Grizzly Hollow as satellites go by

@Veho
Content warning: Non-graphic, adultish themes

Oula Whitebark
Could it be we're stars' reflections

The scant weeks since her conversation with Veho had passed with tense anticipation, bound to her body's own timetable and unable to do anything but wait. Her new responsibilities and tasks as leader had at least occupied her paws, but her mind kept wandering towards spring, the prospect of bearing new life.

Within the last few days Oula had grown rather irritable and short of patience. The female mostly kept to herself, not wanting to end up ripping off anyone's head in a fit of hormonal rage. Round and round the borders she went, marking and remarking every rock and tree in sight, chasing hapless ravens and squirrels who had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

That day had been much of the same, but she could sense a shift in herself that left her breathless. Oula couldn't wait any longer, she felt like she was about to crawl out of her own heated skin. Only late in the evening, once she was sure everyone had settled down for the night did Oula begin to head in towards the territory's heart. The moon had yet to rise, the navy blue canvas of the night sky speckled by stars and banded by the milky way. Oula quietly tread through the darkened Cedarwood, limbs restless and ears twitching at every sound. 

Following the wisp of scent that lead towards Veho, she arrived outside the healer's den. Part of her wanted to march straight in there and drag the man out by his scruff. However that would make for a rather rude awakening and she still had barely enough sense and manners to hold back. She paused a few paces outside the dark burrow, her nose twitching and jaw working as she hesitated. Her limbs trembled slightly in a mix of anticipation, excitement, and nerves. Finally she released a soft chuff, beckoning him forth.

(This post was last modified: Mar 04, 2016, 01:48 AM by Oula.)

While the arrival of March also held a mixture of excitement and anxiety for the other half of the leading pair, his role and duty to Grizzly Hollow had been keeping him quite occupied. That the days were growing longer and the sun a bit warmer hardly seemed to register with him. This evening, as so many others, he shuffled to the medical den at the end of his chores and flopped down unceremoniously. Organizing the herbs could wait until morning, he thought, folding his plush tail over his nose as he drifted quickly into sleep.

Unfortunately, it did not seem he would have long to rest.

A chuff from outside his front doorstep woke the male, mind reeling as pale silver eyes peeled open to peer back into the growing darkness. The wolf who loomed outside was quite familiar, and before Veho could open his mouth to inquire the reason for her visit, the scent smacked him right between the eyes. Oh, he thought, recognizing the sweet smell, even if he’d never participated in such activities before. His tail lashed out behind him as he gathered his feet, emerging from the den gracefully to meet the other alpha.

“Oula,” he rumbled, reaching forward to brush his muzzle to hers. What was a man even supposed to say in a situation such as this? “What can I do?”

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

Oula Whitebark
could it be we're stars' reflections

Oula nervously watched the entrance of the den as she waited to see if Veho would emerge. What could only have been seconds passed as hours, inciting a brief flash of worry that perhaps the man wouldn't be in, or was tending to a patient, or had even changed his mind on the entire matter.

Before she could get herself too worked up over the possibilities, the healer finally emerged from his sanctuary. Looking at Veho, just looking at him, she'd never really noticed before how handsome he was. Nice, sturdy shoulders, muscular yet not overly bulky, and pale silver eyes that reflected the faintest rays of starlight.

They were friends, she reminded herself. Just friends. That was it. It just happened that her friend looked damn good. Her tail stiffly swayed behind her, momentarily pausing as Veho closed the distance between them. She pressed her nose against his cheek in greeting, her throat rumbling in a breathy growl.

Oh what a question! An answer was too quickly sitting on the tip of her tongue, which she had to swallow back down. Oula took a step inward and pivoted, standing shoulder to shoulder with the other leader. She ducked her head downward, tilting her face slightly to look at him out the corner of a single eye. "Walk with me?" She asked with voice hoarse.

They didn’t have to remain just friends. In fact, should she ask the man standing next to her. He would tell her there was no just to their relationship, nor was it so simple to explain. They would be parents together, after all, and that required a great deal of trust and partnership. Just because he could not apply a name to it yet did not make it something that should be brushed aside.

So he took that single moment of greeting for what it was, allowing it to anchor him to this earth, to this woman. Pink tongue flashed out underneath her strong jawline, and it was easy to pretend all was right in the world in that particular moment. But then she was a world of motion, and Veho was powerless to do anything but obey.

“Of course,” he agreed, bobbing his head as they began to pace further away from his medical cache. Further away from the pack den, he noted, but he could not argue. It would effect the others in the future, but for the time being, this was a private affair, and not one he’d wish spoiled by nosy intruders. No, he did enough to make this awkward all on his own.

“A penny for your thoughts?”

