The Heartwood she doesn't know she's in love
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Ooc — Magdalyn
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#1
bring me @Seabreeze please

terance broke free from the group, once again, to do a little wandering. he was thinking, mostly, about a lot of things. he kept thinking back to his conversation with rannoch from the other day. bad things make the good things seem more important, he tried to remind himself. but he was having trouble thinking of good things. he was going to be rannoch's beta-- his right hand. that was a good thing. wraen was coming with. that was good. a fresh start, that was good. he was torn between 'being away from lyra', because that was both a good thing and a horrible thing. he was broken to think about it, but he knew in the long wrong it'd be good-- it'd help.

he wandered through the woods, large paws crunching against the snow with each step. his ears were angled forward, head low. and though he thought about 50 things all at once, his mind felt empty, and a light ringing sounded in his ears as he made his way forward.
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#2

she had held close to where rannoch had instructed that she and her friend stay.  but time had passed and passed and passed and he had not come back for them.  she was beginning to lose hope.  the women had come across very few strangers during their time in the wilderness, so when seabreeze caught the scent of another on the breeze she turned towards it mechanically, searching with hastened pace.

he smelled like rannoch.

hello, she began, her gaze searching the boy's occupied features, are you alright?
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#3
terance was, unfortunately, taken aback by the sudden sound of someone’s voice. it was not one he recognized, though when he turned to look he half expected it to be wraen. it was not. it was a girl though, a pretty one, but the kind of pretty terance wasn’t used to. he was used to the cerberus’ kind of pretty, burn maybe that attraction went far below the surface. he blinked.

”i’m okay,” he said slowly, blank faced for a moment— still falling back to reality— before tilting his head and adding, ”i’m terance, actually.” oh that terance, what a card.
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#4

she accepts his response.  perhaps he was just deep in thought, so lost in the depths of his mind that he did not notice his surroundings too much — it reminded her of mato and made her stomach churn, but quickly she shelved the thought, not wanting to linger on it.

seabreeze, she introduces.  the name still felt foriegn on her tongue which was funny considering that it was the name she'd first used here in the teekons.  are you with rannoch?

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seabreeze. terance wondered if she was called that because of her eyes-- they seemed to embody a piece of the ocean that terance wished he could see in person. or maybe because of her pelt, which was a sandy color. terance felt it was rude to ask her right now, but he thought it fit her well. he smiled a bit, head dipping kindly as a general response. her next question caught him off guard, but he nodded quickly to the question. 

"i'm with rannoch, yes, do you know him?" he asked, but scolded himself, "obviously-- sorry-- how do you know him?" to say terance felt hopeful was wrong, because that emotion didn't really apply here-- but he felt a similar way to how being hopeful felt. it was just a weird feeling, what, running around on their own trying to find somewhere to stay... wolves to follow them. he wondered if seabreeze had spoken to rannoch about this very thing.
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#6
how do you know him?

that question brought back memories, oh!  how long had it been since she had seen him prior to their most recent meeting?  did she really, truly still know him?  but that was not the question she had been asked. no need to apologize.

the beginning was not a story she wanted to tell but it felt something akin to lying to leave it out, so she started there anyway.  oh, good!  i was beginning to think we had been forgotten, she says with a teasing laugh.  i met rannoch some time last year when i washed up on the coast.  i traveled inland, wounded and terrified without any idea who i was.  he took me in at northstar vale.

she pauses, looking over the boy.  she knew better than to let her eyes linger on his scars but they reminded her of the ones that raked along her side, marring that sandy brown pelt.  on her, she thought they were ugly.  on him, they were something like becoming.
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#7
she was softspoken-- at least in terance's opinion. he didn't like talking a lot. he was ungraceful and quite frankly bad at any sort of speaking, opting instead for smaller statements and more thought out comments. he felt they suited him better, felt more comfortable in his mouth. but he liked hearing her talk, she seemed to be comfortable with it, and her personality paired well with the small story that she told. terance decided he liked this fae, which was good, because it seemed like she was waiting for them. 

