Zephyr Rill Run, Run Away with Me

A somewhat surprise, very overdue thread for @Aytigin! Just figured that Cottongrass is technically in the area and I really do want #Aytigrass to be a thing~

His paws were numb. The water was cold. And Cottongrass found that he didn't care one bit while he stomped around in the trickling stream. Because for him, procrastinating didn't need a reason. Even when his brain whispered horrible stuff like how it was probably easier for him to just freeze instead of face his fears of joining a pack. Or how even if he did muster up the courage to join he probably wasn't good enough because that's what his parents said. And on and on his mind went, until finally—

He paused, the water ebbing and flowing around his knees while he shivered away. And without a moment of hesitation—Cottongrass dunked his whole head into the freezing depths. His reaction was instantaneous as he reared back, flinching away from the water like it reached out and slapped him. For those few stunned seconds after he could only stare, standing there with an expression of utter bewilderment like he expected something else to happen when he dunked his head under. He couldn't help what happened next.

He giggled. A breathless, shaky noise that he couldn't stop once he started. And there Cottongrass stood, standing in freezing cold water with his tail wagging while he laughed away because he felt so stupid. So wonderfully stupid and foolish. It was addicting. Because Askan told him he should only do things that made him smile, and the older wolf never said it had to be smart things. It even kept the bad thoughts at bay!

He was already tempted to do it again. Maybe this time with his whole body!

COTTONGRASS

(This post was last modified: Apr 18, 2017, 05:31 AM by Cottongrass.)

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

AYTIGRASS <3333333 Do you mind if this is set a little before Aytigin's join thread on HR? Like, the morning of?

The Casanova had been all over the north and northwest of the Lore, and had only met one or two ladies that caught his eye. The first, with Lilya, would have likely ended in quite a bit more than what it had if Lachesis had not stepped in, but as it were, Ayti was rather glad he had. He would have ultimately been disgusted with himself at making a move on another man's girl. Or, well, if he had gone any further than the flirting stage. Flirting was never, ever off-limits in Ayti's book. But Lilya and Lachesis had a sort of... energy about them that seemed more than just friends, and the mocha-colored man hoped that when he did head back toward the River wolves' territory, there may be news of puppies. He certainly would never try anything on Lilya again, apart from harmless flirting and flattery that would - quite literally - get him absolutely nowhere.

Hecate, however...

Hecate had been pretty damn good.

But Hecate had been a few weeks ago, and Ayti had been on his own ever since. Generally, that was fine for the massive man. He didn't need constant company, attention, or even proximity. That had changed a bit lately, after breeding season had passed. Ayti found himself longing for more than just physical touch from wolves, but companionship and stability. Which was strange, to desire something he'd never had. It was like some primal part of him was taking over and sending him back toward Hearthwood River, and he was not at all denying himself the urge. He was planning on seeking out the alpha male and female later that very day to request to join their numbers.

...But not before he checked out the wolf in the water.

The adorable, giggling, white-furred, bulky brute of a wolf in the water. White just happened to be Ayti's favorite fur color, and that little laugh caused his tail to sway back and forth behind him. The younger man was a joy to observe, but the larger wasn't content to just sit around like some sort of peeping tom. There was more fun to be had by joining in.

Confident in his decision to approach, Aytigin stepped over to the side of the river, placing his forepaws in and smiling in the young man's direction. "Bit cold to be playing in the river like that, hunh?" he asked, angling his ears forward and setting his tail to wag behind him. Intimidation was a concern with a wolf Aytigin's size, so he wanted to look as friendly as possible. He didn't want to scare this particular one away - he knew that for certain.

Sounds good to me! Also, I'm pretty sure I'm smitten with @Aytgin~

He readied himself for take two of attempting to playfully drown himself in knee-high water. And honestly it wasn't the most self-destructive thing Cottongrass had ever done. It wasn't like he was prancing about in a tree or trying to find the fabled qalupalik in the middle of the blizzard! Nah, this was baby stuff because hypothermia or frost bite didn't exist in that moment. He braced his paws and wiggled his rump, drawing in a deep breath while he got ready to douse himself. It was just then a deep voice startled him from his games.

