After attending the meeting that Crucifix had held, Dayton decided to wander a bit and explore these lands with his new son. He smiled down at the ebony pup as they walked together, arriving in a beautiful green prairie. In the distance, the sun reached down and pierced a shallow river. Fresh emerald grasses blanketed the rolling hills. Several deer were grazing in the distance. Dayton felt his jaw drop a bit. This place was wonderful! Could it really be unclaimed and open like this? His amber eyes moved across the land, searching for any threats. Then he nodded down at Aeolus, gesturing for him to follow. The grass was supple beneath their feet as they approached the little creek together. The water that trickled through looked clean and crisp, and Dayton suddenly noticed the dryness in his mouth. He and Aeolus had been walking a lot lately. Surely his son was as thirsty as he was. And this creek was so shallow and gentle... there was no way the small boy could get carried away by it. This place really was perfect. It was a sanctuary, the ideal home for a new pack. Dayton felt an idea scratching at the back of his mind, begging to be noticed. But the idea was still young and unformed. So instead he shook it away, turning to the boy at his side. "We both deserve a cold drink, wouldn't you say?" he murmured, reaching out a paw to tickle his son. The russet man grinned. "Go ahead. This river looks safe." After watching the black pup for a bit longer, Dayton stepped forward and dipped his dry tongue into the stream, letting the refreshing water slide easily down his throat. Walk."Talk."Think.

The young ebony male walked through the prairie with his new father. He was finally happy to see someone who would love and take care of him. His double colored orbs scanned the area of the land, and a smile formed across his maw. He would hear his father talking to him. A stream stretched out across the land, making it the only liquid they can drink.

His throat became rough and dry as his father said they should drink, nodding the ebony pup walked toward the stream. Aeolus felt Dayton tickle him, and a small laugh escaped his vocal region. The young brute began to lap at the cool water and he closed his eyes as the cold water ran down his parched throat.

He drank as much as he pleased and then stepped away, licking his lips as his son continued to drink. Then Dayton turned and wandered toward the nearest hill, picking up the pace as he went. Soon he was running, getting higher as the land sloped steeply under his feet. He came to the top of the grassy hill and stopped, catching his breath as he admired the land around him. He could see for miles, where the water cut through the land in a jagged stream. The sun was slowly falling from its throne in the sky, dipping lower as the evening went on. Dayton wasn't sure if his son had followed or not, but he didn't look behind him as he called out for the ebony pup. "Aeolus, come see this," he shouted, grinning as he looked down across the land. The light of the sun was growing warmer as it sank in the sky. Rays of orange and gold stretched across the horizon. "Isn't it beautiful?" Surely his son had now come to stand next to him, so Dayton only bothered to whisper this sentence. And it was beautiful. Every single part of it. He wished he could live here for the rest of his life, in this little piece of paradise. Walk."Talk."Think.

The young brute could see the sun stretch out upon the horizon. The gold color of the sun resembled the look of, well, gold. A smile crept up maw as his optics shimmered slightly with the sun as it, too, reflected from his eyes. He heard Dayton beckon him to where a hill was located. He ran over to his father and sat down beside him. The smell of the prairie's flowers and other trees became locked inside his nostrils, causing the intoxicating fragrance to stay dormant in his nose. A slight sneeze came over him.

"This land sure is beautiful, kind of reminds me of home," Aeolus would tell his adopted father. His ebony pelt blew in the wind that slowly blew across their pelts. Aeolus remembered when he was young with his mother and father, fishing in the stream that was located near their den. The memories of him and his family was like a kick to the gut. A single tear ran down his cheek and fell onto the foliage that lay underneath his paws.

The ebony pup lied down onto the ground and placed his crown upon his two front paws, ears drooped, eyes closed, and a slight whimper vibrated in his vocal cord. The memories continued to plague his mind. He wondered if he would ever see his family again. They were of course dead, so he knew that when his time came, he might see them, or not, he was not so sure.

Dayton felt his tail begin to sway as he finally tore his eyes away from the sunset. He glanced down at Aeolus, where he had come to sit at his side. He watched the pup as his ebony pelt was stirred in the wind. This land sure is beautiful, kind of reminds me of home, his little voice would say. Dayton would start to smile at the boy, but then he saw the light in his eyes fade. Thoughts of home must have revived thoughts of his dead parents. Aeolus would release a single tear as he laid on the ground and put his head down on his paws. Small black ears would droop with his sadness and eyes would close as he whimpered. Dayton felt his pain as well, wincing as he imagined the sorrow he must be feeling. He gave the boy a moment to mourn his family alone, and then he lowered his own body to the ground and curled around his son. Tongue would lightly kiss the top of his head. "Hey," he breathed, touching their noses together as he pulled his boy close. "It's okay. I promise everything is going to be alright. I'm here," he added. "You'll see them again someday. They're in a happier place where the plague can't hurt them anymore. Look up there, Aeolus," he whispered, gesturing toward the glowing clouds above them. They were stained by the beautiful pink and gold sunset. It looked like heaven. Which may as well have been what it was. "Do you see how wonderful that looks up there? Your parents are safe there, I promise. And they'll always be there, smiling down on you as they watch you grow and learn. I'm just here to help them, but I swear to love you like you were my own son." He would touch their noses together one last time before placing a kiss upon the boy's cheek. Everything would be fine. Because Dayton was at his happiest when he was helping others. "SPEECH"

cellpadding="5" cellspacing="25" style="width:650px; border:2px solid #AED804; background-position:top; background-repeat:no-repeat; background-color:#6AAD0C">

