friendship, though at the moment the pack is a bit too quiet for his liking. Perhaps he will make a visit up that way sometime. Besides, he had heard from Niyt that she visited them. Though that seemed under rather special circumstances. Still maybe he should get out more. Perhaps that is where Lex and Niyt went after the battle. After all he knows the pup they were looking for was from that pack. Perhaps Anoki is there too? Interesting thought. Tariro seemed rather close lipped on the matter when he had come back. He looks over to the pup, "You know I think I've met about 4 or 5 of the pack. I'm not sure how many members there might be out there."
Bristlecone nods. "Seems a pretty good-sized pack, then," he says. "Sounds like you're rather a new arrival, though. Been anyplace interesting along the way?" Kai will appreciate a good story, he's sure. Amusing the kids, as he's growing to understand, is important.
Kai lays to rest on his belly, and watches the resting wolf. He glances to the side at Bristlecone, and listens to the creek behind them. His ears twitch at the story. He seems interested, but only vaguely.
The sound of voices is what draws Neero to the spot. He picks his way through the terrain rather carefully, considering he doesn't know many of the speakers. Fur sticks up along his back as he gets closer; he's still young and has never met a coyote before, though he has seen them from a distance. He still carries strong scents of the Cerulean pack, so he's not afraid of being driven away, but his stiff-legged approach makes it clear he's not comfortable in this setting. He sits down reguardless not far away and lifts his nose to the air, making sure that this was the spot he had been hunting for and that the Cerulean pack was actually close-by. Upon smelling Coinin, he relaxes slightly, but stays quiet for a moment, keeping a polite distance from them for now.
Coinin has yet to figure out that its important to amuse kids. He has spent very little time around young ones. His parents didn't really have another litter after his litter, at least so far as he is aware, and so he never really got to spend time with wolves that were younger than himself. He did spend pleanty of time with those his own age. Some he liked, and some he didn't. He never really cared much for his older brother and the feeling was most definitely mutual, "You know I didn't see much of anything on the way here. I actually met a few foxes on the way, but they weren't very talkative. I smelled a bear or two but I didn't really want to have much to..." his story sort of trails off as he notices the new arrival. Who is this? he thinks to himself. He has not met this young one, but clearly he is a member of this pack, "Hello." he says.
Bristlecone nods to Coinin as he speaks, though he's soon distracted by the approach of Neero. Oh, look! A young wolf! He leans down and nudges Kai. "Why don't you go introduce yourself? Politely!" he tells the youngster. He knows nothing of the strange circumstances, just assuming this is one of the juveniles of the pack. Perfectly normal!
Kai glances in the direction of the new arrival, and his ears perk up. Kai notices their differences, but he didn't really think it mattered, so he puts it out of his mind as he stands, and casually approaches the younger wolf. He stops a couple yards away to give them a comfortable distance. Kai smiles in a wide tongue lolling goofy way that either makes himself look like a fool, or just a happy camper. "Hey!"
Neero's ears turn back awkwardly when everyone takes notice of him and he wags his tail slowly in hopes that this will show that he's friendly. When the smaller coyote approaches him, however, his tail stops waving. "H'lo," He mumbles, inching closer to get a better sniff of Kai. He tilts his head to the side curiously, "What are you?" He asks, putting emphasis on the middle word.
Coinin has never met this young pup before. He wonders who the parents are. It would stand to reason that the pup was the son of Shag and whoever Niyt's mother was. Unless of course he is Tariro's, "How are you doing tonight?" he asks the young pup. Perhaps the pup will give more information, but he doesn't want to interupt the two young ones getting to know each other too much.
Bristlecone smiles, his tail gently wagging as he watches. Friends! That's what Kai needs. Why, when he was young, he had the best of friends. Still does!
Kai smiles finding his question funny. "Name's Kai. I'm a coyote.. What about you? What's your name?" Grins trying to contain his joy. His tail swooshes from side to side looking at the young wolf with all the interest in the world, but he was still hesitant. He was a wolf after all, and Coinin may have been nice, but he didn't know what other wolfs might think of him.
