Blacktail Deer Plateau i found us a friend

The evening dew was still cool and wet beneath his paws, but dawn was breaking and the sky was clear; soon the sun would consume the dampness. For once, the blue-nosed wolf had a plan and was following it through. He had passed through many areas that begged exploration, but in a rare moment, he had kept his focus on two important tasks and did not stray.

His first stop was the plateau, and by the time he reached it, the sun was warm upon his white back. Nearing the borders, he howled for his companion @Harlyn to share with her that he had recruited a wolf to their future pack. While he waited, his mind drifted to Lasher, who lived on this plateau too. Luke shifted his jaw. He'd like to see Lasher again, but this visit was made to be brief. Of course he would not deny the male a few moments of his time if he happened by.

His next stop was to be the fringes of the caldera, where he hoped to see Peregrine. Luke's concern for him was hanging over him like a dark cloud, and while his very nature allowed the sun to shine through that cloud, it could not be ignored.

As much as Harlyn had enjoyed her trip with Mordecai, she was happy to be sleeping in a familiar place again.  Her liking of the Plateau had not increased though.  If anything, she was more uncomfortable there than ever.  No sooner had she and the Ostrega returned than tensions with the Caldera had returned.  Harlyn wasn't completely certain of the details, but from what she had heard, the wolves of the Caldera had closed their borders to any and all others.  Not only that, but they'd attacked a wolf that had been born and raised at the Plateau and was a close friend to the leadership.


There were many questions in the druid's mind about the situation, but she kept them to herself.  Curiosity in the subject would do her little good in the end.  All she wanted was for Mordecai to accept the destiny that she saw for them, which was to leave the Plateau behind and start anew away from here.

Speaking of which...

Harlyn felt her heart trill with excitement the moment she heard Luke's voice on the wind.  It had been too long since she'd seen her friend, and so she made haste to the borders to greet him.  She slowed to a stop before him, touching her nose happily to his while her tongue flicked out against its blue tip.  "Luke, look at you!" she greeted him happily, "If I could just see that smile every day, I'd be a happy woman."  She had no idea what it was that had brought him there, but she cared very little at the moment.  She was just happy to again have his company.

Fortunately, he was not left alone with his thoughts for too long. His companion was quick to respond to his call and his tail wagged to see her. "Harlyn!" he barked, his dark cloud all but forgotten in his happiness to see his companion again. They touched noses, and she flicked her tongue against his, after which he affectionately nuzzled her cheek. "You know how to flatter me," he smiled, withdrawing from her cheek to meet her warm eyes. "Hopefully soon, you'll see me so often you'll tire of me," he winked.

"How have you been, my dear?" he asked as he seated himself. He did not mean to stay too long, but he certainly had enough time to hear how she was doing and anything else she might have to share with him, before he delved into business and shared his recruitment news.

Harlyn grinned at his response.  "I pray for it daily," she informed him, her tail wagging.  She couldn't wait for the day when the three of them set off together to start their pack and be a real family.  Seeing Luke there now made her realize that her desire to achieve her dream was beginning to shift in its motivation.  When once she'd wanted it because it had been a lifelong aspiration, she now wanted it more because of the ones she loved that she wanted to be closer to.  The blue-nosed wolf before her was a prime example of that.


"I've been well," Harlyn replied, "Mordecai and I took a trip together to deliver a message to the alpha of the Caldera in the West.  On the way, I told him about how I feel.. How I want to leave the Plateau and start a pack, and that I want him to be by my side."  She felt heat rising to her cheeks, which caused her to pause.  Her tail swayed as her gaze softened at the memory and she smiled faintly.  "He's considering it," she said after a beat, hoping that Luke would see the promise that she did in the simple fact that he agreed to think about it.

He smiled. For the moment, at least, he did not admit that amid his hopes for the pack was a cold lonesomeness creeping into his heart. He did not wish to pressure his companion, but dearly longed to live among her and others. Perhaps it had to do with the closeness he had shared with Lasher, the friendships he had been forming, not the least of which with her... it reminded him how much he missed being near to others, both physically and emotionally. He had been a lone wolf now for well over a year and a half. He had made the best of it, and would continue to do so, but he ached for a den he could sleep in, and a pack he could wake up to.

