Neverwinter Forest a game of turtle

@Peregrine

It was mid-afternoon when Luke found himself checking out another forest after a soak in the hot springs. Naturally, he was drawn to a vernal pool not too far from the edge of the wood, and as he bent to drink its cool water he spotted a turtle, one of the first of spring, on the opposite bank. Luke watched the turtle for a few moments as it ambled along the shore and then made to circle around behind it. Stealthily, the white wolf creeped, one slow paw step after another. The turtle was none the wiser when he sprang for it after stealing to within a few feet. Instinctively, the turtle retreated into its shell as it was scooped in the predator's mouth. Luke carried it a little ways from the pool to ensure it could not make an escape, as turtles were much more difficult to catch in the water. This was to be a treat for him, turtles were delicious but not always easily found.

But first, he had to play with it and took to batting it around the forest floor, picking it up and tossing it, and otherwise filling its last few minutes with a thrill ride (not that the turtle would see it as anything less than terrifying).

This song came on when I was writing this post, which I will take as a sign, as it's from "Lost and Delirious." Ah, what a gorgeous piece!

He spent most of a day with his family, then set out on yet another hunting venture, seeing as the last one had been a crapshoot. His tracking led him northwest and he skirted around the spine's territory and found himself in Neverwinter Forest. He couldn't figure out why it seemed familiar until he suddenly remembered that he'd come here with Junior once to collect berries. The resultant sense of nostalgia was so strong that Peregrine froze in his tracks to relive that distant memory.

A strange noise scattered his thoughts and he turned to his left, peering quizzically through the trees. His black ears leaned forward as he tried to identify the source. At first, he wondered if he was hearing the footfalls of a large, hoofed beast. Then he saw a flash of white and he trotted nearer, only to realize with some surprise that it was Luke. He appeared to be batting a rock around the forest floor, though a closer look revealed that it was a dead (or soon to be dead) turtle.

"Luke!" Peregrine said, trying to catch the other wolf's attention in case he hadn't noticed him yet. "Are you playing foosball with yourself or something? Do you need another player?" he joked, surprising himself with the friendly banter. He didn't take to outsiders very easily, yet there was something so likable about the charismatic Lukas.

What a nice song! I can't say I ever saw the film but how about that haha. When the song finished, Living with Wolves started playing lol. I'm going to have to download a bunch of wolf documentaries and watch them for inspiration I think!

Just as Luke came to pounce on the turtle, as his last swipe sent it bouncing across the ground, a familiar voice called out to him. The blue-nosed wolf's head shot up and turned to face the caller, his silver eyes falling on the strapping physique of none other than "Perry bird!" Luke greeted enthusiastically in return, his spur of the moment nickname from last time apparently having stuck. "Catch!" He gathered the turtle between his teeth and gave it a joyful fling toward Peregrine, his forelegs lifting off the ground with vigor as he did so. Although it was doubtful either wolf would hear, from within his shell the turtle hissed, sharing none of the entertainment in this game.

That's 'cause it's a playlist I built. I heart that video. :3

Peregrine winced at the nickname, instinctively disliking it. "It's just Perry, brah," he said, then blinked when Luke abruptly flung the turtle in his direction. The Gamekeeper reacted quickly, rearing onto his own powerful hind legs to reach up and catch the turtle in midair. Without thinking about it, he crushed it with his jaws, then unceremoniously spat out the resultant pulp onto the forest floor. "Sorry, instincts took over. It's all yours, man," he said, backing off the puddle of turtle soup.

As Luke presumably came closer, the swarthy wolf scrutinized him. He was undeniably attractive, with narrow features and a trim physique. He had silver eyes that reminded Peregrine of his mate. His coat was the polished white of a pearl and that blue nose -- it really drew the eye. There was something appealing about him that had nothing to do with his outward appearance too. It was his confidence and shameless affability. Peregrine possessed quite a lot of the former himself, though he and Luke couldn't be much more different in the latter department.

"Tell me, why were you a 'miserable little shit' before?" Peregrine asked, picking up their last conversation as if there hadn't been several days' pause in between.

I think I might have seen it once upon a time. :)

Luke stared as Peregrine caught the turtle and subsequently crushed it in his powerful jaws, but then he broke out in a soft laugh. "Nice catch," he complimented as he strolled over, bending to the mash of meat and shell and picking up a mouthful before slipping onto his haunches, not the least bit perturbed that his companion had ended the game early. Luke savoured the succulent meat with an audible mmm. "So good," Luke said. "Have some!" he gestured to the prey with his paw, warmly inviting Peregrine to share the rich food.

