Her pelt dusted with the falling snow – so very different from the stark ivory of his own, and in turn, his ex-mate. Demi had never taken to such rompings – at least not with him, and while he might have mused on the possibilities that the female had saved her energy and playfulness for his best friend, Phineas could not dwell on such things, not when his attention was being pulled by the rather enchanting she-wolf above him.


They wrestled as she settled atop him, her jaws seeking out the thick fur of his nape while his own would nip ever more gently to her own. His playful growl faded silently within the winter’s embrace, and his tail agve a light lash as the male felt a smirk pull to his inked lips. He quieted then, surrendering his bites to her and allowing her the full victor. She had, after all, placed him in a compramising position that had he not been in a playful wrestle but a fight for his life, he would have been dead already.


“I think it’s safe to say you win this round, lady,” he murmured lightly, attempting to tilt his head on the ground to catch view of her features, though to no avail as she was buried in his nape.

Her retort stirred a smirk of his own, and the grip of her teeth to his nape to reiterate this statement elicited a low growl of playfulness from the male. She shifted her weight from him then – leaving the male to feel suddenly empty as the cold winter wind swept up and took her place from only milliseconds before. As the she-wolf settled beside him, Phineas cast a sideways glance to her, feeling the shift in dynamics as their play desisted all very suddenly with her heavy words.


“It doesn’t sound like you mean the weather,” he observed with a rumble, his fiery eyes drifting from her to glance up to the skies above them. Spring would be upon them soon – he could feel it, as instinctual as his very being. With it would come the season of cubs, and the ivory wolf felt a pang in his chest at the thought. His own ‘brood’ would be a year soon, and briefly he wondered what their lives entailed.

One whispered syllable and Phineas felt the tightening of his chest release as concern flashed within his eyes. He did not look at her – dared not to, for he assumed such a moment of uncertainty did not slip past her lips in voice very often. There was a small pause of silence that stretched between the two, though she did not explain her thoughts, nor would he press her to. Whatever ailed her, he would lend an ear should she ever confide to him.


Instead, she shifted the topic to spring, and in turn, he gave a grunt in response. How things had changed in a year, and yet he felt no more sorrow for what he had lost.. which given his ex-mate’s hidden personality, was not much in the end. His only longing was for the cubs he had once believed to be father to, and in turn, the absolute need to have this once more. This time, he would follow no illusions.


He stilled at her question, knowing it would come sooner or later. In truth, he had no answer for her – his desire to leave was waning with each passing moment, and as his shoulder brushed gently against hers, he realized she played a major part to this. “My intention to leave was to settle with a mate – given past mistakes, I want to be careful with who I choose to do so with..” There was a pause, his breath huffing out to the chilly air. How had Elettra and Koda found one another? “As it stands right now.. if there is still room in the spring, I would like to stay and help with yours and Koda’s cubs.” If nothing else, Phineas would vicariously live through those that had found such luck within their lives.

He could not indulge in her thoughts – pick apart the pieces of her insecurities and in turn, soothe her of them. She remained quiet for a moment, seemingly taking in his words, though she did not offer input to what she thought of his wants or desires; some wolves were meant to lead, and others weren’t.. and as content as he was now to play the subordinate to the lady beside him, he knew he would never find true fulfillment in such a life.


Before he could reiterate that his plans to stay were unknown even to him, the ebony she-wolf shifted her weight, pushing herself to her belly. His gaze flickered from the heavens to rest upon her now, surprised at the serious facade she gave now before waiting to what words would accompany this. Of course, he did not expect to hear what she said, and the fiery eyes of the ivory wolf blinked in confusion. The quiet counterpart to the ebony regal was in fact, not her mate. Not even a lover. Was Koda even a blip on her radar, then, aside from friendship? In retrospect, it made all the more sense now. He had thought them a more introverted couple in one another’s presence.


His eyes slowly shut for a moment, a sigh escaping his lips as he finally opened them to move back to the sky above. The small bloom of attraction he had felt for the she-wolf at his side had been kept at bay all because he had not wanted to move in on another’s love. Not when he had such a thing happen to him. Suddenly, a flicker of hope would stir in his chest, and unbeknownst to the alabaster wolf, such a hope was lost upon a she-wolf who held no interest at all in settling with a mate.


“You didn’t want what?” His tone was serious now. Usually, he was not one to pry, but the intensity of his emotions needed to know why she had not chosen a male to lead at her side as an equal. At the end of the day, he would need to rip the band-aid off the wound that would only form from this conversation.

Her answer was short, and yet wholly honest. It was what he had expected her to say, though when the words whispered past her slender muzzle, the male had not envisioned the emotion that would be behind them. He withheld a small frown, wanting to know more and yet unwilling to ask what her past entailed.. after all, she had never asked him of his, and in turn, he would respect her own privacy.


“Someone will show you that love and hurt aren’t always attached to one another someday,” he offered her quietly then, his eyes drifting back to study her, noting the way her pale eyes kept stubbornly to the trees now. Would he be the one to show her this? Would she have ever let him in? Phineas was no mind reader, nor a fortune teller.. but the thought of the stunning lady beside him could that he could potentially court gave him a feeling of elation, and he released a soft sigh, his fiery eyes settling upon her cheek. But perhaps that was not what she wanted. Each day seemed to pass more quickly than the next, and not once had the ivory beast heard the dark female speak of a family or loved ones.


It was almost as if she did not want anything to do with such a lifestyle.. and yet, why lead a pack if one wasn't searching for the right to choose a loved one and breed?