But you'll never find the answers, until you set your old heart free

Lydia was glad spring was just around the corner but for the task at hand she had to admit she was glad the winter was being stubborn and hanging on. The ice and snow made it easier for her to drag the strange boy on the piece of bison hide southward. It took a lot of work and diligence but finally she arrived at the border of Kesali. Releasing the hide from her mouth she stretched her jaw, panting. She offered the boy a small smile. "We're here. I'll call the pack and we'll get you settled in some where with a nice meal."

Tipping back her head she howled for the members of Kesali to come and assist her. Then she sat down heavily, clearly exhausted. Hopefully, some of her pack mates would have experience with pups.

If he were more cognizant, Erystotle might have been more empathetic to Lydia's exertion. He wasn't a very big pup, but dragging anything at such a distance couldn't have been easy. Erys didn't commit energy to these thoughts however, he drifted in and out of consciousness. Sleeping more often than not the small horned boy managed to raise his head as they came to a stop. He didn't miss Lydia's tired smile and he had enough energy to smile back.

He missed his momma, and his brothers, but meeting such a nice woman comforted him. They were here and he was close to receiving a real meal. At this thought his smile grew brighter, though he didn't move to stand up again yet. Already he was feeling his strength returning, but he still felt tired. The brilliant colors of his tail flashed as he managed to wag it for the first time since being sent away.

He felt the spirit of song, and as Lydia's voice filled the air he couldn't help but join in her despite the dryness of his voice. Erys wasn't very loud, but the action helped his heart.

Clementine was organizing her herb cache while emitting a soft hum as the call met her ears. As of late Kesali was peaceful and not many calls swept the pack. Thus, the sudden outbreak of an urgent summons caused the wreckage gal to instantly perk up and leave her den. Her sent was strong of meadowsweet and the earth as she swept through the thicket. At this point the obsidian babe was fairly good at navigating the pack lands and did not have much trouble getting to the borders rather quickly. Soon Clem arrived at the scene with a curious gaze. Wide eyes fell upon the oddball child before flicking a glance towards Lydia who was another strong pack members. A simple nod could be seen from the babe as her chipper yet hesitant vocals hit the air. "Is everything okay?" Clementine had her priorities straight. Before any questions of who this young-yin was she expressed sincere concern. Though, after a moment her brow raised a bit. "And who my this be? If you do not mind me asking." A simple inquire. The curious girl was riddled with interest but would back off in case her questions were not wanted. speech action

He had just gotten a nice deer that had been grazing in the plains and had drug it to the weeping woods where most of the dens were located. He himself hadn't been all that hungry, but he was leaving it for anyone who may be hungry. He then moved to head to the borders to begin a patrol. He was almost there when Lydia's howl made him stop in his tracks. She was looking for assistance and Branch quickly changed his course and began running towards where the call came from. His first thought was that she had gotten hurt and if she did he would be upset with himself for not finding more fighters for his pack, to go with the healers as they hunted for herbs. When he arrived he was a bit surprised at what he saw. First was Clementine, she had beat him here. Then his blue eyes fell upon a very colorful pup at Lydia's side and his brows furrowed in concern and curiosity. Clem had already asked the questions he had wanted to ask so he would walk up to stand beside Clem looking between Lydia and the pup. He really didn't know what to think, the pup was young and no parents fallowed him and Lydia. Was he abandoned or did she need help tracking down his parents. Branch focused on the pup crouching down to be more on his level and smiling at him. "Hey there I'm Branch, what's your name," he asked the boy. "Speech"

But you'll never find the answers, until you set your old heart free

Lydia practically danced on her paws as she waited for other members of the pack to arrive. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long. Clementine and Branch were swift to arrive and she suddenly felt stupid as Clementine asked her who the boy was. Oh crumbs! She forgot to ask his name. "I don't know his name I'm afraid. I found him laying on a piece of ice that had washed up on the beach up near the edge of the Rock Garden. He's freezing and likely in need of a good meal and a proper medical exam." Lydia was still process the event and she took a moment to catch her breath. She hadn't realized how tired she was. Her breath was difficult to catch and her limbs ached. She'd been so focused on getting the boy here that she hadn't taken stock of her own health. Lydia sat down heavily. "Unfortunately, his parents aren't in the picture. There was a storm moving in so I got him here as quickly as I could."

Had the wolves of the pack not been as quick to arrive they might have found an already sleeping Erys. They reacted quickly though, and the boy’s silver eyes were upon their new faces as they appeared over the horizon. Neither wolf looked like the ones from his homeland, but they hard warm welcoming faces he couldn’t deny.

