Wolf RPG

His paws were discontent to roam the wilderness and flatlands, and so more and more often he found himself travelling further out, as was the case on this clear morning. He skirted the shores of yet another lake, watching as skittish ducks took flight from the long reeds before his gaze drifted to a muskrat idly swimming by. He had not long ago fed, having caught himself a rabbit, and he was not feeling up to a game of pester-the-prey, so the rodent went undisturbed. He merely sat, and watched.

His mind was often occupied by thoughts of Lasher and their last encounter; it was so intense, so passionate, he had never experienced such a thing before. With that came thoughts of the plateau where he resided, of the offer from Dante to talk should Harlyn's pack not come to be. It was becoming more and more of temptation as his longing for a pack deepened, as his lonesomeness chilled him further, and as he continued to wait, day after day, without knowing if any progress had been made.

He settled to his stomach, resting his head across his legs. His eyes closed as he rested, dozing in the rays of the rising sun. Perhaps he would go to Harlyn again and talk to her, let her know how he was feeling. Perhaps he would not leave when he did.

This was the furthest that FitzDutiful had ever roamed. It was a scary prospect but he had decided to stop being afraid, that revelation had occurred not long after his pack meeting. The pack would look after his pups and children while he wandered around looking for others to introduce to the Silvertip Mountain. Today, he was lands that had once belonged to another pack. He wondered why they had moved.

Stumbling closer to a lake, he came across a familiar blue nose, he couldn't remember the male's name but he recalled those features - who could forget. "Ahoy there," he called, getting closer to the lake and taking a sip. It had been a while, but this male wasn't in a pack yet. Still. FitzDutiful had recruitment on the mind; "Still no pack I smell." he said, hinting at intention, a smile taking the seriousness of the situation away.

Once the pack had dispersed, Harlyn had wasted no time in escaping the confines of the Plateau's borders.  She had hoped to clear her head of the initial anxiety that had gathered there upon hearing Dante's words, but the more she pondered them, the more heartsick she felt.  She wanted to be gone and done with the Plateau.  It was not her home, had never been her home.  As fond as she was of those she'd met, they were not her family.  Mordecai was her family, and what exactly would happen to him when Dante decided to take those who would go off to this other wolf's pack to defend it from the Caldera?  How slim the chances seemed to her that Mordecai would let his friend go without him.  And where would they be then?

It was a while before Harlyn finally stopped and turned her head to the sky, shut her eyes and began to pray.  She believed truly and deeply in her heart that it was with Mordecai that she was meant to be and with him that her future lied.  If it was not their intention that she be granted that future yet, then the druid was ready and willing to accept that fate.  "Just show me the way..." she whispered as a tear slipped down her cheek, "Please, I pray.  Show me the path it is your will that I take."

It took a few minutes, but slowly the wind began to shift, and with it came the scent of one she recognized.  Harlyn tilted her muzzle downwards and opened her eyes, her heart swelling with gratitude as she leaped to her feet and took off along the trail.  It wasn't too much longer that she came upon the owner of that scent - Luke.  He was not alone either, Harlyn realized quickly enough as she slowed her pace to approach them.  His companion was another she recognized - the alpha of the mountain pack, the one who had offered her a home before she had found Mordecai.

"Oh, praise the gods..." Harlyn whispered as she swiftly went to Luke and pressed her crown against his chest in a wolfish hug.  She turned then to the mountain's Alpha, smiling as she nodded to him.  If possible, she was just as happy to see him as she was Luke for he too was a sign from the gods - a sign that it was time to move forward with the promises she had made, to provide a home to those she'd taken in to her family just as this alpha had once offered a home to her.  She turned and planted a kiss on Luke's muzzle, just because her heart was too full not to.

In Lasher's company it was easy to think that joining him at the plateau was the thing to do, but away from him and the spell that entranced Luke when he was near the handsome Beta, it was a far more difficult choice to make. He cared deeply for Harlyn, and could not bear the thought of letting her down, and still, despite everything, held a hope for her pack. Frustrated, torn, and restless, he was about to rise and head straight for the plateau and the druid that dwelled there, when he saw someone familiar approach: FitzDutiful of Silvertip Mountain. Their encounter had been brief, but Luke remembered.

