Wolf RPG

A single large, dark paw sunk into the coarse sand. Sumac spread his toes eagerly, welcoming back the feeling of the coast's terrain beneath his paw. He paused, lifting his nose high to the breeze, eagerly drinking in the distinct smell of briny salt air like a man dying of thirst. Truly, the sea ran in his blood, his father's passionate love for his birth biome still very much alive in the veins of his son.

Though the sunlight reflected merrily in his liquid golden eyes, 'Mac couldn't help but be aware of the furious pounding of his heart. His reason for being here was something that had thoroughly consumed his mind, both in waking and when dreaming, finally spurring him to action. 

In his maw, he firmly (but gently) held a rather impressive specimen: a large, beautifully ridged cockle shell dashed with attractive oranges, pinks, and grays. It had taken him some time to find the perfect trinket, but his heart sang when he laid eyes upon it. Surely, it would do.

Sumac's gaze diligently swept the beach, searching, even though he knew what he sought would likely not materialize before him - not immediately. His heart thrummed onward, and with a steadying breath, he ventured further out on the beach proper, his tail waving like a flag behind him.

'Mac found himself grinning as he gazed out over the water, remembering the distinct melodies of singing whales. His attention found a cluster of nearby rocks, which also triggered fond memories, and without much thought he found himself jauntily ambling over to them.

With a leap, he found his way on top of their salt-sprayed surfaces. Oh, he felt alive. Gently, he placed his prize at his feet. With one last searching look over the waves, he inhaled deeply, lifted his ebony maw to the sun and summoned a great baritone note from deep within his chest, hoping his voice might carry to the ears of @Raindrop and alert her of his presence.

 

Raindrop ranged farther and farther from the plateau that had become her home. Each time she decided to explore, she would chose somewhere new, and this time she had traveled east, further up the coast. She passed a giant forest of trees, yet staying along the beach where she could move freely, galloping and splashing around in the surf.

She’d passed to catch her breath when a familiar baritone voice rose into the air, only belonging to one being, one wolf: Sumac! She howled back with passion, telling him that she was on her way. Sparked by the feeling he brought, she resumed her gallop along the sand, until he came into view, standing proudly on the sea rocks. 

“Sumac!” She called out, running up to the rocks, tail furiously wagging as she gazed up at his gilded eyes, “I missed you!” 

Sumac could not contain the joyous expression that blossomed on his face as the familiar figure came into view. A bubbling laugh erupted from his throat, and he gently slid off of the rocks to close the distance between them. The sand eagerly gave way, seeming to catapult him forward as he met her, extending his maw to affectionately touch her nose with his own.

"I missed you too! I wanted to see you again, and I-Oh!"

CRAP.  He realized he left his gift back on the rocks!

With a sheepish grin, he turned to her and stated quickly, "So sorry, be right back!"

Darting back to his perch on lanky legs, he scrambled back up the rocks and only allowed himself to exhale once he laid eyes on his sunset-hued prize. Thankfully, the tide was out and not of sufficient height to wash away his thoughtfully chosen present. Gingerly picking it up with his teeth, he carried the cockle shell back to where Raindrop was standing, his steps jaunty and light.

Once more, he outstretched his maw, presenting the ribbed shell, his tail waving eagerly behind him.

"I 'rought oo 'iss." he said clumsily through a mouthful of teeth and shell. Maybe I should put it down first! He placed the shell on the sand between them, "I saw the colors and thought you might like it." Would she? Would she like it?

“Me too!” There noses touched, what a wonderful feeling, and just being in each others presence was like nothing in this world. He had wanted to see her again, but in a moment he realized something; “Oh.”  He turned to dash back towards the rock, but wasn’t gone long. He strode back with something in his maw, small, yet painted with color: A cockle shell! Her face lit up with childlike joy, “It’s perfect! I love it! Thank you ‘Mac.”

Now, she wished that she’d brought him something, “I’m sorry I don’t have a gift in return.” “On another note, how are you?”

