Another year gone by. Twig wasn’t sure she was particularly pleased with the results of such a year. She’d gained and lost her uncle and aunt. In the process she had gathered up a brood of her own. Not that she would dream of her little cousins calling her anything close to ‘mother.’ They knew their mom, they met her they loved her, Twig had no right to come in and steal the title. That didn’t mean she didn’t love them with her whole heart. She did everything she could for them, but she couldn’t protect them from loss.

The three boys left the den that morning, leaving Autumn to her own devices. Her dainty paws carried her through the foliage of the island. With springs return the place was slightly more habitable. The volcanos wrath was slowly ending. They wouldn’t be able to return to their home for a while now, but at least the sky was growing clearer. She contemplated the effects of the last years events on the pack, on her little nephews, and on the members within. They all struggled hard with their losses, and smiles were sometimes difficult to come by.

Twig lowered herself onto her haunches on the beach, bringing her ivory tail around her paws as she stared out over the water towards the cliffs that bordered Abaven’s normal territory. She sighed softly, feeling helpless and sad. An emotion that didn’t often stick to her, but the emotional weight of the past few seasons was wearing on the Memoire girl.

It was both incredible as well as depressing how quickly time as passing him by. It felt like just yesterday when he'd been frolicking the plains with Aiden and Rhea, without a care in the world - but in another way it felt as though it'd been a lifetime ago. He'd been a different wolf then, and sometimes he wished he could go back to being so blissfully naive. Perhaps it was better this way, at least for Abaven and all of his family, but some days it was hard to shake the dark cloud that seemed to hang over him. Life was hard, and they'd all been through a lot... though things could always be worse, there was a time when he remembered them being better, too. Maybe not better, but different - and definitely easier. Dwelling too much on the past was something he found himself doing more often than not these days, and reminding himself he needed to focus more on the present was something he struggled with. Today was one of those particularly hard days. The only thing that seemed to truly clear his mind was wandering. At least he could scout the borders of the islands and see if any prey was about. Prey wasn't nearly as abundant here as it was back home, but he had no doubt that things had changed drastically back in his birthplace - he hadn't dared venture out that way yet. It seemed he wasn't the only one wandering today. Near the edge of the water he noticed Twig, looking across the water back at the cliffs at the edge of Abaven's old territory. Clearing his throat, he slowly approached, not wanting to startle her. "Afternoon, Twig," he called out gently, wondering if she too was lost in thought today. "It's a nice view," he offered, moving to stand near her. The volcano wasn't good for much of anything, but he couldn't deny it cast quite a breathtaking sight, towering above the cliffside in the distance, across the glimmering stretch of water.

Twig wasn’t sure if she wished to be left alone with her thoughts, or if company would find it way to soothe her. She wished that she could spend more time with the boys, but with Shaye’s loss they were even more distant. She didn’t let them far from her site, but she gave them their space and allowed them to grieve how they wanted to. Losing three parents before your first year of life was not easy to recover from. She worried about their futures everyday.

The sound of a deep voice behind her cause her vivid gaze to be pulled from the cliffs and turned to Corvus. He seemed to be on the same train of thought as she, and as most of Abaven. Losing their heart was a massive blow and loss was heavy in the air. ”Hello, Corvus.” At least she could distract herself with a friendly face. ”It is, but honestly I’d prefer to be over there. I know I haven't been in Abaven long, but it is my home.” Just as much as the place she had been born. Where her own parents were living out the rest of their days.

She sighed softly, deciding to ignore the melancholy view to turn her attention fully on the tall Destruction. Twig didn’t want to talk about the deaths that haunted the pack, she wanted distraction, she needed fun. ”What do you do to entertain yourself, Corvus?” She asked with a mischievous eye.

Though Corvus had things of his own to mourn, most of his losses were further in the past. He'd long since accepted the loss of his parents and likely Rhea - and he had been surprised when Aiden had reappeared. The other wolves that Abaven had lost.. well, he hadn't been as close to them, not like many of the others had been. His own grief was more of a private affair, anyway. He nodded as she noticed him, forcing a weak smile that wilted almost as soon as it appeared at all. "I agree," he concurred quietly. Coming here had been a good decision - the volcano's eruption had made him wonder who had thought staying near the living mountain was such a good idea in the first place - but it didn't make him miss the lands he'd been born in any less. Those lands were all he knew as home, though lately he'd learned that home was less about the actual place you lived in and more about who you surrounded yourself with. Twig was part of that group, even if he didn't know her well. And it seemed she wanted to get to know him, too. Her question made his eyes widen, just slightly, catching him off guard. "To entertain myself?" Corvus repeated, wondering if he'd heard her correctly. He wasn't really the type to engage in leisure activities.. not really. The little time he had to himself he often spend scouting the borders and making sure everything was up to par - or, at least a few times, making trips to the north to see his best friend. He really wasn't sure what else he did for fun. "I.. I'm not sure. Not much since we moved here. I've kind of been focused on... making sure everyone's alright and everything," he explained lamely. "What about you? You're probably a lot more fun than me," he added without thinking, regretting it immediately after. He wasn't trying to be hard on himself, he just generally didn't think he was all that entertaining... surely she was more so.

