As the earthen-hued male sat on the edge of the lake and looked out over its surface as it glittered in the sunlight. Ever since they had returned from the war with Arcanum he had been doing a lot of thinking. Luckily he hadn't even had to face any real combat, but he certainly could have and he could have gotten seriously injured. Would he be so lucky next time? He wasn't sure. He knew first hand how brutal wars could become. His permanently maimed elbow ached at that thought. The more he thought about that fact the more he wondered where all the time in his life had gone. He was four years old already and it seemed like those four years had gone by in the blink of an eye. He sighed and frowned a little. He thought that he would have had his life figured out by now, but really he didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. "Nikolai Speaks." "Others Speak."

ooc notes Wandering back to the original place of meeting Nikolai, she didn't expect to find the male there. She had come there to reminisce about the day she joined the pack and met one of the wolves she was beginning to grow closer to, a best friend if you would. She stood a short distance away from him, watching his body language. She had heard about the war with Arcanum, and wondered if that was why he was out here. Perhaps she ought to go talk to him, figure out what was up with him today. "Hey Nikolai." She said, wandering over to the brown male. "What's up? I heard about the war with Arcanum... You look sad. Is everything alright?" She asked, sitting down next to him at the edge of the lake, noticing the frown on his face. A worried look morphed itself onto her face. "You can talk to me, if you'd like. If not, I'm here as silent support, or to talk about anything you wish to talk about." She offered gently, leaning against him if he would allow her to do so. She hoped it wasn't anything serious... She hadn't known him long, but already she hated to see that look on his face. "Aisling Talks."  "Others Talk."   'Aisling Thinks.'  Words.

His ears perked up when he heard Aisling's voice and he turned his gaze to look at her. Seeing her put a little smile on his muzzle despite how confused about everything he was feeling. She asked if anything was wrong and he glanced away again until he felt her lean into him. He let her and even turned his head so he could nuzzle her cheek gently. "I'm okay. I'm just thinking a lot," he replied, hoping to reassure her that nothing was really wrong per say, he just needed to figure out what he wanted.

He sighed softly and looked back out over the water that stretched out in front of them. "Before I came here, I used to live very far away. The family that rules this pack, the Xanilovs, used to rule a pack there and that's where I was born. That was the first Ebony. When I was almost a year old there was a war with a neighboring pack and it didn't end as cleanly as this one did... Lots of wolves died, including most of my family if not all of them. I never really found out for sure. I survived, but just barely. The back of my neck was all torn open and this leg was almost ripped off at the elbow. Luckily I was able to get away and find a wolf with enough healing skills to help me. That's the only reason I'm here now." He sighed softly and looked back to his friend. He wasn't sure why he was telling her all of this except maybe just to explain himself and his mood. "This whole thing with the war just brought back a lot of memories and made me start wondering what I need to be doing with my life. That's all." He forced a smile and placed a small lick on her cheek.

"Speech" 'thoughts'

ooc notes She wiggled her tail as he nuzzled her. Thinking was always a good sort of thing to do, except if you were thinking bad thoughts. Then it wasn't always such a good thing to do. As he began to speak, she kept silent, being a good listener as she was taught to be as a pup. She tilted her head as she spoke, sympathy flowing through her at his words. "Oh Niko..." She said softly as he finished, nuzzling her head against his chest if he would allow her to do so. She'd grown to depend on him for companionship and support, and wasn't sure if he had grown to do the same. "I'm so sorry that you lost your family like that, and nearly lost your leg... I grew up with a peaceful pack, so I didn't ever get the chance to experience war. Perhaps you could learn the art of healing. I know a good bit of healing, so I could teach you. Then you would be able to keep your mind busy, and have skills to heal yourself and others should the need ever arise." Her face was saddened and full of sympathy for him, but brightened as she finished her statements. She wished to help her friend however she could. Her tail wiggled as he licked her cheek and she closed her eyes. She was beginning to love life in the pack. It didn't hurt that Nikolai was a constant presence at her side. She basked in the enjoyment of wandering around her new lands with Nikolai by her side, a constant companion and tour guide of the lands. "Aisling Talks."  "Others Talk."   'Aisling Thinks.'  Words.

Nikolai let her nuzzle into his chest, the action bringing a smile to his muzzle. It had been a long since since really had a reason to smile, but Aisling was giving him plenty to smile about recently. He was growing quite fond of her and for once he wasn't struggling to open up. Usually he liked to keep a barrier between him and others to keep himself safe, but with her it seemed so easy to trust her and put everything he was thinking out on the table.

His head tipped thoughtfully to the side at her suggestion. Healing? It was never really something he had considered. He had always been a warrior. That was what he had always trained in and focused on, but... maybe it was worth a shot. With his knee like this it was going to be hard to be rigorously fighting for much longer. He knew it would only get worse as he got older. "I would like that, Aisling. I can't promise I'll be a good student, but I'd like to try." If nothing else it would give him an excuse to spend more time with her and that was never something he'd turn down.

He peered down at her warmly and smiled a little wider when he saw her reaction to the kiss he placed on her cheek. With her nuzzled into his chest, he tipped his muzzle down so he could gently lick the top of her head. As long as she didn't pull away, he would keep placing gentle, tender licks over the top of her head and ears and even moving down along her scruff a bit almost like he was grooming her. He wasn't entirely sure how she felt about him, or even how he felt about her really, but he was certainly enjoying being so close to her and showering her with these little affections made him happy.

"Speech" 'thoughts'

ooc notes She let out a little wiggle as he agreed to her idea of her teaching him some healing skill. "I-I'm no master healer. But I know quite a few herbs." She cautioned the male when he mentioned he might like the art of healing. She was ecstatic that he let her get as close as he did. She wasn't sure of how his past had been except for the little he had shared with her. She loved being near him, even though she barely knew him. Maybe it was time to change all that... She hesitated a moment, thinking about how she wanted to broach the subject of their pasts and families. All those thoughts went out of her mind as he licked her head first, and then continued down her scruff. It practically made her melt. Drat. Now she'd forgotten what she had been planning to ask him about. He was a good distractor, even if he didn't know it! She cursed herself in her mind for letting him slip into her mind like that. Oh well. She enjoyed the proximity of Nikolai. He brought her immense joy, even though she had only known each other for a short while. "Aisling Talks." "Others Talk." 'Aisling Thinks.' Words.