Swiftcurrent Creek who do you think you are? who do you think i am?

aria refrained from wandering into the heart of the territory still. she was afraid. durneheviir had never told the woman outright that she did not like her, but somehow the pale sylph just got the feeling that she would. she feared she'd be chased from the safety of the creek and back into the world. some days she wondered if she should leave on her own-- but wasn't being with constantine the point of her wandering? so why would she leave? was it worth it?

and so the woman patrolled the territory as she always did nowadays. her ears cupped forwards and her tail still at her hocks.

@Constantine

Their numbers dwindled dangerously low. Wylla had taken her daughter and left, much to the swarthy wolf’s disapproval. Jagwyr had gone, as well as Samothes and Samaantine. Thelxiope’s (the reclusive she-wolf) scent had faded from their lands. Clock. Koji. Rysk. Arrille.
 
He knew the fickle nature of wolves and their wandering paws. It was the ones who did not say goodbye that irked him the most, and should he see them again, the shadow runner had already determined to reveal his displeasure of their choice with tooth and claw.
 
It was a shame he had begun to trust so easily once more.
 
Even worse was the tension that clung to the creek, even with their thinning numbers. He stopped to mark a faded part of their border, worried of the consequences if they could no longer maintain it. Where would he move his family, then? Even more.. Would Durnehviir leave him? She had grown distant in comparison to their earlier days – notably when he had announced Aria’s return. At first, it had distressed him to feel the unspoken need to choose between both women – his lover or his best friend.
 
Now he was frustrated if only because his mate seemed to question his fidelity.
 
Autumn clung to the air, and as a cooler breeze brushed the fur of his dark coat, the Mayfair paused, his muzzle tilting upward as fiery eyes fell upon the svelte form of his past.

aria too paused when she had spotted her friend, leaving the two to stand and stare silently at one another for a moment. the dove wondered if he was thinking the same thing she was. surely he was... it was the elephant in the room.

taking her paused lightly, aria sucked in a breath and padded over to constantine, her ears pressed to her skull. "constantine," she called as she approached-- and then when she was standing before him, she sigh softly, expression downcast. "about your wife-- of her opinions of me. i can't help but worry they're... not positive thoughts." she knew she was right-- but... somewhere in her she wished she was wrong. that it was just her anxieties.

She closed the distance between them – her movement so familiar to him, and yet so different now that part of her memories were gone. Worry still weighed on her heavily, but there was something more to her posture – a different sadness than what had plagued her before.
 
She spoke of Durnehviir, and he rumbled a gentle sigh, verging on an echoing growl. His ears slid back to his skull, and he studied her with mild concern now, the sternness and fire of his gaze before now softening upon her defeated form. “Has she said something to you?” He liked to believe that his mate’s distrust of him did not reveal in her words or interactions with Aria. The pale dove was only looking to regain her memories and pick up life where she possibly could.

aria shook her head. "nothing," she told him, perhaps reassured him, "but that's just the thing... she has not sought me out-- and i am the same place every day. and... given me and you, and how jealousy grows in our bosoms... i cannot help but worry." her expression faltered. his answer was not a real answer, and gave away his wife's true feelings. 

"she is not happy i am here," she said quietly, ears splaying.

He licked his lips, pausing, as if he could place this conversation on hold to spare the feelings of the fragile dove before him. As if he could somehow reassure Durnehviir of his faithfulness to her, so that she would actually familiarize herself with one of the more important wolves of his past. It wasn’t lost on him that both could be closer friends than even he and Aria if they gave one another a chance.
 
There was no point in lying. Durnehviir was a kind soul – but he could not hide any of this from her. “She worries that my feelings for you are still more than.. platonic.”

aria heard the answer, and was satisfied-- though she was crushed to hear her anxieties rang true. but she could not hold her tongue. "are they?" she asked him, her nose dipping slightly, her gazing finding his. why did it matter? aria would not dare overstep. perhaps she was only trying to find proof to reassure him-- to reassure durneheviir... maybe.

It seemed a strange question for her to ask him. Of their previous time together, the status of their relationship had always been friendship that bordered upon the possibility of so much more, as if either were waiting for life to settle down so that they could explore its potential. That day had never come, and her attraction to Floki, the male at Moonspear, had been quite obvious to the dark wolf. It had hurt at the time – it still hurt now, if he were honest. But Aria had no recollection of any of this.. and this was where life had become increasingly tangled and complicated for both of them.
 