Corvus wanted to be home too, and she couldn’t blame him. Soon they would return, or maybe. There were a lot of difficult memories to return to, but good ones as well. There were lots of new memories to make too, their future was bright. They could only go up once they reached their lowest point. She let her mind forget its sadness as she focused on Corvus and the surprise that flashed over his features as she asked her question.

Unabashedly Twig stood up and shifted closer to his chocolate frame, he was cute when he was uncomfortable. The young Memoire girl felt her loneliness more than ever recently and Corvus was a welcome reprieve from it. She felt a little guilty about the lines she wanted to cross, especially with the tragedy Abaven faced. She felt selfish, but she didn’t stop. Twig really liked Corvus, and she wondered if she might find similar feelings in him. They hardly knew each other though, and her boldness might not be received as well as she’d hope.

”I think we need to change that!” Autumn offered with a playful grin as he asked what she liked to do for fun. ”It’s been hard with everything that’s happened,” she couldn’t get by without acknowledging how difficult wading through the sorrow was. If they didn’t have sorrow they wouldn't have joy though, and she would take it and grab hold whenever she could. ”But, I like to run.” She admitted, her passion obvious in her voice. The small girl bounced away from Corvus playfully. ”Do you want to race me, Corvus?” She asked with a bit too much mischief in her eyes.

It was hard, sometimes, to remind himself that the future was bright when the past oftentimes felt bleak. Corvus knew that he had it better than some wolves did, but it was hard to shake that angst that seemed to settle over him so naturally sometimes. It was early, and the day was young - he knew he shouldn't start it off by feeling gloomy, and luckily for him it seemed Twig was all about shaking up those dreary thoughts to make way for something new, and her attitude was a welcome distraction. He found himself grinning lightly as she moved closer, appreciating the company even if he wasn't totally sure how to take her friendliness. It was all good, right? Right, he would tell himself. She voiced that they needed to change his lack of leisure activities, and he felt his ears flatten slightly, uncertain what she was about to suggest. Had he been doing this pack thing all wrong? Focusing too much on his duties and shortcomings? There was some time for fun, of course, but he realized suddenly he might be spending too much of it away from home. Maybe it was time to start finding things to do around here and shake things up a bit. But running? He wasn't so sure about that. Though, he knew the way a good hunt got his blood boiling was rewarding, surely running wasn't much different? "You like to run?" He asked lightly, thinking back to the recent hunt that the two of them and Brandr had embarked on. She'd certainly fit in with their little group quite well. He raised a brow, finding her playful mood more contagious than he had expected. "Yeah, why not. Say when," Corvus suggested, twisting away from her to make a pose as if ready to take off, wondering how far across the island they'd make it before he ran out of breath... he had a feeling he wouldn't make it quite as far as she would.

At least he reacted positively to her good mood and Twig felt accomplished at getting him to grin. While he thought that he might not be spending enough of his time in Abaven maybe Twig didn’t spend enough time outside of it. She was so caught up in trying to help her nephews that she rarely took time for herself. This was the moment to remedy that, she’d focus on Corvus and his growing grin.

”It’s freeing and it feels good.” She enjoyed stretching her limbs as well as the endorphin release of the exercise. To her pleasant surprise Corvus agreed and though he put more space between them Twig kept her grin and raised her brow in challenge. ”Alright,” she took up a similar pose and paused for a long moment so he wouldn’t be able to predict her mark. ”Go!” Autumn called with one mischievous grin before shooting off over the beach.

Her stride was long and after only a few hops the young woman reached her full speed. This was the epitome of freedom, the wind played roughly with her fur and the sand sprayed from her pale paws. She tossed her head excitedly, barely glimpsing back to make sure Corvus was behind her.

