#wolfguarded

@wolfguarded from here "i mean... you might as well try. who knows, maybe you'll succeed - maybe you get punched. it's a mystery." gale wasn't like the other alphas - he was kind & gentle, silas felt .. drawn to him, somehow. he'd never have acted on it himself, he already had an alpha chasing his tail, but .. gale was sweet, he couldn't deny it.

His daily life was simple enough but he liked it. It was calm, serene, and perfect for his pup Athena, who was too young to present yet. He enjoyed his day with other pups, taking care of them and teaching them a variety of things about themselves or others. How to share things, how to see each other as equals, how to get to know themselves, and even how to read and write. It was a busy life but it was one he liked.

Ever since his wife died, he wasn't the same. He became a full-time father but his job as a caregiver allowed him to be with his daughter full-time as well. It was a privilege and he got to see her improvements and teach her even. He was a kind soul and his entire heart was his daughter right now. He would fight, kill, and die for her.

He was one of the oldest caregivers in the pack with 42 years old and a 12-year-old kid. He arrived at Athos when he was 17 years old and had quickly fallen into the caregiver career. He had been trained to be the second in command for the leader of the pack, his old pack, so he was trained in how to socialize and how to treat kids. Now, he saw every parent come and drop off their own kid, he didn't know always what they worked in, but he could tell you which kid belonged to what parent fairly well and without mistake. Sometimes he could tell the troubled ones and talk to them, try to help them and offer an ear to lend.

Right now he was busy cleaning the area from the toys to provide some space for the kids to run after their class. Most of the other caregivers were busy right now and he sort of was but not like the others, his task was cleaning the area but someone had to do it. From vomit to clearing the area of toys.

He was just arriving into Athos when he saw him. The omega was standing guard by the gates and he knew he wouldn't be recognized because Silas had never seen his face but he must have heard of him. The packmasters had met with him, assigned him a job, a pack, and a cabin to share wirh other alphas.

He had returned to the gates then, to meet with Silas. Bothering him during work ours didn't seem like the wisest thing to do but he couldn't wait. He wanted to know how this town was, if he needed another escape, or if all was well. He didn't ask anyone about the guard, he would get the information from the horses mouth.

"Silas." His way of greeting was still too formal so he tried relaxing a bit into it. "I'm Armand Orion. I helped Taj and your other kids get you out of Egrain and, yes, they're fine. I took the fall for it." He let the info sink into the other's mind before speaking further. "Are you okay here? Do they treat you right?" He got the most important question out first, wanting to know how should he proceed.

He was wearing a loose shirt, his mating mark visible but he had arrived alone. Orion felt awkward, vivid and horrible visions of what they had done to Silas still at the back of his head. "I...I'm sorry I didn't get you out sooner. I didn't know."

Gale was a recent arrival in town, he had arrived with a man he called his road brother. They were very close friends, family, and he wouldn't let anyone take his family away from him ever again. He planned on settling down now and having pups of his own, maybe a mate to go with them, and settle down. Just like him.

A man approached the forge, he was the one attending to the clients today and placing the orders but he also was forging stuff of his own. Still, clients were the first priority so he cleaned his hands from the soot with a small hand towel and approached the front where the other man was. Omega. He was handsome, so he decided to be charming or try to be anyways. He wasn't an expert in that kind of thing still, it couldn't be that hard.

So, he smiled and placed the hand towel on the side and picked up a notebook. "What can I get you? And the name for the order."

For @wolfguarded (had to ask to be sure)

"Shhh, it's okay, it was just a bad dream." He said caressing his head. They had been having a picnic when Silas fell asleep due to exhaustion. "You're not alone, you're safe. I will fight for you," he knew Silas could defend himself but two were better than one. "The entire village would fight for you, I'm sure, but even if not you count on me."

He hadn't slept today, he still was getting ready forms and poultices, and organizing everything in the infirmary, and....basically overworking. He had promised to he was going to close up today but that hadn't happened yet and it was growing darker. That was when someone entered the infirmary making him jump and spill his ink. He mentally cursed and looked over just to see Silas scowling at him. "I know, I know. I can't help myself. What good am I if I can't contribute with something? It's the least I can do. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." He stood up to grab a towel and began to clean the mess he had made.

The Alpha had heard rumors, of course, that Silas had been here, but Blaise had made sure to keep himself from seeing him. The last thing he needed, really, was for the other wolf to recognize him and immediately give the others a reason to distrust him - when he had spent the last five years building up trust within the community as a valuable member of the mining team. Even his mate had proved an asset, helping omegas with their various births - with him having undergone nearly a dozen, he knew that there was no better birthing coach than his Omega - but still, the wolf wanted to keep the questions to a minimum.

Seeing him that night, with the glow of the bonfire lighting his features, though, Blaise decided it was time for them to reunite. "Hello, Silas..." Blaise spoke as he approached the royal bastard, hint of a smirk upon his lips. "Interesting that our paths have crossed again... It's been... how many years now?"

If there were anyone here that would know just what kind of wolf Blaise could be, it was Silas - he spent enough time with the royal family that he was sure he had heard rumors of Blaise's... unorthodox methods. "I see time has done you well... You look good. I'm sure your mate would be happy to know this."

Founder's Day was always a day that Lysander enjoyed celebrating, if only because he loved the chance to go out and enjoy the fresh air, to fish without feeling like he was letting down the pack or the village or even his family. He also saw it as a day of relaxation, as he knew that he was among those that were vital to Athos' finding to begin with - both he and Magnus had worked hard to build the city from the ground up, quite literally - and if there were anyone to celebrate this event... it would be him.

Of course, just as he was preparing for his fishing trip, he couldn't help but notice the other wolf looking longingly in the direction of a young pup. Judging by her size, she looked like she was just getting into her toddler years and that told him that it was going to be her first year to truly enjoy the Founder's Day celebration. Even with it being her first. Still, he noted that the other was looking at her while she played with her caregiver and a couple of other pups, and he walked up to him with a smile upon his face.

"Ah, I remember when my pups were that age..." Lysander trailed off as he regarded the gaggle of pups that were chasing around their caregivers. "And I remember feeling like I couldn't tear my eyes away from them, for fear that something was going to happen if I did..." He could understand, of course, if that was exactly how the other wolf was feeling. If he felt as though if he looked away, his pup would get hurt and it would be his fault for not watching. "But if it helps, she's in good hands. Harriet is a good wolf, and she helped take care of my pups when they were that age." That felt like a lifetime ago, really, but Harriet was still showing no signs of slowing down despite the time that had passed since his pups were pups.