Greatwater Lake Coin operated boy - all the other real ones that I destroy

@Whisker 

It was only 24 hours ago, since Wraen's whole life seemed to have veered off the neat road it had been going and ended up in a ditch. And her rational mind was screaming at her to get out and be back on track again, while the emotional part of her reasoned that for re-thinking life-choices sitting knee deep in the water, with concussed mind and bleeding wounds was just as good as any other. 

Therefore Wraen had not returned to Sunspire last evening, wandering aimlessly around the plains, frantically looking for a way out of the mess she was in. Being taken by surprise had been the most difficult part, realizing that she had had this crisis coming, was heartbreaking to admit. But, what was more pressing, that she needed answers. What to do from this point on. What should she say to Rannoch, Terance and Liffey, when they returned. Should she forget this and go on as she had before. Or should she take a chance and do some soul-searching on her own. 

There were so many fears to tackle - but the up most the fear of being deemed as a traitor. She had been the part of Sunspire from the very beginning, lived with the same people even before that, and it felt selfish to leave them now. They needed her. But, when would come a time, when they would not? When would be that moment, when she could make selfish choices, when she could take a day off or rest without feeling guilty for not contributing, when she would not have to restrain her from speaking her mind, for the fear of offending her brother? When could she stop trying so very hard to be someone people liked, admired, trusted and followed, and be herself?

Looking at her own reflection in the still waters of the lake, did not give her many answers. Therefore with a sigh she turned away, settled down on the banks and focused on the small island, where she had hunted on so many occasions this summer, while her mind was miles away.

To be fair, Whisker had not done a very good job of looking for the triplet. In fact, he had barely thought about her since he had met her two sisters. For whatever reason, she popped up in his head, and he decided to start asking around. She was black (much like him, though she lacked his white whiskers) and she had green eyes. That was about as far as he got. Wait, were they green eyes or blue? Dammit, he couldn't even remember now!

When he spotted another wolf looking rather moody by the lake, he was immediately drawn to them. His approach was boisterous (as it always was) and he made no move to mask his movement or greeting.

"Hey!" he barked, doing his little prance right up to her. As her smell became stronger, Whisker found himself inexplicably attracted to her. She was downright glowing with something that he swooned all over, and any thoughts of the wolf he was supposed to be looking for were immediately forgotten.

"You're pretty!" he swooned, and then he attempted to stick his nose right in her ear to get a better look smell.

Wraen's moment of peace, quiet and solitude was interrupted by a loud "HEY!", pounding footsteps in her direction and a muzzle stuck unceremonously in her ear. She was so caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the dark pelted canid, that before she bared her teeth and growled in warning, she leaned back and shot a wary glance at the assaulter. 

"Geez," she snorted, got to her feet, stepped away from the other's intruding presence in her personal space and shook her coat, before she returned to regarding him with a critical eye. "What's your problem?" she asked finally, settling down on her haunches.

Whisker was reminded, quite suddenly, that wolves around here seemed to have an invisible bubble. This bubble seemed to pop wide open whenever he got near them, and they’d get all angry at him for seemingly no reason. Why was everybody so touchy?! He gave her some space, even though every ounce of his being wanted to be right up in her business.

Even after he growling and side-eye, she didn’t outright chase him away, so Whisker figured it wasn’t that bad after all. Problem? he asked, confused rather than offended. I said you’re pretty. It was a compliment! He was eager to please and eager to make her understand that she possessed some unknown quality he had never witnessed before.

The fellow's innocence about his wrong-doing was so endearing and silly that Wraen let her anger wane and she chuckled. "Well, thank you, but don't you ever-ever-ever try to stick your nose in a person's ear, after you have said a compliment to them. I was easy, but there might be people out there, who would gladly use this as an excuse to bite your face off," she explained.

"What's your name nose-guy?" she asked.

Whisker gave her a sheepish shrug, smile, and nod before she asked his name. Oh! I'm Whisker. Because of my white whiskers. At least that was what he had been told. They were white while the rest of him was as black as night. He had never really caught a good look at them, considering his only mirrors had been puddles of water. He'd also been told he had pretty eyes by a few, but he hadn't been able to confirm that. He just had to take their word for it.

