Lavender Ethos But I've Got Better Luck in My Head

Made using the Random Event of magpies have overrun the forest! For @Aytigin only :D

Call it a hunch but Cottongrass was pretty sure that he was lost. That he didn't have a single clue as to where he was going even when the ghost of Reyes' voice chimed in the back of his head to sniff. He was trying! But while he knew that Aytigin smelled all kinds of earthy it didn't mean anything when the entire forest smelled just like that. And maybe he would be better off doing his usual shtick when lost which was flopping on the ground and waiting for something to happen. But he wanted to see his friend now. Wild Rye Fields could be pretty boring and it was summer. Summer was a time for everything fun and that meant doing fun things!

Aytigin was the meaning of fun—or so he liked to believe even when he remembered how their last meeting went. They were going to do something amazing and then Cottongrass would return home as happy as could be. And this time he would even stay clear of Askan when he got back so the older wolf wouldn't realize where he went with who. But those plans meant nothing if he couldn't find the man in question first. Behind him his tail wagged and he gave the softest whine of frustration.

He stumbled into the clearing without a second thought. And later on he would realize that he made on great big mistake. That in hindsight he probably should have been more suspicious about the entire scenario because within moments of entering the clearing all hell broke loose. Somewhere beneath his big paws a branch snapped and apparently that was bird code for attack. And within moments Cottongrass found himself being swallowed by what can only be described as utter chaos.

Birds swooped down from the branches above, nothing more than a wall of angry black feathers with a whole bunch of little talons and beaks going for his everything. His startled yelp was drawn out by the cacophony of angry magpies probably cursing his good name. He couldn't help but feel like he was a little puppy again. One that had gotten too close to the nest of some protective birds and now they were going to rip all of his fur out. And he couldn't get away fast enough as he stumbled forward, ears pinned against his head and tail drawn in tight to his body as he did his best to make a speedy escape.

A part of him wondered if this was phenology or his own bad luck causing the swarm. But none of that mattered when he could feel his own fluffy pelt being ripped out in little tufts. Call him arrogant but he actually liked his skin. It was his own and belonged on his body!

The magpies followed him every step of the way, dogged as they swooped down to yank at whatever they could reach before returning to the skies. He was pretty sure this was how the world ended. That angry magpies would destroy everything on the planet all because Cottongrass startled them or something. He hoped that his end would be quick and that Aytigin wouldn't laugh too much when the older male inevitably found his corpse picked over by feral birds.

(This post was last modified: Jul 07, 2017, 10:17 PM by Cottongrass.)

It wasn't often that Aytigin wandered so far from the borders of Hearthwood River. He preferred to stick as close as possible, to be there if anyone needed him. It hadn't been so necessary before, when the pack had been solid and secure - which, it still was, he guessed. But now that Lorcan had disappeared, effectively taking the second male out of the equation entirely, and Laike had stepped up to take his place, things weren't as grounded and rooted as they'd been. Plus, Ayti himself was now the third male in the pack, and he was getting used to the rank change. Not to mention things had been up in the air with Inna, and he wasn't sure how she felt about him. Though, they had been spending more time together after their little heart-to-heart talk not too long ago.

But the chocolate-furred male needed a breather. It was stifling, being ensnared within the River's borders with all the chaos - some self-inflicted - was going on. Inna was distraught over Lorcan's disappearance - and rightly so. The tawny man had taken care of her and Oksana as much as Ayti did, himself, and he knew the two of them were friends. The massive man had taken to sleeping rather near Inna's and Oksana's den now that the pale-furred medic had vanished.

He stretched as he entered the lavender fields. It was the place he'd met Lilya and Lachesis for the first time - the place he'd known, without a shadow of a doubt, that he wanted to be a part of Hearthwood River. But the place wasn't calm now - oh, no. It was flooded with those damn magpies again! And not only that, but they appeared to be hounding something - or someone - that Aytigin knew very well. Tufts of snow-white fur were being stolen from the younger man's body, and holy crap, it was kind of hilarious. Because - knock on wood - those stupid winged rats wouldn't be able to take down a solid wolf.

But clearly Cottongrass, like the Monadnock boy Aytigin had met before, didn't know that.

So the dark-furred wolf decided to play the hero. He rushed forward, teeth bared, snapping and growling for all he was worth. And his assault worked, for a moment. The magpies fluttered off of the cotton-furred young man, screeching and crying back at Aytigin in disapproval. But, for the time being, he and Cottongrass were safe.

"They didn't take too much of your beautiful fur, did they?" he teased, nudging the boy's shoulder with his muzzle in an affectionate greeting.

Dying wasn't anything like Cottongrass had expected.

