Coconut Grove better follow me towards, downtown

that morning, tristan had left @Bat to do some exploring of his own through the territory that he had most certainly deemed paradise. that's not to say that now, by high noon, she couldn't have tracked his ass down. but he'd gotten some alone time that morning. 

he was growing tired of traveling. not really, but kind of... it was just... he loved traveling, exploring. every day he could wake up and go explore territories around the plateau. go on missions. get into trouble. maybe fuck a bitch or two. or maybe get rejected, idk. but that's just the thing... he always had somewhere to return home to. when you're on the road, you don't really have that luxury. You just kind of buckle down wherever and... that gets old. as much as tristan was loving seeing a new place every day, he missed waking up to the same view. he missed being tegan, too. tristan sounded way hotter for sure, and definitely made him rouge. but the further they travelled, the less it felt like him.

which is why he was happy to stay near the grove. he'd venture off and explore but the grove was home base, and he liked that. he was pretty sure bat liked it to, but he hadn't asked. 

today, as he traversed a rather dense area of the coconut trees, tristan let out a gentle sigh, bent to stretch, and leaned against one of the trunks, sliding down to the ground and onto his side. sheesh, it was fucking hot.

It wasn't unusual for one of them to wander off for a time, though they always reconvened within a day, two at most. While Tristan went off to scratch some itch or another this morn, Bat spent the day in the spray of the ocean surf. It always felt like coming home when she went into the water, which made a poetic sort of sense. She had been born beside the sea, after all, and was even named after a creature who lived in its depths.

When she ventured back inland, she discovered that Tristan had returned. She found him slumped at the foot of a coconut tree and meandered over to him. He was panting and there was the faint musk of corn chips on the air. "You should get in the water," she suggested as she closed the distance and plopped to a sit beside him.

yiissss

as bat came to join him, tristan sat up just a bit, his tail thumping against the ground as she popped a squat. 

or, he returned, reaching to sweep his nose across the corner of her mouth, i can sit here beneath the shade of these palm trees. he cut the sentence short, though it had a few extra words in his head. still, he looked ahead -- over the sandy shore and at the lapping water... to, and fro... to, and fro... for a moment, he was quiet, pulled into his own thoughts -- though he didn't voice them right away. 

can i be honest with you, pup? he asked finally, staring at the ocean for a few seconds before looking back up at his friend.

Bat shrugged. "Suit yourself." And she would've left if there, happy to sprawl in the shade of the tropical trees and laze away the rest of the day, honestly.

But then he said something that stirred some butterflies in her stomach. Life had grown so damn casual lately that the serious look in his eye and tone of his voice threw her off-kilter a bit. The tongue that could usually come up with some jape or another could only come up with, "Of course."

i don't really wanna travel anymore, he said to her, ears flicking as he anticipated some crazy response... idk why. his seafoam gaze searched hers, hoping to find a shred of ... well, he didn't know. something good. i mean, i still wanna scout and stuff. but i like it here, i really do -- more than i thought i would considering how wet it is. and i really missed having someplace to call home, he added, his teeth finding their grit as he began to regret being so candid. damn, since when did he have all these fucking emotions?? and when did he ever voice them??

She honestly hadn't expected that. Bat's lips parted in surprise, though she did not speak, not even after he finished. She closed her mouth and mulled over what he'd said, trying to parse out her own feelings on the matter.

"It's weird," she finally said, "but I feel exactly the same way. I never would've thought I'd get tired of traveling but... here we are." As in, literally, here they were, in some sort of paradise, together. Bat had had her fill of travels earlier in the year, so settling down for a bit felt right.

"I'm down, if you are," Bat said, shrugging much more casually than she actually felt, although this decision did feel easy somehow. "I'd still like to do some ranging now and again but I'm totally cool with making this place our home base."

(Narrator's note: Bat and Tristan were on the same page, for once. Hallelujah!)

to tristan's grand surprise, she seemed to agree with him. his ears pricked, clearly showing his shock, but his mouth turned upright into a dastardly grin. fuck yeah, he replied with a few wags of his tail, then that settles it, this is home. home. jeez, felt a little crazy to say, especially since tegan had like... just gone and uprooted himself. and now, here they were. whoops. 

what if we colonized? he then asked, tacking on, just spitballing.

"Colonized...?" she repeated, probably stupidly. Then his meaning clicked and her silver eyes went a little wider. "You mean, like, start a pack?"

