Corvus was feeling all sorts of off today, and though he knew exactly why, he really wished convincing himself to ignore his relentless thoughts was something he could do that easily. He wasn't the type to just ignore things - though he was absolutely awful at vocalizing his feelings, he was damn good at feeling them, often too intensely. Why he couldn't stop thinking about Ignis when things were going so well with Twig, he wasn't quite sure, but he wished he could just silence his brain for the day. Doing it when he was with Twig was easy, but when he was on his own it seemed a whole lot harder.

Days like today were the times he wished his parents were still around, and he found himself reminiscing about them as he trudged slowly across the sand, his paws occasionally licked by the waves coming in. His dad would know what to do, wouldn't he? He didn't know everything about how his parents had met, but he remembered bits and pieces. It hadn't been an easy thing, from what he'd heard. They'd nearly hated each other as kids, and slowly they'd grown deeply in love. Would he ever feel that way, he wondered? He loved Twig, and things were going well with her, but...

But. He had no idea what else. Letting out a sigh, he kicked at the sand, and was instantly surprised when the wind caught the spray and sent it flying back in his face. Just my luck, he thought to himself, wishing he'd closed his eyes to avoid more of the sand that inevitable was sent straight into his eyes. Lifting a paw he rubbed at his eyes, trying to relieve the sudden burning.

Summer was just another excuse to haunt the edges of the bay. She could pass it off as a thorough patrol, but really she just liked the salty breeze that rolled in off of the tide. It reminded her of the first harrowing trek across the channel to Ibis Islands, but it also brought to mind the journey back after their shelter had ended. They'd all grown fat and sleek off of the ocean's bounty while they had sequestered on the islands. Theory's coat had never looked better thanks to the taste she'd developed for fatty, rich fish.

Caught up in daydreams about salmon, she almost missed Corvus' heavy tread across the sand. Even from yards away she could tell that he looked miserable. She hadn't caught up with him one-on-one since before Rhyme's youngest litter had left the den. Now seemed like the perfect time. Making up her mind quickly, Theory loped up behind him and gave his tail a friendly tug. "How's my favorite cousin?"

Corvus had never been very good at hiding his feelings, even if he was absolutely dreadful at putting those same feelings into words. He should've known his dejected posture, as he slunk along the beach, revealed more about his mood than necessary.. or maybe he just hoped nobody would notice. Either way, he wasn't alone for all that long, which was possibly a blessing for his sour mood. He just hoped nobody had seen the perfectly-timed spray of sand that he sent flying into his face. Ugh.

Wiping idly at his face again with the same paw, he was surprised by the feeling of someone tugging on his tail. Theory, he was pretty sure he knew who it was before she even spoke. "Favorite cousin, you say?" Corvus raised a brow, half-squinting from the sand assault, as he spun around to face her properly. "Careful now, I might tell all the others you said that." Theory was easily his closest family member, and he doubted their close relationship was any secret to the rest of Abaven. "I'm doing... okay," he admitted, his hesitation saying it all, that something was on his mind. "What about you? Pretty good summer so far, huh?" The weather had been beyond pleasant, and things were calm; he was truly grateful for that, above all else.

"Yes! Just enjoying the weather, the sea, the scenery, the company," she trilled, padding up to walk by his side. They bumped shoulder to shoulder along the shore for a while. She wasn't sure how to open up the conversation, so she simply walked in silence by his side. Corvus usually opened up. He was like a tropical plant - under the right conditions, he would unfold for her. Theo didn't want to seem overbearing even if she was concerned. His relationship with Twig hadn't escaped her notice. She had encouraged them to train more closely but she hadn't expected them to get, well, so close. It was a pleasant side effect. She loved seeing Abaven wolves work together. In her own way, she was a bit jealous. Poem and Motif were her close confidants and companions, but she didn't have anyone in the pack who wasn't directly related to her that she could confide in. Eventually all the relationships got muddled between family and duty. She didn't have anyone who was just hers. "What have you and Twig been working on?" she asked casually, referring mostly to the increased training exercises she had encouraged.

Corvus found himself chuckling at her words, giving his head a slow shake. "Quite the company, if I do say so myself," he spoke with an air of exaggerated confidence, making it clear he was only speaking in jest. He was content to walk with her for awhile - silence was never an awkward thing when it came to them, something he was grateful for. Sometimes words just took a lot of effort for him, and moments of comfortable silence were welcomed just the same. After a few moments - or maybe a lot of moments, he wasn't totally sure how long it'd been - Theory spoke up, and almost immediately he felt the blood rush to his head. "We've been.. training. Sort of." Not really, but maybe? They'd raced a few times, but those moments were more for pleasure than anything else. "I'm thinking this next season we'll try to organize something for the younger fighters. I think we got a bit side tracked," he explained bashfully, wondering if she'd noticed just how side tracked they'd actually gotten.

