Lost Creek Hollow wish i could prove i love you.

It wasn't long after her encounter with Luke that she finally realized what was happening to her.  The sudden recognition had lead her to an odd moment of panic.  Likely it was hormones, but also there was some logic to it.  She and Mordecai had engaged in a physical relationship for many months now.  But though she had uttered those three words once to him, he had never said them back.  And they had never again broached the topic, not even after coming to the Hollow and founding a pack side by side.

Harlyn had spent a couple of days away from her packmates, simply forcing herself to think on the situation even though her instincts urged her to throw all thought away and run to her intended mate with reckless abandon.  Her mind stepped inconveniently in the way of it, though.  Was he ready to commit to her?  Did he want to be a father?  Was he willing to begin this next step of their lives together so soon after their first?  It was all so much, and though Harlyn was typically a level-headed individual, she knew herself well enough to know that all bets were off at this time of year.

So, against her better judgement (or any judgement at all), she sought @Mordecai in the depths of their shrouded home.  The druid had no idea what she would say to him - if she'd even speak at all, except to present herself and hope for the best.

It would have seemed that the warmth of the late autumn had suddenly left them, he decided. It had come about in the way that the frost had etched itself into the very wood of the morning, lingering in spite of the sunlight well into the afternoon. Of course it could have just as easily still been morning, as that far into the year he found that his concept of time was all the more skewed. The change of the season, though slow and yet gradual at best, confused him for the first time in a long time. The absence of light felt as though it came from nowhere. However this was hardly the case, but the thought still lingered as he wound his way through a thick copse along a thinning portion of their woodland.

He breathed out heavy and quiet, eyes searching momentarily for a plume of breath that did not aware. It was cool, but not quite that cold. Yet it would come all the same as it had every year of his life. And for their sake he hoped for another mild winter to set in and pass them by swiftly. But whatever the interior reaches of the valley had in store for them was anyone's guess and Mordecai had no good ones to make. He had put his stock into luck and skill, hoping that whatever choice set of gambles they would make would carry them through. The burden was doubly so when it came to managing a pack, and already he felt the nag of his previous stint coming to mind. They had already had their deserters and those depart of good intent; the former enticed irritation in him and the latter left him with mixed emotions he ignored and left to rot.

Pausing as he leaned into the rough bark of a heavy and nondescript tree, he rubbed his shoulder to satisfy an itch. But the action for as absent as it was served a greater purpose — he scanned the trail ahead, attentive to the shift in the wind and the heady scents it drew with it. For now, the area seemed void of any other. He remained indecisive as to whether or not he would seek out different company, just as he remained indecisive in what he would do. His indecision was not saddled out of lack of things to do; there were plenty of things to do.

He came quietly to her through the trees.  She hadn't quite spotted him yet, but she could tell he was near.  Her nostrils twitched as his heady scent touched them, and her mind went blank of all thought as she was consumed by the desire to find him.  She stepped quietly between the tall, spire-like trees, her gaze shifting around the trunks as she searched eagerly for his form.  It was like a game, but she was beyond seeing the fun in it.  She simply wanted to find him, to be with him, and then to let whatever would happen next just happen regardless of any consequences - or miracles, as the druid was wont to see them as.

Somewhere, albeit distantly, he became aware that he was not alone in the dense wood. This grasped at his attention not unlike a snare, something about the tension that rose in the atmosphere around him tempted him to take note of his next steps. It was not the threat of danger that loomed over him but rather one of interest, though he had yet to entirely place what his focus was on. He left the cover of the tree he had been against, abandoning the natural camouflage of the late autumn to continue his way forward.

No more than a few steps further did his eyes narrow, ears slicking back to rest against the curve of his head as he tested the wind. Nothing. He huffed to himself before going more vocal, calling out with a sharp bark. He knew he wasn't alone in the area, but where was this other? Someone was playing games, or so he thought, and his tail rose to wave through the air. Olly olly oxen free?

