He found the territory exploration was something that he loved, because it knew no ends to his extent, and it was a lot of fun to wander, provided he could find his way back. He hummed to himself as the boy pranced along through the plain territory, taking in every sight there was to see and smelling every scent there was to smell. The boy was jovial, though not without his thoughts and beliefs. He had heard of fighting and hunting and all other things that make the world turn. Fighting, now that was what had become interesting to him, because it sounded kind of cool. He had decided that in a little bit, when he was a little older, he was going to investigate it more.

"Speech"

The young man had been doing an orderly patrol of the borders in a relaxed manner when he came across the drifting scent of a pup. Usually, the child's scent would mingle with an adult's, thus assuring him that the pup was under a watchful eye. However, this was a lone scent, which spiked some concern for the male. Abaven's territories were protected and considered safe, yes, though the child was easily able to injure themselves with the conspicuous natural surroundings. Perhaps they were more responsible than he imagined, although his own pup-hood assured him otherwise. It was worth a look anyway; what harm would it do?

Following the trail upon ebony paws, a grey and alabaster pup came into his view, and as he expected - alone. At least he had arrived, bringing some relief to his thoughts. The markings upon the child's features were surprisingly familiar - was he one of the Azat's newest litter? At this rate, all his friends were going to be Destructions. "Hiya big guy!" he cheerily greeted with his friendliest voice and grin, approaching at a smooth trot. He wasn't a pup himself (unfortunately), but that didn't mean he couldn't hang out with one.

Sooty grey legs would carry him across the territory, a keen eye carefully watching his surroundings as he took it all in, not paying too much attention to movement, but just enough to hear something rustle behind him, followed by a booming yet friendly voice that caused the boy to slowly turn, a grin on his face. Big guy? How was he a big guy compared to the big guy in front of him!? The question made him chortle a little bit as Tordo dipped his head in greeting. “Helllllo.” He drew out his words, ever the sassy fellow though his words weren’t meant to be of any harm and he doubted that the guardian would take his words that way. Emerald and buttery eyes carefully observed the man, noting his lighter scaled coffee brown fur and his piercing emerald eyes. “I’m Tordo.” He greeted, curious by the name before him. He had seen a few members of the pack around, though he couldn’t recall having met the one before him… curious, in his opinion, very curious, and enough for him to push the subject though the friendly stance assured him there was nothing to worry about.

"Speech"

Already, he seemed to take a liking to the child, who greeted him back and exchanged a name. Tordo, the pup went by, quite similar to the adult's own name with the same starting and finishing sound. He couldn't help but to comment on it cheerily. "Well, my name's Tinaro. Nice to meet ya Tordo!" Somewhere inside of him, he felt a pang of jealousy. This boy was must likely one of Bass' newest litter, which meant he would grow up surrounded by many family members. If only Tinaro could have lived that life; the thought made him feel empty and hollow inside, like as if he hadn't had a normal childhood.

However, he pushed those plaguing thoughts aside. Why waste time sulking and thinking 'If this' and 'If that'? In fact, he was determined to ensure every pup in Abaven grew up with family and loved ones, even if that meant befriending a few. No child wanted to lose their entire family - the meaning of their life. "Hey, our names both start with T! You know what? I think wolves whose names start with T are awesome wolves," he exclaimed with an encouraging smile, gently nudging the boy's shoulder.

There was a soft giggle when the man introduced himself, dubbing himself to be Tinaro, which also started with a T and ended with a ‘ro’ type sound. The small bird grinned, watching the man carefully as he went on further, calling them both cool. “Hehehe, better not let my sister Sandpiper hear you!” He teased slightly, his tongue pressing against the back of his teeth. The child wanted to find people he could relate to, though he didn’t quite know what kind of people these people would be, and probably wouldn’t figure it out for a bit more time. All he knew was he liked this cheeky adult and the attitude he carried. His tail fell into a soft and familiar wag, his mind set as he looked at the man with a raised up head. “You wanna play? Or… I don’t know… what do adults do?” He asked as he pondered a question, figuring that the man would not want to play a child’s game, even if he was hanging out with a child.

"Speech"

Oh, so he wasn't an only child? He joined in with the boy's giggles, making a mental note to meet his sister as well. It was so relaxing to be around kids, as he had only just discovered. It was like he could shed his adult shell and emerge as a pup, free of any worries or responsibilities. Children seemed to carry this playful aura.

The boy at first brought up the idea of play before having second-thoughts and inquiring what it is that adults do. This made the man feel incredibly old, though he pushed those thoughts aside as he spoke in a lively manner. "Well, adults aren't always boring and grumpy. We can play too." It had been a while since he had played any sort of game, although he vividly remembered the enjoyment and laughter easily created by such activities. His tail gave a small wag as he continued, lowering his voice like he was giving away a secret. "But you know what I like to do when I'm not playing?"

