Firestone Hot Springs closer to nowhere

@Grayday ?

Days blended into nights. Nights blended into days.

It was weeks, going on a month, since Miyako had wandered into the Teekon Wilds. And still, nothing of substance. Every interaction had been for naught.

She was losing hope. Wondering if it had been a mistake to leave her brother, the rest of her family, up north. Despite the bloodshed. . .they were family. There were no family here.

From the flatlands she wandered, up into this minefield of geysers. The hot springs kept her warm during the autumn nights. She dozed off beside craters, rudely awakened when they decided to spit their steam toward the sky, shaking the hot droplets off her pelt.

She felt alone. And not in a good way. Not in the freeing way she had felt when she had departed her home. Alone in a crippling way that affected everything, from the way she walked to the way she...fucking breathed.

Grayday picked his way through the hotsprings once again, craving the heat of the pools. Three days, he'd been kept up by the fully-healed wound on his leg. Three nights, and it didn't seem to be getting any better. Though the weather had been mild, the Morningsiders had often been waking up to frost in the grass. The colder it got, the more his leg ached - and it was looking like it might be another bad winter.

But the male had kept quiet about his hurts, thus far, not wanting to worry his family. Instead, he simply slipped down to the hotsprings as often as he could, grateful for the water's ability to soothe his aching haunch.

With a tired groan, he waded into one of the smaller, shallower ponds and laid down in the water, resting his chin on the stone ledge of the pool. He did not notice the dark shewolf that laid several yards away.

As movement caught her eye, she stirred from her meditation, looking up and over the pool. Nearby, immersed in the hot spring, was a gray male, his thick fur billowing in the water, his face etched with exhaustion. Her curiosity piqued, she dipped a paw in the pool, sending little ripples his way. They splashed a little on his ruff, creating more ripples that raced toward her.

"Uh, hey," Miyako greeted softly, not wanting to disturb his rest yet feeling awkward if they had lain here in silence, not acknowledging the other's presence. "Beautiful night, right?"

She wasn't lying. It was gorgeous out. The northern lights, so much more prominent in her home, had managed to peek through the clouds just a little bit, and the half moon was shrouded by some clouds. Stars glimmered like jewels in the sky. Pefect fall temperature.

Who was this spring-seeker? He must have joint problems. No one waded into the water unless they sought relief for pain.

It was the shiver of water against his fur that first alerted him to the stranger's presence. If the male had been paying more attention, he might first have noticed her scent - but many wolves passed through this place, and he was more distracted than usual.

Grayday craned his head back and got a nice, upside-down view of a dark-pelted shewolf. He was too tired to be surprised or even worried. Too tired to even move his head back into its previous position, so he remained that way as he replied, "Truly," unable to keep the tiniest bit of ire from his tone. Quickly, though, he sought to smooth that over. "The lights are out again. I've missed that."

But he'd missed the cold months up until now as well. Winter used to be his element, but now? He wasn't sure how he was going to survive it; how he was going to get his family through it.

"I'm Grayday," he introduced, pulling his mind from such thoughts.

Despite herself, she let out a small giggle, seeing the older male upside down and squinting. Regaining composure, she dipped her head in response, smiling. "I've missed the lights, too," she murmured, turning her eyes skyward. "I come from the north. They're much stronger there.

"My name's Miyako," she continued, looking back at him. "I suppose you're from around here. You seem quite. . .comfortable."

She didn't mean to tease, truly. But this fellow was the only wolf in Teekon so far she had encountered that was older than herself, and she felt younger, more free, in his presence. As if he was a substitute for the father she never got to have. Ridiculous, having only known the man for a few minutes, she told herself, with an internal eye roll.

Grayday's tail wagged unconsciously. Though these lands had taken the place of his home, the male would never forget the land from which he hailed. "I'm from the north, too," he replied. And I know all about the lights, he thought, but declined to say aloud. "But I've lived in these lands for some time, now."

With some effort, he rolled onto his belly to better observe the other wolf. Upon further inspection, he decided that she was younger than him, though not quite as young as Moonstone or Pema, or those he knew from Rannoch's pack.

"Have you been here long, then?" he asked her, head cocking to the side. "It's a good time to arrive. The summer was murder, with a pelt like mine." And it was looking like the winter would be an ordeal all on its own. But, he had himself to thank for that.

