Word Count: 1016
Aeolus was quite pleased by how her small pack was beginning to grow. They've collected members from all around, some joining as they walked along the paths set by the Goddess for them. She could feel it swelling in her heart, the fact that her pack was flourishing instead of floundering like it had before.
It had grown so small under her mother's care. Her mother was bitter, snapping at those who would come near her as she aged. Her mother was not young by any means, and the stress of leadership had strained her. The death of her Ouisa had taken a hard toll on the previous leader. Her soul had died, and nothing would ever make that okay.
Phii was quite precious to Aeolus, and she didn't know what she would do if the golden eagle perished. She was sure she would feel similarly to her mother, and she didn't fault the old leader for her bitterness. It was the start of a new time, though, with Aeolus as the leader. Her own Ouisa had flown off, rallying the flock to move with them as they began their journey once again.
She had to find the one Rous her pack currently had to set the correct path for them. She hummed as she walked, a calm tone that she had learned from some of the other flock members. It gave her peace, filling her chest with a warmth that she couldn't quite describe.
It did not take her long to find the Rous. The current Rous was a small, slight male. He was family, though, coming from one of her grandfather's other lines. He was from his Grandfather's first litter, a daughter who had born a son.
"Good Morning, Leji," She greeted softly, startling the young male. She wasn't that mich older than he was, but he had this skittishness that made him seem a lot young than he was. It made Aeolus feel overly protective of the male.
Leji jumped at her voice, whipping his head towards her. She heard him count softly under his breath before giving her a smile. She wasn't quite sure what he was counting, but she gave him an encouraging smile and he gave her a soft smile in return.
"Morning, Aeolus," He greeted softly in return. It took him a moment, but he glanced up to the sky, counting softly under his breath. Always in threes, a soft count, count, cound against... What was he counting? Aeolus still couldn't figure it out. Despite the quirk, Leji had not led them wrong yet.
Aeolus watched him for a moment, allowing him to collect himself.
"We're heading out soon," Leji said, and Aeolus was curious about how he knew. She hadn't given any indication beyond sending Phii off mere moments before. She hummed tho, in affirmation of his statement. She sat before him, quite close in fact. She gave a soft sigh.
"Yes, I came to consult with you the direction," she responded. The wind-reader gave a smile and then nodded. It was something they had done a few times before. She would consult him from when to move and when to stay. The pack had not been lead astray under his careful guidance, nor hers.
"Of course," he said softly, murmuring softly after that, he patted the dirt gently beneath his paws, clawing it softly. One, two, three. "We'll be heading east, towards the ocean," he told her, easily. He was sure of his role, if he wasn't sure of anything else in his life.
She gave him a grin and nodded. That was good. The ocean would provide some much needed relief from the heat. It rained a lot more, as well and there would be plenty of prey. "Excellent," she praised him, and watched him duck his head, flustered. While Leji was confident in his choice, he also had the stigma of his counting, counting, counting that his old pack gave him odd looks for.
The pair sat in silence for a while, and Aeolus hummed while Leji counted softly to the notes. She gave him a small smile as he did so and continued the tune for a bit. It was companionable, not a terrible awkward silence. It took quite a bit, but the white and tan dog slumped a bit, forward into his cousin.
Aeolus humming tappered off to a small content sound, nuzzling the top of her cousin's head. "Are you alright there?" She asked softly, in an attempt to not startle her pack mate. He gave a small nod in response, a large sigh huffing through his body. He didn't feel exhausted, but being away from his Ouisa sometimes gave him a drain of willpower.
Fortunately, Aeolus was kind enough to offer her strength to him.
"Yes, I'm fine," he said, murmuring softly to Aeolus. He felt exhausted, by his counting and by his constant need to stay up due to the numbers. It wasn't that he counted particularly high, he just counted everything and he couldn't shake the need to do so. He was fortunate that his job allowed him his counting, unlike it had before.
His status as a hunter had hindered him greatly. He would stop to count during a hunt, stuck and unwilling and unable to move. It had often sent him into a panic that would leave him sobbing. He had stuck himself into the role of hunter when he first joined his cousin in her pack.
She had quickly noticed his quirk, especially with the stress and Tanda making that soft, concerned noise at him every time he started to panic. She quickly moved him into this rank. He was grateful, truly. He puffed a soft sigh against her chest and nuzzled her softly once more. She hummed again, believing him this time.
"Thank you," he said softly. She gave him a confused look for a moment, no longer than a single beat of a heart, before she smiled.
"Oh, sweetheart, that's what family is for," She told him. He couldn't help but smile.