Firefly Glen Over everything

Draper swung around toward Firefly Glen. In his muzzle, he held a small rabbit. A token of goodwill, if you will! Now that he knew two of the wolves that lived here, he felt a little bit more at ease about heading toward the strongly marked border. Not great, but at ease.

He set the rabbit down between his two front feet, knocked his head back, and called for @Charles and @Meerkat. He was fully prepared to bolt if he had to, but he wanted to at least try and say hello to them. They'd been nice to him before, so what was stopping them this time? Besides, he'd brought food!

After what Draper had said about wolves and packs and coyotes, Charles didn't expect to see him again; at least, not so close to Firefly Glen. Charles was just digging about when the call reached him and he started making his way over to the pack's borders. When he arrived he saw that the coyote was still there. The coywolf neutrally approached and said, Hey. He wondered if this was because Charles had asked him why he wouldn't join a pack; was he here for that? It wasn't exactly the best moment in Charles' own pack career, after all.

He smelled the rabbit and looked down at it. Was that for him? Or was it a gift in case he did think of trying to join the pack? Charles waited.

Draper relaxed and wagged his tail when he saw Charles. As for the rabbit, he nudged it toward the boy.

Hey there, kiddo. How ya been? I brought you a present, impromptu of nothin'.

Maybe Draper really was craving some social interaction if he was here handing out snacks to wolves. Boy howdy this was gonna be a long winter. Still, he did think Charles was a good friend to have. The boy had a foot on each side of the fence, so to speak. And if anybody was going to advocate for him, it would be Charles. Or maybe Meerkat, but she wasn't here, so Draper figured he would start with this guy.

Charles blinked in surprise when Draper said that he had brought a gift because of no reason. He didn't think he'd ever gotten a gift from anyone that was for no reason, except maybe a stick from Leta. The coywolf blinked and he tilted his head. For me? he said, taken aback. For no reason? How peculiar. Charles hesitantly pulled the rabbit towards him. Once he had his paw around it, he actually greedily pulled the rest of the way and put it between his front legs. Charles was terrible at hunting, so getting some food was an amazing prize.

I have been... Charles pondered for a moment. He'd been very mixed. He'd made friends, but he'd also had that weird-ass gay dream about Osiris and aforementioned was taking Leta from him and putting him all the way down in the pack. Okay. Charles couldn't help but crack a smile as he thought of his new found posse of friends.

Yeah, for you. And because I like you. You were nice to me or... whatever. And they were friends, right? RIGHT? Maybe Draper was barking up the wrong tree wolf. But he couldn't help but think there was some sort of kinship here. Charles was so obviously part coyote, even if he didn't really understand it. The kid was young, so maybe he was just a bit naive.

Charles said he'd been "okay," and Draper wondered what that meant. Well, there was one way to find out, he supposed.

Just okay? Somethin' happen? Do I need to go kick somebody's ass for being mean to you?

Charles blinked. This was probably the first time anyone had said that they liked him so outright. Especially someone he didn't know very well. Charles had been accused of much in his life, but he wasn't very often told that he was nice. Uh, thanks, he said, clearly taken aback by the generous gift and maybe mildly suspicious that something might be behind it.

Draper got a little defensive about his 'okay'. Charles did suppose it was pretty vague. No, no, that's okay, he quickly said. Just some uh... ghosts, I guess. Like seeing my brother and some... other... ... ... Osiris ... Things... It was clear Charles wasn't very excited to talk about those things though. But I also made some friends in the pack so that's cool. God he sounded so weird, like he had something to hide or prove or something. Which he sorta did.

Draper smiled at the thanks, and his large ears swiveled forward to listen as Charles explained that nobody needed an ass-kicking. Draper was still a bit suspicious about that, but he relaxed considerably. It sounded like Charles really was starting to settle in with the rest of his group, and Draper wished he could say the same about anything. He had met a few wolves here and there, and a few of them had been nice enough (including Meerkat).

Oh. What's the deal with your brother? Draper asked. It didn't sound like Charles and his brother were particularly close, considering he'd called him a ghost.

