Flycatcher Downs i've been everywhere, man

set shortly after their thread at Easthollow @Murdock

With some haste, Shale set off for the northwest. Murdock had agreed to accompany him, at least for a little while, and for once, he was glad of his older brother's presence. It was good to talk and catch up with Mur after all these seasons.

They skirted around a valley that had the scent of a few wolves--a budding pack, perhaps--and found themselves on a vast expanse, the mountains looming a short distance ahead. The range was smaller, less imposing, here, and Shale felt they could cross with no issue.

Grayday. His brother rested foremost in his thoughts. And if Day was here, perhaps Spot was with him, too. Shale couldn't wait to see his brother again, and to meet his children--my family, he noted with a small burst of happiness.

He was a little sad he could not stay with Murdock at Easthollow; it seemed a lovely place, with a great leader. But it seemed he was destined to move on, and so he did, with determination.

His shoulder was still aching a tiny bit, but the more they travelled, the better he felt. As they headed toward the mountains, Murdock thought again of Pema, the cute little number he'd met around these parts a couple times in the past. He wondered if they'd see her again. "We should stop at another pack before we get too close to Day's," Murdock said to Shale, hurrying to catch up after falling behind a few feet. "No tellin' who we'll be related to, and it's been forever since I've gotten laid."

This was mostly said for shock value, as Murdock was of the opinion that Shale had been rather up-tight since their reunion. All the same, he was being serious when he said they should stop somewhere ahead of time. He didn't want to cause trouble among his little brother's ranks, but he certainly wasn't above it.

His mouth twitched as Mur offered that rather charming sentiment, finally breaking into a smile after a moment of indecision. "You and me both, brother," Shale said wryly, though not without a pang as he spoke.

Lucy. Her name popped, unbidden, into his mind, and he chased it away with an internal snarl. She is gone, you ass. Gone, and thanks to you.

Trying to think of something to change the subject, he wondered just how many packs resided in this land, and if Murdock knew of more than just his own and Grayday's. "But sure, we can do that," he agreed. "You'll just have to point me in the right direction. I haven't encountered any other packs since I've been here."

To his surprise, Shale didn't seem opposed to the idea. Murdock fixied him with a look, trying to determine whether or not his brother planned to partake in the roving, or simply endure Murdock while he hunted for a piece of tail. "Yeah, I guessed so," Murdock harrumphed, though his expression was more teasing than irritable.

His eyes clouded at Shale's next words, however. "I don't know much about them, either," he admitted, his ears fanning back. "There were a couple I passed by on the way to Easthollow, but to be frank, I passed them by for a reason. I guess we might be better off hunting down our hotties." That would be a chore, though. Lone shewolves tended to be a bit prickly when approached by pairs of strange men. "I don't know if it's worth the effort," he huffed, pausing to test the air, lips curling back to better take in any scents on the wind. Huh. It seemed as though there were quite a few unfamilar women in the area. Maybe they wouldn't have such terrible luck after all.

He laughed this time, the sound genuine. "You haven't changed a bit, Murdock," he said, amber eyes glinting in jest. "I'm sure you're famous with the women in these parts."

Shale wondered if Murdock had children here; he clearly didn't have a wife--though you never could be sure--looking for tail as he had suggested. The guy got around enough. There was no way he was not a father, even if he had no idea he had kids.

"Maybe it's not worth the effort, but it might be nice to have someone to curl up with for a night," Shale offered, his own heart lightening at the thought. He had not lain with a woman since. . .since her. Maybe it was about time to give it another shot.

"Ha!" said Murdock, secretly rather pleased that Shale thought he could still hold on to that sort of reputation. He was getting older, and more cranky by the season. Pretty soon, there wouldn't be a girl in the world that would put up with him. "It's been longer than I've been in this area," he said, looking to set the record straight. "The girls around here have got nothin' to say about me." But it seemed as though one or two would have something to say about their brother. Murdock wondered what Grayday's woman would look like, and was about to say as much aloud when Shale carried on in that wistful tone.

The older brother couldn't help but agree. Stephie had been a great comfort to him, but he was beginning to miss the welcoming embrace of his young cousins and nieces. They'd put up with him - probably far past what they ought've. "Yeah," he agreed with a little sigh. "Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't just settle down again. But then I think of Chemukh and our poor little babes... and I get to thinkin' it just ain't the life for me." Because it would've worked out the first time, if it was meant to work at all. Right?

I find that hard to believe, Shale thought as Murdock spoke on his reputation here, but said nothing, simply grinning in return. That grin turned to a grimace as his older brother continued to speak.

Chemukh. The babes. The words rolled around in his mind like pebbles, bouncing off the walls of his skull, nagging at him. He knew, better than anyone, that he ought not to trouble Mur about his past. He knew that. But the curiosity was nearly overwhelming. Mur had children. Where were they?

"I mean, there are always second chances in life," Shale replied, opting for the neutral path in this conversation. "But yeah. . .I find myself thinking that too, sometimes."

There were some who said the power of love made up for the potential loss of that love. In retrospect, Shale had to disagree with that idea. In fact, fuck that idea.

Murdock cast a wary glance in his brother's direction, his mouth feeling too dry for words. He knew that he ought to start asking the hard questions, here - it was obvious that something had happened to his baby brother. The last Murdock heard, he had a lady somewhere. But it'd been a rumor he'd paid little attention to; hadn't cared much, since there'd been no mention of little nieces and nephews to entertain.

But in the end, he chickened out. Later, he told himself. They were just getting caught up, after all. There was no reason rock the boat when they were just barely getting on.

