Wapun Meadow Told you I'd change even when I knew I never could

Discomfort was the first thing she registered when she woke; a crawling warmth under her skin that she could not shake off, even in the chilled air of early spring. Marina did not know what to do. So she ran. It didn't matter where she ran to, or from. Where she'd been had been a place of no significance, and where she ended up was much the same. Some meadow, somewhere.

But she was alone, and that was what she wanted. At least for the moment! She figured eventually she would calm down and find a hunting partner, or someone to have an idle chat with. So for now she paced the meadow and panted lightly, wondering why she felt so warm when it was so cold.

he came to search beneath the snow, beneath the muck.

he found himself missing the hinterlands more often as of late. missed the frogs, the herbs, missed magda. it was what compelled him to follow the perfume on the breeze. a scent that could belong to now flower or herb.

his gut churned, but still he followed.

compelled by something deeper than his own thoughts could ever be.

and there she was, snow dusted in coloring and a monochromatic dream. why was he here, again?

a soft sound shivered in his throat.

It was a pale wolf who found her, but he was masked in darkness. Marina welcomed his presence with an uncharacteristically familiar fondness, tail waving as she trotted over to greet him.

Hey! She said, as if they were old friends reunited, and dropped into a playful bow. If he responded in kind, Marina would only wait a moment before bounding away to lead him on a chase. There was too much energy in her, too much warmth, and she needed some kind of release from it all.

it felt dream like.

in her he saw magda, even if she was far from the gruff swamp dweller.

he didn't speak, but he welcomed her and the chase she started. swiftly he gave chase after her, bounded on lean legs in long strides to catch up. nothing else mattered in these moments!

not the herbs he had come to dig beneath snow for, not the seeds he might have found.

nothing.

only her.

Time skip maybe? <3

The man followed, and for a time Marina felt content. Free of the restless burn that had overtaken her. But it was not to last. She let the distance between them dwindle, and then turned to close the space between them in a sudden surge of desire for contact, for — something more.

If he welcomed her touch, Marina was nothing less than intense as she fell upon him. The feelings that drove her were overwhelming, and so in turn she sought to overwhelm him. It soothed the restlessness, for a time.

perfect with me! <3

she soothed him in her flames and he awoke on the other side.

in a haze, warm and content. like a fat cat who slept before a fireplace. she the fire. the source of his current comfort.

he thought of her like a poppy, in those moments. the want for more mingled with the need to merely stay here upon the earth. to enjoy the soft rocking waves in his mind.

and still he did not speak.

he did not look for a name or a reason or what she might have wanted in all these things.

he cradled himself and his own comfort in a selfish way.

She was no stranger to these encounters, and yet something felt different here. Marina was stricken by the sense of closeness they had shared. The feeling that something had changed forever. This was not what she had wanted.

So when nature released its hold on her, she backed away from him. She studied him for a moment, eyes tracing over each detail of his features as if to commit them to memory for the rest of eternity. He was handsome, wasn't he? But Marina did not want him. So she turned and she fled, and if he tried to stop her at all, she didn't even notice.

she was gone, but the comfort she had given remained.

he shared none of her worries or anxieties. so he only looked with a head turned as she left. did she intend to be chased again?

did she want him to follow?

he yawned, watching her place more and more distance. not once did she turn back, not once did she call out to him. something in him settled too despite the distance. something that had not been there before her.

he'd sleep here for the night and if she came back, he'd welcome her again.

otherwise riverclan waited.

Thank you for the thread <3

Marina did not look back. She ran until the scent of him was faded from the air, though nothing made it fade fully from her fur. Not even when she rolled in the snow and shook her coat out furiously. It was still on her, sticking to her, and she could hardly stand it.

Over the next few days, she did her best to forget him. But he never quite left her mind.