Redtail Rise all is fair in love and war

@Wynter

Arion hadn't been in the happiest of moods lately and more often than not, he could be found either patrolling the borders multiple times, or lost in his own thoughts in the forest. It didn't really have anything to do with his packmates, though he really would have appreciated it if any of them bothered to find him and check up on him. To see if he was alright. But then, he supposed, one would not think of another wolf when one was lost in their own bliss and joy. Wolves, or any creature for that matter, were selfish that way.

Perhaps he had been right to stay alone. It would save him from all this confusion and queer feelings.

That morning found the chocolate stallion at the edge of the forest, facing the borders. The sky was lightening now and soon, a myriad of colors decorated the distant horizon, illuminating the peak of the earth. It was a beautiful sight, and Arion found himself wistfully thinking back on the early days of his membership in Redtail Rise. Things had been way simpler back then, and oh what he would give to be back there once more.

Wynter was tracing the borders and looking around beginning to scout for good places to go. Perhaps she would head for the valley the one she saw when she had been up in the mountains with Reek shortly after the Sound split up. Reek. Even the thought of him killed her although her mind had become numb to the constant pain Wynter had come to know so well.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a wolf she hadn't talked to or heard much of since before his drug intervention. She figured he had been up to something. She could tell the first day they had met outside the den she shared with.. her thought trailed off. Why does every thought always reflect back upon Reek. It was like she wasn't allowed to think of anything else. She looked up at the sky briefly as if her answers would be written amongst the clouds. 

She decided she would see how Arion was doing and perhaps bid him farewell. He was the only other wolf she really knew in this pack besides Saena and he who shall not be named. She chuckled at the thought. That was what she would settle on for now since the mention of his name was too much. 

She padded over and let out a small chuff so as not to startle him as it appeared he was off in deep thought. "Hey Arion," she said with a friendly half smile.

The wind was not in his favor and so Arion did not notice his new companion until she let out a small chuff. But then, he doubted if he would have noticed her presence even if the wind had been blowing scents towards him, he was too lost in thought to notice anything in this terrible, cruel world named reality. He, and probably the rest of the world, was better off in another world, one named imagination or..expectations? Yeah. After all, reality would only let you down again and again. Most of the time at least.

Arion's ears flicked towards Wynter as she spoke and noted her half smile. He flashed her his typical crooked smile in return and flicked his tail in an amiable manner. "Hey Wynter," he said, honey eyes twinkling as he regarded her. He might look a bit bedraggled and tired, but he still had quite a lot of spirit left in his body. "What's up? Anything going your way? Or is everything going downhill. Because mine is," Arion shrugged, (he hadn't heard of her breakup with Reek yet) "my life I mean. It's going downhill," he added just in case she didn't understand.

Wynter was met with the typical crooked smile of the chocolate brown wolf. He greeted her and then proceeded with a few questions. He had nailed her life pretty accurately when he asked if everything was going downhill like his was. "Eh, my life is in fact going on a downhill spiral. Reality sucks. Big time." Wynter stated with a small chuckle. She was surprised Reek hadn't in fact told him that he had left her. Wynter thought they were friends. Maybe not as close as she thought they were.

"Why what's up with you?" She asked with reference to his life apparently on the same path. She hadn't heard of much happening other than he having an intervention because of his opium problem. Could that be what he meant? 

Her mind trailed ever so briefly to the idea of opium and that it is in fact an escape from reality. She pushed that thought from her mind almost as quickly as it had shown up however. This was not what it would come to. She would die before she ever did anything like that. Clearly she was a lot more screwed up than she was aware. Reek had done a number on her.

Wynter answered him, saying that her life was going downhill too but she did not specify what event had made it spiral all the way down to the ninth circle of hell. Even when he was in this kind of mood, Arion was still an acutely curious being and he found himself asking her, "What is it? What happened that made your life roll downhill?" Then he paused and shrugged, offering her a half smile. "Don't feel obliged to answer that, I don't mean to intrude in your private life."