"Side tracked, huh?" she asked, slowing her pace to a crawl as they traipsed across the shoreline. Theo diverted her path down towards the waterline and splashed in the shallows. The cold water felt good on her hot and sore pawpads. "I think that's a good idea, organizing something for the young ones. It's crazy how puppies seem to come in crops, like they're herbs or something. I'm happy for Rhyme though, and Abaven. That litter is going to keep us on our toes for a while yet." Haiku and Senryu's dynamic already gave her recurring migraines, much as she loved them. "Any ideas brewing for activities for the little ones?" She stopped and peered at him as the water lapped at her ankles. "Let me know if you need any help brainstorming. Maybe we can all get sidetracked together!" Theo said, chuckling. Corvus' penchant for talking around the issue had led to a misunderstanding - it was up to him to correct her or let it lie.

Her question didn't sound the least bit accusatory, and he'd partially expected it to. Surely Theory had noticed how close they had gotten, but... well, Corvus wasn't big on showing intimacy in public settings to begin with, and he and Twig were moving quite slowly to begin with. Maybe she hadn't noticed what was going on. He didn't blame her - she had a lot going on herself, between general pack duties and the newest litter that she was no doubt spending time with. He made a mental note to seek them out for a little lesson soon, even if it wasn't anything big. It was never too soon to start learning, right?

"Yeah," he answered weakly, letting her continue the conversation without bothering to elaborate what he'd been implying. "It's a nice breath of fresh air, after everything last year," he admitted with a grin. Children weren't something he was sure he was ready for - or would ever be ready for - but he enjoyed them quite a bit. They were Abaven's future, and they needed tending to, to ensure they grew into strong, productive members of their pack. Like herbs, as Theory had said.

Corvus veered after her toward the shore, kicking at the water this time and carefully avoiding sending more sand up and into his eyes. "I was actually thinking of maybe a little race, to get some friendly competition going. Teach them that being fast is sometimes as important as being strong." Twig had taught him that one. He'd been doing a lot of running since they'd gotten close. But his thoughts were jerked right back to what he'd been trying to say as she spoke up, implying something completely different. "I - uh - kinda meant..." His voice trailed off. He didn't think Theory would be upset with him for spending more time with her in a different way than what Theory had paired them together for, but he couldn't help but feel weird trying to find the words for it. "Twig's my girlfriend, I think. I mean - I don't think that, I know she is. We're just kind of figuring things out," he admitted, grinning slightly despite the awkwardness of the confession.

"Oh!" She said, meek and surprised in equal turns. Talking about romantic relationships was... neither of their strong suits. Did it run in the family? She tried not to pay it too much mind - thinking about the tangle of Destructions sometimes gave her a headache. "Well... that's great! Right?" she said, her brows knit together. The way he spoke about it didn't sound like he was very excited, but Corvus was rarely very transparent with his emotions; perhaps bottling things up ran in the family too. "A race sounds good though," Theo added, backtracking quickly to the beginning of the conversation. The news at the end was what had really caught her attention, after all. Was she a good match maker? Rhyme and Samara (although she hadn't had too much of a say in that), Corvus and Twig - huh! Maybe she was on to something. "How did it, um, start? With Twig?" she tried to carry on casually, but it was difficult. They were both so hopeless at this. Nevertheless, she was desperately curious. If Corvus, as quiet and anxious as he could sometimes be (though she loved him for it), wasn't there hope for her? She'd just have to take notes.

Theory seemed surprised, which caught him off guard too. This little conversation would be easier if Theory had completely caught on, but given the fact that he and Twig were taking things so slowly.. well,  it wasn't that surprising either. "Oh, yes, of course it's a good thing," Corvus said a little too quickly. He hadn't meant to sound so uncertain about it, really, but he realized all at once he likely hadn't sounded that excited either. All thoughts of actual training and putting on a race for the youngest members of the pack seemed to slip from his mind all at once. Talking about relationships was hard and he knew he wasn't very good at it. He wished, for a moment, that he could tell Theory about Ignis and about their conversation, but what good would that accomplish?

Sometimes he just hated thinking so much.

"We just started spending a lot more time together. I have a lot of fun with her," he admitted, somewhat sheepishly. At first he'd had a hard time focusing on leisure when he knew he ought to focus more on other things, but after awhile.. well, it just started to feel right. "I was a bit in denial, I think, until she set up this big thing for me. A really fancy dinner, and she told me how she felt, and I realized I was feeling the same way. God, that sounds lame," he concluded with a nervous laugh. Talking about this was weird, but there wasn't anyone he'd rather tell it to than Theory, if he was being honest. "I just really like her. Love her, I mean. Being around her makes me really happy." He was grateful for the dark fur around his muzzle, concealing the heat that was no doubt flooding his entire face at the moment.

