Wolf RPG

She hadn't caught up with @Floki in a few days; she had been too busy moping and, unbeknownst to her, he had been caught up confronting ghosts from his past. Wildfire found she really missed him and she decided she wouldn't rest until she tracked him down and caught up with him. The young she-wolf spent the better part of an hour traipsing around the mountain, searching for a fresh scent trail, before coming to a stop on a rock shelf just above the treetops swathed around Moonspear's base like a scarf.

Deciding it would save precious time and energy, she squeezed her eyes shut and tipped her charcoal-dipped snout toward the cold gray sky. "Floki, are you out there?" she called. Once Wildfire's voice faded, she held her breath and froze, listening for a response.

Floki's head was still spinning. He couldn't believe that Jorunn was alive, and that he had showed up on the borders. He wrinkled his nose, reminding himself that Jorunn wasn't Jorunn -- he was Tevinter now. He had been through a lot, but hadn't they all? Floki himself had lost his father, his twin, and his other siblings; his mother was forlorn and distant. He had watched the bear rip Atreyu's leg off, and had moved to Moonspear with Charon. But he was still Floki -- so why had Jorunn felt the need to change?

He was pacing near the lower edge of the mountain, wearing the rock thin beneath his paws as he retraced his steps. He only paused when he heard a howl. The sound jarred him out of his thoughts and it took him a moment to place the identity of the caller. His spirits lifted when he realized that it was Wildfire. In all the commotion, he had neglected to check in on her and see how she was settling into her new home, and he suddenly felt a surge of guilt.

Rather than try to track her down, the Xi threw his head back and gave an answering howl. "I'm down here!" he cried, then glanced around, waiting to see his fiery friend appear.

An answering howl lifted into the air from somewhere in the forest below. A grin broke out on Wildfire's face as she leaped downward, nearly stumbling tail over teakettle down the slope. Fortunately, she managed to keep her footing (barely) and made it to even ground, her paws thumping as she finally captured Floki's scent and followed it into the trees. They were less leafy these days, their splendorous foliage having faded and fallen to the ground to crunch underfoot.

"Hey!" she greeted him breathlessly, digging her heels into the ground and sliding into home so that her nose bumped a little roughly into the side of his neck. "Sorry," she said with a smile before pulling back and planting a lick on his cheek. "Sorry," she repeated, albeit for a different reason, "I didn't mean to disappear like that. Everything sort of caught up to me," Wildfire said honestly, "so I took a few days to be by myself. I'm feeling better now. How're things?" she questioned, unable to keep from touching him with her nose every few seconds as her black tail stirred the cool air.

It didn't take long for Wildfire to find him. She came hurtling into view, living up to her reputation as being clumsy as she skidded to a halt and bumped into him. He found her klutziness endearing, and he grinned broadly even as he steadied himself and she apologized. It was the first true smile that had touched his lips since his run in with Tevinter.

His ears pricked with curiosity as she mentioned that she had been spending some time alone. He hadn't even realized what a big transition it had been for her to leave her birth pack and her family behind in order to move to Moonspear. He felt bad that he hadn't been there to comfort her, even though it sounded like she hadn't wanted any company. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling better. You look great," he said truthfully. She had an air of confidence and happiness that hadn't been there upon her acceptance into the pack.

He then shook his head, settling himself onto his haunches as he prepared to tell her about Tevinter. "Things have been crazy. My twin brother showed up -- Charon and I thought he was dead," Floki said, wondering if Wildfire would remember that Jorunn had been swept out to sea. "But he's...different now. Some other pack took him in, and now he's changed his name. He's going by Tevinter. It's just...weird," he said with a frown.

When Floki said she looked great, Wildfire's heart grew wings and fluttered away—or so it felt. She beamed at him. In hindsight, she should have let herself cry it out sooner, rather than exhaust herself trying to outrun it. It was like she had purged. The sadness wasn't entirely gone—she suspected it would never go away completely—but she felt refreshed and happy. She looked forward to her future here at Moonspear.

When her companion dropped to his haunches, Wildfire did the same. Instead of sitting across from him, she scooted into the spot beside him and leaned lightly into his silvery shoulder. He was already bigger than her, even though he was a few months younger. In fact, he looked like he had grown several inches since she'd last seen him. She was about to playfully point this out when Floki's comment scattered her thoughts completely, sobering her.

