Cernunnos was feeling a bit rotten that day - and he could hardly understand why. It wasn’t a bad sort of day, as the weather was nice. He hadn’t eaten anything funny, at least nothing he was aware of, and he’d had plenty of exercise sneaking about a particularly wiley group of partridges to see just what sorts of colours their eggs were - speckled, of course - but still…
He felt a bit left out. He knew that Aduial, being the daughter of his alphas, was free do to as she pleased, and he knew she went to speak of noble things with noble wolves - things that he might not have exactly understood, given his own normal birth - but… but a large part of him still fretted about, making vague hints toward less-than-welcoming outside packs and the ominous idea that Aduial might come into danger. She was no longer quite the puppy he remembered her being, and she needed her space to do what she needed to; she was just being diplomatic, looking to learn more about their neighbors, and that bit made him feel so proud!
It was everyone else he worried about.
Gods, boy, you worry too much, Cern quietly chided himself, plodding along uselessly by the pack’s borders. She can handle herself, she… she’s stronger than you think? No, no, she’s so delicate, but! But she’s smart, and she can do amazing things, I know it…
~~~
Aduial wound through the trees, truthfully a bit relieved to be back amongst the wilderness she called home. The visit with the Order had not gone badly, precisely, but she suspected that she and Fantasia had not fully connected -- that their communication had not gone as planned, anyway. But, no matter. She would have plenty of chances later.
The thing that was getting in her way was her stature. Or, if not her stature, her inherent...daintiness. She wouldn't call it weakness. She was small and delicate, but she had strength of a different kind. Still...inner strength and poise could only get her so far, and it certainly wouldn't give her border patrols. If she wanted to earn a position as beta...she'd have to work for it.
So as she crested a small knoll and wound through the tree trunks, it was with a somewhat exhausted expression upon her maw.
~~~
Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth... though his energies could have been used for the positive purpose of watching the borders with sharp eyes and Aduial-like dedication, Cern just couldn't seem to pull himself together long enough to realize he wasn't quite so alone. How must she be faring, he wondered. Had she learned what she wanted to know? Were they being civil? They had better be civil toward a lady of such graceful bearing, or he'd make a seperate trip on his own to be sure the warning stuck. Had they harmed her? Was she happy? She had been gone an awful long time...
Then, the wind changed. A moment of wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him brought Cern's mossy head straight up, ears perked and muzzle lifted - and how joyous he became, that gentle visage coming through the trees as though his wishes and wants had perforated reality! Cern seemed to fill out, chest expanding and shoulders raising in the way she had taught him, eyes sparkling and lips caught up in a grin that still suggested he hadn't quite figured out the subtleties of a polite greeting. "Aduial!" he called out warmly, tail picking up a most familiar tempo as it beat side to side.
At least he could temper himself down enough to keep from bursting forward, instead choosing a bouncing sort of trot that brought him before his lady within a proper space of time. It was then that he noticed she didn't hold herself quite right, and seemed much too weary to be in good spirits. "Is something the matter? You haven't been harmed, have you?"
So much could be drawn out of a slightly wearied expression, and perhaps Cern was blowing things out of proportion - but then, he figured, that's what all good guards did.
~~~
She brightened considerably upon seeing him. Her ears swept forward, smile creasing her maw, and her tail gave a slow wag behind her. Ahh, Cern. How long had he been standing guard waiting for her arrival? Not this whole time, she hoped!
"I'm fine," she said, declining her maw to him. Her golden eyes sparkled with polite amusement and fondness. "I do hope you haven't worried yourself into a tizzy in my absence, Cernunnos?"
Some of the lightness had come back into her step as she closed the distance between them. She hesitated, but did not touch him -- though part of her longed to. It didn't seem appropriate.
~~~
Cern didn't necessarily want to admit that he had, indeed, gone a bit beyond tizzying-levels while she was away, but neither did he want to outright deny it... "It just wasn't the same while you were away," he compromised, trying not to gush quite so terribly. "I was at a loss for better things to do. Oh, but how was your trip? Did you learn what you wanted to?"
Perhaps he wasn't quite as eloquent as she was, but that was one of her many endearing qualities - to notice his general plainness and not mind in the least. And she sure seemed happy to see him, which made him feel light and a bit giddy, as though he might float off at any moment! Still, he remembered his manners and dipped his muzzle in as fancy a bow as he could muster, managing quite well after secretly training in the delicate art since she had left and he had very little else to do.
