Even so, come
She knew that it was a far trek to go and check on the young boy that she had healed, but she couldn't help it. The tiny woman had left the cooling east to march all the way up North, trying to find Ivalice. Amalia could probably howl for Vadim, but she didn't want him to get in trouble by wandering out of pack lands. So she kept hunting, her nose to the ground as she pushed passed the frosty air to find the scent. She remembered the smell of Avalon, and set out to look for her more dominant scent. She knew that she was the alpha of the pack, and her smell would be the strongest at the borders. Finally she entered a rather sparse forest, the pack scent reaching her at last. With an excited yip she paused, taking a seat at the boundary lines and tossed her head up. She called out for Vadim, but it was an open invitation. She wasn't sure if Avalon or Liar wanted to show up, but she was hoping that she would be just the two of them. They had been interrupted last time and Liar seemed to be in such a rush to leave, she had wanted to spend a lot more time with the fluffy boy who loved food so much. Oh! Speaking of! She leaned down and untied her leaf, laying the fish she had caught on her way up here beside her like a gift. The land prey wasn't doing too well still, but at least the fish were fat and juicy! |
He had fallen asleep somewhere near his new friend beneath one of the denser pines, feeling rather protective over the young girl. He knew Ivalice could help her, but some part of him was.. almost worried that she'd favor someone else over him, and that would just be heartbreaking. He wasn't in love with the girl, no! But it was sort of like the thing that happened in the mines with his sister.. jealousy wasn't the best trait to have, but.. no one was perfect! So, there he was huddled up with her protectively when the familiar, sweet sound of Amalia's voice stirred him from his slumber.
His ears perked slowly, the tired boy forcing himself to wake up.. it was difficult. Sleep was holding on tight, and he almost fell asleep again until he remembered why he was trying to fight sleep.. Amalia! His bright orange eyes shot open suddenly and while he had the energy, he forced himself to stand up. He stumbled a bit, and the lower branches of the pine prickled against his coat and tickled his face but he it aided him in his goal, so as soon as he was conscious he pulled himself out of the pine and went trotting toward the part of the border where he'd heard her call.
As soon as he saw her, he couldn't stop from grinning. He couldn't believe she'd found him, that must have meant she came looking for him! She liked him that much? He felt a whine leave his throat and a grin spread across his lips as he nearly bubbled over with happiness, taking off in an excited, goofy run right toward her. He slowed as he neared her red face and lowered his head, his ears folding back as he affectionately lapped at her maw if she'd allow.
![[Image: vadim_by_nnightcrawler-dais3pi.png]](https://orig00.deviantart.net/54c9/f/2016/267/0/0/vadim_by_nnightcrawler-dais3pi.png)
The tiny woman didn't have to wait for long at all before the gray boy showed up, bounding over to her like a newborn fawn. Letting out a happy yip she respectfully waited for him at the borders, as much as she wanted to race towards him as well. He leaned down to lick at her muzzle, and she stepped closer towards his fluffy chest. A happy sigh left her lips as she sunk against him, her petite frame almost getting swallowed up by his downy fur. Eagerly she accepted his embrace, glad to see that he was doing so well. Not wanting to pull herself back, she kicked out her hind leg until it connected with the cold flesh of the fish. She aimed to toss it towards him, her gift for the seemingly always hungry boy. Pulling back enough to look up at his face, there was a big wide grin that dominated most of her features. "It is so good to see you!" she purred out to him, her tiny stub of a tail flicking across the terrain. "I am doing just fine, but I came up here to check on you! How are those wounds of yours? Are you going to have any battle scars to show off to your sister?" There was a hint of a laugh in her voice, her dark blue eyes shimmering up at him. He was the only reason why she had trekked all the way up here, after all. |
He'd nearly forgotten how tiny she was, or perhaps it was that he himself had grown a bit taller? It was hard to tell, but the boy loved how easily he could embrace the small woman by resting his neck around her's and sharing his immense body heat. The boy always seemed to be radiating wamrth, his layers of fat and thick fur holding it all right in. Now it was all for Ama to share in the cold autumn air!
The fish that had been suddenly kicked toward his direction stole his attention, his vivid gaze opening up wide as he watched the dead fish skid through the thin layer of snow at his feet. He yipped happily and moved to nuzzle Ama in appreciation,
His eyes shimmered as he looked back up to her, a grin spreading across his inky lips as she asked about his scars. He turned his body slightly to show her his completely healed elbow wound, nearly completely covered by the surrounding fur.
