Joys Arouse, the sun has come again to hold you

Back under the hood of STM, for my hiatus I'll assume Copper got sick as well. Also sorry for short post!

Copper was laying in his den, when he picked himself up, and went out to get a bite to eat. Since his sickness had come over him, he hadn't eaten in days, but he was recovering well.

Trotting out toward a cache, Copper pulled down his head, dug up a frozen rabbit, and pulled it out to eat. It was gross. But it was edible

The scent of illness spurned Tempest on, a bundle of things clutched in her jaws. Her eyes were narrowed as she tracked the scent she had picked up earlier, but know she was back and prepared. Soon, the distinct form of Copper came into view. She hurried toward him and dropped her herbs in front of her. "Copper! You're sick? Why didn't you tell me! I could have brought you these earlier."

Copper let out nothing more than a groan. He ate the rabbit slowly. Last time he ate the usual daredevil speeds he ate at, he puked it all up just a while later. Oh well. Copper felt like crap, what could Tempest do about it? Not that he didn't trust her doctoring skills. No, she was a talented nurse indeed.
"Do- do you ever get lonely?" Copper asked Tempest, his voice a hoarse whisper compared to the mountain wind. He then began to shiver, and layed down, for warmth. Copper wanted to just go back to his den, but that would be so rude to Tempest.. The rusty man rolled onto his side, a bit childlike in his high fever.

He went back to his conversation, his maw chattering in the cold.
"Well?" He asked softly, just loud enough so Tempest could hear him

Tempest sighed, and sat next to Copper, her fur just brushing his. He was unnaturally warm, and she shoved the bundle of herbs in front of him. "Eat these. They'll help, make you stronger." Even though he felt warm, he shivered, and Tempest gazed down worriedly at him. His next question, she thought about, even though it surprised her.

"Before here, I was happy in a pack. I had a lover, a kind, handsome wolf, and my pack mates were caring and loyal to each other. Then he disappeared, my boyfriend, and I grew worried, and lonely. I set out on his trail, but lost it soon. I kept searching, for weeks, all alone with a pack that thought I had deserted them. Then I was attacked, and the next week was the loneliest I had ever been. Suddenly my life was gone, and I was completely alone." She was silent then, contemplating what she had just revealed. Her past was unimportant. She was happy know, she had found Mikael again. But a nagging thought tugged at her gut, one she would not put words to.

Copper was stunned. For such a happy wolf, she had such a horrible past. That seemed a common theme among these wolves, sadly. Copper replied with a simple "Hmm.." Copper felt lonely all the time, but not for a horrible reason like Tempest's. He had yet to find any mates, despite his tales of having girls throw themselves to him. None of that was true, and he suddenly felt bad for ever thinking that way. The pack had changed him so much. He had gone from A king loner, God of the mountain, to just being a normal man, working to keep his family safe.
In a way he was god of the mountain
Hopefully someone looked up to him, and that was all he needed now.

Tempest looked down at him again, worried. "Copper, you should really eat those herbs. I promise I'm not trying to poison you." She looked with a little trepidation and disgust at the prey he was eating, while technically edible, it couldn't be good for you, could it? "I'll get you something else to eat, as well. Something fresh"

With that, Tempest stood, nudged the herbs in his direction a bit, and set off the find him something better to eat. She might be acting like an overprotective mother, but didn't care. She would not let any of her pack mates disappear somewhere and die of illness.

Copper looked down, as Tempest offered him the herbs. He ate them, slowly. Agh! How bitter! Copper didn't voice his concerns. Mostly because of his sore throat, and, well... Tempest didn't need another problem. When he was finished, he dozed off to sleep.
In his dreamlike state, before he fell into full deep sleep, he thought one thing. Did Tempest treat everybody this way while healing? or was Copper,.. Special? She was very nice to everybody but.. Either way, he was happy. It was better than dying. Suddenly, he felt warm. He jostled awake. the damned fever woke him again. Copper lay there for a moment, dazed from waking so quickly. He slowly blinked to full consciousness, rolling to the other side.

She watched as he slept, the prey dangling from her jaws. The herbs were gone, thankfully, and he was resting. She was about to set down the prey and leave when he stirred. Trotting forward, she sat beside him, noting the warmth of his coat when it touched hers. He definitely had a fever. "Waky Waky, Copper. I brought you dinner!" she beamed down at him, setting the prey in front of his maw. "You should eat it slowly. Too much too fast could make you barf"

/|\ Sorry I took so long.. :S Also, I'll edit this, if you want

Copper looked at the carcass, still half asleep. he gingerly ripped off one limb, and nibbled at it slowly. Tempest was so nice, all the time. How? Copper ended up looking jerky and awkward whenever he tried to be nice to people. He thought back on all the lives he made bad, just by being a jerk. That's all it took. One person. He learned that the hard way. A slow tear dripped down his face. He was going to be alone, forever. Who would want to be around him, friendship, or what have you? Suddenly Copper felt something. Something not physical, but something else. He couldn't describe it. He blushed hard under his rusty pelt. Copper didn't know it necessarily, maybe it was in him the entire time.. But, he was in love.