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Islwyn’s nose scrunched slightly as he tried to think of a way to describe the job of an Outrider to an outsider. “Weeeell,” he tried. “I guess you could call them scouts. Outriders are the defenders of the herd. We---or they---walk along the perimeters of it to keep an eye out for bad rogues and wolves. Oh, and foxes during Anlach and the months after. Beyond that, we have whatever duties the Captains and the Lord gives us. Every male becomes an Outrider eventually. Usually.” Chirin probably wouldn’t, because he was mean and stupid and smelly. And he had that… thing around his neck that constantly made noise. How was an Outrider supposed to function with something like that?

Fellina’s next question was greeted with a slightly sheepish smile. Or maybe ‘deerish’ was a better word for it, since Islwyn was clearly a deer and not a sheep. “Yeah, he is my father. He was a Captain before he became a Lord. Mother tells me that he gained the title of Captain by seeking out another herd far beyond our borders, a reindeer herd.” He shook his head in amazement at the tale, clearly too young to imagine going that far away from home. “Mother tells me not to tell too many people that the Lord is my father, but I don’t see why I shouldn’t tell you. You’re very nice.”

What a charmer.
~.~

About an hour or so later---it took longer than it should have, given Islwyn’s short attention span and his habit of pointing out ‘interesting’ things along the path---the Home Oak rose before the travelers. Put simply, it was a massive oak with a crown that reached towards the heavens. At this time of year, the leaves were dying and falling off, but that did nothing to diminish the bulk that was the Home Oak. The trunk of the tree was large enough that even if all the Outriders in the herd stood nose to tail, they still wouldn’t have made it all the way around the trunk.

Maybe. Islwyn had yet to try, and this was merely what he thought. Since he doubted it would be possible to convince all the Outriders of the herd to stand nose to tail, he decided this was probably an ok estimate. Not that he hadn’t tried. They had laughed at him. That hurt a little bit…

Clearing his throat, Islwyn let out a bellow to let the Lord know he was here and with company.

Oh, so that was an Outrider. Fellina bobbed her head to show her understanding as she trotted alongside Islwyn. His own bashful smile was met with a kind one. Why did the other react so? Was it embarrassing to be considered...well, almost royal? The hind shook it off, not bothering to ask such things. "Reindeers? That's fascinating!" She had always seen their silhouetes(sp?) before, but never dared to approach on their lands. Eyes blinked as the male told her of being almost secretive to his relation with his father. Her head tilted with slight confusion, but she guess she could understand the reasoning. To his compliment, of sorts, she simply blushed.

Much time passed before they made it to the home oak. And to say the femme was surprised would be an understatement. No wonder the herd claimed this territory. She held her breath as Islywn bellowed, eyes scanning to see who responded to his call. Her sight landed swiftly on the grand horns that lead to the mass of the Lord. Tail quivered when the older male took note of their presence, and she backstepped almost to hide behind the young corp. "He's mighty large..." Hesitation was clear in her voice.

"Islwyn.. good to see you as always.." a bit of a grin on his maw as he listened to the introduction of his new friend. But before he addressed Fellina.. he answered his son's question first, nodding in the direction of the glad that Islwyn himself had been born. "There... I wouldn't bother her, she'll likely give birth any time now, and you already know what her mood has been like lately." The heavily pregnant Telyn was certainly not one to mess with, and he knew that better than anyone.. but Brychan was just presistent.. or stupid enough... to stick around her.

He finally turned to look towards the hind, "So.. you wish to join the herd? Its certainly not every day that a hind comes along and makes such a request." He smiled with a genuine friendliness and dipped his head, "My name is Brychan by the way, its a pleasure to meet you."

He was quite pleased that Islwyn had come across her during his patrol, it meant that he was managing to do some of the duties that were expected of him. It was certainly an improvement and he was glad to see that.

For a moment, it looked as though Islwyn would attempt to find his mother, but a sense of duty held him back. After all, he had brought Fellina here to be introduced. It would be rude to leave so soon, especially since the hind was so terrified of his father. Oh, and perhaps a bit of survival instinct also held him back from greeting his mother. His feelings were still a bit hurt after their last encounter.

He shifted slightly, getting the feeling that he was supposed to say something, but he wasn’t quite sure what. Fellina had said just about everything that needed to be said, after all. She hadn’t said what had happened to her old herd, so he couldn’t say anything on that. “Umm… so… can she join, Father?” he asked eventually, deciding that someone had to ask. Clearly, Fellina didn’t have the ‘courage’ (or stupidity) to be so bold, but Islwyn had both. Oh, and connections. He had that too.