Wild Rye Fields Regular - Printable Version

Relations within Wild Rye Fields had been relatively peaceful. It was a relief to know that their awful neighbors, Craw and Morganna, we no longer around and they were now dealing with more sensible folk. While this made diplomatic relations easier for the Rye Queen it still did nothing to rid her of the ache she felt in her chest at the loss of her daughter. It was hard knowing that their first daughter had lost her memory and it was just too painful for her to stay with her family. In the end, Jessie would not fault her for it. She just wanted her daughter to be happy and if that meant leaving them behind, then that's what it had to be. With Percy's return, however, came new hope.

It was obvious in the swell of her abdomen. It was rare that Jessie strayed far from the birthing den and stuck well within the confines of the Rye borders. The Tainn did not want to risk anything with this litter and played it safe. Despite Percy leaving them, Jessie was excited at the prospect of more children greeting her in the world. She was not exactly the mothering type but knew that her sternness certainly had its benefits. If the constant kicking told her anything, it was that she was going to have to use her rigidity with cautious. She didn't want them to despise her for it.

Jessie did take advantage of her pregnancy. Without the freedom to move about, the alpha enjoyed her time lounging in the rising sun. When Drestig and Jessie were in the Bend it had been hard to appreciate the sun as much as she could in the open fields. There was not as many trees blocking her view and it provided a nicer view of the sunrise and sunset when the time came. When the time finally came when the sun was at its peak, the pepper-and-salt colored woman hoisted herself onto all fours in order to make her way to a nearby stream. It's time to cool off.

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de

It was warm. One of those early summer, late spring kind of days where the sun shone down without a single cloud in the sky to block it. And long story short—Cottongrass was already suffering. Maybe even dying if the white wolf thought about it. Because his winter coat had blown away in the wind forever ago but he was still warm. Like, uncomfortably warm and he was ready to complain about it to anyone who would listen. He had even considered busting into the little den that Askan and Reyes hid inside of all the time to voice his woes. But that was before he realized their den was on the opposite side of pack territory and was thus unreachable in this unbearable heat.

It was a dark day for the little pack of Wild Rye Fields, a very dark day.

And maybe Cottongrass was being a little too dramatic, that he was acting like a big ol' puppy and he better smarten up. But he couldn't help it. Last summer he almost died and it wasn't a one time thing. There had been the heat that melted his brain, the freak thunderstorm that tried to smite him down, and the muskox that decided to trample him for no real reason other than the fact that it could. And it all started with a hot summer day with no water. Like hell was he going to risk a repeat of that!

So off Cottongrass waddled, making his way towards the middle of pack territory. Because there was water there. A nice little river where he could drown away his bad luck before he went back to his life of being a recluse. But there was a problem with his plan. One itty, bitty glaring fault that would ultimately be the end of him.

He wasn't alone.

It was in that moment he considered turning around and calling it a day. Maybe even calling it a life because he didn't want to bother her or have her know that he even existed after she accepted him into the pack. But Cottongrass was Cottongrass. The universe hated him and he was cursed with bad luck. So instead of stopping and turning around like he intended to, instead he fell still. Froze on the spot and he could feel his face squishing, a fearful grimace forming across his features.

Because this was it. This was how he died right here, right now.

She woman did not make a hobby of interacting with her pack mates. Jessie would be kind and say hi to them in passing but she did not enjoy it nearly as much as her mate did. The Tainn did not fault him for this, it only made her love him more. She sometimes wished that she could be more social but an old fear of getting to choice and eventually coming to the day where they disappeared flashed to clearly in her mind. When she finally emerged herself in the stream, she shook such thoughts away, wanting to enjoy the coolness of the water while it lasted. Anytime now, the pups would begin to kick against Jessie's ribs again. While usually it was only mild discomfort, as the days neared for their birth it became more painful. It was another reason the petite woman was all too ready for them to be delivered. Freedom.

