Fireweed Rise Maybe you can show me how to love

Midday, overcast clouds, 24.8F/-4C. @Amondi only please!

He had gotten up late in the morning, having spent the night curled up at the base of a tree, feeling cold enough to almost wish for someone to lay next to. Almost. Deep personal connections were not really a thing for him, but if he could use someone else to his own advantage, such as sharing body heat during a cold night, then he would consider being more amicable than his usual falsities. As it was he was all on his own with no one he knew around him. Back to square one.

It was time to come up with a new plan which would, unfortunately most likely involve having to pretend to care about others so he could find a way into a group, and eventually coming out on top. As he made his way up the sloped hill, the trees of the forest he had slept in to his back, his thoughts ran wild with ideas for what he could do depending on who he came across. Deep in his thoughts, his awareness of his surroundings was pushed to the back of his mind so he could focus on his planning and scheming.

(This post was last modified: Mar 29, 2021, 02:24 AM by Rochus.)

 

Alone and confused, the Valle woman tried to trek through the unfamiliar lands as best as she could, but instead of traveling far distances, she decided to stay where she was. Wasn't that the thing you were supposed to do when you got lost? Stay in one place until help arrived? Amondi had never truly been alone before, having been born into a large family and having children of her own, loneliness was never something Amondi had to deal with. However, now that she had been pluck from her pack and dropped off in this place that was nowhere near her true home by the sea, loneliness and memories were all she had now. With the spring heat rippling through her veins, she was even more uncomfortable without her security of her mate and family.

As she moved across the forest, she headed to the open field that was nearby that she tended to visit at times. The Valle moved across the field slowly as she neared a sloping hill in front of her, her dandelion gaze finally taking them away from the ground before her as she raised them higher to the hill ahead. Who was upon the hill made her freeze all movement altogether. Amondi could recognize him anywhere. She could never forget the dark tawny features of her mate as he stood upon the hill like a beacon for her. The Valle woman almost thought she was dreaming, that this could be a side effect to whatever the two-leggeds gave her. But as the midday breeze moved through his tawny coat, she knew she wasn't hallucinating. Big, fat tears began to run down her cheeks as her dandelion gaze stared in wonder at Rochus. "Oh, Rochus, she breathed. She was finally not alone.

</div>[/dohtml] 

(This post was last modified: Mar 26, 2021, 04:22 PM by Amondi.)

He found himself standing at the top of the hill, brows furrowed and nose scrunched, deep in thought. So far all the plans he thought up had holes or things that could far too easily go wrong. It would be very difficult starting with just himself, his goal so far away, but he had always truly been on his own. Everyone else was just a pawn to him, but pawns were so ever useful.

With a deep sigh, Rochus turned on his heel, finally using his eyes to gauge his surroundings, hoping maybe he could think better after a meal. But mid-turn his eyes landed on the form of another wolf, only partially up the hill, staring directly at him. The yellow eyes were unmistakable, and he found his jaw dropping in shock. He thought he had been dropped in this place all alone, but it seemed he was wrong. So very wrong.

The gears began turning in his head at the sight of Amondi. She was not exactly the wolf from the Estuary he had been hoping to find, but she was good enough for his plans. He was a mendacious wolf at best, and a manipulative wolf at worst, but maybe he could use this fortunate opportunity to his advantage. Starting forward at a brisk lope towards her, he played up the emotions on his face, letting joy show brightly like a beacon. He could play the part of a doting and loving mate very well, and when he finally reached her he buried his face in her neck fur, a soft rumble emanating from his chest. "Amondi," he breathed out, hoping the inflection in his voice was enough to let her think he was overjoyed at seeing her again.

Big, fat crocodile tears slide down her tawny cheeks as she stared in shock at the man in front of her. Amondi couldn't believe it finally after weeks of being utterly alone in these new lands, she found one of the many wolves she had been missing dearly. Believing she had been dropped off into this land all alone, the Valle woman was starting to believe she would have to try to make it on her own. Whether that was settling someplace for the time being before trekking out to try to find her way back to the sea. But now, her love was here. She didnt have to worry anymore.

Holding back a sob as he began at a brisk run towards her, her body longing for his touch. As he reached her and buried his face into her fur, she couldn't hold back the overwhelming emotions that flooded her body. Sobbing mixed with laughter mixed with even more sobbing as she too buried her face into his lighter coat, breathing in his scent that had dulled compared to how it used to be. He breathed out her name and Amondi was as ever unaware of his rapacious motives. Instead, she believed his facade like usual. Though, to the Valle women's defense, she normally never had time to dwell on her mate's mannerisms while she tended to the Estuary's young.

Keeping herself glued to her mate, not daring to separate from him just yet. "I don't know where Vayko and Sharlee are. I don't know where anyone is, Rochus." She rushed out as she then pulled away from his neck, but staying close to him as she met his golden gaze. "You're the only one I've found," she admitted solemnly. Were they the only ones taken away?

(This post was last modified: Mar 29, 2021, 02:00 AM by Amondi.)

He was glad his face was buried into her neck fur as when he heard her sobbing he had to fight back the urge to wrinkle his nose and clench his teeth in distaste. Once again he was reminded of how soft she was, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth knowing that he would have to continue putting up with it. Wolves were meant to be strong willed and of sound mind, not overly soft and waiting to be rescued like a damsel in distress. But he had to use what he was given, and this was surely a gift indeed, if he played everything right.

