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Khay grumbled under his breath as a cold morning wind drew him out of his rest, his fur giving a single tremble as he shivered and curled up, enjoying the comfort of his warm fur as the breeze wafted again into the small sheltered den. After a moment he yawned, stretching as he blink open his glazed blue eyes once, twice. How early was it? Pausing before rolling to his feet Khay stumbled to his paws and peeled his head out of the entrance, greeted by warm Ray's of morning light the warmed his face.

Tame shuddered as a frigid breeze suddenly swept over her, waking her up. She had been unknowingly utilizing her much bigger guardian as a windbreaker. Yellow eyes popped open, blinking a few times to rid of the blurriness before looking and seeing Khay standing outside the entrance to their den. She sleepily rose to her paws, gave a quick shake of her fur, before trotting over to stand at the entrance next to him. Seeing the sun's light warming up the outside world, she crawled out before flopping and rolling over, bathing in the sunlight.

Khay turned his head slightly as he heard the soft pawsteps of Tame, the pup who had been found d and entrusted to his care. The coywolf smiled, tail swaying as he lowered his head to the young girl. "Doesn't the sun feel nice, Tame? Is it pretty, the sunrise?" He asked quietly, enjoying her opinion in these things.

Tame looked up at her coywolf guardian, then skywards. She gazed at the clouds rolling overhead alongside the sky for a long few moments, then gave her own smile. "Yes," she answered quietly. "It's very pretty," her fluffy tail thumped against the ground. "T-That wind was really cold... it's nice and warm out here, though!"

"Yes, yes," Khay laughed, settling down comfortably. "It can be can't it? Fall is almost coming, I'll miss the warm summer." His ears turned as the light-colored male caught the sounds around him. There was rumor, of an increase of sabers lately.. It worried him to be honest, and he tried not to go out as much. Khay rested his head on his paws as he thought to himself, eyes half open as he stared ahead, still feeling a bit tired.

Tame moved closer to the bigger male, letting her flank brush against his. "This will be my first winter," she noted quietly gazed up at the sky. "I've heard that it gets really really cold... and there's not as much food... and there's some sort of white cold stuff all over the ground..." her yellow eyes were disbelieving. "Can you believe that? I can't even imagine it!" Her cheeks puffed. "Hopefully it makes those mean sabers go away..."

Khay grinned as he felt Tame lean against him. "Yes, it's true! Brandr will have to send out extra hunting patrols. And I do believe it's called snow, it's cold to the touch but if you eat it it cools you off. I'm sure you'll like it, Tame." At the mention of the sabertooths he lifted his head. "Yes, so do I. The bears will be going to sleep for a long time though, so we won't have to worry about them."

"Snow?" Tame echoed, trying out the word. "I hope I'll like it!" She thumped her tail against the ground. "If it's cold, then maybe those mean sabers will go away and leave us alone for a while," her ears pricked hopefully at the thought, aware even at her age how dangerous the large felines were. She then tilted her head at the mention of bears. "Oh, I think I've heard that word before... hi...hiber...hiberna....shun...?" She struggled to pronounce it.

"Hibernation;" Khay confirmed with a short nod and a smile. "They eat and get all fat in the fall, and find a nice warm den and go to bed until spring. Do you remember Spring very much, Tame?" He asked with a small told of his head. He knew that was the normal time pups were to be birthed, perhaps she remembered the season..

"It sounds nice to take a long nap like that... all warm and stuff," Tame wagged her tail at the thought of it. Being young with a particularly short energy span, she found sleeping to be a nice pass time--much less an entire season dedicated to it! Her ears drooped. "No, I don't really remember the spring... how come?" Her head tilted curiously.

Khay looked thoughtful.. "It was when you were born. You're all grown now though, I'm sure, so don't worry if you don't remember." He grinned. The coywolf stood to his paws and stretched, giving a yawn. "You wanna go get something to eat before it gets too late? The patrol has probably come in." He breathed, lifting his snout as he tasted the air.

Tame perked up, suddenly hungry at the mention of food. "Yes, please!" Her tail wagged, rolling over before springing up onto her paws. She gave a quick shake of her pelt, feeling much more warmed after sunbathing. "I-I... hope they came in anyway," she added, "I'm hungry. I hope they got something good!" She gave a small lupine smile.

Khay nodded. "Alright. If you'd like to stay here, I'll just take a moment." He said with a smile, picking his way carefully down the small slope before following his nose. He knew Tame was the shy sort of pup, so if she felt like staying behind in wait that was fine. If she wanted to follow, that was perfectly alright too, of course. Khay picked out the smells around him, following that of fresh kill as he distinguished what it was that had been caught this time. The hunting patrol had captured an old elk it seems.. or was that pronghorn? No, definitely elk. His nose brushed up against the carcass as he slipped through the crowding others. Pausing a moment he grabbed a big enough portion for two and carried it back, setting it down next to the pup as he crouched down comfortably, gnawing on part of it as he satisfied his hunger.

Tame watched him go, rolling over and soaking in the warm sunlight that continuously fell from above. She shut her eyes, relaxed from the warmth. For the past few days there'd been a tension, one that even a small and young pup like her recognized. All she could do was hope the adults would be fine. Tame then picked up the scent of food and looked up, rolling back over. Although she had to stop weaning a little early after her late mother's retirement, her teeth were coming along just fine and she too ripped and gnawed at a strip of the meat.

Having eaten to a reasonable extent, Khay settled down comfortably, letting the small pup finish it off. He yawned, giving a small stretch of a foreleg as he rested his head on his paws. "Once you finish, we can go for a walk if you would like." He said with a smile, an ear turning as he shifted slightly. "To the lake, perhaps."

A small tongue whipped over Tame's lips as she finished the last of her elk. She let the last bits of flavor sink in before excitedly perking up at his words. "W-We can?" She wagged her fluffy tail. "I'd love to... the lake is so pretty!" Despite only seeing it maybe one other time, Tame remembered being fond of the expansive lake, blue as the sky it reflected...

Khay smirked, a brow raising teasingly. "You sure though? What if a bear comes by and throws you in?" He teased, eyes dancing. "I'm blind, I wouldn't be able to save you you know." He mused. But he stood nonetheless, waiting as he listened for movement from the pup as well before making any movement towards the village exit.

Tame's yellow eyes widened and she shrank back, fearful; but then she caught on to his playful tone and relaxed her small body. "I'll play with the bear, then, he probably wants a friend!" She rose up to her paws, arching her back into a stretch before taking a stand next to him. "C-Can we go, though? If you don't have anything else you need to take care of first, I, uh, really want to see the lake again..."

"I don't know what else I have to do, so we can leave now." Khay replied with a laugh. "Run ahead, make sure I don't run into anything alright? Just don't go too far, within range." He added softly, nudging her ahead. He wondered what the lake looked like.. It must be beautiful, he would think. He pictured in his mind what he remembered described as they walked, putting more and more distance between them and the village. Finally, the faint smell of water and moss touched his nose, making him pause, sniffing there. "Hey Tame!" He whispered. "Smell that? It smells like water, and moss.. That's the lake, we're getting close!"

Tame brightly nodded despite him not being able to see it and tumbled ahead a small ways, acting as the eyes for her blind guardian. She herself reflected on the shimmering beauty of the Lake of Tears, glistening and moving in gentle waves, shallow for a good while so the small puppy was able to walk into it without getting swallowed whole. She jumped in excitement at the mention of them nearing the lake, but restrained her excitement, not wanting to get too far ahead of her guardian.