kings of suburbia

Despite that, at first Sumayl had dreaded the talk with Vienna that he had known was coming, but had suppressed until it was absolutely necessary, he felt much better about it having talked about it with her; he was glad that she had brought it up with him because it made things easier for him. Clearer. Regardless of what happened in the future, they would be together. Selfishly, this made Sumayl ridiculously happy, knowing that they were on a crash course with the future he had began to imagine with her the moment he'd begun to realize that what he felt wasn't a fleeting attraction. The once playboy had been tamed, suddenly and without any intention. It was a weird feeling, in many ways, recognizing that he was in a stable relationship. He'd never been stable with any girl before, having favored the “heart-breaker” role from early on; but he didn't want to ever break Vienna's heart. He wanted nothing more in the world than to make her happy, and someday, start a family with her. He'd never thought that he'd want those things, but he did with Vienna; and it wasn't as if it was a ridiculous and preposterous thing to want of life. It was surprisingly simple in it's want, and not as greedy as it could have been for the narcissist. He could have wanted power, too, but he didn't. He didn't expect to ever become a leader and therefore didn't feel it was something that he needed; he was too narcissistic, too confrontational, too wrong for such a role — or so he'd always thought.

Sumayl lacked any sort of filter between his mouth and brain and so thus everything that he thought came tumbling out, without much of a care of if his words would hurt feelings or not. He was brutally honest. It had cost him in his life, and he had feared it would cost him the thing that he wanted the very most. Luckily, it had not caused Vienna to leave him, as he had feared it would. He couldn't, and wouldn't lie to her. It wasn't who Sumayl was. He didn't want to be lied to so he always told the truth, and expected everyone else to do the same (though he knew that was a high expectation). He stretched as carefully as he could in the confines of the den he shared with his girl, mindful not to disturb her should she still be asleep.

It would have been easy to just lay there, beside Vienna all day and never move but of course that was impossible. He would have had to move at some point, whether to feed or relieve himself, but more than that there were herds to track, caches to check and fill, and patrols to be run. There were things that needed to be done, and anyway, Sumayl didn't see Vienna as the stay in bed all day kind of girl, anyway. The golden Ostrega had untangled himself despite that he truly hadn't wanted too and exited the den, his first order of business to ...take care of business. Once that was done he went immediately to the caches and began checking them, plucking a little snack out of one, to tie him over until he hit the point in his routine in which he could hunt his own breakfast.

It took me wayyy too long to realize I originally posted this with the wrong account >__>

Summer had no idea of the conflict between Sumayl and Jace, nor of the relationship between him and Vienna. In terms of the latest gossip, the Ostrega was woefully uninformed. His time was far too taken by performing his duties, spending time with Tytonidae and roaming the borders, ever watching to see if Magpie might happen upon his doorstep. Likely when Spring came, he would make the journey to the Caldera to check in on her - perhaps bringing Ty with him so that she could visit her father, or at least dropping in on him and urging him to return to see her.

But that was all in the future. At present, he was busying himself with another matter that often consumed his attention those days, and that was training. While his other trades had been obtained almost naturally, becoming a warrior was something he was more passionate about than any of his other skills. Every chance he got, he used to train his body by heightening his endurance, strengthening his muscles, or practicing his skills and techniques. He was definitely not the same wolf the crazed black bitch had made a fool of those months ago beside the river, but he also was not nearly the wolf he wanted to be either.

Today's training involved a heavy, ragged old hide from a doe carcass he'd found in an old cache upon the mountainside. With a growl, he dug his teeth into the fur, lifted it, and shook it as hard as he could. His neck muscles had begun to ache a while ago, which he knew to be a good sign that his efforts were not in vain. Furiously he pushed himself to continue, pausing at times just to take a few quick breaths and to pace around his "foe" before snatching it up and giving it another hard shake.

It was during one of those pauses that he spotted Sumayl - a golden blot upon the Spire's face. It had been rather a while since they'd had a good chat, and so Summer tilted his head back and gave a short howl, calling his packmate's attention.