Her beau's twin had evidently shown up after being thought dead, only to declare himself a different wolf altogether. Wildfire immediately thought of Raven. They weren't twins but if Raven had gone missing, only to turn up months later claiming to be someone else... it would be incredibly strange. Wildfire experienced a genuine sense of secondhand bewilderment. She also felt strange, knowing that Floki's lookalike was lurking around here somewhere. Would she be able to tell the difference?

"You're Floki, not Tevinter... right?" she quipped, then realized it might be in poor taste to make light of this. "Sorry," she said quickly and quietly. "That is really weird. I'm happy he's alive but I'm sorry he's so different than you expected."

At first, Floki was confused by Wildfire's question. He quickly realized, though, that she was making a joke about his appearance being identical to Tevinter's. His lips twitched into a smile, though it faded quickly. Once upon a time, he and Jorunn might have acted just as similarly as they looked -- but that wasn't the case now. He didn't even recognize the wolf that Jorunn had become.

"No, it's me," he assured her, nudging the side of her neck with his snout. He chuckled into the soft chestnut fur there, then withdrew. "It's just a lot to swallow, I guess. I mean, I had pretty much accepted that he was gone; Charon said that we could believe that wolves who had died were looking down on us from the stars, and I thought Jorunn was there with my dad. So it was surprising to find out he's still alive, but he's not even the same wolf...so it's kind of like Jorunn is still gone," he said, speaking more than he usually did as he tried to work out the twisted knot of thoughts in his head.

She listened, this time without comment, as Floki described his feelings on the matter. Some of his words triggered a faint memory. For a few beats, she couldn't place it. But when his voiced trailed off into silence, her brow furrowed and she concentrated on it, slowly drawing it out into the light. It had something to do with her middle name... she was named for her Uncle Atticus, who she had never met... because he had disappeared...

Ah. "That reminds me of something that happened to my dad's brother. He fell and hit his head. He was apparently something called catatonic, which means he was alive but it was like whatever made him Atticus was gone. So he was alive, technically speaking, but he wasn't really my dad's brother anymore." And it sounded like Floki was going through something similar with Jorunn Tevinter, though Wildfire couldn't decide whose circumstances were tougher. Atticus had evidently regained consciousness only to vanish, which she didn't mention just now.

She rubbed her nose against his collarbone, then murmured, "I'm here if you need to talk to anyone, you know, sort out your feelings." There wasn't much else Wildfire could do beyond that and she wanted to be there for her friend (who was slightly more than a friend).

Floki was comforted by Wildfire's mere presence, although he appreciated her story, as well. She spoke briefly of her father's brother and a head injury that had made him forget who he was. That would have been difficult to deal with, but he still felt the sting of Jorunn's choice to change. Sure, he had been separated from his family long ago, but couldn't he have done something to preserve their memory in his mind? Becoming Tevinter seemed to Floki like a way to hide from the past, although he couldn't really be sure -- he wasn't in his brother's shoes.

"Thanks," he murmured, grateful both for her support and for the tale she had shared. He huffed softly through his nostrils, falling silent for a few seconds as Tevinter's face swam in his mind's eye. He then pushed it away, looking to Wildfire and smiling as her pretty features took precedence. "Enough about that. I don't want to think about it right now. How are you settling in?" he asked, referring to her previous statement that she had spent some time alone to adjust. And then, to keep her from thinking of her parents and growing sad, he added, "What's your favorite part of Moonspear?"

He seemed appreciative, yet in the same breath Floki let her know he didn't want to linger on the subject any longer. Wildfire knew how that went, so she flashed him a smile and nodded quickly. She stilled when he asked how she was settling in, her lips parting to answer when he tacked a second question onto the first. Her warm eyes sparkled.

A bit of a Cheshire grin wound slowly over her muzzle as she leaned forward, motioning for him to lend her an ear. Wildfire then whispered, "You," into it before planting a quick kiss on his prominent cheekbone. A bit of a girlish giggle slipped from her but it sounded ridiculous and she made every effort to muffle it, which led to her clearing her throat really conspicuously, which in turn caused her to begin laughing genuinely at herself.

"I'm just as clumsy at flirting as I am at walking," she bemoaned out loud, eyes dropping a bit bashfully to her paws even though the situation was as funny as it was awkward. It was actually quite difficult to feel truly awkward around Floki; being with him was starting to feel very comfortable and second-nature to the young Wildfire.