"You're from the north," she repeated unnecessarily with a smile. A small pang of homesickness hit her, and she drove it away quickly as it had came. She looked up and took in the wavy greens and blues, eyes filled with wonder. She remembered gazing up as a pup, looking at the beauty of the night sky, wondering if there was anything else as glorious. She had not encountered a sight to match it since. "So you know. The lights. . ."

He was from here. Miyako looked back at him, curiously. Not much older than herself--just a year and a half or so--but with a lot of life under his belt. She felt that acutely. There were days where she felt like an old crone, after all she'd been through; other days a young pup. It just depended on her mood.

"No. I'm new. No pack." Her voice echoed across the pool. For a moment, it sounded incredibly desolate.

Grayday, too, felt the keen sense of kinship for a fellow northerner. Not many understood what it was like to come from a land of ice and snow. Perhaps it had meant something different for Grayday, who had grown up with a strong sense of family more than anything else, but still. Perhaps they even shared blood.

"Since I was a boy," he agreed, a tiny smile quirking his mouth. The woman seemed a little stumped, though perhaps that was just Grayday's sleep-muddled mind making something out of nothing. Still, he knew he hadn't mistaken the sorrow in his voice when she spoke of her status as a loner.

"Come home with me, then," said Grayday, tail waving. "We could use the help. Perhaps another northerner will get us through the winter."

His invitation piqued her interest, and upon further inspection of the gray male, she sat upright, staring him down intently. She was certain she had seen his visage before. In a beautiful meadow. Slightly different, but. . .

"Sunny," she said suddenly, cocking her head. "I think I met your son, Sunny. You look incredibly like him."

Sunny had invited her to join his pack. Now Grayday had beckoned her to join his own. Indecision once more tugged at her heart, ripping at her sense of self-preservation. While he hadn't given as much of a pitch for his pack as Sunny had, he had stated their needs bluntly. She was a northern coast wolf. But she still knew cold. And desperation.

The mention of his son caused the male to sit upright, ears pushed forward and tail splashing behind him. "You've met him?" he asked eagerly. "How's he doing?"

It occured to him, belatedly, that she might not have seen him for some time. Perhaps he'd even seen the boy more recently. But to the father, it felt as though years had passed since he'd last seen his son, and he was willing to take any news on the matter of his health, happiness, and general wellbeing. Thoughts of recruiting the shewolf fled completely, and he looked at her with a new light in his eyes.

"Are you his girlfriend?" he added, unable to help but wonder. Sunny was getting older - Grayday wouldn't be entirely surprised if he sired a little this year, though he hoped the boy had sense enough to wait, considering his own tumultous upbringing.

But then, Grayday hadn't had the sense to wait, either.

Upon his last query, Miyako let out a bark of laughter, than another. She was truly tickled by the gray's sense, or lack thereof, of age. "The kid's old enough to be my son," she responded, grinning. "Or at least my baby brother. But I'm flattered."

Continuing, she said, "I ran into Sunny not too long ago. Maybe a week and a half past? He was on his way to visit you." She stressed the last word with no shame. Did Grayday truly not know when he had seen his son last? Or--and it sent a shiver down her pelt--had he not made it to his father's pack's homeland?

Another spark of curiosity hit her. She took in his scent, pondering. True, he smelled of the mountains near here, and of other wolves, but underneath was a plethora of other smells that suggested he had been on the move. Had Grayday recently moved his pack? And, if so, was Sunny aware of the move?

"When did you talk to your son last?" Miyako asked, not meaning to pry but intrigued, nonetheless.

Grayday squinted at Miyako when she brought up her age. He hadn't really thought of that, but then, he'd never been a shining example of dating within an age group. Never stopped me before, he almost said, but then he didn't, partially because it was not strictly true, and partially because it just seemed unduly crass to bring up such things in polite conversation.

"Stranger things have happened," he said instead, settling back down into the water. "And I saw him not too long ago - longer than a week-and-a-half, though. I told him we were leaving soon, before he left. Maybe he didn't realize how soon I meant." This brought a frown to the male's face, but Easthollow wasn't too far from the cuesta. Sunny hadn't gone too far out of his way, only to find his family gone. "I'm going to head back before winter to show him the way to the plateau. It just hasn't been possible, with the kids being so young," the male explained, lost in his thoughts. He felt bad for Sunny, of course, but the boy'd made his own choice when he moved back to Easthollow.

So he had moved recently, then. She squinted her brow. She was sure she had seen Sunny not too long ago, and he on his way to his father's, but then again. . .maybe time had gotten away from her? Who knows? It had been an idyllic, if monotonous, time in the flatlands thus far.

