Phoenix Maplewood Fade into you

@Desna Sorry it took a while, I got twenty-questions on what RP-ing is from the 9-year-old when he saw me writing. You have been dubbed "Emily's nice friend from the internet who helps her write stories" xD !

Mason had slept nestled in a snowdrift, hollowed out by his own fair paws. He had intended to set off at first light and head for home, after an early night. But little by little the time had slipped by like sand through an hourglass and no sleep had graced Mason's senses. His thoughts kept drifting to poor Desna, who had lost her mother at such a tender age. He imagined again how he would feel if he had lost his father. It hurt his heart to think about. He had shed a few tears, not for his own mother, but for those who had lost parents when they were old enough to fully comprehend it. Sleep had finally washed over his exhausted body in the early hours of the next day, but he had awoken with the first twinkling of dawn.
 
Mason lifted himself from his warm hollow, and shook out his long wispy fur to loose the snow that had settled upon him overnight. He stretched his long body out, short legs reaching to each side in a bid to remove the ache of travelling from his muscles. He knew he had to head home, but he needed to see her first. He needed to tell her how sorry he was. He needed her to know she wasn't alone. He knew she had a sister but that wasn't enough. Her world had shattered, but her sister's had too. They both needed someone. Mason didn't know her sister, but he felt he knew Desna. He knew her enough to try and help heal the hole in her heart.
 
Mason turned his back on his home for one more day. His short legs carried him across the snow, back towards Desna's home instead, towards her. This time he lingered far too near to the borders. He lifted his head and pointed his muzzle towards the dawn-streaking sky. A call poured forth from his chest, lifting into the air, swirling in the morning mist and winging its way towards her beautiful dark ears. Mason cut the note short after a few long seconds. And then he stood waiting, his posture confident, his mud-tipped ears cupped towards the direction that he was sure she would appear from. His fire-filled eyes, set wide in his pale face, watched for the movement that signalled her approach.
 
It didn't even cross his mind that she might not come to find him.

Not to worry just got back from lacrosse. Haha that is amazing! I think Mason takes Scarlett's death way dramatic than Desna does xD might have some typos because I am so tired haha.

Desna often slept outside, ever since they were moved to the rendezvous site as a child she had not been in a den sleeping. She had been in her mother's den, or well, technically the alpha den, while she was ill. Now she was curled up against the roots of a tree. She almost looked like a dark rock that was nestled against the tree with snow littering around it. Overnight she had been covered too by the snow, so much even that she had the feeling she was in a snow like den. Most of snow that was on the branches had fallen down. Desna didn't mind, she had a thick coat that would protect her.

The female actually woke up at the sound of the howl. She lifted her head and listened, taking a few seconds for her to realize that it was actually for her. Desna pushed herself in a sitting position. She was still a bit sleepy but the caller sounded a bit like Mason. She had liked the young man quite a lot. Once she pushed herself from her feet she shook the snow off her dark coat, along with a good yawn. The teenager then set out for the borders, curious who was calling. She did not really expect Mason to be there since he lived so far away but once she reached her destination she saw the pale wolf with the dark ears and cute freckles.

Desna looked surprised for a moment before approaching him. She was not sure how to greet him. A lick would maybe be too much... A nudge? She stopped before him. "Hi Mason," she greeted, tail wagging. "I didn't expect you to be here! I was thinking of coming to you soon actually!," she spoke to him. To her she didn't know that Mason had heard about her mother. Desna kind of didn't want to think about it. It was done, she would have to go on.

ROFL he is a drama-king, that’s why
 
There she came, like an angel of darkness moving amongst the snow. The soft white blanket seemed paler in comparison to her graceful figure cutting a path towards him. Mason’s eyes softened and he smiled, waiting for her to reach him. His confidence began to be disturbed by the pattering on his heart, and a funny somersault of his stomach. Holy crap, he hadn’t felt this for a while. Mason attempted to flatten the feeling with his sorrow over her loss of a mother. Desna, on the other hand, looked positively chipper.
 
Mason had a fleeting incredulous thought – does she not know? – before he realised that was stupid. Of course she knew.
 
Mason attempted to quash his pleasure at the thought of her coming to see him – he didn’t manage and his smile widened. He gazed across the contours of her pretty face and took a moment to respond. “Desna,” he began, sincerity and warmth pouring from his mouth, “I wanted to come and check on you… I've been worried about you.”
 
