Cedarwood Forest out of the box

@Veho

Oula Whitebark
cover me with salt now, show me how

Oula twitched as he shouted, his eyes finally jumping up to meet hers. She lifted a single paw, unsure if she had hit the nail on the head or missed it so far she'd smashed a thumb in the process. Again he shuffled, explaining as best he could.

"I see," she said, rolling the thought of it around her head. She always knew the wolves of this land were weird. They seemed to do everything backwards. She didn't understand it, but she wanted to.

As a leader now, it was her right, too, just as it was Veho's. There were no males after her own heart, but she did like Veho, as a friend and someone she respected. Looking at him, truly looking past the current bundle of nerves sitting before her, he was a good man and did seem like he could make a good father. She shifted her weight over her haunches, pink tongue flashing out to run over the end of her nose as she considered it. She had to admit there was something tempting in the proposition, continuing her bloodline, creating tiny little wolves to be raised with her own ideals, actually setting roots in this place with a family of her own.

"I have to say I am..." She said, fishing for the right word. Flattered? "-honored that you would think to ask me."

"But you are asking me as a-" Again, she had to dig for the correct vocabulary, "-friend? But we would raise them as a family? Would this arrangement not bother your partner?" She asked.

The silence could have killed him, were he a lesser wolf.  Not for the first time since the conversation had started, Veho thanked his Ancestors for his parents, for the virtues they taught him during his own cubhood.  Only practiced patience kept his feet still, ears trained forward as he allowed his companion to think.  It was nothing to take lightly, after all; to rush her would be utterly unfair.

When she did finally speak up, picking words carefully to avoid a parapraxis, the alpha found himself give pause, a thoughtful hum rumbling deep in his chest. “I--  Yes.  As a friend, and an equal.  I did not want to impose myself,” he sighed – Wacipi’s departure had not come at a better time.  The situation was no less complicated now, however, and he inclined his head as he tried to find the words to explain his relationship with Rook.  Truth be told, even he could not define it, some days.

“We discussed the matter of pups recently, as it is something we both want, but are not--  Well, you know.”  A wry smile.  “And as @Rook founded the pack, I…well, I suppose I wanted his blessing before I pursued it.  Even if it is technically my right, I…” He trailed off with a shrug, studying @Oula in a thoughtful silence for several moments before finally finding words again.  “You would have myself, and Rook, to look after you, and any children that might come of…us.  I know it is different, but my respect for you would not change and--  Perhaps we will become closer?  I do not know, but family is so many things a wolf cannot define so easily.  You would be our family, of this much, I am certain, and--  You should know, should you chose not to engage in this, that is your right, as a wolf.  Your freedom of choice.  Nothing will change between us, that, I promise.”

(This post was last modified: Feb 23, 2016, 06:17 PM by Veho.)

@Veho

Oula Whitebark
cover me with salt now, show me how

The situation was very much an unconventional one, and as such Oula wasn't entirely sure what she had expected to hear. She didn't know whether it was a concerted wish between the males, and it helped for the explanation to come from Veho's own mouth. The last thing she wanted to do was drive a wedge between lovers and find herself homeless and pregnant as a result. She tilted her head back, giving a soft hum as she watched the misted canopy rustle overhead. A little empty nest caught her eye, tucked between the needled branches.

"I had always thought, 'someday'." She said as she looked back down to meet his eyes, finally answering his original question of motherhood. "What better a time or place?" She had never foreseen herself leading a pack, and as much as there were parts of her motherland she missed sometimes, it was admittedly a harsher life, and with all the strife and death she could not say it was an ideal place to raise pups. Here, things seemed safer.

"Any cubs of mine would be lucky to have you as their father." She said with a slight smile, her tail swishing a few beats against the snow. He had her trust. "But, you must introduce me to Rook personally. I can't say I know the man in any other than a formal sense." She said with some hesitancy.

 

(This post was last modified: Feb 24, 2016, 05:06 AM by Oula.)

“Why not, indeed,” Veho agreed, his expression finally finding some of that characteristic peace the entire conversation had warded off. It was like a blast from the past, as if the wolf he was in his adolescence had reappeared for an uninvited visit. That wolf did not have the self-confidence, nor the tact he had since grown into. But the worst of his worries were over, it seemed, and he reached over to bump her muzzle affectionately.

Despite his fumbling natter, he had managed to get his meaning across. Or perhaps @Oula was just wise enough to read between the lines.

Either way, he was glad for her patience and understanding – and even more glad they’d come to such a favorable decision. To say he wasn’t excited would be a lie. And while he might be at peace one more, that didn’t stop his tail from wiggling behind him, betraying his calm mask. Once more, he reached out to nudge the female again. “Of course, I would be happy to. He expressed a similar want, but I wanted to speak to you personally beforehand.” Surely Oula could understand why. “Whenever you would like to meet with him, I would be happy to introduce you two.”

Until then, he would be quite happy just as they were. It seemed the Ancestors were finally smiling upon the wolves of Grizzle Hollow.

Fade.

Oula Whitebark
cover me with salt now, show me how

The bump from Veho's muzzle was met with a return of the gesture, her grey forehead nudging against the male's cheek. He and this pack had been a source of much positive change for the Whitebark woman, in new an unexpected ways. She would be entering uncharted territory now, but it didn't scare her. Rather her soul felt livened by the prospects that awaited her come spring. And while nothing had physically changed, just knowing she would be continuing out the rest of the day as leader of Grizzly Hollow seemed to shift everything. In light of knowing just who Rook was in relation to someone she cared about, she couldn't wait to meet the man with new eyes.

{end}