Sorry if I kinda made a fool of myself. There's just something about you... I don't know what it is, but I feel like we were meant to meet. Is that crazy? Am I making more of a fool of myself? Whisker winced, clamping his jaw shut so he would stop yammering on.

"My name is Wraen like the little song-bird, but I have got neither wings, nor I sing," Wraen played along with a sly grin. "And don't you worry - you made a fool of yourself and you act a little like a crazy person," she said in a reassuring voice, "and let not that discourage you - when it's time to run for the hills, I will do so."

"So, you think that we are star-crossed lovers, meant-to-bes?" she asked casually.

He gave her an apologetic grin when she said he was acting like a crazy person. Whisker hadn't meant to come across as so overbearing, but there was just something about her! Wraen mentioned running to the hills, and Whisker gulped, hoping he wouldn't scare her off just yet.

Her question wasn't one he could really answer. But hey, he could try! Do we have a reason to be star-crossed? he asked, having always associated that with two folks who weren't allowed or weren't supposed to be together for one reason or another. Meant to be... I don't know. I'm not even sure I believe in all that. But musing on whether or not they had been put together by fate wasn't really what he wanted to dwell on.

Where are you from? Around here? If she was, maybe he could follow her home.

"Oh, I don't know - you tell me," Wraen shrugged and mustered up an innocent face. "After all you are the one, who tells me that there is just something about me," she added with a mischievous grin. 

"You are a very straightforward guy - plan to come home with me?" she asked with a smile. "What about you - on your own?"

He gave her a sly grin when she turned his questions back on him. In the very short time he'd been around her, he was already head over heels. It was completely bonkers (even he knew that), but not even the most solid logical thinking was going to stop him. And he sure as hell wasn't going to take a step back and look at things objectively.

If you don't stop me, that's exactly what I'll do. He gave her another puppy-love look, batting his eyes. Now that I've found you, I'm not on my own.

Wraen furrowed her brow and gave Whisker an incredulous look - should she start to worry now? A new recruit was definitely a plus, but it would be kind of embarrassing in front of everyone else, if this silly guy kept following her around and confess his everlasting love to her at every possible moment. Or any other kind of banter.

Hmm... she decided to let this continue for a while longer and cut it short, if she felt that she was done with him. "Alright then, before I take you home as my lovely pet, I would like to know more about you. Tell me all - impress me!" she said with a charming smile.

He had never been asked to "tell all," and he suddenly felt very put on the spot. The yearling choked on his words a few moments, fumbling them around until he found the right ones.

Well, you already know my name's Whiskers—I mean Whisker!—so that's out of the way. I was born and raised my my mom and pop in a little forest about three days travel from here. It isn't much, really, but they're happy there. Been living there for years, I reckon. I have a brother and a sister, and we're the first litter my parents have had. One day I decided to strike out on my own, kissed all their heads goodbye, and here I am!

Whisker did not have an exceptional story. It was run of the mill, but he was pretty sure that was preferred after some of the strife he had heard about in the short time it took him to get from home to here. He was hoping for a nice quiet life like his own parents had.

What about you? What's your life story? He leaned in, golden eyes bright and ready to drink in whatever information she threw at him.

"Pretty much the same, except less kissing," Wraen, who always had loved stories, the longer the better and had never been the one who had to be prodded to tell more, now stuck with the very, very brief version of her almost three year long life. "Though there are some heads I wish I had kissed, come to think of it..." she said after a pause, pretending to contemplate all the lovely men of her past that hadn't had the honours. Then she shot Whisker a cheeky glance and winked. Boy, did messing with him come so naturally. He made it easy, peasy.

"Alright, so, we have been past biographical details, but there are a lot of other questions to ask, before I take you home with me. I mean, you know that there are all kinds of people in the world and I want to be perfectly sure that I end up with the right one and not some rascal in disguise," she continued, speaking very seriously, though her eyes gave her away. "Are you ready to reply to all of them honestly?"

