Neverwinter Forest Imminent annihilation sounds so dope

for @Mathieu

She trotted along the edge of the forest, the bright light from the moon illuminating the ground in front of her. Sleep had been out of the question tonight with her mind so busy, so she patrolled instead. She spent most of her time on the borders even before Mal informed her of the psychos that might be lurking, and there was no denying the importance of keeping the forest safe, but it was nights like this when she longed to explore. She was restless and in desperate need of a distraction from her thoughts, which usually drove her from the forest and into some new territory far from the borders. But it was dark, and Mal had advised against wandering too far, so she wandered the northern edge of the territory instead, occasionally stopping to glance up the peaks that rose far above the tips of the evergreens around her. She had patrolled this area many times before, and had often been drawn to explore the mountains, but she felt it even more now because she knew she shouldn't. She released a quiet sigh and took a seat, gaze traveling up the side of the rocky slope; staying busy wasn't really helping, so maybe she could distract her mind with what all might be waiting for her up there.

simmik! mathieu stepped away from the cache and trotted toward where she stood. his eyes trailed up the slope, face twisting with curiousity. you, uh, gonna climb that? it looked dangerous; if simmik planned to scale its side, then he would do the same. 

he gave her a moment to respond before continuing, i haven't seen you in a while. matty's ears fell back as his gaze drifted downward, back onto simmik's face.

He called her name, and she turned to look at him, silently watching him as he came to stand next to her. She followed his gaze back up the side of the mountain and kept it there for a few moments. She was unsure what to say, unsure how mad she was at him for leaving. Eyes still fixed on the mountain, she shook her head. Mal said that I shouldn't wander too from the borders right now, she said quietly, longing painted clearly on her face. 

She quickly looked back to him as he spoke again. That's because you left, she said, the words coming out before she could stop them. But it was the truth. You didn't even say bye, she added, looking away. Maybe he had a good reason for leaving? Her gaze found his again. Where did you go? she asked. She wondered if he would tell her; he certainly didn't have to.

mathieu thought that things were back to normal. he remembered the pack meeting before he left, but assumed that things had cleared up. everything okay? he asked. hearing that the situation might not have fixed itself was obviously unsettling.

simmik's tone changed, sending mathieu's mind roaming. i know, he replied, fervently nodding his head, i didn't tell anyone i was leaving. that didn't make it any better, and he knew this.

i went to look for someone. mathieu's gaze drifted over simmik's face, looking for any hint of understanding.

I'm not sure, she answered first. Mal said some bad wolves might be hanging around and that they might recognize his scent because they had some issues a while back, she explained. So we're supposed to stay close by so that we can call the pack if there's trouble. It kind of sucked, but she understood why Mal wanted it that way.

He was right, it didn't make it any better. She was pretty irritated by his response until he told her his reason for leaving. Who were you looking for? Simmik asked, her tone switching from angry to concerned and curious. Although, it didn't exactly mean that he was unable to say bye before he left. She wondered who was so important for him to find that he just left. There were only a few wolves that came to mind for her that would make her drop everything and go; all of them were family, and she would do anything for them, regardless of the fact that she basically ditched them the same way Mathieu had ditched her and the rest of the pack. So obviously she didn't have much right to judge him anyway.

my brother. admitting yves's disappearance hurt more than the first time. he'd had time to recover from the loss since then, but now, mathieu was being made to reopen the wound. he sighed and shook his head, going on to explain: he wasn't at home, and i couldn't find him anywhere else.

simmik probably wouldn't care about that, though. he couldn't blame her; the family drama that he'd been experiencing had nothing to do with her, so why be concerned? mathieu looked sheepishly in her direction and asked: are you mad?

Any residual anger she might still be feeling quickly dissipated when he explained that he had been looking for his brother. And then he told her that he didn't even find him, and she knew that if their roles were reversed, she wouldn't be too keen on talking about it. Oh, she said first, concern lighting her gaze. I'm sorry, Matty, she offered, and then dropped it. If he wanted to say more about it, then she would listen, but she didn't want him to feel obligated. 

His question made her pause a moment, and then she shook her head. No. She met his gaze. I was at first, but I understand, she continued. But next time you need to leave, you should tell us bye so we don't worry or whatever. She shrugged and looked away, eager to change the subject to something that didn't require her to reveal so much.

simmik's response quieted mathieu's worries. were you worried? he asked. immediately, he continued: i mean, probably, 'cause packmates leaving is worrisome. so it makes sense, y'know, that you were maybe worried. matty exhaled one heavy breath and clicked his tongue.

yeah, so much for being smooth.

anyway, you wanna climb this thing or what? he laughed, teeth bared behind his grinning lips. climbing would make it more difficult to talk, or so he hoped.

But she couldn't get away that easily, could she? No, Matty pushed the conversation further, asking her outright if she had been worried. She shrugged, refusing to look at him. Maybe I was, she offered. Worried as well as angry because he had left with no word to anyone. She chanced a look back at him, curious as to what his face looked like just then. 

Luckily, he did finally change the subject, much to her relief. She glanced up the mountain and have a hesitant nod. I guess if we don't climb too far up, we should be okay, she said. Then Simmik bumped against him excitedly and jumped up onto the closest ledge, looking down to make sure he was following. They had plenty of distance they could climb and still be able to call for help if they ran into any trouble. Plus, she was hoping climbing would mean less talking too.

thanks.— thanks? mathieu hoped that simmik wouldn't think too much into his response, because he really didn't have the mental capacity to explain it. her reassuring touch brought forth a smile, quickly wiped from his expression as he leapt onto the heights after her.

one of his paws slipped, sending matty's heart racing. still, he was determined to look brave. i'll race ya, he proposed, just to that one, over there. a small landing jutted from the mountain's side, just wide enough to accommodate them both.