He felt the best way to approach this was feign ignorance of the actual death but instead try to explain his feelings for her loss through a different route. This would then leave her open to ‘tell him’ if she wished. If not, he would not mention his meeting with Kael, and would hopefully take his knowledge to the grave.

Desna watched the young man smile back at her. His golden eyes seemed to glint like gold. Desna kept a smile on her face when Mason spoke that he wanted to come and see her. But it feel a bit when he said he was worried about her. The dark colored girl let her face fall into a bit of a frown. "Why would you be worried about me?," she asked, sounding curious. "I can take care of myself! I'm almost a hunter," she returned, not getting that his worry was about her losing her mother. She though he was worried that she wouldn't survive without him and well that was a bit drastic because she was quite independent.

She briefly wondered if Mason took his caregiver too literally. But then her mind starting thinking and she realized that she might have taken his words the wrong way. "Oh, but you mean with my mother and all that? Oh.. um yeah," she spoke her happy face falling away making room for a sad one. She looked at her paws for a moment, head dipping down a bit. "She died. It hurts but I am trying not to think about it," she spoke to the male and let out a soft shrug. She missed her a lot, but focussing on hunting helped. Plus it also helped for Desna to think that she wasn't in pain. She didn't want to cry in front of Mason though, she wanted to be tougher than that.

She didn’t quite catch onto the correct meaning of his words at first; Desna’s pretty face was overcome with a furrowed brown and cautious look in her eyes. Mason felt his confidence trip over and stumble when she reiterated she could look after herself – he hadn’t meant to offend!
 
Just as he was about to speak and explain himself, she managed to grasp his meaning. Mason had opened his mouth to speak, but now closed it again when she continued onwards, her head drooping as she admitted the thing which must be so hard for her to say. Mason felt his heart thump with sympathy, and he closed the distance between them with two quick steps.
 
The boy gently rested his nose into her ruff. The fur was silky soft, like shadows woven into her body. Her scent overcame him, flooding into his mind. Mason kept his muzzle there, selfishly enjoying the moment even whilst knowing it was her obvious pain that had caused it. “Oh Desna, I’m sorry for bringing it up.” Mason breathed against her fur, hoping she would not move, because he wanted to keep this contact for as long as possible. “She’s at peace now, remember.” He certainly remembered their conversation and the insights she had given him into his goal as a caregiver.

Desna had not expected for Mason to come in so close. She tenses lightly when he came close to her neck, knowing he could grab her easily but soon she realized he meant well. Of course he meant well. What was she even thinking? Desna took his comfort to heart. "I know that," she spoke in return to Mason. "And it is okay for you to bring it up. I will have to live with the fact that my mother won't be around. It is okay, Mason. Truly. I am sad now but I am more sad about the fact I can't see her anymore than the fact that I am unhappy. I am not. I am glad she passed away. As horrible as that might sound."

She stepped back a bit, not realizing that Mason had been sniffing her out. She was not yet the cuddly type, maybe she would never be the cuddly type. The girl's hazel eyes fell on him. "Mason you're over the border!," she quipped, gasping softly. He wouldn't want to get him in trouble so she crossed it. It was literally a meter that he crossed it but Desna rather not have him in trouble. Saena was very protective and she would feel guilty if Mason gotten hurt because of her. "Isn't your place super far away? You are back here again? Are you okay? Can I hunt a meal for you?," she asked. She kind of wanted him to show her hunting skills.

Mason felt her tense. He didn’t know what to do. Had he overstepped a mark? Maybe he was treating her with too much familiarity. He often did this, because he wore his heart on his sleeve. Everyone was a friend within minutes. He had fallen head over heels for Zaria within a day. He needed to toughen his emotions up.
 
Mason was saved by Desna removing herself from the semi-embrace. Mason looked down at what she classed as ‘the border’. It was nothing other than another strip of land that smelled similar to the parts nearby. He understood etiquette, and he hadn’t meant to overstep a mark (for the second time!) by being too close to her lands. If he was with her, would she not class herself as an escort? Mason he escorted strangers into his pack to talk to his Dad about recruitment. Maybe her pack hated outsiders and didn’t accept newcomers.
 