He only acted this way before he didn't really know Wynter and therefore, he really had nothing to lose if he acted polite with her. Besides, he could use some companionship, and even though he had no idea why people had manners or what use they had because it was just a fancy name for beating around the bush, he still decided to be nice to her. Why? Because he seriously could use someone to talk to, and lately, he had been off sulking and none of his best friends visited him.

Sad life, eh?

"Oh, nothing much. Poppy overdose. Poppy withdrawal. Understanding emotions for the first time in my long damn life. Being alone in the world," Arion paused and tilted his head. "Well, about the last part, I've pretty much been alone for all my life anyways. I suppose it doesn't really matter anymore."


Arion's gaze drifted to the horizon once more before fixing on Wynter's face once more. "My problems are shit, right?" he laughed humorlessly.

Wynter realized that due to the curious nature of wolves he was bound to ask what had happened. But for the first time she thought she might actually be able to get through a whole conversation without crying. Her rivers had run dry so to speak. "Well, Reek left,"she stated abruptly. "Me I mean. I kinda deserved it though," she said giving a brief look down to her paws but then her eyes returned to meet his face. 

She listened as he too explained his probelm. Alone. I know what that's like. Wynter had never felt more alone than these past few days. She had virtually no friends within the pack. Which actually sucked. At least back at the sound she had a friend in Phantom so if anything ever went wrong she could have talked to her as well. Her having been mute she made a damn well good listener. 

"I see, that makes sense. You aren't alone though. I mean, you have me. At least for a little while. We can wallow in self pity together," she joked. At least for now she had some company. It was nice. She had actually felt okay for the first time in what felt like ages. She had missed the casual banter that occurred between wolves sometimes.

"Nah your problems aren't shit. Everyone has their own individual problems, but we each chose to deal with them differently." She shrugged and sat down next to Arion, she too acing the borders as her mind briefly trailed back to what she would do after she left. 

Wynter was abrupt with her answer, saying that Reek had apparently left her. He frowned at that and was about to comment about how uncharacteristic of him to do so when the golden female continued, saying that she deserved it. He canted his head then, and almost blurted out a sincere question about how these relationships could even change? Didn't love last forever? He didn't understand anything about these messed up feelings...at all. But then. Wynter had left him for quite a long time, perhaps Reek didn't like that. Still, it was pretty confusing...to him that is. And truth to be told, he hadn't really...loved anyone that way, ever and he truthfully wasn't sure he even could.

Obviously, he said none of that out loud. Instead, Arion gave her what he thought was a sympathetic glance. He might be eloquent at times, but when he was talking about these flimsy emotions, well, he might end up blurting something insulting out without even knowing that it was insulting. That was why he did not speak when Wynter spoke about her break-up. He didn't want to chase her away...yet. "Things will turn out fine in the end," he said awkwardly.

Arion was definitely not made to talk about these weird as hell feelings. God. They were so stupid at times! These messed up emotions and stuff.

"I prefer finding solutions to my problems. Though I've never dealt with a problem regarding emotions before. It's so annoying, these feelings. For me at least," the chocolate stallion lifted a shoulder in a shrug before his eyes widened. "Wait. For a little while? You're leaving the Rise?" While he might not like her (because he didn't know her), he decided he quite like her company now. Plus the fact that the Rise would only have five members if she left. "Dude seriously. If I leave as well, the pack will only have four wolves and I can't leave knowing I probably brought the Rise to it's death." He said that in a half joking manner, though his eyes showed that he was serious about that matter.

Arion's words were somewhat reassurring but they didn't change her mind on the matter of leaving. She still wanted to go. Somewhere. Anywhere but here. "Thank you," she said with a polite and sincere smile. She listened to him talk about how he found all the emotions strange it was obviously an unfamiliar concept for the chocolate wolf with the opium addiction it must really dull it down. 