He did as she indicated, leaning towards her and turning one oversized ear to face her. He was met with a flirty whisper and a kiss, and suddenly his cheeks grew taut as he grinned broadly. "Aw, shucks," he replied playfully, nosing Wildfire's jawline even as she withdrew and slipped into a fit of laughter.

Her giggling only made his smile grow as thoughts of Jorunn-turned-Tevinter slipped away. The feeling of stress eased off of his shoulders and he felt infinitely lighter. Something about Wildfire seemed to calm his nerves; it felt as though he had known her for ages, when in reality it had only been a short time.

She commented on her clumsiness, and he shook his head gently. "That's why I like you," he insisted, simultaneously getting to his paws. "Want to go for a walk?" he asked, then laughed and added, "I promise, I'll catch you if you trip over your own feet."

Floki's silly reaction, as well as his words ("That's why I like you") caused Wildfire's heart to flutter. When he invited her to walk, then quickly offered to catch her should she fall, she laughed and shook her head at him. Wildfire struck out a foreleg, shoving it playfully against his shoulder. She then followed up this love tap with a mischievous nip.

"Maybe you should just carry me," she quipped, "especially since you look like you grew a foot and gained twenty pounds since I last saw you just a few days ago." Wildfire chortled. Despite her words, she began to pad along, happy to take a walk with him. She'd be happy to spend the whole day with him, as a matter of fact.

"So you like me, huh?" she teased him, her black tail wagging slowly behind her hips. At this point, it was really neither a secret nor a surprise that they fancied each other, or at least it seemed that way to Wildfire. They had never really discussed it outright, mostly because it didn't occur to her to hash out their status. They were both young and Wildfire simply enjoyed Floki's company without any pressure to label what they had.

She poked at him, teasing about his growth spurt, but then fell into step alongside him. He bumped his shoulder against hers, sticking his tongue out. "That's the whole reason I'm getting bigger -- so I can carry you around," he laughed. Even if he didn't gain another pound, she was so petite that he already had a considerable size advantage over her. However, he knew that she had hidden strength -- had it not been for her injured paw at the time, she would have easily bested him in their sparring match.

They settled into a comfortable pace, meandering through the trees. Leaves crunched underfoot, providing background music to their companionable silence. Wildfire soon asked a question, and although there was a playful lilt to her voice, Floki still blushed at the implications of the query. "Yeah, I guess so," he replied jokingly; but then to contradict his grudging tone, he moved in to steal a quick kiss on the side of her muzzle.

She grinned at his sarcasm, then tried to slip him a nip before he retreated from his kiss. "Good," she said simply, her warm eyes flashing mischievously. "I like you too," Wildfire declared breezily. "I mean, you're a big part of the reason I came here... did you know that? And that decision wasn't easy," she admitted, lips momentarily pursing as she reflected back on the past few days. They had been wrought with grief but she had gotten through it. "But even if it weren't for you, I think I'm where I belong," she finished slowly.

The young she-wolf looked thoughtful a moment, then caught herself and flashed Floki another smile. "So, I was thinking I'd spend a few weeks really getting to know the territory and everybody here, then maybe you and I could go do some traveling together...?" Her black tail waved. "Provided the weather hasn't turned nasty," she added, glancing at the sparse treetops overhead. Winter was closing in on them and she knew it might curtail their explorations somewhat, though it was her first cold season and she didn't fully know what to expect.

Floki had suspected as much, but hearing Wildfire admit that he had been an influence on her decision to join Moonspear made him feel light as a feather. He didn't reply and simply smiled as they strolled along shoulder-to-shoulder, his silver fur mingling with hers of red.

She then made a suggestion that piqued his interest greatly. He hadn't had much opportunity to use his outrider trade since officially earning it; he had worked hard to help claim Moonspear and so Charon had rewarded him with the title. But since then, he had stayed close to home, dedicating his time and energy to marking the borders and making sure that their home was secure.

"I would love that," he replied eagerly, already anticipating the fun that they would have scouting together. "Where do you want to go?" he asked. She had done much more traveling than he had, so she was familiar with a larger portion of the Teekon Wilds. The idea of outriding alone didn't worry Floki, but it was comforting to know that he would have an experienced friend by his side.