Even if Corvus was willing to play along and give her little game a shot, he wasn't completely convinced. Shouldn't they be.. like.. patrolling or something? Maybe they needed to hunt, even if just to feed some of the younger members of the pack, whose appetites seemed insatiable at times. Running didn't seem like a priority, but Twig was rather convincing, he couldn't deny that.   "Yeah?" He commented idly, though his grin seemed suddenly plastered to his face, reluctant to fade. "We'll see about that," Corvus teased lightly, raising his brows as he glanced her way. He kept an eye on her, watching to see if he could predict her movements. Unsurprisingly, he couldn't, but at her cue to run he too kicked off hard, trying to match her pace. It wasn't at all like running on solid ground - he felt himself sinking into the sand, forcing him to use much more effort to kick off with each lope forward. He struggled to catch up to her, his large size lending to stamina rather than speed, and already he felt his chest beginning to ache as he briefly managed to catch up to her... only to instantly lag behind, despite how hard he tried to keep up. He simply wasn't a match for her slender frame, not when compared to his own bulky form. "I think-" He managed to get out, hoping she heard him, as he struggled hard to even reach close behind her. "-you win," he called out, after some time, feeling his heart beating rapidly in his chest now.

Twig knew the importance of keeping up with their responsibilities. She also knew the importance of keeping yourself taken care of, and everyone needed to take a load off every once in a while. Even someone as serious as Corvus. Autumn would do her best to get him to loosen up, he deserved to have a little fun. As did all of Abaven these days. She grinned in return to him, she was happy to see him smile so unabashedly. Her efforts were working slightly at least. However much he didn’t believe her summary of a good run.

He didn’t predict her call, not that Twig could sacrifice her focus to realize the fact. They sprinted over the beach, and the young Memoire girl caught a glimpse of him catching up for only a moment. Her bright violet eyes sparkled as she tossed him a smile and put on another burst of speed to keep in the lead. Eventually she heard his gasping breath behind her, conceding defeat to her.

A huge grin spread over her pale lips as she slowed and curved around to face Corvus and his gasping frame. Autumn couldn’t help but giggle amusedly as she closed the distance between them, not immune to the fatigue of exertion. Her breath came in little gasps as she regained control. ”Pretty good for a first sprint,” she laughed good naturedly as she stopped in the sand in front of him. Her chest heaving as she regained her breath. She looked up at him with mischievous amethyst gaze, ”Having fun yet?”

Twig could certainly teach her a thing or two about loosening up. That was one thing Corvus wasn't particularly good at, though he was at least open for trying. If anything he was always open for self-improvement, for being the best version of himself he could possibly be, if not for his own sake than for the sake of Abaven and his family. Maybe letting go once in awhile wasn't such a bad thing... it certainly didn't feel bad right now, as he pushed forward hard, kicking up sand in his wake. Despite the amount of energy it took to push forward, the feeling wasn't entirely a bad one - though part of him wondered if he should be exerting so much energy over something frivolous.

But Twig's smile made it somehow seem less frivolous than he thought. Dramatically he flopped down onto the sand, as if his legs had given out beneath him. The sand didn't cushion his fall half as hard as he hoped it would, but he didn't let it show. "You didn't do so bad yourself," Corvus teased her lightly, grinning quite a bit now too. The truth was that she was much more suited to running than he ever was, or could be; though she could beat him in a race any day, he had to guess he might come out on top in a competition of brute strength. "You could say that," he continued the teasing. He definitely was having fun - his heart felt lighter than he remembered it, and he appreciated the company quite a bit. He fell quiet for a moment as he lay there, struggling to catch his breath. "Is this the sort of thing you did for fun? Before Abaven, I mean," he added, feeling awkward after even asking. He didn't know much about her beyond the few times they'd spent together. Where had she came from? Why had she chosen Abaven, he wondered?

Twig had to allow herself to keep things light, if she didn’t she knew that everything would drive her crazy. She was beginning to realize how much Abaven was turning into home. Having Corvus here to unwind and relax with was priceless. Her bright lavender gaze watched as he flopped himself over in the sand. He teased her lightly, and she felt her heart flutter at her ability to make him grin.

Twig lowered herself to her hanches beside him, her chest still heaving as she caught her breath. After a moment Corvus asked her about her life before Abaven. This time she allowed the silence to settle over them as she lowered herself into the sand at Corvus’s back. There was barely enough room between them to say they weren’t touching. Twig averted her gaze from his huge form and looked out over the ocean.

”Yeah,” she started simply, but was unable to keep the melancholy from her voice. ”With my brothers.” Though she felt sad to think about their time gone by there was still a smile in her voice. Her sister died not long before she found herself in Abaven. ”They’re both faster than you.” She teased him as she nudged his spine and tried not to dwell on her family. Corvus didn’t intend for her to bring up painful memories and she tried to keep her grin for him. ”I enjoy hunting too, but it's nice to just run. Your mind doesn’t have to work as hard.”

