The flood had come and gone, and with it had come a lot of devastation… and many tasks that had needed to be done. The Armada had been working on rebuilding throughout the winter and even now there was more to be done. The dens needed restoring and, more than that, they had to prepare on the off chance that something like this happened again. The flood, the waters crashing through the Armada… Charlie had been terrified. So terrified to lose members of their pack. And yet, in the end… they had still lost wolves. One of his family members had almost been among them. His nephew, Wylan, had gone down into the water. If he hadn’t been there, if he hadn’t seen the boy, his life could have been lost.

At the moment Charlie had been terrified. Holding Wylan as the waters continued rushing by that night… he hadn’t been sure if he was going to make it. And then later, seeing Ruga and Keahi’s bodies… he hadn’t known them well, but their loss was felt by those in the Armada. Even now, as they continued to live on, Charlie reflected on what had happened. It had distracted him from the task his father requested of him to move up to the rank of Master Of Arms. He still wanted to craft something with Wylan, that hadn’t changed, but he didn’t want to rush the boy’s recovery… and had in truth worried about getting to see him for fear his condition may have worsened… that… that his attempt to save his nephew had been in vain.

Having a life in your paws was something Charlie had never experienced before. It had been scary, so scary to know that your actions could have been the deciding factor. He had made his way to the beach, alone, walking down towards the water with a thoughtfulness in his gaze. Spring had come, and with it he hoped to continue helping to build the Armada back up. The stores still needed restocking… and maybe seeing about finishing the mace with his father would be a good idea. A weapon could potentially make the task of taking things down easier. Not to mention… he hadn’t forgotten his desire to go speak with Dread.

Deluge had expressed interest in making a band, and Charlie had little doubt his brother would go with her. He wanted to catch them before they were gone, before things got more complicated. Would he get to see his brother again? Would his father reach out to him? His ears flicked back. He could hope so… especially now that they were two. They… they were adults now… a sigh left Charlie’s lips.

So many things had changed in such a short amount of time…

"Speech"

Wylan wasn’t as comfortable with the beach now as he had been. He had nightmares sometimes, about the black waters rising up. Choking, breathing in salty water… he shuddered and grimaced at the memory of it. He knew who he had to thank for getting out of those waters alive. He hadn’t really had a chance to thank his Uncle yet. He’d been laid up in bed for a week after the Floods. His mother had spooned yucky stuff down his throat to clear up the shivering and fever that had followed. But the moment Wylan was allowed out of the den, he was out like a rocket. Whopping with joy and shooting around at full speed (With Halo yelling after him for him to take it easy) he promised he would find one of his many family members and spend the day with them, so they could keep an eye on him. When he caught the scent of Charlie, he knew it was perfect. He was supposed to thank the older wolf, and they could spend the day together. “Uncle Charlie, Uncle Charlie!” he said, racing up to the other wolf. “Mum said if I wanted to leave the den today I had to stay with a family member. CanIHangOutWithYouToday!?” He asked in a rush. "Speech"

There had been so much on his mind, each thought, each thing that he needed to focus on rushing in at once. Rather than attempt to tame the thoughts, Charlie let them do what they needed to do within his brain as he attempted to search for a flower that Crux had mentioned back after the flood. Now that it was warmer and plants were blooming anew he had hopes he might be able to find the herb and help his brother stock up. Well, if he found it. He was not a healer like his brother in the slightest, but attempting to find the plant gave him something to focus on instead of all the things rushing through his brain. Plus, being in the woods meant that if Mortis’ children were out and about he would be able to hear them… the litter as a whole had faced challenges in that flood.

He had been scanning some of the undergrowth for the flower’s presence when the sound of excited paws tearing across the ground caught his attention. His head turned to see a delighted Wylan come bounding up to him. Hearing his nephew’s voice, and seeing that he was doing much better than that dark night was enough to calm Charlie’s thoughts in an instant. It felt like a weight fell off his body, making him feel light as his tail began to wag behind him. Thank the stars… His smile was bright as he reached out to ruffle the kid’s head - if Wyl let him that was.

“Of course you can. I couldn’t ask for a better companion to be with me today.” It was so good to just see his nephew acting like a kid again. There had been so much heaviness after the flood for all their members as they tried to rebuild and recover. Charlie was sure he could use a day to focus on what a kid would want to do to help relax himself too. “Did your mom mention anything you shouldn’t be doing? Don’t worry - I’ll still make sure we do something fun.” Though he wanted to make sure he didn’t do anything that might cause Wylan’s recovery to move backward, he wanted to ensure the kid he wasn’t going to be a stick in the mud either. There could be a balance.

"Speech," 'Thought.'