Moonspear Alone unless you wanna come along

@Arcturus

She grew bored fast, used to wandering miles and miles daily, and so she decided to explore a little now that she was a little more comfortable with the place. She happened upon a path in the mountainside pretty early into her exploring, and so she followed it, curious about where it went. She walked on the rocky path for a while before she was finally dumped out into a large field. She stopped and examined the odd place for a minute before finally moving again, the fog quickly covering the empath's form and making it hard for her to see very far in any direction. 

She decided it was a little unsettling being in the middle of the fog-covered field, but with a shrug she continued to move forward, interested in seeing where the fog ended. Her curiosity always lead her on adventures, so when she wanted to know more about something, she didn't hesitate to investigate; that's how she had met Slavik, and they had become fast friend because of her little venture into the strange mountain cave. So, walking through a ghostly clearing without knowing exactly where she was going was nothing.

ever since yami's disappearance, arcturus had been morosely quiet. he had always been a wolf reserved with his words - those he held in his heart might have heard the child's giggle or an occasional inquisitive question, but even they might have noticed the melancholy that settled over him.

he didn't understand where yami had gone; her scent had simply disappeared. he routinely - almost obsessively - inspected her favorite haunts, his sorrowful eyes always briefly lighting up if he saw yama  and then settling once more in watery disappointment as he recognized it was the other twin, and not the missing one. even his steps seemed to drag forever, solemn as the winter that quickly approached.

presently the boy was ambling through a dense set of fog that moved with the same listless purpose he did. occasionally a pale shroud would move and part across his form and he would stop to feel the chill that settled in his bones; winter's early breath settled heavy around the mountain, though he didn't know it.

he was stirred from his sullen marching when he heard the tread of another; drawing to attention arcturus followed the darting shadow, until the mist parted and a form he did not recognize was made visible. halting midstride, the boy placed his feet firm on the ground and fixed her a defensive stare: who was she, and why was she in his home?

She wasn't wandering long before the unknown scent of another reached her. Speedy assumed it was one of her new packmates and began trying to find the other wolf so she could introduce herself. She soon found the tense-looking boy, and she slowly approached, stopping a short distance away before dipping her head in greeting. Hey, she said first before adding, My name is Speedy. I'm new here. She stayed farther from him than she normally would, not wanting to make him anymore uncomfortable than he already seemed. She offered him a warm smile and waited for him to speak, hoping once he realized she meant no harm, he would be less wary.

arcturus had been so assured in his providence, glaring down the back of the she-wolf’s head with a child’s righteousness and indignation — and then, the subject of his scrutiny turned around. 

just like that, arcturus wilted under the full blast of her warm countenance. just like that, lavender and honey overwhelmed him. 

like a child caught mid act with his hands groping in the cookie jar, arcturus paused — the radiance of her smile and the softness of her eyes melted his weak defenses. arcturus was a greenhorn in terms of structuring and enforcing mental barriers - and speedy’s easy smile had vaulted clean over his manufactured walls, leaving him bewildered. 

besides - she was a girl — a pretty one at that; his gaze fumbled inept in its grace as he took her in, awe slowly filling the darkened pool of his yellow eyes. 

he said nothing; his tongue leaden and dead — but his tail fell from its high climb, and his ears lost their assertive posture.

She watched, silent at first, as he seemed almost stunned--by what, she wasn't quite sure. The empath took a few more steps towards the ebony male, eyes holding his sunflower gaze as his posture softened. What's your name? she asked with friendly curiosity. She softly padded a little closer and finally sat down in front of her new packmate, leaving a little distance between them so as not to overwhelm him with her friendliness. Were you doing anything? she asked, hoping she hadn't intruded. Maybe I could help, Speedy offered with a small shrug.

she held him in her sights and arcturus wilted under the goldenrod of her unchallenging gaze. he felt a chill spread down his back, his fur lifted involuntarily in that climb of quiet alarm. it was not fear that held him still, but a sense of overwhelming intimidation.

her pelt reminded him, in a way, of yami and yama's -- it was an unorthodox pelage to bear in moonspear, though in time arcturus would learn such agouti framing was not unusual among his kin.. but here, it was unusual -- an extraordinary -- a burst of wild color among a sea of black or white pelts.

she had come closer. arcturus blinked stupidly. there she was, sitting, in front of him -- talking to him.

his tongue would not cooperate.

his throat constricted.

what is your name? arcturus. were you doing anything? looking for my sister.

maybe i could help. okay.

he was still frozen - his body seemed a thousand miles away, detached and dumb as stone as his mind galloped overhead. he watched down as his body made a strange throat-clearing noise, but no words came.

finally the boy dropped his head and shoulders in an easily read gesture of defeat, and started to nose along the ground where he had been before.