It involved way too many birds for his liking and he wasn't even doing something cool or heroic. Because where was the dragon he would one day meet and slay? Or the qalupalik he always had dreams of fighting and defeating so the whole entire world would be safe from her puppy-stealing ways? Apparently they both had better things to do while magpies stayed behind and wreaked havoc upon the earth. Nobody bothered to tell Cottongrass this as he descended into bird hell and a part of him was upset. Because fate must have really hated him for to give him such a poor death.

But mostly he was just scared. That he was being swallowed up in a feathery mass of screeching magpies that had sharp claws. And the worst part was that they weren't even fast or effective! Instead the birds took their sweet time as they made a lot of noise and grabbed at his fluffy white pelt. He was pretty sure he could do a better job at messing up his fur. That he knew he could do a way better job because he once spent a whole entire afternoon rolling around in freezing mud before letting it dry. This was nothing in comparison to the moments of his past. But before he could he got a chance to prove how much better he was than the magpies when it came to attacking wolves—before he could even start to figure it out, really—the birds were parting.

Black and white feathers gave way to the face of none other than Aytigin Delaney. And maybe in another world something about this moment would be theatrical or romantic. But Cottongrass never heard either of those two words in his entire life so he reacted how he always reacted. Which was loudly and with enough gusto to rival that of an exploding volcano. Because his friend was there to save him! He wasn't going to face a slow and painful demise as birds ripped him to teeny-tiny pieces!

And he couldn't have been happier.

"You!" Cottongrass barked all while bee lining towards the male with the finesse of a puppy learning to walk. Behind him his tail wagged and his entire body sagged because it was sort of like someone opened the door that housed all of his energy. He had traveled for days to get where he was now and the sheer drama of what just transpired definitely wasn't helping. But he was fine. More than fine as he happily ignored whatever Aytigin was saying in favor of melting into some much needed affection.

It was something he returned without a thought as he invaded his friend's personal space. Because he was determined to make his home in a broad chest of fluffy dark fur before having round two or something with very upset birds. His jaws parted and a pink tongue lolled out while he stared up into Aytigin's features. "Does that always happen?" He breathed, mind slowing even when his yellow eyes were wild and his white fur was messier than it ever was before.

Because if magpie attacks were regular in this part of the forest he was never returning and Aytigin was coming with him. The Fields were safer. Way safer than anything else that happened in this part of the world. And he was sort of starting to understand why his friends like Wild Rye Fields so much even when he didn't.

Cottongrass is so feckin adorable I cannot

The invasion of personal space was expected and absorbed eagerly. In the months since they'd met, although they'd only really spent time together twice now, the chocolate-colored wolf had come to really love and perhaps even need the affection the white wolf provided. Though Inna was caring and loving as well, it wasn't exactly in the same lighthearted and uplifting way that Cottongrass was. Aytigin wasn't even concerned with Cottongrass picking up on his current neediness, and so he greedily sponged up the contact, burying his nose in the scruff behind the younger man's ears when he wormed his way into the dark wolf's chest.

He inhaled, and the scent was grassy, with hints of pine needles, and overwhelmed by the incense of lavender that wafted from around them. Oh, and magpies. He smelled strongly of magpies. Which, again, was pretty damn comical, if Aytigin wasn't in such dire need of physical contact and a lifting of his soul.

"I have a name," he teased lightly, in response to the excited 'You!' that had tumbled from Cottongrass' tongue before he'd launched himself into Aytigin's chest. "I figured you'd know it by now, but I see how it is. Can't even be bothered to remember my name. And I thought we were friends." His tone was light the entire time, and even though his words suggested he might have been irritated, he lowered his head protectively around Cotton's shoulders.

He cracked one eye open when the snowball asked about the commonality of the magpie attacks, and a smirk widened on his lips. "I've only seen it happen twice. Apparently they're really mean right now," he rumbled deep in his chest, allowing his eye to fall back shut and continuing to sponge up the physical contact.

A sly thought popped into his head, and he grinned as he regressed back into his flirtatious self for just a moment. "Don't worry, though," he assured, dropping a quick lick to his companion's fluffy white cheek. "I'll protect you."

At first, Cottongrass couldn't believe what he was hearing. That Aytigin would ever think so horribly of him even if it was just teasing. Except he never got to defend his own honor because his friend just kept talking. Even when he puffed up like the world's angriest little owl all while wriggling his rear in frustration. It escalated until he put on his best pout and whined all while nosing at the man's chin. Because he knew Aytigin's name! He knew all of his friends' names in the whole entire universe and then some!

It's just that sometimes he got excited and couldn't get all the sounds out without spewing word vomit everywhere. And he was more than ready to ramble all of this at the wolf before him. Like he was a desperate man who was being blamed for some horrible offense against society. It might as well have been what happened to him because he took his friendships seriously. Maybe a little too seriously for his own good but he didn't see anything wrong with it. But he never got a moment to get a single word in.

