Wild Rye Fields we were never welcome here at all.

For @Jessie -- set sometime before the pups left the natal den.

Askan wasn’t great, but he was getting better, slowly but surely. As long as he remained on a generally positive slope, his mate saw no reason to complain. Sometimes he went out without the younger wolf, either to patrol or to take himself on a small hunt, and today was no different. A hare hung from the dark wolf’s mouth as he trotted back into Wild Rye Fields territory, on his way to the usual cache. His own personal stores were brimming – when Askan refused to leave their personal den, he had little else to do to kill time. Even the pack’s panty seemed to be rather full, and Reyes hesitated for a moment.

Several moments, actually.

And then he reoriented himself, moving in a direction he’d only hovered in briefly the past few weeks. It was easy to determine where they were, naturally, because Jessie and Drestig had a particular sent…as did newborns, he came to realize. The gamma padded up to the mouth of the den, dropped his fresh kill before backpedaling several lengths. He hardly knew the alpha female, much less if she was a particularly aggressive mum. His own Mama had snapped at him a few times when he got too close to the twins when they were still tiny.

“Jessie?” he rumbled softly. “I brought something. If you want it.”

(This post was last modified: Jul 01, 2017, 12:55 PM by Reyes.)

The woman was finally enjoying some peace and quiet for herself. Her three children had finally fallen asleep after happily causing some ruckus to start her day. Nap time was probably her favorite time of the day for she finally had the opportunity to think. She enjoyed it when Drestig stopped by too, of course, because It gave her a chance to rest, but that time was specially allotted for her to get the rest she needed in order to deal with her children when she woke again. Her mind raced as she thought of what was to come in the future. She worried about her children the most but the fate of her pack also plagued her mind. While her reservations about Whitestone Monadnock had lessened, though not faded, Jessie just wanted their future to be set in stone. While that could never occur, it was a hope she held onto her entire life and the one that always crushed her. Movement outside the birthing den had Jessie perking her ears. She scented fresh kill and Reyes before she saw him. Emerald eyes narrowed at the mouth of the den, softening when she saw the subordinate back away after depositing the kill. His voice was soft, for which she was thankful, for she did not want her pups waking having just fallen into their slumber. Being careful, as to not stir her children, Jessie cleared her way to the mouth of the den. Stepping out into the fresh air, she offered the man a half-smile. ”Thank you, Reyes. I appreciate it.” She would not bother partaking in the kill in front of the man, not wanting to be rude. Instead, she made herself comfortable and mentioned that he should do the same should he so choose. Her voice was soft when she spoke again, ”Are you adjusting well? To pack life, I mean.” The Tainn was not particularly close with her subordinates but she was trying to make a change. Small steps.

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

So far, so good. It was nice to know he hadn’t forgotten everything in all the seasons that had passed since his sisters’ births. Mama would probably be proud to know her son had remained polite and remembered the lessons she’d installed about cubs and mothers. His tail gave a small wiggle as he dipped his in return, sitting only when the alpha motioned for him to do so. His thick tail curled around his paws as he sat tall, content to provide conversation. Life with puppies that small was probably boring, he imagined – you couldn’t leave, in case they got hungry…or got the wise idea to wander off. She probably got to leave long enough to relieve herself, more or less. If he wasn’t prepared for this, he wouldn’t have come.

That said, he wasn’t exactly prepared for her first question, either. What was it with these wolves and wanting to make sure he was okay?

No, he wasn’t okay. He wasn’t going to be okay and he definitely wasn’t going to talk about it. “I guess.” In all fairness, the recent attack on Askan had…changed his opinions on certain aspects of pack life. It was still a struggle for him – but his mate liked it, and there were clearly benefits he hadn’t considered before. “Not much a social wolf, but.” He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Got friends. Glad Cotton’s here.”

And Askan. But that went without saying.

The mother had the overwhelming sense that she was making him uncomfortable, just as she felt she did with every other member she came into contact with. She kept herself in control and remained calm, even when his response made her want to quirk an eyebrow and demand more. You guess? It was hardly an answer and the Tainn was not going to call him out and make him any more uncomfortable than Jessie already felt he was. When he added on a bit to what he said, the Rye Queen could not help the small smile that twitched its way onto her lips. He certainly wouldn’t make much of a scout. It was no secret to Jessie of Askan and Reyes’ friendship. Their scents intermingled just as hers and Drestig’s did, signifying the considerable amount of time they spent together. Also keeping in mind that the pair did not stay in the communal den, it didn’t take long for the Tainn to put two and two together and come up with an assumption of her own. She would never voice it though, the relationships of others were none of her business, unless they interfered with the wellbeing of the pack. Dark lips parted, “And you’re good to your friends, which is an important trait. I heard about what you did for Askan and I’m very glad that you took care of who did that to him.” Her banner waved behind her to show that she was pleased. The woman had killed before, enjoyed it because there was justice to be done and that was exactly what Reyes had gotten: justice.

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de

“I…”

Reyes blinked owlishly, completely taken aback by the alpha’s approval. Sure, he kind of expected them to be fine with the idea that he’d kept Askan safe, and that he’d run all the way to Hearthwood River (and back). Shit, he hadn’t even put all his weight back on yet from the endeavor. But that whole murder thing – that whole enjoying the crunch, the taste of iron on his tongue – Reyes hadn’t expected anyone to tolerate, much less openly approve of that.

Especially her.

“Thanks.”

