Word Count: 1037
Airle and Damu spent a few days apart after the splotched white dog told his story. Airle wondered if he had done something wrong - if he had scared the young dog off. Sometimes Airle felt too old for the skin he was in if he always referred to the pack - save for Miss Leini - as pups. Most of them were older than he was.
So he ran. He counted it as training, but it was more of a distraction. Distraction from the possibility that he overstepped his boundaries with the Alpha's son. He asked the wind softly when he was far from the main gathering location of the pack.
Of course, the wind did not speak in words he could understand. Only the Whisperers could interpret the patterns of the wind, and then only rarely. He sighed in response, and hopped over a fallen log that hindered his path.
Airle made his way back to the central area of the pack - where most of the pack spent their time. It was quiet, but the pack was small. Many of the members enjoyed their silence and simply talked amongst themselves.
He wasn't surprised to find Damu by the small Fall in the gathering place. The white dog was sitting as close as he could without getting his paws wet. He looked terribly relaxed. His ears were poised, listening to the water trickling by and the wind singing through the rocks.
"Damu," The General called softly to get the other dog's attention. Mismatches ears flicked in his direction, acknowledging his presence. The white dog gave a tilt of his head in the direction of the General. "You can come closer," Damu decided after a moment.
The invitation was plain, so Airle moved a bit closer, settling next to Damu, though he was silent. He did not know how to start the conversation, but Damu seemed to be content in just sitting with him. He was humming to the water, nose twitching every time the fall splashed up to hit him in the face.
Airle could feel the emotions well up in his chest like a stream after a heavy rain. He wanted to see Damu like this always - so happy and carefree.
He didn't want the small dog to ever suffer again - he had already gone through so much. He didn't know what to do with this new emotion, however. He wanted to settle close to the young dog and nestle close to him, but he figured the other did not feel the same way.
Damu looked over to him, tilting his head softly to the side, though his eyes were clearly unseeing. "Airle, you are quiet today," he murmured softly. He bumped shoulders with the other dog.
Airle gave a small chuckle and bumped back lightly. "You just looked so relaxed, I didn't want to disturb you," the General proclaimed, looking fondly upon the Gatherer.
Damu gave out a bright laugh. He was just so happy today, bubbling with life and love for everything. "You aren't disturbing me, Somairle," he giggled out. He was so full of cheer, and he had no idea why.
Airle gave a grin in return, though he knew the other could not see it. "I'm glad I'm not disturbing you then, Damu," because he would honestly hate to do so. He prayed to the gods that Damu could be this happy more often. For Damu's sake, because the white dog deserved every ounce of happiness that he could take.
Suddenly, the white dog pushed himself to standing, taking a hesitant step forward into the water. He stayed near the shore, because he knew the water in rivers could get deceptively deep, and wagged his tail.
He gave a mischievous grin to his packmate and swiped some water towards him, forcing water into the other's face. "Got you," he proclaimed proudly. There was laughter behind his words, and Airle could only be filled with mirth.
He raised his own paw and splashed back. "Now we're even," he replied, smug, though that didn't last long. More water splashed into his face as the blind dog began to dig at the water, sending a constant stream of water at him.
Airle sputtered, blocking his face so no water would get into his eyes. "Hey!" he tried, in a vain attempt to get Damu to stop, but Damu was having too much fun. Airle laughed, bracing himself, and then he pounced. The motion knocked the blind dog forward a bit and into the water, but he was still laughing. There was no more stream of water to distract him.
He settled on the white dog, pinning him in the shallow water. Damu kept on giggling, absolute delight enveloping his whole being. Airle could only watch, surprise and love filling him. He wished showing his affections would not scare the other away.
He couldn't help his next action on giving the other male a small nuzzle to the side of his face. He hoped he would not need to regret the action. Damu's giggling stopped with the gentle motion, and he could feel his heart drop.
But Damu gave a small laugh again, leaning up and licking the side of Airle's face - or what he hoped was. He could feel Damu's tail wagging from where he pinned him down, and his heart rose from the pit of his stomach.
After a moment, Airle let Damu up - they needed to dry out and it got rather cold this high up, especially with the wind. He lead the blind dog to a patch of sun that filtered through the trees. They were both soaked, but the sun warmed and dried them slowly, pulling the chill from their bones. He nuzzled Damu constantly, unable to stop touching him as they laid curled together.
They didn't know where they would go from here - or what the future would hold, but Airle was glad for the time he had with Damu know. He could only pray that the gods were kind and allowed them to grow old together. Perhaps he would die in battle, or perhaps Damu would injure himself in his blindness, but they had now together - and that's what mattered.