Something about his chuff and subsequent bark sparked her humor, and suddenly Harlyn was taken by a mischievous notion.  Maybe this was a game, and why shouldn't it be?  Did she have to take everything so seriously all the time?  She was overthinking, overreacting, and definitely trying too hard as she often did.  That was one of the things she so loved about Mordecai, his free and easy spirit.  Maybe she should emulate him in this moment and just dive in headfirst with abandon?

Mood swings, man.

Deciding not to think about what she was doing, Harlyn twisted her steps to take her in a path parallel to the one her partner was walking.  She danced lightly between the trees, calling out to him with a light woof to give him a clue as to which direction to turn next.  She hadn't spotted him herself yet, but she had a general idea of where he was located, and she did her best to avoid him just yet.

He heard her call out, lost midst the forest that enveloped them. It gave him pause as he scanned around him, though he did not put much detail into the search. Instead a sly smile peeled across his muzzle in an instant as he heard her feet carry through the leaf litter of the late autumn. She was close, yet far enough away that the cover of the woodland hid her from his view.

Mordecai changed paths, stepping through the underbrush effortlessly in what he felt was pursuit of her. The path was so winding and varied through this particular expanse of woodland that he didn't know whether or not he would ultimately find her. Perhaps she would find him, already behind him and having located him. He checked behind him, and found nothing.

He barked again, this time curious and questioning of where she was hiding.

Her grin grew broader as he barked again. There was a change in his tone, one that subtly suggested that he was now clued into the game. She quickened her pace, taking less care to keep her steps quiet. She was starting to want him to find her again, but now that the game had begun, she couldn't bring herself to forfeit quite yet. Dashing ahead, she took a sharp turn to cut across his path a safe distance ahead of him. She was hoping to just give him a glimpse of her to further tease him. Her pace quickened into a sprint then, assuming now that he'd presumably seen her, the real chase would begin.

my inner four year old clapped happily about harlyn's decision to bolt for some reason

She answered him and once again, he drew himself into pause to take in his surroundings. The grin on his face had yet to slip from his muzzle in entirety, and this time he took in what lied ahead of him with careful precision. He still heard the tousle of leaf litter beneath all the ambient din, though this time it seemingly picked up. She was close, or at least had been closer than he had expected. Then in a great flurry, he caught a glimpse of her dark-haired coat bolt between a pair of wide oaks, and dissolve behind a screen of well-timed and placed evergreens as she rocketed forward.

It was all the incentive he needed to give chase.

Shoving off from the damp earth, Mordecai charged forward not unlike a bull. He broke through the flimsy and low-hanging boughs of the evergreens, feeling the sting and rake of their needles through his ever-thickening winter coat. This brought Harlyn into frame squarely, though she had quite the lead on him. It was no matter to him however, keen to keep his pace for a time until the woodland would thin to give him reason to surge forward. Until then he would let her choose the path, and only close in that distance to keep their game alive for as long as their stamina would allow it.

She heard his pawsteps quicken in her wake and her grin broadened.  With a playful yip, the alpha abandoned any remaining attempts for secrecy and sprang forward, thrilling in the chase.  It was one thing to be hunter, but to be prey was entirely different.  Fortunately in this case, it was fun and exciting for she couldn't help but hope to be caught.

Eventually.

Harlyn sped along, weaving between the trees and dashing over the crisp ruffage scattered across the ground.  Dried and dead leaves burst into the air in a flurry as her paws tore across them, only to fly again the moment they'd landed as Mordecai's pounded down onto them seconds later.  With a twist, the druid changed her path to take them deeper into the heart of the Hollow.  Even with the fun of the chase and the liberating feeling of simply running and playing with her co-alpha, she was beginning to toy with the idea of losing the game - especially since it ultimately lead to a win for them both.