Rochus barely had time to comprehend her jabbered words and school his outward emotions back to a façade of glee with a tinge of sadness as she suddenly pulled back from him. He also had no idea where their children were, but he had done his best to try and raise them to be strong and able to look out for themselves, so he could only assume wherever they were, they were taking charge of their lives. "I haven't come across anyone else either, you're the first," he said in response, pulling his brows together and allowing his lips to form into a slight pout. It was a bit more difficult to pretend to be worried and sad compared to happy, but he was sure Amondi was too caught up to take any real notice. "But I'm glad I found you," he rumbled out, reaching forward to nuzzle her muzzle with his.

He had caught wind of her heat scent upon burying his face into her fur, but it had been an internal struggle within himself to decide whether it was an opportune moment to start fresh and create their own legacy from the ground up, or focus on the now and spend the time to think things through and come up with a proper plan. Rochus was very conflicted on the matter, and even just being around her made it that bit more difficult to properly keep his mind level. "I missed you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper as his golden gaze locked onto hers, pushing as much care and affection into his tone and body language as he possibly could.

His words didn't help to soothe the worry that bloomed inside her. Could they really be the only ones taken from the sea and dropped off here in these unfamiliar lands? Amondi could barely remember what happened, but she had the intuition that there was still a chance that she would find the rest of her family. Something in the pit of her stomach told her that her children were okay, her sisters were fine, even her mother was okay to some extent. However, he hadn't found anyone else either which made the worry settle within her stomach.

Her mate was quick to distract her as he rumbled out he was glad to find her as he reached to nuzzle her muzzle. Leaning into his touch, she let a purr of delight rumble through her throat. Amondi was once again reminded of her spring heat as he locked his golden gaze with hers and whispered how he had missed her. Butterflies fluttered within her stomach as her dandelion gaze swept across his face as if she really wasn't sure if he was truly here. "I've missed you so much," she purred softly, her emotional gaze keeping hold of his. Her banner waved behind her subtly as she moved to embrace him once more, wrapping herself around his neck. "I love you," she breathed into his dark tawny coat, her dandelion gaze squeezing shut as she soaked him in.

Her resounding show of affection was enough to please him greatly, even given the predicament they were in. All alone in a place they did not know with no others to turn to if things went bad. But he was a resourceful wolf; he would figure something out. He returned the embrace, breathing in her heady scent which was very hard to ignore even on his best days. Unsureness lay ahead, regardless of what path he chose, but the thought of strengthening their numbers with children who would not be influenced by Amondi's sister or family was very tempting.

"I love you too," he echoed back, fully lying through his teeth, but it was a necessary evil. If he did not say it back she could get upset, or even begin to doubt him which was very bad for any of his plans. Rochus needed her compliance, and if that meant saying a couple words now and then to make her happy, he would do it. His teeth nibbled gently at the fur on her neck, hoping to distract her from any possibility that she would overthink his tone and detect his lying, and after a few moments he reached over her to gently rest his chin atop the other side of her neck, fully enveloping her in his embrace. There was a slight possessiveness to his movements, spurred on by the intoxicating scent radiating off her, but he would wait for her to make the choice before taking any action. He had some decency, after all.

Her mate was never an overly affectionate man. Whenever Amondi gave him affection, Rochus would oblige though the dark tawny man rarely went out of his way to show his feelings. There were moments where he was rather cold and distant, but he was the father to her children. She loved him dearly even though some days she had her doubts of his true feelings. The Valle knew every relationship was going to have their ups and downs. Of course they were going to experience them, so Amondi would sweep away her doubts under the rug.

With her show of affection, he was quick to echo the sentiment, his teeth preening though her coat. At the moment, she had nothing to doubt instead a warmness wrapped around her as he embraced her almost possessively. Her dandelion gaze alight as she pulled herself away from him abruptly. Trotting a few steps away from him, her gaze looked back towards him to see if he would follow.

 

He felt her suddenly pull away from him, and for a moment he thought it had been a sign of rejection, but as his gaze met hers he could see the eagerness in her eyes. Barely a moment passed before his paws carried him forward towards her, an almost playful bounce to his steps and a fiery look of passion in his eyes. Usually he kept his composure and only showed as much emotion as was necessary, but during the heat of spring his impulses took control just a little tighter. After all, he could afford to let loose for a while and enjoy the company of his mate.

Rochus thought himself adept at the game of cat and mouse of which he was sure Amondi would make him go through at least a little bit before the day was over, but at that moment he could almost care less. The only thought remaining of the future was that he would make sure their children did not grow up in a penurious environment, but even that was beginning to slip away as his focus shifted to only the present. It was just him and Amondi for now, and he would do his best to make the most of their time together.

 

Only a fleeting moment passed between them before he rejoined her, his gaze burning with the same passion that pooled with her dandelion eyes. These moments reassured her of their standing and of the feelings that had to be shared between them. Perhaps they were not good at talking as a couple, but their instincts were strong with one another. Amondi didn’t make him wait very long, the past months loneliness got the best of her and she just wanted him as close as possible. The Valle woman was overjoyed to know she was no longer going to be alone.

FADE