Quaking Vale it could have been worse

@Niles - we need a little reunion <3 Mid-morning, slightly cloudy, 53 degrees.

Honestly, the injuries weren't that bad. At least, not as bad as Cas had been expecting. She was feeling sore and achy, and slept a lot, but she was not feverish, and she would probably be all healed up in another week or two. Which was nice, because that meant that she could still uphold all of the duties of the leader that she needed to. She had to admit... she was enjoying the ran. She had thought that she would hate it, but in reality, it wasn't so bad. Now, mind you, she wasn't going mad with power or anything of the sort. It was just that she really liked the responsibility and sense of purpose that she had.

What she didn't like was that she hadn't spoken to Niles in three days. Hell, she hadn't even seen Niles for three days. She'd thought of seeking him out and trying to apologize, but... for some reason, she didn't think she was ready to approach him. She just didn't have the energy to spare on another fight at the moment, and though she missed him... she didn't think she was ready.

Tears sprang, unbidden, to her eyes, and she allowed them to roll down her cheeks in a rare moment of self-pity. What if she'd ruined everything? What if he didn't love her anymore? She didn't even know why he loved her in the first place. She was bold and brash and capricious and tempestuous... Really, she was just one of the worst wolves on the face of the planet. But still... did he need to yell at her like that? To parade his size and snarl in her face like he hated her? To not speak to her and just stare coldly as she walked off?

Her breathing picked up slightly, but she shook her head and reigned it in quickly. She didn't have time to spend on panicking over a personal issue. What good was she to the pack if she couldn't keep her emotions together? But she didn't see any problem with crying - in all honesty, she was alone, and she felt that she was entitled to cry, if she wanted to. So she just lay in the grass where she'd slept through the night, resting her chin on her paws, and let her the tears spill down her cheeks. If anyone were to approach her, she would instantly suck it up and rid her face of the emotional evidence, but in the solitude it didn't count.

The sunrise after the encounter with the wolverines found Niles in the same position he had been in since he had settled there. By sunset, he had been lulled back to sleep with the summer heat. The second sunrise, he had spent the early hours hiding in the Apse and whenever he thought she was nearby, he made himself scarce. That night, he had dug himself a small depression in the dirt somewhere near where the fight had broken out, and laid there until his paws itched. The wolverines never returned and Castel had still not yet come out to find him. When morning had come again, Niles found himself laying on a spot that had definitely been an empty cache. It had been empty when he had found it, but he just did not have the energy or drive to go out of his way and fill it back up again.

Frankly, half of him was just waiting for that little sprite to emerge from between the skeleton trees and scold him. The other half had gone back to who he had been when Castel had found him at the edges of the blackberry brambles - quiet, calculating, and very much stuck in his head.

It felt like he had exhaled all the air in his lungs when he finally found it in him to stand up. It was probably time. Three days apart was not a very long while but since he had met her, he had never been without her for longer than that. He figuratively plucked up every bit of courage he possessed and meandered through the Vale. His nose had healed but it was still very tender (it had really surprised him just how sharp that feral's teeth was); he kept its wriggling to a minimum. All he needed was a bit of her scent to waft his way. Just a bit... and he would find her.

His path zigzagged through the aspens; and, along the way, he had picked up a nootka rose bloom, something he had never ever seen in his life. Whether it was medicinal or not, he had thought it pretty and worthy of being deemed a token of affection. He had seen springs of Solomon's Seal, but he had assumed that Draven might have already come to Castel's aide as soon as she returned to the heart of the territory. He rolled his eyes as he thought of @Draven. He hadn't even seen the guy (fully or even lately) but he had to acknowledge that even if his time with Castel was not touchy-feely or lovey-dovey, he didn't like the idea of him being so close to her. Jealousy aside, though, he was grateful for the most part but he did not enjoy the idea that a gift of Solomon's Seal was "nothing special."

He had been in mid-thought when he thought he had heard sniffling. If not sniffling, then perhaps a rustle of grass. Truth be told, to unfocused ears, they sounded nearly the same. His feet drew him over to the right and he saw a tuft of gray and russet fur.

Inhale. Exhale.

