Shadewood The longest Yard

For @Effie, hopefully I got the right tag

Paws struck the ground in a frenzied chase, the foot work was sloppy, and cost the male precious speed but that scent was driving him up the wall. He wanted that hare more than anything and was determined to use every trick in the book to catch it. Rye was inching closer with every second, his jaw opened, ready to clamp down on his well earned kill but suddenly the hare jumped and Ryes' eyes were too affixed to see the fallen tree in this path. Like always, at the last second his periphreal vison saw the tree but his body didn't react fast enough and Rye was soon tumbling through the forest at what felt like mach 1 speed. Eventually, after a dozen rolls, Rye came to a stop under a tree and laid there, contemplating whether or not to get up and track it down, or lay there whollowing in his defeat. The latter was chosen, and with a deep sigh Rye laid there, clutching his pity like a starving wolf with its kill. 

The wind howled and whistled, laughing at his failure, the trees roared with cheer. Rye could swear he saw smirking from the leaves of the oaks above him. This wasn't his first fail of that week, but it was in fact the second. A tough week for food, but he couldn't stop trying, he still had to keep searching for her. For Effie. They were seperated a while after the land slide of the grove, some odd months after they left Teekon together. Rye had been looking for her ever since, howling and searching for her day and night. She was a pure delight to have around, and he missed her something fierce. 

Rye pushed himself up in an upright position, shaking off the dirt, twigs and whatever else clung to his fur. It was time to move on and find Towhee, maybe she could help locate Effie. Something in his heart belived Effie was alive, she was capable and hopefully she was doing better than him.

She wasn't even sure how they got separated, but she had spent most of every day since then looking for Rye. So much so that she was thinner and often weary from days spent wandering. When weeks turned to months and she still found no sign of him, she began to make her way back to Teekon, hoping that maybe he had returned there as well, or she could find some kind of information that would lead her to him. 

Finding her way back had taken longer than it should have, but when she finally did, she found herself wandering along the coast. It was unfamiliar, and the only reason she knew she was in the right place was the peaks she saw expanding south from where she was. She knew them well enough to recognize them and use them as a beacon to find her way home. 

In an unexpected turn of luck, she was hit with Rye's scent once she made her way into the forest that hugged the edge of the coast. She almost didn't believe it was true, but she decided to follow it anyway. Tracking always took her twice as long as most others, so by the time she actually found him, she missed his failed attempt at hunting. Instead, she saw him making his way through the trees just ahead of her. She paused, unwilling to believe her eyes at first. But she realized she would recognize him anywhere and, deciding to trust her instinct, she trotted forward, stopping again once she was close enough to speak.

Rye? she called out softly. And then she waited for him to stop and turn, her expression still holding a tinge of disbelief.

Lady luck was pretty, lady luck was kind but she played favorites, and Rye certainly wasn't her favorite. Or so he thought. A voice, familiar and warm, called his name and his heart galloped. His ears perked up and cupped behind him, like two little sonars. He turned, body cautious and his mind hopeful, then he saw it, black running down their back and cream colors covering her chest; the eyes were blue, oh it must be true. "Effie!?" He shouted, exhileration thick in his voice. His legs, already being spring loaded, jumped her way and the male nearly crashed into her upon his landing.

"How did you find me? Where have you been?" His voice held that similar excitement but a little more reserved, he couldnt believe his eyes. He couldn't believe his luck! Whew, he couldn't believe that jump took that much wind out of his sails. Nevertheless his tail swayed side to side with joy, and his smile was ear to ear.

She was frozen in surprise until the moment he reached her, his exuberance almost knocking her over. Effie recovered quickly, though. And then she pressed her face into the fur of his neck and held it there for a few moments as he spoke. She had no words at first; she was just so happy to see him after all this time. 

Finally she pulled back just enough to slowly meet his gaze. I got lost and couldn't find you, she told him. She was pretty embarrassed about the whole thing, but she wasn't going to lie to him. I'm sorry, she offered. I've been trying to find you but I wasn't sure how to get back to where I last saw you. She looked away, her cheeks heating under her fur. I eventually decided to come back here and see if maybe you had the same idea, Effie explained, lifting her gaze to look at him again. 

