Settling In
After some careful consideration, Miksa had finally chosen his preferred place of residence. He considered himself lucky as he stood back and admired his handiwork, the freshly dug den both roomy and comfortable and well suited toward his likes. Located only a short walk from the lake, he thought it nicely placed though knew he would need to have a care when meetings were called on the Vericona Plains - he would need to be sure not to drag his feet. But he had wanted something a little secluded, a little out of the way, and this place seemed right. So far the lake was the quieter of the two locations, and the introverted wolf hoped it would remain that way.
With a gentle sigh, the tall white wolf turned and walked in the direction of the Wolfpaw Lake, considering his move here and, as his thoughts jumped, his friend's. Since joining Celestial, he had seen less of the Destruction girl, but that was to be expected. She had surprised him by seeming eager to situate herself within the pack, which surely meant she was up and about trying to be as helpful and active as he was. And with his own interests in fighting drawing him in a different direction he had yet to properly see how she was adjusting to her new life.
Of the opinion that there was really no excuse for his lack of communication with her, especially given that she had shown a great deal of interest in his comfort when he had joined her pack, Miksa was determined to set that to rights today. He had already secured himself a den, and now he hoped to make sure Varda had done the same. Only...how did he find her? He felt awfully silly calling out to her, howling and possibly drawing the attention of any of the other pack members who might have been about. At least they only had two territories - maybe he could simply search for her until she was found.
Hoping that he might be lucky this way, the Legionary-in-training decided to begin his search by the lake and walked unhurried in its direction.
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His trek to the lake ended uneventfully, and there was no sign of the white wolf with the mismatched eyes that he sought. It made him a little disappointed, though he had honestly held very slim hopes of finding her there at all. The Vericona Plains made the most sense as the suitable hangout for the newly ranked Celestial Hunter, but...maybe he could coax her this way. On a whim - before his natural insecurities and self-consciousness could talk him out of it - Miksa tipped his head back and howled, surprising himself by the action that felt awkward for him and surely sounded that way to anyone within earshot. No sooner had he cut off the sound quickly, his thoughts tumbled. I hope she heard that. It would have embarrassed him more if she missed it.
For a short while he hesitated. If he howled for her, then he ought to stay put. But what if she had not heard? What if she was so far away in their pack's other territory that the sound had not reached her? He ought to head straight over that way right that moment if that was to case, but how was he to know? Fidgeting on his paws, he waited only a few seconds more before his need to move won out and he began to step away from the lake, only to spot his friend coming his way. Oh. She had heard after all.
Ears perked, Miksa smiled as Varda walked over to him, happy to spot a smile upon her face too. That was a good sign. She seemed to be in good spirits, and he could only assume it meant that she was comfortable here, possibly even happy. After being alone for as long as she had been - and especially given how rooted her life had been in her last pack - this was a big milestone in his book.
His smile drew just a fraction brighter as she spoke his name in greeting, and was followed immediately by a touch of embarrassment as she brought attention to the state of his being. Forgetting what he had been up to just before seeking her out, he glanced in puzzlement down at his own paws before he laughed and self-consciously shifted his weight from one side to the other. "Ah, yeah," he answered, not quite laughing but gratefully seeing the humor in the situation. "I was working on a den for myself. Found something not too far from the lake here." Absently, he gestured over one shoulder in the direction he assumed the den to be in; he was still gaining his bearings too. Once more his gaze lowered to his paws and he lifted one as if inspecting it, muttering thoughtfully, "I should maybe clean this up." He was by no means a vain wolf, but he did want to present his best self for his new pack.
Returning to his dirtied paw to the ground, he looked back toward Varda again, thoughts still upon the subject of dens, and asked, "Have you found a place? For a den?"
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Varda surprised him by agreeing to accompany him to the lake, and then again as she took the initiative and began to walk in that direction. It all happened so fast that the Legionary-in-training was left staring for a second after her and muttered in sudden answer, "Okay." Given little option but to follow, Miksa quickly fell into step with her, happy despite his surprise to have the blue- and amber-eyed wolf coming along with him. He had thought only to take care of his paws after he had gotten a chance to catch up with Varda, but this appealed to him possibly more.
