It had been a few days since Ragnar had allowed them to join the ranks of the Ridge pack, and thus far, Verrine and Julooke had settled in well enough. Verrine was finding that he liked the oceanside setting of the packlands; he'd never lived in such close proximity to the sea before. He'd been able to see the ocean in the distance from the lofty cliffs back home at Faerie Glen, but they'd been too far from it to visit there very often. He really liked the tangy, briny smell of the salt on the air here, and the continual soft, dull roar of the waves. It was particularly soothing at night. And he would never tire of the simple exhilaration of the cold, foamy water lapping over his feet and ankles when he walked on the beach.
Since their arrival, both he and Julooke had been busy establishing themselves in the pack and finding their niches. Julooke had been occupied with hunting, tending to the pack's caches, and providing for the pregnant females of the pack. He also knew she was learning more about healing and medicine. As for himself, he stayed busy patrolling the borders, keeping their scent markers fresh, scouting out game trails, and learning about the lay of the land in general. In the coming weeks, he intended to do more scouting around the outlying lands and learning of the neighboring packs near their own.
They'd spent some time together, but not nearly enough…and he missed Julooke. He was accustomed to her constant presence, as they'd traveled together for close to a year and hadn't been separated much during that time. So he turned his face to the sky and sent up a soft, mellow summoning howl for her, asking her to come find him if she was nearby.
When his voice fell silent, he listened to his howl fade in melodic echoes out into the distance and grinned at his heart's frantic dance in his chest. He loved the electrified feeling he got whenever he thought about her.
Julooke and Verrine hadn't been spending much quality time together since they joined the pack. They slept in the same den at night, but during the day they had been busy establishing themselves and doing pack duties. Julooke was rather enjoying learning what she could from Thistle here and there, and from Ragnar, as well. But, she missed Verrine.
She was walking around in the forest, searching for some of the plants Thistle had been telling her about. They weren't hard to locate once she identified each one. Verrine's howl reached her, and her head lifted, ears perked. With a wag of her tail, she immediately forgot about what she was doing and took off at run towards where the howl came from.
Her sides were heaving and her heart was racing as the traveled through the forest to get to him. She came in a flurry of white, initially passing him before slowing down enough to turn around and go back toward him. She attempted to nip his shoulder in play and in greeting, her tail wagging back and forth quickly.
His heart raced and fluttered, birdlike and frantic, in his chest as he waited for her. Oh, how he loved her, and every time he saw her, a war on a cataclysmic scale was waged inside of him. He yearned to tell her, and yet he did not dare. Their friendship was so precious to him, and he feared crossing that line might put cracks in it. He didn't want to make things weird where they were so perfect right now. He, being so dense and inexperienced with girls, could not see what was right in front of his eyes. He could not see that she loved him too.
He didn't have to wait long for her. She came in a flashing blur of white, her pale coat gleaming and blinding in the sunlight. The silly thing flew right past him before skidding to a halt and backtracking to him. Not for the first time, he was struck by how lovely she was, and her innocent naivety and sweet playfulness only made her more beautiful to him. She gave his shoulder a swift nip in greeting and, grinning like a jackass, he whirled around and pounced toward her, aiming to grab her tail in a playful greeting of his own.
He seemed as much in the mood to play as she did, whirling around to try and catch her waving tail. She wouldn't make it that easy! She jerked it just before his jaws would grab onto it, her laugh coming quickly. She always had a good time when she was with him. She turned, her front legs going down to the ground while her rump was still in the air, waving from side to side. Her throat released a playful growl as she dared him to come at her.
At some point, she would seriously have to acknowledge the fact that she needed to tell him her deep, loving feelings for him. Thistle was right in that she should be confident it wouldn't ruin their friendship, even if he didn't feel the same. But, she just wasn't confident broaching the subject. She had never told a boy she liked them like that. She had thought about going to Ragnar and asking how he had told Thistle he loved her, but the opportunity hadn't presented itself yet. Little did she know, it would in just a few days time, after hunting. For now, she reveled in their friendship, enjoying their time together.
