Laurel Thicket you’re standing in the parking lot of life [m]

mild warning for descriptions of rabies? Please note that Mor is not infected.

His feet hurt.

It was probably a stupid thing to be bothering him, but Ran had hardly slowed down for the past couple months, eager to put as much distance between himself and where he’d come from as possible. He could hardly get the images out of his head - the foam dripping from his parents’ lips, the look in their eyes, the stumbling and shaking. Ran had gone to visit his aunt’s pack for a handful of weeks, and that was most likely what had saved him from suffering the same fate as his parents.

He felt bad for running, but what choice did he have, when his mother looked at him like she didn’t recognize him?

The boy had spent the first little while terrified that he would… change. Become like them, somehow.

But it hadn’t happened.

His aunt had been kind enough to him when he ran back to her, but she had her own pups to worry about - both the yearlings and the newest litter - and there wasn’t enough space for Ran to stay, regardless. And besides, he didn’t really want to impose.

So up north he had traveled, half-expecting to transform into some drooling monster at any moment. But it had been some months now, and nothing had changed, so maybe it was safe to stop for longer than a night or two.

Ran had stumbled across a pretty, green thicket. Oddly vibrant for the time of year - evergreens, most likely. He sniffed curiously at some of the stuff growing on some of the shrubs, but as hungry as he was, he didn’t think he would be any to stoop to eating random plants. In fact, he recalled being told that some plants could kill you if you weren’t careful.

His stomach growled - loudly - but he wasn’t desperate enough to risk it.

Instead, he kept walking, until he came across a small opening in the ground. Tilting his head to the side, Ran crept up toward it - it kind of looked like the den his mom had made, expecting this year’s litter of pups. His tail thumped a few times on the forest floor behind him, wondering if someone would be coming back to this little den at some point. It didn’t smell like anyone now, so perhaps not this year, but maybe the next?

It looked almost like it would make a nice den for Ran, if he needed a place to sleep for a few nights. Feeling bold, he climbed halfway into it, his rump the only thing sticking out.

from charming to alarming in seconds

The Valle child did not particularly care that his cousin Archer was missing, but “looking” for him gave him a good excuse to be outside of pack territory for long stretches of time without question. Nobody would ask any further questions if he was gone for the whole day if he said he had been scouting for the missing wolf. In fact, on rare occasions he even got a little bit of praise for his “efforts”. Maybe he would lobby to become a scout, come and go as he pleased, free meals and safety within the pack and an excuse to dick around whenever he wanted.

But today he had stumbled upon the rump that looked suspiciously like it belonged to a Valle - particularly Archer was black phase grey. He had never interacted directly with his cousin, he had only been in the pack for such a short time in the winter. Letting out a sigh - this meant the end of his adventures, before perking up at the thought of all the kudos he would gain with the pack for being the one to find him. Tori would most likely be unable to contain her jealousy. He called out confidently, ”Archer? Is that you?” It seemed like a reasonable assumption to make.

Unfortunately, Ran was not expecting another wolf to be lurking nearby, and certainly not one confident enough to speak to… him? Or at least speak in his direction, anyway. The boy jumped at the sound, slamming his head on the roof of the den so hard his teeth clicked together. He badly stifled a yelp and turned around to face the other wolf, dark eyes round.

It was a boy, maybe around his age - a little smaller, he thought. Lighter in color. Boy, Ran’s head was throbbing. How embarrassing.

“Uhhh…” he said dumbly, blinking at the newcomer. A sheepish smile overtook his features. “Uh, no. Sorry, but I don’t know any Archers.” He tipped his head to the side, flopped ear folding further. “Are ya looking for somebody?”

Ran doubted he’d seen the wolf that this boy was looking for, but that didn’t necessarily mean he couldn’t keep an eye out in the future.

(This post was last modified: Apr 30, 2024, 01:41 PM by Morven.)

from charming to alarming in seconds

Khalon badly stifled a snort of a laugh when the stranger smacked his head on the tree that he had been half sticking out of. Trying to cover it with a clearing of his throat, the pre-teen sniffed as if this would save anyone’s dignity. Looking him over it was clear now that this wasn’t his cousin, and now that he came to think about it it didn’t smell anything like him either. But, he had no idea if a wolf completely smelled different once they left a pack.

Nodding at the question he responded, ”Cousin of mine, Archer Valle.” That didn’t seem like enough information so he added, ”Looks a lot like you actually but grey eyes and looks like he might cry all the time.” That last part might have been a bit mean, but it was true. Of course, this fool who had just bonked his head off the tree also looked a little sad in the eyes. What was with all these guys? Was the world outside of the pack just kicking everyone while they were down?