The male's golden-tipped tail wagged furiously behind him. Ah, so he had chosen wisely! He felt his chest relax, allowing his breath to return to a more natural rhythm - at least, for the time being. "I'm so glad you like it, Raindrop. When I saw it, I knew it belonged with you."

His lips were curled into a smile that crossed his entire maw, and the genuine joy in his sunshine golden eyes reflected the elation he felt at their reunion. "Oh, that's fine," he replied, bobbing his head once, "I had no expectation of anything in return. Just seeing you is enough."

And those words rang true. She'd been on his mind more often than not since his departure. Truthfully, said mind was frequently a cyclone of thoughts lately, spinning between complex feelings not just for Raindrop, but for Minnow as well. But the season was changing - nothing could stop the incessant march of time, and 'Mac knew this year his time had come. With that moment came the need for a decision, one that weighed heavily on him. In the end, he'd wondered what Easy would tell him, and his spirit immediately knew her answer: "Follow your heart, Sumac." His heart had led him to cockle shells and rocky bay shores.

"I'm doing well enough; just scouting around here and there. What about you?"

He tilted his head to the side, listening intently, though internally his mind fidgeted. She was surely part of the Moon-pack that lived around these parts... That was a layer of complexity. And he'd be very surprised if she wasn't the object of interest of someone within their ranks. After all, Raindrop was beautiful not only in body but in heart and spirit, and surely had attracted her share of suitors... right? What did this lanky, sheltered mountain boy have to offer?

Sumac mentally shook himself. Not the time for self-critical thoughts!

The thought, no, the feeling of two so very meant for each other was something Raindrop had never felt before, and she never imagined herself being attached to someone so strongly. She felt a pull to him, like their hearts were magnets, there was hardly a time he wasn’t on her mind, and now, when she saw the ocean, it had a new meaning in her life. Sumac was that meaning, he must be. Raindrop was surely glowing all over, like the sun and moonlight on the water, her heartbeat like the sea in a storm, her tail swaying to some imaginary rhythm. 

She breathed out, and was flattered: “I have to say the same for you. I’ve been hoping to see you again.”  He then went on to mention he’d been scouting around here and there, which couldn’t have been coincidence. “I was just exploring myself, getting familiar with the coast. I love this land so.” Then a thought came to mind, “I’ve also been trying to find a good place to set up a den, up upon the plateau. It’s hard though.” Maybe, just maybe, he could help her.

Sumac nodded, inhaling the freshness of the briny sea air. He knew what she meant - he'd come to love the coast as well, all the more so because of their adventure together.

"This place is... beautiful, magical," he finally stated, agreeing.

Her next question brought him sharply back to the present, fully awake and heart pounding. A den? There were so many implications, so many possibilities, in that precious tidbit of information. Maybe she did already have a suitor. The thought soured his stomach suddenly as he felt his heart plummet. But she didn't seem to carry the scent of another on her, which surely, she would if it was so... Right? Oh, he didn't know. He was new to these things! Then again, maybe she was just being prepared, which seemed something that a responsible, forward-thinking female like Raindrop would do. If she was building a den, did she intend for this spring to be her time as well? 'Mac's heart was once again a thundering herd of wild horses, begging to escape the confines of his chest.

He swallowed.

"A d-den?" Oh great, the stammer. C'mon, 'Mac, we practiced this! He swallowed again, "That sounds amazing, but yeah, I can see if being hard. I can help you, if you want! Th-that is, unless someone else is h-helping you, or you don't want help."

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"S-so... you're part of the pack around here, yeah? Do you have any friends there, or folks you're close to?"

It must have been the mention of building a den that set it off, and all of a sudden she felt bad. He only stuttered when he was nervous, or like when they first met, because aside from that, his baritone voice was clear and true. “No, I don’t have anyone close to me in the pack, I’m still new to them.” She assured him, “That why I’ll gladly take your help. I’ve never done it before and, well, it would be nice to have a place to hunker down in the cold, versus simply on the ground or under a tree.” She gave a light hearted chuckle, trying to bring the happy mood back. 