He jumped, head snapping back and expression bewildered while he looked for the source of the disembodied voice. And the second his gaze landed on the features of the other wolf, he couldn't help the goofy smile that spread across his face. Because they looked like Askan or maybe even Reyes! But he couldn't imagine either of those two wolves smiling quite like the stranger did or humoring him and his antics. And maybe that's what got him feeling giddy.

Even when he realized that the other wolf said that it was bit cold to be playing in the river like that.

"Nuh—nuh uh." He immediately insisted, even when his teeth continued to chatter and click inside of his skull. "You just gotta, uh, you just gotta get use to it. Like me!" And without a moment of hesitation Cottongrass puffed out his chest, like he wasn't shivering or losing feeling in his legs and paws. Didn't the stranger know he was practically immune to the cold? He even survived the whole winter on his own without dying once!

COTTONGRASS

@Cottongrass posts always make my day, so I'm pretty dang smitten with him as well. So is Ayti xD

This was it. He'd somehow run across the most adorable wolf in the entire world. The younger wolf's yellow eyes met his hazel ones and Aytigin's heart basically melted. Particularly when those eyes were coupled with that bright, sunshine smile. Ayti couldn't help his own smile from growing, especially after the younger proclaimed that he just needed to get used to it. He didn't even seem to notice how his own teeth chattered, nor the fact that there was snow on the ground, but that was fine. The Casanova didn't think it was cold enough for anyone to freeze to death, and if it really came down to it, he could probably haul the smaller wolf out of the water.

But for now...

"Well, if that's the case, how 'bout I join you?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a warning, of sorts, because as soon as the question was out of his mouth, the massive wolf leapt forward into the river. The cold water was a bit of a shock to his system, and he only went in about chest-deep, but his weight and size was enough to cause chaotic waves in the otherwise-peaceful water.

Hazel eyes shot open and a broad grin spread across his features as he looked over at his new friend. "D-damn, it's fuh-freezing!" he breathed, his teeth chattering and his laughter breaking up his words. "How'd yo-you manage t-to g-get your ent-tire h-h-head under-underwater?" he questioned, soaking tail whipping enthusiastically above the surface of the liquid. It was kind of amazing that the younger wolf seemed relatively unfazed by the water's temperature when Aytigin couldn't even handle five seconds of it without shaking like a leaf.

Cottongrass was pretty sure he found his new best friend as he watched as the other wolf jumped right into the stream without a word of warning.

And in that moment Cottongrass considered bounding forward towards the larger wolf in playful greeting while the water sloshed about. Like maybe he could nuzzle at their dark fur or at least give them a nudge with the tip of his snout. But it was then a jolt of hesitation ran through him and he stopped just short of his destination, paws coming to a halt before he could enter the wolf's personal space. His tail still wagged hard enough for his rear to wiggle about and he looked at his new friend with a smile, the corners of his eyes crinkled with amusement while they talked with chattering teeth.

He found that he could only laugh at what they said, leaning back on his heels to look at them proper. Because they were tall. So very tall with dark fur and features that made him want to smile forever and do goofy stuff just because. It took him a second for him to realize that he should probably answer them. "I don't know." He chirped, just as clueless as the other wolf was about how he managed to dunk his whole head under the water. It sort of felt like he was about to freeze whole if he stood still for a long time.

So he didn't. Because without even pausing Cottongrass smirked, eyes shining with mischief and tail wagging about. "You should try it." He barked, practically bouncing on his paws the moment the words left his mouth. It was already decided in his mind that his new friend was going to get soaked in freezing water sooner or later.

COTTONGRASS

Aytigin looked over at the vigorous splashing the smaller wolf was causing, his own tail wagging in spite of his chattering teeth and shaking body. The white wolf before him was a bundle of wriggly, incredible energy, and he stopped just before he got too close to the darker wolf. Instinctively, Ayti corrected his posture into something lower, so that he appeared smaller and less-threatening. He didn't know the reason that the snowy wolf didn't come close enough for a friendly greeting, but he didn't want it to be because he was large and scary. Now, they stood closer to the same height, and Aytigin offered him a bright smile in return.

"T-t-tell you wh-at," he chattered, after the white wolf told him that he should go all the way under. He almost outright denied the offer, but the bouncing boy was just far too adorable to say no to. "I'll c-cut you a dea-deal. I'll g-go und-under, and th-then we-we will both g-g-get out and w-warm up-p-p, o-k-kay?" He laughed a little, tail still wagging. "There's pl-plenty of fun to b-be h-had out of the w-w-wa-water!"