When he the swart male asked why Luke had been a 'miserable little shit' before, the Bluenose blinked blankly at him, caught off guard by the sudden inquiry and equally surprised that Peregrine had remembered the exact words he used to describe himself. "I made a mistake when I was younger," he began, his former blank expression dissipating back into Luke's usual collected portrait, and he spoke with the same evenness as he would with any other subject. "And I clung to the anger and grief that formed in its wake." He paused, tilting his head with a small smile. "Why do you ask?"

He shook his head, declining the turtle meat. "I'm actually not a big fan," he explained. Truth be told, Peregrine thought that turtle tasted like pond scum, which he assumed was due in part to its diet and habitat. They ate worms, for crying out loud. No thank you.

Luke seemed surprised by the question, which made Peregrine smirk, though he quickly recovered and explained. "I guess I was having a hard time picturing you like that. I've only known you for five minutes but you're so..." He paused, searching for the right word. "Sunny." He kind of wanted to ask for the juicy back story, but just like Peregrine did not go around sharing his darker secrets with just anyone, he did not go prying into others' either.

"You're just different than anyone I've met," the black wolf continued after a beat of thoughtful silence. "I have a lot of stoic and surly types in my life, I guess, and rarely one so lighthearted and bouncy. It's kind of refreshing. And somehow you manage not to be utterly annoying," he added, laughing at the somewhat backhanded compliment.

Luke made short work of the rest of the turtle that Peregrine had declined - delicious as they were, unless you go a hold of a big one there was not much to them. More shell than anything. He finished by sliding his blue tongue once around his lips to clean up any flecks may have been clinging to his muzzle, all the while his attention was squarely on his companion, listening thoughtfully.

"Ah," he said with a quiet chuckle when Peregrine had finished, a sort of knowing expression on his face. "I would not be so sunny if I did not learn to be my own sunshine." Luke gave a gentle nod. He was all to aware that he was odd not only in his appearance but in his demeanor. Life seemed to be a struggle for most, and once had been for him, until he learned to have fun with it and not take it quite so serious. It was a journey, not a destination. "No one appreciates the light more than someone who has been in the dark for a while." The blue-nosed wolf paused, then chuckled again, this time a bit more heartily than before. "How's that for poetry, eh? Happiness is a choice, my friend, is all I'm saying."

Peregrine mulled Luke's words a moment before replying, "Not that I don't agree with you but cheeriness and happiness aren't mutually exclusive." He didn't know if he'd used that term right, so he explained, "For instance, I'm a happy guy. I just don't prance around and make friends with everyone I meet." He paused, then snorted as a thought occurred to him, "I guess I'm rather modest when it comes to my feels... whereas you're the social equivalent of a slut."

He smirked at Luke, meaning no offense by that. "Anyway, good for you—for overcoming your past, I mean. Have you social butterflied your way into a pack yet?" Peregrine wondered. "Have you won over one of the local leaderships with your merry gayness?" That wasn't meant as a reference to the male's sexual preferences; gay was merely a synonym for happy, the last time he'd checked, and he'd literally never met anyone gayer than Luke.

Peregrine had a way of talking that Luke found wholly amusing. He was straightforward, but not in a rude way, unless you were the sensitive type that chose to be offended by some of his diction, which Luke was not. Peregrine was also intelligent, and Luke considered his words carefully. "You're absolutely right," Luke said with a smile, the 'seriousness' of their discussion perking up as the Bluenose brought a chipper tone back to his voice.

Luke laughed, unable not to at the forward joking manner in which Peregrine spoke. "Nope, I'm still flying solo," he grinned, his tail wagging as it tended to do. "In fact, you're the only leader I have met. Been runnin' into all sorts though," he reminisced, recalling momentarily all the other faces he had encountered. "I'm not in no rush, anyway. I'm not just going around knockin' on doors. I'm along for the ride."

Only thirty seconds after he made the comment did Peregrine suddenly begin wondering about Luke's orientation. The guy was flamboyant, that was for sure, though that didn't make him a homosexual. But, still, he wondered... especially because there was something about the blue nosed Luke that charmed the swarthy Alpha male. And he was totally on the market for a lover now, wasn't he? He had long since gotten over Lasher and the pups were already a month old, so there was no reason not to pursue something if he was interested.

Abruptly, Peregrine realized he very well might be interested, though there was no use entertaining a crush (what a puerile term) on the male if he didn't bat for that team. "On that note: I know you're happy gay. But you are also gay gay?" he asked bluntly. He was four years old and didn't have time to beat around the bush.

For the second time in the past short while, Peregrine had stalled the typically smooth blue-nosed wolf, surprised him by the forward words he spoke, and for the second time also he stared blankly at his companion for a few moments. "Well you don't beat around the bush!" Luke chuckled. Slowly, a devious smile alighted on his lips, and he stepped toward Peregrine with boldness, meeting his companion's jade eyes with his of silver. Then he leaned in to whisper into the stalwart male's ear in a teasing way... a hushed "no."

