Moonspear Sooner, or Later?

Harley, after the hunt, had somehow woken up back at home. For how long he'd been out or how he got in his den was a mystery, and though his head hurt, he'd been fine the next few dats. Sticking to himself though, he began to plan. Soon, now that @Althaia was healing, they could go, he could get the woman away from the life of Filth. 
He'd been taking care of her well, but it was still rare they had much real bonding experience. The milky male couldn't blame her: she was a slave for gods sake. He'd be reserved too. 
This clear, starry night, however, he sniffed out her scent in hopes this was one of those nights she stayed up and walked.

The chaos of the hunt had left her with numerous new injuries, but to her great relief, it was nothing too serious. However, Harley she was worried about. He had come to mean a lot to her recently, as a friend, and she worried for him. She had found his kindness and caring to be sincere, as he did not waver, even when she largely ignored him or spoke little. 

It was a clear night when she went searching for him, and the stars glittered above like tiny eyes. His scent was like a clear trail, to his den, and it was there that she found him. She approached, at ease, and a tiny chuff of greeting escaped her maw. "Are you alright?"

There she was. Turning to her with a smile of relief, especially since she was being so much more open, Harley's amber eyes sparkled. He was sore, but most of his bruises were nearly all the way healed, and any scrapes he had too. 
          "I'm pretty great, now."
A shy grin spread across his maw and the red-tipped man stepped closer to lick her shoulder in greeting before sniffing her over for other injuries. 
                     "What about you, are you okay?"

He greeted her warmly, and at his lick Althaia's muzzle grew warm. He checked her over for injuries, and she said softly. "I'm fine. Just a little bruised and battered." she rounded on him, peering at him intently. Perhaps he had some sort of head wound, as he had been unconscious for a while. It was him she was truly worried about. "You fell unconscious. Are you sure you're alright?"

Harley paused at her question, and tipped his head to think for a moment. It was possible something was wrong, yes, but perhaps he got away lucky this time?
                 "Im sure I'm okay, I feel better than I have in months. Maybe I just needed a good sleep is all?"
Flashing her another confident smile and hoping to put her worries to rest, the man rocked back on his haunches into a sit and relaxed.

He claimed he felt good, and Althaia did not contradict him. She instead resigned to settling down on her stomach, a small look of worry on her face. Multiple things had been bothering her, upsetting her, and yet she had told no one. Oh well...time to start. "Dash was nice. Now he's...I don't even know. And my leg; it's healed, but something is wrong. I still can't walk, or run, like I used to." She said. Words fell like water from her maw, a wave of worry and upset.

Harley lay himself next to her and fixed her with an autumn stare, listening carefully but unable to keep his eyes from sweeping over her pelt a couple more times. Each time became less looking for something wrong, and more appreciating what was right. Her words, though, her sad words brought his face into a frown.
                 "We can always try some exercises, see if we can loosen it up a little. What's that about Dash?"
He hadn't seen the fate of his friend, but it was a worry to the wolfdog. The dark male had been nice to Harley, hopefully nothing happened to him.

Althaia frowned. "He vanished, but there was no body. He couldn't have left...would he do that?" She didn't know why she cared so much about the fate of Dash, but she had known him for a month and his untimely departure worried her. But she put it out of her mind, or tried to, there was nothing she could do for him. Harley's suggestion for her leg earned an uncertain nod. "Okay, if you think that would help. Can you help me?"

Vanished, gone, no trace? Why would he have left? The blast had been disorienting, perhaps something bad had happened? Much as the hybrid wanted to go look for his friend, Althaia was more important. 
Harley nods, smiles.
                   "I'll always help you, Althaia. I promise."
He casts his amber eyes around them fully, watching for anyone else before settling down and speaking in a whisper. 
                           "And, when you are well enough, we leave."
Awaiting her reaction, the wolfdog smiled up at her, hoping she would agree. This was no life for here, being a thrall, and they knew it. Much as Harley loved his home, he was taking her away, far, FAR away, from Charon, and to settle elsewhere.

