Silver Moraine I took a pill in Ibiza

She eyed the moraine warily, then heaved a sigh and plopped onto her haunches with a sharp intake of breath when her ribs smarted. The jagged, hilly glacier trail stretched north to south as far as the eye could see and Wildfire was beginning to lose hope. She wouldn't be able to go around, so she would have to cross over. But what with her aching ribs and notoriously clumsy feet, she felt like she could really do some damage. If she hurt herself so badly she couldn't hunt, she would die. It was a big risk. A long, low breath gusted out of her as this reality settled weightily on her slim red shoulders.

For a while, she simply rested, studying the strange landscape a while before easing herself into a supine position. She fell asleep unintentionally, dreaming vividly of getting intimate with someone she took to be Floki at first. In her dreamscape, Wildfire fully welcomed the attention, her hangups having disappeared into the ether. But when he mounted her and she glanced back, she saw that it was Thuringwethil straddling her hips instead. Her eyes widened in surprise and she froze. It felt so illicit, yet Wildfire remained motionless, neither welcoming it nor pulling away.

Out in the real world, her lips parted. She panted, drool beginning to gather and slide down her lip to pool around the cheek pressed to the cold grass.

After that rather haunting field of emptiness and strange mounds, Teagan decided to head away from the coast for a while and began moving eastwards. He didn't have a particular destination in mind - when did wanderers ever have a definite destination anyways - but it didn't matter to him anymore. He had, after all, practically given up on joining a pack, not only because of the fact that the few packs he'd joined before arriving here and mistrusted him for his coyote heritage but also because he didn't feel like committing to a gang of strangers anymore; he didn't feel like fitting into a traditional hierarchy suited him at all. Teagan loved his freedom and if he was to be an outcast to achieve it, then so be it. 

"Apparently, the east is the north," Teagan remarked to himself, staring at the moraine. "Mom must've been mistaken when she taught me the directions." Right. He was officially descending into a new level of boredom if he was cracking bad mom jokes to himself, alone, practically in the middle of nowhere with no other creature to be found. Or so he thought.

Out of the corner of his eye, the coywolf caught a glimpse of fiery red and stiffened. Black, leathery nostrils inhaled deeply and sure enough, he was met with the scent of a wolf, a female, a potential threat to his lively existence. It'd been sometime since he'd talked to another of his species, which was why, despite the wariness that plagued him now, he began approaching her, slowly and cautiously. He would have thought that the wolf would've noticed him and did something about it for now, but she remained motionless, and so he kept approaching.

Only when he was several feet away, did he stop and observe with gleaming, green eyes. "Oh, look at our sleeping beauty," he murmured to himself, his lips curving to form his trademark smirk as his now, mischievous gaze, took in the sight of her panting and watched as drool trickled from her mouth. "Wonder what kind of dream you're having, naughty little princess," he said softly, not wishing to wake her up, the sight of her sleeping causing him way more amusement than it should've.

He did not trust that Reek would leave entirely, and left the maplewood only to ensure that the bastard had returned home and had not decided he would lurk around the neighboring territories. He did not plan to be gone long; he refused to allow himself more than a sparing absence. There were pups to defend, and he had just made a fresh claim that may need to be defended. Fortunately, as he followed Reek's trail, he grew more confident that he had left the immediate area. Yet, as soon as he was about to turn around, he caught a glimpse of another.

Drawing nearer, he saw that there was actually two, and the one on the ground has an unmistakable coat. He does not doubt for one moment she is Wildfire, albeit much older than the last time he saw her. Distrusting as he now was, Luke's cold eyes snapped immediately to the strange male, and he bristled as a low growl bubbled in his throat. He stiffly marched forward, intending to put himself between the male and the sleeping Wildfire. "Back away from her," he growled.

