O C C | Jayse first, then AW. ;) This is a continuation of Obsession is a Young Man’s Game.

Carefully navigating his way out of the Thicket of Secrets, Borden had brought Jayse, Midnight Plateau’s newest pack member past Heartleaf Creek into the depths of the Wildwood. He had made sure to stay clear of any foreign scents he assumed to be associated with the Swift River Pack. As the duo reached the edges of the forest, the scout noted that they had come within a mile of the Mountain of Dire. He looked to her quietly, barely even straining his eyes to see her in the darkness. His jaws cracked open to catch his breath, wisps of moisture fleeting into the chilled early morning air before dispersing.

Overnight, they had quietly trekked through Relic Lore, keeping to themselves. Every now and then he had stop and survey their surroundings, as if to ensure their safety, their anonymity. After only a few seconds of standing still, he would continue with a slow and cautious pace before slightly picking up again, always careful to mind her condition and how well she was faring the journey. As the half-moon attempted to pierce through the gray winter clouds, he wagged his tail. ”You alright?” he asked, his panting becoming less and less apparent by the minute. ”Shall we wait ‘til morning to make the climb to the pack den?”

Instinctively, his voice was a mere whisper, as if he were uncomfortably aware that someone or something was listening. He blinked and turned to face her, glad that they had come this far. The dawn was due to break within a matter of hours; nocturnal creatures who had been hunting all night were slowly retreating to their lairs and those who waited for the sun were still tucked away, soundly sleeping. Their arrival to the edges of the pack territory couldn’t have been more perfect when it came to timing. If she wanted to rest, they could, and she could even sleep for a bit if she needed to; Borden was more than willing to keep watch.

Not wanting to press her for an answer, since she had probably been a bit winded also, he remained silent. His lungs took in the frigid air as his heartbeat slowed to its normal rhythm; eventually, he leaned his head down to lap up the snow with his tongue, allowing the cold crystals to melt in his throat.

Craning his head about just to make certain that they had reached safety near the border of the pack territory, Borden chuckled softly regarding her statement about falling into the snow face first. He had done that himself quite a few times and although it had been funny to think of now, it wasn’t at all wonderful to consider the possibility of it, especially in the company of another. He made his way towards the base of a large tree, grazing his nose upon its rough bark before turning his back to it and sitting down. At least she declared she was fine; to Borden, right now that was all that mattered. He tilted his head to left and then to his right, carefully stretching out the tense muscles in his neck.

As she asked if he was tired, he shook his head, despite his body’s protest to staying active. Slowly his front legs slid forward in the snow, his elbow joints longing to rest. Though he looked physically weary, his eyes stared out into the darkness, completely aware of everything he could take in as his ears continued to collect the creaking of tree branches and distant scurrying of creatures who were making their way back home to sleep. His right shoulder pressed against the large root behind it and he propped his head against the trunk, the rest of his mottled body curling against his torso. ”Don’t worry about me,” he stated, refusing to tell her straight up that he couldn’t sleep. ”Rest now… When you wake, we’ll head to the plateau.”

Not daring to fully take in the look on Jayse’s face, he briefly glanced to her as he spoke before returning his gaze toward the clusters of rocks that made up the foot of mountain. When it came down to the simple points, not only had Borden suffered from bouts of insomnia (due to his travels as a lone wolf and his duties as serving as Alexander’s only pack member), but he had certainly also rendered himself vulnerable to various elements – odd situations and emotions alike – from his unusual sleeping schedules. The reason why the problem had not been taken care of or corrected itself was due to his persistence in doing so many things at once without even bothering to consider himself first. Always, if he found himself with a companion or group of acquaintances, he held their needs far above his own. He considered taking care of others not just as “good deeds,” but his confirmed awareness of being altruistic and selfless… and, by every definition in his book, very much unlike the wolf he had been in the past. In addition to his ‘obsession’ with trying to be the picture-perfect model of a virtuous wolf, his needs often went uncared for simply because he had no one to take care of him in return; and, he was not ready to accept Jayse’s or anyone else’s concerns about his health to turn his habits around.

Eyes still refusing to gaze upon her, he wrapped his tail around his hind legs out of habit. He exhaled quietly into the night, anticipating the white wolf to settle down near him on the other side of the tree or beside him for warmth. Even if she chose to stay away from him, curled up with his sight, either option would be fine by him. All he hoped was to keep watch over her as she slept. If he could undertake the role of a simple guardian even for a few hours, the act would count in his book of deeds, and that alone would be his incentive to help them scale the last leg of their journey.

Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he allowed a yawn to escape him, not minding as she circled in place before settling down at his side. He gazed to her after she curled up, finally resting her head. Good night, Jayse, he mouthed, not wanting to disturb her. Another yawn forced his jowls open again and he slightly shook his head. He wasn’t tired, even though his body made statements that were quite the opposite. Crossing his paws idly before him, he rested his gaze on all that laid beyond the base of their makeshift resting place.

Until morning broke over Relic Lore, he would continue his watch before considering to rest for a little bit. Remaining still for the sake of not waking Jayse, he breathed slowly, evenly. The only parts of him that moved were his chest, ears and, every now and then, his head as he laid his eyes on a different part of the forest. Only when the snow began to lighten into a powder blue did he lift his muzzle to the sky and glance over his shoulder. The sun shouldn’t be hidden for too long now, he thought quietly. Maybe a mere half an hour of darkness was left, give or take five minutes...

Eyes slowly closing, he stared into the back of his eyelids; he set his head upon his forepaws and sighed. It wasn’t long, however, until he blinked his eyes open again, staring out across the snow. It had been only a few minutes, maybe twenty, since he dozed off. As the sun’s rays fought to shine through the cloudy winter skies, he laid still, waiting for her to rouse from her sleep. As soon as she woke and affirmed she was ready to go, Borden would escort her to the den or wherever she would like to go. Well, maybe “breakfast” would be a good thing to start with... then they could officially start their day on the territory.

Stirring at the gentle sound of her voice, he raised his head and glanced to the female at his side. ”Don’t mention it,” he smiled. ”As for the smothering… nah. You didn’t smother me at all.” He also had to admit it was rather pleasant to spend the night with someone at his side; up on his perch, just below the den along the rocky ledges of Mount Dire, the sun, moon, and the elements – snow, rain, clouds, and wind – were his only companions. When she got up stretch and go about her morning routine, he did the same.

Emerging from behind a tree, he watched as she checked out their immediate surroundings. She returned to him in a matter of moments and sat at his side as he bowed down, stretching out his back and forelegs. ”Yeah, sure,” he replied, but before he could say anything else, she was already skirting about the tree line. ”Sure,” he repeated to himself as he straightened up and sat down. ”Hmm.”

Eyes lit up by the few rays of sun that filtered through the cloud cover, he glanced in the direction she had gone and darted off in the opposite direction. If she wouldn’t allow him to hunt for her, allow him to pamper her with the luxury of being taken care of, then he would go ahead and hunt on his own also; he couldn’t possibly accept the idea of her bringing something back for him to eat. Not too far from the tree where they had temporarily left one another, he spotted a pair of squirrels in the snow. Then… Hunger struck. Basic instinct, the impulse of the chase. Cacoethes. In a matter of seconds he found his lower jaw lightly stained with blood, the two squirrels dangling lifelessly between his teeth. She was probably on her way back to their little “camp site” by now and he simply hoped she wouldn’t think that he’d abandoned her or anything of the sort.