Phoenix Maplewood But in his car or in his arms a dream can mean anything

I MISS YOU GUYZ

As soon as Reek felt comfortable with leaving Tavi alone, he set out away from the border of Larksong Grotto and began the trek to his old claim: Phoenix Maplewood. He did not come empty handed (er... mouthed). In his jaws, he carried with him a fresh kill he had snagged on the way -- a bright red fox, hanging limply by the tail. He intended to give it to Saena to perhaps trade it in to catch a glimpse at his pups, but even still, Reek knew it was only worth pennies after what he had done— the mistakes he had made.

He knew this was a gamble, but with his children finally born, Reek felt himself obligated to make some sort of presence.

The closer he came to the maplewood, the more familiar the terrain became. He felt as if he were coming home, but the feeling was bittersweet. Dropping the fox at the border, Reek howled for @Saena and immediately dropped himself into a posture of submission.

Chosovi hadn't any idea what the mate of Saena looked like, and so as she moved toward the border after having heard someone call for her, and she came upon the man, her eyes were kind and warm if not a little inspector-esque, as though if she looked hard enough at every inch of his unattractive frame she might glean some info off of him. As it were, she learned nothing by the look of him except he was hella ugly, and that was fine by her, because it wasn't like she was queen of the goodlooking women. Not that she was bad looking. Average was fine. As she looked at the wiry figure ahead of her, she counted her blessings. Better than that, at least.

At his feet was a dead fox, and Chosovi marched right on over to him with a lifted tail. Hey. Saena's busy right now. Who're you? I'll tell her you came and I'm sure she'll get back to you when she's able to. All this was said in earnest. Saena was a leader, so she was bound to be busy. No need to tell the other she was busy taking care of little kids. Her kids. And that due to that, the leader was in a semi-vulnerable position. Not really though, because Chosovi was sure the Maplewood wolves would take care of her. Heck, she knew that she would.

Reek didn't find himself having to wait long until his howl was answered by a wolf coming to meet him on the border. The wolf that approached, however, was unfamiliar -- obviously a new recruit. It still felt as if little time had passed since Reek's reign over the Maplewood came to it's untimely end, but now it seemed much more likely that things had changed within the territory vastly without Reek's lingering influence. Somehow, seeing that life continued within the Maplewood without him made Reek feel incredibly small.

He lifted his head and gazed at the interceptors feet. "I'm Reek," he said, voice tainted with melancholic inflection. "I— I'm Saena's ex-mate." Reek was sure the new recruit would have heard of him, although, he was sure her warm gaze would be sullied by the revelation of his identity.

"I brought this for her... And the pups." His pups. He pushed the fox forward towards Chosovi's feet. Having never been around children, especially newborns, Reek was unsure if the fox would even be of use to them. However, he was sure Saena could use the sustenance. "Are you sure there's no way for her to come and talk to me?"

The other introduced himself, and Chosovi felt the furs on her neck lift. She squinted at him and nearly imploded in place. Her tail lashed impatiently behind her before she stomped a foot in place, indignant and protective over a woman she hardly knew but had taken her in, anyway. What in the hell, Reek! What is wrong with you! If your ex-mate wanted to see you, she'd find you. I heard you went and settled nearby, too! I have never! What are you playing at?! HeckyesI'msureshe'sbusy! Chosovi's eyes nearly bulged out from her head, but after her tirade, she deflated. Even so, she did not step back or ease up. Get the hell out of here! Leave that fox, though. I'll tell her you were here. Saena would want to know, she was sure, and so Chosovi would definitely reveal to her that there had been a visitor. To show she was serious about this, she growled and snapped her jaws together, catching empty air intentionally. Saena fretted about the other being a threat. She definitely didn't want to have that discussion on Saena's borders, though she truly did want answers to the questions she had asked. But on the doorstep of Saena was definitely not the place.

Still bristling from his last encounter, his protective and controlling rage refusing to eb to the deceiving low it was when he first came to the maplewood, the white wolf made haste toward the caller. He did not recognize the howl, but he recognized the figure as soon as he spied it between the smooth gray trunks of the maples. No other wolf had such a sorry appearance, and no other wolf would be beckoning Saena to the borders. Luke did not doubt he was here to see the pups, but even if Saena was inclined to allow it, the possessive white wolf was not. She was his now, and as far as he was concerned, so were the pups.

He snarled furiously, and threw himself into a full-out charge. Luke had no intention of letting Reek leave unscathed, unlike his packmate who had beat him to the interception. His fangs were bared and snapping with blood-drawing intent toward the black wolf's face. In fact, if given the chance, he would coldly murder Reek right here at the gates to his former homestead without a second thought.