When he looked at the fish she almost doubled over laughing. It wasn't hard to tell at all that they way to this boy's heart was food. Even just a little slimy fish did the trick! Her boys weren't the biggest of eaters, and the girls had been even pickier. It was refreshing to see someone so excited by something so simple, and it really brought a whole new perspective to her life. Amalia had spent so much time worrying over the little things in her life that she often forgot to stop and appreciate the way things were. The simple satisfaction of a good meal, the way Athena twitched in her dreams sometimes, and even the way the wind rustled through the mangroves. She was often to taken by her work and teaching others, that she didn't often step back to admire all those things around her. She should take a lesson from this studious child, when she got home she was just going to curl up beside her family and listen to the steady rhythm of nature around her. It was... odd that she was picking up so much from so little, but Amalia had been thinking on a lot of things lately; the flow of time was the biggest thing haunting her dreams. It was another factor to why she had come all the way up here to the north, to take a break and check in on the boy she had healed. It felt so long ago since their first meeting, but from their comfortable greeting one would have thought it was yesterday. She watched as he took a small lick from the prey she had brought him, and Ama couldn't help but giggle softly. "Well, eat it before it freezes!" she said with another peel of laughter following. It would be such a shame for it to grow as hard as a rock from the chilly air, frozen fish wasn't exactly the easiest thing to eat. Although, it did feel good for teething pups! She would have to remember to freeze some this winter for Quelt and Bright Moons children, it was a good snack and felt nice to gnaw on. It wasn't usually as harsh as a bone and with a ton of vitamins in it. Shaking her head to clear the thoughts when the gray boy spoke again, she was really touched by his words that left his maw. Her heart stuttered in her chest and she nearly melted into a pile of Ama goo right on his big furry paws. "That is... so sweet Vadim. But I don't think you have me to thank for that. Your family always had it in you, if it took a conversation as simple as that to awaken your connection. It just needed a bit of a shove, or perhaps a realization from all of you. You can't choose your family, but you can choose to love them and choose to show respect to those who share your blood. So don't thank me, really. You had it in you all along, you just needed to see it," she said softly, a tender smile on her lips. It made her sad to see his brows draw in like that when he spoke of a brother named Greed, and she reared up to stretch a tiny paw to rest it on his wrinkled features. Her paw pads were probably cold, but she didn't think he could feel it through all his fur. "Greed will see it in time, Vadim. All you can do is show him love and support and wait for him to come into his own. You kids are young yet, I know you probably don't like hearing that but it's true. You have so much more to learn about yourself down the years, and soon your brother will realize his mistake. Through thick and thin, family is the only thing that will always be there for you. Trust me, I regret it so much that I didn't interact with my siblings more, and now they are all gone. I have no idea what happened to them, and now I miss them more than I can explain. Don't let that happen to you," Amalia's features were pulled down as her emotions got the best of her, a little sniffle making her wrinkle her nose. More of that time stuff she was talking about. It was so hard for her to realize it when she was little, and she had a feeling that if she was told how quickly time moved she would just shrug it off. The pale healer hoped that Vadim saw how serious she was being, the regret that lingered in her deep blue eyes and the guilt that twisted her insides. It was something she could never get back, only ache over its loss. |
She had a point, if the fish were to freeze it would hardly be as appetizing as it was now. He smiled to her and lowered his form down into the snow, the northern wolf's thick hide protecting him from the cold with ease as he held it in place with heavy forepaws and began pulling scales and flesh into his mouth while she spoke. He couldn't help but think that she was being modest at first, a grin faintly present on his maw as he listened. Though, when she got to the part about Greed his jaws left the fish and he gulped down the rest of what was left in his mouth.
Vivid stare would seek her own as he listened to her warning, his heart sinking slightly as his inky lips managed to frown even more than their usual state of pout. Thick cheeks made it hard for him to look as though he were doing anything other than pouting, but there was a genuine feel to this frown.
His molten gaze drifted back to Ama's blues as he forced a smile to come across his lips, something he'd learned from the woman back in their last meeting was that a simple smile shown could mean the world despite whether or not it reflected how you felt on the inside. It was a show of strength and belief that everything would be alright, even if they didn't seem to be now.
Amalia smiled as she watched him scarf down the fish like he had been fasting for days. It was pretty cute, just how hungry he always seemed to be. Already he was towering over her and not quite full grown yet. He was going to be a big boy, there was no doubt about it. She nodded slowly when he spoke of his brother being distant, there were so many personalities in the world and sometimes they just didn't mesh with the wolves that they were close to. A mind was a mind, and a wolf was their own. It was hard to predict if there was a rotten egg in the bunch. He asked if Greed could come around, and after a brief pause she nodded her head. "My sons have always come and gone from our lives, but they always seem to come home. I don't doubt that Greed will realize how selfish he is being, but it probably won't happen over night. It could take years, Vadim, you just have to be patient with him." She was touched at his next words, she was supposed to be a healer in many senses of the word. Not too many wolves sought her out for advice, but she gave it pretty freely. When he asked if she was staying the night, she peeked up to see that the sun was already starting to decline. Even if she left now, it would be well past dark by the time she made it home. Looking back at the gray boy, she nodded her head slowly. "If Avalon doesn't mind, I certainly would like to spend the night. I didn't even realize what time it was, I might just freeze if I don't take off running now," she said with a soft laugh, shivering partly for show. He offered staying elsewhere, and the woman shrugged her tiny shoulders. "I will leave my fate in your paws, Vadim. We can do whatever you wish, I'm just along for the ride, mostly." |
As she showed interest in staying the night, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his maw in kind. He was adoring the idea of her staying for a visit, as their last had ended entirely too early. He was eager to spend the night with her, if not the next few days so long as she'd allow. Molten stare would cast a glance toward the direction of the mines, the boy falling silent as he contemplating the different possibilities that could happen when he brought her to Avalon seeking shelter. Slowly, his stare drifted back to her as he seemed to come to a decision, a look of guilt riddling his features and furrowing his 'brow dots closer together.
His tail wiggled with the last bit of his shake and he stretched out, his upper body lowering across the partially frozen ground as his fat rolls accumulated along his neck beneath his heavy pelt and his rump remained in the air. When he came back up, he seemed to have a much brighter spirit about him.