Wildfire found herself suddenly wondering why another woman would embrace her this way, considering Thuringwethil lacked the proper equipment for this act. Somehow, it didn't really seem to make a difference. The friction still felt good, very good. Wildfire moaned, head dipping low even as she hiked her posterior even higher. Her spine curved deliciously and her cheek came to rest on the soft loam. She closed her eyes and—

"Back away from her." The four words snapped Wildfire awake immediately, the dream vanishing in the blink of an eye. She jerked clumsily to her feet, unleashing an involuntary grunt of pain as her ribs reminded her of their bruises. Trying her best to ignore the pain, her head flicked to and fro between the two figures standing over her, one a perfect stranger and the other a much more familiar face.

"Luke?" she said, mouth dry and voice gravelly from sleep. Suddenly aware of the tacky sensation of dried drool on her cheek, Wildfire swiped a paw over it even as she took a few careful steps backward. "Who is this? What's goin' on?" Her whole body stiffened as the yearling cursed herself for falling asleep out in the open like this.

Teagan grew increasingly amused the longer he watched the stranger in front of him sleep and just as he was about to settle down to continue watching the show, albeit more comfortably, he was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice growling. Nose twitching, he realised that there was another wolf around, and this one was definitely not friendly. Oh, seriously? Just when I was starting to have some fun, bastard had to jump in. Well, I suppose he could be fun as well, if played right.

The coywolf spun around, eyes gleaming and lips curved to form a subtle smirk. The wolf was white, a stranger with silver eyes and a blue nose. Interesting. "Hey man, chill out," Teagan said with his trademark smirk in reply to the white wolf's words, taking a step back. "If I wanted to harm her, I'll have done it already, when she was asleep." At that, Teag flashed a boyish grin at the female who had just woken up and seemingly greeted the white male who'd confronted him with a single word or a question almost, a name; Luke. 

Teagan glanced at his confronter out of the corner of his eye, then turned back to the lady who was now wiping drool off her cheek and asking questions. "Name's Wilde, Nicklaus Wilde. Nice to meet you too, sweetheart," the coywolf said with a roll of his eyes, carefully avoiding giving away his first name. Her next question was not directed to him, but he decided to take the initiative to answer anyway."Long story short: you were asleep and having a nice, little dream by the looks of it-" here, he winked at her, "-anyways, I saw you and stopped by, because it's dangerous to sleep in the open, y'know and I decided to stop here for a while to guard you until you awoke because I'm a nice guy, obviously, and I didn't want to interrupt your dream 'cuz it seemed nice." His tone was almost serious now, though a subtle smile still danced on his lips.

"Then Blue Nose here, arrived, saw me, saw you, knows you, got protective and growled at me, hence you're awake and probably didn't get to finish your dream. Anyhow, I'm sure Luke here had the best of intentions when he confronted me, right buddy?" Teagan nodded politely at the blue nosed guy, green eyes twinkling brightly as he smiled the same boyish grin, mentally rolling his eyes.

Nothing about this wolf made Luke comfortable, and his mouth was drawn in a hard line to match the hardness of his gaze as he listened to the ramble in stormy silence. There was not even a mere fragment of him that believed the wolf had honest intentions in watching Wildfire sleep. There was a time when the white wolf would have given the benefit of the doubt, and would have trusted the devil himself until the devil gave him a direct reason not to. But not now.

"Yeah, she's my friend," he stated, shifting nearer to the dhole doppelganger without letting his cold stare slip from the other wolf's face. "So thank you, I guess, for watching out for her while she sleeps... but I imagine you'll be moving on now that she's awake, yeah?" Luke lifted his shoulders and levelled his muzzle with sniff.

The stranger might have meant to reassure them both, yet when he explained that he could and would have hurt Wildfire while she slept, the yearling stiffened. Then he called her sweetheart, mentioned her dream (she couldn't remember it at all) and winked lasciviously at her. Wildfire's jaw clenched so hard it audibly creaked. Finally, he referred to himself as a nice guy and she felt her stomach churn, then turn to ice. He reminded her so strongly of Goober that the young scout found herself fighting against her rising gorge.