It soon became apparent to the pepper-and-salt colored woman that she was not alone. She smelled him before she saw him but the brilliant flash of white was enough to indicate who it was that was interrupting her peace. Emerald eyes moved to look at Cottongrass who remained frozen in his spot while he looked at her. Black lips thinned into a displeased line. The least he could do is not stare. Doesn't he know that it's rude? As the moment stretched on, Jessie became increasingly uncomfortable and finally called out to him. "Cottongrass. Is there something I can help you with?" There was no other logical reason as to why he would be here staring at her. Hopefully, this would not take too long or the white man would at least stop staring at her like he had just seen a ghoul.

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de

This was definitely how he died or something. Because Cottongrass found that was rooted in fear, unable to move even when the she-wolf's emerald eyes bore holes into his skull and he could see a tight-lipped frown forming across her features. In that moment he could only wish for a swift end. Like his heart just hurried up and exploded as it violently beat somewhere behind his rib cage. Or maybe he could just melt into a puddle and sink into the ground, never to be seen again. Either one would be more than fine in Cottongrass' books.

But fate was never so kind. And as such there he stood, frozen in place until the woman spoke his name and it was like the spell was broken. Because he could do talking. He could answer to questions like a normal little wolf should and maybe if he played his cards right, he could even disappear without causing too much trouble. But he could only try and hope for the best. So without much more ado—

"N-n-no." He stuttered out, fluffy white tail already starting it's usual submissive wag of terror behind him. "I was just uh, I was just uh, about to leave!" And without anymore stuttering or stumbling he averted his gaze and splayed his ears back against his head as he quickly stepped backwards. Away from the terrifying leader. He turned on the spot and hoped to shuffle away as fast as his stocky legs could carry him, unless she chose to stop him.

Because hey, all of a sudden he didn't need water! Not to keep him hydrated and certainly not to keep him cool. He could just hide away in the shade of the trees like he usually did or something.

Her words did not have the desired affect on him. The white man simply stammered out a quick reply, seeming hesitant to approach. A huff escaped the pregnant woman, eyes following the man as he took a step back, away from her. Jessie's eyebrows furrowed together then, unsure of the unpleasant emotion that was settling in the pit of her stomach. Despite her inclination to be alone, the Tainn did not like the thought of one of her pack mates being scared of her. Jessie's frown deepened as Cottongrass turned away from her, ears flattening against her head. I was just trying to be nice. Emerald eyes blinked at the man's figure, jaws opening, her brain picking for something to say.

With an audible sigh, she spoke, "You know, I won't bite. There's plenty of space for the two of us and it's plenty hot out today." Grey ears perked forward, desperate for some form of positive response from the man. This was her first true interaction with him since his joining and it perplexed her that she had made such a brash impression. It had been brought to her attention that she could appear a bit stand-offish but she did care about those she lead. They were under her protection and she did want to know them. Thus far, it seemed only Adelayde understood that part of her.

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de

He was more than okay with leaving the area. There was no reason for him to invade her personal space or even bother her with his petty existence. But when he could feel eyes piercing his backside and there was an audible sigh ringing in his ears he couldn't help but hesitate.

Because oh no.

His best was already becoming his worst and he might as well have liquefied on the spot with the humiliation running through his veins. He was molten. Absolutely burning with a mixture of dread and shame the moment he heard her voice. And he sort of wanted the exact opposite of this to happen. She would relax in peace and he would be on his way. No harm would be done and the world would continue to rotate on its axis. Except that clearly wasn't the case.

For some strange reason she wanted him to keep her company! And he liked to believe that he was a man of many talents. He could disappear when he needed to and make himself scarce in all other scenarios that didn't involve life or death. But keeping a leader entertained — or at least, not annoyed — was his weak spot. She might as well have asked him to fly or something else that was just as unreasonable.

(And maybe — just maybe! — he was the one being unreasonable. His brain was screaming out in terror and he wanted to ask if she was sure. If everything was alright on her end because there was no way she knew what she was getting herself into. But he kept those pesky thoughts where they belonged — inside of his head.)