Because what did Aytigin mean that magpie attacks happened twice before? Was once not enough for the world or something? And in that moment Cottongrass decided that owls were the best birds. It was always something of a personal belief for him but this just solidified it. Owls didn't attack him like magpies or long-tailed jaegers did. There was also an endless list of trivia he knew that only backed up the completely factual statement of owls being cool and unstoppable. Except that was a conversation for another time as Cottongrass pulled away from his friend's front.

He wasn't being mean as he ignored the way Aytigin slobbered on his cheek. But they had time for kisses or whatever the heck the man was doing later. When the world wasn't ending or something. Which meant that right now was strictly serious business and he wanted to make that clear. So he took a step back and wasted no time in plopping himself down on his hindquarters. His tail didn't twitch from its position on the clearing's ground and neither did his paws fidget in the dirt.

That's how important this moment was.

And the next step was the hardest. The most uncomfortable because he was short in comparison to Aytigin and it was even worse when he sat down. But with some weird angling he craned his neck and tipped his head backwards until he was sure he had a good view of the male's face. "Not if the magpies get you." Cottongrass said, yellow eyes intense and fur wild. He liked to think he got the atmosphere just right. That this was a whole other level of theatrics he was achieving right then and there. But a thought struck his mind and the moment was shattered.

"Which is why I gotta protect you!" He chirped suddenly. His paws stamped against the ground and his tail started wagging against the grass behind him. He was pretty sure this was—without a single doubt—the best idea he ever had.

(This post was last modified: Jul 10, 2017, 05:18 AM by Cottongrass.)

The mocha man had hardly seen his white-furred companion so solemn and serious. It was as if the situation was life or death; as though the magpies really could kill them. Or, whatever Cottongrass thought they would do. Maul, maim, steal all their fur, lift them off their paws. The possibilities of Cotton's imagination were endless, and Ayti smirked crookedly as the younger man stepped away from his chest to stare at him. No movement, fidgeting, or rambling - all of which were entirely out of character for the cottonball.

And then the boy - very seriously, mind you - declared, 'Not if the magpies get you,' as though Ayti weren't the size of five hundred magpies and could literally just snatch them out of the air if the mood took him. But he still had more to say, and the chocolate-furred man was more than willing to let him speak, ears erect and tail wagging.

'Which is why I gotta protect you!'

As if Cotton could get any cuter. The young man might have been stocky and solid, but he was no match for Aytigin's overwhelming size. If anyone were to see them, it would be no question as to who would be the protector of the two - and it was not the snowball. But, perhaps it wasn't so bad for the younger wolf to think he was the protector. At least when there was no serious danger.

And, like it was meant to be, one of the magpies swooped from the trees and hit Ayti in the back of the head.

It wasn't painful, but Aytigin took the opportunity to dive underneath his companion with a very dramatic yelp. "Protect me, then!"he cried, fighting to keep a smile from his face and a wag from his tail. This was serious - and there was no reason whatsoever to prevent Cottongrass from playing the hero.

gonna assume they're some kind of weird cuddle pile now, lemme know if you had something else in mind with Ayti's dive~

There was nothing—absolutely nothing!—in the whole entire world that could prepare Cottongrass for what happened next. Because one second he was stamping his feet and prancing on the spot at his latest idea. He was going to protect Aytigin and everything would be great like it always was. But then a mass of black and white feathers chose the opportune moment to swoop down and go thwap against his friend's head. He was given no more than a second to react before the world descended into chaos.

Because Aytigin yelled something his brain registered a moment too late. And even once he did understand his friend's words the wolf was already coming at him in a startling mass of dark fur that wasn't letting up. "No!" Cottongrass yelped, tail wagging a mile a minute while he scrambled backwards on uncooperative paws. But it was too late. The damage was done and he was practically being lifted off the ground when Aytigin tried to dive underneath him. It didn't work like that! Especially not when his friend was heavier and taller then him. He might as well have been dumped into the angry ocean during a thunderstorm. Or getting trampled by a muskox all over again.

"Ayti!" He barked, tail thumping a frantic beat behind him while laughter warbled from his lungs. Because what the heck just happened and why? It was one magpie! Even Cottongrass could face one magpie while only panicking a little. He didn't understand his friend. Especially when there was emotion welling up inside of him that was strong and sudden. Like there was something ridiculously light and fluffy where his heart was supposed to be. He sighed and let his muscles relax as he practically melted into the cowering wolf below him.

"I was being serious." He whined all while his ears rolled back against his head and his tail continued to thump away behind him. For good measure he stuck his cold nose into thick fur before biting down on whatever he could reach. It was only a little bite! One that probably wouldn't hurt his friend but a bite nonetheless. He was tempted to do it again while emotions of playfulness and faint annoyance mixed until they were one and the same. But he restrained himself.