He clasped the rose stem in his teeth as his tail hung limp at his heels. For good measure, he cleared his throat as a form of introducing himself and letting her know that he was there.

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

The clearing of a throat nearby made Cas scramble to wipe the wetness from her face before she turned her head to see who it was that had decided to intrude on her private moment. She wasn't exactly surprised to see Niles there, lingering on the edge of the clearing. He had a flower in his mouth - a pretty little rosy thing that Castel could only guess was for her. She had to wonder, momentarily, if it was edible or medicinal or something. She didn't really know much about plants.

But then she realized that this was probably an attempt at an apology, which was sweet, but he still had not said anything. Therefore, she decided that she wouldn't, either. Instead, the small alpha just sat up and winced ever so slightly at the tug on the healing wounds at her side and shoulder. If the attack had occurred in the late winter or early spring, Cas very well might have been rendered immobile - or even killed - by the wolverines. It was amazing, what having a healer around could do. She could see now why Drestig had warned her about Wild Rye Fields' lack of one.

It hadn't occurred to Cas that Niles might be jealous of Draven. The black-furred male was just a friend to her, like Alastor or Mathuin. And, like most things in life, the blue-eyed girl just didn't think through every single possibility. Plus, she was touchy-feely with everyone on earth, so there wasn't any thought put into that at all. Especially not when all she was interested in in a romantic light was Niles.

She sat up straight and waited for him to approach, meeting his grey eyes fearlessly. She wasn't angry - not anymore - but she still wasn't going to speak first. The young leader offered him only neutral posture, not particularly inviting or stand-offish. It was really up to him what he did now.

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

Her paws came to her face before she glanced over her shoulder to look at him. He swallowed, pondering his next move as she sat up. She still held his gaze, watching and waiting. His tail began to curl upward, but the gently curve of it barely gave a wag - he was testing the air, to see if she would smile at him. Perhaps it was not best to press his luck.

Ever so slowly, he stepped forward and placed the flower on the ground, just within her reach. When he straightened back up, he fully read her, studied the way she was sitting, sampling the air. He blinked twice, averting his gaze as any other respectful subordinate ought to. Then, he plopped down into the grass beside his pink-petaled gift, rolling over on his stomach so that he could look up at her upside-down. He was going to submit. The days and nights without her had been too long - and, maybe, it hadn't been his place after all to tell her what to do. Even if it was for her own safety. Wolves were wolves; they had instincts and teeth and nails and a drive to survive. He had never underestimated her, but he should have had placed more faith in her.

He tucked his large inky paws to the white of his chest, full tail giving a few thumps on the ground. He was sorry and he wanted her to know that.

"Yer real-ly brave, y'know," he murmured, his voice cracking in mid sentence. He briefly cleared his throat again. "Are you okay?"

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

Blue eyes glanced between the rose and her mate, who had rolled onto his back in front of her. She wasn't too fond of the whole submissive thing, normally - which wasn't to say she wouldn't kill to see Larkspur doing this exact thing right now - but with most wolves, it kind of just felt wrong. This was probably due to her having lived most of her life in a solitary kennel, away from contact with other canids. She didn't really get the whole pack dynamic thing, though she did enjoy the responsibilities that came with leadership. She jus didn't like to have other wolves roll over at her feet.

The girl couldn't help it. She rolled her eyes before nudging her mate with her muzzle. "Of course I am," she sighed, tail sweeping once along the grass behind her. "Brave and okay." Except she wasn't really either one of those things, but he didn't really need to know that at the moment. "C'mon, get up - the underside of my muzzle is a really bad angle for me." A smirk played out across her muzzle as she waited, expectantly for him to get up.

"Are you okay?" she questioned, tilting her head to one side. Because she hadn't smelled him around Draven's den for the last few days, and the very last thing he needed was to die from infection. That would be terrible. "It sounds like you haven't spoken for a while. Your voice hasn't cracked like that in months." It was a sort-of tease, as someone might use on a teen going through puberty. Perhaps a way to apologize, in her own way. "What's the flower for?"