Neero lets his feet carry him a bit closer as he answers Coinin, "Tired and a bit sore," He admits, "I still need to get my endurance up. My dad was quite a ways off. I'm Shag and Alaqua's son, but I didn't want to keep wandering around, so I came back." He moved a few steps closer to Kai, finally close enough to do what he wanted to do the whole time. He stuck his nose in Kai's ear and snuffled a bit. It seemed he wasn't going to be attacked, so he had relaxed.
So this is Niyt's little brother, she hadn't said anything about him, but that doesn't mean very much as her attention was very focused on getting Anoki and the others back, "I'm pleased to see you've come back." he says. He turns his attention back to Bristlecone, "So you're a dad now huh?" he asks.
Bristlecone grins, watching as the youngsters introduce themselves to each other. Good, they're making friends. At Coinin's question to him he blinks. "Huh? What?" he says, then, "Oh! "No, Kai isn't... he's not my son, I just... I'm taking care of him. Uh. Until he's grown up."
Kai shakes his head from the nose pokeage in his ear. He tilts his head to the side looking at the wolf, and smiles playfully. "Like my ears?" Kai laughs, and fights the urge to pounce the earsnuffling fiend. "Find anything interesting in them?"
Neero grins broadly, "I found some bugs you may wanna take care of." He joked. "My name's Neero." He announced, sitting heavily with a soft thump.
Coinin looks over to Bristlecone, "Isn't that the definition of being a dad?" he asks him. It seems like Bristle might have bitten off a little bit more than he can chew.
Uhhhhhhh... crap. That kinda is the definition of a dad, isn't it? Bristlecone blinks a few times, left without any answer.
"Neero huh? Well I'll be sure to dunk my head into the river in the morning. I'm sure that'll get rid of them!" He notices the forest was beginning to grow darker, and lets out a small sigh. "Well darn. Guess it's getting late." Kai looks back over to Bristlecone. He had heard that last bit of conversation, and suddenly feels a little bad for him.
Neero nods and sighs, "Well it has been a long day...Maybe I should go find a place to sleep." He gave Kai a few friendly licks and trotted towards Coinin, "I'll probably be asleep for a while, but I'll be around if anyone needs me." He knew no one would need a juvenile for anything important, but it was supposed to be nice to offer..
Coinin smiles down to the pup and nods, "Its ok. Sleep as long as you want." he says to him. He is correct, there is nothing really that would be needed out of the young one, "I'm glad you're back."
Bristlecone gives himself a shake, and pads toward Kai and... responsibility. How weird is that? He's a responsible adult now. A... dad. Wow, that's such a strange word to apply to himself. Soooo weird. "Time for us to head back," he says to Kai. "We can come see your new friend again later."
Kai smiles at Bristlecone satisfied with himself, and happy that he had met a potential playmate. He looks back at Neero, "Guess I'll see you guys later then!" then with that he turns and heads over to Bristlecone to leave.
---Merging Tributary---
The way back is taken somewhat more directly than the trip to visit the wolves. After all, it's getting late, and young coyotes should be tucked into the den to sleep. Bristlecone does point out the evening calls of frogs and the distant hoot of an early owl, and soon the two arrive back by the patch of riverbank they call 'home'.
Bristlecone - Male Coyote
Coinin - Male Wolf
Neero - Male Juvenile Wolf
--- Merging Tributary ---
Kai leaves the den to stretch his limbs, and get him a nice morning drink. He faintly remembers Aolani breaking the ice in the center of the river, so assuming it was the easiest option, Kai wanders over to the riverbank. The river moved ever on below the surface of the ice. Kai looked down at it to judge it's stability, then carefully puts his forepaws down against the ice to see if it could handle at least half of his weight. Nothing happened. "Hmm.." He says, and slowly moves out onto the layer of ice. Maybe it was thick enough to handle a young coyote after all? Kai carefully walks out towards the center till his front paws begin to add too much pressure to the ice. He could tell by the sound of a crack as he got closer to the break in the ice Aolani had made to get some fish for him. This is a stupid idea. He thinks, but he was feeling somewhat impulsive after having been playing possum in the den for a good portion of the day. Kai manages to lay down and stoop far enough to get himself a nice long drink of water. Kai then hears more cracking, jumps up, and quickly scrambles back to land. He glances back at the river. "You are a worthy foe, but I have won this round.." He says, then stretches and shakes off the last of his restfulness.
