Hoshor Plains the animals inside came out to play

@Orochi <3 

Donovan had been kind enough to walk him down to Panther Park and point him in the right direction, but he hadn't been able to walk him all the way back to Neverwinter. All Hide knew was that he had to head West, which was a lot easier now that the rain was dying off and he could just follow the warmth of the sunlight. There was still no guarantee that he could get home, but this was better than sitting around the Saint's territory and eating their food and stuff.

This at least meant he had a chance to get back.

The sun was lower in the sky now - it was warm on his face as he padded toward it. The grass under his feet felt better than the rocks he'd walked on in the canyons, but he missed sand and he missed the ocean and he missed Orochi. 

All he wanted was to go home. 

He knew he was dragging his feet. He knew he probably looked like shit - new scars on his flank and thigh and scruff, and at least five pounds underweight now - but he couldn't bring himself to care. He had to get home, one way or another.

He only spent a day within the forest, and even then the time was spent looking for signs. As soon as the sun rose the next day, he was off again.

There’s a level of urgency that had no reason to be there. Huā assured him they wouldn’t leave without Hide. If they didn’t have any luck, Orochi assumed—hoped rather—she’d send more wolves to search for him. Logically, he had nothing to worry about, so why was he so fucking scared?

It got worse everyday. The seeds of doubt grew to trees, and its branches would pierce the heart and mind. Questions that he suppressed over the weeks now swarmed his thoughts. 

Hide was taken, or hurt, or both. Who the fuck knows? Maybe he did leave on his own accord, even if that made no sense. He promised he wouldn’t, but everyone that left him promised the same thing did they?

It’s been a week now. The sun was beginning to set, and it’d disappear below the horizon soon. Even when night comes, Orochi would still be awake and searching. There’s a small part of him that clings onto the hope that he’s find his friend. He wanted to trust his word.

Orochi stood upon a hill and surveyed the land. Nothing but golden grass blowing in the evening wind. His ears fell flat on his skull. He wasn’t here.

The yearling was going to go back, but he stopped mid turn. In the corner of his eye he spotted... something. It blended right in with the grass, he could’ve easily missed it. Hide? was his first thought. Orochi shook his head. It’s probably more grass. He’s seeing shit now. Despite telling himself that, he still took a few steps forward.

Hide? he called out to the distant figure and prayed it’s head would poke up.

There was doubt on Hide's end, too. Hopelessness that he was trying to push away. What if he never got back? What if the pack had moved back to the island? What if Hua didn't let him back in? What if Orochi thought he left on purpose?

The last one was rather stupid of him to be concerned with. What would he leave on purpose for? He was a blind wolf with no one to help him leave, so why would he go? And besides that, why would he want to go? Yuelong wasn't perfect, but he had someone who he cared for, and who cared for him, and that was enough. He could stay there forever. 

If he ever got back, he would stay there forever. As long as that was where Orochi was.

Tears burned his eyes. He blinked them away. 

His ears popped up very suddenly as his name was called by a familiar voice. Eyes widened and head raised from where it had been hanging dejectedly, ears swiveling to try and find where the source of the call had been from. 

"Orochi?" he called back, finally allowing some hope to bleed into his raspy, wobbly voice.

That clump of grass was brought alive by recognition. Orochi perked up and held his breath. He wouldn’t move any closer until he knew who that was. It could very well be a stranger, because anyone would jump up if someone called out to them. If this wasn’t Hide, he didn’t care about them.

It felt like an eternity before he got any kind of answer. Finally it comes: 
Orochi?

He took a few more steps closer, more hasty than before. This must be some sort of trick. He must be delusional! Orochi’s trot turned into a sprint. He was practically tripping over his own feet. The closer he got, the more detailed Hide’s features became, or at least an apparition of him. He had to touch him to believe he was actually there.

Once he was close enough, he leaped towards him with his front paws extended.

Pawsteps approached him, far too quickly, and Hide for a brief second was overwhelmed by terror, tail tucking and eyes widening. He didn't brace himself well enough - couldn't, really, because he'd lost weight and muscle and he wouldn't be able to hold his ground anyway. So the body ended up slamming into him, and the two of them would roll across the grass in a tangled heap. 

For a moment, he was pretty much convinced that this was the end. Whoever this was could kill him easily, but... there wasn't teeth. Only soft fur, that felt really familiar and smelled really familiar and he really should've known him by his uneven sprint, but he'd been overwhelmed and scared and hadn't paid close enough attention.

Hide ended up smooshed beneath the other boy, sightless eyes wide and welling with tears. He couldn't speak, burying his face into his friend's fur and inhaling his scent and trembling. It was like he couldn't get close enough.

They collided into each other, rolled across the glass, and Orochi ended up on top of him. He stared into those familiar glassy eyes. There was a small battle in his mind. The glass half empty frame of mind was convinced it was just a dream. He’d blink, and Hide would be gone. Orochi blinked once, twice, but his friend was still there. He buried himself into his fur, and he could feel his uneven breath. This was real.

