Phoenix Maplewood What a terrible world

For @Kael, keeping the vague for the sake of my timeline!

There was a much needed break in the heavy snowfall, but winters biting chill remained behind, much to Reek's bitter chagrin. The cold affected him at his very core; his bones felt brittle, fragile, and for the first time in Reek's reletively short life, he felt old. As a man of three years, nearing four— Reek was well into the prime of his life, but now more than ever did he feel a disconnect with the youthful spirt he had previously clung to. He felt as if he was a different man; one who stole away in the night and had taken up residence in the empty shell of the body the old Reek had left behind. It was a peculiar feeling.

Perhaps this is what it meant to grow up— to take a hard look at ones priorities and approach them with a level of self-seriousness that had previously been unheard of. His priorities aligned themselves in a neat little row: first came his mate, second his pack, third and final... his own well being. He had already failed his pack by letting Scarlett slip away into the abyss. Another failure would not be tolerated.

In times like these, Reek prefered not to sit idle and be alone with his thoughts. They took him to dark places he wished not to tread. So instead, he threw himself into his work on the border. With head hung low, Reek walked the borderline of the southern end of the Maplewood, periodically refreshing the scent markers with his own eau de Reek.

That works for me! :D Glad we could get a thread in though! I pped a little, if you don't like it let me know and I'll change it!

Kael had been patrolling the borders too. The yearling had worked from the northern end downward, skirting around the eastern flank as he had done with the western one the day before. Although he still couldn't fully shake the feeling of being isolated from the rest of the pack, he still worked daily at some of the duties that were set before him upon joining. Restore the caches, protect the borders and all that sort of good stuff.

The snow revitalized him though; so crisp and clean, it still brought feelings of virgin newness. Like him, it had started to infiltrate the pack, unlike him though it was full of surprises. The stillness of it was misleading in the idea that the world was still, but they life still stirred in the shadows of nooks and crannies. He felt like a master of the world because of it, watching the rest of the world dig deep underneath while he still prowled on top. 

Kael couldn't help but grin, feeling his inherent joyfulness and nativity of reality take over whatever melancholy may had persisted. He dove forward, grabbing a huge hunk of snow from the banks and whipped his head upward. This motion threw the snow high in the air, only to come thudding back down on top of him. He barked happily, repeating the motion over and over, kicking up snow with his paws and making it rain chunky balls of the stuff with his mouth. 

He flipped on his back, using his back legs to propel himself through the snow, snapping his teeth here and there as he went like a furry land shark. His tail whipping excitedly behind him, he wiggled around before snapping his whole body up again with yet another mouthful of snow. And then he saw him. Brows lifted in pure surprise, he hastily spat out the snow and worked on his posture. "Reek, sir, uhh..." He started quickly, hoping - nay , praying - that the grumpy leader hadn't been watching for long.

Editing in an ending.

His solo march along the borders of the Maplewood took a brisk pace, it was easier to replace thought with action that way. Reek tried to keep his mind as blank as possible as he walked, but sometimes a creeping thought would sneak past past his defenses.  You didn't do enough, chided his own internal voice in the back of his mind. Reek winced away the hurt and continued with his patrol, soldiering on in the hopes it would make him numb.

However, numbness never came, no matter how much he distracted himself. Though Reek's wounds from the fight on the coast had closed, the wound caused by losing Scarlett left a much larger and more painful tear.  It was an open wound on his very soul, and that wasn't something he knew how to heal with herbs or cobwebs. Time was what he needed, and he had all the time in the world.  He would let it fade on the border and wouldn't cease until the pain was gone.

Out of the corner of Reek's eye, he saw a nondescript blur of brown and cream.  He stopped and turned his gaze to see Kael playing around in the snow. Jubilant. Reek sniffled once in the cold air and felt a chilling pang of envy.  Something about Kael reminded Reek of the man he used to be. He wished he could still be this man, but it was almost as if he no longer knew how.

Reek did not go unknoticed for long and Kael soon froze in place after meeting Reek's gaze.  "Don't call me sir," he muttered. The title made him feel old. There was a quaver to his voice; a stark contrast to the confident image he usually tried to project. He trudged through the snow to close the distance between the two of them.  After a quick beat, Reek shot from left field and asked, "Kael, do you think I'm old?" It was an honest question.  While Reek knew he was far from elderly, he couldn't help but wonder if his best years were behind him... and if those were his best years, then lord help him.

However, no response came. It was silly to think Kael could have offered some sort of help. "Whatever," said Reek before setting off into the Maplewood alone.