So. Kai went exploring. Bristlecone remembers when he did the same. There's so many interesting things out there, it's no wonder a pup wants to see them all! The grownup (when'd that happen?) coyote can't really blame his nephew in the slightest. His mom seems to think he's supposed to 'talk to' the boy, though, so... here goes. He sniffs around the area, looking for Kai. It takes him a bit, but then he notices the fluff on the ice. Ah. Bristlecone goes still, not wanting to disturb the pup while he's on fragile ice. If it breaks, he'll have to dive for Kai. Can the pup even swim? Even if he can, not in icewater! Bristle breathes a sigh of relief as his nephew makes it back to land, then pads down toward him. "Can you swim?" he asks without preamble. He doesn't sound angry, though. Just... curious.
Kai was a little surprised to see his newfound foster-dad after his little ordeal to get a drink. "Of course I can swim!" He exclaims, then gives the older coyote a big innocent smile. Surely he had let his little incident go from yesterday, and would pretend nothing ever happened. Wouldn't he? Or maybe he hadn't been told yet! Kai smiles a little more without even realizing it. He knew better then to hope for such luck.
Bristlecone nods. "Good," he says in reply to Kai. "In the summer, this is a nice place for that. Bit cold this time of year, though." He goes silent for a moment, looking at that big innocent grin, and chuckles a little. "I heard you had a bit of an adventure yesterday." At least he still doesn't look angry. Curious, yeah. Amused, even.
Kai studies Bristlecone for a moment, his head tilting to one side, and sees that he wasn't angry. "Yep! It was fun too untill I met this wolf guy, Coinin, and he said I shouldn't have been out exploring on my own. He, and Aolani took me back home." His tail sways a little as he tries to keep a smile on his face. "He wasn't mean about it." Kai adds. He wonders idly if he'd get to go back there again someday. Kai grins thinking of all the many other places left to explore. Fun!
"You were pretty lucky," says Bristlecone. "Some wolves can get angry. You could have gotten hurt." He looks a bit more serious now. "He's right that you shouldn't be alone. Not until you can take care of yourself. That means being able to hide well enough that nobody can see you, and being able to run fast enough to get away. Not everyone is friendly like that wolf was." Stern, right. He's supposed to be lecturing the boy. "So, I need you to explore with someone until you've proven you can take care of yourself. With me, or Felix, or your grandparents, or someone else we say is okay for a trip."
Kai nods. "Sorry.. I'll be more careful next time." He looks down and wonders how he could improve his survival skills. He sits, and ponders this issue for a moment. "So how do I get better at those things?" Kai asks, and waits. His ears stood up straight, and he was over all intentive. He half hoped someone would take him to go hunting sometime.
Okay, good. Lecture successful! Bristlecone is glad that's over. Whew! The coyote grins. "You practice." He lifts up his nose and sniffs at the breeze, then chuckles. "Here. Do you smell that?" Bristlecone certainly can - a pheasant, probably tucked away in one of the little bushes nearby. Nervous birds, those. It took him months before he could sneak up and catch them. But it'll be good practice.
Kai tilts his head up to sniff the air. "Yeah, I do." He says quietly, and looks at Bristlecone. Taking the que from him, the adventurous coyote quietly wanders off into the brush and tries to find the bird. He creeps through the long grass, carefully peering through the blades for any movement, and listens intently to his surroundings. I'ma get me this bird... He thinks to himself determinedly.
