Sleepy Fox Hollow Wishful Thinking

@Derg keeping it a bit vague

Edit; Set right after THIS thread

The girl had offered to travel with the male, glad to leave Easthollow and to have someone with her when they traveled through the mountains. They just went through Blackfoot forest, one she wasn't really familiar with. It was darker than she expected or remembered. While they were walking one of the foxes that seemed to reside here screamed and had Arlette almost jumping against Derg, startled. She hated that she startled because she wanted to... impress him? He had been kind to her and kind to bring her along on his travels. She just didn't want to be a bother to him. She wasn't a wuss.

The ground was starting to slope and turn to rock under their paws. Arlette started the climb. She made certain to avoid little goat mountain since that reminded too much about Kaito and what started all this drama. It was clear that the female was feeling more confident around the male, her tail was carried higher, as was her head. Her shoulder less hunched now the weight was lifted off it. "If you find the Rusalka pack, would you move back to live with them? Or would you stay with your current pack?"

They travelled well for some time, joyful in each others company.
Showing each other aspects of the world they may not have noticed before.
She had managed to pull such laughter from him that it was starting to hurt by now.
And in the forest where she had spooked, he had to admit he did a little too but didn't think she'd noticed. Rather, he gave her a kind smile and a soft shoulder bump. There were scarier things in the wilds.

They ascended the mountainside, passing through the thinning flora until they reached the summit of the ridge, dipping down into Sleepy Fox Hollow.
He glanced to Arlette and noticed how her fur seemed to shine in the light, giving him the impression she were perhaps made of water and glass. Though not as delicate, it seemed.

"Rusalka doesn't have much for me now. I do love them, yes, but my pack is where I belong now." He avoided mentioning the Saints by name. Should she have heard of them...what they have done and who they used to be in league with...no. that wouldn't do at all.
"What about your pack?" Did she think of Easthollow like family? Perhaps it was too sensitive. He didn't want to push her.

Arlette hadn't noticed when Derg had jumped as well, she had been far too busy with herself and being embarrassed about it. She just hoped he wouldn't think ill of her. The girl trotted next to him to keep up, her steps light as she climbed the mountain. She was relieved when they were going down again. Her muscles were getting sore from that climb. Arlette looked at Derg when he answered. She slowly nodded. "So you are more loyal to the alpha you have now than the Alpha you took the fall for?," she asked curiously. That was really interesting and she wondered why.

"My pack? I--," she paused and looked ahead. "Easthollow is traditional, a family structure," she explained, though she wasn't sure if she was going to return now she left. She felt such a weight lift when she left. Just to be away from her mother. Valette had been trying to be kind to her but it just felt fake. "It is just... I don't know if I see myself living there forever," she added then. "Maybe I will just go to packs, learning more about the medical trade, while searching for Oryx," she spoke with a quick nod. Not wanting to talk too much about all the drama she had. They already talked about that. "Soooo... what would be the perfect day in the life of Derg?" She asked then.

Derg nodded.
"I was only in Rusalka for my sister, but she vanished with her kids."
A hard truth for him to swallow.
He wondered if his niece and nephew were dead too. No, not to. Grezig was not dead.
He will find her.

His tilted his head to her.
A family eh.
"Sounds suffocating," he commented breezily. From what he could tell, she'd likely agree to that. His pack had been so too...that's why he and Grezig left really. He supposed.
But he nodded slowly at her plans. They were good. Caregivers could learn a lot from travelling to other packs.
"We'll find them..." he mused. Oryx and Grezig both.

His gaze lit up though when she asked about his 'perfect day'.
"A good hunt and a long nap I s'pose," he laughed. Some may find it boring, lacking ambition, but it's all he wanted now.
He was never made to lead.

"I know, boring but perfect," his gaze tilted to her, wondering what she'd think. Derg didn't comprehend any sort of flirting. Kynareth was blatant really -- foreplay if you'd like. Derg was your typical bloke, oblivious to suggestive conversation.
"What about you?" Maybe he could give her something of a perfect day. Gods knew she needed it.

Arlette tried to keep her eyes on the male, but she also had to walk down the slope. She didn't want to trip and fall so her attention wavered from the ground before her and the male next to her. "I see, but it would be nice to find them one day, right?" She figured that he would want to check in on that pack and its members he was close to. Hopefully Keen was still there if they found this pack.

Arlette winced softly when he said that it sounded suffocating. "Well, yeah. Not always, but yeah," she agreed with him. Now her life had been suffocating because she disliked how her mother treated her, but having a close family was also nice sometime. "So, I can take it that you are not the family type guy?," she questioned, curiously glancing at him.

He didn't speak of a mate in his ideal day. So with that she assumed that he didn't have one. Still, her ideal day was not really hunting. She remembered her mother's lessons around those bison. They were far too big for her liking. She offered him a soft smile. "That does sound like a good day, so much food that you have to take a nap," she returned. Arlette thought about her prefect day when he bounced the question back at her.