They rounded through paths yet to be worn in and tore through the underbrush. To an onlooker it would have looked no different than a hunt, and in a sense that was exactly what it was boiling down to. He was drawn to her inexplicably for the same reason she taunted him in their game. So when the pathways became increasingly familiar to the ones he traveled daily, Mordecai felt necessity to surge forward after her like he had planned. At least he thought he was gaining on her, unaware that she had begun to consider losing their little festivities.

He closed in, but not quite enough to catch her; she was smaller and more lean than her counterpart. He barked in her wake, the sharp note no doubt stirring any small creature loose from their approach. In spite of their game he could not be curious as to where she was leading him, and what would come of his pursuit once they reached the sloping terrain surrounding the winding creek and its stones.

Even before she had consciously decided to do it, Harlyn was slowing.  Her energy felt boundless and neverending, and yet her entire body was now begging her to end the game and get on with the prize.  She heard him bark and growled playfully in response, tilting her head to catch a glimpse of him just behind her out of the corner of her eye.

They had just broken into a clearing between the trees when the druid grinned suddenly, fiendishly, and leaped forward to plant all four paws hard into the earth.  She spun to face him, bracing herself in case he wasn't able to stop before colliding with her.  Her tail swatted at the air like a cat's, and she bared her teeth with a wolfish grin.

And as it seemed, Harlyn had a different plan in mind. He scarcely noticed the clearing they had entered when she had pounced to a stop, whirling around to face him and leave him with precious few moments to actually avoid a serious collision. Though he could not help but crash into her, he did so with a certain grace that he would not have normally associated with himself. He bounced on his feet playfully, a series of barks following him as he circled around her as though he could some how entwine their bodies like a pair of snakes.

He nipped along her spine roughly as he came back along to face the direction she had been in; his enticement was clear enough as he hoped to spark her into a spell of roughhousing. He wasn't oblivious to the suggestive air he drew in between those nips, but the tables were being turned slowly. It was clear to him why she had let him pursue her for so long and now Mordecai had no qualms about teasing her into a wait.

Mordecai collided with her, but fortunately it was far gentler than it could have been.  Harlyn growled and snapped playfully at him as he circled her, dancing right along in an effort to bite at his neck as he worried her back with his nips.  Her tail was arched upon her back, waving excitedly in an expression of her amusement, but also for a far more primitive, instinctual purpose.

Somewhere in her mind, she wondered if the scent of her heat would dissuade him from pursuing what they were both so obviously after; if maybe he would stop if he realized that going too far could result in them becoming parents.  The excitement of the game far outweighed her paranoia though, and it was completely gone in the next moment when she thrust herself against him in an attempt to knock him over, reaching again with her jaws to try and latch harmlessly upon his scruff.

He thought not of the consequences that could come to light, but rather the game that they had presently invested themselves in. With a smirk planted on his features, he artfully dodged her snaps to offer ones of his own and believed himself to be in the clear until she had shoved herself against him. He teetered less than gracefully, but was ready for her when she reached again. She latched on though he tried to draw away and the action itself prompted him to swing a foreleg across her shoulders as he bayed dramatically to the woodland around them. And with that foreleg left to arch over her, he meekly tried to free himself, though it was only so that he could bring his muzzle to preen at the downy hairs of her neck and torso.

Harlyn growled with triumph as she caught his ruff in her jaws.  She tugged lightly at him as though trying to drag him down, but the feel of his arm upon her back caused her to release her grip.  She turned her head to nudge at his cheek, nipping softly, but otherwise doing nothing to fight him.  Her growls became a purr as she licked the soft fur just beneath his jaw and towards his throat, her body simply buzzing with anticipation as that oh so familiar heat set ablaze all throughout her.

*FADES THIS OUT BEFORE STEVIE WRITES PORN*

Their game seemed to cease naturally as their bodies became more attune to something sensual. It was an unavoidable clause to their immediate connection and as her body eased in his grapple, instinct took over for the rest. Alone in their own little proverbial neck of the woods for the time being, who was to say what exactly overtook the alpha pair but desire in its final form.