The grass rustles softly as Kai steps through it. Bristlecone smiles, following a few steps behind his nephew and far more quietly. There's some trick to moving with the grass, where his paws barely even seem to touch the ground. The pheasant is hiding in a small thicket, the branches dead with winter and breaking up the mottled feathers. The scent is strong, though, and there are occasional flashes of motion.
Kai sees the thicket, and the quick movement. He moves in a little closer with a sense that this could be the life or death of him if he botched this later on down the line. Kai was a serious observer in times like these. To him in that moment, every step counted, and the moment to pounce had to be timed just right.
Bristlecone stops, crouching down into the grass and watching. As Kai grows closer, he can hear the occasional soft cluck from inside the thicket. The pheasant is there, nestling in amongst the dry branches. It's right there. Unsuspecting - at first. Then the pheasant cock lifts his head, with a ker-cluck of concern. He hasn't lived this long without developing a great deal of caution. Something's not quite right.
Kai judges the distance between him and the pheasant. He wonders if it was too soon. He sneaks in a little closer with his belly nearly to the ground. I'm gonna get you.. He thinks at the bird, and in that instant he makes the choice to spring from his spot. He lands on top of the pheasant and it lets out a squawk of alarm before Kai nabs it by the neck, and makes it go silent with a quick crunch. He gets up from the ground, and looks back at Bristlecone holding his prize between his sharp teeth. "Loowk whut I go-t." Kai says through the feathers.
Bristlecone watches from his spot in the grass as Kai sneaks up and pounces. When the triumphant pup returns with his prize, he grins, and nods. "Well done!" says the coyote, and lets Kai glory in his triumph for a moment. "Now. What did that bird do wrong, to let you catch it? What gave it away?"
Kai drops the pheasant to the ground, and rests on his haunches. He looks down at his dead prey contemplatively. "It hesitated." Kai says simply, "If I waited any longer he may have spotted me too." Kai bends down to eat happily.
Bristlecone nods. "That's true. Hesitation is sometimes what gets you in trouble. But moving too soon gets you in trouble too. If you had pounced before you were close enough, the bird would have gotten away. Hunting - and hiding - are all about finding the right moment." He grins. "You were lucky you were downwind of him, or he could have smelled you coming. Always pay attention to the wind."
Kai thinks at what Bristlecone said as he eats. "Oh yeah, the wind. I forgot about that!" Kai says between mouth fulls. He finishes his meal, sits, and licks his chops clean, then listens to the forest. He thinks, slightly entertained, and still feeling self-fulfilled, that for every tree there was another tasty morsel just waiting to get caught. Kai looks at Bristlecone with some respect. "Thanks for that. I needed a good hunt!"
Bristlecone chuckles as Kai admits to forgetting the wind. "And that, young coyote, is why you are not yet ready to go out on your own," he says with a fond smile. "You'll get there, though." He nods to the yougster's thanks, then grins as he gets an idea. "Have you met my friend Felix yet? The fox?"
Kai shakes his head. "I don't remember meeting a fox. Does it live around here?" Kai sniffs to see if any foxes had been in the area. The cold air relaxes him as he does. He was picking up traces of two distinct foxes. "Hmm.."
Bristlecone nods. "He does. I'll show him to you. He's someone else who you can go places with. He's also - " and here's that grin again " - someone you can practice your sneaking on. Pheasants are one thing, but remember. If you want to go out on your own, you need to be sneaky enough to even hide from other hunters."
Kai nods. "That would help, wouldn't it?" He smiles, and leaves the pheasant corpse behind to make his way back to the den. He wonders what the other coyotes do all day. Probably out exploring, and getting into all kinds of neat adventures while he still has to mill around the den all day. Kai plunks himself down next to a nearby tree on top of a thick root that was exposed from the ground. The forest sounds made him more aware of what was around him, and relaxes him as his stomach settles from his snack.