Feel free to power-play Reek however you want! Anything but death— I'm not quite ready to kill him off... yet.

Just as Reek had suspected, Chosovi's expression and tone suddenly went cold. His ears splayed back and Reek braced himself for the stranger's verbal assault. Having no intention of stirring troube with the maplewood, Reek said nothing in response and simply hung his head in silent agreement. He had indeed been a fool, and it had taken him time to realize it— but now, it was far too late to fix the damage that had been done. 

If it had simply been Chosovi to intercept him, Reek would have easily given in to the stranger's demands and would take his leave to only return on a later date when he could speak to Saena without pulling her away from their nursing children. But there was another -- one who barreled toward Reek with obvious aggression. He was quick -- unable to piece together much of the other wolf's appearance -- Reek noticed a hint of blue.

Luke.

Immediately, Reek's blood ran cold. This must have been Saena's intention all along. She must have been waiting for Reek to slip up, just so she could kick him out and speedily find his replacement in Luke— the man Reek had always found it impossible to place his trust. His body stiffened as he braced for an impact. The territorial blue nose charged into Reek with such aggression that it nearly knocked him off his feet. Teeth clamping down around Reek's muzzle, he could feel his skin being torn and Reek was momentarily blinded by the sharp pain. He yelped, but did not draw away. 

As soon as Reek had the chance, he was lunging towards Luke's throat. Though Reek had come with peaceful intention, he would not only defend himself, but also his pride.

It all could've ended easily enough, but such was not life. Another came, perhaps more territorial than she, perhaps here to correct her for her gentleness. Well, you live and you learn. But the other simply went for Reek, without much regarding her, and Chosovi balked for a moment. But Reek did not flee. He retaliated. That, to Chosovi, was a threat. Even if Luke could handle it on his own, Reek had officially messed up by not leaving the scene peacefully. Chosovi didn't know the bad personal blood between the two, and so only assumed that Reek was here to stir the pot. Saena had wondered about his intentions so close, and her stomach sank to think they were what she perceived they were.

So Chosovi lunged at Reek, too, to assist her pack mate. She went in blind and she went in foolish, but she was wary of the blue-nosed wolves fangs and body. Otherwise she was reckless and blind in her assault, quite literally a bat out of hell and a dog chasing cars. She didn't know what the hell she'd do if she caught Reek in her grip... except bite. Maybe break stuff. Who knew? She wasn't good at this, and definitely wasn't a fighter, but she was protective to a fault over the Maplewood and its inhabitants now that she was among them.

It's sort of hard to PP since it's two against one and Luke would kill Reek, so I just left this super open and ended it with Reek managing to run off. You can decide your own injuries lol. I assumed Reek got some bites in.

The black wolf stood no chance. Luke landed the first blow and as soon as Reek retaliated against him, the white wolf's packmate joined in. It did not take long, the battle was quick and heated, and blood was drawn not only from the traitor but from Luke himself. Reek never managed to latch on to his throat, but his fangs slashed open Luke's cheek and marred the smooth flesh of his muzzle. But Luke was undeterred and bloodthirsty in his rage.

He would have went for the kill, but Reek, on the defensive for his life, was able to keep his feet and take the one, the only, and the incredibly short opportunity that arose for him to slip free of both attackers. He made a hasty retreat, and the white wolf tore after him, only to grind to halt as the brief gap between predator and prey allowed a single rational thought to spark in his mind. Perhaps this is not what Saena would want, and he darkly felt that perhaps this was a more rewarding triumph than killing the beast anyway.

"Everything you turned your back on is now mine!" He hollered after Reek, maliciously hoping that those words would pierce the wolf's skull and lodge in his brain, an endless torment, like an out of reach tick between one's ears.

The fight was a bloody affair. Quick, but fought with a fervent intensity on both sides. Reek aimed to tear away as much flesh from his blue-nosed replacement as possible, but once the unfamiliar wolf jumped into the fray, Reek knew the odds had turned starkly out of his favor. He could hold his own in a fight, but not against two assailants. Taking the first chance he could, Reek peeled away and ran.

Fueled solely by adrenaline, Reek pushed through his the pain of his injuries and tore away from the maplewood as fast as his legs could carry him. The words that followed behind him, however, hurt Reek far worse than any physical injury ever could. He had been replaced... In the moment, Reek felt as if his soul had left his body.

His legs carried him in the direction of the grotto. Two thoughts occupied his mind in alternating succession as he ran: first, Luke dead by Reek's paw, and second, the grim fact that if Reek were to ever see his kids, he would have to take them by force.