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In her optime form, Xeris stood in the doorway, leaning against the side of it. She liked this cabin. Something about it felt particularly homey. It was just near the shore of the southern Mirror Lake, and not particularly far from the beach either. She would have to speak to Jefferson about claiming it as her own. Running a hand across the smooth wood of the inner door frame, she sighed. This cabin would be her home now...and perhaps her family's home.
Xeris recalled her meeting with Naniko, the newcomer who had recently given birth to pups. She had chosen to keep her pups in a cabin, and Xeris had gotten the idea from her. If she ever did have a family in the future, she would want a place where they could stay safe. And this cabin seemed perfect. It was very small, but big enough for Xeris' liking. The single bed was comfortable and soft, and most of the furniture was undamaged. She'd managed to gather some blankets and such which could probably be of use on the upcoming winter nights.
A breeze began to blow against the white wolfess' face. The rain was going to come back, she could just feel it. The chilled wind acted as a herald for the storm clouds. She cast her golden eyes to the darkening clouds above; perhaps she'd stay outside for a little bit longer before the rain began to fall.
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[html] -offers apologies and cookies for being late- :x 300+
Ehno had taken a gamble by choosing to head outside that day. The constant rainfall had come to a halt for the moment, but those plump, grey clouds still hung ominously overhead. The Italian man decided to face the risk of getting soaked yet again, and departed from Naniko’s cabin earlier that day to go for a stroll. He needed the space, the fresh air, and time to think. His thoughts were being muddled once more by heavy thoughts and he figured a walk could help clear his head. He had been in these foreign pack lands for so long already. Soon, Ehno would have to venture back to his own home in Crimson Dreams and see the family he had waiting there for him. His stomach did nervous flips at the thought.
Thoughts of home were strengthened in his mind as he resumed his stroll along the lake’s shore. The lakes here were beautiful, but they could not match the size or stunning serenity of Rabbit Lake in his mind. Despite how relatively calm and content he felt, a pang of homesickness hit him. Ehno’s amber-gold gaze drifted along the horizon, immediately drawn to a cabin in the distance. The Dreamer male directed his course toward the building, interested in seeing how similar it was to the one Nani and the pups called home. There did seem to be quite a few of them around the territory, from what he had seen.
As he drew closer to the cabin, he noticed a figure standing in the doorway. “Oh, hello there,” he said, slight surprise in his voice. In his curious state of mind, he hadn’t expected to see anyone lingering around the cabin. He was less nervous about meeting any of the Valley pack members while in their lands after meeting two rather friendly Valley wolves in the rain a few days prior. The male smiled, falling back into his usual friendly demeanor. “Do you live here?” he asked, motioning toward the quaint cabin.
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ooc: no worries <3
Xeris' golden orbs scanned the horizon and the looming clouds. She frowned. Those clouds were in the direction that Rendall had headed when she left. The poor girl was barely an adult, and Xeris worried for her safety. If it hadn't been for the...state of things, she might have gone with the little blue-furred wolfess. But she was gone now, nothing could change that. A sigh escaped her lips as she watched the slowly drifting clouds above, her eyes never moving from the sky.
She'd become so entranced by her own thoughts and the view of the oncoming storm clouds that she did not notice the male approaching her. Quickly, her eyes moved to him. He was unfamiliar to her; she recognized the smell of Crimson Dreams on him. Xeris had only met one Crimson Dreams wolf before, not counting Naniko, and that was Flayra. Maybe this man knew of her mate's sister? "Hello," she replied, her usual friendly personality showing through.
He asked if she lived in this cabin. "Well," she began with a bit of a laugh, "I'm moving in. I've never lived in this sort of setting before." For a moment, she paused, then remembered her manners. "My name is Xeris, by the way. You're not from around here, are you?" Again, that curiosity of hers was obvious. She hoped it wouldn't get her into trouble this time.