Bristlecone pads back after Kai, and settles down. Now what? When he was a pup, he played with the others his own age, but... there aren't any of those. It's just him and the youngster. He racks his brains for something to suggest, and comes up with something his dad used to do. He never paid much attention at the time, but... "The forest can tell you a lot, if you learn how to listen. The sounds of the wind, the creak of the branches, all of these are part of the forest, as much as your breath and your heartbeat as a part of you."
Kai sighs, and nods. "My mom told me to always pay attention to the land." He remembers when she used to get mad at him for being too loud, and obnoxious. Kai grins, and glances mischievously over at Bristlecone. "I wonder what the wolves are up to."
Bristlecone nods. No wonder! She had the same dad to try to teach her that stuff. "She was right about that," he agrees, and then chuckles. He stands up, stretches, and then gives himself a shake. "Well. Why don't we go find out?"
His ears perked up at that. Kai quickly gets back up onto his paws, and looks out in the direction of the creek. He wonders if it was really ok to wander back into wolf territory, but Bristlecone's easy reply was all the motivation he needed.
Well, there are different definitions of 'okay'. Some might argue that Bristlecone is being careless, and shouldn't take Kai there. But he's supposed to investigate there, right? And the wolf there was friendly to the pup before, brought him back and everything. Soooooo... why not? Yeah, maybe Bristle isn't the most responsible of coyotes, but... oops? "Come on," he says to his nephew with a grin. "We can practice stalking along the way."
---Trickling River---
The trip was a fun one. Kai weaved in and out through the trees it seemed like, but fell back in Bristlecone's tracks to learn from the way he moved. When he could hear the creek not too far off Kai sniffs the air to inspect the area while keeping up with Bristlecone still.
Bristlecone leads his nephew along first one trail, then another. Sometimes he points things out - the broken branches where a deer has passed, or the scratch-marks of a cougar left on a tree. Important lessons. Soon, they grow close to the wolf territory. The adult coyote points out the scent-marks on the borders. See? This is how you /know/ when you're trespassing! Not that it stops him.
Kai hums a tune inbetween instances where Bristlecone shows him this or that thing he needs to pay attention to. He wonders if any wolfs were in the area at the moment. Hopefully they wouldn't run into an entire pack, but that couldn't be too bad if Mr. Coinin was there. Kai's expression drops. What if Coinin got angry? Well he'd find out soon enough if he was in the area.
Coinin is pretty much in his usual spot a few feet away from the river. Its a spot that more or less has become his over the last few weeks. At least no one else seems to have claimed it. The day has been uneventful. No sign of anyone really. All it all rather boring. He has a couple of things on his to do list, but most of those things he needs Tariro around for. The first being he wants to find out exactly what are the boundaries of the land controlled by the pack so that he can patrol them as he said he would. His attention is drawn to the sound of the approaching paws and voices. It seesm a visit is being made. He lifts his head and spots the new arrivals, "Hello." he says.
Bristlecone continues on past the wolf-borders, to find - oh, look at that! A wolf! He grins cheerfully, and gives a nod of his head. "Hello," he replies, glancing back to make sure of Kai before returning his attention to Coinin. "I bring greetings, and hope your hunts have been well and fruitful." Politeness, even!
Kai wanders over to stand next to Bristlecone. "I brought an adult this time." Kai says, and grins. He makes a note of Bristlecone's demeanor, and that of the wolf, then goes into "survival mode" and measures his surroundings for any potential threats. Or at least what he could gather. He looks back at Coinin with inquisitive eyes. He thinks Bristlecone's greeting over, trying to learn something from it, and finds that it made sense to ask if the wolf had eaten or not recently. Kai wouldn't want to be around a hungry wolf. At least not alone.
Coinin has no reason to treat the group with any disrespect. Tariro has shown that he doesn't care about them being there and until he hears differently from the alpha he will treat them as friends, strange friends, but friends none the less, "Thank you. You are most welcome here." he says in reply to Bristlecone. Well the coyote is certainly capable of being polite...politness is good. He then turns his attention toward the younger of the two coyotes, "Good for you. Definitely the right way of doing things."
