Hideaway Strath Its reasonin' made lucid and cool

for @Leigh

He had kept predominately to himself, aside from the time he spent with Leigh, getting to know her and trying out his new, stationary life. It had been quite the adjustment; at times he was restless and edgy, although he tried his best to keep it from Leigh. If she had seen it anyway, he hoped she knew it had nothing to do with her. 

Today, he roamed the borders, inspecting here and there, learning the scents of his new packmates. Patrolling was something he knew was a part of pack life, at least that's what he had learned over the years while meeting various pack wolves during his traveling. The edge of the territory seemed like the best place to find something stimulating anyway, so he spent much of his time there. 

He preferred to be alone unless it was Leigh who wanted to accompany him. He hadn't scented her nearby, though, and so he continued to make his way along the borders.

It was clear to her that Endre was still finding his way. This type of life was new to him. In some ways it had been new to Leigh as well. She was more familiar with pack life than he may have been, but life with the Saints? That was a new experience for anyone.

The woman had never been the best at communication, so she provided little help when it came to introducing her old friend to the others. But she trusted that Endre could introduce himself. And if Kynareth didn't like his presence? Too bad. He had dragged in so many fuck buddies newcomers that she deserved to bring in one of her own.

So today her mission was to find her friend. They hadn't necessarily been distant, but with all the usual Saint chaos going around, she hadn't been able to find the proper time to sit down and have a conversation that didn't involve yelling and anger.

As if his thoughts of her had drawn her to him, her fresh scent filled his nose, telling him she was nearby. He turned around to see her closing the distance between them. He dipped his head and smiled, his gaze watching the way her body moved with ease across field; it was as though she floated to him. When she was closer, his gaze held hers until she stood before him. Leigh, he said in greeting, brushing his nose gently across her cheek. I was just thinking about you. Really he thought about her more often than was normal, but he didn't care. 

I was just walking the borders, he raised an eyebrow in invitation. Would you like to join me? He wanted to talk to her—learn more about her. If she would allow him that knowledge of course.

It was as if her silent wish had been granted. As a familiar face came into view, the woman couldn't help but feel an overwhelming wave of comfort wash over her mind and heart. There was a certain safety, security in her companion's eyes. As if they were telling Leigh that he would never leave, never hurt her.

A smile made its way up to the she-wolf's lips, only widening as the two greeted each other. His words were soft. And she wanted to learn just as much about him as he may have about her.

"I would love to join you. I can't say that I know much more than you do about the area. I hardly pay attention to the territory and I have a terrible sense of direction. But, I'd love nothing more than to explore it with you."

Honestly, he found it kind of odd that this was her home and she knew nothing about the lands. Any place he and his brother camped, they made sure to map out their perimeter somewhat. Obviously they couldn't learn as much as they'd like, but they learned enough to stay safe. Leigh was safe here and should have had plenty of time to learn her home, unless—maybe she didn't feel safe here. Suddenly, he wondered if she was being held here against her will. She certainly had more freedom than any captive he had ever seen. So maybe it was something else. Whatever the case, something felt wrong. He knew better than to push so soon, so he tucked the information away to ask later when she trusted him more. 

Well, mapping out territories is one of my specialties, he told her with a smug but playful curve of his dark lips. I can teach you the basics. He brushed his nose along her cheek again—he couldn't help himself. In exchange, you can tell me things about yourself. He smiled again before moving, his gaze never leaving hers until she was moving with him.

She wanted to tell her friend more about what had happened. But truthfully, she had no idea how. Life with the Saints was nothing but absolute chaos. Yes, there were some nice moments, nice conversations with kind faces such as Arlette, Derg, or even Locke. Leigh was grateful for all of the good that had come out of living here, in this strange place, but the occasional moments of happiness were far outweighed by all of the bad that had occured. And with the arrival of new pups, new families and faces, the woman was only reminded of the loss she continuously faced.

But then Endre came along, and although he didn't fix every problem, finally there was a wolf who she could truly trust. Their time together before had been short, but he left a lasting impact on her life nonetheless. And seeing him once more made living here, made each and every day, a little easier.

"I'd like that very much. Most of the time I'm out here, I just aimlessly wander. Maybe a few proper lessons would do me some good."

Catching sight of the smile Endre held across his lips, Leigh's face shifted to match and join in on the happiness of this small moment.

"And deal, but you'll have to be patient with me, I'm not entirely sure if I can think of the right words to explain everything since we last parted.?

He was more than pleased to have Leigh accept his offer. Honestly, he didn't care much what they did as long as he got to spend time with her. But if he could teach her something while also getting what he wanted, then even better. He chuckled at her first words before dipping his head in silent understanding.

He kept his steps slow and steady as she asked him to be patient. She agreed to tell him about the time they had been separated, but it seemed like a lot had happened. She had been smiling, but she seemed vulnerable in that moment—as if talking about it would bring up something uncomfortable for her.  Of course he wanted to know what troubled her, but as she had requested, he would not rush her to tell him. He dipped his head again, his silver gaze searching for the fire of her own. Go as slow as you would like, he told her, his expression serious but soft. I am not going anywhere.

There was still so much Leigh wanted to learn about Endre as well. He hadn't given her any indication that anything crazy had happened since they last parted, but it was also possible that he was simply refraining from speaking about himself to instead shine the spotlight on her. Which she didn't mind, though the woman did plan on asking about his own journeys the next time she had the chance.

As for her shenanigans, she thought it'd be best to simply start from the beginning. Too much had happened to start anywhere else, and at least this way she could properly sort through her thoughts instead of skipping around to certain events. There was definitely some nervousness opening up about her rollercoaster of a life, but Endre's eyes were nothing but reassuring.

"I used to have a family, but after they died I left home and came here."

Such a fantastic start. Let's open the story with immediate death.

"Kynareth found me, invited me to join his pack and I've been with them ever since. He and I became good friends, up until-"

Up until he admitted to being the reason for her family's death? Until he refused to apologize and excused his actions with "this is who I am"? "Up until he decided to completely abandon me for a flood of whores and a captive. A captive who I've realized since then that I had been a replacement for until he got the real deal."

Leigh held resentment in her voice, she wasn't afraid of hating the wolves she was now stuck with, even if her reasons or assumptions about them weren't true.

"Oh, and before that, they murdered an innocent young wolf for fun. So I hate all of them now but I'm stuck with them or else I'll risk dying alone in the wilderness when no other pack wants to take me in cause just being associated with these assholes is enough to get a target on your head."

So essentially, life has been pretty terrible.