Firefly Ravine Walk With Me

@Sen : Zephyr needs any type of company and I feel like he and Sen would be interesting to play out? :3 Anyone is welcome

Zephyr had gone off exploring not long after separating from the alphas. The crow black male padded alongside an unfamiliar river, taking solace in the memories that came. This river and the area around it, the mountains and woodland in the distance, made Zephyr remember his old home with nostalgic fondness. Talking about his past with the alphas had shaken his nerves just enough that he needed to stabilize himself for a moment after. As he kept pace with the river with the usual bounce in his step, trotting along, he felt loneliness like stones drag his paws to slap on the shore dejectedly; the only sign other than his weary grass green eyes that he was in a worse mood than implied. Zephyr was surprised, however, when he realized that this place was already starting to feel safe; soon it would truly be his home, when he finally acquired the pack scent. The black and white wolf tipped his head, remembering that this pack didnt really have a scent yet, and that he would be a contribution to that scent. Even the slight sense of pride that came from such thoughts didnt cheer the males heart, and he couldn't help but whimper softly under his breath just once. He wished more than anything that the past year had been nothing but a long nightmare, and that he would wake up curled around his mate and their tiny little puppies again....

Seeing as Sen is currently in heat, this should be interesting lmao

The woman's first plan of escape had been an utter failure, but the outcome had not deterred her in even the slightest bit. It was by choice, of course, that she'd yet to try again. Even if she were to get out, it became a wonder of where she might even end up going. The marsh was still at the top of her list, but perhaps that would be too obvious? She had visited it several times already and, though it had been clear she'd despised the place, that might result in it being the first location checked if her absence later on was to be discovered. Even still, she knew she would have to make it work, for there was no other place that she would be able to squat in. The glacier remained, but it was a decent distance away and too close to a pack's claim. Any other locations she'd visited in the past had yet to be graced with a visit from the serpent since her return to Teekon, leaving her unable to conclude whether or not they could be considered safe. All in all, the situation sucked, and her ways around it were limited.

Sen had spent a few moments within the river, lingering close to the edge so that she might not get swept away, and allowing the water to work it's way over and around her body. Though cold, it was soothing, and hopefully capable of washing from her the plague that was her scent—and it had! But only for a brief moment. Once she'd stepped back onto dry land and the heavy droplets had been shaken free from her coat, it wasn't but a minute or so later that she could smell herself once again. It was persistent, she'd give it that much, but in this case that was not viewed as a positive thing. To worsen matters, she had caught wind of another wolf's scent, a member of the pack. It belonged to a male—just her luck, right—but the name of the owner had slipped her mind until his face had become visible. Zephyr, that's it! While the revelation of his identity was good, it brought her no joy. It was then she'd reentered the chilled waters, moving far enough from the edge that the water rose up against her chest, keeping silent and hoping she'd be passed right on by.

Oblivious to poor Sen's bad luck, Zephyr's ears twitched back as the current was interrupted with just a little gurgle, but a sound just the same. On edge and in strange lands, the crow back male looked back to find the reason: Sen slipping into the river. Seeing the alpha, his grassy eyes went wide and he tried to perk himself up a bit. "Oh, Sen. I apologize for not speaking earlier. I didn't realize I had company." Laughing softly, Zephyr clearly was unaware of her predicament. He could sense her discomfort, the palpable tension around the female and immediately wondered what was upsetting her so. The gentlemanly wolf couldn't just let a female suffer alone, let alone any wolf in need of his help. "Everything alright? You don't look so well." Like Sen, he saw no need to dance around questions and deal with confusion just to save feelings: just get to the point. "I know I'm new but I think you know there's no reason not to trust me, that my intentions are good." His words, though could be taken arrogantly, were distinctly soft with sincere and heartfelt concern for the alpha. "Nobody should be alone."

For a moment, she'd believed she had gotten away with it. That, for once, luck was on her side and would allow for her to hide away until the male had passed. That, however, was not the case. The male had both noticed and given to her his attention, unknowingly trapping her in the water for the time being. The sound of his laughter only seemed to irritate her, the situation being one that was far from amusing. Of course, she didn't comment on such, deciding against doing anything rash for the time being. A plan was necessary, one that might get the male to leave and carry on with his day elsewhere. Of course, she hadn't the slightest clue as to how she would succeed in getting him to go somewhere else, but that didn't inspire concern just yet. One step at a time, after all.

