Phantom Hollow while you runnin through the banners [m]

forward dated to the 5th 
@Mal

As much as he wished to, Cupid could not linger in the wilds anylonger. It had been one, almost two weeks since he'd been absent from the vale. Wait any longer and he'd probably get an earful when he returned, or worse. 

He had to get back as soon as possible and yet he still tread slowly. He still passed by those familiar slopes, walking farther and farther. There was something that kept him away from Courtfall, this burning feeling warmed his cheeks and scorched his heart. Maybe it was sickness or guilt or fear. Cupid hadn't the slightest clue. It was just odd and he figured keeping away from the mountains would fix it.

I should hunt, he thought as he stepped into a desolate forest. If it was guilt that plagued him this should make him feel better. After all he had left the mountains with the pretense that'd he return with food. Cupid kept low and he slowly moved about the hollow.

I don't even know why this post is this many words, go figure.

Though things weren't as bad as they were weeks ago, that didn't mean that Mal didn't wander some times to go hunting.  The hollow looked different in winter, but it seemed like the change of seasons and the return of prey did nothing to bring it back to life.  It was still too quiet, just whiter than it used to be.  Mal wasn't finding anything so far, but he'd wander a little longer before turning back home and scratching this forest off the list of places to visit for a few months.  It just wasn't worth the effort.

The thing about this place was that its relative deadness made it easier to spot something that was moving, something that made noise, was far easier to spot.  Such was the case with the shadow in the mists a ways ahead, moving away from him -- curious, he moved to catch up.  At the very least he should get close enough to know who prowled through here so he could warn his wolves if necessary.  

It didn't take long for him to cross her previous trail (so he assumed), she at least wasn't one of the murderous trio, and didn't seem to carry a familiar pack scent.  Safe to talk to, probably?  Yeah.  You know what, that sounds good actually.  He took a slightly hurried pace to start before realizing that wouldn't make him look like a particularly cool dude, he slowed to a comfortable trot and followed the footsteps in the snow.

The mists melted before him -- the dark wolf was hunting, looked like, so Mal slowed to a halt, and called out relatively quietly, Anything out there?  Mal's gaze was inquisitive, and a slow wag of his tail to point out he wasn't here to try and steal stuff if there was any.  Nah, he was just here to find out who this was -- a perfectly normal adventure.

Time ticked by at a painfully slow rate. Eventually Cupid came to terms with the fact that this place was truly empty and he was stupid for thinking there would be anything here in the first place. Despite this, he continued the search for something. Anything. He’d grown desperate at this point. This burning guilt was getting unbearable. He just needed to catch something, then he'd return to Courtfall and everything would be normal. It had to be.

Cupid was too caught up in the task to notice the stranger approach. His voice caused him to stumble back in surprise. Hey, what the hell.. He wanted to be irate (Cupid never took kindly to wolves who randomly bumped into him) but his voice was nothing but a whisper.

He took a moment to look over the stranger. It was hard to focus on one thing about him. He was an oddity; splotches on every inch of his body with bi colored eyes to match. 

Why am I still staring? Cupid shook his head and desperately tried to think of something to talk about. The stranger said something before... what was it? The words were long forgotten by now. What did you say?

Well okay, oops.  That wasn't the result he was expecting -- he was pointedly trying to avoid that in fact.  Oh well.  He bowed his head, ears back for a moment in apology while trying absolutely to stifle a snicker.  But well, he'd tried to prevent that all.  Couldn't really have done more as far as Mal knew.

His brain was now fumbling through a few sub-surface mixed messages, so about all he could think of doing was the normal thing he did when he had no clue -- try to be cool.  He could work out the details later when he had time to think about.  So he'd be cool -- he'd raise his head again, smirk a little (it had been a little funny, c'mon), and generally try to give off the aura of a dude who totally had all his ducks in a row.

There was that moment of silence, and part way through that beat Mal started forward to a more normal conversational volume.  Speaking of, if there was something around, it was probably gone now so he spoke at a much more normal volume.  Just asked if you'd found something.  I haven't had much luck here before, was his reply.  It even sounded kind a pretty good answer to Mal -- he'd think about it later maybe, improve on it a little.