His ears perked as his friend answered the question he had posed regarding a potential den, and it seemed she had yet to find a place just yet. Miksa glanced at her, trying to gauge whether this was a troubling fact for her or not. It was kind of a big decision since it would make her move to Celestial official, not to mention choosing a location was hard. Did she just need to take her time about it, or would she be open to suggestions if he could find any? Before he could begin to make plans to assist her, she stopped him by remarking that she had a location picked already. His lips curved into a small, gentle smile, glad to hear that her search was going somewhere at least. "Well, if...if you need any help with that," he offered, "I'd be happy to assist." After all, he had done a halfway decent job with his own den. Surely he could do a little remodeling for Varda if she needed it.
Letting his attention slide forward again, he wondered still how well she was adapting to a new life in Celestial. For all appearances, the answer looked positive, but because he was a worrier and could not put his concerns to rest, he knew he was going to need to ask in order to know for certain. "You're settling in okay otherwise?" he asked, glancing sidelong but watching his friend closely. It was important to him that she feel comfortable here, that she adjust as easily and swiftly as possible to her new surroundings and pack. And, because he felt partly responsible for her comfort given his role guiding her here, he was looking for any opportunity to make the transition easier on her.
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Miksa nodded his head as Varda agreed to seek him out should she need any help, though the more he thought about it as they walked the more it seemed unnecessary. She was a strong, capable wolf all on her own and, he suspected, would be able to handle the process of finding and securing a den for herself without him, no problem. But it did feel good to offer his assistance, even if it was not needed. They were all they had, really. He did not know for certain if Varda knew of any of her other family members still living in the region, or if she was close with the family that still remained in packs surrounding their old home, but Miksa considered her an important part of his whether he had put it into those terms or not. Combined with his sense of responsibility, he was looking out for her best interests, even if that meant making sure something as basic as her living arrangements were satisfactory.
She answered his concern succinctly, offering no details or insights that could be used to better determine for himself whether she spoke true or not. But what reason did she have to lie to him? He trusted her word and hoped it would be enough to settle the worrying voice that nagged him in quiet moments of thought. It surprised him when she quickly turned the question around on him, but not enough to trip up the answer he had. Miksa blinked his bright eyes and dropped his gaze to his dirt stained forelegs, smiling a little. "I guess I must be," the wolf observed, his voice earnest and touched softly by good-natured humor. He had a den now; that was a good sign, right?
He thought, trying to think of something to say that had nothing to do with settling in or adjusting to a new style of pack life, but under pressure everything felt jumbled. He could not think quick enough, and before anything could come to him Varda acted. It was quite quick, at least to him. One second they were strolling along, nearing the lake, and the next she was pressing her paw to his shoulder with a grin and initiating a game of tag. The unexpectedness of it made the white wolf stop in his tracks, his thoughtful look blanking, but as Varda bounded ahead, gaining a head start, Miksa smiled again. "Hey," he called after her, laughing below his breath as he gave chase. When was the last time he had participated in a game? Could he even remember? He felt awkward and unsure about the whole thing, but still he ran, not fast enough to close in on her but just fast enough to follow as he tried to decide how to react.
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Though Varda had a head start, she did not immediately take advantage of it. Even at his easy pace, the white wolf realized fairly quickly that he was gaining ground on her, slowly catching up with each stride that he made. It had not originally been his intention to fully give in to the game of chase, only to follow at the very least, but seeing the distance between them shrinking incited a rare and small sense of competitiveness inside of him. If he could just go a little bit faster, he might actually reach her before she realized he was catching up. Spurred by those thoughts, Miksa stretched his gait just a bit wider, hoping to cover more ground.
It was poorly timed. The typically poised female ahead of him chanced a look his way almost as soon as he started to make progress, and noticing the difference she wasted no time in putting more speed to her stride. Miksa felt his chances of success begin to dwindle again, and his competitive edge with it. It was only a game, after all. The fact she had thought to initiate it with him at all was startlingly fun, and he still had every intention of keeping up at the very least, which he was able to do.
As the lake came within sight and their course ran right toward it, the dirt-stained wolf began to slow and stop. His friend, however, had very different ideas. His brows rose over bright eyes as Varda raced and all but leaped into the water of the lake, landing in the shallows with a very impressive splash. Surprised and greatly amused, Miksa laughed outright with a few sweeping waves of his tail. The thrill of the whole race had his heart beating faster in his chest, and an unfamiliar giddiness had him within its grasp. "I think you win," he remarked, chuckling softly as he strolled much more calmly to the water's edge and began to wade in himself to wet his dirtied forelegs.
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