A question was asked, to which she responded with a shrug. "Could be," she'd answered, entirely against the idea of delving any deeper into whether or not everything was fine (which it most certainly was not). And then there came his statement, speaking of trust and the like. Genuine or not, the serpent was not so quick to accept the words. "Bit cocky, are we?" She was supposed to be thinking of a plan, and yet there she was instead, conversing with the (temporary) enemy. "Don't tell me who I can and can't trust. That's something I decide." Half of her had wished to leave the river right then and there, to stare the man down and ensure she was understood, but knew well that she had to refrain from doing so. The water had become her guardian, for the time being, and she wasn't about to leave it.

When the comment on not being alone was made, Sen's mind immediately went to the worst case scenario: the chilled liquid had failed her, and the words themselves were some sort of pickup line to lure her out! While that most likely wasn't the case, it was something she couldn't chance. "I like being alone," came her simple retort, glaring in his direction. The Gorgon's goal was to get him to leave, and she wondered if her glare might be the shove needed to reach said goal.

Phone post~

(I have no idea how I managed to post as Brandy or how to remove it.....)


Zephyr frowned at her hostility, but the crow black male was patient. He sat and gazed at her with his grassy eyes somberly, tipping his head. "No need to lash out, I dont mean any harm. Just trying to cheer you up. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to." He raised an eyebrow at her, wondering what was wrong but not daring to ask again.  "And I didn't TELL you to trust me, I said I think you know you can. Suppose I was wrong, if you're so aggressive about it. There's a difference between cocky and confident, and I was just trying to be kind...." Zephyr sighed, flicking his tail and stopped bothering to hide how worn down and upset he'd become. "Look if you want to go, go." Standing, the black and white male turned and padded a few yards down the river before slipping in himself and letting the water rise till his shoulders were just covered. He let the brisk water soak to his skin and felt a shiver run through his body. He wondered if Sen would follow him, and then wondered if he wanted her to or even cared; if she didnt want to make friends or let a load of her shoulders then Zephyr knew better than to waste his time. She would be his alpha and nothing more, and that was fine by Zephyr. He just didn't understand why Sen would intentionally shut herself off and be so hostile towards someone trying to help her.

I went ahead and deleted it for you. c: Also, Zephyr is more than welcomed to follow her!

The male's frown had not gone unnoticed, nor were his words unheard. She had to fight the urge to truly lash out, reminding herself nothing good would come of it. Of course, her thoughts were centered only around herself, wishing to keep herself from entering an undesirable situation, like what had happened with Depp. A repeat was not necessary, the first having been risky enough. Thus, it wasn't a surprise that she hadn't reacted to the male's expression thereafter. Whether he was exhausted or emotionally hurt, it didn't matter to her. Even if it was, technically, partially her job as a leader of the sanctuary to look out for the members, she couldn't focus on something like that for the time being. No, her duties were far from her mind, buried beneath her drive for self-preservation.

Again, the male had spoken, giving her an out. The way he'd worded it annoyed her, of course, but she made no comment. Instead, Sen had waited until he'd slipped into the water a ways off, before she'd departed from it. As her paws met dry land, she gave a rough shake of her coat, sending droplets of water flying in several directions. Zephyr was given a single glance back, before the Gorgon began her trek away in silence. It was her hope to get farther away before her "ailment" was discovered, though the chances of that happening could not be accurately predicted.

(Thank you so much! I think Zephyr will :3 )

Zephyr watched her go, having nothing to say or any reason to follow until it hit him. Her scent. Well, technically not HER scent, but her heat. The crow black and snow-splashed male felt his body react the way a male's body reacts to such things, but his minds intentions we're not the same as he flung himself out of the water and shook his pelt out before trotting after her with a worried face.
   "Sen! Sen wait.... Should you really be away from the protection of the pack while you're in this situation?"
Zephyr, the gentleman he was, decided to skip around mentioning directly her heat: he felt it rude. However, for the same reason of being a gentleman, he felt obligated to at least try to dissuade her from leaving. The females of his pack had always stayed in camp when heat came around, or at least didn't travel alone. He knew things werent the same here, but his green eyes showed the worry he felt at letting her go.
  "Not that I'm implying you can't take care of yourself." Zephyr added quickly, ears falling down. "I know you can but... Just... Just in case?"
The big male looked rather sheepish as he struggled to explain himself and his worries to the female. From their back-and-forth in the river, he knew he needed to word himself carefully as to not offend the hormonal, proud female. It frustrated Zephyr, to not be trusted. He was used to talking to ones who needed him, having been an alpha born and raised in his pack. But now he was a newcomer, a stranger: nobody had any reason to trust him. Being charming and kind wasn't good enough here, he didn't have a bond with anyone here. Zephyr had no intentions of angering Sen, and hoped that these words didnt further make her lash out.