He regained himself after a moment and looked at her gamely, cocking his head and arching an eyebrow as if contemplating his next move. Then, suddenly and without warning, he batted a nearby pinecone at her and then immediately took off running, laughing all the way.
Julooke loved hearing the sound of Verrine's laughter, and would gladly spend the rest of her life trying to invoke the magical sound from him as much as she could. She smiled, holding her stance, waiting to see if he would come and get her. It was what she expected him to do. However, Verrine decided to throw a wrench in her "plan" and suddenly chucked a pine cone her way. She gasped, lowering her backside quickly before it hit her.
Eyes narrowing, and with a smirk on her face, she dug her nails into the dirt and launched herself off the ground, running after him. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she tried to catch up with him. Get back here! She ordered playfully. If she caught up with him, she would try to pounce on him and pin him to the ground. Let him try to get away from her then!
He ran, tail flailing joyfully high in the air, for a short distance. He knew she was faster than him and that he didn't have a chance of outrunning her, but that wasn't what he wanted anyway. He wanted her to catch him. But he couldn't let her think that, of course!
She was gaining on him, and he heard her order to get back there, and he responded with a loud, barking laugh. After a minute or two more, he skidding to a stop and turned, panting lightly, waving his tail, and eyeing her with amusement, and challenged her: "Whatcha gonna do, tough guy?"
Yes, she could catch up to him easily, but this was play, and it wasn't fun always having the advantage of speed. She let him lead for awhile and pick when he wanted to be caught. Thankfully, he didn't make her wait for long. He stopped, turning towards her and challenged her. She skidded to a halt, and with a mischievous smile, lunged toward him, I'm gonna getchu!
She tried to pounce him, to get him on the ground. She growled playfully, trying to get one of his legs between her jaws. She knew that one day soon, she would tell him her deep dark secret. But, for now, she just wanted to forget their duties, forget the world, and just be with him.
Her tackles was successful in bringing him down. She growled playfully and then laughed as they tumbled on the ground together. She knew Verrine could have easily overtaken her. She was a runner, not a fighter, and while she could help take down large prey, she had no chance one-on-one with a wolf stronger than herself.
They pushed and pulled, and wrestled with each other. At one point, Julooke had attempted to get up, but stumbled back down, laughing until the tip of her muzzle went straight to Verrine's. It could have been considered a kiss if someone on the outside had seen it. Julooke froze, her eyes wide, her nose just a few inches from his.
Her attempt to get up resulted in her falling back down on top of him, literally nose-to-nose with him, and for a moment, everything froze. He had the most beautiful girl in the world right here in his arms, her nose and her lips just inches from his own, and he didn't know what to do. Should he kiss her? Pull her closer? He felt her heart fluttering in her chest in between dizzying throbs of his own. He gazed into her eyes, sharp and intelligent and as warm and lovely as sunlit honey.
Not knowing what to do at that moment, he grinned and suddenly rolled over on top of her, pinning her playfully with his nose pressed against hers. "Hunt with me," he said, almost breathless from the intensity of the moment before. "Betcha can't catch something before I do." It was just another challenge he knew he would lose, because she was ten times the hunter he was. But that was the point. A wicked grin flashed across her face before he gave her a quick, fleeting kiss (;D!!!) and then took off running, scared out of his mind over what had just happened, but at the same time exhilarated and electrified.
Her heart was beating so fast, and she just couldn't slow it down. For a moment, time stood still and the rest of the world was forgotten. She could tell him right now; let it all out with no regrets. His gaze captured hers and her lips parted, but she was too stunned for the words to come out. He grinned, but before she could return it, she found herself on her back. She blinked as she realized their positions had been reversed, their noses still pressed together. She thought maybe he would kiss her, but in the next moment, he was inviting her to hunt. Hunt? No, kiss! She gave out a breathless chuckle as he gave her a challenge. And then, as if he had read her mind earlier, he kissed her. Sure, it was quick, but it was still a kiss!
She grinned like a fool as he ran off. She rolled to her side, her gaze watching him for a moment before she realized she was supposed to be going after him. In a flurry, she was up on her paws and running after him. If he'd kiss her again, she'd let him win. She'd give anything for another chance of that!