She had some really good days with Kaito. "I like to learn new things and being around the wolves I love. But healing someone, or helping them deal with pain is also very rewarding. A good day would be when I can help someone," she decided and then offered a warmer smile at him. Not yet back to her wide smiles, but at least there was a from of a smile.

"of course," he replied. Derg may seem a bit cold in his words, but that didn't mean he never loved. If he found Rusalka, he'd be overjoyed.
But he sympathised her. Al she'd ever known was family. He must seem extraterrestrial to her.

"I am, I just haven't found anyone I like enough yet," he smirked. He'd found Ronnie, but he has realised since it was lust. And his desperation to be accepted by Donovan wasn't love either.
It seems that he's never actually loved anyone romantically.
"I love children. When my sister had children, I could spend hours with them, teaching them about the world," he smiled at the fond memory of Xizur.

He listened to her perfect day.
She had ambition, desire. A need to help others.
That's what made her happy. She was so selfless, it made him wonder if she ever thought of caring for herself...if she even knew how.

"Well, today must be a rewarding day for you then," he smirked again, tilting his eyes to her, "you've my day a whole lot brighter." Perhaps not exactly what she wanted, but he could feel some empty part of himself being filled. The part labelled Meaningful Company, to be exact.

As it turned out, Arlette had assumed wrong. The male seemed clear about one thing; he had not found the anyone he liked enough yet. The female could not help but look flustered and nod to him. It made sense. However, the female could not help feel a little disappointed. The topic switched to children, and she could not help but smile at the thought of Derg with pups.

"I assumed you did like children, seeing you took my younger sister in as your ward," she complimented. "I think fatherhood would suit you," she quirked up her lips. He was very calm and so good with comforting her as well when she had been sad. "What would love to show your children the most?," she then asked curiously, wanting to find out more about him. She hoped that it wasn't a too personal of a question.

Arlette glanced to him with a surprised expression but when he clarified she shook her head with a grin on her maw. "I hardly helped you!," she returned. "In fact, I feel like you assisted me with more today. Comforting me, guiding me across these mountains, and being nice company. I am not sure if I did as much. But-- I will take the compliment, thank you," she offered with a soft smile. So many smiles today, that was good.

Soft compliments played from her lips.
Filling his heart with a warmth he'd not felt for some time now.
It was like the flood of fresh cooking filling his heart as you opened the oven door.
He smiled back, happy that she'd thought so too.
"Probably a waterfall or the ocean," he smiled softly. Both amazing parts of nature which intrigued him greatly. The power of water amazed him, and he respected it greatly. Especially after the flash flood.

But her saying that she hadn't helped? Preposterous!
"Travelling alone is lonely," he mused. Especially over windswept mountains.
But she didn't try and make him take back his words, so he gave her smile a wide grin. Her smiles really brought light into her features.
"Well, we can say we helped each other today then."

He looked at her. Watching how the wind played with her fur and how the sun reflected from her eyes.
"Where is your favourite place to be, hm? The ocean? Forests?"
Maybe she'd love the canyon.

Arlette was also feeling warm inside from talking with the male. He did gave her unexpected answers, which was nice. She liked that. "So, you live in a canyon with hardly any greenery, which means lack of water and you want your kids to see a waterfall or the ocean?," she recapped and chuckled. Her cheeks hurt from laughing, that was new. "I've never seen the ocean," she admitted then to him. "I've heard about it but I cannot really imagine."

She realized she had not really traveled that far, she knew it was days away. Her mother told her once. She looked at Derg, maybe he would take her one day and it would be her favorite place as well. "I like the idea of us helping each other," she admitted, her tail getting more spring and wagging harder. She was starting to come out of her shell bit by bit. She had not been this cheery since the cougar attack so that was saying something.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I think I'd like to find a new favorite place because my previous one is at a pack I don't like to be living anymore," she added. She looked at him, daring to look longer at him than those shy glances. "You know, it has been a long time since I smiled so much. It feels good. Thank you," she spoke moving in closer and bump her shoulder against his in thank you.

He raised a brow at her comment.
A playful smirk arose on his face.
"Love, I live in a canyon, not a desert. We have waterfalls."
She'd probably think he was bluffing or winding her up. Yes, the canyon was barren but that was just because of the unfortunate rock type there. Life was abundant. 
"The ocean is like a living sky," that was the best way to explain it. He tilted his head up, looking at the swirling clouds and patchy blue.

 He watched how her scars carved into her face accented the curve of her cheek.
"I'm glad I could help you this much. You're a wonder, Arlette. I'll show you anything you want," he smiled. He hoped they'd be in each others company long enough to do so.
He looked at her again, catching her lasting look and stopped walking. Her touch sending gold through his veins, thick and hot. Precious.
He was caught speechless. 

