under the willows

He was nestled near the back of the pup den, staring at a glow worm trail. He was hardly in the mood to do very much with the other pups as his leg still hurt.... As well as his feelings. He always knew he was a deer and that he was "prey" but it stung to feel so helpless in the jaws of that feral girl.

His ears were twitched backwards and the longer he sat, the longer he realized that he wanted to do something about it. That was what made his mind up to go find Crux.

He headed up towards the Supreme's den, that beautiful willow tree, limping on his injured hoof. He let out a bleat, a wordless noise that was meant to gather his caretaker's attention before he would attempt to walk up and lie down next to him with a sad sigh. 

The words burned in his throat but he waited until being acknowledged after his greeting before he spoke.
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 It had been scary, seeing Hawking caught by a scrap of a whelp. He had recognized the hunger in her, the desperation, yet his own desperation for the boy's safety had overridden his desire to help her. He had watched her go, a sadness growing in his heart, but his focus had been the boy who he had pledged to protect.

 He'd left him to the healers to get some rest for the time being and had moved up to collapse by his den, nestled against the willow tree. His eyes had closed and he had begun to reach for slumber...

 When Hawk's bleat woke him. He looked up, bleary eyes as the child approached and lay beside him, nestled against his side. He shifted to allow more space for the fawn and nudged him with his nose. “Are you feeling alright?” he would ask gently after a moment, knowing the answer already. Of course the child wasn't alright, he had nearly become the prey that his ancestors likely became. His leg was still injured and Crux worried for it, considering postponing his trip until after the fawn was healed.

 Despite the desire to watch over the child every minute of the day, he knew that it was impossible.

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 Are you feeling alright? The question of the century but there was a clear answer to that. He looked up into those kind orange eyes, his own blinking slowly as he gave a slight shake of his head. It was clear in the sadness of his eyes, the way his small body seemed heavy today. It wouldn't be alright unless he could do something about his perceived weakness. 

 After a pause, he spoke. "Can you teach me how to fight?" He wasn't the type to beat around the bush. If he had something to say, that really needed to be said, then it would come out. Especially to those that he trusted and loved. He wanted this, he felt like he needed this. His head would lift and with the straight set of his mouth, it would show that he was quite serious. 

 "I... I don't want to run. I want to help protect Ichorwood." He finished, voice a tad bit quieter as he looked down and thought about the roaring instincts that had bade him to flee. He knew he was just a deer but he wanted to be just like everyone else that lived here.

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 The fact that the boy was feeling so down twisted in Crux's own heart, pangs of sadness for the boy stabbing into him and clawing up his throat, which he cleared carefully. Could he teach the boy to fight? “Of course.”

 But... how? He peered at the boy, thinking about the logistics of teaching the boy how to fight. He had no experience in fighting like an adult stag. The boy's antlers would be a wonderful weapon, given time, but Crux had no personal experience in having them so he wasn't sure how to instruct.

 And then he remembered. He was a wolf, he could teach the boy how wolves fought, how they hunted. What to look out for, how to fight back.

 The boy continued and the starlit male's eyes softened and he licked Hawking's face gently. “There is time to learn, to grow... Enjoy your childhood, when you can.” He smiled gently, “In addition, play-fighting with the other pups will also help you with same-size opponents. It'll build your muscle and keep you quick on your hooves.”

 Could he find a stag in the woods who would be willing to teach the young fawn? Could he find a herd that he could allow Hawking to learn from while he observed from a distance? Would he even be able to find deer who would not instantly run upon seeing or smelling the wolf? It was a far cry from finding wolves who might speak to Crux.

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 The words that he desperately wanted to hear, rang in his ears. Of course. His stubby tail wiggled back and forth in the way that it did when he was pleased about something.

 But now what?

 His tail wiggled even more furiously when Crux gave him a lick on the face. Embarrassed a bit, he tucked his face into the man's side but peeked one eye out to look at him. Play fighting? He thought about playfighting with Kore but... she didn't really seem like the type to really want to fight. Besides, what if he accidentally hurt her? Still, he'd find someone to play fight with him. He took Papa Crux's words very seriously.

 He extricated his head from his caretaker's side and gave a vigorous nod. Thinking on everything that the star-born wolf had said, he reclined against his side, his youthful face scrunched into a thoughtful little frown. "Aren't I already quick on my hooves?" He could run really fast! Faster than other pups, even. "Do you think I'm quicker than you?" He asked, this time a bit more playful with his monochrome pa.