Before even giving him a chance to respond, Bat's eyes glazed over as she considered it. She wanted to like the idea, simply because it was Tristan's, but all sorts of misgivings surfaced. Bat didn't mind sharing their little slice of paradise—more wolves should check out this place—but she had no designs on leadership. The idea actually made her anxious. She also wanted to be able to move freely, coming and going as she pleased, even if the grove served as a headquarters of sorts; responsibilities outside of scouting did not suit her particularly well.

His words from a moment ago echoed in her head: "Can I be honest with you, pup?" She chewed her lip even as her eyes cleared. She captured her friend's gaze and replied, "I'm not sure what I think about that, honestly. Would I have to, like, lead?"

tristan nodded, though bat didn't really give him enough time to actually speak. so he just watched as her expression went from happy to not so happy and felt all the blood drain from his own face. good thing he was already pale.

no, he said simply with a shrug, you don't if you don't want to. clearly she didn't want to, anyway. 

the young wolf shifted, tucking his feet beneath his chest like some sort of cat, leaning back into the tree. he looked a little strange but it was clearly some sort of coping method... look, you probably do weird shit when you're feeling emotions too. his eyes closed, and he sighed. we don't have to, he said gently, i just... i miss being in a pack. i don't miss the redhawks or firebirds or any pack specifically -- i don't wanna go back. i just miss the life that was associated with it, you know? 

he took this moment to blink his eyes open and look back at his friend, brow furrowed as he looked upon her, green gaze steady upon her own dark features. he was quiet for a second. i just... keep thinking of all the shit we both have been through -- we're not medics. what happens when shit happens again? we have each other -- and there's no one in this world i'd rather be with -- but like -- i can't help you like a real healer could. and it's not like we can teach ourselves anything right now. he looked pretty serious, a little too serious, and he must've realized, because a second later a wide grin broke out onto his face and he stuck his nose right into the sand.

through it, nice and muffled, tristan said, why the fuck do i sound so old and lame? maybe because he'd just missed his own second birthday, and somewhere somehow some maturity genes were kicking in. but who knows.

It wasn't often that Tristan spoke this much, nor so seriously, so Bat listened very astutely. If he was disappointed by her comment, he didn't show it. He explained how he missed the companionship of a pack, all while adding a disclaimer: they didn't have to. Tristan went on to point out that the two of them were only self-sufficient to a point, using a medical emergency as an example. Bat's lips pursed, then twitched upward when he called himself names.

"I get you," she began, "but how would we do it? Would you lead?" She didn't mean to sound so incredulous, though she'd thought Tristan shared her feelings about leadership. "Much as I love this place, we could always join one of the up-and-coming packs out there. There's even a few right along the coast, like that Seahaven place..." And that was just one of several, based on her recent rangings, though she trailed off there to let Tristan get a word in edgewise.

i was a leader at the plateau, tristan reminded her, patiently even though her tone of voice made his blood boil with frustration. i mean, he probably should've expected it. he had once told bat that leadership wasn't for him... but he had also grown into a little bit of responsibility after she -- oh, did you forget? -- DIED. so sorry that he found some new character development. was it that hard to believe?

he glanced down the coast, feeling a little defeated already despite the fact that all bat had done was disagree with one thing he said. then again, this wasn't terance, he wasn't backing down off of his opinions just because he got a lil bit frowny-face-mopey-butt. you wanna just join some random ass pack? he asked her with a flick of his ear, looking back at her, i dunno. i left to get a hold on my own life, build it up for myself. i don't think i wanna just start up again like that. nevermind the number of the current/forming packs on WOLF, tristan is unaware of that deciding factor in gameplay, he just wanna be respected, yo.

"But you quit," she rejoined, her silver eyes searching his face. "It's not that I don't think you can do it. I actually know you can. I just didn't think you wanted to, is all," Bat added quickly, feeling as if Tristan was on the verge of getting cross with her.

She sucked in a deep breath, maintaining calm even as she could see he was getting worked up over her words. "I wouldn't just blindly join some pack, no," she said but did not bother elaborating on the pains she'd take to make certain it was a good fit. "But if you don't want to explore that option, that's fine. If you wanna start up a pack, you know I'll back you."

