pick me up again (JUNIPER)
Things had been calm and Aithusa had to say he enjoyed the calm. His mind had been at peace, though he worried about his sister Laria when he learned she had not been with Cypress. He knew she knew their parents had passed on, and that concerned him even more. What if she went off the deep end and something happened to her? There was a pain in his chest as the silent man felt an eeriness in the air. He sighed. He should be happy, elated to find that not only did he have his brother, but he had nephews and a precious niece that he could dote on if he so chose.
He did not have a reason for not visiting them yet, but he decided that one of these day he would break the horrid habit. He let a small smile on his face as he wandered around the new territory.
In Aithusa’s aimless wandering, he pondered what his niece and nephews looked like, not knowing anything about them apart from the fact that they were Cypress’ children. He took a deep breath, holding it for a second when a voice met his ears, piquing his curiosity in a manner that demanded investigation. He noted that it was a girl’s voice, one that sounded like that of a pup. He would start his way towards the noise to hear her mention someone named Phil and how she was going to ignore her. He let a small smile creep onto his face as he made himself known. “Hello there!” He would greet in a friendly manner.
There was a flash of amusement in his eyes, keeping his friendly smile naturally on his face. She asked him if he was part of Sonticus and if he had been hiding since the new wolves arrived. Aithusa hadn’t been aware that there were new wolves, but he had preferred his seclusion and himself doing his part. “I’m sort of new in my own way. The leaders here is my brother and sister-in-law. And I’m looking for my niece and nephews.” He said, suspecting that the pup was his niece but not positive, knowing others could have had children of their own and just because there was a pup, didn’t mean they were related to him in any way.
Aithusa couldn’t hide the amusement in his eyes as he looked at the girl, who bounced when she announced her mother was the leader, meaning that this was Cypress’ daughter. She certainly had a knack for adventure if she was venturing out with her faithful friend stick named Phil. He grinned, looking at the stick and back to his adorable little niece. “It’s nice to meet you Phil, and you too Juniper.” He would say with a grin before introducing himself. “I’m Aithusa, but you can just call me Ai, or uncle, or whatever you want to call me.” The words were light and carefree. He was determined.
He was going to be the cool uncle.
Ai asked why he would be hiding from the new wolves. "Well, they aren't like us." She said simply, rolling her shoulders with a flick of her tail. The excitement faded a bit from her voice and body, but she was still in a relaxed and good mood. "One of them has these strange markings on him, red like the stuff that comes out of prey when you attack it. She began, plopping herself down on her butt but keeping her eyes on the man. "The lady is quiet and their kids aren't really nice, but they don't seem bad." With a paw she would make a little print in the thin layer of snow. "They have this skinny wolf with them that never talks, he just listens and does what they say and is always by their side."