"That's what love is, right? Being really happy around them?" she said, her brows still furrowed a bit. Theory wasn't quite sure. Thalia made her gut clench and churn; less happiness, more excitement and uncertainty. Theo was beginning to understand that perhaps the reason she was so fixated on the Abraxas girl was exactly because she could never have her. There was no way anyone in Abaven would approve, given the animosity between their packs. Even if it was before she was born, wolves like Corvus had been irreparably scarred by the occupation. What options did that leave her? Nothing but sordid lies and secrets. Theo gulped and looked out towards the horizon, staring off blankly as the waves lapped at the shore. "It's lucky that you found her here, y'know? Home, of all places. It kind of just works, huh?" She turned to him and offered a wan smile, hoping that he wouldn't read too much into her expression. "It sounds like what you have is really special. I know you're not looking for it, but uh, you have my blessing," Theo murmured, coughing a bit. Was that what an alpha did? She'd heard talk that pairings weren't "approved" until an alpha gave their say in some other packs. Abaven had always been family focused, though, and resources were plentiful. She would never stand the in the way of her pack's - of her family's - happiness.

Talking about love was weird for him. Really, really weird. But truthfully he wasn't sure there was anyone else he'd be even a fraction of this comfortable talking to about Twig and his feelings for her. "Yeah, that and.. a bunch of other feelings at the same time. It's kind of exciting, but pretty scary at the same time. It's weird." Corvus laughed shyly, hoping she understood what he meant. He'd never considered if she'd ever felt that way about anything - she would tell him, wouldn't she? - and he wasn't the type to pry much, anyway. He did hope she, like everyone else in the family, found the same kind of happiness someday. The options within Abaven unfortunately were a bit limited, given how many Destructions inhabited the pack, but... Theory even admitted it was lucky he'd found her here.

For a moment he felt guilty, his mind reeling back to Ignis. What might've happened if his friend had stayed in Abaven so long ago? Would he have even bothered getting to know Twig more closely? The realist in him doubted the that there was only one single wolf you could fall in love with, even if it was a nice thought. "Yeah, we're lucky," he agreed, perhaps a bit more somberly than he should've. He perked up a bit at her blessing though, giving a nod and a grin in her direction. "I appreciate that, really. I'd never want to do anything... I don't know... detrimental to my family, you know. Helping to grow Abaven and ensuring we all have a good future is really, really important to me." Maybe a different wolf would've ran off with their childhood friend, but he wasn't a different wolf - and staying here, against all other possible impulses, was the most important thing to him.

Theory sighed and smiled at Corvus' steadfast response. It was typical of him, and his answer was a great comfort to her. She counted him among one of her closest friends here. He had "mentored" her when she was young, and now he looked to her as a leader. Often she thought about her lopsided relationship to the rest of the pack in regards to age. It was a wonder - and a privilege - that they trusted her to lead as they did. Speaking with Corvus often made her think of the pack (and by extension her family) as a whole. They were lucky. They had come out on the other side of so much heartache. There was so much to be grateful for. This was her mantra late at night when she couldn't sleep and restlessly wandered the borders, always thinking that caught the faintest scent of Shaye.

"What are your thoughts on returning to the other lands? I don't want to give up the bay... but the islands, well," she sighed, staring out across the sea at the small archipelago they had called home. "With Rhyme's new litter and Rhythm staying on, it's made it more apparent to me that our little island retreat is not really practical. Some of my siblings are so little they'd get washed clean away at low tide," she chuckled, thinking of the dainty girls Samara had whelped.

Abaven meant everything to him. It was something far greater than himself, and certainly greater than his feelings toward Twig, though if she too didn't have their pack's best interests at heart he doubted he would've developed such strong feelings for her to begin with. The fact that she was loyal, and strove to care for those she loved... well, these were qualities that Corvus loved about her. His thoughts about Twig only temporarily distracted him though, quickly snapping back to the present and his conversation with Theory. His lovesick thoughts were minor when it came to the big picture; the well-being of Abaven always came first, he knew that.

"That might be a good idea," he agreed with a sigh. The island held fond memories for him too, but then again... it was just land. It wasn't important for them to lay claim to a territory that some of their youngest couldn't even safely travel to. "And I'm sure we'll have more young ones before long." Not from him, he wasn't implying that - he felt far from ready to be a parent, so much so that the thought hadn't really stayed for longer than a fleeting moment. It just wasn't terribly practical, Theory was right. "It's not like we can't visit whenever we want, anyway. Another pack would be foolish to stay on the island when we're across the water from them."