"I'm glad to hear," he said with another smile. Despite his curiosity and his impending task, he avoided the topic of the Caldera and Peregrine. "I've brought you some news," he shared. "I met a young wolf, Valtyr is his name. He is a former member of this pack, a lone wolf now. I've told him of you and Mordecai, and the pack you hope to form." He paused. "He's agreed to join us."

In a moment, Harlyn knew that her friend understood exactly what this meant.  They were on their way to finding that beautiful piece of lands with its rivers and lakes and endless beauty where they'd make their family together.  The druid couldn't stop the smile upon her face.  It was a permanent fixture as far as she was concerned, just so long as everything kept falling ever so perfectly into place.


Speaking of which.... Harlyn's ears perked when her friend announced his own news.  A young wolf had agreed to join them.  How fantastic!  "Oh, Luke!" she said excitedly, leaning in to give him another emphatic kiss upon his cheek, "This is wonderful!  Oh, this is just everything I've ever dreamed of..."  Her heart felt as though it would simply burst, but then in the very next second, it began to sink.  Now there were two wolves waiting on her.. Not counting those she had met recently that she was almost certain too would rally to their side.

Her face grew melancholy and pained for a moment as her ears slipped back.  "If only Mordecai could be moved quicker..." she said softly, "I want so much for us all to be together.  You are my family, and I hate the thought of you still out in the wilderness alone while he and I get everything in order."

Her excitement was infectious. His spirits may had been dampened when he arrived but she had lifted them and he grinned broadly at her as she planted another kiss upon his cheek, to which his tail beat quite happily. But in the next moment she had grown sad, her ears fell back and commented softly that she wished Mordecai would come to his decision sooner. Luke slumped a bit, his grin subsided to a gentle smile as he moved closer so that their bodies could lean against one another, and he affectionately nosed her ear.

"I have been a bit lonesome," he admitted quietly. "I am a fish out of water, but I'll be ok," he promised, forcing his smile to widen and his tail to brush across the ground. "It'll come together soon enough," he said with optimistic conviction; he was sincere in this, even if his usual nonchalance had been upset by recent events and he pained for company. "Just go give Mordecai a nip to the butt," he joked, his voice taking a lighter tone in an effort to bring fortify both their moods.

Luke was honest, but still optimistic and confident in his belief that Harlyn would soon enough come to create the home that she'd promised to him.  She gave him a fond smile, truly grateful for his outlook though it was hard to hear him admit the pain he felt over not having that home yet.  It was a difficult game she played - promising these things to her future packmates while simultaneously doing her best to not rush Mordecai into anything he wasn't truly ready for.  But to have them all together was all she'd ever wanted, so it was not a game in which she was even close to admitting defeat.


"I really ought to," she responded with a soft laugh before she grew slightly somber again.  "It's difficult... I... I miss him," she said then, meaning one thing that she hoped her tone implied even though her words didn't explain it directly.  She was far too much of a proper lady for that, but she was still a woman and thus she longed for a bit of... girl talk.

His effort to bolster their moods through jest had only a fleeting success. His companion was quick to grow somber again, commenting that she missed Mordecai. As she lived in the same pack with him, the white wolf could only conclude that Mordecai had been distant, somehow, and his mouth turned downward. His silver eyes cast a concerned, but warm look. "You can talk to me," he encouraged, sensing Harlyn had words on her tongue and troubles in her heart that she may need to speak about. He ran his muzzle through the soft fur of her neck and then caressed her cheek with his tongue. Luke placed a blue-padded paw on top of hers. She had his undivided attention, as he gazed at her.

Harlyn was a woman of propriety.  To discuss such things as what was on her mind was just... It was unbecoming of a woman of her stature.  But then again... Luke was so patient and understanding, and such a wonderful friend.  She could tell him anything and know that her character and opinions were safe within his mind and heart.  Besides which, she wasn't an alpha yet.  She could be a bit indecent considering she was only a subordinate.


"All my life, I've only ever been with one man - him," Harlyn explained, "I was always determined that the only man I was ever with would be the father of my children.  Then I met Mordecai and I... I found myself unable to... abstain."  Again, the memory of him in the moonlight glashed through her mind.  He was so handsome and so perfect.  She felt butterflies in her stomach just thinking of it.  "But anyway, we haven't since I left him, before I returned to the Wilds, and... I miss him, in.. that way."  She felt the heat upon her cheeks as she spoke.  She lowered her muzzle sheepishly, biting her lip as she eyed her companion.  She shook her head after a moment, insisting, "I'm just being a silly woman, it's nothing really.  I don't know what I'm saying."