The child let out another round of soft giggles as Tinaro explained that adults weren’t always so boring and grumpy and that they liked to play too. Tordo chortled as he shook his head, clarifying his earlier statement. “I know you guys play… I just figured you would think my games were silly.” He said as he fell into a content smile across his muzzle, preparing for the next words the man had to say. His tail had fallen into a soft and steady wag as his ears perked. It sounded like a secret… more importantly a secretly secret secret! “What?” He whispered breathtakingly as his eyes widened,  his paws were out in front of him as he waited to hear what it was adults, more specifically Tinaro himself, liked to do when they weren’t playing. That was a mystery, because he saw so many adults doing more and more and things and more importantly different things. So what was it? What was their big secret?

"Speech"

The man briefly raised his brow in intrigue. Oh? So the child knew adults played? How did he know that? Had he been spying on his fellow pack-mates, or simply making assumptions after spending time with his parents? Either way, none of those games were silly. Just because they are pup games, it doesn't mean they are silly. In fact, all games, but most importantly those learnt and played at an early age, help develop life skills for the future. What was so silly about that? "Silly?" he echoed, almost taken aback. "No no no. No games are silly. In fact, they're pretty important, if you think about it."

He couldn't help but to melt on the inside as he watched the boy widen his eyes in fascination, wanting the "secret" to be revealed. Holding back his amused laughter, he kept a grin upon his complexion as he spoke the answer the child had been waiting for. "Fighting!" he whispered that one word with so much emphasis, his features coming alive with expression. "But not like the little arguments you'd have with your sister," Siblings argued, didn't they? At least that was what he could remember from his own childhood. "No, real fighting. Tooth and claw fighting!"

The adult claimed no games were silly – but weren’t pups in generally supposed to be silly? They were fun and what was the use of fun when you were an adult? Tordo truthfully didn’t know too much about what the adults did, but he did… it was all very confusing for him. Tinaro spoke up again, claiming that when he wasn’t playing he liked to fight. Tordo cracked a grin, even wider when he said tooth and claw. “Woah! That sounds so cool!” He said with his tail furiously wagging. His eyes were slightly widened, his questions starting to rise. “How do you fight? Like… obviously you fight with your teeth and your claws… but what’s it like?” He decided to ask one question at a time, making him able to keep up their very intriguing conversation for longer. Yes, he quite liked this Tinaro, and he wondered who else in his family knew him and liked him. Obviously, he liked him the best, but that didn’t mean others couldn’t.

"Speech"

Ecstatic pride welled in his chest as he watched the child widen his eyes and madly wag his tail. Even he never found fighting so exciting, but then again, an adult never introduced him to it. He looked up to his brother, who at the time seemed like a skilled fighter after getting into a dispute with their other brother. It was his own decision really. Healing or hunting didn't call to him like sparring did, and fortunately it stuck to him. The fact that he could influence a younger soul and even teach him, overwhelmed his thoughts. "It's very cool," he added with a grin.

Question time! That was another thing he loved about children - their natural curiosity and fascination. As he aged, his own intrigue had faded until he found most things rather boring. And he didn't just have to answer; he could demonstrate. Oh boy! He couldn't wait! "Like this," he replied, clearing his throat and puffing his chest out. With a head held high, he hoped to appear wise in this subject, not that he wasn't. "Observe." He took a few steps back, putting some space between him and the pup to ensure he didn't whack him. Running up, he pretended to slam his shoulder into his imaginary opponent's windpipe, jaws unhinging as he swiftly gripped the air - their scruff. Whilst he demonstrated, he dictated his actions. "I run up, slam into them, knock the wind out of 'em and then bite down on their scruff! Gotta be quick though, 'cause they can hit you back."

There was an excited grin plastered on the boy’s muzzle as he watched the adult in amazement, listening to his words, and intent on learning something new! His tail was wagging back and forth at higher paced speed for a tail to be travelling at as the man before him gave him an example, using the air as an enemy to which he could always hit. At first, there was a bit of confusion in the pup’s eyes… until Tinaro explained exactly what he had been doing and Tordo’s grin returned from the frown that had fallen during the exhibition of skills. “That. Was. AWESOME!” He said excited as he jumped up, trying to mimic the movement though he didn’t estimate it right and ended up tripping up on his own paws, rolling onto his back and back onto his paws with a bit of an embarrassed glance. “I guess I’m not as good as the warriors just yet!” He said with a small laugh. I will be though… one day I’ll be the best of them all.

"Speech"

Awesome. His heart fluttered as the child summed his whole demonstration with that one word. In fact, he even tried to mimic the older male's actions, though wasn't as graceful, and stumbled over his paws as a result of it. A few chuckles slipped from his lips as he watched the child stand, noticeably embarrassed. He admired that determination, the confidence to try something out in front of a grown-up. If only he had been that brave as a pup, even now as an adult when the nerves really hit him.

"You will be," he promised, offering an encouraging smile and nudge. "You're really confident, and that's a good thing. A lot of warriors aren't." Now that he thought about it, the boy would make an excellent fighter. His perseverance and bravery would take him far, especially when it came down to training. Most of the canines wanting to become fighters would eventually drop off, overwhelmed by the load. This kid wouldn't. Of course, that didn't mean he didn't have to learn about defences, attacks and well...not tripping over. Say...that gave the man an idea. "Hey, how about I teach you some stuff? So then when you start your proper training in a few seasons time you'll have a head start."