"Ahoy!" He returned in greeting, standing and wagging his tail, appreciative of the distraction the man provided. "No, not yet," he chuckled. This one was a determined recruiter if nothing else. "I am however promised to one that has not founded, just waiting on the call from—" he stopped abruptly, as past Fitz' shoulder he spied yet another form quickly approaching. "...her." He whispered, stunned, and in that moment forgetting that until now he had shared with no one whom he waited on, who was intending to form their own pack.

Harlyn came right to him, pressing her head to his chest. Immediately, Luke embraced her as best a wolf could with a lifted foreleg, and brushed his muzzle between her ears. He grinned excitedly. Finally, it must be time! Why else would she be here? His surprise gave way to sheer joy as she kissed his muzzle. "Harlyn!" he barked happily, finding his voice again as his tail swung wildly. "Are you ready now?" The bright hopeful expression on his face could not be missed.

Luke explained that he was waiting for someone that appeared to be approaching right that very moment. The scent of the plateau sped towards him as she hastened past him and bumped heads with Luke, a scent that was familiar regardless. Luke greeted her by name and caused FitzDutiful to burst out in laughter.

"Well, I guess I'm not going to be enticing either of you any time soon. I sense you found who you were looking for at the plateau, Harlyn?" he asked her, sitting down and smiling broadly, encompassing both of them with it. He remembered the time he had offered the female a home, when she had been searching for someone and he was new. Now, now it appeared these two were setting up shop all of their own.

FitzDutiful was pleased for them, he didn't know either of them well but he knew them enough to know that he had missed out on valuable pack members, and their pack would be the stronger for having them in its founders.

Luke returned her affection promptly, causing an unusual flutter in her heart that later, after careful thoughtful scrutiny, she would decide was just a residual affect of the way they'd left each other last time.  She gave him an uncharacteristically goofy grin when he asked if it was time - her tongue rolling out of the side of her mouth as she panted happily.  Before she could respond, her attention was taken again by the Silvertip alpha, to whom she turned after shaking off her giddyness so that she could regard him with her usual calm, collected air.

"I did, yes, thank you for your help with that," she said after giving him a mildly apologetic smile.  She hadn't realized that he was also after Luke to join his pack, but she didn't blame him at all for it.  Who wouldn't want the handsome, blue-featured male as one of their own?  "You two," she said then, "You know each other as well?"

His hopeful question went unanswered as Luke's gaze was drawn back to the laughing mountain leader. He chuckled himself at the comment. It seemed he had tried to recruit the druid as well, but unfortunately for him, the blue-nosed wolf could not bear to live on a mountain and Harlyn was on a mission, one he hoped was almost complete.

"Of course!" Luke chirped with a wagging tail. "I ran into him a while ago. If I recall correctly, I was being harassed by some birds near his home." He laughed. His solemn mood from earlier had completely dissipated in the moment, distracted first by the arrival of FitzDutiful and then overjoyed to see his dear companion. "I think Fitz wanted to keep me," he winked.

"I wanted to keep you both!" FitzDutiful exclaimed, eagerly as he looked over the both and fondly remembered his encounters with them. It was a sad day in some ways for he now knew the chance of gaining either of these wolves had dimmed greatly. His only possibility was their pack creation fail - something he wished upon no one having come so close to that at one point himself. He recalled the hard work it had taken and the strength it had required.

"I'm afraid I must take my leave, however," he said, nodding his head towards the visible mountain range. "My children will be waiting on my return." He paused for a moment, visibly deciding on something. "If you ever need any help, or anyone to talk to, look me up. I know the trials and hardship of starting a new pack. Though I hope your initial creation goes as smoothly as can be, it's not all bunnies and roses."

With a last glance at them, and a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, he turned towards the Tormented Tarns and paused for one last word before setting off. "Your pack will be strong with the two of you at it's core."

Harassed by some birds?  That did sound about right for Luke, Harlyn thought with a grin.  She gave him a fond smile before turning her attention back to FitzDutiful, who soon enough admitted that he had actually wanted to keep both of them.  Another little tingle ran up along her spine when he referred to them together, like a pair - two separate pieces that were meant to be considered one.  It made her happy to know that others recognized them as family, for that was what they were in Harlyn's heart.