Really sorry for the wait!

Speedy watched the boy curiously as her questions remained unanswered. After a moment of strange silence, he still offered not even his name but released a strange sound from his throat. Concern crossed her face as his shoulders sank in defeat. She watched silently as he began to walk again, holding his nose to the ground to draw in scents. She was honestly unsure what to do. Maybe he was painfully shy? Regardless, she didn't want to just leave him, so she got to her feet and moved to walk next to him.

She wasn't really sure what they were looking for, so she didn't bother with searching the scents on the ground; what good would it do? Instead, she quietly walked beside him, taking in the details of the fog-covered area. She hoped he would eventually feel comfortable enough to talk, if he even could. Maybe he wasn't able to speak and she had been asking a mute wolf questions. Either way, she was content with the silence unless he was ready to break it.

<3 never apologize!!! you are good!!

the boy made for poor company, being so unusually quiet. among those he was innately comfortable, like his father or revui, he might chance an occasional word -- a word that ghosted from his lips, and then dissolved into silence. he didn't understand why some wolves, like hydra or yami or even speedy, could speak so freely -- did they not ever get shy?

he nosed a patch of tumbled rocks; nothing but moss and stone and dirt to scent. musing absentmindedly over his shortcomings (namely, his inability to speak when he wanted to), he didn't realize speedy had followed him. when he looked up, she was close behind -- he startled slightly, but quickly got over his surprise.

on the one hand, he kind of felt a little better she had followed him - maybe she didn't think him entirely stupid. then, a tendril of an uncomfortable thought snaked into his head -- what if she did think he was stupid, and was following him because she was concerned he'd get himself into trouble?

he cast a worried glance behind him, trying to read speedy's features. nothing but calmness -- maybe a bit of confusion and concern -- but he didn't detect much disdain, which came as an assurance to the boy.

he tried for a few minutes longer to ease any scent of yami from the vicinity, but in truth, the boy might as well be searching for water in the sahara -- unknown to him, yami's scents had all disappeared well over a week ago. frustrated by his lack of success, the boy turned abruptly and settled his teeth on a long branch that had fallen from the last storm: in a rare moment of playfulness, arcturus brought the stick to speedy and bowed rather timidly before her.

She hadn't noticed the boy's slight surprise when he realized she was following him; her attention was occupied by their surroundings as she attempted to commit them to memory. As reluctant as she was to join a pack and end her wandering ways, she had to admit she was glad she chose this place. She also hadn't quite realized how much she missed having packmates, especially since she had Slavik traveling with her the last few weeks before joining Moonspear. Her gaze eventually moved to the silent wolf searching the ground in front of her, and she caught the worried glance he gave her as he looked behind him. She offered a reassuring smile in return, hoping to calm whatever anxious thoughts he had.

The empath stopped when the dark wolf turned, and she watched curiously as he began to chew on a random stick that had been lying on the ground near the pair. To her surprise, he picked the stick up and brought it to her, bowing somewhat apprehensively in front of her. Assuming and hoping it meant he wanted to play, she grinned, wagging her tail excitedly. Usually, it was Speedy who had to initiate play, so delighted, she wasted no time mimicking his bow and nipping playfully at the part of the stick not in his mouth. A soft yip left her mouth before she lightly nipped the free part of the stick again, making it clear she was definitely up for playing.

he had been timid at first, but the bounce in her gait and the brightness in her expression was the buoy arcturus needed to rally. he dug deep into the ground and rumbled approvingly as she seized the branch.

it was a completely different side of him to engage in this play, but play brought out a more primal side in most wolves -- a side in which mental acuity had little reign. he understood play better than he understood his own nature-- he understood it was nobler than possibly anything, besides killing -- and often, the two were so closely related that it was impossible to untangle one aspect from the other.

play sharpened his reflexes. it conditioned his limbs. play taught him to measure the movements of other wolves, and when to pull and when to tug. and perhaps most of all, play taught him how to kill.

speedy had thus far lightly nipped at the toy -- arcturus shouldered ahead, thrusting the stick within her reach a second time, his eyes urging her to play rougher.