Only more reason to stay in the pack and just go on trips here and there. Didn’t want to end up a little cry baby like everyone else apparently was. Maybe he could convince Torianna to leave and then everything would be really good.

Heat prickled under his fur in slight embarrassment when he realized the other boy was laughing at him, but he supposed it was kind of funny. If he could get past the fact that he’d just been totally lame in front of what he considered to be an objectively cute boy.

“Kinda feel like I might cry a little bit right now. Hitting my head and all,” he admitted with a light laugh. To be honest, his head didn’t hurt all that bad now that the initial shock of it wore off. His pride was hurt more than anything else. “But, uh, yeah. I can keep an eye out. Archer Valle, you said?”

He tipped his head to the side, a lopsided, friendly smile on his face. Wouldn’t hurt to get to know some of the wolves around here, he supposed - as long as they weren’t secretly all sick with… whatever that had been. He could almost imagine the foam bubbling from the tawny boy’s maw, snapping teeth and wild eyes…

Ran cleared his throat and snapped himself out of it. “So, uh. What’s your name?” he asked, tail wagging a little. Hopeful, maybe.

from charming to alarming in seconds

The joke landed, and Khalon laughed again, though this time it was edged with humour that was a little less mean spirited. He plopped his rump down into the ground, ready to settle into a conversation that would hopefully keep his boredom at bay for a little while at least. Plus, this was much more pleasant than any conversation he had had with his siblings or cousins. Nobody was biting him, and unlike Tuwile this guy spoke back.

Nodding to the answer about his cousin’s name, he was happy to have the conversation steer away from that back to himself. He didn’t really care if he ever saw Archer again, though it might be nice if all the adults stopped moping. Smiling, he announced proudly, ”Khalon Valle. From Dead Empress Backwater.” Surely this stranger would have heard of them, he just assumed everyone knew who they were around here. He would have been happy to continue talking about himself, but remembered his manners at least this once, ’And your name? Are you from here?” If so, why didn’t he smell like any place that the teen recognized? He was actually interested for once.

This time, when the other boy laughed, it didn't seem to be at Ran's expense, which he considered a win. A little proud of himself, the larger boy let himself settle down with his newfound companion. This was nice, he figured - he hadn't talked with anyone in a long while, and this boy wasn't being mean or chasing him off or anything. In fact, it looked almost like he was enjoying Ran's company.

Khalon Valle. From Dead Empress Backwater.

He said it with such pride and matter-of-factness that Ran was far too embarrassed to ask what a Dead Empress Backwater was. A place, he surmised, but he didn't know anything past that. Instead, he smiled and nodded like he knew what Khalon was talking about.

"Good to meetcha, Khalon," he replied, tail thumping on the ground behind him. To meet someone who wasn't chasing him off, and someone around his own age at that, was like a breath of fresh air.

His ears perked when the line of questioning directed toward him, and grinned a little. "I'm-" he began, then hesitated for the briefest of seconds. He hadn't said his own name in a long time, and the last he'd heard of it was...

Well, Ran didn't really feel right anymore.

"-Morven!" he finished, the smile never leaving his face. "I just got here, actually, so I'm afraid I'm not sure what a Dead Empress Backwater is, but I'm sure it's a nice place." It must be, if Khalon sounded so proud of it. "Are you a, uh, scout or something?" Some packs had those, didn't they? Ran Morven was pretty sure he'd heard of that before. It would make sense as to why Khalon was out exploring.

from charming to alarming in seconds

The teen could not deny that the conversation felt nice, no biting, no hazing, somebody who was interested in just him and not trying to balance him with a ton of other kids. He loved his family - or at least he felt obligated that he was supposed to - but the older he got the more he felt like he needed more space. What he really wanted but couldn’t admit to himself was that he wanted more attention, not happy to share it with his siblings and cousins.

Morven was an interesting name and it was mysterious that he was just just getting here. Very nondescript. Then the topic changed and the tawny boy’s face brightened with pride and he leaned into the story, ”I am, that’s why I am out looking for my cousin.” It was a lie, he was just a yearling and the pack didn’t tend to give roles out to teenagers. But, Morven didn’t need to know that, and since he was new here he doubted he would be caught out in a small fib.

Ma would tell him that lying was wrong, but what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. Besides, he was trying to be a scout eventually so what was the difference?