Less kissing! That was a good thing, Whisker thought, although he was trying really hard not to be insane about it. It was one of those "attraction at first sight" things, and he really could not begin to explain it. But just as soon as his mood was lifted, it plummeted to normal levels. She mentioned that she wished she had kissed some along the way. Well, maybe Whisker could change that! Boy, this sure was an emotional rollercoaster.

Wraen then asked him to reply to all her questions honestly, and he gave her a solemn nod. I swear on my mother's grave I will, he replied, his tone holding not even a hint of sarcasm. He meant it. Of course, his mother technically didn't have a grave (last he'd checked), so maybe it wasn't a very good thing to swear on. That phrase was pretty silly for those with living mothers, wasn't it? Perhaps it meant that Wraen would kill his mother if he didn't answer honestly. He gulped, now feeling even more pressure to answer truthfully.

Inspired by this performance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1bCOALsBCs - and Oscar Wilde's brilliant play. Herinafter indirectly quoted. :)

"You can take a seat, mister Whiskers," Wraen told him in the best traditions of Lady Bracknell and gave him a pointed, semi-serious look. In case her possible suitor was already sitting down, then he was allowed to get a bit more comfortable. And were it possible, she too would have picked out a note-book and pencil from her pocket. 

"I feel bound to tell you that you are not on my list of eligible young men, however, I am quite ready to enter your name, should your answers be what a really desirable, virtuous and beautiful lady desires," she gave him a mock-critical once-over head-to-toes look. "Now, tell me...do you have any bad habits?" naturally, asking, whether Whisker smoked, would have been more hilarous, but unrealistic, unfortunately.

Whisker settled himself in, relaxing slightly on his rump as he straightened his back and braced himself for whatever questions Wraen was about to ask. Fortunately for him, he had nothing to hide as far as he could tell. She asked him about bad habits, and he hmmm'd quietly to himself, looking pensive as he tried to figure out if any of his habits would be considered bad.

I don't believe I do, he replied after a moment of thought, And nobody has told me as much. Perhaps his bad habit was not asking anybody else if he had any bad habits!

"That's a shame, because, in my opinion, a man needs a hobby," Wraen replied with a playful smile, sounding serious, but with a laugh behind every word. The little game they are playing (she is at least, there is no way of telling, how earnestly Whisker takes the whole questioning) is amusing and she does not want to end it abruptly, by the other party getting insulted. 

"How old are you?" she asked next and after hearing the answer, shot another question. "Are you a man, who knows everything or nothing?"

The more Wraen spoke, the more infatuated he became with her. And yes, this was most definitely infatuation. Whisker, despite being only a yearling, had mistaken infatuation for love at one point. He had ended up rather sour in the end, but at least now he knew what to look for. Not that it had changed his eagerness to get to know Wraen as quickly as possible and somehow convince her that he was the best thing since sliced bread.

I've seen all four seasons, he replied, but he knew that was about as vague as an answer as any. Each one once except for fall, which this is my second. He'd wager he had spent roughly a year alive, and what a time to be alive it was! The next question was a more difficult one, and his ear twitched as he tried to formulate an answer that was both honest and appealing.

I'd say I'm somewhere in between, which probably means I know very little or an awful lot. Again, it wasn't a terribly satisfying answer, but how would one even know if they knew everything? Knowing nothing was much easier to discern, and surely she had figured out by now that he wasn't brain dead.

Wraen mistook Whiskers' answer about seeing "four seasons" as his actual age, meaning - four years. This reflected in her surprised expression, as she looked the young man up and down, feeling confused of, whether she had not understood him or somehow the tables had turned and the young man was messing with her now. He did not look the type though and this proved to be true, when he clarified. 

"My younger siblings are your age, I hardly think that you are at a good point to start a commitment," she said with an apologetic smile, implying that, were he older, his prospects would have been taken into consideration. "To admit one's lack of knowledge is the first stop towards wisdom," she replied in a more favourable tone. "What are your thoughts on Providence?" she shot out the next question with the first complicated term that came to her mind.

