She's a She Wolf

[Aquila]

[Meant to be a history thread between Malcolm and Aspen Wynfrid ]

“Aidan waaaaaaait!” Cohen Harper yelled after his big brother who was much faster than him. No fair! He thought, running through the Wynfrid village after the bigger boys. Why did they all have to be so big? And tall? And fast! And Cohen was just so little, and he knew he wasn’t as good with words as the bigger boys but still!

He pouted and pumped his little arms faster as the group of boys was playing their game of chase. His big brother was too distracted and laughing to pay him any mind. He didn’t want to get forgotten though! “Aidan!!!” Cohen yelled more annoyed. “Hurry up slowpoke!” His brother yelled over his shoulder. “You wanna see the pups or not!?” He called. One of Aidan’s friends hunting dogs had recently had a litter of puppies, that he wanted to show the others, and the boys were all eager to get a peek at them. They’d all headed out in their small pack to the house, without a moment to lose, only the runt of the pack had been left behind.

It was a busy day in the village that day, people were out and about with their trades, and some people were minding the running children, but somewhere not. Cohen hadn’t inherited his brother's tall lanky frame, instead he was smaller with large round cheeks he still had from when he was a baby. He had a mop of dark brown stringy hair and looked like a smaller version of his father Malcolm. The bigger boys were getting further and further away from him, and Cohen was getting tired, and soon he came to stop, his breathing labored as the big round tears began to form in his eyes.

He went stumbling to the ground then as something tall and fuzzy bumped into him, knocking him off his feet since he wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. Upset that his big brother had left him, and now that he was down on the ground, Cohen did what he did best, and began to cry loudly, reaching up to cover his face with his little hands.

[Aspen Wynfrid]

The Harvest Feast was a mere few days away so it was no surprise that the entire clan was abuzz with activity. Even Aspen had been more present in their homestead, tending to the organization of harvest season and their future celebration. It seemed that Mother Earth had been especially kind to the Wynfrids this year. Crops had grown and flourished and hunting had been more than plentiful. With the clan healthy and strong, they had many reasons to enjoy a night of eating themselves sick, drinking, and laughing. Aspen couldn’t have possibly been more elated.

Moving along the busy streets, her fingertips brushed at the tips of Khan’s ears as they walked. She’d been taking care of the wolf for the past year, thinking he would have been long gone by now. But, to her surprise he’d stuck around, adopting her and the clan as his pack. Of course, he was still young. At only a year old, he wasn’t entirely ready to leave his unconventional pack just yet. Aspen secretly hoped he was never ready to leave. She’d grown quite fond of him. There was something special about him that she just couldn’t explain. Somehow she knew that he was her wolf.

Khan bounded off with a happy yip when he spotted children running in the distance. Aspen immediately recognized the boys, picking up her pace as she called out to the wolf who dove recklessly around some of the clansfolk. He’d slowed up just enough to turn his head to Aspen, but not enough to react when he realized the youngest of the boys had stopped in his path. Aspen was already jogging, lightly pushing her way around people that stepped in front of her as wolf and child collided. Khan was immediately on his feet, tail wagging slowly as he pressed his cold nose into Cohen’s hands, giving a few gentle licks, asking for attention. “Khan, shoo.” Aspen waved her hand at the wolf before scooping up Cohen. “You’re alright, little wolf.” She cooed before chuckling. “Where are you headed in such a hurry, hm?” She looked him over carefully, assuring he wasn’t harmed.