Halo had become her personal project, even with the presence of children that were basically her own. Halo, Dakota, Emma, and Belle… depending on the day she’d be seen out with one or several of them, occasionally followed by other children from Alice’s den as well. She was good with kids. She liked kids more than she liked pretty much anything else, and that was why she was here. That was why she was always underfoot. That was… that was why. The Russian dancer had strange ways, ways that had put her in funny spots with the different creatures that lived on the fringes of the pack. Though none of those feelings were expressed outwardly, she’d taken to avoiding contact with some of those she found… unpleasant.
She just had Halo today. Alice never seemed to mind that her niece took her son for the day, returning him usually by dusk. It was easier on her. She’d been spending more and more time away lately, and things were… odd. Odd, but she didn’t mind. Delya never seemed to mind much of anything, aside from the company of those she found frustrating, and that could usually be avoided. When it could be avoided, she was fine. The world worked like that, at least for her. The steward and beta of this pack, and she’d teach Halo all she could about what she did day by day. Teach him and make sure he grew up to be something. Sometimes it was easy to tell from a young age, and sometimes their potential stayed hidden… it was her job to bring it out.
Dakota was easy. Adventurous, scared of pretty much nothing, outgoing and fantastic and… well, he wasn’t deaf. Delya was determined to crack the deafness in her adopted nephew, find some way to get through to him. She had to. She absolutely had to, and she’d allowed herself to become fixated on the very concept. The Russian dancer would find a way to get through to the delusional child if it was the last thing she did. Halo wasn’t so sure what he thought of that, because as far as he was concerned, he’d done nothing wrong. Instead of thinking in terms of words, it was all in pictures. If anything, his world was more colorful than most.
But today was a lazy sort of day. Delya had taken him down to play in the sea. It was shallow here, and it leant to splashing around in what was no more than puddle-depth salt water. The Russian dancer chased the pup playfully, nudging at his shoulders or his hip, barking gleefully as she managed to get some play out of him. The pale pup manages a bark, and then two, and Delya’s own sounds become more elated and excited and just… it feels like a corner has been turned, and her tail wags at a mile a minute. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
The salty, sandy pair races playfully down the beach. Halo weaves his way between Delya’s long legs, managing to trip the creature and send her sprawling in the sand. It’s on her way down that the Russian dancer catches Rhae in her line of sight, and she barks playfully to the woman as Halo pounces upon her long body. “Rhae! Rhae come play with us!” She respects the woman as a mother and a leader, but Delya feels comfortable enough around their alpha to make such an invitation. It’s all in the spirit of a good time, and she’s batting the large pup with gentle paws. Play. What a beautiful day it was for play.
halo & delya
the delusional & the russian dancer |