Worries kept the boy awake at night, although he felt safer sharing Theory's den then he had in over a season. Dawn was beginning to break and the lighter the sky became, the more careful glances Desolate gave to the slumbering alpha. He had so many questions and his mind was churning out anxieties, but it still felt rude to awaken Theory to ease his puppy-fears. She wasn't his mother, after all. Once he'd deemed it not-quite-too-early to wake, the pup shuffled over to his alpha and poked her paw softly with his nose. "Theory?" He whispered, unsure if he truly wanted to wake her or not. Maybe she'd not hear his hushed words, and he could say he tried his best and just curl up ro try to sleep once more. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

She slept dreamlessly lately. Theory welcomed the sweet release of darkness. Her days were spent dealing with so much stress that it was beginning to take its toll on her body. No matter how she tried, her shoulders and neck were always tight and tense. A visit to the hot springs had eased some of the tension, but she couldn't just slip out every night for a soak. There had to be a more permanent solution. At least when she slept, her body was permitted to relax. Desolate's small nudge began to rouse her consciousness from the depths of her steady sleep. Her eyelids fluttered and she sneezed before waking up completely, looking around for a moment before finding Des in the half-light of early morning. "Hey," she said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes on her front leg. "What's up?"

Desolate lay himself on the ground beside the paw he'd nudged. He looked up at her, small teeth pressing down upon his lip with worry. It felt so silly to wake an alpha for a mere pup's worries, but he didn't have anyone else to talk to. "I couldn't sleep." He admitted softly, exhaling through his nose and puffing up a small cloud of dirt as he did so. "I heard that... that wolves were coming to attack us." His shoulders shuffled nervously and he swallowed. Could it be true that Abaven would soon be under attack? The thought was terrifying - without a mother or father, where would he and his siblings go to be safe? A part of him wanted to help, though he doubted his strength against the terrifying unknown force that might be approaching. "Is it true, Theory?" Desolate asked, his voice a whisper. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Oh, no. How could she reassure him about Winterfell's impending raid? She was concerned enough about it. Had all the stress she'd been carrying around somehow rubbed off on him? Theo stuffed down her own worries and turned to Desolate, offering him a warm smile. "Why don't we go for a walk and talk about it? Maybe we'll both need a nap by the time we get back," she offered, giving him a friendly nudge to his paws if he would let her. Theory slunk out of her den and surfaced to a cool early autumn morning. There was dew on the grass and the leaves hadn't yet begun to turn, but she could tell by the chill in the air that the summer had already slipped by them. "There is a group of wolves coming, but they're our friends," Theory explained, shaking out her coat. Maybe if she could explain it in a way that soothed his fears, her own worries would abate. "They have to run an errand for another group, and that errand is unfortunately coming to retrieve some herbs and food from our lands. We are going to spar with them over who will win. Does that make sense?" she asked, beginning a leisurely stroll of the pack lands. It was beginning to make just a little bit more sense to her.

She offered him to take a walk with her, and Desolate rose to his feet to pad along behind her. He frowned into the sun, huffing a sneeze suddenly. Daytime was much too bright for a pup who'd missed his bedtime. Squinting against the light, he watched where his alpha moved and followed behind. The way she described what was coming was making a small amount of sense, but not enough to ease his fears. "So their friends that are sending them here are more important to them then we are. That doesn't sound like a good friend to me." He said with another sigh. "Spars are supposed to be for training, why can't they just come and spar and not take our herbs and food? It sounds like they're just making excuses." The pup was jaded, distrustful, and instantly disliked Abaven's 'friends.' "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

"Well, I don't exactly think the other group is their friends. I think that their alpha had to make a very difficult decision," Theory said, burying her own bitterness about the situation. Desolate was already so preoccupied and worried. Theo didn't want to add to his anxieties if she could help it. "Maybe everyone will try extra hard if there is more at stake, yeah? It will be a different kind of spar, that's for sure," she conceded. "Besides, we have plenty of resources. No one will go hurt or hungry. I've also been assured that they will return anything that they take from us with interest. That doesn't sound so bad, right?" Theory continued, trying to sound amiable. Their walk took them towards the edges of the plains where the grass was shorter and scrubbier. The cool morning air was a sharp change from the warmth of the den but she could feel her blood beginning to pump as they got going. Warmth crept into the pads of her paws as she moved along at a clip. You couldn't get too cold if you kept moving.

Desolate still was unsure, uncomfortable with the idea that their so-called 'friends' would want to hurt them that way. The promise to return whatever they took was stupid, and if they were returning more then they took, that meant they felt guilty and knew it was wrong. It made perfect sense to him. They were betraying Abaven for their other friends and promising stuff in return just so Abaven wouldn't be mad at them. They wanted their cake and to eat it too, and Desolate even young knew that actions had consequences. It'd be hard for the pup to forgive the raiders. "If it's just a spar, that means I can help, right?" He asked suddenly, looking up at his alpha. If she agreed it was just a training exercise, surely he'd be permitted to participate. If she forbid him from joining, it confirmed his suspicion that the coming fight would be friendly. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Rats. He asked the question that struck her right in the heart. Des was a perceptive young thing - she should have seen this coming. Cursing her lack of foresight, Theory stuffed down her concerns and gave him an easygoing smile. "Yes. Since it's just a spar, you can participate." Mentally she was gritting her teeth and screaming, but she didn't want him to see through her. Maybe her concern was misplaced. Acere wouldn't harm a child. He had children of his own to worry about - perhaps they'd even show their faces at this "training exercise." "Would you like to prepare?" she added, turning towards him and giving an exaggerated play bow. His training was coming along well, but testing and retesting your skills was an important part of growing. Theory's ears pricked upright and she gave a short little yip. He could make the first move.