Wolf RPG

She was back again. Her paw felt all right and she missed traveling freely. There was another reason she left the caldera behind today too: Wildfire needed to get away from her parents. She loved them and she looked forward to little brothers and sisters. She knew what they were doing was only natural. But there was a limit to the number of times she could bear watching her dad go to town on her mom. She would leave them to it while she stretched her legs.

When she drew up beneath the shadow of Moonspear, she gazed up at the peak for a little while before summoning up the courage to howl. "@Floki, you there...? It's me, Wildfire." She pursed her lips and fell back onto her slim red haunches. Although the day was cool, it was clear and sunny. The sunlight bathed her face and she closed her eyes, humming to herself to keep her nerves steady while she waited.

The youth had busied himself with learning the nooks and crannies of his new home. So far, he liked what he had seen -- the thickly wooded forest at Moonspear's base reminded him of the familiar woods of Stavanger Bay, and the rocky heights both exhilarated and terrified him. He had already fallen once or twice while trying to get used to the uneven terrain, but luckily had only suffered a few bumps and bruises.

His favorite aspect so far was the view. If he climbed high enough and looked to the north, he could see the waves rolling in the distance. And the land to the south, west, and east all represented places that he hadn't yet traveled -- but planned to.

The outrider-in-training was weaving among the trees when he heard Wildfire's voice. He was excited and surprised that she was visiting, but wasted no time in tracking her down. He emerged from the underbrush and loped towards her, a broad grin stretched across his muzzle. "Wildfire! Hey! Your paw is better?" was his first comment as he came to a halt in front of her.

Somewhere during her wait, her humming ceased as she thought back on their brief encounter near Redhawk Caldera. She had wanted to kiss him before he'd left but she hadn't had the courage. Abruptly, she decided she should greet him today with a kiss. An entire legion of butterflies exploded in her stomach at the thought, yet Wildfire decided she would go for it.

Of course, when Floki himself appeared, she almost lost her nerve. His boyish grin disarmed her and she stared at him a moment, a bit breathless. He's so handsome... she thought, oblivious to the fact that her parents' pheromones might be affecting her (gross). Wildfire caught herself and returned his smile even as she stood, her black tail wagging.

"Hey, Floki!" It was now or never. She shot forward, stumbling only slightly, and planted a quick kiss beneath his left eye. Wildfire then retreated, heart racing and limbs quivering, taking a seat again. "It's doing much better now. Uh, how are you?" She felt a bit dizzy and like she couldn't breathe... only in a pleasant sort of way.

She gave him an enthusiastic greeting, complete with a kiss on his left cheek. The sudden movement and touch of her lips surprised him, and he took a step back, blinking. Did girls always greet their friends that way? Wildfire was his only acquaintance outside of Moonspear, so his first thought was to chalk it up to some Redhawk Caldera tradition -- though he had to admit he liked the tingly sensation it left.

"Um, good!" he replied, happy to hear that her ankle had healed. That was fairly obvious by the fact that she was standing in front of him, though -- she couldn't have traveled this far if she was still in pain. As for how he was doing, his tail gave an excited wag and he gestured over his shoulder at Moonspear behind him. "I'm doing great! This place is so cool. We're all getting settled in and I've been helping Charon mark the borders," he said. All of the wolves were working on establishing their claim, but Floki was often Charon's (large and lanky) shadow.

She was too busy recovering to notice his step back (which might have crushed her spirit a little bit). While Wildfire caught her breath, Floki reported on the latest news here at Moonspear. She was glad he seemed to be enjoying his new digs. He didn't seem to be homesick or anything, probably because he was keeping so busy helping Charon and presumably everyone else get settled into their new home.

"I'm so glad it's working out," she said. "You know, Charon wants me to join you guys. I told him I'd consider it." She paused thoughtfully. "I want to make sure that if I ever leave the caldera, I don't do it on a whim or anything... you know? But I like the sound of this place. I get along with Charon and, well... you're here." And although Wildfire didn't say it, it was written all over her face: I like you.

Floki was mostly oblivious to the degree of Wildfire's affection. He liked her and very much enjoyed her presence, but he was perhaps a little too immature to realize just what it meant. All that he knew was that she was fun, spunky, and made him laugh -- but he couldn't quite put a paw on the particularly giddy feeling that he experienced when she was around.