Luke drew back grinning, and expanded on his answer. "I've been curious," he said, his head listing to the side as his gaze regarded Peregrine with an inquisitiveness that had not been there before, softly roaming the male's chiseled face and strapping contours with no effort made to conceal his gentle inspection. In a lighter, chipper tone he added, "But I've never had the chance to try it. Besides, I like girls too." So no, he wasn't gay.

But he was open.

Luke took the perhaps invasive question in stride, even teasing Peregrine with a whisper right into his ear, which caused it to flick. He licked his lips, feeling a thin sense of disappointment. His jade eyes followed the pale male as he withdrew, then confessed that he was curious, though. He'd just never had a chance to try. And he liked women.

"Me too. Well, just one woman. And I don't like her, I love her. So would you say you're bicurious then?" Peregrine asked in an offhanded tone, already telling himself not to count his chickens before they hatched. There was no point in investing in someone who was completely unattainable.

Luke had been born with a lot of affection, and his tastes had not been discerning of gender. He was as content to lay in the embrace of another male as he was to curl up with a female. Many males however were not so welcoming of his touch especially as he got older and his affections were taken in a sexual context, even before he had meant them to be. Thus Luke had shied from attempting to pursue an interest in males when his carnal inquisitiveness started to take wing, and so his curiosities had gone unfulfilled, having never encountered someone bold enough to initiate.

Luke gently bit his lip as he reflected on the question at hand, his gaze fixated on Peregrine's face at length. "I don't think it ends at just being curious," he finally spoke. "I think it is more so that I am... unpracticed." Luke gave pause before turning the tables on Peregrine, his voice rising to a perkier tone as he queried, "Why do you ask, Perry? Is my blue nose cute?" Punctuated with a flirty wink.

Well, that was a promising answer. Luke drove right at the heart of the matter, asking Peregrine why he was so interested. Not one to shy away, he stared at his companion for a beat, then said very evenly, "Kind of." He smirked lightly, then his lips fell into a more serious line as he decided to reveal, "I've had a male lover before. He was my first and only. So I wouldn't consider myself very experienced. I've had a lot more playtime with the ladies myself."

He wasn't going to delve too deep into the topic, nor pursue anything right now, so Peregrine decided to leave it that. Maybe he would decide to pursue something with Luke and maybe he wouldn't. One thing was for certain: he wouldn't be acting on any impulses until he got to know Luke quite a bit better... and once he'd had a chance to run this kind of thing past Fox. They hadn't talked about it in a while. The pups had taken up their attention for the past several months, understandably.

"Anyway, I was just curious 'cause you're so flamboyant. I had to ask." The dark wolf smirked again. "I was hunting again when I ran into you, so I'd better head out. But... would you like to meet again sometime? I like you and your perky personality. And no, your blue nose doesn't hurt either."

Luke was so attentive to what Peregrine said next that he leaned forward a bit, his tail moving in a gentle sway behind him. The dark-furred male had captured his imagination, affording him a moment to wonder at something he had largely suppressed. Like Peregrine, Luke had his share of females so he was not an entirely new player the game.

"Of course," Luke said sunnily with a chuckle, completely understanding the need to ask a blunt question when curiosity beckoned you to do so. He smiled warmly at Peregrine's compliments, his tail wagging a degree or two quicker. "I'd like that," he replied, looking expectantly to his companion for a time, a place, or whatever the strapping fellow had to propose.

If Luke had known Peregrine a bit better, he would have realized how very out of character it was for the Alpha male to fraternize with an outsider, much less schedule a meeting with one. He didn't, though, and that was the fun part. They were veritable strangers and there seemed to be an at least somewhat mutual chemistry between them. Peregrine was not shying away from it, nor was Luke. It might lead somewhere, it might lead nowhere, but both of them were willing to jump onboard and ride it out.

"Let's meet at Big Salmon Lake again, two weeks from now." That would give Peregrine some time to think over this budding attraction and discuss it with Fox. By then, Luke might have joined a pack, which was a shame. The Alpha would have liked him to come to the caldera, though he was still under the impression that they were at full capacity. Plus, it was kind of fun keeping Luke at a distance and having special meetings with him.

"See you then," was all Peregrine said otherwise, dipping his black muzzle to his companion, offering a smile, then turning a heel and departing in the direction of some game trail or another.

"I'll be there," Luke replied with a wave of his tail as Peregrine bid him a farewell and left to go hunting. The blue-nosed wolf walked back over to the pool, glancing around to see another turtle could be found, but by now his mind was occupying hungry thoughts about... salmon. "Mmm..." he murmured to himself as he headed off to the river again to find himself a fish - a trout, more likely. But as he went, his body moved with a pleased swagger.