Cuddle pile was better than I was hoping for xD

Using Cottongrass as a meat shield was apparently not what the snowball had in mind. But Ayti had known that from the start; this was just a bit of personal fun and - perhaps - a chance to get a little touchy with the object of his affection. Because Cotton was soft and smelled nice and had such pretty white fur and made Ayti feel all sorts of girly, airy feelings. Ones that he wasn't exactly comfortable with, but also, at the same time, were not unpleasant.

Just out of his comfort zone.

Cotton expressed his displeasure with a yelp, but his tail was still wagging, betraying his own excitement. And then he practically melted on top of the espresso-colored wolf, and Ayti laughed as he flopped to his stomach, his own tail wagging furiously behind him. "Cotton," he whined in return, mocking the way the white wolf had said 'Ayti,' like he was scolding him. If he had been aware of humans and their pastries and coffees and the like, he'd know that the two of them looked like a mug of coffee with whipped cream on top - Aytigin being the coffee and Cottongrass the whipped cream, respectfully.

"I know you were!" he replied, laughter coloring his words. "I'm being serious, too! Totally serious!" The exaggeration in his tone was clear - it was practically dripping with it. It had been so long since Ayti had had this much fun, and he made a mental note to seek Cottongrass out on his own sometime - to find the white-coated wolf and enjoy some more time alone with him.

But then Cotton's chilly nose found its way through Ayti's protective fur coat and found the skin of his flank, and he bit. Not hard, but he still bit. The chocolate wolf yelped in surprise and rolled, attempting to take Cotton with him and pin him down among the lavender flowers. And, if he did, he'd place his nose near the younger man's in a teasing manner. "Two can play this game," he'd growl, playfully, and then nuzzle the ruff around Cotton's ruff, nipping lightly to tickle rather than hurt.

(This post was last modified: Jul 12, 2017, 04:42 AM by Aytigin.)

In the chaos that was Aytigin he could feel frustration mounting. Whatever playfulness inside of him was fading with each passing second as his friend manhandled him and pinned him to the ground of the clearing. Because that wasn't his intention. His bite was meant to warn instead of entice but apparently he messed up. And there was desperation welling up inside of him. It was brought on by the fact that he wasn't playing a game. This was supposed to be serious and meaningful instead of light and fleeting.

Because he really did want to protect Aytigin. Except his excitement must have backfired or his friend didn't believe him possible in the first place. Either way it stung. Buried itself deep into the heart of Cottongrass even when he tried to drown it out. The teeth nibbling at his neck weren't fair. How could he not laugh when being tickled? He whined. Even went on to wriggle and squirm under his friend's touch while his paws shoved at solid weight.

But none of it seemed to help.

And maybe in another world this could have been avoided. He could have bitten Aytigin harder in the first place or explained himself before letting the situation escalate. But this wasn't that timeline. Without any warning his body went still and he struck with parted jaws and gleaming teeth. If Aytigin had aimed to tickle than Cottongrass had aimed to hurt.

Apparently, Aytigin had read the mood exactly the wrong way. He didn't know that Cotton wasn't having fun, and he didn't know that he'd messed up. He thought all the squirming and laughing meant that they were playing - how could it not? But then it all ended with a flash of pearly whites and a thump to the side of Aytigin's head. It didn't hurt, at first, and the chocolate wolf was more offended and confused than anything. But it did its job, and he immediately stepped back from the white wolf, his ears pressing back to his skull.

"Jesus, Cotton!" he exclaimed, as the adrenaline began to wear off and the place he'd been hit started to burn. He could feel the tickle of the blood as it oozed from the new wound on his brow, weaving through his fur and trickling into his eye. It wasn't a big wound or anything like that - certainly not life threatening - but it was still there, and the torn skin was testament to the fact that something had gone very wrong.

He wasn't sure how to react, because it had been quite a long time since he'd dealt with wolves that used teeth instead of words to work things out. And he absolutely did not want to hurt Cottongrass; he knew that if they were to scuffle, it would be no question as to who the victor would be. But this couldn't just be overlooked - this was big.

It had reminded him of her. The core of almost every problem Aytigin had ever had in his life.

The dark wolf wasn't sure how to respond, his tail falling to still at his hocks and his eyes cast down to the side as he tried to think of anything but his mother. His ears pressed tighter to his head and he gritted his teeth, sucking in air when the wound over his eye throbbed and reminded him that it still existed. "Shit," he growled, shaking his head and watching a few drops of blood fall to the lavender flowers below. "I am such an idiot."

(This post was last modified: Jul 12, 2017, 06:19 AM by Aytigin.)