She mentioned that Charon had suggested she join Moonspear, and the youth's brows raised, though the wagging of his tail only accelerated. That was a great idea, even though this was the first he had heard of it. "You should!" he replied eagerly, disregarding the fact that she had just said she didn't want to leave Redhawk Caldera without giving it some serious consideration. "It's awesome here, and I'm working on becoming an outrider -- so we could do that together!" he said, moving forward slightly to make up for the single step backward he had taken just moments before.

"You should!" he said and Wildfire felt a warm tingling sensation all over her body. She was ready to call for Charon right then and there and get this show on the road. Once again, she had to wind herself down mentally. Although the thought of going home and leaving Floki here caused a queer ache in her chest, she mustn't jump into such a massive commitment without thinking it through and, moreover, discussing it with her parents extensively.

Thinking of them made an image pop into her head: Peregrine and Fox wound together, working on creating a new litter. She felt an altogether different pang in her breast. Could she sacrifice time with her younger siblings to come here? If she did switch packs, she wouldn't be allowed anywhere near them until they were older. The thought was almost unbearable... but when her amber eyes flicked to Floki's face and they caught one another's gazes, the idea of being apart from him and not being able to take him up on his suggestion bothered her deeply.

"I'd like that," she said quietly, her cheeks warming when he took a step closer. She swore she could feel an energy between them. Her gaze had dropped to her petite paws but it flickered upward again and she smiled at him, then stretched her neck slightly to sniff noses. Without even really thinking about it, her tongue flicked out to delicately kiss the tip of his.

There was a pause before Wildfire answered, but when she did there was something different about her tone and expression. Floki, of course, wasn't sure what had changed -- until she suddenly stretched her nose out towards his. He blinked, letting his eyes cross slightly as he watched her face come closer to his, and then there was something akin to an electric shock as their snouts barely brushed. That wasn't all, though; in the next instant, her tongue darted out and made contact with the tip of his nose.

This kiss was not the same as the first one. There was something else there, behind the mask of friendliness. Floki regarded Wildfire quietly for a moment, unsure of how to react. Without really knowing what he was doing, instinct guided him to return the gesture with a gentle lick of his own, delivered to her smudged muzzle with a tentative, questioning tilt of his head.

He seemed uncertain and Wildfire nearly drew away. But even as an embarrassed heat crept up her neck, he returned the lick, his tongue pressing to her muzzle in gentle reciprocation. The young girl's stomach flip-flopped and her heart fluttered giddily in her chest. When Floki tilted his head, she couldn't help but smile at the adorably charming expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," she said, though she kept smiling (a bit foolishly), "I just... you're really cute, Floki, and I like you." As soon as the words left her mouth, her heart began slamming against her rib cage. She had put it out there in no uncertain terms, both in words and actions. Now what would Floki say and do?

She apologized and he frowned, momentarily confused by the sentiment. But his level of bemusement only increased with her next statement. She thought he was cute -- and she liked him. This was a lot for poor Floki to process at once; hell, he didn't even have any friends his own age, much less any experience with girls. He knew next to nothing about romance at the tender age of six months old, but his stomach twisted into happy knots all the same.

He took a deep breath, thinking of Charon. How would his brother handle this situation? Charon was so cool and confident -- he needed to emulate that, he realized. Allowing a slow smile to pull at the corners of his lips, he replied, "I like you too. You're really pretty." Although he was putting on something of an act in order to seem more savvy, there was truth to his words; he did find Wildfire attractive, now that he thought about it.

It felt like an eternity while she waited for a reaction from Floki but when it came, she forgot all about her nervous anticipation. A heady giddiness flooded her system when he told her he liked her and that he found her pretty. Wildfire couldn't help but smile, her lips arcing so widely that it hurt her cheeks a little bit. Her black tail wagged and she giggled lightly, her eyes dropping bashfully but only for a second before they slowly climbed back to his boyishly handsome face.

It occurred to her that she didn't know what to say or do next. Did this mean they would become mates, like her parents and godparents? Wildfire was pretty sure they were a bit young for that. Neither one of them was even an adult yet. Perhaps there was a junior stage to these things? She wasn't really sure. As she mentally scrambled, she felt a mild pulse of panic.