"Yeah, well - things just happen, sometimes. Ain't no reason to seek it out, ain't no use in avoidin' it," he said gruffly, speaking both of their shattered pasts and their maybe-hopeful futures. "Maybe there'll be a sweet girl in Day's pack. Maybe Val will finally realize I'm the man of her dreams." He laughed at the very idea.

He raised a bushy eyebrow. "I'd say you'd have better luck with the former than the latter, and I've only met Val once," Shale quipped. "No offense, Mur. She's a hell of a woman."

She had mentioned kids, before. Shale wondered--he found himself wondering a lot, these days--whether she had a mate at Easthollow, or if the father was dead and gone. Was Murdock jesting, or was he really making a serious move on the alpha female? A power move, to be sure. 

He kept thinking of Grayday and his children. Nieces and nephews would go a long way to brighten his spirits, to take his mind off the children that were lost to him, forever. He didn't care how old they were. He was ready to be the loving uncle.

The elder gave a chuckle in agreement; he didn't think he was cut out for Valette, either. But it was fun to think about in the dead of the night. She came all ready-set with a bundle of kids and a pack of her own. He felt for her, truly, and admired her in his own way. But he desired what she represented far more than who she was.

"Sure is. But she's not what I'm lookin' for, anyway," he said with a sigh. "But she's got a little girl - Stephie. She thinks I'm her dad or somethin'. Tried to set her straight, but it's fun to pretend, sometimes. She's a sweetheart."

He fell silent for a time, hoping everyone would be alright when he got back home. He was worried about the continued threat of the wolverine, and what Steph would get up to while he wasn't there to keep her out of trouble. But at the same time, he knew he could never have passed up this opportunity. Maybe Grayday would have a bundle of Stephies waiting for them to love. Maybe they didn't have any Shales or Murdocks there to spoil them rotten.

"I wonder what Day's kids are like," he said at length, unwittingly echoing his brother's thoughts. "I've met Sunny and Dawn. They're yearlings, now, but from what I hear, he's got another set from this year as well."

"If they're anything like Day, they're perfect," Shale replied. "He was the golden boy back home, after all." Any trace of resentment that would have once lived in his tone, saying these words, was gone. Shale was older, now, and had carved out a life for himself, removed from his littermate's shadow.

He was excited to see Grayday again, not only from the standpoint that he was family, but also out of the curiosity he'd have to see any old friend once more. What had Grayday done with his life since wandering off so many seasons ago? What was his family like? His wife and children? Was his pack big and strong, the band of wolves he was always destined to inherit?

Or was his life a hollow sham, as Shale's had become over the past moons? Were his children sickly, his wife departed? Had he failed at the challenges that had been thrown at him? Was he a shell of his former self?

Shale knew that nothing was black and white, that Grayday must have both succeeded and struggled, celebrated and suffered. But he was curious, all the same, to see the balance between the two extremes. Which was greater? Which dominated his brother's personality now?

Murdock gave an ungraceful snort at Shale's assessment of their brother. "He was a little bitch, a lot of the time," he reminded the younger wolf. "'member how whiney he used to be? Always moanin' and complainin' about something. Couldn't say it when we all thought he was dead, could we? But now we can." An evil grin split his toothy jaw. He'd give Grayday hell when they saw him again - especially if he was the same old sad-sack he'd been back at home.

The man gave a little chuckle as something came to mind. "Was it you or him that walked in on Uncle Canyon doin' it with that chick from the badlands?" he asked, almost unable to get the words out through his supressed laughter. "And then went crying to mom because - because Uncle and Sandstorm got stuck together!" By the end, he was howling with laughter, picturing a little tearstained face. Eyes still puppy-blue and fur a mottled grey, the boy had sputtered out a plea for help on behalf of his 'poor' uncle, enlisting his mother's help to get them apart.

You can pick either of them, or say that it must have been one of the younger litters. Up to you!

wow i'm so sorry i forgot about this one. wrap up after couple more posts? this is my last

Shale mock-flinched at Murdock's (apt) depiction of their brother, but then cringed for real when he brought up. . .well, that tale. He flushed with heated embarrassment, breaking into a nervous grin as he looked at the ground moving beneath his feet as he walked along.

"Nope, that was definitely me," he said sheepishly, his voice disintegrating into laughter as he went on. "Hey, you can't fault me for wanting to help! That was a serious situation," Shale snorted, looking back up at Murdock with mirthful tears in his eyes as well.

"We had fun, up there on the river," he said softly, smiling. "Wasn't always perfect, but we did have a lot of good times."

And now he was here again, swapping tales with his long-lost brother as they traveled to find another long-lost brother. And Spot was here as well, and nieces and nephews unseen, unknown. The Sameth wolves had traveled far and wide and yet. . .they had found each other, in the end.

wow i'm sorry i forgot about this one. this'll be my last post

Shale mock-flinched at Murdock's (apt) depiction of their brother, but then cringed for real when he brought up. . .well, that tale. He flushed with heated embarrassment, breaking into a nervous grin as he looked at the ground moving beneath his feet as he walked along.

"Nope, that was definitely me," he said sheepishly, his voice disintegrating into laughter as he went on. "Hey, you can't fault me for wanting to help! That was a serious situation," Shale snorted, looking back up at Murdock with mirthful tears in his eyes as well.

"We had fun, up there on the river," he said softly, smiling. "Wasn't always perfect, but we did have a lot of good times."

And now he was here again, swapping tales with his long-lost brother as they traveled to find another long-lost brother. And Spot was here as well, and nieces and nephews unseen, unknown. The Sameth wolves had traveled far and wide and yet. . .they had found each other, in the end.