He seemed to like—no, love—the idea and eagerly asked where she wanted to go. Wildfire hadn't thought that far ahead, so she pursed her lips and lapsed into thoughtful silence as they continued their leisurely stroll. She didn't want to go south or east just yet; she wanted to keep her distance from the caldera a while as she adjusted to life here. She hadn't seen much of the world north and west of here. And then a thought struck her.

"I've heard about the ocean," Wildfire said, thinking briefly of Papa Pan, "but I've never been there myself. Maybe you could show me the bay...?" she suggested. She hoped Floki would like the idea of revisiting his former stomping grounds, though there was always the possibility he wouldn't want to go back. The young she-wolf's amber eyes lingered on his face, gauging his expression and reaction.

"Absolutely," Floki agreed almost immediately; the thought of revisiting Stavanger Bay was appealing to him anyway, but he especially liked the idea of taking Wildfire there. He loved Moonspear and felt more at home there than he ever had near the ocean, strangely enough, but that didn't mean that he didn't have an appreciation for it. Besides, he hadn't been back there since the move -- this would be the perfect opportunity to do so.

"I think you'll really like it. The sand feels funny between your toes at first, but you'll get used to it. And you'll feel so small next to the waves," he said, remembering his youngest days spent romping along the beach. Even though Stavanger Bay would always be linked with painful memories -- the loss of Ragnar, Jorunn, and his other family members -- he still had an appreciation for the great body of water and the unique landscape there.

He felt an excited twist in the pit of his belly and he paused in his forward motion, impulsively reaching out to nudge Wildfire just behind her cheekbone, where her fur was softest. "I know I was kidding around earlier, but I really do like you a lot," he said earnestly.

A happy sense of anticipation filled her as Floki excitedly seized upon her idea. She already looked forward to their upcoming vacation. She loved the sense of freedom and independence that came with wandering but she looked forward to having a travel buddy for the first time. It thrilled her that it would be Floki of all wolves and she was glad they shared similar interests.

When he suddenly declared his affinity for her again, Wildfire felt a happy heat in her cheeks. Suddenly she felt coy. "Oh, yeah?" she countered. "Well, I was kidding around too. I actually find you repulsive," she said in the instant before she grinned and planted a sloppy kiss right on the tip of his snout.

Floki grinned as Wildfire responded, though she took a playful route and declared that she thought he was repulsive. Playing along, he pouted, although it was hard to keep from smiling. He could hear the affectionate tone in her voice that contradicted her words. Her messy kiss also spoke otherwise, and he leaned into it, his tail fanning the air behind him.

"If that's how you act when you find me repulsive, I think I can deal with that," he teased as he withdrew. His separation only lasted a heartbeat, however, before he stepped forward and licked her cheek, feeling an inexplicable pull. He had always liked Wildfire, but never before had he felt quite so smitten with her.

His tongue pressed against her cheek in turn and Wildfire smiled into the kiss. In that moment, she could picture herself pairing up with Floki, courting him and eventually becoming his mate. Perhaps they would have children one day, a mix of red and gray pups. The vision warmed her heart, though she quickly snapped back to the present. She wasn't the hasty type, nor prone to making impulsive decisions, and she saw no reason to rush into anything. Wildfire just wanted to keep going with the flow; it was turning out quite well so far!

"Okay, boo," she announced, the nickname rolling off her tongue randomly but somehow fittingly, "I'm bored of walking." She stopped in her tracks. "Let's do something else," Wildfire said in the next breath, making it clear she didn't intend to separate anytime soon. A metaphorical light bulb lit up above her head. "Let's check out those caves Charon mentioned, show him I'm not a wimp. Did you know he told me I was 'fucking rubbish' at fighting...?" she said, keeping her tone light and giving no indication of how much his brother's words had affected her.

She called him "boo" and the dopiest grin spread across his muzzle. It was nothing more than a nickname, but there was something about the affection in her voice when she said it that made Floki warm from the inside. Wildfire then came to an abrupt halt and declared that it was time to switch gears, instead suggesting that they venture into one of Moonspear's many caves. Floki would have been happy to stroll alongside Wildfire forever, but he was equally as pleased to do her bidding.