And then Wildfire had a bright idea. Even as it stuck her, she felt her insides smolder in a strange but not unpleasant way. She felt nervous but she reminded herself, He likes me! He thinks I'm pretty! That knowledge gave her the confidence to bump her nose against his snout again, then sweep her tongue over his lip. She then skimmed her nose over his cheek bone and gave his neck a nip. She had seen her parents behave this way many a time and she did her best to emulate them.

There was silence after Floki agreed with Wildfire, though it wasn't necessarily awkward. She smiled shyly at him, and he grinned right back. He wasn't quite sure what was supposed to happen next, and it seemed that she didn't know, either. Wildfire at least had a full set of parents to base her experience off of -- Floki's father had died when he was young, leaving only Thistle Cloud to raise her children alone. Therefore, he had seen very little affection given from one adult to another.

He blinked, suddenly starting to feel nervous. His mind raced as he tried to think of what to do or say, but Wildfire ended up making the next move. She reached out once more, kissing him again, though there was something more sensual about her touch. She ran her nose along his cheek, tracing a line down his neck. A shiver raced down Floki's spine and he all but lost the feeling in his legs. What was going on?

Nothing in his response was sultry, but he leaned towards her, craning his neck to nip roughly at her shoulder. His tail wrung anxiously behind him, although there was the oddest sensation growing in the pit of his stomach -- it wasn't uncomfortable, but wasn't exactly pleasant, either.

He began to lick and nibble her in turn, sending little thrills of pleasure shooting through her. Thus encouraged, Wildfire continued to Floki's shoulder blade, pressing her teeth gently against the peak of his bone, then planting the tip of her snout in the ticklish little crook behind it. Laughing lightly against his fur, she then skimmed her nose from rib to rib and finished by doing something she had seen her parents do to one another countless times: she gave Floki a hearty nip to the rump.

She felt heady as she suddenly spun so that they stood parallel, shoulder to shoulder. Wildfire took half a step sideways to press against him, practically purring at the sensation as their warmth mingled. She then glided forward, their fur rubbing together like silk. Wildfire stopped when her hindquarters were about even with his face, then took another half a step over so that her goodies were right in the young male's face.

There was an innocence to her movements, since Wildfire had no idea what she was doing. Picturing her parents in her minds' eye, she stretched forward into a bow, leaving her rear end right beneath Floki's nose. She then peered over her shoulder, amber eyes a little owlish but lips twitched into a smile. This was the part where he was supposed to rear up on his legs and pull her close, hugging her from behind.

She continued with her ministrations, succeeding in making him laugh and squirm when she dug her nose into the space behind his shoulder joint. He bent away from her briefly, though as he caught his breath from giggling, he refocused his attention on her. She was moving further along his body, from his ribcage to his flank -- where she planted her teeth with more force than before.

"Ow," he responded, though there was a playful tone to his voice as he shifted his weight slightly. It was during that instant that Wildfire pivoted, suddenly pressing her side against his as she returned. Floki's ears splayed but he leaned back into the embrace until she stepped forward. She moved to stand in front of him, and he looked at her quizzically even as she leaned over.

By now, his heart was racing and his mouth was dry. He had never seen adult wolves coupling and couldn't even imagine what it entailed, but his autopilot switched on at that moment. Instinct took over and before he really even knew what he was doing, he reared up and awkwardly wrapped his forelegs around Wildfire in the world's most ungainly hug.

And that was it.

He just stood there grasping her, looking around like a child waiting to be caught doing something wrong. After a few long seconds, he whispered, "What do we do?"

When Floki reared up and circled his forelegs around her waist, Wildfire's heart felt like it might fly out of her chest, at least at first. Then she noticed that his weight sort of hurt her hips and back. And his elbow was digging into her side uncomfortably. She shifted, trying to adjust. She didn't want to say anything to him, lest she ruin the moment.

"What do we do?" he whispered to her, catching her off guard because she was busy trying to get more comfortable. She froze for a moment. A little giggle slipped from her. Then she said, "You sort of bounce on top of me. But I don't..." She craned her neck, looking over her shoulder at him. The sight of Floki attached to her backside was somehow overwhelming. She couldn't catch his eye from this angle anyway, so she faced forward again, sort of looking like a deer in headlights.