What happened after we got separated, she asked. She hoped he hadn't been worried.

He was stilled by the press of her head, yet silently elated, he returned with a gentle rest of his head atop hers. A warm feeling blossomed in his chest and as she pulled away, so did he but the feeling remained present. As he pulled away he took notice of how thin Effie had gotten and for a moment, he wanted her to rest while he hunted. Although he was against leaving her again, he wanted to stay for a little longer but Rye knew eventually he'd need to get food for her, and himself.

Memories of their seperation replayed in his mind, those first few days of frantic searching, the sleepless nights and the endless howling. Rye was still sickened by the fact he managed to get seperated from her, baffled too. "No, no, don't be sorry." He quietly pleaded. He wanted to comfort her, to cheer her up, make her laugh but, 'how?'. "It isn't your fault, how could it be? What happened was an accident." He stated. If anyone was going to take the blame it would be him, he already had the guilt for it. 

"I did the same as you, I search for you and eventually started making my way back here hoping you were already here." Rye was still shocked Effie was standing right there in front of him, he no doubt used all his good fortune for the year but it was worth it. "It took a while to get here, had to skip far too many meals." He addmited, a somewhat half truth. "I'm guessing you had to do the same? Would you like to rest?" Rye offered. He was almost pleading with her to rest, he was tired but that damn hare was burrowed somewhere near by. 

She shrugged a bit at his question and looked away. It wasn't so easy for her to absolve herself of the guilt, even with his assurance that she shouldn't apologize. I don't know, Effie started. I shouldn't have wandered off so far, and maybe if I was better at tracking, I might have been able to find you sooner. Instead, she had wandered alone and worried, searching for any sign that she might be on the right track. 

And it seemed he had searched for her as well. Her face wrinkled with guilt when she thought about how worried he must have been too. She hated the idea of Rye being alone and searching like she had been. And he had skipped meals making his way here much like she had, which only made her feel worse. 

She smiled at him when he asked if she wanted to rest. For the first time since they had been separated, she actually felt like she could rest. Effie nodded. Yes, I would like that, she answered. This was a lot emotionally on top of how weary she had already been, so by this point, she was feeling pretty exhausted. Still, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep just yet. She wanted to talk to Rye, hear him speak and assure herself that this was all real and not some dream her mind had given her as a much needed respite during a rare moment of sleep.

Archive after your post or another of mine?

He didn't like Effie took blame for an action all wolves do. Rye liked to wonder all time time, it was one the things he liked to do in his down time. Its how he first arrived in teekon, maybe more of a directional wonder but he veered off the beaten path a few times. "Effie," He began, his eyes holding a seriousness in them. "I promise you. I swear to you, it is not your fault." Rye kept silent for a few moments, wanting what he said to sink in. After a bit of time, his gaze softened, and a small reassuring smile was displayed. Hopefully he didn't look angry before.

"I passed a tree den a few minutes before you showed up, we can rest there." With that Rye took the lead and retraced his steps back to the sighting. It was definitely big enough for both but Rye wanted to stay outside and keep a lookout. He gestured Effie to go inside first before taking his place just outside the den. If she needed or wanted anything, he would be right there.

She couldn't help but look down when his gaze turned serious. Submission was so ingrained into her personality, that she often didn't even think about it—she just reacted the only way she knew how. But his next words coaxed her eyes from the ground to meet his once again. She nodded, accepting his statement. Secretly, she wasn't sure he was completely correct, but she did't tell him that; she didn't want him feeling guilty over it. 

Okay, she offered softly when he suggested they rest in a tree den he had seen nearby. She followed closely behind him as he led the way. When they reached the tree, Effie paused at the opening of the den and gave him a shy smile before walking inside. Truthfully, she wanted him to come inside with her; she would sleep better with him next to her, but she understood his need to keep watch outside and so she wouldn't voice what she wanted. She took comfort in the fact that he would remain sentinel close by and settled into a ball on the ground of the den. Sleep would come more quickly than she could have hoped, and she knew it was because of Rye. 

I'm fine with either!