Of all the things Speedy enjoyed doing, playing was probably one of her favorites. It served many purposes, but mostly she liked the bonding it promoted, especially between new packmates. She watched him curiously at first, waiting to see how receptive he was to her grabbing part of the stick since he had claimed it first. A panting grin crossed her face when he pushed the stick closer to her, his expression encouraging her to play more; she could definitely oblige. Her tail began to wag harder and she jumped forward excitedly, grabbing the stick between her jaws and giving it a firm tug. She hoped he would respond by pulling the branch back towards him, but in case that wasn't what he wanted, she didn't pull back too hard.

speedy needn't have pulled fiercely to elicit a response from the dark cub: he dug his heels deep into the ground, testing the waters with a firm series of sideways tugs.

her grip prevailed -- good.

something impish gleamed in his gaze, and a wide smile played his lips. curling his claws, arcturus pulled back like a furious plow-horse, his body suddenly coming to life in a series of jolting, jarring movements.

none of his maneuvers were particularly violent -- but they were packed with explosive energy -- and if speedy didn't keep up or halt his progress by yanking the stickagainst him, the boy would be hauling her all around the teekons in no time.

Much to her excitement, her inky packmate not only resisted against her pulling but began pulling on his end as well. She he held onto the stick as he did so, tail wagging in response to the play. 

His next series of tugs was much stronger, and the empath wasn't quite prepared at first; she scooted forward a little before throwing her weight into pulling the stick back her way. Using her whole body, she gave the branch a much a harder pull this time, letting out a playful grunt as she moved and growing even more excited as their play progressed.

there was something so pure about play; a primal focus came to light in the boy, who doggedly matched each of his playmate's moves tit-for-tat -- up until she put her entire weight up against him.

arcturus lost hold of the stick, which wrenched out of his jaws with a mighty force that might have chipped a tooth or two. it was painful, but that pain oddly fueled his interest in regaining whatever purchase he could on the chewed-up branch. with a determined growl he lunged after the bounding she-wolf, instinctively attempting to keep his body to hers while he reached for branch, so that he could deny her any attempt to gather speed and evade him.

Her body lurched back the other way when the weight of her playmate was suddenly gone. After a moment of surprise, she began to prance away with the branch, but the dark boy was at her side in a flash, growling and grabbing for the stick. She pushed into him a little and tried to pull the branch away from his jaws by jerking her head towards her shoulder. The empath emitted a soft, playful growl as she moved the stick around in an effort to keep it from her packmate, occasionally gently pushing some of her weight into him again to try and make it harder for him to reach over and grab hold of their toy. She was glad to see the other wolf get so into their play, especially since he had seemed so nervous at first.

gods, he wanted the stick -- but speedy made it a game to keep it away. she was damn good at it too, teasing him one moment, rebounding just out of reach the next...

at first arcturus' many (failed) approaches were tender and conditioned to the level of energy speedy outputted -- but as she eluded him further, his lunges became more insistent, more forceful.

it was the constant pit of her body against him (and the realization of it, mid-play) that stirred something in arcturus that had never awoken before. his mind seemed to cloud, but his purpose only seemed to sharpen - and some basal instinct sunk its command into him.

they were brushing flanks when he suddenly felt uncomfortable by the proximity: the heat her body gave off, the smooth, athletic leanness of her hips. in that moment arcturus was no longer interested in the stick, he was interested in her -- and he chased her with boyish vigor, eyes wide as he nipped at her cheeks instead, the play growl transformed to something just a little deeper.

With every unsuccessful attempt to take the stick from her, his grabs became more determined; it only further spurred her efforts to keep the branch from him, again using her body to push up against his larger frame while pulling the toy away, her excitement growing as the back and forth continued. 

Then he seemed to change his tactic, or his target, she wasn't sure at first. But after a few playful nips to her cheek, she seemed to catch on and dropped the stick to turn and stand in front of him. She jumped forward into a play bow before jumping up to place her own gentle nips to his cheeks like he had done to her. Pulling back a little, Speedy dropped her front half to the ground once more, wagging her tail, as an excited yip left her lips. Then with a smile, she popped back up, turned around, and ran from the shadow. After a few bounds, she turned her head to throw him an impish grin over her shoulder, making her intent clear--she wanted him to chase her.

in dogged steps arcturus gave chase, eyes on his riveting packmate as she whirled and flourished. unexpectedly, she too abandoned the stick, returning his toothy ministrations with a few nips of her own that wracked his spine with shivers. his growling ceased as his concentration grew - and as she invitingly told him to follow, arcturus readily obeyed.

he was panting hard as he pushed his limits, coming just behind speedy's bobbing haunches. he aimed a volley of nips to her hips and flank, playful at first; yet as they continued their rowdiness his teeth became possessive. if he ever managed to catch her fur between his teeth he held on perhaps a little longer than he should, all the while feeling a controlling urge bud in him to herd or shepherd her as if she were his.