He didn't approach the smaller wolf, wanting him to come to Aytigin on his own time. Instead, he grinned, lowering so they were eye-to-eye. "Aft-after, ma-maybe I c-can get your n-name?" he asked, genuinely wanting to know what name went along with this bundle of energy. With all that fluffy white fur, names like Snowball and Cloud were running through Aytigin's mind, but none of them fit the adorable wolf he'd run across.

@Aytigin

It seemed like even a wolf such as the one before him had some limits when it came down to being reckless. Cottongrass found that he didn't mind. Instead his movements slowed, the overbearing chatter of his mind calming down as he listened to what his friend had to say because they were going to c-cut­ him a dea-deal. Which was that they would go under the water and then the both of them would get out of the water. And he'd give them his name.

Almost instantly a part of Cotton wanted to say no, because they were having fun and who wanted to stop having fun? Certainly not him. But he couldn't deny that the coldness of the water was really getting to him and he stopped feeling his paws a long time ago. So maybe it was time to get out of the stream because he sort of needed those if he wanted to live any longer. So he licked his lips and tried to shake out his coat even if all he did was shiver some more. And looking into those hazel eyes—

"Deal." He chirped, the word difficult to say with a mouthful of chattering teeth. His smile only brightened and his tail gave a giddy quiver behind him while he waited for the other wolf to hold up their end of the bargain.

COTTONGRASS

(This post was last modified: Apr 17, 2017, 03:01 AM by Cottongrass.)

Shit. Though he couldn't say that he didn't want to get to know the snowy wolf who was freezing their ass off in the water with him, he did sort of wish that he hadn't offered to dunk himself into the frigid liquid to do so. But, a deal was a deal, and Aytigin was nothing if not a wolf of his word. So, the dark man didn't allow himself any time to think further before he rolled, going completely under the water, before leaping to his paws and fighting the urge to run immediately to the bank. His hazel eyes were blown wide with shock.

"A d-deal's a d-d-d-deal," he chattered, and though he was freezing and could not feel his paws, he only knew a smattering about this new wolf, and he was excited to get to know more. He leaned forward and gave the white wolf's shoulder a gentle nudge toward the bank. "We-we're gon-gonna turn into p-p-popsicles!" he laughed, not about to step out of the water until his companion did first.

He cleared his throat, hazel eyes searching for golden ones as he waited for the smaller wolf to haul himself out of the water. "W-what's your n-name?" The inquiry was stuttered, but genuine. He definitely wanted to know what name could fit such an adorable creature.

@Aytigin <3

It seemed like he barely had enough time to blink before the other wolf turned into a big, flailing mass of dark fur and thick limbs that rolled right under the water's surface. He jumped back with a yelp, the sound turning into startled laughter because they actually did it. They went and dunked their whole entire body into a freezing stream and Cottongrass just wanted them to dunk their head in or something. And, you know, a part of him always did wonder why others seemed to outright deny or ignore any suggestion he ever made but now he sort of understood why. He watched as the man emerged from the stream's depths, shivering and dripping from top to bottom.

Cottongrass bounded forward, towards the other wolf with a smile on his face and a swish in his tail. He bumped his nose into whatever part he could reach and wrinkled his nose at the coldness of their fur. "We're gonna—we're gonna, uh, f—freeze." And a part of him wanted to ask what a popsicle even was, but there was more important things afoot like the fact that his legs were steadily growing numb. He brushed by the older wolf and stumbled his way to the riverbank.

The second he took a step onto dry land he took to shaking out his coat, shivering and shaking all while he did so. He was cold. Beyond freezing like he wanted to settle down and curl into a ball and sleep for a few days. But then the other wolf started talking and one of his ears twitched, remembering his other part of the deal. So on numb paws he turned back around to face the other wolf head on.

"Cottongrass." He chirped, because his name was Cottongrass and they wanted to know that. His head cocked and he licked his lips, staring at wolf before him. "Who are you?" Behind him his tail gave a friendly, albeit shaky, wag.

COTTONGRASS

(This post was last modified: Apr 18, 2017, 01:41 AM by Cottongrass. Edit Reason: Coding issue )