Luke listened attentively, and there was not a hint of anything but compassionate understanding on his face. He sensed she felt embarrassed, awkward, even going so far as to bite her lip and lower her muzzle. But the blue-nosed wolf felt none of those things. He was as comfortable with this subject (or almost any subject) as he was discussing the weather. She may not know what she was saying, but he did. He was a physical, affectionate being and sympathized completely.

"You're not silly at all," he reassured with a warm smile. "I miss that sort of thing too when I don't have it, or contact in general. I'm an affectionate sort, I need to be close to others and I need to touch. I understand what you're saying. Besides," he paused, giving her paw a pat with the one he covered it with. "I believe it's healthy to have relations outside of procreation. It's natural. It does the body and mind good, and strengthens bonds. Heck, I think you should go jump his bones right now," he winked and nudged her muzzle playfully. She had already done it, and obviously enjoyed it. He believed that she ought to embrace it and go for it, shedding the ideas of not laying with another until you were mated and it was time to bring about the next generation. How boring.

Luke assured her he didn't think anything less of her after she'd made her confession.  Harlyn still felt anxious as she listened to him, but began to relax as she considered his words.  It was true, it wasn't just a carnal lust she felt towards the handsome Ostrega.  She had always felt connected to him on a much deeper level even when they'd first met.  To explore their physical relationship had not been something she'd intended on doing, but she had no regrets for it


The last words from her friend's mouth caused her eyes to widen and her jaw to drop.  "Luke!" she barked incredulously at him, lifting a paw to prod his shoulder as her look of surprise faded quickly into laughter.  "'Jump his bones'... Honestly!" Harlyn shook her head, grinning at him despite herself, "I don't even know how I'd.. approach the subject.  It used to just sort of happen..."  She frowned as she thought about it.  There had been no seduction, nor any real sort of discussion.  The moment simply came and they lost themselves to it.

He laughed heartily at her reaction to his not so subtle phrasing, allowing his body to shift under the influence of her paw against his shoulder. He grinned with abandon, his blue tongue making an appearance between his tongue as he scrunched his face in a comical expression. "Oh it's not hard!" he replied, "I mean it will be, I mean, er, ah," he laughed again, raising a paw and giving the air a swat as he caught himself with his mind squarely in the gutter. He shook his head.

"It's not a subject you approach like you're conducting business," he snort-snickered a bit, trying to compose himself to bestow upon his companion his blend of carefree logic. He walked away and turned to face her. He donned his most suave, 'come to my bedroom' look. "You don't even have to talk. You act," he said softly as he stepped toward her, his gaze upon hers. "You touch," he moved to demonstrate, touching his blue nose to her ear, and trailing it along her neck before nipping her shoulder. "Explore his body!" he quipped in a higher, excited voice as sprung back from her, tail whipping in the air and another broad, silly grin on his face.

"Then, as you say, it will just sort of happen." He gave her an exaggerated wink, sincerely hoping she would later go and get it on with her beau. She deserved it.

Harlyn could've punched him again for what he said next about being 'hard'.  Even so, it did little to abate the mirth that saturated her expression.  She of course knew the mechanics of intercourse, even if she was - admittedly - far more practiced at the art of pleasuring other women.  Mordecai was the only man she'd ever been with, and it was fully her intent that that be a fact that remained true for the rest of her life.


Partly to Harlyn's horror, but also much to her fascination, Luke began to explain to her the art of seduction.  Her limbs tensed as he came towards her, as he looked at her with his most charming of smiles, and then when he touched her.  She felt a chill that trembled down her throat and low into her stomach as his nose traveled gently along the side of her neck - a feeling that wasn't even the least bit unpleasant, though thoroughly unexpected.  No man had ever made her feel this way but for Mordecai, and she was nearly overcome with her confusion when Luke quite suddenly hopped away and turned back into her goofy, lovable friend instead of the suave, confident man nibbling sweetly at her shoulder blade.