Crying was contagious. Tears began to well up in his eyes. I thought you were- I- Orochi wouldn’t be able to explain himself even if he wanted to. He didn’t care about any of his assumptions in that moment. He was just happy to be with Hide again. Orochi rested his cheek on his crown and clenched his eyes shut.

Orochi spoke again and pressed into him and Hide's breath stuttered again as he buried his face into the crook of his friend's neck, brushing his cheek there and squeezing his eyes shut tight. He shook his head in response to his companion's words - everything was okay now. He wasn't anything except for home. 

Hide suddenly yanked back, eyes round and watery as he faced the other boy. 

"I didn't leave on p-purpose," he choked out, face crumpling. He needed his friend to know that - that he hadn't wanted to abandon him. "I didn't mean t'break my promise..." His voice was strained and wobbly and sounded horrible to even his own ears. He couldn't imagine what it sounded like to Orochi.

Hide suddenly yanked himself away, and Orochi couldn’t stifle a whimper. He just wanted to hold him as close as he could. It was a bit strange of him. Never in a million years did he think he’d feel such an intense emotion.

Orochi looked into his eyes again. Tears were rolling down Hide’s cheek, and his face was twisted. I know, he assured quickly. All doubt was pushed to the corner of his mind. It was stupid of to believe otherwise for a second, he thought. He couldn’t just leave him like that.

Now it was his turn to rest in his chest fur. It’s a comforting feeling. What happened? I was looking for you for so long. I-I didn’t have any clues to go off of.

Hide shuddered in relief when Orochi assured him that he knew he hadn't left on purpose. He'd never, ever hurt him intentionally like that, and would aim to not even do it accidentally in the future. A head dropped down to his chest and Hide brushed his muzzle across Orochi's ears, rolling to the side so it'd be easier for the two of them to hold each other. 

"Uh, I don't... I think it was lightning?" Hide swallowed hard, his throat feeling dry at the memory. "It was just, really loud. Loud enough to make my ear bleed. And I didn't... I couldn't remember where I was, and I ran the wrong way, and I couldn't find my way back." His throat tightened to a point where it was impossible to speak, so he had to stop to breathe for a few moments before he could continue. "I got in a fight, after..." He didn't know how much of that he should share right now. It was too messy.

The reason for his disappearance was nothing Orochi would’ve guessed. He vaguely recalled the thunderstorm that day. The following chaos almost made him forget. The noise was louder than usual, and fortunately Orochi was too far away to hear it at full volume. He couldn’t imagine how it was like for Hide. It must’ve been extremely disorienting for him.

Orochi looked up when he mentioned a fight. Who attacked you? he growled. They were gonna regret laying a paw on Hide, he’d make sure of that.

He lifted his head to glance over his body. Are you hurt? Now he kinda felt guilty for tackling him without warning.

He hadn't expected Orochi to get angry at just the mention of a fight. Hide's ears perked up and he frowned. "Uh, you know that one pack that Hua mentioned? The Saints?" he asked, offering a sheepish smile. "It was a couple of them. I probably should've run away, but I didn't."

He huffed out a soft laugh, still watery. "Uh, kind of? I'm better now, pretty much. I might have some cool scars though." On his scruff and on his thigh where he'd gotten hit, and maybe on his flank too. "I did pretty good, I think. My head just hurt too bad to, like, fight anymore. So they took me to their territory." He smiled a bit. "They weren't so bad, actually, when they stopped picking at me and stuff. They fed me and let me rest and let me go when I asked. Donovan walked me to the forest and told me where to go."

The saints were mentioned once, but never came up after that. They didn’t cause any problems for Yuèlóng, so he kinda just forgot about them. Now they wanted to pick fights, and they chose the wrong guy to mess with. 

Orochi shuffled to the left and placed his paw on Hide’s side. He inspected his body closely and spotted cuts and tears littered everywhere. Most were healed, maybe his fur would grow over the majority of them. Any injuries that were too deep to cover would make for great scars. They’ll suit you.

Hide claimed he did well in the fight. Orochi has no doubts. His fighting skills had improved over the months. He probably would’ve won if he wasn’t disoriented.

So, they brought him back to their territory. That made him angry, but it wasn’t a shock. Huā mentioned they kidnapped people. Orochi didn’t believe they were good, but they sounded better compared to his kidnappers. Both groups had fed them, but only one let their captive go when he asked. One good act wouldn’t save them from his wrath. 

I’m still gonna kill them. He buried himself in Hide’s fur again. But.. I’m glad they let you go.

The Saints were bad, but they weren't all bad. If they were, Donovan would've dropped Hide off that cliff when he had the chance, or they could've killed him in the field. Maybe torn him up worse than they had. The fact that Hide was still alive was a testament to the fact that they weren't pure evil, he thought.