She gazed at him a beat, then smiled a little impishly as she added, "So don't get your panties in a twist."

i... began tristan before he quickly quieted and let her finish. god he hated having any kind of emotion. what did it even matter now, anyway, he suddenly wondered? before, after bat died, he wanted to prove that he was mature and responsible enough to take on more in the pack. he had to prove it to towhee and quixote and stupid fucking clover. but... now? who the fuck was he proving this to? himself? wasn't he already confident enough in himself -- he didn't need to prove anything. 

i wanna start up a pack, he said with a flick of his tail, giving a heavy huff to rid his nose of the sand that had gotten lodged in there when he stupidly stuck his nose in the ground, here. 

my panties are not twisted, he returned with a huff. and then, tristan reached to hook her neck with his arm and pull her down. i'll get your panties in a twist, he added playfully, nipping at her ears and cheeks as he pulled her head down closer to his.

When he reached out and grabbed her, Bat allowed herself to be reeled in like a fish. "Oh yeah," she teased him in turn, "talk dirty to me, baby." She made a snerk sort of sound with her nose, wondering how he would take that joke.

But before he could react, she headbutted him and wriggled out of his grasp. "Okay." She let that word hover in the air a moment, the surf pounding in the near distance. "Let's do this." And Bat held up her paw, balled into a fist, to bump against his.

you wish, snerked tristan in return, grinning wildly as she slipped out of his grasp, leaving him to lean casually back against the palm, tongue lolling again. and as she raised a paw, tristan instantly pounded that fucker. this deal was officially made. it's done. we start this shit ... tomorrow. i think today's one last good day for relaxation, he purred, snuggling back against the trunk of the tree comfortably. 

just some sun, some shade, and some sand in my nose. mmmm-mm so good.

Their paws touched and Bat grinned at him, affection in her eyes. She adored Tristan, even if the nature of her love changed from time to time. At present, it was a platonic, almost brotherly (sisterly, whatever) sort of love. They were totally bros in this venture.

"Sounds good," Bat agreed to one last day of carefree paradise. She joined him beneath the tree. "What do you need me to do? Starting tomorrow, I mean."

tristan mirrored that same affection -- but he felt a different sort of feeling than bat did. either way, it was left unsaid.

i guess just start looking at crap, he said with a shrug, and for crap -- i mean, wolves. recruitment or whatever. i'll do the same. that seemed like a good enough start. tristan had never actually started a pack before... so like, what the fuck else was he supposed to do? and you already know most of the packs already forming around here, right? seahaven at least? it's probably good to know who's around.

She bobbed her head but didn't speak until he asked her a question. "Yeah, I have a little bit of intel on the packs forming close by. There's several." Bat said no more than that, mostly because she didn't know much more and also because it didn't really matter, did it? They'd already decided this was the place.

"Speaking of crap though," the yearling said thoughtfully, "I guess we should also start marking some borders?" And doing patrols, though she didn't mention that specifically, mostly because she didn't want to do them. That seemed boring. "We'll have to recruit some guardian types... and hunters..." There was certainly a lot to think about.

But she didn't really feel like worrying about it. Bat wasn't quite ready to give up the totally relaxed lifestyle they'd been leading lately. That could at least wait until the morrow. For now, she spoke no more, instead stretching languidly and digging her toes into the sand, her cheek resting against some part of Tristan as she let her eyelids droop.

yeah, agreed tristan with a few nods, shit all over them borders -- we can start them first thing in the morning. and to her comments about hunters... and guardians... tristan merely nodded again, resisting the urge to comment about how he could fight anyone on this god damn planet -- try him, fucker. didn't seem relevant yet. he hoped this would come to be -- maybe... after it was, he could go home -- wait, not home... no, to.. the copse? this was home now -- and tell finley all about his success. 

how he'd done it. how they'd done it. and maybe clover would be there for him to rub it in her face -- how she fucking sucked at life and couldn't start a pack or bang chicks the way he could. loser. 

and then, as tristan had mostly zoned out daydreaming, bat had suddenly taken a more lax position against him... but was wildly close to way too much of him. her head rested across his flank and her elbow dared to graze his nether regions. wait -- i'm on tegan's account. it touched his fucking dick, yo, and it caught him way be surprise. feeling incredibly hot fire flames but noting that she probably had no idea and looked like she was somehow already falling asleep (how the fuck do girls do that??) he decided not to make a scene.

his dick might've, though. his teeth just gritted.