:P It happens to us all sometimes. ^-^ Also, thank you for joining! <3

Everything, Sumayl recognized with a certain amount of relief, would be much simpler now that he knew where Vienna and him stood, no matter what happened between him and Jace. That was not to say he would not try his very best to be civil with the ebony Beta but at least he wouldn't feel the cracking pressure that if he messed up he would lose the one thing he couldn't live without. He had always tried to be civil with Jace but they were like fire and gasoline, if one was near the other they would react without much provocation prior. It was the nature of their personalities and opinions. There was a small part of Sumayl, buried deeply beneath the narcissist that felt bad, knowing that he was discord among the ranks. Yet, at the same time, life wasn't perfect and not everyone would always get along with their leaders. That was life and to feel bad about what he thought honestly was stupid to the golden Ostrega. He had tried to talk to Jace, attempted to resolve their issues but Jace never wanted to hear it and retaliated without, as far as Suma could see, without even attempting to talk with him. One said something and riled the other one up and then any attempts at a rational conversation was gone with the wind.

Vienna wanted him and Jace to attempt it again, though this time with her present. Sumayl wouldn't deny it to her for it was one of her two conditions (and he had a hard time saying no to her anyway) but at the same time the idea filled him with steel and jagged edged anticipation and hesitation. Would Jace hold back in Vienna's presence? Sumayl wouldn't, but he was brash. Vienna already knew how he felt about Jace, and Sumayl had no intentions of lying to her. Maybe Jace and his issue with one another could be simply brushed off as being “a man thing” : too much testosterone, two different, very dominant personalities that did nothing but clash, and burn everything in their path to ashes on the ground.

Golden ears cupped forth at attention when a short howl for him reached his ears. The golden Ostrega did not immediately move towards the origin of it, brow furrowing as he tried to decide who it was. It hadn't been Jace, definitely not Vienna, and not Amekaze, either. He hadn't spent enough time in Summer's presence to be able to identify his voice, but nevertheless moved in the direction that his mysterious pack mate had called him from. Sumayl found him soon enough, golden gaze touching him and recognizing him the closer he ascended to him. “Hey season boy,” Sumayl teased lightly, his mind going back to their first meeting. “Summer right?” Sumayl inquired, joking briefly pushed aside to communicate that he hadn't forgotten the boy's name.

Summer's tail swayed steadily as he watched Sumayl approach, his lips twisting into a crooked smile at the man's words. 'Season boy' was certainly a new one, but it did. "You have a good memory, Sumayl," he replied with a little smirk. With as much of a mess as he'd been in that day, it was probably more of an accomplishment for him to have remembered that sort of detail. He never forgot the name of a wolf that fed him, though.

"What might you be up to today?" he asked conversationally, settling down onto his sore haunches. A small part of him was rather glad for the distraction from his exercise. Likely it was the intelligent side that knew he'd hurt himself if he pushed too hard.

Where others would have, without little to no doubt in his mind, found Sumayl's nickname for Summer “season boy” insulting, the golden Ostrega was content to know that Summer didn't seem too, if the crooked smile that had formed upon the younger, darker boy's lips was anything to go by. As it was, Sumayl didn't mean anything rude by it – simply it was an easier way for him to remember since he, admittedly he had other, more preoccupying things on his mind then remembering the name of his pack-mates. Not that it wasn't important, just in his list of priorities it didn't always rate as high as it should have; and it wasn't that Sumayl really cared if someone was offended by his words or not. He had always been like this, well always being a less specific term for after the trauma and hard crash of reality from the fire that had torn his life upside down and inside out, and he was used to the “usual” reactions. “That largely depends I think,” Sumayl snickered for his memory had a tendency of being selective at times. “For the most part, yes.”


