Together Again

Walk | Talk | Think

Though she was still plagued by impatience, Anais remained glued to the spot beside her mother and brothers, attention shifting every few seconds or so with anticipation. No answer from her father rang through the woods beside the river, no sight of him coming to join them caught her eye. Everything around them remained still and peaceful, natural and oblivious to the reunion that was to take place.

And it did not ease her tension.

With no answer to go off of, the confused girl tilted her head back and glanced up into her mother's face, trying to determine whether this was something to be worried about. Tahlia's face stayed serious and overall unchanging to the pup, and her yellow-gold eyes were already back to glancing around again, fidgeting even more as she turned around to look in a new direction. Nako, more mature and better able to assess their surroundings, piped up about finding Bane's scent, and wanting to keep up with his superiority Anais set her nose to the air and sniffed around, searching for the distinguishing smell that was solely their father's.

Close, her brother said, and sure enough after some close searching of her own she caught it. Nako was right; Bane was near. Following her elder brother's lead, the adventurous pup stuck close to him, not wanting to fall behind and all the while with her nose testing the air to keep that scent she had identified as her father's there within detection. It strengthened to the point that she no longer needed to focus so much to find it, and more confident in herself she began to walk ahead again, pulling away from her brothers and mother and venturing ahead along the riverbank as they trailed along it and toward an opening that she was starting to see through the snow.

Her bright eyes fixated upon the spot as she neared, falling into a creeping, cautious crawl led by her nose as peering as well as possible to see within. "Dad?" she whispered softly, creeping a few more steps until she spotted some peppered grey fur. Suddenly grinning, Anais lost all pretense of stealth and bound forward with an excited whine. "Dad!" Without any forethought to her father's condition or even his awareness of her and the rest of their family right there with her, she leaped at his side and snuggled in close to him, tail wagging swiftly as she rubbed against his side and moved to begin licking his cheeks and chin with excited, fidgety movements.