Shit, this pack was just full of surprises now, wasn’t it? An unbidden smile broke across the gamma’s lips. “He deserved it. For what he did. What he wanted to do.” And it wasn’t pure, that smile in his eyes, but it was true. His tail gave a little wiggle, some of the tension fading from his shoulders. “I ain’t real good at pack life. Was never in a pack before.” And that wasn’t entirely true. “Didn’t understand how it worked, not really. Even if I thought I did.”

But that part was true and he hummed softly, willingly to admit (even if only in a veiled fashion) that perhaps he’d been around about packs. About Wild Rye Fields, at least. “It’s good for Askan. And that’s good enough for me.” He paused, meeting Jessie’s eyes for a moment. “It’s getting better, anyways. I’ll give it that.”

@Jessie -- Sorry for the wait!  <3

The woman would be lying if she didn’t enjoy the ‘deer in the headlights’ look that Reyes had on his face. She wouldn’t admit it – perhaps even to herself – but Jessie desperately desired the approval of her pack mates. It was no secret to her that the others within the pack avoided her. His appreciation of her words flooded through her with a warmth she was not expecting and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. His words only reinforced her thoughts and the smile that graced his lips now was familiar to her. “I agree, that he deserved it. You got justice for what he did to Askan.” Her tail wagged behind her. Emerald eyes scanned back towards Reyes when he spoke again, her brows crinkling in concern. She remained silent and listened to what he had to say. When grey eyes connected with hers she forced herself to remain where she was, resisting the urge to shift uncomfortably from his gaze. Her role in this was to be attentive to whatever he had to say, it was her duty and she also wanted to get to know him better. Her lack of understanding of her pack mates was one of the things that drove them apart. Lips pressed together firmly as she took in the dark man in front of him. What exactly can I say to that? She swallowed, attempting to moisten her throat and quell the nervousness that formed in the put of her stomach. Her words were soft when she spoke, “Well, you care for him, yeah? Family cares for one another and pack is family, so you have that now.” She paused for a moment, her emerald eyes casting downwards before she met his gray orbs again. Dark lips parted, “I’m glad you’re adjusting though. You could’ve fooled me, you’d make a great guardian.” And she offered him a small smile.

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de

It seemed, Reyes was realizing slowly, that maybe he wasn’t the only one was quite as put off by (or uneasy about) social interactions within a pack. Or maybe it was especially within a pack. Dealing with strangers he’d probably never see again was a metric fuck ton easier to deal with wolves who’s opinions didn’t matter a damn than those he’d live with day in and day out. (Wolves that Askan cared a great deal about, and…wolves Reyes was slowly coming to care for as well.)

“Yeah. Askan is important to me. And – dunno. Never really saw it before this, you know? Saw how much Drestig cared about him. So I guess now it’s starting to make sense. Starting.”

All the pieces didn’t call into place at once, after all. He still had plenty of questions, and would likely only find the answers with time. But this wasn’t so bad. Frankly, the wolf found himself wondering why he’d avoided Jessie for as long as he had. She wasn’t nearly as terrifying as Askan made her out to be. But the last thing she said caught his ear…

“Guardian, huh? Don’t you have one of those already? Askan? I mean, don’t get me wrong, a role would be great, but-- That what you need?”

Oh, Jessie decided that she liked him. It was no secret to those who knew her from other packs that she got along between with males, never having met any women that stuck and remained friends with her for too long. Yet, in the Rye, it had been hard for her to even adjust to Askan’s presence, much less admit that she liked him. And the others simply avoided her and she had no preference to whom she did and did not spend time with. Reyes, however, reminded her of herself, in some aspects, and it made it easier to make connections with him. The dark man only confirmed that he and Askan were close, though Jessie had suspicions of her own, but the Tainn made sure to pay close attention to what her subordinate had to say. It had been unfortunate, what happened to Askan, and the Second had been very lucky to have been found by Reyes. Things were not all cupcakes and daises though. The Rye man made it clear that he was not completely comfortable in such a setting yet. Hopefully, that would change in time. Emerald eyes did not move from the form of the man, his questions almost catching her off guard. It had not really occurred to her that it might have been better to ask Reyes what he wanted to do. In Oak Tree Bend, she remembered, everyone was quite independent when it came to seeking out their roles. It all just kind of came into place when the time came. The monochrome woman’s eyebrows drew together in thought for a moment, jaws parting to speak, “Well, yes. But if that’s what you want to do, I wouldn’t deny that. You wouldn’t be excused from other duties, obviously, it’s just kind of what you specialize in and spend most of your time doing.” She paused for a moment, her lips pursed before she continued, “And the last thing I want you to be is unhappy. Taking on the wrong role, well, it can do that to a wolf.”

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de

For a moment, for the briefest of moments, Reyes briefly considered telling her more. Telling her everything – about before, about his mother and the twins, about his short time spent with Blackwatch Canyon, about Askan, about everything else in between. But the wild need to suddenly become brutally honest went as quickly as it came, leaving the wolf only to watch the female alpha with a curious expression.

That was a little terrifying.

Not because he thought she might attack, or anything like that. Because he wanted to work for her in a way that was different than Drestig, and-- Shit. He was not ready to go down that rabbit hole just yet.

Disguising the momentary line of thought with an itch, the wolf reached up with a hind leg, scratching his shoulder (in an impressive display of flexibility and balance, no less) as he hummed. “Yeah, I kn-- I figure so,” he sighed, tail twitched from side to side. “Not much I hate. Be a poor medic, mind. Bad scout. But I can hunt, and I can guard, and I can teach, so…”

Whatever the pack needed, whatever Wild Rye Fields really needed. He could find a way to make it work.