His mother had stopped talking and his brother was gone. It didn't really bother Casper much - he missed his brother's warmth at night, but they had never been able to speak to each other. Eris going silent worried him more, but he decided quite quickly (in the way that you made decisions when you were young) that he just wouldn't talk either. She'd taught him plenty of Ademic and he was a quick learner, so it wasn't like his communication had really faltered.

Oxide didn't know as much Ademic as the others, but they got along just fine. There was a plaintive, sweet look in Casper's eyes that let others know he was listening, even if he wasn't talking. Since the weather had cleared up a fair bit they'd all been spending more time outside. Casper had been left to his own devices for the first time ever and he made good use of his newfound freedom by straying about 10 yards from the entrance of the den. He wasn't too big on taking risks. The little boy observed a small sand crab as it made its way slowly towards the coastline; garnet eyes followed the fellow until he was swept away by the waves and out to sea.

The den had been quiet since Phantom’s passing, Eris and Casper both devolved into using only Ademic to communicate. Oxide didn’t complain, he wasn’t as fluent in the language and so he felt like he couldn’t be as present for them as he wanted to. That didn’t mean the rust marked Nightingale didn’t try, his voice was the only one to ever really be heard within their walls. He couldn’t help but worry for Eris, he couldn’t do anything for her except be there for her, remind her how special she was to him and hold her tight when the sorrow was too much to bear.

He left her napping in the den as he wasn’t about to let his deep ruby eyes off his boy. Not that he could ever really utter the title aloud, it was cemented in his brain. Oxide hated how stationary they had been, but now that Casper was venturing forth at least he could start taking the pup out and about. He played curiously by the water, another reason Oxide couldn’t bring himself to allow the boy to his own devices. He stayed within eye shot of the den so far. Hopefully their supervised trips would keep him out of trouble.

Oxide sighed heavily and pulled himself out of the den, big paws carried him closer to where Casper played in the cold sand. ”Hey, wanna go exploring with me, Cas?” He asked with a wag of his silver tail. Going out and doing things was one of the best ways to get his mind off the grave Eris dug.

Casper turned slowly, looking up at Oxide with wide, baleful eyes. He never felt lonely, even if he was alone. Eris and Oxide were always close-by. Although he didn't understand the older male's presence in his life, Casper liked having him around. He was so much bigger than his mother! Cas thought he might be a good fighter, too. At least he hoped.

The puppy looked to the crab and then back to Oxide, then back to the crab and back to Oxide. He gestured vaguely with his paw, frustrated at how he would communicate the information he wanted to. Casper trundled over to the larger wolf and tried to tap some Ademic. Oxide wasn't fluent, but he usually was able to get a general sense of what the pup meant. Where? Curious. Curious. Curious. Cas looked out towards the ocean again, then bounded up towards the water's edge and gestured out at the ocean with his muzzle. How big was the ocean? Where did it go? Could they cross it? All these questions and more pinged around his head, but the little boy's face betrayed nothing.

Oxide hadn’t seen the crab his son was so interested in, but as he bound up close Ox knew he’d missed something. ”Did you find something?” He asked and moved forward so the young boy didn’t have to leave his quarry for long. Finally Oxide managed to spot the tiny creature. ”Looks like a crab. Careful if you eat one, the shell can be sharp.” The small crustacean disappeared underneath the waves and Casper looked out with infinite curiosity over the horizon. ”When it gets warmer we can go fishing for them. You shouldn’t go in the water for now.” He warned the boy, worried that he might try to brave the strong currents by himself. He was much too young and small for that. Despite the turmoil he felt about his son there was no mistaking the deep care he held for him. It was like nothing he had ever felt. It was different even from the boy’s mother, not that his love for her was diminished.

Casper pulled a face in frustration, his quintessential Ademre mask slipping. Why couldn't they go fishing now? It was cold, he guessed, but that didn't stop the rest of the animals in Auster from living their lives. He'd spotted deer, raccoons, squirrels... plenty more, lots of which he didn't have names for yet. Casper paced back and forth in front of the shoreline, chilly water licking at his paws. The small pup sniffed the sands curiously, looking for another one of the little crabs.

Instead of a small, white crab, Casper was rewarded with the sight of a much larger reddish crab that unearthed itself from the sands. He stumbled back on his rear and the crab made its way towards him. The little boy watched in wonder, his garnet eyes wide. The crab seemed to leer at him. Casper leaned down to get a closer look at the creature and was taken aback when the crab pinched him right on the nose. He yelped a strangled little scream, his voice hoarse from disuse, and looked worriedly for help from Oxide.

Casper didn’t really like his answer it seemed, but the boy didn’t press the issue vocally. Oxide grinned as the boy turned around, his nose to the ground as he searched for more crabs. Casper was endlessly curious, but he was relatively good at following the rules. Ox didn’t mind being out here with him like this, seeing his vibrance and life helped to ease the pain of losing his brother. There didn’t seem to be a moment when Ox wasn’t thinking about his other son.

The rust and aluminum boy didn’t give Ox a chance to wallow as he found his second crab, but this one was much more fight than flight. The inexperienced dad moved before Casper even had a chance to silently plead for help. ”Crabs pinch.” He tried to say without laughing for the boy’s sake. His pride was already hurt with a crab stuck to his poor nose. ”Come on, bring him over here to the water and he’ll let go.” He told the boy, leading the way back to the surf.

Cas's eyes were beginning to water from the sharp pain emanating from his nose. Oxide didn't seem to be too worried about the situation, so the little pup tried to mirror his can-do attitude. He trundled along towards the surf, dragging the big crab behind him as he went. It surprised him how much larger it was than the little white fellow who'd scurried right out to sea. Did all creatures have that many variations? Were there deer the size of trees, then?

A bit overwhelmed, Casper finally stumbled into the low tide and wriggled his head back and forth until the waves carried the larger crab away. Just as Oxide had predicted, once the crab felt the pull of the water, it unlatched his nose and drifted away. Mouth agape, Cas watched the crab scuttle out to sea along the ocean floor until the next foaming wave erased his view. Sputtering, mouth full of salt water, he meandered back towards the shore and looked hopefully up at Oxide before gesturing towards the rocky forest that ringed the coast. Maybe they'd find some really big deer in the woods. Without waiting for Oxide's approval, Casper - now soaking wet - bounded across the sands towards the forest.

The poor boy did as he was told, and not swiftly enough Oxide convinced him to the water. As predicted the crab didn’t hesitate to release when it touched the water, and in an instant Casper was free. With his father watching Cas was suddenly struck in the face by a small wave, and wisely Oxide wouldn’t laugh at the poor boy. Of course now that he was soaking wet the boy was ready to go and explore the forest. As he turned and raced away Oxide rolled his eyes and called out, ”Cas wait! You’re still wet!” He sighed heavily and trotted off after the kid. If he got sick Oxide wouldn’t be able to live with himself let alone Eris.

He loved the pup, he was his son in almost every way. That he wouldn’t call him father bothered him more than he expected. He wanted Casper to have more than he did. Oxide was raised by his mother and uncle, and the disassociated evil bastard wouldn’t be hard to beat in father of the year.