The alpha excused himself shortly after, and Harlyn gave him a smile as he stood and left their company, but not before sharing a few parting words that brought warmth to her heart.  She spent a moment watching him leave before turning again to Luke, brushing her nose lightly against his cheek.  "I still don't know if I have Mordecai with me," Harlyn said finally at length, "But I was so lost and upset... And I prayed to the gods to show me the way, and they sent to me your scent upon the wind."

Slowly, she turned to set the embers of her gaze upon her friend's face.  "I know now," Harlyn continued, "I'm meant to find a home for you, and for me."

Just as quick as the pale wolf arrived he was excusing himself to tend to his children, but not before offering his help to them both and stating that he believed the pack would be strong with him and Harlyn at its core. "Thanks, Fitz," Luke replied, moving to nudge the mountain alpha's shoulder companionably. He was warmed by the compliment, but he also felt a twinge of unease in his belly, reminded that he needed to talk to the druid about his feelings. On one paw, he was disappointed Fitz had to leave so soon, but on the other, he appreciated the chance he had now to confront his concerns.

For a moment, the remaining pair were quiet as they watched their friend leave. Her nose brushed his cheek then, and he turned to face her. The smile on his lips weakened as she began to speak, but it returned in full with the conviction in her voice as she said she was meant to find them a home. His blue tongue gently caressed the bridge of her muzzle in one slow, affectionate stroke.

"I was going to come see you," he began, swallowing thickly. "I've been... troubled," he sighed, shifting his mouth with unease. "I can't bear to be alone much longer. I told myself I would settle elsewhere if you hadn't called for me by the end of fall... But I cannot go that long." He stopped here, meeting his companion's gaze; his eyes showed deep fondness, but also betrayed his inner struggle. "I don't want to leave you."

Harlyn listened quietly as her friend responded to her words.  A pain shot through her heart as he spoke of settling elsewhere without her and the sorrow it made her feel shone immediately in her eyes.  The thought of not having Luke with her was almost unbearable.  It was much like how she felt about moving forward without Mordecai, only somehow she could find peace with that simply in her faith that they would always find their way back to each other.  If she lost Luke... Harlyn wasn't so sure that she would ever get him back.

"Well, I'm not going to let you leave me," Harlyn responded confidently, a smile flickering across her lips.  If she were being blatantly honest with herself, she was doing this for him.  Sure, there were others whose loyalty she knew she could count on, but Luke was the one she truly cared for most of all.  She couldn't leave him suffering without a home when she was able to prevent it.  Mordecai might not be ready to come with them, but he still had a pack and a safe place to rest each night.  Luke didn't have these things without her.

"Come, I think it's about time we started to explore this world of ours, see if we can't find a bit of it to claim just for us," Harlyn encouraged him, pulling herself up onto all fours with a wag of her tail.

He wished he could be divided in two, so that he could simultaneously live with both his companion and his lover. It crossed his mind how wonderful it would be if all of them could make their home together, but he believed that was as unlikely a scenario as the former. He had to choose, as much as it pained him to do so, and as difficult a task of it was.

She beckoned him to follow her, and he followed, just as he had promised to do. He pressed himself close to her, their pelts brushing, for he needed the contact, the comfort of her presence. He had more to say but the words were lost in his struggle. Not only did he wish to tell her he had found a lover in Lasher, but he wished to ask her how she planned to make her exit from the plateau. It worried him, for he worried for the feelings of the dark beta, who would be losing one, possibly two of his packmates. Furthermore, would he resent Luke for not having told him who he had agreed to follow?

He shook his head and drew a deep breath. For now, he focused on the moment as Harlyn sought to find her claim. "If you find the place you're looking for, are you ready to take it?" He looked to her, his expression soft. He had waited so long that he could not deny the threads of doubt that had been woven in his heart.

Harlyn was happy as they set off - happier than she'd felt in a while.  Actually, it was the happiest she'd been since she had reunited with Mordecai.  Since then, her life had been an endless stream of "what-if's" and "when's" and "how's".  But more than that, it had been plagued with wondering if it would even happen at all.  Would he want to leave with her?  Would he want this future with her?  Did he love her at all?

