Altar of Twilight valacirca

@Alastor

The new moon cast no light upon the vale. The ragged tooth of the Moonspear loomed to the south, a mere silhoutte in the deep of the night. Without the light of the moon, though, the stars shone all the brighter. As he found the stars and the web of constellations they wove, he named them aloud, though softly, as though the stars were mere dust and his breath might clear them away.

Aesop sat upon the cool earth, his tail wrapped around his haunches to ward off the slight nighttime chill. The changing of the seasons approached; the days were still hot but the nights grew cooler. The shortening of the days was beginning to grow noticeable. Though it was far off, *ned stark voice* winter was coming.

Since leaving the Bypass, he'd kept moving. Throughout his trek there'd been numerous breaks taken either to eat, drink, or rest. For necessity alone he'd done so, and then the moment his muscles felt at ease, he'd been off again. Quick work of the land was made, though he'd eventually found himself wandering through territories that were not familiar to him. Undeterred, the male had continued forward, taking in the sights whilst making sure to add the new locations to his mental map. In the distance, he'd spotted the peak of a mountain that he'd once lived upon, but away from it Alastor had gone. Not yet ready to face all of those that he'd left behind, he'd gone south, which had resulted in him finding his way into a valley.

The night's breeze was hardly felt, the combination of his coat and exercise having kept him warm—perhaps even hot, for there'd been times in which he'd felt the skin beneath his fur burning. It was a sign, he'd believed, that another break was in order so that his body might cool off. Complying with desires that had never been voiced, he'd slowed, a search for some place comfortable to rest having begun. What he'd found, however, was not a temporary bed, but another wolf. He'd approached from behind, the stranger's face being something that he hadn't been able to see at first. To a stop he'd brought himself, looking to the being for a moment before loosing a simple, "Hello." Friendly was he, still, his time away having done little to change him.

Aesop heard the approach of another, though at first the only sign that he had noticed was the flick of an ear and a languid twitch of his tail. He wouldn't allow himself to be snuck up on, but if this was just a passerby he wasn't going to tear himself away from his pasttime. It soon became clear that this other wolf was looking for an actual interaction. At this greeting, Aesop turned around, offering a hey in return.

A first, blind look at the other wolf turned up nothing, but as Aesop took in the stranger's face, he found that this was no stranger at all. Brows raised as his eyes flashed with recognition, Aesop searched the wolf's face. His glacial blue eyes, brilliant in a face of grey, caused Aesop's heart to skip a beat. Wait, no. Γεια σας, παλιός φίλος. He grinned, his smile hopeful.

With a greeting having been extended, the other was prompted to turn around, returning the welcome. At first glance, he'd been unaware of exactly who he'd stumbled upon, for a great deal of time had passed since they'd last seen one another. Yet, the longer he'd been left to look over the male's features, the more familiar everything had started to become. Memories of their first meeting had filled his mind, the lesson that Alastor had given on his favoured tongue standing out the most. He had, perhaps, been at one of his happiest points in life back then, for he'd met someone with an interest in his preferred language—someone that had been kind and willing to learn. But despite the memories that had been triggered, he wasn't entirely sure if he should trust them, for the last memory he had of the man was his departure. Never had there been a return that had followed—until now.

Again, the other had spoken, and he'd felt his chest tighten. When he'd grinned, the foreigner's tail had started to sway behind him, a smile pulling at his lips. "Αἴσωπος," he'd voiced, the name slipping from his lips upon a breath. "Where did you go?" It was one of the questions that he'd never received an answer to. Where had the man go, why had he left, when would he return... he'd asked himself various forms of the same queries time and time again in the past, but never had there been anyone there to give him an answer. Finally, though, Aesop had returned, and the boy wanted to know all that would be shared with him.

The fact of the matter was that Aesop still had a crush on Alastor. Not in love, they'd only met once. Oh, but he got a little warm in the face just hearing the younger wolf. There was no denying that Aesop was attracted to him, but he could still play it cool. A little puppy crush was nothing, and could just as easily fade as it could strengthen.