She said nothing for a moment, then admitted, "I don't really know why. I think it's supposed to feel nice. Do you feel nice...?" Widfire wondered, quietly thinking to herself, Because it's kind of uncomfortable for me... What was the appeal, she wondered, trying to think of what she and Floki might be doing wrong. Because her parents always seemed to enjoy themselves thoroughly when they did this.

Her quiet giggle eased his nerves, if only a little bit. The last thing he wanted to do was anything that would make her not like him anymore -- and whatever this was, it seemed like it had been heading in that direction. Floki shifted his weight between his hind legs as Wildfire explained that he was supposed to bounce on top of her. Well, that sounded like fun for him, but wouldn't it squash her eventually?

He pursed his lips. "I think it's supposed to feel nice," Wildfire said, then asked if it was working for him. "I mean, not really, but let me try..." he said under his breath. He thrust his hips against her a few times, but all that resulted in was her bony hindquarters pressing against his pelvis. It certainly didn't feel nice.

"Where did you learn this?" he asked, feeling his hind legs start to quiver from the effort of holding himself up.

When he moved against her, she felt his pelvis bumping against her bony butt. It didn't hurt but it didn't feel good either. Her brow furrowed. Then Floki asked where she had learned it. Before she answered him, she slid forward slightly, letting him know she wanted him to let her go. When he presumably released her, she felt instant relief and swung around to face him, lips pursing apologetically.

"My parents do it all the time. It's called 'making love.' It's also how puppies are made, though only when you're mated adults and stuff. I'd have to be in heat." Wildfire knew a bit about about the birds and the bees but it was apparent there were some big gaps in her knowledge that would have to be filled in with time and experience. "Maybe we should save it for then," she suggested jokingly.

"Sorry," she added after a beat, rolling her shoulders. "Maybe we should just stick to this?" Shoving aside her misgivings about how that whole thing had gone down, she moved forward to plant a chaste kiss on the tip of Floki's snout. Yes, that definitely felt nice, much nicer than the supposed lovemaking.

Wildfire moved forward just enough to indicate that she wanted Floki to release her, so he did. He was kind of relieved to get his front paws back on the ground, and he smiled sheepishly as she turned to face him. He tilted his head as she explained that she had seen her parents assume that position before, and that it was called "making love." He wrinkled his nose slightly; he was still fairly immature, but in the coming months, he would probably become much more interested in exploring romantic relationships -- especially if he maintained his friendship with Wildfire.

She suggested that they save their next attempt for when they were older, and he nodded his agreement. "Yeah, maybe," he said, thinking the whole thing had been awkward but that he had also enjoyed being so close to Wildfire. Luckily, she closed the gap between them in the next moment and kissed him, which caused the corners of his lips to pull back into a smile.

"I like that," he replied bashfully, then reached out to nuzzle just behind her cheek.

They seemed to be in agreement about it. Smiling demurely, Wildfire seated herself beside him, their shoulders touching, and leaned gently into Floki. She hoped he would sit and just keep talking with her awhile. Surely he had a lot to do, though, so Wildfire wouldn't hog him for long, even though it would be very difficult to walk away from him after this...

"So, do you want me to move here?" she asked. Charon clearly wanted her and he had even mentioned that Floki would be happy about it too. It was quite possibly a foregone conclusion at this point, though Wildfire wanted to hear the words from Floki himself. Maybe, just maybe, they would be the catalyst for an actual decision.

"Sure!" Floki replied in a chipper tone as he settled himself onto his haunches next to Wildfire. He tipped his head to the side so that he could look at her properly. "How cool would that be? We could go outriding together, and hang out with Charon, and..." He paused, then gingerly licked her cheek. "We could do more of that," he added, speaking more quietly.

He then glanced away, his gaze wandering up Moonspear's nearest slope. "I think you'd like everybody here. Well, my mom and Atreyu, at least. And Amekaze. I haven't really met anyone else yet," he said. He hadn't been officially introduced to any of Amekaze's followers, though he was sure he would meet them sooner rather than later. After all, they would all be calling the mountain home before long.

Everything he mentioned, they could theoretically do as neighbors too. However, it would be so much more fun if they could come home together, rather than go their separate ways at the end of a road trip. The idea made her insides feel warm and fuzzy, a sensation which grew when Floki gave her another kiss. Would she ever get tired of giving and receiving them? She didn't think so.