"What made you move?" she asked. It was tactless to wonder aloud, getting into Grayday's business, but it was late, and she was curious. "This is quite a ways away to where Sunny was headed, where I saw him last."

Miyako tilted her head. "Does your pack have pups?" she inquired. "I love pups. Been pretty much a babysitter my entire life." Why she told him this, she didn't know. It honestly was just something to steer the conversation along.

Although Grayday might've thought twice about asking questions like that himself, he didn't notice that it might be rude of Miyako to do so. And, as such, he answered as amiably as always, though with a slightly subdued expression on his face as he thought of Khoe's desire for travel.

"It just wasn't a good place to spend a winter - especially with young pups," he replied thinking that it went without being said that anywhere near this place was absolutely perfect for winter. "And the area was a bit crowded. Sunny's pack will do better without us nearby for the winter. I want all my children fat before the season hits, and that means it's better for my pack to be far from his."

He simply bobbed his head in response to her next question, figuring that it sort of went without saying. "Did you have a lot of siblings?" he asked, unable to think of another reason one might become a sitter, despite having two unrelated sitters in his own pack.

She smiled, taking in his response. A father who cared about his children, who wanted to see them fed through the winter--despite some of their being in another pack. So different from her sire, who had so often left them to starve, going on one adventure or another, choosing the company of fleeting friends over his own blood. He had barely made an appearance at his last children's birth, where the love of his life had died in a puddle of her own blood.

"I--yes," she responded, a little lost for words. "Five others. Once." Her gaze grew distant as she began to think of her family. "One of my littermates lives on, still. . ."

Tsukiko screamed as Ichiro sank his teeth into the third son's throat, ripping his head back and forth to sever the jugular. Miyako could only sit and watch, petrified with horror as two brothers, once thick as thieves, came to blows that ended in death.

She shuddered, coming back to herself. Every once in a while, she relived it all. Luckily for her, those sessions had came when she had been alone. Unluckily for Grayday, he was now witness to her flashback.

"I l-love pups," she stammered, giving him a weak smile. "I love them because they're so innocent. So pure. Not tainted by this. . .this f-fucked up world."

Something changed, and the air was suddenly charged and tense. The male stood, glancing around for signs of danger, only to realize that Miyako herself was the source of the change. There was a faraway look in her eyes that Grayday had never really seen before, but understood on an instinctive level. Tense and wary, he stood guard beside her, waiting for her to come out of the strange trance. And, when she did, she came out seemingly no worse for wear, though the shake in her words made the man's heart harden toward whatever had hurt the stranger.

"Yeah," the male agreed, wishing he had something more helpful to say. He didn't know the situation, and he didn't want to pry - but it was difficult to sit there and not offer something to ease her pain. (He'd invited perfect strangers to meet the kids before, of course, but Miyako seemed a little too unhinged to trust like that right off the bat.)

The cold air was hitting his leg, now, but the pain wasn't as bad as before. After an experimental stretch of the limb, he decided that he'd gained enough relief. The kids were waiting for him back at home, and he figured he'd be able to sleep no matter what kind of pain he was in, considering how tired he felt. With an air of finality, the male shook off his pelt. "I have to get home," he said to Miyako, his tone a bit regretful. "If you see Sunny again, will you pass my love along?"

Fuck. She had scared him off. She saw Grayday stiffen, and then rise, shaking the water from his pelt. Of course, he had kids to get home to. And, of course, it was late.

"Yeah," she said awkwardly. "Sure, I will." Miyako lowered her head in something not quite, but close to, shame.

She rose to her feet, too. "Nice meeting you." God damn it, she had so much baggage. With a smile, she gave Grayday a wordless goodbye, then swung around and trotted off. Waited for a few yards before she broke into a run. Galloped through the springs.

She had found a friend. And probably alienated him. All in the same night. Fuck.

Homegurl out. Feel free to post again or archive. <3

Grayday watched until the strange woman disappeared from sight, wondering if it made him a bad person to feel a little bit relieved by her retreat. It was just - Heartha was dead, and his children were motherless, and Moonstone had lost her family, and Howl had just lost his... The leader wanted to do right by all that he met, but the pack needed to come first. His attention was already terribly divided, and he couldn't afford to have another broken soul on his paws. Not only would it take time away from those he already had - Grayday was also simply getting tired of being that strong shoulder.

Feeling resolved, but carrying an unusually heavy heart, the male returned to his family.