Dhiren's poor mind was all confused. Guinevere's news had left him wondering what her body had gone through, and he needed to know. He just knew that he had to find out soon. By finding out, he had only one person he could speak with.
His grandfather had given the pack leadership back to Song, therefore retiring to spend time with his family. The Editor knew the older gentleman had endured a back pain for the past few weeks, so he set off for where he assumed the man would be. The springs held an old-fashioned remedy for such a football injury. Bi-colored eyes searched for him and he came across the male not too far from where he stood. "Grandpa!" he called out, tones relieved to have found him so quickly.
Dutiron spent most of his time these days around the den with his newest litter or here relaxing in the springs. The retirement perhaps would have been nicer without the back pain in the first place but at least it had now begun to ease with responsibilities taken away from him. He would miss his duties somewhat of course, it was rather strange to suddenly have so little to do but for now he was revelling in the chance for a calm break in life. He hoped he wasn't being too selfish in saying he deserved it, Novel of course did as well.
He had just finished a soak in the springs when he heard one of his grandchildren calling for him. Turning his head carefully, mismatched gaze would fall upon the dark form of Dhiren. A smile would grace his lips as he moved entirely to face his grandson, taking a seat on the ground as he let the younger man close the distance. "Hello Dhiren." He would greet warmly.
The closer he approached Dutiron, the more nervous he became. How was the yearling supposed to introduce the subject without sounding perverted? A part of him wished that Cherokee was still around. One of the father's duties was to tell his son about the birds and the bees. Dhiren was still dumbfounded and felt ignorant because of it. Being the Editor meant not being stupid.
Such thoughts entered his mind and he couldn't help but sigh as he closed the gap between him and his grandfather. Gold and silver eyes lost their shine as he reached out with his nose and briefly nuzzled the male with his cold nose. "Are you busy? I have something I need to discuss with you..."
"Speech"
Lineart courtesy of Kaylink on dA - Character belongs to Wynn
One thing Dutiron had always been was a family man. These days of course his time was mostly doted to his mate and their youngest three children, their elder children and grandchildren not requiring their time and attention quite so much. Needless to say however the man certainly didn't wish for them to be cast out of his life and they wouldn't be ignored if they need him for some reason or another. He had at first assumed running into Dhiren was perhaps a coincidence, not realising that the young Destruction had actually sought him out. Either way he was happy to spend some time with him, though he had quickly begun to realise that there was something upon the younger man's mind. "Of course not." He would answer simply, nuzzling the boy in return. "What's wrong?" He prompted.
He took a deep breath in, not wanting to faint or run out of air as he explained his situation. Slowly, he lowered himself to the ground in front of Dutiron, black haunches tenderly placing themselves near the hot spring. His tail flicked nervously as he broke his gaze with his grandfather to begin telling his situation. Dhiren's voice remained soft as he started to speak. "I don't know what to do about Guinevere. She came to Ludicael and I accepted her as a member of our pack. Feelings have grown overtime and I wouldn't want to care for anyone else..."
He looked up to Dutiron and added, "I love her, Grandfather. That's why this talk is hard for me..." His ears slipped against his head as he proceeded to relay the situation. "She left Ludicael for awhile and slept with someone...She said it was against her will, like she didn't want to, but her body wanted it...What would cause a girl to do something like that?" His eyes became glassy, evident of how emotionally hurt he was. "Am I not good enough for her, Grandpa? What have I done to make her do this?"
Dutiron hadn't really had the chance to speak to the girl himself though he had seen Guinevere within the pack and was of course aware that it was through Dhiren that she had become to be a Chapter of Ludicael. What he certainly hadn't been aware of however was his grandson's feelings towards the girl, perhaps it was simply that he had been too caught up in pregnancies and weddings of others within the pack to notice the blossoming romance.
Love was a word he would rather his family didn't throw about quite so easily. Of course only Song had actually been the one unfortunate enough to have a marriage end but with Novella's rushed romance, though he had come to accept Frith, he was still a little protective. And with right reason too it seemed with Dhiren speaking out about Guinevere's betrayal. The boy was clearly hurt by it and the grandfather would swiftly become protective of him, especially as the younger male began to doubt himself.