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 The starlit male loved how the fawn showed his excitement. Tail flying a hundred miles an hour, just like a young pup. It was endearing and every time, further cemented the boy into Crux's heart. I've only had Hawking for a week, but if anything happened to him, I would kill everyone in this forest and then myself.

 The boy seemed to ruminate - ha - on this new idea, face taking a trip through embarrassment, frowning, and playful

 Was the boy faster than him? Crux laughed, “Right now, I think a worm would be faster than me.” He flopped back, wrapping his paws playfully around Hawking and nuzzling him like a stuffed animal. “I'm exhausted. I'd take one step and would fall right over.” He grinned and released, if his playful grapple had been successful. “But yes, deer have speed on wolves.” It was endurance that wolves had on deer.

 Endurance and dumb luck.

 He looked at the boy's injured leg with a gentle frown. He hoped that it would heal quickly. “While I'm away on my trip... please stay near the camp, or with other wolves from Event Horizon.” He didn't want to come back to find his prized deer long gone. He decided, too, that he would find out as much as he could about nearby deer herds and would see if he could get in touch with one who might be willing to teach the boy something.

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 The young fawn squealed delightedly when Crux grabbed him in an embrace. He giggled when the monochrome man nuzzled him and he was eager to return the gesture, burying his face in his caretaker's plush fur. "Not you. You're the strongest wolf ever." He said into the man's fur, though he freed one eye so that he could look up at him. He hoped that he could be strong and be able to save others too like his Papa Crux, one day. That was why he needed to practice and get stronger.

 He rolled out of Crux's embrace when he was released, lying on his back like he'd seen some of his packmates do before. The young boy yawned, finally feeling tuckered out by today's adventures. He nodded his head, silently promising that he would do so. If one scrawny pup could cause this much damage to him, he didn't know what an adult could do... did he want to? "Can you bring me something back from your trip?" He didn't want the man to leave but he knew that it was necessary. He was going to be so lonely while he was away...

 In fact...

 "Papa Crux... Can I sleep here with you tonight?" He asked, rolling over onto his side and looking up with his large slate eyes in his best puppy-dog-pout expression.

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 Crux grinned at that - of course he wasn't the strongest wolf in the world, but he appreciated it nevertheless. It felt good to be looked up to like this, especially after having felt the opposite for so long. On the run... you could never be too sure.

 Still, he wouldn't break the facade.

 Appreciating the promise, Crux licked the boy's forehead. “Of course, what would you like me to bring for you?” A rock? A bone? A new friend? Well, the last one he could try but could make no promises. Pups and deer didn't grow on trees, after all. When the boy asked to sleep under the willow tree, Crux nodded and nestled down, making himself comfortable. “Yes, you can sleep here tonight. While I'm away, you're welcome to sleep up here too, if you don't want to be in the Rearing Den.” There were no mothers, so the little cave was simply full of pups, mostly unrelated.

 If Kore also wanted to sleep up here under the willow tree, he would also allow it - though he doubted he would see her before heading away in the morning.

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 What did he want? Hmm... that was a really good question. He didn't know what he wanted although, something popped into his mind then. Swirly, pretty. "A shell?" He knew there were the ones near water but also the empty ones that belonged to snails or turtles. He thought they were really pretty. Maybe he could find an empty one where he traveled to.

 when Crux started to settle down, the fawn settled into his caretaker's side with his head laid gently on his pale flank. He let out a content sigh after taking in a long breath. "Thank you..." He wondered if he would take the man up on that. Probably so. The smells here were more comforting than in the Rearing Den. It would also feel a little like Crux was still around and not gone.

 The young deer's eyes started to flutter closed then, as the rhythmic rise and fall of his caretaker's breaths lulled him into slumber. "G'night..." He whispered out to the man.

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 A shell? He could do that, though the ocean was in the opposite direction from where he was heading, so he didn't suppose there would be too many shells. Still, he would figure something out. Perhaps a horn of some beast... maybe even an antler, if he could find a shed one or otherwise find one.

 Crux smiled down at the child as he nestled in, breathing a thanks. He sighed gently and lowered his head, curling around the fawn as if it were his own child. His ear flicked as a whispered goodnight reached it, but he gave a gentle hum in answer instead of words.

 Sleep came quickly, dreamless and dark.

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