Wolf RPG

Wildfire awoke, cold, stiff and alone, on the outskirts of her pack's territory. For a few seconds, her mind blanked and she couldn't figure out what she was doing here. Then everything came back in an unpleasant rush, punctuated by an all-over ache. Lips pinched together, the she-wolf slowly sat up, then pushed herself to her feet, blinking as if it would clear the nightmares out of her head. She looked down at herself and noted dimly that she looked more or less as if nothing had happened. The bite marks on her neck pulled uncomfortably, so she knew they must have started to scab over.

Now she could probably tell everyone she had simply slipped, fallen and scraped herself up. She was such a klutz, nobody would bat an eyelash... as long as she could pretend, of course, that nothing else was wrong. That was what kept her standing warily at the borders, seemingly unable to move. The attack had taken something out of her, for sure, and Wildfire had a feeling the true psychological toll would only manifest in time.

Fake it 'til you make it, she found herself chanting, pulling the phrase from somewhere deep down in her memory, forcing her little red paws across the invisibly boundary. There was part of her that wanted to see Floki, revel in his warmth and comfort (even if he wouldn't realize how much she needed the latter) but Wildfire simply couldn't bring herself to call for him. Instead, she marched somewhat aimlessly through the woods, her body hurting and her focus shot.

Floki wasn't particularly worried when Wildfire did not return home the night before. She was known for her traveling ways, especially now that she had earned her title as an ambassador. Since they were both outriders, they had an understanding about each other's duties, so Floki slept soundly in their den and rose with the sun.

He had no plans to venture outside of Moonspear anytime soon, but he ranged towards the borders with a different intent. He wanted to keep their scent lines fresh and well-marked, since there seemed to have been an influx of wolves into the area lately. He thought briefly of Eshe and frowned; he had really taken a liking to the she-wolf, the Alpha female of Neverwinter Forest, but he wasn't sure what to think now that he knew she was related to the Frostfur family -- Tevinter's other family.

The Beta was distracted, so he didn't spot Wildfire at first as he padded through the trees. But a flash of red in his peripheral vision drew his attention, and he turned his head to look. "Wildfire?" he called out, his voice bouncing off the trunks as he paused in his step.

For a while, she just meandered, fragments of thought drifting through her mind. Then an idea began to take shape and solidify. It was silly, she knew, but if she sought out someone she didn't know as well—Dash, maybe, or the enigmatic Jace—then maybe she could perfect her act before trying to test it out on someone who knew her better, like Floki or Charon. Although she told herself that there was nothing, no evidence, to give away the nature of the attack—nothing to even indicate it was an attack—Wildfire still worried that she would slip up somehow and her ugly secret would be bared for all the world to see. The mere thought made shame curl, simultaneously hot and cold, twisting in the pit of her stomach.

She felt like she might retch. Then someone called her name and Wildfire's limbs locked up instantly. So much for her plan. She stared, wild-eyed, at the trees before slowly turning around to face Floki. Fake it 'til you make it! she reminded herself, ignoring the sensation in her middle as she looked him briefly in the face before dropping her eyes. It felt like someone had scooped out her guts. Act natural, her inner voice hissed and somehow, Wildfire managed to coax her amber gaze back to his face. It took quite a bit of will to keep it there.

"Hey." The word exited her mouth like a breathy whisper. Wildfire tried to force an airy laugh to pass it off but couldn't smile, much less laugh. "I'm—it's good to see you." Don't just stand there. She took a step toward him, grimacing when it came across as very mechanical. Thinking quickly, she blurted softly, "I fell while I was out exploring and I, ummm... I think my body's one giant bruise right now." She frowned again. That came easily, at least. "'S making me walk funny," she mumbled lamely.

Floki turned his paws towards Wildfire and approached, his face creased into a smile and his tail swinging freely behind him. At first, he didn't detect that anything was wrong, but as he drew nearer he became aware of her stiff stance and the way she struggled to meet his gaze. Immediately, his brow furrowed into a frown and he stepped close to her, ears pressing forward and snout gently probing the injuries on her neck as she haltingly explained what had happened.

"Oh my gosh. Are you sure you're okay?" he said worriedly. "How did you hurt your neck? Did you run into something when you fell?" Although she seemed off, she was doing a good enough job to fool a clueless teenage boy; since he was unaware of her internal damage, both mental and physical, his expression softened and he nudged her cheek gently.

In a soft, teasing voice, he said, "We're going to have to make you a suit of armor to protect you if you're going to get hurt while you're out exploring."

When Floki came closer and pressed his nose against her, the usually tactile Wildfire stiffened. She caught herself immediately and tried to loosen up but it was almost as hard as holding his gaze. Somehow, though, she managed to relax and even bump him gently with her own snout. Then he mentioned her neck and she froze all over again, scrambling mentally at the overly direct question.

"I fell," she repeated dumbly. "And slid. Yeah," she added to his suggestion that she might have run into something when she fell. Wildfire did not bother trying to elaborate. When he made a joke about a suit of armor—she was all for it, especially if it included a chastity belt—she tried to twitch her lips into a smile but she just couldn't.

It dawned on her suddenly how difficult it was going to be, keeping this secret from Floki and acting like nothing had happened. It was less than five minutes in and she was already failing at controlling her own behavior and reactions. When she looked forward, to a future full of trying to keep this thing hidden at all costs, she felt like she might collapse from exhaustion. There was the obvious choice—she could tell him what had happened—but it really wasn't something she could face.

