Blacktail Deer Plateau people let me tell ya bout my best friend

for @Engel. obvs set before Dawn freakin impales herself on a stick

counting birds.

when aditya was younger, his mind had raced like no other. back and forth, here and there, hopping along and skipping from one subject to the next. it had affected him in various ways: he wasn't as sharp a hunter as he was back then, and his speech tended to be more obnoxious than his manner would suggest.

then, one day, an old man by the name of cyrus crossed his path and taught him one of the most important lessons he'd ever receive: how to count birds. in other words. . .how to relax.

aditya was restless lately. his mind wandered all too much. dawn was away doing her own thing, which was fine, except he felt she was slowly slipping away from him--as so many had--and was feeling the loneliness creep up on him. his heart raced often with terrible thoughts.

so, today, the now-older agouti male sat on the edge of morningside's territory, looking toward the ocean, and counted the sea birds that flew in the distance, their sleek, slim shadows flitting across the sky. one. . .two. .three four fivesixseveneightni-- well, even if they were too many to count. . .he would just let the numbers slip aimlessly through his head and breath. pick it up once more. one. . .two. . .

and his mind was calm.

Engel had headed out toward the edge as well, to look at the ocean near Morningside. That's when he spotted Adi, who he starting to see like a brother. "Adi! Come to see the sea as well, have you?" he asked, playfully patting his back with his paws. Then he parked his behind right beside Adi. "You know, most wolves I come across, they don't very much like the sea. But that's cause they live so far inland."

thirtytwothirtythreethirtyfourthirt--

a soft but sharp blow to his pack shook him out of his trance, and he wheeled in a quarter-circle, startled and snarling. he shut his jaws with an audible snap as he found engel's orange eyes blinking back at him, set in a happy face.

"engel, my god," he breathed, shaking his head and smiling ruefully. "don't sneak up on me like that. it's gonna kill you. . .or me." his heart was racing with adrenaline. "then again, perhaps i deserve it for sneaking off."

aditya hadn't heard what engel said, so he remained silent, the older man's question left unanswered. instead, he remarked, "the sea looks beautiful, for a winter's day"--unintentionally leading back to the topic engel wanted to discuss in the first place.

Engel retracted his head back a bit from the snarling jaws of Aditya, a side he had not seen. It was replaced by a smile soon. "Well, something you should know bout me, Adi...you should never turn your back. Unless you want a surprise" he said with a hinting smile. 

He nodded slowly in agreement. "Imagine if it was all frozen over...we could cross to almost anywhere, couldn't we?" To far distant lands, seeking new places. New things, and new...other things. "What were you doing, anyway? Didn't look like you were just looking at the water."

he rolled his eyes at engel's quip, casting him a brief bland glance sideways--he was starting to pick up the gesture from grayday and his daughters--before resuming his ocean viewing.

"it never freezes, though," adi said, though he suspected engel knew that already. "it could get colder than anything and still not freeze." but it was a fanciful idea. his own ancestral home lay across that sea. what would it be like to get there? to speak their language, to meet distant relatives?

his mouth twitches in a smile at engel's question. "i was, erm, counting birds," aditya responded. "i know, it sounds silly. but it's a great way to keep your mind calm, when it's racing."

Engel laughed to himself at Adi's roll of the eyes. "You've been around Day too much if you are starting to roll your eyes at me" he remarked, turning his smiling face to the water. Then he raised a brow after turning back to Aditya. 

"Birds? No, that's not weird at all." He tried to hide an possible sarcasm, though he did find it odd. "I mean, usually when I count things like that, it's to put me to sleep."

he shrugged, gaze taking in the v-shaped formation of birds flying south. rather late for that, he remarked to himself, giving a brief shudder as the cold hit him anew. "it's something like that," aditya murmured. "i've been told true peace is a deep, dreamless sleep."

aditya looked over to engel. "it's a little weird," he said, grinning despite himself. "but it's something i do. i learned it a long time ago and never got out of the habit."

he leaned forward a bit, closing his eyes as he inhaled the salt sea air, felt the icy breeze against his face. "i miss the sea," adi said, a bit longingly. "when spring arrives, i'll spend more time on the coast. scout, find new friends, recruit. i love the sea."

Engel was very curious as to what exactly Aditya meant, but it sure did sound deep. Engel was a bit bewildered as to what he could have meant by that. "Well, only a little...but not all weird. Plus, I have plenty of habits myself" he replied. One of them, his constant flirting. 

"Think I can come along? I like adventuring very much, it is nice to see new things" he said. plus, he wondered what new wolves he could find to flirt with. He knew he could never flirt with Aditya, he saw him too much as a friend as this point. At least, not on purpose.

he smiled as engel spoke. the man was obviously more than willing to go; the ability to take him away from the pack was in doubt, but aditya thought grayday might be okay with losing two members for a week or so in the springtime. not so, in winter, but when the weather grew warmer. . .