“Come, we can stick along the borders, so as not to give the alpha a jump scare and cause any conflict. I wouldn’t want him to send you off.” 

She motioned to him to follow her, as they would travel to the edge of the Plateau, where the land was unclaimed. 

Sumac fell into an easy pace alongside Raindrop. His tail resumed its typical brushing of his hocks, though there was a hitch here and there that betrayed the hammering of his heart. He’d rehearsed this conversation in his head a thousand times, practiced it aloud to himself when no one was around, but still, it did nothing to assuage his fears now that he was committed and in the thick of it. No turning around now, ‘Mac, not that it was ever an option.

“Ah, I see,” he replied gently, swallowing his stutter the best he could, “That makes perfect sense to me.” At this, his spirits lifted - so, she was building a den out of practicality. He should have known, and could have laughed aloud at himself for assuming, for being so foreboding.

His pace became lighter, and he nodded at her prudence at skirting the plateau.

“Any family or friends nearby?” He continued as casually as possible, trying to get a read of any possible relations she may have. It would be important information, one way or another. “Er, sorry if I’m prying. Just… trying to get to know you better, is all.”

Their paces were easily kept, and they stuck close as they skirted the plateau’s borders. She’d barely noticed the little hitch in his stride that came from time to time, as she’d kept her eyes forward, but looking back to speak. “It’s quite alright. I have friends, but not family, although one feels like family. He lives in Village Moonglow, in Great Bear Wilderness. His name is Valiant, Valiant Morningside.” She continued, “The second one is Heph, a fellow pack member, and there’s a third, but he lives far from here up in the mountains.”

They continued to skirt the edges, ending up on the east side of the plateau’s borders, which was edging up to a forest. She’d stop for a minute to look around and take a breather, returning ‘Mac’s question: “What about you? Anyone special, good friends?” She remembered that his family had joined the stars, and didn’t press on the matter, but he should have someone at least.

‘Mac nearly stopped dead in his tracks at the name that came from Raindrop’s lips.

“Valiant? Valiant Morningside?” He asked, an almost dumbfounded look crossing his face, “I’m friends with his sister, Minnow. She’s an amazing person! And their aunt, Ishara, or Easy as I call her, is my best friend… Well, she’s more of my adoptive mother at this point. Easy’s son, Dutch, is a good friend of mine as well.”

It amazed Sumac how small of a world it truly was. 

He squirreled away the name “Heph” into his memory. 

As fate would have it, they were just passing the edge of a massive coniferous forest - the Sentinels, though ‘Mac did not know their name - as the topic of his family came up. This forest wouldn’t have warranted much more than a passing glance, except for one distinct detail: it showed distinctive signs of having burned.

The male stopped dead in his tracks and stared long and hard at the tree line, his eyes taking in the charred black trunks in amongst the gangly, hardy survivors and sparse new growth. His jaw was slack, liquid golden eyes wide.

“Sorry… Can we just… pause for a minute?” He asked Raindrop over his shoulder before slowly approaching the edge of the forest. His steps were slow, silent, cautious, as if he was creeping up on some unknown slumbering giant. When he finally reached the closest of the skeletal remains of a sequoia, he stopped and simply stared. 

They’re burning… burning…

He shook his head vigorously.

“My family, Raindrop… They’re like this tree. They burned. All of them,” he stopped and turned to face her, his face blank in an unnatural way, “I-I couldn’t save them. The flames… They were everywhere. All of them-“ he stopped and turned back to the forest’s edge. “I couldn’t save them.”

‘Mac could feel the flashback starting, beginning to consume him in an inferno of panic and despair, until his golden eyes fell upon a living tree. His head tilted.

“I am like this one… I survived…” he said slowly, as if something was registering in his mind. His gaze then fell upon the emerging saplings, sprouting vigorously from the wreckage of their fallen kin. So young, so vital. Renewal.