He seemed way more cool about the situation than Cupid was. It only made him feel a little more awkward about the whole thing. What was going on? This was just like any old conversation he got himself into back when he was a rogue. It'd be brief and he'd end up leaving as soon as he came. He should leave now. There was nothing of interest here, just a sea of snow and a stranger he should care less about. But he didn't move an inch.

Oh, no I haven't either. He paused and scanned the area. Just get outta here Cupid. There's nothing. His eyes returned for he male and he blurted, We could look together. What?! Why did he say that? It didn't make any sense and he was sure of it. There was nothing that separated this place from any other abbandoned land. Even if prey had returned to the wilds, what would want to live here? He should've kept his mouth shut, but it was too late to go back now. Who knows, maybe our luck will change.

Mal of course had no idea what he was doing.  He seemed to be making good choices... Kinda.  Why he was trying? Dunno.  Probably practice, that's the ticket.  The spotted disaster had questions, too, but they all sounded dumb, so he was just gonna not ask them.  Put 'em on the figure it out later train, maybe it wouldn't matter in the end.

But at the offer of working together, Mal's ears perked, Sure! Keep going the way you were I guess?  Mal took a couple of quick steps forward so they were sort of side by side -- assuming he didn't step away or anything -- watching for any sort of affirmation that it was a good idea.  Again his tail wagged, but his glance lingered before he finally dragged his attention forward to the empty space before him and sniffed for clues.  Right now, nothing but the trees and his new friend here.  Whoever... They were?  Again, mixed messages.  That'd be embarrassing as hell to ask, he thought, so avoided it entirely.  Really wasn't important, they were just gonna go hunt or uh.. Something.  Thinking about it too much nibbled at the edges of his facade -- be cool, Mal.  Just get a name, don't worry about the rest.  He looked over again, I'm Mal, by the way.  That didn't seem as smooth as he was hoping for, but whatever, intros were kinda awkward.

He was waiting for a "no", or perhaps hoping for it. Cupid's mind and will were in two places right now: one wished to leave and the other wanted to stay. Denial would be a good excuse for departure, because why linger any longer if the stranger wasn't here? But that lead to another question: why did he even matter?

Well none of it mattered anyways. The stranger agreed to his surprise. It's funny really, one moment Cupid wanted him to go but he felt.. happy?.. as soon as he said yes. 

And the shock didn't end there. A flush of heat coursed through his body as soon as the man stepped closer. It wasn't like anything he'd ever felt before. His embarrassment peaked then. Uh, yeah, he whispered. He couldn't even look in the stranger's direction. He just had to be ill. Cupid was flustered and that was extremely odd. No one has ever made him feel like this before.

Ok, he needed to stop being so caught up in his feelings. They were here to hunt and that was it. The sooner they could get something the sooner he could leave, then he'd stop feeling so strange. Cupid stuck behind him, stopping to sniff anything in their path. His tail twitched when the stranger offered his name. Mal. Cupid repeated it over and over in his mind. Again, really weird. Mine's Cupid, he replied in a hushed tone.

He picked up the pace, taking a spot in front. Onward he went without looking back. He didn't want to. He would just have to assume Mal was close behind. There was no notable scents in the hollow, just snow and bitter cold winds. But eventually the wind had carried a new smell. Rabbit, he murmured, A little ways from here. Maybe their luck had changed.

Cupid.  That was a guy's name, right?  So guy.  But then why...?  You know what, screw it.  He'd seen undead people here, a dude who for some reason smelled like a chick was not the most outlandish thing he'd run across. Maybe it was just this forest being damn weird.

While Mal was ahead, he looked back a couple of times.  Anxious wasn't the right word, and he had no idea what was, but certainly a bit unfocused -- it took a fair bit of effort to keep himself on task and checking for scents.  Honestly he was more worried that his distraction would be noticed because it didn't match with the way he wanted Cupid to see him.  Heck, it was a relief that Cupid stepped up front -- or was for about two seconds.