The simple sound of his name, the sound of it both foreign and familiar, set Aesop's tail to wagging. Yet the following question had his smile slipping, a troubled line forming between his brow. Where did you go? and Why did you go? seemed to be the questions on everyone's mind. At least the former was easier to answer than the latter. Man, I went everywhere I could. It was my final hurrah as a wanderin' man, he said, now smiling easily. The things that I saw, Alastor. I'd never been so far north. But now I've seen it all, and I'm settlin' down. It's the easy life for me, now.

He paused to let that sink in, then asked a question of his own. Tell me about how things are goin' with you.

The change in expression had been mimicked, but for another reason. Seeing a troubled look upon Aesop's face had led him to wonder if he'd overstepped, or had asked something that was meant to be kept quiet. He had not felt bad for asking, though, his curiosity making him incapable of feeling such. A search for the other had been carried out, a trip to the sea having even been taken. Yet, the only news he'd ever received was that the older wolf's whereabouts were unknown. It had pained him to learn that a friend was gone, perhaps more so than it should have for someone he believed himself to view as only a friend. What had been worse, though, was when his mind had been invaded back then by thoughts like What if he's dead? or What if he never comes back? Obviously, the former had been disproved, but the latter was still something he wondered. Would he stay?

An answer came and the foreigner listened, noting the smile, though only a partial one had returned to his own face. "Why'd you leave?" he'd asked towards the end. "I looked for you, but no one knew where you'd gone." Who was it he'd met? Floki. The name was distinct enough that he'd remembered it, but whether or not he'd be able to pick the other boy out of a crowd was up for discussion. "Are you sure?" was his next question, presented in regards to the other's notion of settling down. "Can you give up traveling that easily?" It wasn't so much that Alastor had expected him to stay within the Wilds forever, it was more that he'd expected a goodbye, at the very least, before leaving. Yet, there'd been no word sent to him back then. He'd been left to wonder, for his mind to form thoughts and ideas, some being pleasant while most were not.

Towards him, a query had been directed, then. Alastor had paused, thinking his answer over prior to answering. "I just returned to this land," revealed the boy. "My brother was taken from his home just as I had been, and he'd somehow found me after having settled a far ways off from here. I went with him, since I didn't really have anything holding me here at the time." The wolves of Silvertip had been great, but he'd never been able to truly accept them as his family like he'd done with the Bypass. They hadn't been enough to keep him grounded, and so leaving—while difficult at the time—hadn't weighed too heavily on his mind after the fact.

If Aesop had known how many he had let down by leaving, he never would have. He was not one to overestimate his own importance. He knew he'd be disappointing some wolves (namely Charon and Thistle Cloud) but he saw now that his disappearance had had an adverse effect on Alastor as well. He had looked for Aesop? The thought was incredible to him. That Alastor cared enough to go so far from his home (the Bypass had been so far away) to ask after his wellbeing came as a surprise to Aesop. Well, now he felt like a douche.

Shrugging, Aesop replied, I mean, I sort of just told you. I knew that this was where I'd stay. I like it here, and I'm not suited to traveling much anymore. I just wanted to feel the road beneath my paws one last time before I settled in for good. Now I'm settled, and I ain't goin' nowhere. This final sentence he spoke with greater conviction. Not sayin' goodbye was a bit of an asshole move, wasn't it, he said, tone light to play it off as a joke. Sorry 'bout that.

Aesop listened with interest to Alastor's recollection of his journey. Alastor mentioned leaving with a brother, living with him. But now he was back. What had happened to the brother? Perhaps they had parted amicably, but Aesop dare not ask on the chance that that was not the case. Instead he asked a blander but lighter question. You livin' anywhere now?

Alastor had listened and—a part of him, at least—understood for why the other had gone. Whenever he'd relived their meeting, it became easy to forget that Aesop was older than he was. That there were things he might want to do before he couldn't do them quite as easily anymore. And while that might not have been what was meant with his words, it remained as how the foreigner had perceived them. It made it easier to forgive him, which was really all the boy had wanted to do. To be upset with the elder wolf was not something that he'd ever wanted to feel, having learned already how heavy such feelings became over time. At one point, he had been terribly upset with him, yet it still came as a surprise when his actions were referred to as an asshole move. Unaccustomed to swearing, even now, he wasn't entirely sure how to respond, and so a nod was given instead of words. "I forgive you," had been said soon after, spoken with a quiet tone. It was more like he wanted to forgive him for leaving, as a reason was explained, but the disappointment he'd felt for so long was not so quick to abandon his being entirely.