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He smiled as she returned his greeting, proving to him once more that the wolves in the Valley all seemed to be rather friendly. He nodded amiably as she explained that she was planning on moving into this little cabin before introducing herself. “Xeris,” he repeated, the name rolling off his tongue with a slight lilt from his accent. “It’s good to meet you. I’m Ehno. And no, I’m not from around here.” He punctuated that statement with a short laugh. “Crimson Dreams is my home. And before that I lived in Italy, across the ocean,” he said, a bit of pride in his voice. He didn’t know whether she knew anything of the lands across the sea, but he couldn’t help but share that little tidbit of information with a friendly new face.
He brought his attention back to the cabin, recalling that the she-wolf had mentioned that she had not lived in such a place before. “I think you’ll like it here,” he commented. “This certainly looks like a nice cabin. And old buildings like these tend to grow on you over time.” Ehno hadn’t been too fond of spending time in man-made buildings such as these when he was younger. The curious and adventurous side of him had persuaded him to give it a try though, and he had grown to prefer these sturdy structures over the unforgiving and fickle ways of nature. At times he missed those simple ways of his childhood home, but he knew he would never want to go back to those times. His new home in these lands and the adventures he’d experienced were things he would never trade away.
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sorry for being a bit late D:
Xeris was a little surprised at the male's response, both because he had been to Crimson Dreams and because he was from a place across the sea. Xeris had learned a little about Japan from Pendzez and bits and pieces of information about other places from the various wolves she'd met, but had never heard of this place called Italy. But she wouldn't press the subject for now. "I see, " she replied simply. "So you're very much not from around here!" The white wolfess smiled a little. It was always good to meet someone with a sense of humor. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Ehno."
Ehno commented on the cabin that Xeris was to move into. She assumed that he had lived in such a place before. It would be a new and different experience for her, though. If her father were to see her now, living in a human-built structure, he would be so very angry. "Yes, I'm hoping that it will be a good enough shelter for the upcoming winter. I don't know about winters here, but where I come from they're terribly cold." Changing the subject rather quickly from her childhood home, she decided to ask Ehno about his pack--perhaps he knew Flayra, Pendzez's sister? "So what brings you here from Crimson Dreams?"
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[html] It's all good. ^_^ 300+
Ehno nodded and grinned slightly at her little joke. “Nope, just a stranger in a strange land,” he joked back, punctuating his words with a playful laugh. The foreign lands here had become much more familiar to the male, but they would always feel the tiniest bit unfamiliar to him. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it would always be able to pull at Ehno’s adventurous curiosity, but part of him would always miss the lands he grew up in and the interest in adventure that they inspired in him.
“Winters around here are rather cold too. Though I grew up in a much warmer climate… it’s probably affected my perspective of the cold here,” he said, a half-smile forming on his maw. Apparently Xeris wasn’t a native of this area either, but she claimed to have experience with frightfully cold weather. From what he could gather, she would be able to handle the winters around here just fine. These little buildings did well to ward of the cold, too.
The snowy-hued woman diverted their topic of conversation over to his business in Phoenix Valley. Ehno was silent for a moment, contemplating exactly how he should phrase things. Briefly he felt some of his old fears that the Valley members would be suspicious of his stay here and chase him out. He shook the thought from his head; if that were the case, he would not be standing here right now. “I don’t suppose you’ve met Naniko, have you? She’s a newer member here, and recently had a litter of puppies.” His smiled broadened at the thought of the little ones. “I’m their father, you see… I want to help raise them in whatever way I can.” He shuffled his feet a bit, feeling self-conscious. Nervousness came out of no where and he laughed half-heartedly to shake it off. “It’s a bit… complicated.” And that was an understatement, but he felt no need to burden this kind soul with tales of his own problems.
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Xeris smiled at Ehno's playful sense of humor. She always liked making friends who knew how to laugh. Her father and mother had always been so serious; having a laugh or joking around every once in a while was good for her. She was also glad to know that Ehno seemed to be at least somewhat comfortable here, despite his talks of being in a strange land; she knew that he wouldn't joke about it if he really was completely lost.
He commented on the winter weather. It wouldn't be that big of a deal, Xeris thought; she'd been through two cold winters at the Retreat and would probably be fine here, particularly in the cabin. "Ah, so it's warmer in Italy? I've never lived in a place that was very warm. Then again, I don't know a whole lot about geography and weather anyway." She smiled a bit sheepishly. "Hopefully the winter won't be too bad. A little cold now and then will do us good, I suppose, give us a bit of variety."