He made a wordless sound that sounded like a low, half-arrroooo in response to her touch and hearing that she was okay. She smirked, telling him to get up. Niles rolled over onto his stomach, willowy forelimbs stretching out in front of him as far as they could reach. His tail waved about for a while before settling back down. He made a few sounds, his vocal chords seeming to hum as he made one more attempt to warm up his throat. It felt silly, but he supposed it was bound to happen, his throat drying up a bit, his voice cracking in defiance from his being asocial. He thought she might've figured it out by now: He didn't want to talk to anyone else. In truth, he didn't really like anyone else apart from his Cassie.

His head craned down and he nudged the rose toward her with his nose. It was sweet, reminiscent almost of summertime cherries and blackberries. Almost, but not quite. "It's fer you," he quietly smiled. "Thought it was pretty. It reminded me of you an' I thought ya might like it."

He adjusted himself on his elbows so that he was laid out in a crescent moon shape in front of her with his hind limbs sprawled out in the grass and his injured side hidden from view as he rested on it. It had healed for the most part and his still-muddied fur was thick enough to conceal just where he had been bitten and clawed at.

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

He relaxed and curled in a semicircle around her, and Cas couldn't help the affectionate roll of her eyes as she nudged the flower with her nose. "I like it," she acquiesced, giving her head a bob up and down in a nod. "It's pretty, and it smells really nice. Thank you." Romantic relationships were foreign to the young wolf, even though she had been mates with Niles for a while now. She didn't really have any standards to base her knowledge or expectations off of, but she guessed bringing presents was okay. It seemed a little odd, but she was appreciative of the gesture nonetheless.

Then she scanned him over again, scoffing when she spotted all the mud still clinging to his fur. "You're hopeless," she groaned fondly, leaning over to give his ear a lick. A smile stretched halfway over her maw. The brief physical contact told her that their bodies were around the same temperature, so he wasn't feverish or overridden with infection. Which meant she could tease him. "Haven't even taken a bath. Your wounds are going to get infected, and then it'll be my fault because I got us into the fight in the first place," she reasoned.

"Come on, let's go find some water to wash you with," she urged, standing to her paws and nudging him with her muzzle to get him to rise. "You didn't answer my question, either. Are you okay?"

She liked it. Awesome. It was all Niles could have really asked for. That look, however, well... Niles subtly shrank under her gaze as Castel looked him over. His little 'nest' of grass had yet to fully dry up; he wasn't sure what to say - most especially to her comment about him being hopeless. She licked his ear and he made a face.

"Psssssshhhhhhhh," he sounded through his teeth. "Wounds? Please." He scowled for the briefest of moments, looking at her from the corner of his eye. Inwardly, he grumbled to himself. Not only did he have to get up because she had prodded him with her nose, but she mentioned that if he had gotten an infection then it would have been her fault to begin with. His inner voice griped though he kept a straight face. He had gotten over it all for the most part; at the end of the day, he probably should have done a whole lot more to keep her safe.

"Ah'm fine. The thing had sharp teeth but my nose is good. I'm not bleeding or anything." The Lyall lurched to his feet, his lumbering frame hovering over his mate as he turned about to start following her. "Look at it, lookit me, I'm okay." For good measure, he gave his tail a nice, wide palsy-walsy wave.

(This post was last modified: Oct 17, 2017, 08:51 PM by Niles.)

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

Cas rolled her eyes when he brushed off her concern as though it wasn't warranted. But still, though he was infuriating and awkward and worried the crap out of her... she still loved him. Adored him, really. Because even though he had his faults, and was irritating her at the moment, she couldn't help but feel nothing but an all-encompassing love and admiration for the once-silent boy.

"Yeah, like you didn't yelp when that bitch bit your nose," the little wolf teased in response to his dismissal of his injuries. "You're totally indestructible." She hoped the sarcasm was coming through well enough for him to interpret. She wasn't exactly being subtle with it, but she also was only teasing. Wasn't trying to be unkind.

A smile broke out on her maw, and she leaned forward to give his newly-healed nose an affectionate lick. "Well, I'm glad she didn't, because I happen to like your nose." Her tail waved happily and she gave him a once-over before she nodded her head. "You look fine, aside from all that mud. We won't be able to get all that off today," she lamented, heading down toward the nearest branch of the creek nearby. The running water would help with the washing, but it was impossible to get him spotless in just one day.