Those were thoughts she still pondered, but at least she no longer had to wonder when.  Luke's question came at the right moment, and she regarded him with a confident smile.  "Yes," Harlyn replied, her tail and ears lifting slightly as she said it, "I am ready.  I am not so certain yet of Mordecai, but the gods have shown me that I must move forward without him."  Truth be told, it pained her to know that this what was she had to do.  If she'd left it up to her heart, she very well may have settled at the Plateau forever simply to be with him, waiting for him if she had to.  The Cinderloch didn't leave her life fully up to her own short-sighted, mortal whims, though.  When the spirits said move, she moved.

"I will speak with him when I get back, though," Harlyn added after a beat to reassure her friend, "There's still hope that he will be ready to join us.  But if not... Well, if even then, I don't think it would mean hope for that is gone."  She had faith that the gods would bring Mordecai to their new home as well, in their own time.  Not all destinies were so perfectly intertwined that each step was taken together.  What was a straight line for one could easily be a long and winding one for another, though it didn't meant the end point was not the same.

With her answer came his decision, as impulsive as his initial promise to follow her. She was ready, it was happening, and he could not turn his back on her now. He was at once excited for his home and regretful that he could not be at Lasher's side, at least not at this time. It did not mean however, that they could not pursue their affections for one another, and with that thought he lifted his head, smiling brightly as he leaned in to nose Harlyn's cheek as they continued on.

"I think he'll come around," Luke said confidently, his tail swaying in his characteristic, happy cadence. On the topic of Lasher he held his tongue for now, and the details of all the emotional duress he had struggled with while waiting for this moment would likely go without ever being discussed. It did not matter now. He looked ahead, both figuratively and metaphorically.

Luke's words on the subject were brief, but reassuring.  He seemed to be a creature who, though had a positive outlook on just about everything, didn't seem to be one to sugar-coat when it came to things one did not wish to hear.  For that, Harlyn was appreciative.  She did not like to be lied to, nor to be lead on.  She was honest to the core, though she did at times hold back opinions or thoughts that did not need to be shared for the sake of others' emotions.  Her heart told her that Luke was much like her in this, and simply out of an overwhelming sense of companionship did she shift her pawsteps so that she could press herself close to him then, nudging him with a contented growl as her nose shifted against the fur at his throat.

The pair did not speak too much on the rest of their journey, except for the periodic idle comment about their surroundings or a random, brief discussion on which way to turn next.  For Harlyn's part, she let intuition be her guide - choosing the path that simply felt right, or trusting in the slight twist of a leaf or push of the breeze in one direction or another as a sign from the spirits that this was the way to go next.  When eventually they passed through the length of a broad meadow, Harlyn paused for the wind had shifted quite suddenly South, and her heart began to pound in a way that she could not explain except for her firm belief that they were nearly where they were meant to be.  Her eyes clasped swiftly onto Luke's - a silent inquiry as to whether or not he felt it too - before she smiled gently and turned her steps to the South where soon enough they would be standing on the precipice of their new home.

His companion was guided by a life and spirit that did not accompany the blue-nosed wolf. The shift in the winds had been taken for what it was by him: air currents changing direction and nothing more. It was not a sign, it just was nature at work, and so he had felt nothing until the druid stopped. He stopped with her, and she was quick to meet his eyes. He felt something then, or rather, sensed that she had been taken by some feeling, and so gazed at her curiously.

"What is it?" She had already begun to move with the wind, and he padded after her. In the distance loomed a forest, and the pair closed in on it.

There was a very fine line between what the druid believed to be the whispers of the gods and simple science.  In fact, there was really no line at all - just the casual argument of the heart versus the mind.  Harlyn's heart told her that the spirits guided her and her brain was such a one that had been shaped since her birth to trust fully in what her heart had to say.  It was all it took to make her gods real, and also all it took to make her look on wolves such as Luke who believed more in science with understanding, and a secret knowing that what they saw was not actually all it seemed.