~~~
Aduial smiled. "Well...I don't think I'll be making anymore trips alone," she said. "It's rather dull, and there were so many times I thought how handy it would have been to have you along."
She looked away a bit demurely, as though perhaps she'd said too much. "But, it was...illuminating. And makes me appreciate what I have here much more."
~~~
Handy? She really thought he could have done some good? "If there's ever a moment where you wish to see more of the world, then I will certainly go with you," he offered, "if you'd like."
Cern never really fancied leaving the comforts of his home,and was quite content where he was, but she need only say the word and he'd leave it all... so long as they'd return, of course. The world beyond their borders didn't really effect him in as many ways as it would Aduial, who could far better understand its ways than he ever could, and so while he wasn't directly interested, he could become very much the enthusiast. "It must have been quite different out there," he said lightly, frowning a bit at the forest beyond Aduial's shoulder. "But hopefully not in a troubling way? I'd imagine any pack beyond ours to have some very strange ways..."
~~~
"They live inside of a wall of thorns," she said, "And are very concerned about keeping their borders protected."
This had bothered her even more than the alpha's veiled criticisms of her own pack. She didn't know whether Draug Faroth had any enemies to speak of, but to hear Fantasia tell it, their inattentiveness to security would be their downfall any moment.
What had bothered her the most, though, was the realization of how far she was from obtaining what she most desired: an earned position within the pack. She had plenty of valuable qualities, but the most important of these --
~~~
"Thorns?"
That was odd. Why would anyone feel the need to live within boundaries such as those? Perhaps they were afraid of what might lie on the other side, or didn't think themselves capable of handling their pack in the manner most wolves did. Was it so much to trust that your warriors were strong enough to protect their lands?
Or... were there packs that could cause such worry? A look of concern crossed Cern's maw. "I wonder if such security is really necessary. Do you think there are enemies to Draug that could be such threats? We are a very strong pack..."
But they were nowhere near the largest.
~~~
Aduial's expression was flooded with relief -- it made her feel instantly better that Cern felt the same way as she did on the topic. "I asked about their enemies. It seems they have none of note...they just like to be prepared?" But that seemed so strange. Draug had its border patrols, its warriors...what more preparation needed to happen?
"He did seem to think it was rather foolish for us not to follow suit," she said, and sounded rather off-put by this.
~~~
"I think it is a very silly thing to prepare so heavily for an unknown enemy," Cern grumbled, shaking his head. "It makes them seem unfriendly toward any passersby who might be harmless. Very off-putting."
He didn't quite want to say what he thought next - that cowering behind a natural shield didn't quite seem like the best way to foster any real pack strength - but then, he hadn't been there. He hadn't spoken to this leader, who seemed to think it was alright to question the strength of a pack he had never seen, and that seemed very narrow-minded. "It isn't fair for this thorn-castle wolf to make assumptions about the strength of Draug Faroth," he said confidently, setting his jaw.
~~~
The gratitude -- and another warm feeling she didn't want to call by name -- spread over her. "Yes...that was my thought, exactly." She hesitated. She wanted very much to rush forward and bury her maw into the fur of his neck, but she resisted the urge. It would hardly be proper.
"Well...it's certainly good to be home. Now, come...tell me, what have I missed while I was gone?"
~~~
Cern liked to know that he and Aduial were of the same beliefs; sure, he was ready and willing to agree with nearly anything she thought would be right, but most of the time it was an honest shared opinion that he delighted in having. Still, there wasn't much left to comment on as far as the overzealous protection ideas of a wary and self-questioning pack - he was a bit glad to hear her change the subject, and melting back to his usual easy-joy self he wagged his tail. How had he forgotten! “Your sister gave birth while you were away,” he replied proudly, a little ashamed that he hadn’t thought to mention such news earlier. “To two, a boy and a girl. They are wonderful little things, and I‘m sure they would love to meet their aunt.”
~~~
Aduial perked up at this news of her sister. She knew about Switch, of course, thought she'd never really gotten to know him. But obviously she didn't know the goings-on in her pack as well as she thought! "Is she really?" Falathiel, the first to bear pups? Well, that made sense enough, she supposed, but it was still a bit of a shock. "I'd best go give them my congratulations, then!"
Nudging his cheek gratefully, she padded quickly into the tree cover.
