Spring had come and it had seen the gray-capped boy grow by leaps and bounds. A good deal of his puppyish awkwardness had now fallen by the wayside, replaced by long legs, a broadening chest and sizeable paws that covered the ground quickly. It was all indication of the handful he would be when fully grown. Though never a behemoth there was already a power that lay in his long stride, a pride in the way he held his head and tail high. And that his how this bright spring day found him. Sun shining through the trees, a lovely clarity in the air and all of it largely escaping the boys attention. Instead his aquamarine eyes focused on the boarder of the mountain pack as he marched along the interior. Patrolling, he called it, making sure that those in stayed in and those out stayed out without a very good reason.

His sisters laughed at his serious demeanor, declaring him no fun and determined always to escape what he considered his watchful gaze. Didn’t they understand what was out there? He didn’t remember when exactly the Fear started. Often it would wake him in the middle of the night, panic etched across his features as his sides heaved until he looked around at his peacefully resting family and could calm himself enough to fall back asleep. His mother just smiled softly sure he would grow out of it in time, but there was a concern on his father’s face he did not understand. Whatever it was it took his already protective demeanor and multiplied it tenfold. Soon he would start his training as a Liege and perhaps then his sisters would take him seriously.

Until then he did what he thought best, protecting the ones he loved from whatever darkness lay without and sometimes, he feared, within. He pushes through the underbrush with little pause, making noise as he went seeing as stealth was not his goal today. He rounds a corner and halts abruptly, his paws scrabbling backwards to stop his forward motion as he almost runs straight into a small dark girl with brilliant eyes outlined in cream. Her words are so timid and quiet he almost misses them, so different from the excited squirming of her slender body. He recognizes her, having seen her at the story time that happened not so long ago and surprisingly her pure innocence and excitement cause the rarest of smiles to break out across his white muzzle. His own gold and gray flecked tail begins to flutter behind him, uncertain entirely of what to do.

Perhaps it is the protectiveness in him, perhaps it is her infectious innocuous nature, but there is a warming in his chest and he wants to make sure she remains safe. “No, no it’s alright,” he manages, his voice rough as he was typically a boy of few words. “I uh, I saw you the other day. You’re family is new here right?” The words are awkward as he was not the conversationalist but hopefully he managed to sound as friendly as he hoped.