Thankful had he been when the topic changed, his turn to answer a question having arrived once again. With a shake of his head, he'd answered with a simple, "No." There he'd left it, only to decide to add more onto his answer shortly after. "I haven't even thought about joining a pack or settling in with a group. I–," there was a pause, and then a sigh, before he'd continued. "I have to visit a specific pack before I do anything else. I settled on a mountain close to the sea with the hope of visiting you, but when I saw that the beach was empty, things changed. I eventually left that pack, and I believe that I owe them an apology for having done so." It seemed like the polite thing to do, given how abrupt his departure had been.

With forgiveness asked for and recieved, Aesop thought it best to move their conversation along. It wouldn't do either of them any favors to dwell on what had happened. There was nowhere to go but forward.

Alastor answered in the negative, and in the pause between the start of his answer and the rest of it, Aesop blurted, well, Moonspear- He stopped, listening to the rest. It seemed Alastor was, to Aesop's mild disappointment, not yet ready to find a pack. It was a good thing that Alastor wanted to do, apologize for leaving. Aesop had already sort of done that, but he still felt like he owed Moonspear something.

It was all too easy to ignore the little thrill of his heart at the sentiment behind Alastor's move. That is, it was very very difficult, but if Aesop focused more on talking and less on thinking, it chased the thought away a little. You should do that, he said, winding up for a whole lot of babbling. It's a good thing. A responsible thing. A thing you should definitely do. But... if you finish up there and still want a place to live, I bet I could pull a few strings and get you in at Moonspear. That's where I live now. Would Alastor want to live with him in the same pack as him? Maybe this other pack he had to go visit would take him back. That would be a shame. Moonspear could use a wolf like Alastor. You know, a handsome wolf.

It had been for selfish reasons that he'd joined Silvertip. Several offers to join packs had been turned down prior to his settling there, and for the sole reason that they weren't near enough to the sea for him. So when the idea of joining Aesop at his current home was put into his mind, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd be repeating history. He wasn't familiar with Moonspear or their customs, so there was nothing that really lured him towards it aside from knowing that an old friend lived there. Would it be wrong to seek a place there for that reason alone? Alastor believed so, but still couldn't help but be attracted to the idea, and that was something that troubled him.

When the time to speak had arrived, he'd decided on saying, "I'll have to think about it." There wasn't a definite answer that he could give, not yet. "I want to, but... I don't know," he'd added. "I don't want to join another pack just to be close to you—that wouldn't be fair to them." He knew not if he'd be able to devote himself to the pack itself, or if the only one tying him there would be Aesop. Alastor didn't want to be selfish, not again. He did, however, want to at least consider the possibility of settling into the same home as the other. In the past, he'd settled somewhere far from the first home he'd had there for the older male, and so the thought of doing so again was tempting. "Where's Moonspear located? I'll visit you when I've made my decision." Some time ago, he'd been told of it's location, but the directions were not currently present within his mind. He'd been distracted back then, unable to fully engrave the words into his mind, and so they'd been left to fade away.

post #200 for you, kuro!

There was no getting over the fact that Alastor had joined a pack just to be close to him. It made Aesop's heart do all kinds of funny things. Ah! Old young love. There would be time to overexamine later, to feel dread and anxiety alongside hope and euphoria. The here and now was devoted to just that: the present. Well, yeah, Aesop said, fumbling for words. I ain't askin' you to make any kind of decision now. Just... yeah. Think about it. 

Alastor asked where Moonspear was, and it took a bit of willpower to keep any negative tone out of his voice as he answered. It's, uh, right behind us, he said, turning to gesture at the climbing heights behind them. The mountain jutted up into the sky like a lance. It was easy to see that it lived up to its name. Once the moon began to fill out again, the tip of the mountain would catch it on its journey through the sky. That mountain right there. At least it was easy to find. I'll be glad to see you again. I mean, I'm fuckin' ecstatic to see you now. But... yeah. You get it.

:D

Think he would, and for a great while, too. To be apart of something bigger than himself again—and with an old friend there, too—was tempting, having almost made him decide right then and there. Alastor held off, though, knowing he'd need to be patient and weigh all of the pros and cons. There was also the need to see how things might play out with the wolves of Silvertip; he knew he wouldn't join them again, he couldn't, but perhaps seeing them would clear his vision. Allow for him to see the greater picture, rather than live in the moment and run off to live alongside someone he'd never been able to forget.