"I tried to find a solution to this problem, but sometimes there isnt one. This being one of them. In away the solution for him was to leave me entirely," she frowned for a moment but then her face returned to a somewhat normal half smile/ half emotionless state.  

She was startled by his question about her leaving he picked up on it more than she thought he would. "Yea, I was thinking I might leave and start my own pack," she said looking back out over the borders. New adventures awaited her perhaps. Not here but beyond. Wynter had to do a brief double take. "Wait, you are thinking of leaving too?" she asked tilting her head.

 "There are some new wolves around, I could hear them at the borders, I don't think us leaving will lead the pack to its doom if they stick around." She stated looking at him now. "Where were you thinking of going?" she asked curiously. She wondered if he might be looking for another pack. Maybe just maybe he would join her. What a crazy idea. It would never work. Would it?

He offered her an awkward smile in reply to her 'thank you'. He found it extremely weird for him to be to be doing something like this, to be reassuring someone that everything would turn out alright in the end when he knew for a fact that most did not. He was supposed to be a factual person, not someone who would lie for the sake of others. But then he supposed that this facade would only last for this conversation, once their talk was over, he would become the normal annoying know-it-all he always was.

"Yeah well, when it's more of an emotional problem..." Arion shrugged helplessly, "I dunno, I'm probably the last wolf you should consult if it's a problem regarding emotion." He laughed mirthlessly and shook his head. He would never be able to be a Counselor simply because he was unable to, he didn't understand others, couldn't sympathise. Reek, on the other hand would probably make a brilliant good counselor when he wasn't being a complete dick.

"Maybe, I haven't really decided yet. I've made new friends here, and perhaps even found a new family. I dunno if I can leave them behind," Arion was leaning more to the stay side because he imagined his friends reaction if he left without saying anything and never came back. Besides, he had also promised Reek he would never leave him no matter what. How stupid of him to do that. But then, when had he felt the need to keep these petty promises and when had he became the ragged male's loyal puppy? It should've been the other way round!

"If I left, I'll probably wander until I die," Arion shrugged, he didn't have any solid plans if he left.

Wynter chuckled as Arion talked about it being more of an emotional problem. You don't say. "Yeah," Wynter smiled then continued "I'm not enjoying these emotions. I don't mind half of the others but these ones arent exactly wonderful to have,"she finished frowning slightly. "Okay I'm pretty sure that didn't make any sense what so ever. But hey, not much I say does these days. Know what I mean?" Wynter was killing herself on the inside. She wasn't making sense to anyone, even herself. "Ill shut up now," she stated. 

She nodded as Arion talked about how he wasn't sure he was leaving yet. He had made new friends and that was great. Unfortunately for Wynter, all the potential friends had left or uh yeah. Okay well not all of them, she could try and make friends with Gunnar or Oliver. Arion she already considered a friend. 

"Wait, you wouldn't join another pack?" she asked tilting her head slightly. Spending the rest of your life as a lone wolf didn't seem all that appealing to Wynter but i guess it depended on the wolf. 

Uh awks xD this totally isnt my best post sorry. Im sidetracked. Haha. I tried. 

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Arion made a face as Wynter said she didn't mind half the other emotions but the ones she currently had weren't exactly wonderful. "I dunno," he replied with a slight birdlike cant of his head. "The majority of emotions seems like a waste of time to me," he hadn't met anyone like him in these wilds. In fact, the only wolf he had ever met that seemed to be similar to himself to a certain extent was his older brother Krios. Other than that, everybody seemed to embrace emotions. Queer.

"Good," Arion teased when Wynter said she would shut up now, though his stoic facade drifted back onto his battle hardened features when the golden she-wolf inquired on why he wouldn't join another pack. "I might join other packs, but I won't stay long. I wouldn't want to make any permanent ties...makes things harder in the end, ya know?" Probably not, nobody understood how his complex mind worked here in Teekon Wilds.

"Anyways, gotta go. Perhaps I'll see you off when you leave." With another smile, Arion turned and made his way to the forest where he would drift into a pensive mood as he hunted.