Harlyn laughed at his display and shook her head.  "I suppose it's worth a try.. I just hope that he hasn't... you know," she said, "Changed his mind.  About me."  She bit her lip again, holding back for a moment what she wanted to say before realizing that Luke would get it out of her anyway.  "He's the only man I've ever been with, and it's quite... different than what I am used to," she explained, "...If you know what I mean."  Did he?  Some weren't familiar with the concept of two women being together in that way, but Luke seemed to be an open-minded fellow.  "I don't know.. maybe I wasn't a partner he'd want to have again considering my inexperience with his gender."

I love Harlyn <3

She opened up to him, and suddenly, he understood. It was not that she had not much experience being intimate, it was that she had not much experience being intimate with men. Luke bobbed his head as she explained, happy that she was comfortable enough around him to share these personal details. She was not aware that he was played both sides of the field himself, and many guarded their less traditional persuasions for fear of rejection.

"First of all," he replied with a warm smile. "There is no way he's changed his mind. You're beautiful, and a wonderful wolf." She was. She had caught the white wolf's eye even, but as she was spoken for he dare not entertain such thoughts. He may have continued his earlier demonstration further, if he did not know himself well enough to know it would be hard for him to stop if he lingered too long. "Second, I totally know what you mean. I am attracted to both genders myself," he shared, leaning in to nudge her cheek playfully. "I don't think for one moment he would turn you down because you are inexperienced. I think he - or anyone else - would be happy to explore that side of your sexuality with you. I know I would."

Harlyn didn't feel any shame when it came to her sexual encounters with those of her own gender.  Her culture had always believed in the freedom of love - that it was to be celebrated no matter where it was found and enjoyed without boundaries.  Those that were imposed were the decisions of those who imposed them, and it was only ever done so on one's self.  No one had ever told Harlyn that she could only ever be with one man who would be the father of her children - she had made that decision on her own and no one would have judged her had she decided otherwise.


His confession did surprise her, but only momentarily.  Luke had always been a free spirit, so really, the fact that he lead his intimate self with such freedom was not really a shock at all.  A smile slipped across her lips as he spoke, comfort wrapping around her with each word.  His final words did elicit the slightest of brow raises as he admitted to his own intrigue at exploring her sexuality - something she took with a grain of salt and shrugged off with a smirk.  "Well, maybe I'll stop being such a baby and go home and, ah.. what was it?  Jump his bones," she said as she stood, "All it takes is a little.. touch of the shoulder... and a little..."  Harlyn trailed off as she closed the distance between them again, nudging his shoulder as she spoke and then reaching up towards his ear to nip gently as the base of it, her chest pressed ever so gently against his.  "...right?" she whispered, using her best seductive tone though her tail wagged so swiftly it was obvious that she wasn't truly trying at all.

Luke was the sort to speak freely. He was an open book and in most cases had no qualms about sharing his thoughts and his feelings; but as his last words left his tongue he found himself pursing his lips and twitching an ear as it dawned on him that he may have said too much. He had meant to reassure her, not make her uncomfortable. He caught her little brow raise, but fortunately, she seemed to take his admission in stride, and not only that, but she was bold enough to mirror the demonstration he had given earlier.

His tail swung to and fro, matching the cadence of hers, as she came toward him and pressed her nose to his shoulder before nipping the base of his ear. He chuckled softly with a wide grin. "Just like that," he said, throwing her a wink and then playfully licking her cheek in a intentionally sloppy manner. It was a strategy to keep him out of trouble as her seductive words - charade though they were - and her proximity called to his deeply physical nature.

"Well, my dear," he followed up. "I'll leave you alone so you can go find Mordecai. Take care," he bid her farewell with a brief nuzzle to her neck, fondly holding her gaze with a smile before he turned away.

Her movement had been done in jest, and yet in the seconds that followed her gesture, there was a stirring in the pit of her stomach that urged her on. Fortunately, Luke ended the game with an intentionally disruptive lick and excused himself from her company. Harlyn returned his nuzzle with a smile, but otherwise was quiet as he walked away. For a while, her gaze lingered upon the spot where he had disappeared, still tingling from the nature of their encounter and confused by it. In the end, she hushed her thoughts, brushed them off as her just being silly, and headed back to the heart of the Plateau.