There was a weight lifted off his shoulders while he was here among the horses. There were so many in the hotel, and the tension was as thick as fog between all the wolves there. Alder crumbled under such stress, feeling he was part of the cause even if he was not. Retreating here seemed to lessen the anxiety, even though there was so much that needed to be done. In the hotel he didn't know how to help, but here he could see the projects that needed to be completed and he could imagine how they could be fixed.
Lumiere looked back at him as he moved to her tail with the brush. The mare neighed and shook her head but he could tell that it was just in jest. He smiled, his face brighter then it had been in days, and then began to work the knots in her long tail out. Don't fuss. He said, teasing the horse before he gave her a scratch on the rump. He laughed silently to himself, picturing how the world would be when the mare's foal came into the world. The masked boy hoped that he could help prepare the stables for the little one, in its current condition it was no place for a newborn.
His ear moved to the side, taking in the soft padding of paw steps. His smile left him and he moved slowly to the doorway. The dark faced horse watched him, unmoving for she knew that there was no reason to fear. Shy blue eyes looked down the hall to find the pack's King roaming towards him. He knew that Alder was there, he could see the awareness in his features and the boy's ears and tail fell low in respect. Alder fought the urge to retreat back into the stall, hide and hope that his leader would not notice him. The ex-Dreamer had not met him formally yet, but had watched from afar. He didn't expect to meet him today.
There was no avoiding the situation and the young male gathered his courage and spoke. Good day sir. His mother had taught him to always be polite.
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