The boy would feel his father's tongue touch his head. He would hear his wisdom flow through him like wind in grass. His eyes would show happiness now as he would hear that his parents would now be in a better place. A smile was the only thing he could do. His father brought him close, and Aeolus placed his small cranium onto Dayton's paw, a smile on his face. "Thank you for taking me in." He would smile continuously and listen to the sounds of the birds chirping and the steady wind blew across his midnight colored pelt. His father's warm embrace helped him feel calm and composed now, remembering the warmth that escaped his parent's pelts and feeling it upon his own body. He surely was happy to be there with his new father as he could see the different colors of the sunset. "SPEECH"

[COLOR=blue][COLOR=blue][COLOR=blue][COLOR=blue]

Dayton would smile down at his son once more as he thanked the man for taking him in. "Of course, my boy. Who wouldn't want such a handsome little pup?" He said, trying to cheer Aeolus up as he tickled him once more. He would listen for a burst of laughter, that little voice that he was already coming to love. Then he would stop tickling the pup. Dayton sighed to himself happily as Aeolus rested his small head on the man's paw. The new father would then rest his head over the body of the small pup, snuggling in as best he could to make the child feel comfortable and safe. They would breathe in time with each other as the sunset changed colors and blossomed in flashes of red and orange. Then it reached its colorful peak and the light would slowly die, turning into the deep blue world of twilight. "The day is ending," he would murmur softly. "Would you like to sleep here, or would you rather go back to Solstice and rest in a den?" He knew that walking back to Solstice would be too tiring for the pup, and especially dangerous at night. Which is why Dayton planned to carry him. Still, he left it to Aeolus to make the decision. "SPEECH"

Just like how the sun had been golden, it soon began to head into sleep as well as the obsidian colored moon took it's place, making the sky look like a dark blue. His topaz and emerald eyes shimmered as well when the moon's light bounced off of his optics. His father had kept him warm as he stayed calm and rested his eyes for a little while, until he was woken up by his father telling him if they should sleep here, or, should they head back to Solstice. "I really want to sleep here. It's been a while since I slept some place as nice as this." He would express to the older male that was his father. The warm air helped keep him relaxed as he slept for a little while longer. But, when he was dreaming, he dreamt of his mother and father, playing with him outside the confinement of the den. But, the good atmosphere of the dream faded when he would see blood dripping from his parent's eyes, nose, and open cuts. Aeolus woke up with a start and panted, head hung low. He would get up and lie down next to Dayton, burrowing his face into the older male's fur. He didn't cry, but he didn't go back to sleep either. "SPEECH"

Stars would begin to appear as the darkness around them deepened. Aeolus soon replied to his father, saying that he wanted to sleep here on this lovely little prairie. It's been a while since I slept some place as nice as this. Dayton would nod in agreement, a sleepy smile painted across his lips. Then his jaws would part as a large yawn issued from his throat, and he would tighten his grip on the pup once more as sleep enclosed him in its welcoming arms. His slumber would soon be interrupted, however, as Aeolus woke with a start and began to breathe heavily. He guessed that the boy was having nightmares. Dayton wasn't surprised. He had his own share of nightmares, both now and in the past. Amber eyes would open as the child stirred, trying to nestle back in as sleep eluded him. Dayton would press his lips to the boy once more, placing a soothing kiss on his nose. "Is everything alright?" he murmured, voice low and rough with sleep. "Do you want to talk about your dream?" Sometimes nightmares were too scary to talk about. But sometimes sharing them made things better. It reminded you that it was only a dream. Little did he know, the child was dreaming about something terribly real. "SPEECH"

Aeolus would hear the sound of his father's tone. His earthy smell brought him to his comfort zone, and he felt the kiss his father had planted upon his ebony nose. A faint, yet quick smile was all he did to say thanks to the man that lay beside him. His heterochromatic optics looked into those of the russet man. He was sad, and he also missed the presence of his true family. But, at least he could rant about his feelings to his adopted father. "This nightmare was all to real for me. I dreamed about being with my parents, we were having fun and enjoying ourselves. But, the dream soon turned dark. All I could see was blood. Everywhere and everything was stained with red. I look over and see my mother and father, eyes dripping blood as well as their noses and opened wounds that were not there before, blood came from those wounds too."Tears streamed down the pup's eyes, he couldn't help but whimper even louder this time, burying his cranium into his father's chest. "All of this is like someone is trying to tell me something, and they want to make it clear that my family is dead, and I won't be seeing then until my time here is finished." "SPEECH"