WC: 889
So now he had the memories. Thinking of Eli was always a painful experience for Rynnas, he tried not to do it, even though he always failed. But thinking about the tools and the lessons each one inspired didn't hurt so much. He found he was able to remember without the ache. This was both a good and bad thing. For one, it never failed to calm him down in stressful situations, but unfortunately it also made him very distracted. He was often sucked into a world all by himself, oblivious to what may or may not be happening around him. Like now, for instance. He'd completely forgotten about his task and he had no idea how disrespectful he was being. Not only was he sitting at the bottom of the steps of his alpha's house uninvited, he was also making a mess. His improper behaviour was brought to his attention by the verbal prompting of someone above him. The voice wasn't angry exactly, but it certainly wasn't friendly by any definitions. It had no reason to be.
Rynnas jumped in surprise, his ears flattening with chagrin almost immediately. He dropped everything he was holding, head whipping around to find the source of the voice. He knew instantly who it was, even though he'd never met Conor before. But with most leaders, it was easy to tell. They always had an air about them, an extra sense of responsibility and burden. There was also a sense of extra vigilance, something completely understandable when one stepped outside their home to find a stranger practically playing in the dirt at their door. Rynnas was lucky he didn't get his ass kicked, really. Sure, he'd been recently accepted by another- but it wasn't as if Conor knew. And besides, member or not, you didn't loiter around the alpha's home without good reason! In his panicked and sheepish state, Rynnas didn't remember that he did have a reason for being there. It took him a few seconds to recollect himself. In the mean time, he jumped to his feet and took a few steps away from his bag and its littered contents. It was difficult for him to leave them there, scattered across the ground, but he forced himself to.
I'm sorry, sir. He apologized profusely, his mournful voice made worse by its shame. He was careful to keep his ears flat and his head bowed, tail tucked neatly where it belonged in a situation such as this. His gaze was cast downward in both remorse and respect, but the sadness within them had not lessened. Any calmness that he may have gained earlier was gone as he struggled to explain himself. My name is Rynnas Oriel. I was recently accepted by... The name completely escaped him, as did the appearance of the one who greeted him. These days he wandered about in a distracted state, unaware of his surroundings most of the time. For him, time seemed to pass with jerks and pauses, seeming to fly by one moment and drag the next. He was so turned in on himself that he barely acknowledged the things that went on around him. It was inexcusable, but his grief was a distracting thing. I'm so sorry, he apologized again, his fur turning a deep red beneath his fur. The name escapes me. Um. I'm here because I'm Elliot Oriel's brother. He was a member here a little while ago? Though he knew what he said to be fact, it still came out as a question as a result of his discomfort and embarrassment. He didn't know if Conor was a kind or forgiving wolf, he just knew that it was going to take a lot for him to redeem himself.
Already his exercise was calming his nerves. Like a drug addict satisfied that his high would kick in, Rynnas was relaxed. There was still a slight edge of anxiety simply because of the entire situation, but for the moment he felt as though he'd be able to cope. He placed the hammer on the ground gently, his giant hand resting on the handle for a moment before he moved on to the next tool. Screwdriver. It was one of those fancy types with the handle that contained all the different attachments and heads. He knew the names of some, but Eli had died before he'd taught Rynnas them all. It usually would have been a single teaching session, but the younger brother had been more interested in seeing each tool in action than learning their names. So a simple lesson would become a marathon session complete with demonstrations and quizzes. The two of them had scoured all of the pack's territory, searching for anything that needed to be fixed in order for them to have things to work on. More often than not everything would be in working order, so the two of them would have to make things from scratch. Soon the pack members would be deluged with various gifts – boxes, shelves, trunks and the like. Rynnas never got tired of it. He looked forward to every lesson and it had taken the male a long time to convince himself that they were over after Elliot was gone.