"We'll leave"
Casual words delivered with a smile. Althaia gasped, eyes wide with surprise. He would do that, for her? She knew that he was kind, but to leave his pack for her, that meant something more. That he was willing to leave his home behind, for her, a thrall and trespasser, that was more than a simple friendship. For a few moments, she did not speak, but her green gaze found Harely's. "Harely, I-I can't ask you to do that, for me. You have a home here, you have the chance for a life here, with a pack and a mate and more. I can't ask you to do that." She fumbled, her words clumsy, her heart racing for some unknown reason.

She reacted, well, no worse than he worried, but fought him. There was no question about it in his mind, not anymore. Sure, at first, he fully accepted what Charon had done. The longer it went on, however, Harley found himself admiring her strength. Her words struck a cord in his heart he didn't know he had, and perhaps it shed a little light on how he felt for her. Never did his amber eyes leave her face, and the shy little grin was cemented to his maw. 
           "Are you saying I don't have a chance at that with you?"

She was fully prepared to fend off another argument, but his next words caught her off guard. She stopped, maw hanging open a fraction of an inch, and stared at him for a moment before replying in a soft tone. "I-what? You- Harley, I-" Her words stumbled over each other, confused and disoriented. Did he think of her more than a friend, then? Softly, nervously, she asked "What do you mean?"  Did he really want to pursue a relationship with her? She was a thrall, a trespasser, and there were so many pretty females in the pack that would be more deserving of his affections.

She was baffeled, it seemed, and Harley's heart dropped. Did she not want it? Perhaps he was being too forward. His smile faultered, and suddenly his confidence drained. 
                     "I mean I want to take you away from this. Be your knight in shining armor and save you, m-maybe... Win your heart?"
Near the end his eyes flickered to the ground nervously, but they were drawn back to her expression with a hopeful shine.
                                "I-I don't mean to be forward, or to rush or anything. I just... I.... I really like you. I want YOU to be the one I find a home with, to settle and be happy."

He faltered, and more a moment Althaia thought he would regret his words, take them back. But no, he simply spoke of how he felt, how he felt about her. She was silent, looking at the earth beneath her paws, for a moment, as she processed his words. But, after  a short time she looked up, and eyes gleaming. "Harley, I don't know what so say. I- I really like you. You are caring, you are kind, you are bold, and I" she faltered again, but a smile touched her lips. "I like you, Harley. I like you quite a lot"

Harley was sure, especially in her silence, that she would reject him right then and there. But her voice, her golden voice, told him she felt the same way he did. A grin parted his worried face, lighting up in joy and wagging his tail behind him. 
               "So... Can we give us a try? In secret of course, lest Charon find out. Let him believe all he wants you belong to him but you DONT."
His lip twitched upwards in the beginning of a snarl, but his gaze softened from momentary anger upon meeting her gaze.

The wolfdog spoke of giving 'them' a try, and Althaia shyly nodded. She curled her tail around her thin frame, nervous suddenly. Should one of the alpha's find out, she feared for Harley's fate. His anger, his rage at Charon, made her nervous, and she hoped he didn't do anything foolish. Her green gaze found his, and small smile touched her delicate muzzle. She roused from her sitting position and took a step towards him, touching her muzzle to his shoulder.

Harley cared not for his own safety, even after his loss against Lazarus the hybrid was confident he could protect Althaia. Everything went back to her, in his mind.
Was this what came over his father when his mother appeared? He'd always defended her, never said a bad word against her. Aunt Pam hadn't ever met her but said the way Jack talked about Quinn, even in their few meetings, he loved her. 
With a happy whine at her touch, the red-tipped man pressed his face gently against her muzzle and met her gaze. After a second, he reached out and started to preen the fur of herr neck and shoulder.

She sighed, a tiny sound, when he begun to gently preen the fur of her shoulder and neck. She leaned against him, eyes half closed and at ease. It had been quite a while since anyone had groomed her fur, quite a while since she had felt this calm in someone's presence. Being with Harley felt...right, somehow. She knew that later, she would fear for them, and resent being trapped here, this pack as nothing more but a thrall. But she would endure it, quietly, docilely, until she was strong enough and took Harley up on his offer to escape, to leave.