Bristlecone nods to Kai, and smiles. He looks to Coinin. "I understand you found him wandering the other day. Thank you for returning him safely home," he says to the wolf. "I've had a talk with him about that." He sounds all parental and responsible-like!
Kai smiles at Coinin, and was happy that the wolf was still as nice as he had been yesterday. Feeling free to do as he pleased.. for the most part, Kai wanders over to the creek to investigate it's shallowness. He looks around himself half expecting to see more wolfs, but all the mingled scents were old.
Coinin has serious doubts about Bristlecone's readiness to be a parent. Perhaps its a bit different for coyotes. Truth be told he has doubts about himself in that regard...folks in glasses houses and all that...probably shouldn't be throwing stones, "You are welcome. I'm pleased to hear that you had a chat with him. I'm sure that he has learned to be more careful." he says. Yeah all the scents are old...very boring, rather sad really but what can you do. He finds himself hoping Lex and Niyt find their way home soon, and Anoki too. He kind of liked that little guy.
Bristlecone keeps an eye on Kai as he explores, and nods to Coinin. "Something every pup has to learn," he says with a chuckle. "Has your pack decided to stick around here, then? We haven't had wolves this close in a while." It's not that surprising his nephew got into trouble, with temptation so nearby.
Kai wanders back to sit next to Bristlecone so he could listen to the two without feeling like he was eavesdropping. He observes their exchange with curiosity, but opens his mouth wide to yawn somewhat dismayed at the lack of others his age. Oh well. Maybe it was a good thing to have less distractions? He was allowed a nice refresher on hunting. He hadn't had many chances before to hunt on his own even though he'd begged his mother to let him help. Hmph. Kai sighed, and was a little miffed he didn't have anyone else to play with. He'd ask if there were younger wolves his age seeing that he was the only young coyote, but he couldn't seem to work up the courage to ask Coinin.
Coinin thinks thats another thing that he needs Tariro for. He has no idea why the pack is here. He knows that they moved here relatively recently but recently is all the time that he has known them, "Our alpha hasn't said anything about that. I suppose we stay until he decides that we move. I'm sure if we move we'll let you know where we are going." Coinin would actually prefer moving further away from the coyotes, not because he dislikes them, but just because it seems so odd to live next door to them. There are pups around here, but he has no idea where they would be. Anoki is one of the wolves that he hasn't seen in many days now.
Bristlecone leans over and gives a little nudge between Kai's ears when his nephew comes back, then nods. "I see," he says in reply to Coinin, and then hmms. Looking at Kai, he independently comes up with a question that has been unvoiced by the others. Surely a group of wolves this big has pups. And... "Perhaps, if you stay nearby, our pups can play together. My father always does say that we can learn from everyone. Coyotes and wolves must have something to teach each other."
Kai looks measurably pleased with the question. His tail shifts from one side to the other waiting on Coinin's reply. He's as happy as a young coyote could be now allowed to be out and about the forest. Even if he had to have a baby sitter. Kai reminded himself it was for his own good, and he could get eaten by a bear if he wasn't careful! He smiles, and listens.
Coinin knows of all of one pup, and he would imagine that Anoki would be sort of nervous being away from the group for any period of time given his recent experience. It might be good for him to have someone his age to play with though, "I'm sure that something can be worked out." he says in response to Bristle's comment. He doesn't know if its place to talk about the pups since they aren't his and he doesn't know if its polite to talk about other folks young ones. Still definitely plans to ask Niyt about it when she returns.
Bristlecone nods to Coinin. "It usually can," he says with a friendly grin. Seems like this wolf is a rather taciturn sort. Still, he's not being threatening, so it should work out. Somehow. The coyote glances back to Kai, then around the area. "Have you spoken to the wolves north of here?" he asks curiously. Those have been around for a long time, after all.