"you were part of the vale?" he asked, ears pricking-- duh, terance, she'd just said that. he wondered if he should tell her that rannoch too had been thrown into the ocean, but he wasn't sure if it was his place to tell that story... and maybe she already knew. "we're actually headed that way," he said, moving on from his dumb question, taking in her scent curiously. she didn't smell like other wolves, or maybe she didn't, but not overwhelmingly. did that mean? "is the pack gone?" he then asked, ears flicking towards her curiously. maybe that would alter their course, or something, he'd had to convene with rannoch again. 

her own scars had not gone unnoticed by terance, either, and he too had a similar opinion of them. he disliked them on himself, especially the newest batch which merely left an awkwardly shaped pull through his shoulder. but terance didn't think that about her own-- he couldn't help himself. "are those from the ocean?" he asked her with a tilt of his head, referring to her mention of washing up on shore wounded.
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yes, she says, confirming what she had just said.  she didn't think he was dull for it; many individuals chose to fill the space in conversation with such quips.  were you?  i was not around long.

she was pleased to hear that they were finally headed back to the vale.  although it had only been a few weeks, it felt like an eternity she had waited for their eventual return.  i'm not sure, i actually came from that way, she motions towards tindome's direction with a swing of her head, the gentle arc of her paw, i left before rannoch.

his final question caused her ease to dissipate.  she cowed before him, her ears flicking back uncomfortably. once again, she wasn't a liar and she did not keep secrets, but she did not know what good it would do to go through it all again.  perhaps if she told everyone straight from the beginning, she could tuck it somewhere dark and never think about it again.  

no, but i wish they were.  later, she would apologize for the bitter tone that gripped her voice.  i left northstar vale to join a pack led by mato, someone that rannoch thought the world of.  i did, too.  we were together, briefly, before i strayed too far from the borders and was captured for three weeks.

she cleared her throat.  she could leave it there, but she was afraid of the eventual questions that might come that she inevitably would not want to breach.  i escaped, and mato met me at the borders like a stranger, like i abandoned him.  he called for the end of our relationship, a break, so i turned away from his pack and headed for the vale.  i ran across rannoch in my travels, obviously i never made it to the vale, and have been waiting here since.

she turns her head back up at the boy, ashamed, but her quiet and inviting demeanor had returned.  i'm sorry!  i'm sure that's not what you were wanting to hear.
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#9
"you should come with us-- if that wasn't your plan already," terance said, sort of surprising himself. he assumed that that was what she was already doing-- since she claimed to have been waiting for rannoch, but all the same. then he shook his head. "i came from moonspear, a mountain that way. rannoch has always been there for me, when he told me he was leaving i couldn't not come with," he told her-- an opening act for her story with a bit of his own shorter, less wordy oversharing. 

then she spoke, and again, terance was unbothered by the amount of things she was telling him. terance was comfortable listening, for some reason, since if were him speaking that much he'd likely want to peel over dead on the spot. but he listened, very intrigued and absorbing every word. somehow, he grew mad at this math character-- and at her capturers. his ears splayed upon his head, brow furrowing as she spoke. but he didn't interrupt, he wouldn't dare-- truthfully, terance felt a little honored that she chose to share something so personal with him.

he shook his head quickly when she suddenly backpedaled. "don't apologize-- i asked you, it was exactly what i wanted to hear..." he said, growing quiet for a moment, "thank you for sharing, i'm so sorry that all happened." he thought briefly to lyra. this mato, it seemed different than what he had had with lyra, but he related to it all the same. he glanced to his side carefully, not comfortable spilling so much about himself as she seemed to be, but wanting to return her gesture in hopes of showing her that he actually did care-- or didn't mind-- did it matter? seabreeze was, after all, a perfect stranger.