“Er sorry…” Mason backed off a goodly few steps whilst she spoke again. She asked him a barrage of questions and for the first time in his life, Mason felt like the less talkative one in the conversation. He faltered to answer them all for her: “It’s a while away, yeah… I’m fine, um… I’m a bit hungry if you could find me somethin’.” Mason blinked his wide-set eyes in mild confusion and looked behind him. He didn’t want to step across her border again so he supposed they would have to go that way.

Desna started to trot away from the Maplewood borders. Her tail going a bit more up. Now she was on her own, so she would take the lead. Her tail lifting along with her head. "This way then!," she spoke, not giving Mason much room for arguments. Her ear turning towards the white male, to listen if he was there. He hadn't answered much of her questions. But she could conclude that Mason's home was quite far away. She wondered what he had been doing here. Had he been only here for her? Desna let out a soft smile as she looked at him. "We could hunt together?," she offered to him.

The girl pushed her nose closer to the ground, trying to find some tracks and scents that might lead her to a prey species. "So is caregiving the only thing you aspire in?," she questioned, trying to make the conversation with the young male. She was interested to know more about him. "I really like hunting. It is so exciting!," she quipped.

Mason followed without question, his eyes fixed on her… tail. Although she set off at a jaunty pace with little room for argument, she did add that she would like them to hunt together. Mason smiled. “I’d like that… I need the practice, I’m not very good” he admitted with a bit of dejection in his voice. He also wasn’t particularly interested in hunting, but she seemed to enjoy it, so he pushed himself to pick up his pace.
 
His tail waved behind him, his plush yet sparse fur bouncing gently on the wind created by their movements. His three muddy-socked paws began to blend into the ground as sheltering trees meant some patches of earth were not covered in snow. Soon spring would come, he hoped.
 
Mason moved forwards until he was in line with Desna, his tail lower than hers and some distance from her shoulder lest she shrug off his touch again. “So what shall we aim for?”

Desna looked at Mason with a surprise. "But if you are not good at hunting how will you have enough strength to make such long travels? I am sure you are jus being modest. You can be proud of yourself, you know? It isn't a crime. I learned this from my mother seeing that she was never really proud of herself while she created such nice things. So a little bit of pride is never wrong. At least in my opinion," the girl stated. Desna was maturing greatly each day now she was fully on her own. Not having her mother around actually made her great at not acting like a child anymore. Since her mother was slightly smothering her.

Desna trotted further with her nose down. "I was thinking of some rabbits or a raccoon seeing that you are hungry. One of the two that come on our path," she spoke to him. She instantly changed her direction to that more to the right. She ended up by some droppings of a hare, inhaling sharply once before locking on the scent. They were out of the forest, and hares often stayed in fields instead of forests. "Hare good for you?," she asked with a smile.

Mason gazed at her with some confusion and embarrassment. It was nice that she would say such kind things to him. The truth was he was bedraggled and starving. He had barely caught a rabbit since he had left home, he had simply left straight after a hunt to enable him a few days’ travelling fat. “I’m not very good, really, I just got a sicky rabbit or I’d have gone home by now..” Mason protested softly, not wanting to banish the kind images she had of his hunting prowess, but not wanting to lie either.

He watched her carefully as she focussed on her task. It appeared she had located something and Mason followed her. He too caught the scent of something and when she queried it with him, Mason nodded, white fur bobbing in time with his movements. “Yeah! Do you think we can find it before it disappears?” Mason whispered enthusiastically, his tail wagging. His stomach had suddenly let out a pang with all this talk of fresh meat. He waited to follow Desna’s lead – she was the hunter after all.

Desna looked at him with a bit of a surprise. He would need to learn how to hunt if he wanted to scout further than a few days travel. Maybe the boy was very tied to his home and didn't want to have that kind of range. Desna however thought it would be smart for him to at least pick up a few hunting tips. "You should at least practice so you won't starve being on the road," she commented. The girl then locked on the scent, seeing that Mason was clearly hungry. She wasn't expecting much from him now, but that was okay, she wanted to provide for him. She could also practice her hunting skill more.

The girl went lower to the ground, expecting Mason to follow her. The youngster crawled forward and then spotted the hare, trying to graze under the layer of snow. Desna kept her hazel eyes on the rabbit thinking of a good way to approach it. She then looked at Mason. "Okay crawl to the other side and when I bark charge forward, it will probably want to run to this bush but then my jaws will be there," she explained to him.

OMG! I wrote this post a week ago and never actually posted it, so so sorry!
 