Kai shakes his head. "Since you found me I've only been able to explore this place, and around the den." Kai looks bored, and tired, but continues to watch the two curiously. "Is your pack a big one?" He asks Coinin.
Coinin actually can be rather talkative once you get to know him. Its just that he is a bit nervous about giving out too much information. The alpha being ok with being so near is one thing, but giving out pack information. That seems to Coinin to be another matter. Still even that can change with time and effort, "I'm afraid that I haven't. I've heard that they are there, but have never visited them. Perhaps some day I will, but I'm not sure if the pack would like me wandering off." he says. Part of living in a pack is that you lose a bit of freedom but gain a bit of security, and certainly friendship, though at the moment the pack is a bit too quiet for his liking. Perhaps he will make a visit up that way sometime. Besides, he had heard from Niyt that she visited them. Though that seemed under rather special circumstances. Still maybe he should get out more. Perhaps that is where Lex and Niyt went after the battle. After all he knows the pup they were looking for was from that pack. Perhaps Anoki is there too? Interesting thought. Tariro seemed rather close lipped on the matter when he had come back. He looks over to the pup, "You know I think I've met about 4 or 5 of the pack. I'm not sure how many members there might be out there."
Bristlecone nods. "Seems a pretty good-sized pack, then," he says. "Sounds like you're rather a new arrival, though. Been anyplace interesting along the way?" Kai will appreciate a good story, he's sure. Amusing the kids, as he's growing to understand, is important.
Kai lays to rest on his belly, and watches the resting wolf. He glances to the side at Bristlecone, and listens to the creek behind them. His ears twitch at the story. He seems interested, but only vaguely.
The sound of voices is what draws Neero to the spot. He picks his way through the terrain rather carefully, considering he doesn't know many of the speakers. Fur sticks up along his back as he gets closer; he's still young and has never met a coyote before, though he has seen them from a distance. He still carries strong scents of the Cerulean pack, so he's not afraid of being driven away, but his stiff-legged approach makes it clear he's not comfortable in this setting. He sits down reguardless not far away and lifts his nose to the air, making sure that this was the spot he had been hunting for and that the Cerulean pack was actually close-by. Upon smelling Coinin, he relaxes slightly, but stays quiet for a moment, keeping a polite distance from them for now.
Coinin has yet to figure out that its important to amuse kids. He has spent very little time around young ones. His parents didn't really have another litter after his litter, at least so far as he is aware, and so he never really got to spend time with wolves that were younger than himself. He did spend pleanty of time with those his own age. Some he liked, and some he didn't. He never really cared much for his older brother and the feeling was most definitely mutual, "You know I didn't see much of anything on the way here. I actually met a few foxes on the way, but they weren't very talkative. I smelled a bear or two but I didn't really want to have much to..." his story sort of trails off as he notices the new arrival. Who is this? he thinks to himself. He has not met this young one, but clearly he is a member of this pack, "Hello." he says.
Bristlecone nods to Coinin as he speaks, though he's soon distracted by the approach of Neero. Oh, look! A young wolf! He leans down and nudges Kai. "Why don't you go introduce yourself? Politely!" he tells the youngster. He knows nothing of the strange circumstances, just assuming this is one of the juveniles of the pack. Perfectly normal!
Kai glances in the direction of the new arrival, and his ears perk up. Kai notices their differences, but he didn't really think it mattered, so he puts it out of his mind as he stands, and casually approaches the younger wolf. He stops a couple yards away to give them a comfortable distance. Kai smiles in a wide tongue lolling goofy way that either makes himself look like a fool, or just a happy camper. "Hey!"
Neero's ears turn back awkwardly when everyone takes notice of him and he wags his tail slowly in hopes that this will show that he's friendly. When the smaller coyote approaches him, however, his tail stops waving. "H'lo," He mumbles, inching closer to get a better sniff of Kai. He tilts his head to the side curiously, "What are you?" He asks, putting emphasis on the middle word.
