Barrow Fields Surrounded and up against a wall

@Val sorry this took a minute, I had to figure out what direction I was going to take this <3

Tybault went back to the coast, further this time, feeling thoroughly called out by everyone he'd encountered since turning back. It was ridiculous, really. He tried to put it out of his mind and focus only on the mission ahead: Sapphique. Shikoba had given him directions, of course, but they were vague enough that he wasn't entirely confident in his ability to find the pack quickly.
So he passed Sweetharbor despite the sudden and foolish urge to stop and see Bartholomew. He couldn't afford to waste any more time, and he certainly couldn't afford more distractions. Ophelia could be getting further from him with each day. She could need his help. The Moonglow wolves had reminded him of that, though he sort of wished they hadn't. He was just so tired. He couldn't let himself be tired, though. Not yet.

a wolf busily prowled the barrows. val watched him from the apex of a mound, having rested there after his foray from the sound.

this one wasn’t sapphique as near as he could tell. his brown coat and golden hood was distinct enough val thought he would remember. too far to take in his scent, val chuffed from his vantage, wondering what business brought the stranger to so gloomy a foothill.

Tybault didn't even see the other wolf until his chuff startled him. His hackles bristled and he faced the green-eyed man with the ghost of a snarl rippling across his features before he realized it was just some dude. Sitting on one of those weird mounds. What the hell.
What do you want? He asked, not dismissive or demanding but simply curious. Seriously, what could he possibly want from Tybault? It didn't look like he was doing anything or going anywhere; it looked like he was just sitting there, watching. Was he waiting for people to pass by or something? Tybault hoped he never got that lonely. Surely he would find Ophelia before that happened.

oh, frick. val regretted immediately making his presence known. involuntarily , his spine arched like a cat — but he remained lying in the snow. this dude seemed cranky and standing abruptly seemed unwise right now. almost as unwise as drawing attention to a total stranger.

val tried to relax visibly, feeling tension pool and roll down his shoulders. i don’t want anything. he hoped this open answer might assay the male — either to send him packing or show him val meant no harm.

His own reaction startled the dark-furred stranger. Tybault managed to resist the urge to laugh, but his lips twitched with the beginnings of a smile nonetheless. Then he noticed something. He wasn't sure what. He just noticed, and then he was distracted.
And then he was irritated. What did he mean, he didn't want anything? Then why... His eyes narrowed. Was this guy some kind of creep? Tybault wouldn't stand for it. I don't know what you're trying to do, but I'm not interested. I'm not into guys, okay? I'm not. Go find someone else! And with that, he turned to make a hurried exit. He would go see Heda again, he decided. She was pretty, and he was not into guys.

val was now even more bewildered than before. his life as marginally lonesome served him well in that he gained many life skills — yet, interacting with those of his kind was not one of them.

hold up, guys? val’s ears flew forward in surprise, but he realized he had no source of indignation to draw from. he’d come (maybe not literally, but figuratively) from a same-sex pairing himself, and the insinuation he might be interested in men wasn’t so scandalous in his eyes.

what if i’m into your mother? he called from his mound as the stranger strode hotly away, not really expecting an answer.

Tybault didn't expect him to say anything else, but he did.
What if I'm into your mother?
Wow. Okay. Real original. Tybault thought he should keep walking, but he didn't. Instead he turned back, his expression grave. He didn't know what came over him, just then. My mother is dead, He deadpanned, not even blinking. It was more effort than he would ever admit to keep a straight face, but he managed it as he waited to see how the distracting man would take that.

val didn’t prepare for rebuke, so when it came in the form of very depressing news he just stared for a moment.

oh, dead. cool. processing…. this may take a moment…

so is mine. he retorted, eyes narrowing at the stranger. as far as he could tell, the male was being genuine — but he did not for a moment feel sorry for bringing dead mothers into the equation.

A moment of silence passed between them before the stranger rejoined with his own announcement. Well shit. Tybault hadn't expected that. Not that he was about to let this guy win, of course.
Well, He said irreverently. Sucks to be you. Tybault definitely wasn't about to get all serious and sappy about this, especially since his own mother wasn't even dead. She was just dead to him. Which really wasn't all that different, he thought, because it meant the same thing. He would never see her again. So maybe he hadn't lied completely?

oh to be val, where his crowning achievement in life was a ubitiquous riposte involving the provocation of one’s own mother.

his fur settled. the goldcloak male was given a cool stare.

sucks to be you. yeah it does. i’m looking at an eyesore right now. are you this pleasant to everyone? val didn’t actually think this guy was unattractive, but the ball was already rolling and he wasn’t going to stop it.

An eyesore. Tybault laughed, and because assholery was a language he spoke fluently, relaxed. Generally, yeah, He said; it was true, and he was not ashamed of it. None of these people meant anything to him. No one mattered except Ophelia. But hey, if this guy was open to standing around and shooting the shit for a minute, he'd take it. It was possible that he was actually offended, but. Shrug.
Do you always creep on random strangers? He raised his eyebrows, because dude had definitely been watching him. He was looking forward to hearing this explanation, if there even was one. If not — well, he'd just have to go with his initial assumption.

once val saw in the man a release of tension, a smile began its subtle bloom across his dark face. the stranger's laugh was the quiet signal to lay down their arms, which val did readily.

what? i can't help but creep on random strangers when they're as good looking as you. val's tailtip twitched in the contented manner of a cat. conflict he did not thrive in, but banter... val could banter all day. you know, because i'm gay and all.

That was a switch. Tybault could handle being called ugly, but there was something distinctly uncomfortable about being called good looking. By a guy. He knew he was joking, which made it easier, but it hit a little too close to home. I'm not gay! he almost insisted, but thought better of it.
I'm shocked I didn't smell your fruity ass from a mile away, Tybault said instead, grinning. Yeah. Being gay is totally a joke. Not a real thing. Not his thing, nope, he wasn't gay! Tybault was soooo straight.

well, that's the thing. we only smell like fruit in pairs. val took a big whiff of the air with a grin. like right now, we're sending a signal to the whole teekon that we're about to get our fruit on. alone, i'd say i smell like seaweed.

in a way it was nice to banter with a total stranger like this -- it challenged parts of val that hadn't been challenged in a while. in the end, when the two had their fill of teasing and ribbing, val would slip back to sapphique with a lingering smile that never quite left.