For after that moment, Mal just stared at the butt in front of him and his brain pretty much turned off.  Previous conflicts? Tossed in a dark corner somewhere to be dealt with later.  He didn't know why, but as they trotted along, he craned his neck forward and felt compelled to take a sniff of something that was very much not a potential trail for prey -- or as close as he felt safe so there was no danger of touching.  He jerked his head back immediately so his 'crime' wouldn't be spotted, and if wolves could flush in embarrassment he'd be a bright shade of scarlet.  Why did he just do that?  Mal felt all kinds of weird, not quite like his guts were tying themselves in knots but close enough that it was the only metaphor his poor education could come up with.  It shook him out of his reverie a little, just in time for the rabbit revelation.  He did his best to pick up his crumbling thoughts and sorted out his mask, before breaking out of the single-file so that he could be marginally less distracted, Huh?  You're right. Pretty sure that's your doing, I don't ever have good luck.  He flashed Cupid a cheeky grin and tried to forget what just happened, throwing his attention onto the rabbit's trail, but making sure not to wander too far.

Cupid chuckled at the notion. His whole life had been a series of unlucky events. It was pitiful really. Maybe the universe had finally threw him a bone, as small as it was. Oh well, at least it was something to quell this feeling. All they needed to do was catch it, then everything would be back to normal.

He followed from behind, staying light on his feet and alert— or at least he was trying to stay alert. Most of his attention was on the man rather than the trail. He tried everything: studying the surroundings, focusing on his steps, his breath. None of it worked. His eyes always drifted back to Mal.

It was frustrating. Not only would these emotions throw him off his game, but he didn't know exactly what to call it or why it was there. It was an urge, a somewhat familiar one too. Back when he still wandered he'd meet the occasional handsome face and he'd get a bit fluttery. But it felt so out of place here. Mal wasn't his type and yet his heart burned brighter than it ever had. That would have been fine if he were able to suppress it, but Cupid had no control over it. It was like a disease.

After awhile of searching they had finally found what they were looking for. Cupid had never been so relieved to see a hare in his life. He crouched low to the floor, only now realizing his legs were shaking. Damn, he knew he was fucked up but not this much. He turned to Mal and almost spoke but he managed to keep quiet. Hello Cupid, don't fuck this up with you're big mouth. Maybe his acquaintance would notice his dilemma, or maybe not. He hoped not. This was just embarrassing.

It was a little easier to focus up front, following the trail and able to keep his attention on the task at hand a little bit more as it got stronger. Good. The passage of time, though, felt strange, both quick and slow at the same time. The hare appearing before them was a relief for Mal too. He crouched, slinking forward a few strides. So prey did exist here.  For a good ten seconds he was acting normal.

He looked back, planning to signal how he thought they should plan to attack, but wait.  What was -- was he shaking? Mal tilted his head, concerned, confused. He'd moved far enough ahead that it was hard to ask anything without guaranteeing he'd scare off their prey. So, he took a different risk and slithered back to where Cupid had stopped, looping around so they were shoulder to shoulder, just a hair apart. What's wrong? Mal hissed, looking from Cupid to the hare then back quickly to Cupid. Wait, why had he gone this close? He leaned away slightly, trying to make it seem like that was just to he could talk. Saved, totally.

He prayed for Mal to not turn around. Just continue on with what he was doing, or at least long enough for him to regain some composure. Of course he just had to turn around and see him like this: confused and vulnerable.

But there was no need to panic yet. Mal was already closer to the rabbit, perhaps food would be more important to him. It wasn't. Rather than continuing the hunt, he circled back to Cupid's side. And he was close, Very close. Cupid relished in the warmth they shared until he pulled away.

Wait.  His voice was loud enough to alert the hare of their present, promptly causing it to dash into the snow. But who cared about that now? Cupid didn't, nor did he care about what was waiting for him at Courtfall's doors. That was a problem to work out in the future. He wanted to focus on the present and right now it was just him and the stranger.

I don't want that anymore, he muttered under his breath. Cupid inched forward to close the gap between them again.

His head snapped towards the fleeing hare for all of half a second before he was back looking at Cupid. Mal ordinarily would have complained, but Cupid had told him to wait and he pretty much had to listen. 

His ears cupped forward as he stood fully upright again, waiting for an answer. But then Cupid came closer? Up against him? More confusion, but he leaned against the other man. There was that twinge again, and he shifted his weight from one rear paw to the other as if somehow that would make it go away. It didn't. 

He tried to keep being cool, maybe a little gruff because that sounded like a better way to fake his confidence the whole way. Then what do you want? That sounded cheesy but it was the best he could do without jumping straight into the unknown. Because honestly he didn't really know what he wanted -- consciously at least, his body knew what was up and had a suggestion for the first couple steps, but Mal held off.