"I just have this feeling..." Harlyn responded, excitement apparent upon her tone, "We're close."  Close to what, she didn't feel the need to specify.  Without a word, she picked up her pace into a swift canter that took them both across the final few miles of the field until they were standing at the door to the hollow.  The trees shot up quite suddenly in a line around them as the field narrowed like a sloping set of stairs down towards the wood.  Harlyn slowed to a near stop and paced slowly forward, gazing reverently up at the stalks that stood like sentinels at the gate.  Her ears twisted forward to harken the sound of trickling waters, the gentle slip of the wind between tree trunks, and the sweet sound of the woods - all gently chirps and cracks and rushes and quiet, singing a quiet minuet that drew her forward into the alluring shade.

We're close, she said and he tingled with excitement, from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail, down to the tips of toes. How she knew did not matter to him, he went with the flow of things, in this case her uncanny perception. Others may be skeptical, may look at her wondering what strange herbs she had gotten into, but not the blue-nosed wolf. He was willing to believe that she sensed something he could not.

His paws moved quicker in time with her until they stood atop a hollow. Statuesque trees drew both of their gazes upwards, and simultaneously their attention was piqued by the comforting cadence of water flow, and the sound of life among the forest. Luke's tail began to bat the air, swatting his companion's rump as he stood astride her in reverence of this place. The pair slipped into the woods, then.

"I think you were right..."

Harlyn heard her companion reply, but it was but a dull whisper in the back of her mind as they strode forward into the cover of the tall trees.  The air smelled sweet and cool as a gentle breeze wandered past their faces.  The druid sucked in a deep breath and exhaled, a tiny smile slipping across her lips.  The woods were so beautiful, so ancient.  Just walking between their thick stalks, she could feel such history.  So much had happened in this place...  And now they had the opportunity to make their own mark upon it.

The pair wandered for a while before they finally located the first source of water - quite a feat since the creeks and waterways covered the Hollow like a massive cobweb.  Harlyn paused eventually and gave her companion an excited grin before darting off towards the sound that echoed in her ears, excited with Luke in her wake.  When they eventually slowed, it was so that they didn't dive right into the series of streams that stretched across the path before them.

Harlyn's fiery gaze slipped across the row of water at their paws as it split into pieces on its way down a series of foot-high shelves before twisting and winding away on their separate paths.  Knowing this was Luke's main requirement for his home, the druid turned her gaze to his handsome face to see what she could of his reaction to this discovery - hoping that he was even more thrilled with it than she was.

The forest was mesmerizing, and he felt an immediate sense of belonging as he took in the sights and scents. When they approached the first stream, he was captured then. The water was crystalline, and he did not need to look far to see the flash of trout as they slipped out from behind their rocks to grab a passing insect. Harlyn grinned at him, knowing that a fish-filled source of water was top among his needs in a home, and he mirrored her expression before they darted off.

They came to the falls next, and once more Luke beheld the sight in front of him with the wonder of a child. His tail fanned the air and he barked, front paws lifting from the ground with his excitement. "This is it!" He exclaimed, spinning to face his companion. "This is the place! Quick, go pee on something!" He busted into laughter then, his jaw agape in such a big grin, tongue lolling before he swiped it across his friend's muzzle.

Luke reacted just as she had expected.  There was a light of excitement in his eyes.  He didn't say it, though Harlyn could read an expression upon his face that said clearly at last!  The sentiment reflected on her own face up until the moment he shouted at her to go pee on things, at which point she fell to laughter.

"As eager as I am to get to ..marking our claim,," Harlyn commented, unable to bring herself to use the word pee, "I'm going to need to head back to the Plateau to talk to Mordecai.  I would like to explore the place a little longer though so that I can paint a better picture for him."  She breathed in deeply the scent of the air, making note of all the plant life she could taste upon it before she glanced quickly back towards him.  "I will be back, Luke.  This is my home now," Shet set her gaze steadily upon him, praying he would hear the truth in her words.  She would not leave him wondering in conflict again.

He, of course, understood that the pair of them could not set about claiming this place. He trusted, also, that it would be here for them when they were ready, and nodded as she explained she would like to explore further and then talk to Mordecai. "I will wait for you," he affirmed, holding a deep affection in his gaze and in the words he spoke. "Come on," he said, his tone picking up as he frolicked ahead. The two of them further investigated their future claim, before the blue-nosed wolf bid his companion farewell and set out to look for recruits.