"Your mom is Thistle, right?" Wildfire asked. "I'd like to meet her sometime. Tell me about her, and Atreyu and Ame. If I'm gonna move here, I wanna know a little bit about the wolves who would be my family, you know?" That statement caused her stomach to twist with both nervousness and excitement. Was she prepared to swap her current family for a new one? Only time would tell, she supposed, but her friend's response might help things along.

She asked a question that surprised him, mentioning Floki's mother by name. He quickly realized, however, that Charon must have mentioned Thistle Cloud to her -- the other option was that Wildfire could read minds, and he was fairly certain that wasn't the case. He nodded his head, shifting his weight slightly as he prepared to oblige her request.

"Yeah, Thistle is my mom. She and my dad, Ragnar, founded Stavanger Bay. I think they lived somewhere else before, but I can't remember what it was called," Floki said, frowning thoughtfully. When he couldn't conjure the name of his parents' previous pack, he shrugged and continued. "Anyway, my dad died not long after I was born. Mom got kind of...distant, and she's been that way ever since. She just kind of keeps to herself." He spoke of his mother in a nonchalant voice; he did not fault her for her sorrow, but simply accepted her as she was.

"I don't know Ame very well, but she seems...mysterious. And Atreyu is pretty awesome. He actually got into a fight with a bear, trying to rescue me and my brother when we were little, and lost a leg," he said, his voice filled with awe as he spoke of Atreyu. Although the three-legged wolf had been a little hesitant to move to Moonspear, Floki still held him in high regard. After all, he had pretty much saved his life.

Although his short life had been struck with tragedy, Floki didn't seem particularly perturbed about any of it. It sounded like he had been too young to really know his father well. It was sad about his mother, though. She frowned thoughtfully. She wondered if the woman could use some company. Maybe she could spend some time with her, if she came here. But would Thistle even like her?

She was getting ahead of herself. Wildfire pushed these thoughts away and listened as he described Ame next, then Atreyu. Her amber eyes widened at the news about his leg. Could a wolf survive after getting its leg torn off by a bear? It made her think of Finley, the caldera's legendary bear fighter. She swallowed.

"I'm glad he saved you, else I never would have met you," Wildfire murmured. "You and Charon have both led really fascinating lives. Mine seems almost boring in comparison," she observed with a light laugh before musing aloud, "Maybe I need some more adventure in my life." She had traveled quite a bit, of course, but never had she permanently uprooted.

But she still wasn't ready to pull the trigger, so Wildfire shifted the topic back to her current goings-on. "My parents are still alive and they're still together. They're actually trying to have another litter right now." She stuck out her tongue. That's how she'd learned about lovemaking, of course, as her parents had no shame whatsoever.

Floki didn't feel sorry for himself; he simply accepted the things that had happened in his life and had moved on. He hadn't known any other way. But Wildfire's comments gave him a new perspective. Sure, his history could be considered tragic -- but it was also fascinating, just as she said. And, no matter how he looked at it, each occurrence had helped to shape him and had brought him to this very moment. He suddenly felt very content with how things had played out.

"Boring isn't bad," he replied with a smile and a flick of his left ear. He laughed as Wildfire pulled a face at the mention of her parents and their impending litter. "So you'll have some little brothers and sisters soon," he said, not explicitly asking a question but still hinting that he wanted to know more -- how did she feel about that? He wouldn't have the opportunity to help raise younger siblings, unless Thistle Cloud took a new mate -- and that thought seemed much too far-fetched to consider, at least at this point.

"Yep!" she replied with enthusiasm. They were perhaps one of the biggest reasons she was hesitating so much about moving. "I'm pretty excited. I have a little cousin but I'm not too much older than him. With these guys, I'll actually get to help raise them." If I'm around, she thought, frowning a little on the inside.

Talking about her family made her want to head back, even though she'd come here to get away from them. Wildfire laughed at herself. But there was a very real possibility she would be coming to live in Moonspear in the near future, so she wanted to spend as much time with her loved ones as possible, even if that meant putting up with her parents' frisky business all up in her face.

Unaware that she would get sidetracked by her own wanderlust and even end up meeting Ame, Wildfire leaned forward to plant a kiss on the corner of Floki's mouth. She gave him an up-close-and-personal grin, then slowly retreated. "Bye, Floki," she called, backing away before reluctantly turning. "Come visit me! Or I'll be back," she threatened playfully, winking coyly over her should before she faced forward and began to head away.