“And these saplings…” he stated. Suddenly, he turned around to fully face her, his posture transformed. He stood with an unexpected confidence as a passing breeze rippled through his ebony fur. Determination shone in his eyes.

“Raindrop, I know what my heart wants. I want to see my family thrive again, like these new trees. I want to start my own, and… a-and I want you to be part of that story. Will you… Will you join me?”

Raindrop’s jaw dropped when he stated that he knew the Morningsides. What a surprise, man, was the world really this small? She brought her jaw back up, fixing her gaping expression, “That’s amazing! We should have a whole get together sometime!” 

Just then, as they neared a large burnt forest, she couldn’t hear ‘Mac’s steps anymore. She looked to him as he asked her if they could pause. “Of course.” She was a little confused, and she watched him closely, he just stood there, staring into the burnt trees, like he was locked in on the sight before him. She just stood, and at some point, he shook his head, as if waking up from a bad dream, or… trying shake away unwanted thoughts.

All of a sudden, his voice came back, and he opened up about what had happened to his family…. They’d burned?! She thought, her eyes wide with shock. His gaze was upon her briefly, a face with no emotion, blank. He said he couldn’t save them as he looked back to the burnt tree, the skeletal figure of what was surely once a blossoming sequoia. Tears began to fill her eyes, it was almost unimaginable, what he had gone through, what his family had. 

They then turned their attention to a living tree, a survivor, just as he was. And finally, to a sprouting sapling, the future of a forest, *“Hope is springing up from this old ground”.

And what he’d asked, what he’d tell her, she hadn't expected: “I want to start my own, and… a-and I want you to be part of that story. Will you… Will you join me?”

This was it, her tears were now a mix of joy and and sorrow, and she couldn’t stop them. She jumped forward to embrace him, digging her face into his scruff for a moment, after, she back away to look into those gilded eyes, that dark face and she’d said: “Yes! Forever and always.” 

Though he appeared stoic, Sumac held his breath, waiting. The moment was pregnant with the possibility of ecstatic joy or painful heartbreak, and he stood there for what seemed an eternity on that knife's edge. His heart rate escalated to an almost unbearable pace as tears formed in her eyes - oh, Mother Moon, what caused those tears? Were they ones of joy? Ones of disappointment? Of knowing she'd have to let him down? He felt surprised as she rushed to meet him in an embrace, burying her lovely face in his scruff before studying his own.

“Yes! Forever and always.”

It took a moment for her words to register, as if he was expecting a letdown, a rejection, or other obstacle to intervene. Slowly, a smile took shape, before his entire expression became alight with an exuberant, pure joy. His heart skipped a beat, marking the transition from anxiety to jubilation. A deep laugh bubbled its way from his throat, and he drank in her clear sky-hued eyes before licking her silver and russet face affectionately.

After taking a few breaths to regain himself, he gazed upon her with pure admiration.

"You honor and humble me, Raindrop," he said finally, dipping his head courteously, "I promise to always cherish you."

He simply couldn't contain his elation, and chuckled again, his sunshine eyes practically emitting their own light.

"Let's go work on this den of yours, yeah?" he asked with a warm grin.

Happiness filled the air, love, joy. She relished in his kisses to her russet face, and in return, she groomed his face, his cheeks. They then gazed upon each other, eyes aglow with admiration for one another, and his baritone words were music to her russet dipped ears. “As do you. Thank you for choosing me.” She beamed, her voice warm with gratefulness. 

She stood upon the sand, ready to set off with him, closing one book and opening another. “Yeah! Let’s go!” And with a laugh, she place herself at his side as they began heading west, towards the plateau which they would both soon call home. 

Sumac chuckled again, "Thank you for choosing me, too." The warmth that radiated from him was unlike anything he'd ever felt before - he wished he could hold onto the feeling forever. He tucked it securely in his memory for the inevitable darker times, when remembering the light in Raindrop's eyes at this moment would sustain him.

His tail easily swaying in a pendulum fashion behind him, easy steps carried him beside her, across the sands to where their future awaited.