Coinin has never met this young pup before. He wonders who the parents are. It would stand to reason that the pup was the son of Shag and whoever Niyt's mother was. Unless of course he is Tariro's, "How are you doing tonight?" he asks the young pup. Perhaps the pup will give more information, but he doesn't want to interupt the two young ones getting to know each other too much.
Bristlecone smiles, his tail gently wagging as he watches. Friends! That's what Kai needs. Why, when he was young, he had the best of friends. Still does!
Kai smiles finding his question funny. "Name's Kai. I'm a coyote.. What about you? What's your name?" Grins trying to contain his joy. His tail swooshes from side to side looking at the young wolf with all the interest in the world, but he was still hesitant. He was a wolf after all, and Coinin may have been nice, but he didn't know what other wolfs might think of him.
Neero lets his feet carry him a bit closer as he answers Coinin, "Tired and a bit sore," He admits, "I still need to get my endurance up. My dad was quite a ways off. I'm Shag and Alaqua's son, but I didn't want to keep wandering around, so I came back." He moved a few steps closer to Kai, finally close enough to do what he wanted to do the whole time. He stuck his nose in Kai's ear and snuffled a bit. It seemed he wasn't going to be attacked, so he had relaxed.
So this is Niyt's little brother, she hadn't said anything about him, but that doesn't mean very much as her attention was very focused on getting Anoki and the others back, "I'm pleased to see you've come back." he says. He turns his attention back to Bristlecone, "So you're a dad now huh?" he asks.
Bristlecone grins, watching as the youngsters introduce themselves to each other. Good, they're making friends. At Coinin's question to him he blinks. "Huh? What?" he says, then, "Oh! "No, Kai isn't... he's not my son, I just... I'm taking care of him. Uh. Until he's grown up."
Kai shakes his head from the nose pokeage in his ear. He tilts his head to the side looking at the wolf, and smiles playfully. "Like my ears?" Kai laughs, and fights the urge to pounce the earsnuffling fiend. "Find anything interesting in them?"
Neero grins broadly, "I found some bugs you may wanna take care of." He joked. "My name's Neero." He announced, sitting heavily with a soft thump.
Coinin looks over to Bristlecone, "Isn't that the definition of being a dad?" he asks him. It seems like Bristle might have bitten off a little bit more than he can chew.
Uhhhhhhh... crap. That kinda is the definition of a dad, isn't it? Bristlecone blinks a few times, left without any answer.
"Neero huh? Well I'll be sure to dunk my head into the river in the morning. I'm sure that'll get rid of them!" He notices the forest was beginning to grow darker, and lets out a small sigh. "Well darn. Guess it's getting late." Kai looks back over to Bristlecone. He had heard that last bit of conversation, and suddenly feels a little bad for him.
Neero nods and sighs, "Well it has been a long day...Maybe I should go find a place to sleep." He gave Kai a few friendly licks and trotted towards Coinin, "I'll probably be asleep for a while, but I'll be around if anyone needs me." He knew no one would need a juvenile for anything important, but it was supposed to be nice to offer..
Coinin smiles down to the pup and nods, "Its ok. Sleep as long as you want." he says to him. He is correct, there is nothing really that would be needed out of the young one, "I'm glad you're back."
Bristlecone gives himself a shake, and pads toward Kai and... responsibility. How weird is that? He's a responsible adult now. A... dad. Wow, that's such a strange word to apply to himself. Soooo weird. "Time for us to head back," he says to Kai. "We can come see your new friend again later."
Kai smiles at Bristlecone satisfied with himself, and happy that he had met a potential playmate. He looks back at Neero, "Guess I'll see you guys later then!" then with that he turns and heads over to Bristlecone to leave.
---Merging Tributary---
The way back is taken somewhat more directly than the trip to visit the wolves. After all, it's getting late, and young coyotes should be tucked into the den to sleep. Bristlecone does point out the evening calls of frogs and the distant hoot of an early owl, and soon the two arrive back by the patch of riverbank they call 'home'.