*squeaks*

Arlette felt more confident around the male so when she did catch that playful smirk she couldn't help but grin back. But his first words had her slightly flustered. He called her 'love'. She casted her eyes away briefly. She had to admit that she liked that he was so forward. Very different from Kaito had been. She liked the direct way better she decided. "I wouldn't know I hardly know anything about your pack," she returned with a playful tone as well. He had not even told her the name of his pack after all.

She let out a soft sigh. "That sounds really amazing," she breathed. Now she was really curious to see it. Would Oryx go to the sea? She followed his gaze in thought, looking up at the sky. Who was she kidding she had only used Oryx as an excuse to get out... She rather spend her time with Derg and not a friend that abandoned her. The girl's eyes lit up a bit when he called her a wonder. She was not sure on what he based that but it felt so good to hear someone say that. She realized she had missed this type of intimacy with someone.

Arlette had not expected the male to stop walking, she stopped as well. Not aware that her bump would have such an effect on him. Her tail wagged. She was forgetting her scars, forgetting the wrong that had been staining her life. In this moment she was only here with Derg. "I'd love to see the ocean with you," she spoke then. Honestly she would love to see his world, let him show her his life. But... this also felt incredibly fast. It was an emotion she didn't expect to feel, yet, it was there. Would it be so bad to just accept this as something good in her life. She quirked up the corners of her mouth, deciding that she liked this feeling Derg was giving her.

He chuckled.
Yeah, she couldn't know too much. Not yet. She'd run a mile. Though nothing they've done yet can compare to what they will do.
He just hummed softly in reply. Soon.

Her breathless wonder of the ocean though was what stole his heart.
He wanted to take her there. To a blustery cliff top with the gulls and the crashing fury of the waves trying to eat the earth, and then down to the quiet, stony beaches with the quiet lapping water and almost still air.

"I can't wait to take you," he smiled. He felt like his chest was being squeezed. Air was finding it harder to enter and all too easy to escape.
He wanted to see the light in her eyes as she watched the water heave and sigh. The life of earth.

Arlette almost choked as the male said those words, because they sounded so sexual. Perhaps was just her and being more and more attracted to the male. She had to remind herself that he meant that he would take her to see the sea. She was a bit shocked by her own dirty thoughts but she kept those thought to herself.

The female bumped her nose playfully against his shoulder, they were in the hollow. "So until when to I get to enjoy your company? I plan on going straight through this hollow, to the Great Lake after the mountains." She hoped that she could stick with him a little longer, but it might be soon coming to an end. She would make sure to visit him in the canyons.

Oh. He didn't realise that she'd be leaving so soon.
She really had a mission to see everything outside of Easthollow.
He didn't even realise what she thought of his words, though noted the rise of her brows.
Did she not believe him?

He returned the bump of the nose to her cheek, tail wagging. She made him feel joy like he'd never done so before.
He hummed softly as they started to walk again.
"I can go to the edge of the range, but then I'll have to turn back to the Canyon." He smiled, softer and sadder this time. He didn't want to let her go, but he had no claim to her.
She needed to be free.

They descended into the increasing foliage.
"You must visit." He grinned. He didn't want her to disappear, and if she promised, then she would come back.

Arlette nodded at him in confirmation. She would most likely try and see if there were other packs that Oryx could have run to. If she was even wanting to join a pack again. The rough mountains gave away for some foliage. It felt strange to have this much life in the valley of two mountains. It was so quiet here. She wondered if the Canyon would feel the same in peace and tranquility.

"I promise I will visit. Hopefully with some good news about finding one of your relatives." She really hoped so. Otherwise, well then she would just visit to see him. She had the idea that Derg wouldn't mind it. She wondered what his life in the Canyon was like. Arlette walked with Derg as much as they were able. She was kind of reluctant to let go of him but ... she only met him today, how weird was that. It felt like they had been friends for longer.

She looked at him once more. "Bye Derg. I promise I will come visit you soon," she spoke. Arlette then had to use every cell of her body to pull herself away from him. It was better if she did that with a slight run. She didn't dare to look back in fear she would run back to her new friend.

- end for me -

"I'll look for Oryx where I can," he replied.
Maybe seeing her friend would make her happier.
Maybe settle her mind a bit more.

His ears tilted to her. Bye?
So soon?
He felt...disappointed. Like watching Grezig leave again.
Maybe it was just the fact he'd never spent time with anyone like this before.
Had anyone really given him attention like she did?
Unlikely.

"Goodbye Arlette," he smiled. He couldn't help but think his voice held a sadness to it.
Maybe it was just him, and his voice sounded like that anyway.
He watched her trot away without a look behind.
He'd do the same.

Derg turned towards the Saint's spurring into his own trot home.