I say matty wins?

Thanks? That was a little confusing. Did he want her to worry about him? Or was he weirded out by it? Was she only confused because of whatever this thing was growing between them? Maybe it was all in her head. She wasn't used to being so insecure about something; she was always confident and self-assured. You're welcome? she found herself saying, which made things even more awkward. 

But the prospect of a race quickly brought her out of her head. She was competitive. Simmik smiled despite her nerves. Alright, she said, looking to the area he pointed out. Then she leaned back a little on her haunches and launched herself forward. She slipped a couple times as she climbed, forcing her to slow down a little since she wasn't too interested in dying right then. Soon, the ledge was just ahead, and she pushed forward again, determined to win.

alright!

you're welcome? mathieu didn't have time to think about her response. his mind was still processing their short conversation when the slightest wind brushed past his cheek. curious, matty looked up, and noticed simmik already taking the lead.

he laughed and raced after her, increasingly reckless with each step. unlike simmik, mathieu was often not rational enough. he didn't care about possibly falling and breaking a leg because in that moment, his priority was impressing his crush.

matty leapt from one ledge to the next, nearly slipping off. he scrambled back onto his feet (two of which were dangling) and proudly declared his victory. i won! mathieu laughed. he looked at simmik and smiled, asking, do you need help?

But as determined as she was to win, it didn't make up for the fact that Matty was willing to take a risk and go faster up the slope towards the ledge. He whipped by her and leaped, rather clumsily, onto their desired perch and turned to look at her with a grin. She gave him a playful glare and jumped the last few cliffs a little faster than she had originally planned, so that when she did finally jump to where he was, she landed in a similar way, with her rear legs dangling. She shook her head at the help offered and pushed her muscles just a little bit more. She landed at his side, panting and laughing even though she was slightly annoyed that she lost. We'll just have to have a rematch, she declared through panting breaths. Then she walked the edge and plopped down, looking out over the edge. This is a nice view of the forest, she said, glancing over her shoulder at him. She lifted her head a little, inviting him to come lay next to her and see what she was talking about.

yeah, sure. despite her claim of independence, matty still reached downward to help simmik, should she need the boost. he watched her stroll to the cliff's edge with half-lidded eyes, his head tilting adoringly to the side as he released an audible sigh. 

simmik might not have known what she felt, but mathieu certainly did. given the opportunity to lie down beside his crush, the boy practically leapt forward. as he came closer, matty slowed down and decided to sit directly behind her, his paws just close enough to feel the ends of her fur.

yeah, matty replied. his eyes trailed downward, toward simmik's frame, and he continued, it's amazing.

She didn't immediately notice his absence at her side, too distracted by just how much she could see from this vantage point and wondering about their packmates who were hidden below the evergreen points. The territory seemed so much bigger from up here. It was when he spoke his agreement that she realized he was behind her. She turned to see what he was doing and caught him not looking down at the forest at all. He was looking down at her. It made her blood heat and her cheeks burn. Had he been doing that the whole time? She didn't know what to do. No one had ever looked at her like that, and she was not prepared for the effect it would have on her nervous system. A hard swallow moved down her throat. You're not even looking, she said quietly when she finally found her voice.

you're not even looking.

simmik's embarrassment was contagious. mathieu laughed and shook his head, shamefully lowering his chin. he'd made things awkward (again) but this time, he didn't know how to recover. matty bit anxiously at the inside of his cheek.

i'm sorry, matty replied. he really, truly had not meant to make things weird. it's, uh, yeah. the forest looks...yeah. light eyes looked anxiously for simmik's own before darting away to the ground below them.

She hadn't meant to make to make him feel weird about it. If anything, he had finally made her realize why she was so confused and awkward around him. Because the very second that his expression changed, and his gaze shifted from her to the trees below, all she could think was that she didn't want his attention back on her. It all made sense now; he was cute and he made her laugh and forced her to get out of her head and not be so cautious. She liked him, and she felt like she needed to do something to relieve the incredible awkwardness surrounding them. She met his gaze when it briefly searched for hers. You don't have to be sorry, she said, pulling herself up to sit in front of him. Then she took a huge risk, leaned over, and delivered a soft kiss to his cheek.

mathieu's emotions soared across the spectrum before he could even begin to understand why. he opened his mouth to say something — say something! — but instead smiled, opening and closing his mouth like an idiot. did this mean that simmik liked him, too? and if that is what it meant, then what did that mean?

he cleared his throat and pulled his voice from wherever it had been hiding. adding some masculine bass to his tone, matty (trying to pretend he was totally cool and not sporting a grin to rival the sun) said: i'm gonna...go...now. 

and again, back at square one.

mathieu gave simmik an abashed peek, then a keek, and by then, he'd made it all the way down the mountain's side.

What happened after her risk was...confusing. Why was everything so confusing with him? A huge grin spread across his face and he seemed to be searching for something to say by the way his mouth opened and closed. She smiled back, assuming he'd find his words and say something sweet and then they could go on hanging out and learning more about each other. But none of that happened. Instead he said he was...leaving. She stared at him, her smile falling away. So did he like her or not? He seemed like he did but then he just left? She watched him make his way down the mountain, leaving her there rendered silent by her complete confusion. Even when he peeked back at her, she still hadn't moved from her spot. 

Eventually she did move. She lay back down on the edge to look out over the forest while her mind reeled with what the hell had just happened.