Who was he to turn down a compliment when it was so freely given to him? As it was, Sumayl soaked it up and let it linger upon his already too big ego for a moment. It was only after Summer had posed his question that Sumayl's golden gaze left the other, studying the gentle roll of landscape before them. “Trying to figure out how to break some news,” For Sumayl trying to think of a way to tactfully approach Jace regarding Vienna and his' new mateship was much harder than actually having asked Vienna in the first place. He should have been more apprehensive about asking her, in retrospect. It might be easier since Vienna had requested to be present but even so Sumayl wasn't overly hopeful that it would go over all that well. “Especially because I pretty much know it's not going to settle well.” And Sumayl was too confrontational for his own good.

“What about you? Getting into trouble?” Sumayl returned with a slight tease to his voice, eager to, for possibly the very first time in his life, get the conversation off of himself.

Summer didn't quite know what to make of Sumayl yet.  He liked him alright - he hadn't found any reason not to yet, after all.  His personality was an interesting one, though.  The Ostrega couldn't help but be aware of the man's narcissism, nor of his rather arrogant attitude.  He still had helped Summer once, and to be willing to assist a pack mate went a long way in the yearling's book.  After spending so much of his life as a nomad with his father, Summer had an enormous capacity for tolerance of his packmates, so deeply appreciative of even having a pack was he.


Sumayl's comments were rather unexpected.  He couldn't fathom what news it was that he needed to break, nor who he needed to break it to.  After all, he had been gone for some time and even if he hadn't been, gossip was not really his thing.  Still, the budding counselor was always willing to lend a listening ear and perhaps a helpful tongue, if he had one to give.  A wry smile flickered across his muzzle when the golden wolf turned the question on him.  He responded with a little shrug and a mischievous grin that was rather unusual looking upon his face.  

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Summer asked, taking a different route to trying to figure out what it was on Sumayl's mind than just outright asking, "I do owe you one."

Sumayl had never been the type to people please, to conform himself to what everyone thought he should be rather than what he wanted to be. Or who he was, rather. There rarely was an in-between when it came to how others perceived him, or of how their opinions of him were. It seemed to Sumayl it was usually fairly black and white. They either liked him or they hated him; but perhaps the world wasn't so clear cut. Perhaps there were many that hindered on the thin edge between the two extremes — but he couldn't be bothered with the opinions of anyone but himself and ok, ok, Vienna. They were the only two opinions he cared about, because it was her and his own opinion that mattered the absolute most to him. He hadn't intended to literally crash into love, had always scoffed at the notion and made a big fuss over how he would be a player for the rest of his life because relationships were messy and women were controlling. Obviously, his first ever relationship with a girl had been a mess of two kids and she had left him nursing a wounded ego and heart. Vienna had changed everything but no one would find Sumayl complaining — not even a peep — for he wouldn't have it any other way. Of course Jace was an “issue” but it wasn't a huge one. At least, Sumayl was determined not to let the younger brother come between what Vienna and him had which was real.


“Ah,” Sumayl drew in a breath, Summer's interest in his elusive statement surprising. He didn't think it'd be anything the kid would care about, and resisted the urge to cut him down right then and there by saying something arrogant and patronizing about how it was a 'grown up thing'. “I don't know if it's anything you can really help with,” Sumayl settled for instead, offering the darker male a slightly sheepish expression. “It's a personal thing between me and my girl's brother.” Correction: his wife's brother — and Suma's official brother-in-law. Whether the pack was aware of the fire and gasoline tension between Jace and him Sumayl didn't know ...and wasn't sure if it was something that should be out and about for everyone to know.

Fortunately for Sumayl (or perhaps for Summer, even), the young Ostrega was endlessly patient.  His half-brother could have cut him down all he wanted with insults and slander, and Summer would have taken it in stride - simply waiting for the opportunity to calmly and eloquently prove every word of it wrong.  Fortunately, Sumayl held his tongue on is mental musings and shared bits and pieces of his actualy troubles, which intrigued Summer greatly.


"Your girl?  Who is your girl?" Summer asked, canting his head lightly to the side.  Had he not already known the answer somewhere inside, he would never have asked.  But somehow... his gut told him there was only one possibility.  What other wolf had a sibling for Sumayl to worry about?  What other female in the Sunspire's ranks would have the character  and charm to gain the golden male's interest?