Xeris noticed that Ehno went quiet for a moment when she asked why he came here. For a moment she frowned, worried that she might have touched upon a difficult topic. But when he mentioned Naniko and her pups, Xeris smiled, remembering the wolfess and her puppies that she'd met not long ago. "Oh, wow!" came her happy response. "Yes, I have met Naniko and her pups! They are beautiful. You must be proud."
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[html] 300+
He nodded simply in response to her question about Italy, choosing to elaborate only once she had finished sharing her thoughts on the weather. “Yes, it’s usually rather warm there, though winter provided us with its share of chills,” he said with a smile, feeling some of that old nostalgia wash over him once again. It wasn’t often nowadays that the male would reminisce of the lands of his childhood, but when he did, part of him always longed to return. “I think I’ll always prefer the warmer seasons, but I suppose I’ll have to agree with you. A little variety is always good.” An outlook similar to that had been one of the various reasons Ehno took to travelling in the first place. The male had a special place in his heart for all things comfortable and familiar, but he the call of the unknown would always entice him.
Ehno smiled broadly when Xeris complimented his children, feeling the pride she spoke of swell within his chest. It was good to hear that Naniko was taking to befriending her new pack members and that their puppies were accepted so readily into the pack structure. “Yes, I’m incredibly proud of those four little bundles,” he said with a laugh, picturing the squirming little puppies in his mind. They were already reaching their explorative stages, wandering all throughout the cabin when they had the chance. He was glad to find that the snowy-hued woman did not press for further information on the intricacies of his situation. Being a truthful soul, he would have answered any questions of her fully, though it would only serve to make him more nervous. Instead, he attempted to continue on this pleasant track of conversation by throwing in a light inquiry. “Any little ones of your own?” he questioned, genuinely interested in learning more about his new acquaintance. He felt he already knew the answer, not having heard of any other puppies living within the Valley lands.
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Xeris listened, interested, to what her new friend had to say about the climate in Italy and his own preferences. The weather always seemed to be such a trivial thing, but ended up making a good conversation topic for some reason. She was glad that Ehno was able to share his stories from abroad; she herself was interested in such faraway places but knew that she'd probably never be able to go there. She nodded her white-furred head at him. "Yes, variety is always good."
The white wolfess could tell that Ehno was truly proud of his children. She could see the happiness in his eyes as he spoke of them. Someday, Xeris would know of that kind of pride. That was what the cabin was for, after all. And then, just as she had been thinking of puppies, Ehno spoke up again, asking if she herself had any children. Xeris became rather nervous all of a sudden. Was it that noticeable already? "Well..." she said, with a bit of a nervous smile. Her voice dropped rather quiet for a moment as she continued to speak. "Not yet, but...very soon." It felt good to get it off her chest. Few people knew about the upcoming event in Xeris' life, but she felt that she could trust Ehno with this information. "That's why I've been going cabin-hunting."
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[html] Late, late, late, sorry! End of semester was evil. D:
The Italian man always felt so cheerful when he thought of his children. They made everyday so pleasant and so much more enjoyable. He could look at each of their little faces and just think about he present and be content. Ehno could forget all about the drama that seemed to be surrounding his family when he spent time with his pups. They could only make him think of the good in life when he saw them. It was sickeningly sweet, but he wouldn’t want it any other way.
Ehno’s eyes widened as Xeris shared her news in a hushed voice. The Dreamer male’s smile broadened on his maw, genuinely happy to hear this news from his new acquaintance. “That’s wonderful! You and your mate must be so excited.” Ehno knew that he had been quite excited to learn that he was going to be a parent, despite the dramatic and complicated circumstances that surrounded the event. Xeris must surely be feeling that same excitement right now. “Sounds like a good reason to go cabin-hunting to me,” he said with a smile.
“Well, when the time comes, we’ll have to set up a little play-date for our children, won’t we?” he joked. It would be good for both of their children to have others near their age to play with. The Valley was certainly going to be quite a lively place with so many puppies running around. The thought caused such a pleasant and light-hearted image to come to mind.
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