He wasted no time accepting her invitation to chase. It was her favorite way to play--what she lacked in strength, she more than made up for in speed, and she loved being able to incorporate it into play. She held back a little, allowing him to catch up with her because it was more fun that way. A playful laugh escaped her lips in response to his nips. They were playful and light at first, but soon his teeth grazed her flesh with more force. A few times, he clamped his teeth down and held them there, and she wondered of maybe he was getting too excited. She finally turned and offered a gentle but warning nip to his muzzle as his teeth held her skin again. She didn't want to discourage the play, because she could tell this was fun for him too, but sometimes younger wolves needed correcting when their play became too rough. 

Hoping she hadn't hurt his feelings and wanting to continue their game, she stopped running and turned around to face him again. She let her front half drop to the ground again as she released a playful yip--testing to see if he was still in.

frankly, speedy was a saint to allow arcturus' physical advances for as long as she did -- it wasn't until she turned around and nipped him firmly (yet fairly) on his overeager muzzle that arcturus realized he was being quite overbearing.

what had overcome him? competitiveness? a want to challenge or please? it felt a little different than his wrestling with his brother - somehow the stakes seemed higher.. or.. maybe more important.

he drew back, his ears flat. he was subordinate to speedy, and her reminder of his place was justified. believing the play had come to its inevitable close, he was surprised as she wheeled back around and bowed again.

his eyes lit up with delight and he dove to the challenge, scampering towards her with a drive-by nip aimed at one outstretched arm.

He seemed to take her reprimand about how she expected and even though the empath felt a little bad about it, she knew part of play was also learning control, and he had definitely lost his. She would be doing him a disservice if she let his behavior continue. She was happy to see that her invitation to keep playing lifted his spirits again, and she grinned as he came towards her, nipping at her shoulder as he took off behind her. Speedy whipped around and took off after the inky streak, tongue flying against her cheek as she ran full speed after him. 

Catching up to him, she nipped softly at his flank before coming up right next to him. A lively grin parted her lips as she dealt a playful nudge to his shoulder before passing him, challenging him to a race.

the pair continued their roughoused scamper; arcturus nipped here, speedy corrected there -- and when the dark blur of arcturus' form was superceded by speedy's own, the boy's claws dug deep into the snow and he pushed hard after her.

she was far faster; years of conditioning gave her a speed arcturus' large but uncoordinated frame could not match, but all the same he gave the effort his all, thundering down after her as she nudged his shoulder and smoothly pulled ahead as if bred to race.

he would not catch up - but instead of pulling up, the boy lunged for bobbing tail, hoping to at least distract her enough to claw his way to the lead.

A wide grin spread across her face as Speedy sprinted across the foggy field, reveling in the feeling of the wind whipping her fur back and the way her muscles worked together to move her at great speed. She knew he would have trouble keeping up with her now, especially since she wasn't really holding herself back very much, but she couldn't help summoning the small burst of acceleration. She was surprised then to feel the nip on her bushy tail, and it distracted her enough to slow her pace some as she turned to give him a playful glare. And if he used this opportunity to catch up and run at her side, she would use his same tactic to push lightly into his shoulder so that she could move ahead again with a gleeful giggle.

arcturus' spirits were at an all time high as he caught up to her rapidly fleeing flank. his nip had hit home, and speedy had slowed down to cast him a playful glare -- and rather stupidly, the boy confidently pulled ahead, cocky as a spring-time colt in pasture.

and then she shoved him -- and about six things went wrong at once.

first, she pushed him mid-stride, and arcturus had to slam a front limb down to prevent himself from losing his balance.

secondly, he had been so enamored with looking at her, that he had not looked where he was going -- and at the exact time he faltered to place a limb down quickly, a log rose into his vision --

and then, he flipped -- black plume over teakettle, the boy cartwheeled through the air as his limb was snagged by the small log, his face coming to a slamming halt into the snow.

he skid about six feet, losing fur and pride in the process -- his body still heaving from shock to be so rudely and rapidly brought to the earth.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. The healer watched helplessly as her playmate attempted to avoid falling from the force of her push only to send his hind-quarters tumbling over his front half. Speedy skidded to halt a few feet away, panic filling her chest as she saw his form on the ground, and she quickly sprinted over to the dark boy. I'm so sorry, she exclaimed worriedly as she touched her nose to his shoulder, and his back, and his hip, frantically searching for any injuries. She found her way back to his head, gently touching her muzzle to his cheek if allowed. Are you okay? she asked, golden eyes filled with guilt and anxiety as she searched his face and waited for an answer or some kind of indication that she hadn't stupidly hurt him.