Vienna.

Summer's stomach clenched distressingly at the thought, but he kept his composure as he waited for Sumayl to confirm his thoughts.

In any sort of typical instance Sumayl wasn't about the “group therapy” life. He didn't like sharing his problems with strangers — or if not strangers then wolves he vaguely knew. He'd met Summer but a pawful of times, probably about twice in which he'd actually held a conversation with the other male, and beyond that Summer was still a kid. While Sumayl wasn't about to discount Summer's abilities he was skeptical of if Summer had enough life experience to try and give him advice. In truth, Sumayl wasn't really sure he was looking for advice. He didn't know what he was looking for. Perhaps a confirmation that he wasn't the only one Jace was a giant asshole too. As far as Jace boasted everyone else loved him and he had no problems with them. That was all fine and dandy but Sumayl didn't take any sort of stock from it. It drew with it no comfort. The fact was Jace (more than likely) hated Sumayl — had ever since their first meeting; and with every attempt to talk it out with the ebony man and fix the problems being shot down and turned against him in an extremely hostile manner Sumayl was done giving a flying fuck. He'd tried. He'd failed. He needed to try one more time for Vienna, with her present no less, to prove that Jace and him would never get along. Or that it was an entirely lost cause. Or something. Regardless, the news of their mateship, while Sumayl thought it should not be surprising seeing as Vienna and him had been close every since he'd first arrived in The Sunspire, the golden Ostrega wasn't holding his breath. Knowing the ugliness of Jace's temper as Sumayl did, it wasn't going to go over smoothly like it might have with anyone else. Which meant that Sumayl was dreading it. He was tired of fighting with the man child Beta, to the point that he was ready to pack up his meager life here and leave, which meant taking Vienna with him for she had made it clear that if he left so would she.


“Vienna,” Sumayl replied casually. As it was Sumayl treasured his private life which meant he did not interact socially with very many wolves. While he did enjoy the spotlight, which pacified his textbook narcissism, he wasn't all that keen on others knowing the inner most details of his life — it really wasn't anyone's business. “Jace and I never hit off well even before Vienna and I got together,” Sumayl admitted, surpised to find that he felt lighter after admitting it to someone who wasn't Vienna. He'd never held back with Vienna, always was honest with her but he also felt guilt. Guilt that he and Jace were like a match and gasoline. With Summer he felt no guilt in admitting these things. “I can't wait to tell him we're officially mates now.” The sarcasm in Sumayl's tone was biting, cynical and accented with a roll of his golden eyes. 

There it was.  Vienna.  While outwardly, Summer did not even flinch at the news, his insides were suddenly writhing.  He had never felt anything romantic towards the older female before.  She had never appeared to him as anything more than one of his closest and dearest friends.  And yet, the thought of her being with Sumayl was deeply troubling to him in a way that both surprised and confused him.  Fortunately, Summer was an expert at that point in his life at controlling his emotions.

"Well, first and foremost, I suppose congratulations are in order," Summer said with a smile.  He pushed the thought of Sumayl and Vienna then as far from his mind as he was able to manage, instead focusing on the trouble the golden male seemed to be having with their beta.  His smile turned into a thoughtful frown.  He knew that Jace was not the most personable man.  The heated altercation they'd had when he'd stepped down from beta was proof enough that Jace was temperamental, stubborn and defensive.

"I know how Jace can be difficult," Summer admitted, a smile flickering across his muzzle, "He's not exactly the warmest or most, ah.. easy-going of wolves."  He paused then, wanting to give Sumayl the opportunity to comment, and also to gauge his reaction towards hearing what Summer had to say about their beta.

The conversation continued, Sumayl speaking a bit unpleasantly about their beta while Summer gave an understanding nod of his head every now and then before sharing his own advice as to how to cope.  When they parted ways, the yearling thought little of whether or not his packmate would heed his advice.  He thought only of Vienna and the dark whisper in his heart that told him he'd lost another...