His breath hitched when he leaned into him. This warmth was driving him crazy, everything was. The lack of control was odd and frustrating, but in a good kind of way? At this point he had no clue how to feel about nor did he care to find out. All that mattered was the fact he liked it. It's been awhile since he's ever enjoyed something like this and who knew how long it'd be before he could do this again. Once he returned to Courtfall he'd be trapped again, so he wanted to make this moment count.

Then what do you want? Wasn’t that obvious? Cupid pushes himself up and looked down into the man's eyes. You. Just for a moment. Let him forget of all the troubles that awaited him.

So close.  Mal's turn for a ragged breath -- if he'd had a clear head, he would have been so very suspicious about why anyone wanted him, since that was so often the case.  It was both terrifying and exciting at the same time -- hell, there was a lot of emotional overlap between the two when you broke them down into parts.  It flared down his spine, wound around his ribcage and down almost to the tip of his tail.  He had not a clue what he was doing, but he was eager for it, whatever it was.  He couldn't just go on and walk away -- that sounded impossible at this point, the desire made it feel like it would somehow physically hurt.  No more words, he didn't have any.

Mal shoved against Cupid as he tried to turn, unwilling to break contact now that it was there.  He sought the smell that had befuddled him before, burying his nose for a moment in Cupid's scruff but not finding the strength of it there.  That probing nose was far less shy this time as he wound his way around Cupid's body exploring for it, from shoulder to side to hips to rear.  And finding what he wanted there, Mal was quick to give in to the instinctual hunger.

There was no need to coax him any further. As soon as the syllable left his mouth, Mal was up and all over him, slowly trailing his nose down his body. He was usually able to keep his composure as he waited, but now wasn't the case. Cupid whimpered under his breath, eager for him to get on with it. Luckily he was able to find his spot and he wasted no time.

...

When it was over Cupid immediately fell to the ground, panting heavily. That felt... great. Way better then last time with.. who was it again? Ah, who cared.

This trip couldn't have been any better than this. Cupid had really taken his old life for granted. He was born to love a nomadic life: living by his own rules, going wherever he wanted, having no destination in life. That was what he wanted.

Thinking about it caused his heart to ache. He didn't want to go back. He wanted to stay out here in the big world, fuck around like he used to. He looked at Mal, then scanned the snow-covered hollow. This world was empty. No amount of wishing would change that. As long as the earth was barren, he would have to stay confined to the mountain.

And Mal came down next to Cupid in a cloud of whatever bliss this was. Damn.  His tongue lolling, Mal was left wondering why people didn't just do this all the time -- why couldn't someone have told him sooner? For a creature that craved closeness because that was what he'd been denied, the intimacy left him wanting more.  Maybe not instantly, but soon -- though sooner was preferable to his currently hormone-addled mind.

Though satiated for now, the scent hadn't left, and as such, Cupid monopolized Mal's attention without trying.  He seemed a little more distracted, which Mal quickly noted.  He rolled to his side and reached out with a lazy paw, Got somewhere you have to be, or ya wanna stick around a while?  Mal didn't need the facade right now, he clearly understood that he wanted the promise of more.  But at the same time, Mal knew that sometimes people had places to be, as lame as that currently sounded.

fade here?

Mal's voice had once again cut through his thoughts and caught him off guard. He really shouldn't stay, it wasn't the responsible thing to do. He'd been gone for too long and he'd probably get his ass handed to him when he got back. Or maybe not. He really didn't know the collective alignment of the court. 

Who cared about all that? He was enjoying it out here and he wasn't ready to let go just yet. Just let him believe he was back in his old life for a few more hours. If worse came to worst he'd say he was out looking for herbs, as bullshit as that sounded. 

Nah, he replied, scooting closer to his lover, I'll hang around.

Yah!  Archive at your will!

Right now, he wasn't thinking about his fledgling pack either.  This was a time of greed and selfishness and Mal had no desire to risk having to share Cupid.  The pack could wait for him to get back -- even if later he'd be kicking himself for not inviting him back to be in the pack.  Oh well.  He'd try to excuse himself on that by saying it was close enough to his home that he could be easily found... 

For now, though, Mal was content.  As Cupid replied and came closer, his tail beat against the snow, Good.  More.  He curled against Cupid, resting his head across his shoulders, savoring it all.