striking mights and maybes even more
a useless thing called life
it's a biting cold again
Such restlessness, like a caged beast, all pent-up energy and agitation. In a way it was infectious, and after his muzzle had brushed against Snö's, frosty horns almost locking together, his gaze snapped rather abruptly to Valka. Somehow, he got so caught up in the way she almost danced on the spot, the shuffle of her dark hooves across the ground and the twitching of her tail — Snö's words almost flew past his attention, but in the last moment his ears turned and his consciousness grasped them. Dad, and somehow he found himself stealing a glance at her, for a moment wondering if she'd hit her head on something. She had always been respectful, but he'd found himself thinking that her greeting at the herd meeting had been frosty, mocking almost, and she'd used the more formal term father. To suddenly hear her call him dad, as if they were close, bound by mutual affection and not only blood.. it surprised him, his heart forgetting to beat for a moment until he looked at Valka again, her dark lips spitting out words.

Honored. Guarded blue eyes half-closed and his white head inclined, dipping down ever so slightly in acknowledgment; what could he say to that? Tell her she was a fool? The polite thing to do would be to return it, reflect it upon herself, but the moment was stolen from him as Snö forged on, saying she would be a good addition, stressing the word our in that way racists had come to almost regard as secret language, codes and signs. Blinking, the frost in his gaze seemed to sharpen as he looked upon her; she was so eager to be accepted, and he wondered where she'd come from — someplace loveless, or someplace dreamy? Her words seemed almost whimsical, and for a moment he turned to follow her gaze. The top of the world... Perhaps, but it weighed at his heart. It was not where he belonged, despite the way both he and his owl melted seamlessly into the horizon. Still, he could not deny it was a place of beauty, and a smile curved his lips as he turned back to regard the eager female. She did not exactly need to convince him to let her stay — any soul to bolster their numbers was a reward, any one body who called the Basin home a soldier if the war came to them. Somehow, he did not doubt it would. They would always find a reason to cast he and his kin out, but this time, he was determined not to lose.

Maybe even fuck the rest over before they had a chance.

Valka's tongue formed unexpected words, and one 'brow arched coolly above a blue eye. Brave and strong as he was? Or as Snö was? Or why did she even think he was brave and strong? "What tales has Snö been spinning..?" he asked in a bemused voice, the small smile morphing into a lopsided grin — yet despite the words his voice was warm, fond even, but he sobered quickly. With mirth lacing the cold in his eyes he turned his attention back to Valka. "Of course we'll let you stay, Valka." And in his customary fashion, his snowy neck extended, dark muzzle seeking to brush against hers in official approval.