The simpler (if not easier) option was to push him away, deflect him so he couldn't get too close and sniff out her corruption, her infidelity. That thought burned like acid in her throat. "I'm not feeling well," she said dully, eyes shifting sideways as she lost her ability to hold his gaze. She took a few steps, brushing past him, even though a small part yearned to reach back and cling to him. "I think I'm gonna go get some rest."

Her reactions to his words and touch were less enthusiastic than usual, though Floki attributed it to exhaustion and soreness. Traveling could really take the wind out of one's sails at the end of the day -- as exhilarating as it could be -- but to have taken a serious fall on top of that? He could imagine that all she wanted to do was rest.

And that's exactly what she requested in the next moment. Wildfire shifted away from him, but Floki followed, taking only a few long strides that brought him shoulder-to-shoulder with her once more. "I bet you're wiped out," he agreed sympathetically. "I'll come hang out with you while you sleep," he offered in the next breath. He wasn't tired, having just woken up a short while ago, but he wouldn't mind lying around as she napped.

She stood there, motionless, waiting for the anticipated declaration of accompaniment and bracing herself to discourage it. But she found herself at a loss for words, especially when his warm shoulder brushed against hers. It was at once unsettling and comforting, which made no sense. Wildfire felt like she might tear in half or shatter, broken pieces scattering at her husband's feet.

"That sounds boring," she found herself mumbling. Slightly more loudly, she added, "You don't need to do that. Don't you have stuff to do?" She sounded sort of like a cold, cranky bitch, which was wildly out of character for her but possibly within the realm of someone who was exhausted and in pain. Right? "How about later?"

The unspoken implication was that she would retire to their spot, then he could come find her in a few hours or whenever he was done with his duties; by then, she would be awake. But Wildfire didn't have any intention of going to their little hideaway. She needed to go somewhere else, somewhere private, to be alone and think. If she was really going to do this, she couldn't just avoid him forever. She would have to come up with an explanation for why she was pushing him away, anything other than the real deal.

Wildfire glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, feeling a bitter lump rising in her throat and tears stinging the backs of her eyes. She loved Floki so much, just like she'd told Goober. But now that it had risen up in her mind like some sort of festering boil, she couldn't shake this idea that she had basically annulled their relationship by letting this happen to her. Whether or not she she had been a willing participant, another dude had been inside her. Between that and the fact that she didn't want him to know, it was practically a done deal: they were over, before they'd ever really gotten a chance to begin.

Floki drew up short, surprised by Wildfire's protest. There was a sharpness to her words that didn't seem to belong; since when did she insist that he tend to his duties rather than spend time with her? In fact, she often tried to persuade him to do the opposite. Her reaction seemed so out of character that he couldn't help but feel mildly put off, and spent the next few seconds racking his brain and trying to figure out if he had done something wrong.

When he couldn't think of a single instance where he had acted out of line, he shook his head and decided to try again. "I can go patrol any old time. I'm sure Charon and Ame don't need me right this second," he said with a smile and a playful wave of his tail. He skipped ahead a few steps, then turned back to face her. "Come on," he urged gently.

There was part of Wildfire—one that had nothing at all to do with recent events—that felt stung by her mate's insistence that a patrol could wait. Not that she had really let on to it most of the time, but Wildfire sometimes felt sad and left behind when Floki insisted on going off to do his duties rather than spend time with her. She had come to accept that this was part of courting a leader, and now being wifed to one. So why, at this particularly critical moment, could a patrol suddenly wait until any old time?

She felt something quite unusual for her: a flicker of anger. Why couldn't he—first Goober, then Floki—just leave her the hell alone? Wildfire felt like there was a wire somewhere inside her gut that grew so tight and tense that it suddenly snapped. And so did she. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Wildfire was dimly aware that she was being more than suspicious—her behavior was probably downright bewildering—but she couldn't care about that right now.

"No," she said what she should have said to Goober, more than just that one piddly, "Don't." "I just—I want to be left alone right now, okay? Don't follow me." With these cold, broken words hovering inexplicably between them, Wildfire turned and began to run on jellylike legs, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. She could have gone out—out into the world, maybe never to come back, now that things with Floki were ruined—but instead, she went up, up, up.

He gazed at her readily, fully expecting her to relent with a smirk and a reluctant sigh. Surely she wouldn't be able to resist him, no matter what kind of mood she was in. But his smile veritably slid off his face and his tail stilled at the harsh tone of her voice. Despite his insistence, she demanded to be left alone.

And without waiting for his reaction, she suddenly bolted, leaving an entirely confused Floki in her wake. He stared in the direction that she had gone, feeling very much like his heart had sank to his feet. He had no idea what he had done to upset her, and he strongly considered going after her. It was obvious that he had already pushed her to her limit, however, and his paws remained rooted to the ground like lead weights.

Minutes ticked past before Floki finally departed, and when he did, he went in the opposite direction of Wildfire. She had fled up the slope, so he turned to the borders. He wasn't exactly sure how to feel -- he was angry and sad and most of all, he felt abandoned. Her stinging words and abrupt egress reminded him too much of his last interaction with Tevinter, and while this didn't have the same finality, it still caused his stomach to clench.