Draper seemed to give up on kicking anyone's ass, which was good at least. His question was difficult, because Charles didn't really know what the deal was with his brother. You have to ask him, Charles said with a roll of his eyes. He's crazy. Well, maybe not crazy, but Charles wasn't entirely sure how else to describe his brother. Yeah, Charles'd taunted him and attacked him, but... Well, maybe there weren't any buts to that story. Charles just wanted to forget all about it.

Yikes. Crazy, huh? That sounded unpleasant to Draper, and he decided to avoid the subject for now. There were plenty of other things to talk about, right? Like, oh, I don’t know! Draper realized he didn’t really have much to say. He had just enjoyed Charles’s company last time they’d met.

Would it be weird if I hung around near here? he asked. Not like, in your business, just nearby. It would be nice to have some friends close. Meerkat and Charles were about as close as he had gotten to that. Simmik, too, he supposed, although their meeting hadn’t gone quite as smoothly as his meetings with the other two. She’d seemed like she was more business.

Charles was glad that Draper didn't further press the subject of his brother. Riley had told him to stay out of his life, and so Charles really wanted to avoid talking about his brother. It was easier if he could think the same way, himself, and just pretend he didn't have a brother, or something.

Anyway, gladly Draper didn't further pursue it and instead asked if he could hang around here. Charles blinked, a little confused initially. Why don't you join this pack? he asked naively. Yeah, Draper'd said that wolves didn't want his kind around usually, but... Then again, he he was the pack's Omega. Was it because of his heritage? Probably not, right, it must be because Osiris generally being a dick. But... What if it played a part? And did he, as Omega, really have a say in that. Well, he'd already said it. Or... You could hang around. Yeah, of course. You're cool. Charles sort of glossed over his earlier comment instead while he accepted this. Friends... Was he one of Draper's friends? That was kind of cool. Charles had never had many friends — Leta was his only friend in Easthollow — and he had found a few here in Firefly Glen. Draper could definitely be one, too.

Aw, wasn’t that cute?! Charles thought a) he was allowed to invite Draper to join and b) had the okay from his boss(es). Draper highly doubted either of those things were true, even based on the fact that Charles walked and talked like a coyote. It was clear he still had wolf blood in him, unlike Draper, who was coyote to his core.

You think they would let me stay here? he couldn’t help but ask. He really, really doubted it, but maybe maybe there was something to what Charles was saying. Besides, what else was Draper gonna do?

Charles realised his own mistake, but he didn't want to get back on his words now. Draper asked if he genuinely thought they'd let him stay. Honestly? No. But what was he to do? Charles hesitated for a moment while he contemplated what to do, shifting his weight from paw to paw while he thought.

In the end he decided that he might as well try. What did he have to lose? Getting chewed out again by Osiris? Who cared. Leta's presence here would keep him in the ranks, dangling at the bottom or no. I dunno, but we can ask. He glanced at Draper to see if he was up for it. For him the stakes might be higher. If he was rejected he might not be a welcome guest later.

Yeah, okay, Draper said. He would go along with it, just for a little while. Besides, he could always back out, right? They wouldn't actually want anything from him, would they? He just wanted to chill with some wolves to see what it was like. Maybe they weren't (all) so bad, right?

I don't wanna be here when you ask, though, so I'm gonna high-tail it outta here. I'll come back when the time's right, and hopefully you'll have gotten an answer by then. This was mostly not to bork timelines. ;)

Charles nodded when Draper agreed that they'd ask with leadership, as if to seal the deal. Honestly, he wasn't so sure it was a good idea. He was already the Omega. He was already not very popular. Draper'd said that coyotes were unpopular, too. Would this be his final strike in the pack? But then, there was always Leta to bail him out. And he'd already said yes.

Alright, see you later, Charles said, secretly relieved when Draper said he'd leave Charles to it. I'll ask. More to himself than Draper, and he stood and waited for Draper to leave.

In the end, he didn't get to ask -- a coward every time he had the chance -- before the cataclysmic events happened that wrecked his life.

my last post, unless Draper has any more to say that requires respondage! <3