"Never think that Dhiren." He informed him, controlling his own emotions his words were simply laced with care for his grandson. He certainly had faith in the boy, such thoughts were unacceptable. He'd seen similar, albeit far worse doubts nearly destroy his sister years ago and he simply couldn't bear the thought of Dhiren falling into the same depression and mistakes of his own. "You are plenty good enough. Never doubt yourself because of another's mistakes. "
Dhiren pushed back the tears that tempted to freely fall, a task that was hard to pull through. He remembered the conversation he had endured with Guinevere, something he wished hadn't made him feel so vulnerable. Ears remained plastered against his skull as he slowly rose to his full stature as he sat. He gave a gentle nod in his grandfather's direction, still internally fighting over his predicament. "Yes sir," he softly said, making sure to try and become more hardened against his emotions. Dhiren didn't want to be a sissy.
The boy gave another sigh as he continued to meet his grandfather's gaze. "But...Grandpa, what is it about a woman's body that craves such desires? I mean, when we had our conversation, her scent was thicker and...more sweet. I haven't smelled anything like it on her before...Could that be a reason?" Dhiren really was blind when it came to the opposite sex. Too bad, because if he hadn't been, his life would be so much easier.
Sir was hardly a term he preferred his grandchildren to call him by. Dhiren was upset though, not a sissy at all in Dutiron's opinion, just upset, and he wouldn't bother pointing out silly things like that now, not when he could see the boy was trying to gather himself once more. Tears could fall if they had to though, he wouldn't think any less of him. Truth be told whether now or back when he had been Dhiren's age, Dutiron suspected he probably would have been struck by a similar sadness had Novel treated him the way Guinevere was treating Dhiren.
The question started out rather awkward and didn't get all that much better as it went on. Things were simpler when it seemed Guinevere was simply betraying Dhiren, now of course though he suspected she was in heat at the moment. It made her actions a little easier to forgive but didn't help this current conversation at all. "Yes" He would begin simply. Honestly each time it came up the man tried to think of his own lessons on the topic but it seemed it was one of the things that Dutiron had apparently forgotten from his youth. Oh he could recall the details of course, just not how awkward the subject had been from a learning or teaching point of view. Now he was about to have a harsh reminder it seemed.
"I'm sure you're aware by now of where pups come from." The boy had plenty of younger relatives after all, had been around long enough to witness pregnancies and births. "Well whether they are ready for them or not, as they become adults, a female's body will prepare itself for pups. They go into what is called heat, scent will change with the body's hormones taking over and as and you said yourself make them crave such desires."
A blanket of ignorance had been draped around Dhiren's mind, keeping him from realizing the actual chemistry of Guinevere's body. Dutiron's explanation made perfect sense and the evidence of his stupor disappearing was evident in his gaze. Slowly, he looked away from Dutiron, tones still speaking about the heat and how it had affected his heart's desire. She had come of age sooner than he, making her older by a season or so. His eyes fluttered in silent thought, until he finally spoke.
"So...her body was dormant until she was old enough for it? Then, once her season came around, her body came to life?" He then looked back at Dutiron, gaze clearer than before. "I didn't know...that was what was supposed to happen before one has children..." A sigh escaped his lips and he licked them with his salmon pink tongue. "Grandpa, I wish I had known before her arrival. There should be a manual or something, because I surely need one."
Dutiron wasn't sure what else to really explain to the boy. The effect this scent could have on males as well perhaps, the fact that sometimes it would be so out of nature and yet still happen. Novella for instance though he cared not to linger on that topic nor use his daughter as an example in all of this. Fortunately though the confusion seemed to clear from Dhiren's face and it appeared the boy was making sense of things with these new facts coming to light.
He would give a small nod to Dhiren's comment, confirming that he had pretty much understood it all. The manual comment however would cause a little smile to form. "Yes. It would be easier." He would remark. He had been rather confused once by love himself. A terrified young man falling in love with his alpha and completely unsure whether to make a move or not. Yes, a manual a guide full of knowledge on how to understand it would have been so much easier. "Nothing in life comes with a manual though I'm afraid."
Dhiren still felt hurt, betrayed, and confused about the whole situation. Even after talking about it with his grandfather, he remained lost. Women -- why were they so confusing? Why couldn't they be simple like the men were? His grandfather reassured him that things would be easier with a manual, but alas, there were none. He pricked his ears up at Dutiron's words and a soft smile remained on his lips. "I know, I just hope that as I get older, I will become more wise about such things...like you." Aside from his mother, Dhiren thought his grandfather was the wisest wolf he had met in his young life.