"sure, why not?" aditya said mildly. "i'll have to get the 'okay' from grayday. . .but in any case, it won't be a terribly long trip. not more than a week or so."

thinking of engel's words, he continued. "i like adventuring quite a lot, myself. how was the trip to easthollow? i haven't been north of the mountains, yet." the closest he had gotten was their short trip to northstar vale.

Engel thought for sure that Day would let him go, since he thought that Grayday could use some time away from Engel. They hadn't had the best interactions. "It was...quite boring, actually. Didn't really meet any interesting faces" he said. Well, except for that mysterious Howl...and the female he joined in song with.

he snorted at engel's non-answer. "come on, yaar," he laughed, remembering the time easy had pressed him on his adventures with pema and dawn. "it must have been at least some fun. tell me some stories. what did you see? who did you meet?"

he was, in fact, curious. he wouldn't be able to take a journey like that for a while to come, when the snow started to melt. the pack needed him here, to patrol the borders and to hunt. there was nothing really stopping him from going, save dawn and her father's disapproval--something he wasn't keen on earning anytime soon.

"how was easthollow?" he gave engel one more question, flicking his ear as he fell silent, waiting for his friend's response.

Engel had to think on it, then recalled the wolf that said he had been from here. "Met a wolf named Howl. Said he was from here, and that he and Day go wayyy back." At least, he thought he said that. Or something along those lines. "Which reminds me, I need to ask Day something...but I can leave that for another time...Anyway besides that, Easthollow wasn't that fun...especially since me and Day had to sleep next to each other." He forgot to mention the female he sang with, but that did not come to mind then. 

"What about you? Boring without me around?" he asked, unknowingly fluttering his eyelids before he could stop himself, then quickly turning away. That was certainly something he had not meant to do.

"ah, yeah, i've heard of howl," aditya remarked. "he's the one who recruited pema here, or so she told me. left just before i arrived." the rest of engel's story was unimpressive; he shook it off, not really having the energy to press for more details.

but he laughed at engel's remark, especially the strange motion he made with his eyelids. he looked more like a frightened doe than anything else--adi had no clue what he was going for, there. "very boring," he chuckled. "just day-by-day. trying to keep warm." he shuddered, a blast of winter wind hitting him as he spoke. the sooner spring came, the better.

there was one thing that had happened, which was aditya's pursuit of the rogue female. but only dawn--and moonspear's alpha female--knew about that, and adi wasn't keen on telling grayday anytime soon. engel spent a fair amount of time around morningside's leader--it would be even worse, coming from a secondary source.

he kept his mouth shut.

Engel took this information, and wondered if Pema would know anything about this Howl. Maybe even tell him about the story that Howl could not. He laughed along with Aditya, not realising he was laughing at the strange eye motion more than anything else. "Yes, trying to keep warm over there...did I ever tell you what happened between me and Grayday? Cause, in Easthollow, let's just say it made things very awkward for me..." He was starting to feel like he could tell Aditya anything. Almost anything, at least.

as the rogue woman was completely left behind, both in life and in the conversation, aditya's eyebrows raised at engel's remark regarding grayday. awkward? dear god, what had he done, now?

"i suppose you've got to tell me, now," adi chuckled, with an exaggerated sigh. "what happened with grayday?"

on a side note, he hoped they had been able to make contact with the easthollow boy's parents. as he grew up, aditya started to think like a parent. it wouldn't fully kick in until he was a father, but he thought often, with a pang, what burr's parents must have been feeling, before morningside sent word.

Engel looked ahead out to the sea from Adi, and started. "Well, before we left, we had a bit of a spar. And, something may have happened, gotten heated, and then I may have gotten a bit stony down there" he said, glancing down to below, between his legs. He couldn't believe he was actually getting flustered over this. "And...it hasn't left my mind since..."

the story started relatively normal, and went downhill from there. aditya sat in stunned silence for a long moment, not knowing how to react. finally, a guffaw slipped from his lips, and he dipped his head suddenly, quelling any other giggles that might emerge.

"i. . .wow," adi said, lifting his muzzle to face engel with affected calm. he was barely holding it together. "i mean, he is a very handsome man. if you're into that."

adi wasn't. well, actually, he wasn't quite sure. there was that one friend, down south, when he was a little older than a yearling. orion, was that the name? some name of some god, anyway, he had looked like a god, and they hadn't done anything, but he sure had been handsome. . .

he shoved away his own borderline homoerotic thoughts, instead adding, his tone thick with mock reproach, "and it's not even mating season yet, engel!"