When the mountain's location was revealed, he'd glanced towards it, then looked away with a sheepish expression. "I've never been this way before," he'd said, attempting to excuse his moment of ignorance. "It looks like a nice place to live from here. I hope they're treating you well there." They had to be. Despite what had happened in the past, he knew Aesop to be a great man, as well as that any pack would be lucky to have him around. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you again. I'm not going to let as much time pass as did last time before we see one another again." Even if he wanted to, for whatever reason, it was doubtful that his legs would ever cooperate. Always would he be drawn back, and so it was without a second thought that he'd quickly added, "I really missed you."

The spontaneity of running of with a guy he only sort of knew sounded pretty romantic to Aesop, and if their age difference wasn't so great, maybe he would have encouraged it. But Alastor was far younger, half Aesop's age by the look of him. He was an adult, he could make his own choices, but Aesop didn't want to play the role of temptor. What Alastor wanted to do was a noble thing, and he was being smart about what would come after. Stupid, smart, beautiful Alastor.

Aesop laughed, not unkindly, as Alastor realized where they were. Course they have been. The Alpha is a kid I knew back at the Bay, he explained. He left out the bit where he'd almost been chased off, and also the part where he'd been working his ass off to try to prove that accepting him hadn't been a mistake. 

Suddenly feeling quite daring, Aesop closed whatever gap there was between them to nuzzle into Alastor's neck. It was a little forward, but damn did it feel good. Missed you too, Alastor. And I'm holding you to that. I best be seeing you soon. Oh yes, this was very nice.

The sound of laughter had taken him by surprise, but it wasn't but a moment later that a grin replaced the expression. His tail wagged a few times, still embarrassed, but considerably less so given the humour of it. It'd been easy to move past his oblivious comment, attention directed back towards his friend. "I'm glad to hear that they're kind to you there," he'd voiced. There wasn't much he was capable of doing should the answer have been different, but surely he would have tried something—anything—in order to make sure that the man wasn't being mistreated. "It's good that you were able to find a familiar face to settle in with." Despite his hesitation towards joining Aesop at the mountain, he couldn't deny that he would have done so in a heartbeat had anyone from the Bypass resided there. They'd been family, once upon a time, after all.

In a few steps, the space between them had been closed. Alastor had kept still, watching the other with furrowed brows as he'd attempted to figure out what he was doing, only to have the answer given to him before he'd been able to actually ask. From confusion to surprise, his expression had shifted several times before finally settling on contentment; it was as if some part of his mind had decided that that was were he belonged. The gesture was reciprocated, his head having leaned forward just enough to mimic the touch. "You will," he'd assured. "I promise." The words had been but a murmur into the crook of the man's neck, but not any less important. His word had been given, and it was something that he'd never break or go back on.

There was something thrilling about the closeness. His skin was abuzz, his heart fluttering. There was nothing sexual to it, just the sheer comfort of physical contact with a wolf he had a totally serious adult crush on. He pushed his nose further into the thick fur of Alastor's neck, relishing in the smell of him. The promise that he would return just filled Aesop with the warm fuzzies, and he was grinning like a sap when he pulled away. Then I should let you go. Then you'll be back sooner, he suggested, feeling very childish and very alive for it. I don't want to hold you back, Aesop added, and unbeknownst to even him, he meant both at the present and in the long run.

The closeness had been enjoyable, something he'd unconsciously desired for a long while now. So much time had passed since they'd first met, yet it'd never been enough to make the boy lose interest in the other. Hearing his name or even just thinking about their lesson together had always been enough to make him smile after he'd left Teekon, but it hadn't been until right then that he'd actually noticed that. Up until that point, it'd always just been written off as mere coincidences, but no longer did that seem to be the case. He liked Aesop, he really did, and he'd found himself wanting to reach back out once the man had pulled away.

Resisting the urge, he'd nodded his head, agreeing with the suggestion. "I'll be back before you know it," he'd said with a smile. After touching his nose to his friend's neck one last time, Alastor had turned and headed off, thinking himself ready to confront his past.