She wasn't sure what she would have done if not for Luke. But he addressed the nice guy, his expression wary and his voice level as he dismissed him. Wildfire threw him a stricken but grateful glance, shuffling closer to him. He was a man too, of course, but one she knew and trusted. They had a history, after all, and she knew he was a friend of her father's too. There was no higher recommendation than that in her book.

Wildfire needn't have added much to Luke's words, yet the sickening memory of Goober's attack, coupled now with this guy's seemingly good intentions, prompted the she-wolf to gravel out, "Watching me sleep? Calling me pet names? Pretending to be some sort of white knight? Newsflash: that doesn't make you a nice guy." She paused, lips puckering as if sucking on a lemon. "It makes you a goddamn creep." The words felt weird in her mouth and her skin felt too warm and tight, yet even as she spoke, Wildfire felt a strange sense of empowerment and vindication. She only wished she could have said the same to her rapist.

The guy he assumed was Luke said that the girl was his friend and moved closer to the female. Teagan watched, still smiling, but the glow in his eyes dimming, replaced by something almost akin to boredom. It seemed that his business here was done; the coywolf did not like talking to uptight wolves, even if they had a reason to do so. It just...removed the fun from his life, you know, and the world was already so gloomy and sad that he didn't have time for these people. No offense intended. 

"Yeah, sure, buddy, whatever you want," Teagan said with a yawn and a shrug and was about to turn around and leave when the girl spoke up. Here, the boy exhaled softly, a look of tiredness crossing his face before disappearing just as quickly as it came. He did not leave, however, but stood there, completely still, listening calmly to her biting words. When he assumed she was done, Teagan turned around and looked at her, a smile still on his lips though this time it no longer reached his eyes which had turned hard, the barrier up once more.

"Don't take it personally, firehead. I call everyone pet names," the coywolf said calmly, still smiling the same hard smile. "Makes life easier," he added. "As for pretending to be a white knight? Saying I'm a nice guy? Nah. I'm a bad boy, darling. I'm a bad boy with a bad heart. Here's a tip: only bad boys ever refer to themselves as nice guys. Nice guys?" a bitter look crossed his eyes for a millisecond before vanishing as abruptly as it came. "Nice guys don't say shite, buddy." 

Here, Teagan grinned a shit-eating grin. "I'll say it's been nice meeting you but it hasn't. Frankly, the next time I see either of you will be far too soon and I've got a feeling that it's mutual. So, see you later, princess, and you, white boy, call me." The coywolf winked at Luke, then trotted away, guard up in case one of them decided to chase after him. Some wolves hated being hit on, after all, even though Teag had no intention of ever dating Luke. He simply liked winding people up.

[teagan out]

Once upon a time, the white wolf would have been able to relate to the incessant chatter and the strange humor, but not now. He did not care for this male at all and certainly would not be calling him later, and was all too glad to see him pick up and leave without much fuss. Luke drew a deep breath, exhaling the tension as he turned to face his companion, settling to his haunches.

"Look at you all growed up," he said, a half smile curling one corner of his mouth upward. The last time he recalled seeing Wildfire had been after the tornado struck. "Do you live up here now?"

Her eyes screwed into a squint at his (very windy) rejoinder. What's the point? Wildfire found herself thinking more than once. Eventually, he made himself scarce and she didn't take it upon herself to say anything more. She still felt the warmth of vindication zinging through her bones, though it ebbed away gradually as her attention shifted now to Luke.

"Thanks," she said to him, glad he had helped encourage that weirdo to go away. She shook her head. "Not really, no. I don't really live anywhere right now." She followed Luke's example and sat, her jaw clenching at the fresh wave of pain in her abused ribs. "I didn't even mean to fall asleep out here. I was staring at that," Wildfire explained, gesturing at the moraine, "and trying to build up the nerve to cross. I busted my ribs a few days back and, knowing me, I'll break something else if I try," she finished with a light sigh.