He should have said ‘no.’ Simple. To the point. Was it a lie? He didn’t even know.. But more so, he feared that if he spoke those words, somehow, it would drive her away. If he didn’t, would it drive his mate away, instead?
 
“You’re my best friend,” he began, his eyes studying her before flicking away to the horizon, feeling as if he tread on eggshells. “Our time together is different to you now.. You don’t remember it. So.. No. That Aria is gone now, along with whatever secrets she kept from me.” He paused then, his brows furrowing, his eyes darting back to her suddenly. “Aria.. I want you to have the life you want. A family.. friends. You can have that here. Just.. give her time. She’ll see how wonderful you are.”

aria was hoping she'd hear that simple no-- so she could say to him 'then you have nothing to worry about, durneheviir will understand with time.' but he didn't say no-- at least, not right away. and then, the no was so thinly veiled with yes that aria couldn't help but look surprised. 

he'd said no, surely, but the surrounding context... it sounded more like a circumstantial thing. and now she was confused-- or was she? something confused her, anyway, be it her lack of memory or just the situation. aria didn't understand something. 

"then... you have nothing to worry about," she said anyway, only hesitating because she didn't believe her own words. she was a different wolf, maybe, but the same one at the core. and if constantine had had feelings for her once... she doubted that they would flee so easily. but... she couldn't have that conversation, it simply wasn't fair. 

"i'm not that wonderful," she said gently, with a small, amused smile at constantine's flattery. she sighed softly. "you are all i have left. i'm too... too broken to find anything else. i would never leave," she added, almost sadly, but aria had come to terms with her own mental state long ago, "but if she forces me out, i will go. i won't do anything to stand in the way of your relationship-- not if she won't believe you."

“It won’t feel that way forever,” he coaxed, trying to ignore the not-so-subtle fact that the elephant in the room had somehow grown larger, rather than being addressed. He sure as hell wasn’t going to touch on it further. Not yet.
 
At her final words, the Mayfair gave a small shake of his head, his eyes burning with uncertainty before they drifted away from the frosted she-wolf, seeking to look once more to their surrounding home, as if it somehow held answers for him. “If Durnehviir is unable to believe me when I’ve done nothing to deserve otherwise…” He snorted, trailing off the statement, leaving it as it was. If that was the state of their mateship, than it was destined to fail.

But he couldn't linger on that. It felt wrong to discuss his worries on his relationship to the girl who felt somehow roped in to it, despite remaining innocent in the matter. And he knew Durnehviir would feel betrayed. "How are you settling in otherwise?" He paused. "We've lost many of our members."

if only aria was more stubborn, she would've asked what he meant. or would've suggested that he plummet her rank to punishment just to prove his love to his wife. but she could only stare at him, even as he looked away, and nod solemnly when he turned back. she understood. not really, but she did. 

"i patrol a lot," she told him with a small smile, eyes glittering, "i didn't used to do that-- i don't think. but the borders are peaceful." 

The switch to the pack and duties was one that came with great relief for the male, and his muscles relaxed visibly. Giving a nod to the pale woman, Constantine extended the quiet invitation to continue their conversation as they marked the borders – patrolling, as apparently was her new habit.
 
“Do you know anything of the neighboring packs yet?” He stopped, his nose drifting down inhale gently at grass that seemed pressed down from previous footfalls. “I’ve been meaning to seek them out and speak to them, but with the pups, there’s never been an ideal time.” He paused then, his tongue smoothing over his lips as he gave a nod now to the direction of the flattened grass before them. “A herd went through here not long ago. How do you feel about organizing a pack hunt?” Perhaps she would feel uncomfortable, given his mate.. But he wanted to present her the opportunity to further embed herself in to the pack that he was firmly keen on keeping as her home.

she shook her head. "i've not left the territory much-- nor have i gone far," she told him, sort of quietly. was it bad she had not tried? perhaps she should've. and she opened her mouth to respond again, perhaps offer to go out, but was cut short as constantine noted the herd that went through. she looked down, ears pricked. "i hadn't noticed," she admitted meekly, looking a bit shocked. she hadn't been paying attention, more like. 

and then constantine asked something of her that she was... well, more than shocked about. she turned to face him, concern pressed to her features. "you'd like that?" she asked, just to double check.