"a bear attacked moonspear a while back, i got a pretty bad hit to the side, almost died, i'm lucky i'm here," he told her, turning a bit to show her his shoulder and side, the scar trailing up to his chin, "and this from a cougar just a little while ago, still looks pretty gnarly." and the other side, which was a weird shape on his other shoulder. he paused, smiling sheepishly and dipping his nose down. "that's not as... well, i dunno, i'm glad you're okay," he finished... as gracefully as he could.
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#10
she laughs.  of course i'll come with you, terance.  i'd be very happy to be in a pack with rannoch and his friends again.  she does not mention that she had been waiting for them all along.

moonspear.  she'd hold onto the name — it meant nothing to her (how lucky she was she had not washed up there) but she connected the dots easily enough and decided it was important enough to remember.

he does seem to always be there for his packmates.  after everything that happened... i don't think rannoch would act that way towards anyone.  i left on good terms, but now i guess i really understand how kind he is.

he comforted her and it struck her as silly.  she wanted to laugh but thankfully resisted it bubbling over her features.  here he was, comforting the counselor.  it is in the past now.  it was all she had left to say on that matter.  thank you for taking my ramblings with such grace.

she had the tendency to forget what boundaries were sometimes; she felt a kinship with nearly everyone, and it bled over into her speech and mannerisms.  she watched with the same amount of attention as he had offered her as he bore his scars and told their stories.

they were much more interesting than hers.

a bear?  a cougar?  something surfaces, a bleary and waterlogged memory that dazes her for a moment.  you are lucky!  i am glad you survived!  she breaks his personal boundaries, ghosting closer as he stutters and fumbles.  you do not have to worry about your words with me, terance.  she didn't know if she was speaking as a counselor or a tentative friend, but she let the words come forth anyway.  we're packmates now.
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his tail began to wag, the comment seemed so genuine and kind that terance couldn't help but feel a little lighter. his crown tipped forward, his own way of saying good without actually having to tell her that. 

"rannoch is a good guy-- have you met liffey? that's his mate, i like her too. we're traveling with my sister wraen and our old packmate bernard, and a new wolf we picked up along the way named arrakis," he told her, deciding that would've mostly filled her in to the crew. that was a lot of wolves, truthfully. and he dipped his head to her, the smile on his features genuine and soft. "anytime," he returned-- even though the stories made him sort of sad, angry, he liked hearing it. seabreeze seemed so open and kind terance couldn't help but want to know more-- he'd listen to anything she decided to tell him.

"dumb-luck," he quipped, a small chuckle escaping him, "you'd think i would've learned to be more careful." but nope, terance dove head first into any potentially dangerous situation if it meant saving someone he cared about. lyra, and then wraen and liffey-- secretly, he wondered when the next time he'd be forced to throw his life into mortal danger again... he hoped it wasn't soon. at least now he didn't have to worry about lyra anymore-- the thought stung, his expression faltered, and he glanced away for a moment, playing it off with a prick of his ears. 

but her next comment earned a surprised look from terance, who had given his full attention to her once again. his head turned, ears cupped forward, emerald eyes finding her face. "thank you," was all he could think to say, at least at first, for seabreeze was the first wolf in a while to have been so immediately kind to him-- and in such a big way. his expression held more surprise than anything, but he let a smile tug back at the edges of his lips, his tail waving-- he appreciated it, it showed. 

even though terance lacked the vocal ability to return the sentiment, he returned it physically-- which she had already suggested upon moving closer to him. he stepped forward to nudge her shoulder softly, tail still low and waving at his hocks. 

"we can walk and talk, if you'd like-- rannoch is uh--" he did a quick look around, "--should be back that way." he stood a side step to his left, tipping his head to show her exactly where he was talking about.
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#12
 
keeping this vague because idk where zada is!  she may or may not be following us in later.

she was happy to have comforted him.

you know, i never got to meet liffey!  i'm sure someone as sweet as rannoch would have good taste in women, though.  she already viewed liffey as larger than life, had admired her and pictured her already: she would be beautiful and serene with a certain tenacity that paired well with rannoch.

perhaps there will be less danger where we are going, she muses, hoping that the boy's days of bad things befalling him were over.  he seemed sweet enough.  to survive both encounters, i'm sure you are more skilled than you let on.  perhaps if she were anything of a fighter, she would have eagerly challenged him to a friendly spar...  but she would let him be humble.

you're welcome, she begins, and he touches her cheek in a way that reminds her of someone — the mysterious shadow who had come and picked her crumpled form out of the snow and shared a den with her after the heartbreak with mato.  his physical nearness was not spurned, though she would be quick to take him up on the offer to head back.
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