Engel's eyes went from embarassed, to little glaring slits at Aditya, but he couldn't help the amused smirk across his muzzle. He playful swiped at him with a paw. "And what, you haven't been like that with someone? I mean, he's handsome, he knows how to take charge, he's..." Engel couldn't even finish. Then he thought to that moment he had with Day's brother, but he swore not to speak of that.

"He didn't take it well..." he said after Aditya had finished with his laughing. "I don't think Day looks at me in a bright light anymore, but rather a dim one."

The mention of mating season got an innapropriate laugh out of him. "Oh, don't get me started. That's gonna be a hard time for me." When he smelled heats, it got him crazy for both males and females. He remembered the last time he was in a pack. He pushed very hard to just get it over and done with with anyone.

adi thought of telling him of orion, but stopped just short, an amused smile playing across his muzzle. better not tell tales of his own lest engel suddenly come on to him as well. not that it was such a terrible thing--but he wasn't interested. not in that, from engel, anyway.

"well, yeah, of course," he answered nonchalantly. he shrugged as engel mentioned grayday. "he might warm back up to you. if you don't start a wrestling match with him again," adi added, his voice teasing as he gave the slim guy a jocular shove sideways.

he padded forward a few steps, then turned to face engel, the words of the man's last sentiment sinking in. he nodded gravely. "you and me both," he said quietly. "dawn is. . .well, she's not old enough, yet. not by the spring."

his tone was hollow, almost bereft. aditya did not regret chasing after the young woman--she held his heart, now--but oh, if she could have been born a couple of seasons earlier! he wanted kids, a family--but before that, he wanted her, so badly it kept him up some nights.

Engel laughed at that. He would just have to stay out of sparring matches with Day. Which was easier said that done. "Yes, just need to stay away from them in general. I'm getting old...though I do like to stretch my muscles from time to time" he said, sending back his own grin in response to the shove. 

"Hey, she loves you still, right? If she loves you, it'll be worth the wait. I can promise you that." Speaking of love, he could remember the last time he had loved, and his expression turned to an upside down smile essentially. "Yes, it may be hard to wait. But it is worth the wait. And before you know it, little Dawn's and Aditya's will be running around...poor Grandad Day may have toruble with that though."

aditya thought of making a quip about exactly which muscles engel enjoyed stretching, but held his tongue, merely smirking in response. his smile faded, though, when engel's did, replaced by a look of concern.

"hey, yaar, you okay?" he said softly. "anything you want to get off your chest?"

he said nothing in response to the advice engel had given, nodding instead. he knew it would be worth the wait. . .but what an agonizingly long wait it would be. four seasons!

Engel didn't catch the smirk, but he did catch his works. Putting on a smile that would have been obviously false, he shrugged. "Just reminiscing, good old times and all that." Yes, indeed some of the old times were good. Some, not so much. "How is Dawn, if you don't mind me asking? I've met her once." And flirted, but he dare not mention that.

good old times, my arse, adi thought. the frown on engel's face had suggested otherwise. but he didn't argue--it was obviously a painful memory for the older man, and he didn't want to bring up anything his friend didn't want to talk about.

"only once?" aditya asked, puzzled. obviously dawn had been more scarce than he thought. "would have thought you'd run into her a few times by now." then again, i thought i'd be seeing her more often, too. the closest they had ever been was on the scouting trip. perhaps they could take another, in the spring.

that romantic thought filled aditya with warmth, and he smiled. "she's fine, i think," he said. "we've both been busy."

"Well yes, but only really talked to her once...told her a poem she seemed to like, I can teach it to you if you want." Who knows, perhaps it could impress her. At least, he thought she enjoyed the poem. "Might be able to use it when dawn comes, and not her. I mean the time of day dawn."

"Busy, huh? You been scouting more?" He'd forgotten about Adi's offer to scout last time, when he'd dared Engel to sing. And he didn't recall it here, to ask about it.

aditya closed his eyes, blowing a small stream of air through his closed lips in exaggerated patience. "you told my mate a poem?" he muttered. his eyes opened, golden and shrewd as they fixed once more on engel. "how sweet."

he shrugged, his face relaxing once more into an easy smile. "sure, you can teach it to me," adi said warmly. "though i've not had much trouble in the dawn department. time of day or otherwise."

he was growing tired of staring at the rolling sea, and turned, hoping to go back into the heart of morningside's territory. he flicked his banner tail for engel to follow. "yeah, i've been staying busy," he said over his shoulder, thinking of his foray to moonspear. "nothing too wild, though."

adi stopped suddenly, grinning conspiratorally at engel. "say," he began, "i have something to show you." without a warning, he took off at a brisk trot, paws kicking up snow. "follow me."

 

last post. i have no idea what he's going to show engel, i'm just uninspired lmao