Sen had been followed, the action vexing her. Smooth escapes simply weren't her forte, it seemed, when she was in season. A bothersome thing, really. Even still, she did not glance back at him when she'd heard the splashing of water, choosing to ignore the situation until it became a real problem—which it had shortly after. The footfalls caused her to look back, slender body twisting around so she was facing him before he'd the chance to reach her. In response to his comment, she could do little more than scoff at first. "You think this place provides protection when this situation comes around?" The notion was almost laughable. "Distance is the only protection I can give myself." Had she a lover, she could have titled them as her guardian for the time being, but such was not the case. She had only Depp and her other pack mates, none of which she trusted enough to keep her safe.

The worry he felt was easily seen, though she knew not for how long it might last. "Anything that could happen outside the territory can easily happen within it, too," she voiced, eyeing him cautiously. "The only difference is I wouldn't know those on the outside." Perhaps that would be better, she wasn't sure. It remained, however, the only difference she could pinpoint. There were other females in the pack, yes, but she did not know them well enough to sleep near to them, to entrust them with her pride. It was only herself, and she was fine with that. There was a plan in place, she just had to slip away and she'd be good to go. Well... maybe.

Zephyr shifted uncomfortably, looking at his snowy paws for a moment before turning his worried, grassy eyes on her again. 
        "Shouldn't you trust your packmates to show restraint?" 
He sighed right after, tipping his head and frowning deeply.
           "Not that I can't say I haven't seen it happen, though I wasn't alpha then. Hell, I'm the product of exactly that...."
Shaking his head slowly, Zephyr couldn't help but laugh though he did not smile.
                "I guess I have no better reason, but I really wish you would consider going back. I would offer to go with you, to protect you, but I am I right to assume you wouldn't allow such a thing? I know my word means next to nothing."
His eyes were still sad, begging though he wouldn't ever reduce himself to that for anything; not even the safety of someone else. The former alpha was far too proud, not if his own life depended on it.
                        "Forgive me if I'm being too forward; I forget sometimes that not all wolves follow the same way of living as I once did, that I need to learn to accept this packs way of life if I am to call it home."

Restraint... was it even a possibility given her troubles? Just the other day, even she had given in to nature's request, making her uneasy around the idea. No, it simply wasn't possible, or at least she wasn't willing to believe that it was. "This pack is too new, I don't know the others well enough to trust them," she stated, her reasoning simple but not unreasonable. The vague details concerning his conception supported her concerns, coaxing a single indistinguishable eyebrow to raise. "If you've seen it happen, then why try to get me to stay?" It was entirely illogical. If the risks were something he was well aware of, then why mention trusting the others to restrain themselves? Why offer to chaperon her? The only reason that came to mind was his desire to get her alone, as irrational as that was. As she'd already discovered, however, rational thoughts were not keen on filling her mind during such a time.

"I will not remain within the territory during this," she stated firmly. "And there's no way in hell I'd let you, a male, accompany me, so you were right to assume I wouldn't." She'd sooner hang around with the hybrids than let him "protect" her—she assumed his intentions were not only to keep other males away, currently being very distrustful of everyone's innermost thoughts. "You're better off forgetting you saw me. Just go back to whatever you were doing along the river, and don't tell anyone about this." The last thing she needed was to be tracked down and dragged back to the ravine right after her departure.

Zephyr let lose a slight whimper, shaking his head again and turning to the side. 
           "I suppose I understand why, but I still wish it were different. I wish you could trust the wolves you share your home with, and I hope it happens one day."
His grassy eyes were thoughtful as he grew quiet, but eventually he shrugged his crow black shoulders.
                     "You are the alpha. I'll keep my mouth shut. I'm sure you're thinking the worst of me and my intentions, but that's not a surprise either. I'll leave you be Sen, but please be careful." 
Zephyr turned and slunk away, tail dragging and ears droopy as he submerged himself to the shoulders once more in the cool spring water.

The whimper had not been missed, but it had been ignored. Sen felt herself with little time already, and wished not to waste anymore of it by taking back her words—especially when she'd meant everything that was said. Even when he spoke, sharing with her his wishes, she made no comment. Presently, his thoughts and wants didn't matter to her, for the only thing she wanted to do was head elsewhere. Somewhere far, perhaps, somewhere secluded. There were pros and cons to her decision, of course, but she'd chosen to focus solely on that which meant good things for her.

When the male had finally finished speaking—at that point, she wasn't entirely sure about what all had been said, considering she'd tuned it all out halfway through—he'd turned and slunk away. Sen, saying nothing, turned in the opposite direction and walked away, her trek having begun.