What was it with others feeling the need to apologize to him? He had heard the tiny voice and swept his days to the left, and saw standing a few feet away from him a small lass. Her words had been an apology, a promise to leave and not disturb him. And it only had Aindreas shaking her head in confusion. She had done him no wrong, she had not harmed him or disturb him or even bumped into them. Not so long ago, a second lass had profusely apologized to him… At least she had bumped into him, had done something that he could understand apologizing for. But this fae? She was in no way in the wrong, and yet… For some reason she felt the need, the urge to apologize. Aindreas looked himself over, and then stared openly at her in confusion. His head tilted slightly to the right, his head lowering just a bit… But that did not last long. A sudden spray of ocean water shot up into his face as the next wave rolled in. The ocean salt stung his eyes, and the water was so cold it nearly burned his flash. His paws had almost grown completely numb now, and briefly the brute wondered how long he had been standing here? It had seemed such a calm, peaceful place for him to go over his own thoughts and try to make sense of all the changes that happened not just to the lands, but within the lands. And yet now, as he saw, the sun‘s position had shifted overhead, and the tide had changed. It was nearly up to his ankles now, and he could not feel them even one bit.

Wincing, he gritted his teeth and braced for the pain he knew would soon be shooting through his limbs as blood returned to his distant extremities and his nerve fibers began to fire again. He took one step back, and then another, and then yet another until he was out of the water, and then he turned to face the young girl. He smiled at her, a kind grin that reached up to crinkle the corners of his eyes slightly. Aindreas had to fight to keep it upon his face though, for the pain he had been bracing for suddenly hit him. It was slow at first, almost a trickle of pain as his nociceptors began to start registering again. But then it fell on him in an overwhelming wave - the tingling, the throbbing, aching pain. He inhaled sharply, a sudden gasp, and his brows furrowed firmly together. He held his breath, and squeezed his abdominal muscles as he waited for it to pass. The minutes went by slowly, and Aindreas stood still, looking at the girl with a crooked awkward smile, fully aware that he probably looked like an idiot. Aindreas did not want to open his mouth to say anything, not yet, not until he was completely in control of the words that would come out of his maw.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Aindreas released the air that he had been holding. With its release, the brute relaxed, glad that the air was now once again freely flowing through his lungs. Glad that his paws, although still tingling, no longer were a source of agonizing pain. He picked one limb up and rotated it slightly to ensure that it still moved correctly, and the repeated it on the other front paw. Finally, Aindreas refocused on the lass, if she had not run off already, that is.

“I am dreadfully sorry, I think I spaced out while looking at the ocean and my… Well have you ever slept on your paw wrong and it fell asleep? That happened to both of my front ones… At any rate, you have nothing to apologize for, unless there’s some connection between us that I am unaware of? You did not disturb me, nor do you now… And if you wish to be here, you have every right to.”

He paused, and look back out to the sea - his thoughts of what would happen in the future all seem so futile now. It was always a good idea to plan ahead, but when he had no idea what the future would bring, he could not plan for it. All he could do was wait, and deal with whatever came through the present. His nape pulled on his muscles and he turned to look back at her.

“What is your name? Mine is Aindreas.”

His nares flared, and he tried to pick up on a perfume, any scent that might give him a clue as to where she had come from. But all he could taste on the air was her perfume, mixed with the salty, bitter mist of the sea. He did not sense any packs upon her, he wondered if she was a lone wolf, a nomad. It was the life he had live once, a life that he had enjoyed if nothing else than for it simplicity. But it lacked many other things - mainly relationships. Of course there were those of the romantic sort, but there was also and perhaps and perhaps more importantly were those of friendship, and family. And though becoming an Alpha had caused him stress and grief, he now would not give up his throne for anything. He liked the responsibility he had for his members, he enjoyed their loyalty, and he enjoyed the fact that he was able to put his own trust in them as well.

“Are you new to these lands? I can point you in whatever direction you’re aiming to go if you would like.”