"Okay." He mumbled like he didn't quite believe her. Like this was all one great big joke and the moment he stepped too close she was going to maul him. But otherwise he didn't hesitate as he turned on the spot to face her. His ears were rolled back against his head and his tail was snug between his legs as he shuffled his way towards her. There was no such thing as too much submission in his books as he approached her and wordlessly accepted the offer of joining her at the river.

There was probably nothing worse than what was occurring right then. He did not turn to look at her, in fact, he didn’t move at all. It probably would have been better if he just pretended that he hadn’t heard her and kept walking. Because now it was plainly obvious that there was hesitance towards her invitation and Jessie was pretty sure it wasn’t just her that was causing the tension in the air. The Rye Queen swallowed down her anxiety, emerald eyes hardening as they stared at the back of Cottongrass. What was it, exactly, that I have ever done to him anyway? The words were almost on her lips when he finally responded, a simple okay. Jessie watched him turn – albeit slowly – but any hope she had of making progress with him dissipated when his ears turned back on his head and his tail flagged down between his legs.

The monochrome woman could have condensed into water right then. It would have been better than the feeling of dread that made itself present in the pit of her stomach. When she finally felt like he was close enough – and wouldn’t escape – Jessie finally broached the topic that had been on her mind as of late. “Cottongrass, do I…scare you?” Her voice held a certain hesitance to it, almost vulnerable. Her subordinates went out of their way to avoid her and the Tainn did not want them doing that, especially if they actually needed her assistance with something.

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de

There was no way in the world this was happening. Because this had to be one very messed up nightmare his brain made up to torture him. How could it not be? It was combining authority and confrontation and he never was fond of those two concepts. But he already had the creeping suspicion that he wasn't going to escape. That everything about this conversation was a part of reality whether he wanted it to be or not. It was enough to make him balk.

Because was he scared of the she-wolf before him?

"No!" He yelped like the very idea burned him. And instinct told him to retreat. To start babbling because he was never scared once in his life and maybe if he explained it to her she would understand. But he never was much of a liar. Not even when he really wanted to be one because having a silver-tongue would no doubt save him in moments like these. But he possessed no such talent. Instead he was forced to deal with panicked thoughts and a voice that would never cooperate with him even on a good day.

"It's just that—" His tongue flapped uselessly between his jaws and he couldn't help but cringe at his own behaviour. There was no way he could redeem himself. Not at the rate he was already messing up. "It's just that—" He tried again. But nothing would come out and it only made his insides tense up even more. He tried to get a hold of himself before she got sick of him.

"It's just... I'm new." His words were spoken in an awkward rush. Like he couldn't get them out fast enough but he was really trying. "And I'm not really... Familiar with the pack stuff." That might have been the biggest understatement of the year. Because he was more than familiar when it came down to pack life. He was born and raised in one and boy, was that a wild ride. But explaining that to her would take ages and he didn't think his heart could take the stress. Especially not when it involved spilling his own secrets.

"Sorry." He finally mumbled. His ears rolled back against his head and he couldn't help but avert his gaze.

It seemed that Jessie only succeeded in making him more uncomfortable. The woman stopped herself from cringing at the loud negation that assaulted her auditory nerves. When Cottongrass first arrived, he had not seemed like the nervous kind of wolf but there was nothing wrong with that. Jessie allowed him the time he needed to explain his answer – even though there was none needed. The pepper-and-salt colored woman kept her eyes firmly planted on the man, eyes softening in understanding. That was something that someone could become comfortable with over time. The Tainn did not want the man to feel as if he were alone.

The man’s apology came as a shock to the alpha, having not expected it. No one usually apologized to her and it took everything within her to not avert her gaze and shift uncomfortably away. Instead, the monochrome woman’s jaws parted and she tried to form what could have been words of encouragement. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. It takes time…to get use to everything. I did not join a pack until long after my third year.” Of course, the only reason this had come to be was so that she could be with her sister. It seemed that everything always came back to family – though perhaps that wasn’t the case with the male in front of her?

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de