It was easy to let dark thoughts overtake one's mind - Corvus knew that much. Unlike Twig he hadn't learned to engage in activities like running to free his mind, but in a way he'd found a coping mechanism of his own. When things got too heavy he always seemed to find himself fleeing to his best friend in the north, though perhaps going so far away from home wasn't always the most practical idea. Surely he needed to find a different outlet. Calling his various scouting trips around Abaven's lands fun... well, he could only convince himself of that for so long, if he was being truthful with himself.

Twig's proximity was comforting, as his heartbeat began to slow back to its normal rhythm. It was nice to have someone he felt he could go to if he wanted some company, besides Theory. After a moment of consideration, he leaned into her, deciding that the faint way she pressed into his back was definitely not unwanted. Feeling the touch of another helped him feel more grounded - sometimes he felt his mind straying and he appreciated any reminder that he needed to live here, in the present, rather than in the past, or worrying about the future. This was what life was all about, wasn't it? These simple moments they could enjoy with one another, all of Abaven, and it made all their struggles somehow feel worth it.

"I miss my siblings," he breathed quietly, before realizing what he was even saying. He didn't want to let his own melancholy feelings drag down their happy little moment, but he did, truly. "I mean - Aiden's back now, but he's different, and I haven't seen my sister since we were kids." Corvus tried to keep his own tone upbeat, not wanting to seem pathetic to Twig. Those dark thoughts seemed to penetrate his mind though, no matter how hard he tried to keep them out of it. "I miss being that little sometimes. Life was all about fun and not having to work hard," Corvus offered with a smile, leaning back into Twig's touch for a moment, savoring the closeness.

Her breathing calmed, and being so close to Corvus was comforting despite the dark thoughts that easily settled over both of them. She felt her pale lips pull back into a hint of a smile as he leaned against her softly. The close company helped her to think about her lost sister without fully succumbing to the sadness of losing her.

Twig hesitantly shifted, lowering her head over Corvus’s shoulders. He spoke softly about missing his siblings and went further to explain the two of them. His brother was here in Abaven, but he hadn’t seen his sister in a long time. That was much like how she felt. Her sister was gone and she hadn’t seen her brothers in more than a couple of years.

”I miss mine too.” She conferred softly before he wished for return to childhood. ”I haven’t been that care free in a long time.” Twig mused as she sighed softly. She almost missed being taken care of, but she knew she couldn’t return there. She had three pups who were relying on her to be the responsible one. ”Life can still be fun.” Autumn spoke with optimism in return to him. ”And you don’t have to work hard all the time.” She teased him lightly, returning to her earlier comment about him loosening up.

Things were okay, Corvus knew that, no matter what either of them had endured or who they had lost. Keeping Abaven strong was far more important than succumbing to those dark feelings, as much as they sometimes threatened to swallow him whole. At least they had somewhere for his sister to return to, if she ever came back home. That alone - coupled with Twig's company - was enough to keep those feelings at bay, at least for tonight. He felt her shift even closer, laying her head over his shoulders, and all at once he became acutely aware of just how small she was in comparison to him. She'd never struck him as fragile, not in all the times they'd spent together, but suddenly he felt an overwhelming urge to curl around her and protect her from whatever harm might dare seek her out.

"You know - with things settling down lately, I think we have more fun in store for us," he teased as lightly as he could, twisting slightly to glance at her from the corner of his eye, grinning a bit more now. "Thank you," he said after a moment of thought. It was hard to get out of his own head sometimes, and he appreciated the reminder to loosen up a bit. "It's easy to forget what all our hard work is for sometimes. Especially after.. everything." Life wasn't always easy, but at the same time it could be much worse too... Corvus was grateful for what he had and what they'd built, even if he didn't always stop to think about it. "It's for moments like this," he sighed contentedly, leaning back more surely against Twig, stretching his toes as he pushed his paws away from him and further into the sand.

Laying next to Corvus and being able to draw from him support was invaluable. Twig was the one who always needed to be strong for the little ones that looked up to her. He was warm and strong and just know he was there for her to lean on brought her great comfort. He was easy on the eyes too, but that was beside the point. She sighed softly in contentment and perked her caramel ears as he returned her words.

He teased her back, a sign that he really was loosening up, and Twig couldn't help but return his smile. He thanked her, though he didn't have to. Just having someone there to let loose with was more than enough thanks. With life as difficult as it was sometimes she was glad to have found Abaven and wolves like Corvus to keep her from spiraling into darkness. He leaned back against her and relaxed visibly. Autumn heaved her own sigh into his big frame, her vibrant lilac eyes looking up to the ashen sky. "I could really get used to this." Twig offered softly but with the hint of suggestion.