The two newcomers asked who he was, the gentleman even lowered himself to Erystotle’s height as he asked the boy directly. He tried not to think of his parents. His mother’s sorrowful eyes or his father’s emotionless words. These wolves already seemed to care about him more than his real family. Of course he would never know the fate of his brothers or the reason his mother sent him away.

”Erys.” He choked out as he tried to lift himself into a sitting position. His lack of strength was obvious when he slid back down on the hide. ”Erystotle Atlas.” He offered his full name as his horned head was lowered to his paws.

Silver optics took in the unique form of the shivering babe before her. Ivory horns sprung from an albino plagued cranium as a galaxy pattern threatened to consume it's pelt. The Wreckage bloodline was not known for their vibrant colors or mutations so seeing such an exotic Wolf was nearly baffling. Clementine listened to her pack mate Lydia speak with a raised brow of concern. The gal was no healer but it was rather clear this strange pup was suffering from the chill. Chattering teeth and a severe lack of warmth brought forth an immense amount of concern from the caring babe. As the stranger brought forth a name Clem offered a reassuring smile to her inky lips. "Nice to meet you, Erys!" Despite the circumstances the femme allowed her tone to breathe forth a sense of promise. As in they would save him from the cold pain he must be enduring. Silver eyes poured into his own. "My name is Clementine, but you can just call me Clem. We are going to help you, okay?" Perhaps it was out of turn to make such a promise but she was nearly positive Branch wouldn't turn away such a young creature suffering and at the brink of collapsing. speech action

His blue eyes would glance up to Lydia, registering how exhausted she really looked. Both her and the pup looked worse for wear and both would need good rest and a good meal. Lydia explained the situation of how she had come upon the young male. Branch felt his big old heart ache upon hearing the parents weren't in the picture, that the boy had been alone when she found him. Branch couldn't imagine what would be going through the younger male's mind, how he was feeling. He's in a place where he's not familiar with and others that were not familiar to him. Branch's heart went out to him and there was nothing more then he wanted to just take this boy in and raise him up. His attention turned back to the male as he introduced himself and Branch would let another friendly smile grace his lips. There was no hesitation from the Alpha, this male was already accepted into the pack and he would surely thrive here. Clem introduced herself to Erystotle and Branch took this moment to straighten himself and look to Lydia, he was proud of her decision and the fact that she was a member of his pack. "You both need plenty of rest and a good meal," he would agree with a slight nod. "Would you mind him spending the night with you, if not I will be glad to let him stay with me." It was one more thing to figure out before getting both of them taken care off. Erystotle shouldn't be alone, not anymore and Branch would make sure of that. "Speech"

But you'll never find the answers, until you set your old heart free

Lydia listened as the boy spoke his name, a fine name and she'd felt guilty about not asking earlier but she supposed that was part of her mind as a healer. The patient comes first, and sometimes that meant courtesy came second. She stepped back as Clementine spoke and she envied the woman and how naturally she was able to speak to the young boy. Sitting down Lydia took a moment to catch her breath knowing that the work was not done. The boy needed warmth, rest and good food when he felt strong enough to eat. If necessary she could feed him as she would a young pup, chewing the food for him first.

"Not at all. Erys is more than welcome to stay with me." She smiled at the boy. "I hope you don't mind the smell, I'd just gathered a bunch of lavender that is drying in my den. Erys, are you hungry? I'm sure the pack has some food in stores for you. If you lay back down on the hide I can bring you to my den."

The pale boy looked up into Clementine’s similar silver gaze as she offered her name, and promised that they were going to make it okay. She was sweet and honest, and Erys couldn’t help but to believe her. All of the adults had been careful not to spook him, and they offered him kind smiles and reassurance that he was safe now. The child couldn’t realize how close to death he had skirted, but thanks to the wolves present he would have a home and a place to grow up.

Branch reiterated that the pair of them needed rest and food, Erystotle’s stomach chose that moment to make a gurgling noise even louder than the boy’s voice. He managed an eager smile at the thought of food, though his frail form still lay helpless before them.

The conversation returned to Lydia, and she mentioned that the boy was welcome to stay with her, he just had to ignore the smell. She mentioned lavender and he perked a bit, ”I like lavender.” He muttered as he gazed up at her. ”M’ hungry.” He added as she asked, having not eaten since he’d been sent adrift.