Mason looked at her with amazement. She was right – how could he become a Scout if he couldn’t hunt properly? A bit panicked now, Mason blurted “Good job you’re here to teach me” before realising that sounded bad – like he had only come for the hunting lesson. He had actually come to gaze on her fair visage but he wasn’t sure she really liked him in that way. Like… a boyfriend. After all she didn’t seem to like his wolfish hug.
 
Mason followed suit and pressed himself lower to the ground. He listened to her words with care and interest, one ear flicking to face her and one facing the future prey. He understood that he was the flusher and she was the killer. That was fine by him; he would watch how she completed the deal.
 
Mason nodded, scared to say anything and startle the hare. He crawled carefully and as silently as he could, making a large arcing loop around the hare, until he was almost behind it. He hovered on the spot, staring intensely at his potential food, saliva welling in his mouth. But he sensibly waited for Desna to bark in readiness.

Not to worry! <3

The girl didn't really think that Mason couldn't hunt. She had the feeling he was modest plus she liked hunting so much that she wanted to share it with this male. She found it a good way to create a bond seeing that they would have to work together if they were ever going to catch a meal. Desna wasn't too worried. She knew that of she was nervous the hunt could go wrong quicker. Once Mason was in place and settled she let out an soft bark. The hare was instantly tense and listened to its surroundings. Mason would only need to startle it and the hare would be spooked.

Once the hare did jump in her direction Densa jumpen forward. Almost too enthousiastically. She grabbed the hare's side and pressed it down as it struggled Desna quickly changed her location of the bite to that of the hare's neck. She held it down till it was killed and the presented it to Mason.

Desna barked, and Mason bounded towards it. Its tense gaze shot his way, and it immediately ran in the other direction, right towards Desna as planned. Mason’s fiery eyes watched Desna grabbed it with a deft bite and kept her pressure on until the creature ceased its writhing. Mason grinned and walked towards her. She turned to give it to Mason.
 
Hungry, the teen took it and ripped off a hearty mouthful. He then nudged the rest of the bloody lump back towards Desna with his white paw as he was chewing. “Choo haff some?” he sprayed through a mouthful. Something as natural as eating always caused you to let your guard down, and he felt better than he had done in days to have a warm meal.

Desna shook her head when Mason offered her a piece of meat. "It is all yours Mason. You will need it the most," she spoke with a smile and then laid down across from him, watching him eat. She liked that she had someone to provide for, it made hunting so much more exciting when a meal had to be caught. "Seeing you enjoy it is enough for me," she smiled.

Desna wondered how long the young male would stick around or if he had to travel back soon. She liked to hang out with wolves of her kind. Her sisters left her and there weren't a lot of other younger pups around. Not that she knew of anyways.

Sorry I’ve been mega busy lately – I’ll wrap this one up so we can focus on the new one, hope that’s ok!
 
Desna kindly offered him the entire meal. Mason debated arguing, but decided it tasted too good and he was too hungry to be chivalrous right now. ‘Virtue’ eat your heart out. Plus, he surmised, Desna was close to her packlands and she could pop to a cache for food. Assuming they had managed okay without her mother. Perhaps without her to tend to, they pack would actually be more self-sufficient. Mason inwardly chastised himself for being too cold about the subject. All of this whilst he ate his meal.
 
When he had finished he heaved a sigh and gazed at her pretty face for a while. Then he shook himself off. “Look Desna, thank you so much… but I really better get back now. It’s gonna take me days. But it was great to see you again.” A warm, soft smile graced his features. “I’d like to do it again soon.”
 
And after bidding her his goodbyes, Mason gave her one last look to memorise the soft folds of her fur, and then he loped away, belly full and feeling giddy.

Of course that is okay!

Desna watched Mason eat. It felt good for her that she was able to provide for him and that he at least wouldn't go hungry on his trip back. Desna pushed herself to her feet, having laid down while Mason ate. The young female flickered her tail and quirked up her lips. "You're always welcome Mason," she spoke to him. "I might even come and see you!," she smiled. Because she had been planning that all along. She would go and see her father and then she would travel to STM. That was what she was going to do.

Desna watched the pale male leave. She was sad to see him go but she was more than understanding about the fact that he had to travel back. She knew she would see him again, so that was what calmed her down. She went back into Phoenix territory, knowing that she was another experience richer.

- end -