Well that really put a wrench in things. Why did it matter how old he was, anyway?! He was old enough, he thought, and she didn't look that old, either. He was suddenly now even more bound and determined to prove that he was a good—perhaps even the best—candidate for her consideration. Her apologetic smile made it hurt all the worse, and he felt like he was being talked down to now. Still, he resolved not to let this show to her, lest she hold it against him. Surely a silly thing like age wouldn't completely disqualify him from her list of suitors.

For her next question, she asked of providence, a word he had encountered only once or twice before. Thankfully for him, he recalled the meaning of it and had an answer ready in a matter of seconds. I believe it is providence which brought me to you, he replied with a charming grin. Whisker's tail thumped the ground behind him, clearly thinking himself quite clever with this answer.

Wraen was at a stage in life, where she viewed everyone, who were younger than her by a year (or soon two), as kids. Hard not to, when you have been a babysitter to your baby siblings, seen them at their worst and taught them, how to move around in life. Whiskers was definitely a nice guy, but him being a yearling... all she could think that she was twice his age and that she could be his mother as well. And a kid hitting on a grown-up felt kind of wrong.

"You do not give up, do you?" she concluded after Whiskers's declaration that they were star-crossed lovers. "I will be very honest with you - age is a determining factor here, Whiskers. There is a big gap between, where you and I stand, at the moment. The way you feel now, will be very different, when you wake up tomorrow. Infatuation is a feisty thing - it crashes on you unexpectedly and leaves you just as easily. 

Therefore I can't see you as a boy-friend material, but I can offer being friends for now and see, where it goes from there. Give it another year and see, if I reconsider," she finished.

A year?! A whole year?! He had already been alive that long, so a year sounded like an eternity. He gulped, he felt slighted, he pushed that feeling down, he reconsidered, but in the end, he couldn't pull away from the feeling that they were meant to be. It was probably just infatuation, but what if it wasn't? And if he stayed with her for that whole year, who was to say somebody else wouldn't swipe her out from underneath him (literally and/or figuratively). That would hurt to watch, but maybe it was worth a shot. Besides, maybe he would grow on her and she'd eventually see that he really was worthy of her attention.

So, after some internal deliberation, he nodded. Okay, friends first! Besides, this way he could chase off any new suitors that might happen to come her way. And in the meantime, he could show her just what a great boyfriend he could be if she gave him a chance. A year really wasn't that big of a difference! His own parents had been two years apart, and they had made it work, so surely the two of them could figure something out, given enough time.

It's interesting, how you can say and mean one thing and the person opposite from you understands something entirely different. Even with a promise of friendship and a year-long commitment, Wraen still was not going to take Whisker back home or spend the next 365 days in his company. Not even close. All she wanted now was to cool the guy down and get some space now. Plus, she was still a pack wolf and having him at Sunspire for everyone to see... she would be a laughing stock. 

"Very well then, Whisker, it was a pleasure to meet you, but now I have to return home," she said, getting up to her feet and preparing to leave. "I wish you luck in your future endeavours and let's meet here - say - a moon from now? See, if you are of the same opinion then as you are now."

He was disappointed when she explained she would not be taking him back home, but he kept it hidden beneath the surface. Whisker still could not fathom why she wouldn't at least give him a chance. Surely all she needed was some time, which was what it sounded like she was giving him. In the meantime, he fully intended on following her from a safe distance as not to arouse suspicion. He kept his jovial expression, surely true enough to keep her from thinking he was as let down as he actually was.

I'll be here! he replied, perhaps with a bit too much enthusiasm. He wasn't sure what he would do with himself in the next month (aside from stalk her endlessly), but that seemed a good enough place to start. Hopefully his internal clock would keep him on schedule so he didn't miss their pre-planned date. It was totally a date, right?

Unluckily for him, he would end up losing Wraen's trail just a few days into tracking her down, and that was when he would eventually circle back to this location to seek her out once more.