He was surprised, however, that she wanted to confront her fear of tunnels. "Are you sure?" he asked, prepared to turn and head in the direction of the mountain's slopes once she gave him confirmation. But he briefly became hung up on the second half of her statement, his expression growing cloudy. "Charon said that?" he asked, frowning. Charon was not always the most tactful wolf, but Floki still couldn't imagine him criticizing Wildfire in such a way; he seemed to be a big fan of "Dhole," as he referred to her.

She nodded, changing directions to follow Floki toward the slopes. She bobbed her head again when he questioned what Charon had said to her. "Yeah, he reffed a spar between a loner and me and, well... she kicked my butt. It wasn't my best day as a Warrior," she said as they headed in the general direction of a cavern. "But she was fast. Anyhow, he said it jokingly..." She shrugged a spry red shoulder. She wanted to avoid making it into a big deal.

"I may not be the biggest, baddest fighter in the world," she continued a moment later, "but I'm also not a wimp. I wanna make sure Charon knows that, so after we do this, make sure you mention it to him," Wildfire quipped with a silly, crooked grin. She saw that they were getting close and she suddenly felt apprehensive, causing her to move closer to Floki so that their shoulders and hips bumped together with every step.

Floki's brow furrowed as Wildfire explained the circumstances behind Charon's criticism; even though she assured him that his brother had been kidding, it still rubbed him the wrong way. Deep inside, he knew that Charon meant well but that he could come off as abrasive. But having grown up with him -- and considering the fact that Charon had been one of the only consistent presences in his life -- he wasn't about to speak out against his brother, especially since Wildfire did not seem to be truly bothered by what had been said.

"I'll definitely tell him how brave you are," he said as they drew closer to the cave's entrance. He hadn't done any exploring of Moonspear's innards, so this would be his first experience underground. With no prior knowledge, Floki had nothing to be afraid of, though Wildfire's mild anxiety caused his heart rate to accelerate just a bit. He paused just outside the gaping hole in the mountain, glancing at her with a small smile. "You ready?" he asked, shuffling closer as if to assure her that he would be next to her every step of the way.

With the cave mouth looming in front of her, Wildfire actually forgot all about Charon. Her mouth went dry and when Floki asked if she was okay, she stared at him for a beat before nodding slowly. Her lips were thin and pressed together as she faced forward again. The mere sight of that yawning, black fissure made her heart rate jump to twice its normal speed. Despite all the time that had passed, she could still vividly remember those terrifying days trapped underground. She even experienced a brief phantom headache.

She couldn't clutch Floki like she wanted, though she practically mashed herself against him as they proceeded. As they came within a few feet of the doorway, she stopped and blurted, "Let's, uh..." Wildfire swallowed. "Let's only go in a few feet. Baby steps, right?" She looked at him a little sheepishly. "Don't tell your brother I'm actually a chicken," she whispered between dry lips.

Wildfire all but glued herself to Floki, and though he knew it was out of fear, he had to admit that he liked the sensation of having her slim body pressed against his flank. "Baby steps," he agreed, inching into the cavern. They passed under the lip of the cave and soon enough they were both engulfed by shadows, although there was still plenty of sunlight streaming in behind them.

"You okay?" he asked after a breathless few seconds, glancing down at the top of Wildfire's head. He paused, willing to take a few steps back if she was too frightened; he still considered it an accomplishment that she had crossed the threshold at all.

Together they passed over the threshold. Wildfire's mouth went from dry as a bone to pooling with saliva as she suddenly found herself fighting nausea. She wasn't having vivid flashbacks or anything, yet she could remember all too well the feelings of that night of the storm. It wasn't some contrived or irrational fear, either. She could have died down there. She had become lost so immediately; it wasn't difficult to do in absolute darkness.

"Yes," she squeaked in reply to Floki's question, though even as she said it, she suddenly swung around to face outward. A loud and shaky breath gusted from her. The fur along her spine prickled as if she sensed some sort of evil behind her in the darkness but being able to see the light of day just outside was incredibly calming. She drew in a few shallower breaths and felt her heartbeat slowing.

"This... isn't that bad," she said, gesturing for him to come stand or sit beside her again. "I just... I got lost for days once. I couldn't see or hear properly. It was terrifying, Floki. It was like being dead or something." She shuddered slightly, then eased forward so that she was lying on the ground with her anterior half outside the cave and her hind legs still within. Wildfire might not have gone far today, yet she had faced her fears like Charon wanted.