"Oh," said Luke, as he let his own gaze travel across the moraine. He was not surprised to hear that the young scout was a free agent; it was a natural progression for many and for one so intrepid as she it could not be more fitting. "I live in Phoenix Maplewood," he shared, gesturing with a small jerk of his head to the distant forest behind him. "I'm sure I could find a place for you if you need a place to settle down, but I won't be insulted if you want to keep roaming for a while." But his brows knitted briefly as his eyes came to rest on her sides, as if he could see the broken ribs within. "Can't be too much fun wandering with broken bones," commented Luke.

When Luke told her where he lived, Wildfire looked at him sharply, lips parting in surprise before twitching upward. "Oh, cool," she said lamely before adding an explanatory, "Saena's my sister. And I've definitely thought about it." Phoenix Maplewood was at the top of her list of possibilities, really, despite their unlikely history. "But I'm not ready to make a decision yet," she finished a bit apologetically, shaking her head lightly as her gaze wandered over the treacherous moraine again.

"I don't think they're broken," she continued after a pause, "just bruised. I'm no medic, though." Wildfire shrugged, then steered the conversation back toward the previous subject, only turning the spotlight on him. "Were you always part of Saena's pack?" She had only met Luke once before, when he had helped her home after the storm, and she couldn't quite recollect whether he'd mentioned an allegiance then. She did remember his familiarity with her parents, so it was a little ironic that he would end up shacking up with Saena.

Sister? For a moment, Luke was stunned, and his brows twitched upward as he regarded her curiously. But then he recalled the first time he had met Saena, and remembered how she had spoke of Peregrine and her ire toward him. How could he have forgotten? It seemed so long ago.

"No," he answered, and ran his blue tongue along his lips. "I was in another pack before that," he hummed and shifted his jaw, doing his best to hide the cocktail of guilt and anger, and all the unpleasant memories that had characterized the last few months of his life. "It just didn't work out in the long run," he shrugged, deflecting with a follow up comment. "Saena has been a friend of mine for a long time, so I decided to join up with her."

He hadn't always run with Saena's pack, though he didn't offer up any details about his former comrades. Wildfire looked shrewdly at Luke's face for a moment, sensing something painful behind his bright eyes. It takes one to know one, she found herself thinking inanely. She did not give into the slight temptation to press the matter, for once keeping her foot out of her mouth. She knew as well as anyone now how some things just needed to be left well enough alone.

"Same with my last pack," Wildfire said lightly, leaving it at that. "That's cool that you live there. Did you know Reek then?" she couldn't help but ask, expression darkening.

His mouth formed a stiff line that bordered between a strange smile and a frown as she posted her next question. "Not in a good way," he said simply. For all intents and purposes, Luke hardly knew Saena's ex at all. He had been met aggressively by him on the eve he discovered his companion had not burned in the fire that had consumed her ridge. It was a bad first impression, and one that never would be corrected. "I was actually out here making sure that he left and went back to whatever hole he crawled out of," Luke said, his diction leaving no question as to how he felt about that wolf.

"Speaking of, I should probably be getting back. Saena not long ago gave birth, and with Reek having come to the borders, tensions and worries are a bit high." His expression softened into a blend of apology and warmth. "Come by sometime... when the pups are older. We can chat a bit more then. Take care, Wildfire." He favored her with one last smile and a dip of his head, before he turned to return to the maplewood.

There was no love lost between Luke and Reek, which did not surprise her. Wildfire was glad there was someone else to look after Saena and her pups, considering their deadbeat dad. That fact that she had given birth sometime in the days since their encounter caused Wildfire's brows to shoot nearly off her face. The circumstances left a lot to be desired, of course, but the yearling felt a rush of warmth. She hoped everything had gone as well as possible.

"Don't apologize," she said in response to the look he gave her. She made a lighthearted shooing motion, to the detriment of her sore ribs. "You too. Go take care of them and give Saena my well wishes." Wildfire returned Luke's smile, if not his bow (her poor ribs), watching until he disappeared before turning to look across the moraine again. Her brows knitted and she sighed, steeling herself for the perilous trek.