His skin warmed under Orochi's scrutiny. Even if he couldn't see it, he could feel the other boy staring at him, burning holes in his body. He wondered what he'd say. Maybe he'd be disappointed that Hide didn't win, or maybe he'd think the scars were ugly.

But he did neither of those things.

They'll suit you.

"Thanks. I was hoping they'd look tough and not like I got my ass handed to me and then dangled off the side of a cliff," he responded, a sheepish laugh escaping him as Orochi buried himself back into his fur. "You don't have to kill them. Donovan is massive - I only got like one good hit on him because his front leg was already hurt. So I probably owe my life to whoever did that." 

He huffed out a soft sigh and rested his head back down on the ground, splayed out and slowly curling up against his companion. "I'm really tired," he admitted, pressing his ears back to his skull.

Just say you gave them a good beating. A grunt-like chuckle was pushed out his nostrils. No one’s gonna question it. Besides, it was a little true wasn’t it. Sure he may have lost in the end, but he still gave it his all. Oh, what Orochi would give to see their wounds. Seeing the consequence of their mistake would make him a bit less angry.

Size never deterred him. He’d take him on, with or without an injuries. Orochi wished he’d been the one to maim the leg. He’d feel better knowing he helped out in some fashion.

Hide slowly curled up beside him, and it was at that moment when Orochi became conscious of how close they are together. It’s like a lightbulb switched on, and it’s heat flowed into his cheeks.

This felt... strange. Not in a bad way. It was different and new. Orochi wanted to stay as close as possible, but he didn’t know if that’s what he should do. Was that weird? He couldn’t decide.

I’m tired. The statement ripped him away from the battle in his head. He swallowed, then replied, Yeah, me too. There was a pause that felt a bit too long before he spoke again.

 We can rest here for a bit. Uh, I mean, if you want. Orochi curled along the side of Hide’s body. I think you need it. 

Only to recuperate, he told himself over and over.

"I kind of did," he said with a laugh, relishing in the warmth and scent and proximity of his companion. He'd been so deprived of any positive touch for the last couple of weeks, and he desperately needed it. Was Orochi always this warm and soft? Hide felt warm all over, and kind of tingly, too? But he was more comfortable than he'd been in weeks. He never wanted to move again. 

Orochi was tired too, and Hide vaguely wondered why. His brain was staticky and he was so comfortable and happy to be back, so it was surprising when his eyes started to burn again. 

A soft hum escaped him and he pressed closer to his friend, cheek pressed against his forelimb. They must've looked weird, cuddled up in a field like this, but he couldn't care less at the moment. This felt perfect and comfortable and Hide would only move if absolutely necessary. Orochi didn't seem to want to get up, either. 

"I do need it," he admitted. All of this. The warmth and contact and reassurance that he wasn't alone anymore. His throat tightened a bit and he sighed through his nose, just slightly shaky. "Did you... you were looking for me, right?" he asked, voice hushed and a bit strained. And maybe he shouldn't ask right now, but he wanted to know for sure.

Orochi wasn’t observent. Inflections and body language would fly over his head on most days. Right now, he was hyper aware of everything. He could hear the waviness in Hide’s sigh and the strain in his voice. The yearling briefly held his breath.

Of course I was. The answer was nearly immediate. I couldn’t just sit in that forest knowing you were missing. I was just—I was worried. He didn’t mean for that to slip out, but it did. Orochi would just clear his throat and pretend it was never said. Why would you ask?

Hide frowned a bit at the response. How long had Orochi looked? He must have been so tired. Of course Hide appreciated the gesture, but it was... difficult to know he'd caused him to worry like that. 

"I made more trouble for you," he murmured, letting out a deep breath. "I made you work really hard. You're probably super tired." The boy buried his face into Orochi's fur, eyes falling shut. "I'm sorry."

There he goes, apologizing again. It’s a habit Orochi’s grown used to by now. He’d probably never understand why he did it so frequently. 

It’s fine. I don’t care, really. He took in a deep breath as Hide buried himself into his fur again. You’re here now. That’s all that matters.

Orochi let out a long sigh before closing his eyes too. The drowsiness was finally catching up to him. It was evident in his voice. When we get back to the forest, we’re probably gonna go back to the island. We could rest there for as long as we need.

The island sounded so good. Soft sand under his feet, the smell of the ocean. He hadn't liked it much at first, but he missed it now more than anything. His entire body ached, desperate to sleep, and comforted entirely by Orochi's presence. 

"I'm glad you're here," he murmured, eyes fully falling shut and body pressed flush to Orochi's own. "Can't wait to go back home." If both of them were lucky here, Hide wouldn't drool all over Orochi's fur. But the two of them were not ever so lucky. For now, Hide wouldn't worry about it too much. Orochi could yell at him when they woke up, if he wanted.