Oula Whitebark
could it be we're stars' reflections

Oula steadily walked alongside him, just close enough to feel the warmth of his hide radiating across to her skin, a pleasant contrast to the icy air that surrounded them. She just needed to put some space between them and the pack, and the bit of walking served just enough of a distraction to settle her nerves slightly. Her heart thudded fast in her chest, like a little bird trapped underpaw. She wondered how Veho could seem so collected, while she felt like she was about to explode into a thousand little pieces if she wasn't careful. She would fight head to head with a wolf without trepidation, but this night had her as worked up as a cub on their first hunt.

She wasn't sure whether their walk was better spent in silence or some conversation to keep things light. Seldom did she find herself lost for words, but couldn't bring herself to resort to trite topics of the weather or the herds lest she make it too obvious she was trying to distract herself.

Her small ears pricked as he asked her a question, and she kept quiet for a few seconds. Finally Oula briefly glanced towards Veho before settling her eyes on the forest straight ahead. "Rook's lucky to have you," She said softly.

Lucky?

Veho’s head jerked upwards in surprise and he paused in mid-step. Never before had he considered anyone other than himself to be fortunate for any attention he might receive. It took him a moment to remember how to walk and he went scurrying after his partner, bumping into her shoulder gently to assure her he was still that. If it was also to reassure himself, that she was still here – that he was there, too. That he hadn’t made up her voice between his ears.

“Ah – I’m not sure I would say as much. I am just happy to share some time with him.” The alpha rolled his shoulders in a sheepish shrug, dropping his gaze down to the snowy forest floor. Even now, there was a certain question as to Rook’s affection, but he’d always told himself he would be satisfied with what was freely given, and never push for more. It wasn’t his place. It would not change his dedication to the younger man, either.

So he glanced back over at Oula, a wry smile spreading across his lips. “You have me too, you know. For now, and for all time moving forward, as long as you will have me.”

Oula Whitebark
could it be we're stars' reflections

Oula noticed as her companion fell out of step, her gait slowing as she wondered if she'd said something wrong. She peered over her shoulder at him, fearing he had suddenly gotten cold feet and started running. With relief he was sill there, and in the darkness she could just barely make out the look of surprise, and then the shrug that followed with his comment. The man was much too humble.

Quickly he had returned to her side with a gentle bump that set shivers across her skin. His response was comforting in a way, but for what it answered, it opened another question in its wake. With a low humming growl she leaned her plush flank into Veho's side, draping her chin over his muscular neck.

"But what do I get to call you?" She asked, nipping the back of one of his ears. Her tone was playful, but she wasn't entirely joking. "As nice as 'the father of my children' is, I can't say it rolls off of the tongue very well." She said, her frantic heart doing a strange excited leap up into her throat. Having put it into words, children, hers, his, brought some reality to the surreal.

 

(This post was last modified: Mar 08, 2016, 02:01 AM by Oula.)

Whatever you would like, is the first thought that springs into his mind, but Veho holds his tongue. There are a number of unkind things that invited in, and even if he did not suspect Oula of anything intentionally harmful, it still felt an odd thing to actually offer. So he paused and shook out his pelt, trying to buy himself another moment of time.

“Whatever you would like,” he found himself saying, despite the internal discussion he’d just held with his better sense. She wouldn’t make him regret it; if he could trust her as her partner leading Grizzly Hollow into the future, if he could trust her as the mother of his children, then he could certainly trust her to pick a suitable nickname. He twisted, but found himself unable to crane his neck enough to over a gentle lick. So he settled instead for a wag of tail, ears pricked forward as he settled into the comfortable companionships.

“Veho is a good start,” he hummed, a twinkle in those pale silver eyes. “But I would hope to consider us partners, at the very least. Friends. And-- There is plenty of room to pursue something more than friends…were you ever so inclined. It is up to you.”

@Veho

Oula Whitebark
could it be we're stars' reflections

Oula contemplated his answer, not even sure herself what she would like to call the man who would soon be intertwined with her own life in irreversible ways. In a way it was almost an overwhelming thought, but it filled her with hope. It didn't seem simple, but it felt right.

Her short tail swishing in mirror of her companion's, she removed her snout from his crown to prod a cold nose against his cheek. Inhaling his warm musk, she felt light, almost dizzy. She wasn't even sure what she wanted at the moment, in any more than a primal sense. Perhaps it was a decision best left for later. "Veho it is then," She practically purred beneath his ear.

For a few moments she tread in silence alongside him, just listening to the soft sounds of their breath and their paws crunching through snow. Her paws slowed as they neared the edge of the territory, not wanting to venture past it's bounds.

"Do you ever think about it?" She asked suddenly, her head lifting. "If I had never caught that rash, and you would have never brought me back here to Grizzly Hollow to heal, how none of... this- would be happening?" She asked with a tilt of her round head, referring not just to that evening in particular, but everything that had lead up to it. Just the serendipitous nature of it caught her off guard at times. How much a mangy leg had changed her life.