Turtleback Lake Chapter 1: My least favorite four letter word

Freaking finally @Aytigin!!!!
RE: The nearby plants sparkle with autumn frost.

i don't even know if i believe

Aurora Thanne

In a swim that seemed to take forever, the woman came to a halt when she felt that her legs could go no further and crawled from the chilly water onto a shore that had been kissed a million times over from the lapping waves. Fall had made the land more barren then she remembered, and what little leaves that clung to moist branches were mostly brown from poor weather and the changing season. The sparse grasses were moist with a quickly melting frost. She knew that it wouldn't be much longer before winter would make traveling here harder. In the few minutes she had to herself, she lowered to her haunches and licked herself clean, only to speed up the process by shaking vigorously once or twice and continuing her walk to where she recalled that he lived.

She had been avoiding him, purposely and on mistake, but she couldn't quite tell which lie she believed more. She had convinced herself after their meeting that it been casual and not to take anything he said serious but she couldn't shake the thoughts that came to mind or the butterflies that fluttered up her stomach from what he'd said about her. She had believed that somewhere deep inside, there was a connection with @Aytigin that she hadn't shared with anyone else and she liked it. Nervousness had kept her from visiting him too soon, she didn't know what they could exactly talk about or whether he truly wanted to see her again but that didn't stop her from craving his attention and the plenty of compliments he spewed, and so months later she gathered the bravery to venture back to his pack.

She hoped he still called Heartwood River his home, otherwise this trip would have been a waste and she wasn't sure if her confidence could handle it, but a part of her wouldn't be half surprised that he hadn't moved on considering her string of luck lately. She supposed she could catch up with @Lachesis if he wasn't too busy with his leader duties to see her. Then she wondered if he was still a leader here as well...what if she didn't know anyone in the pack? Nervousness kicked in at the thought of being a total stranger at their border meeting another total stranger and she wondered what she would say, how she would act, and lastly how she looked.

When she felt that she was close enough to his pack she lifted her head and howled for him and only him. Sopping wet, she probably looked a mess and she lowered to her haunches to lick her hairs clean from the lake water before waiting patiently for him to come. please remember me... she thought, losing herself in her cleaning with hopes that it would drown out her anxiety.

(This post was last modified: Nov 13, 2017, 11:05 PM by Rory.)

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I am so so so so so sorry for taking so long to get to this <3

Of course he remembered her.

It would have been impossible not to.

In all honesty, Aytigin had just about given up on wolves in general at this point. Cottongrass was history, and though they'd had an awkward encounter fairly recently, it hadn't done much to help Ayti gain any real closure. All of that unease and discomfort had returned, when he had thought he'd overcome it. Then Inna - she was just too much. That self-righteous attitude, that temper, that whole hiding away from all her problems. He couldn't believe he had ever thought either of them could fill that huge, gaping void in his chest that he had tried to squeeze them into.

Ayti had come to realize that gap could never be filled, and he was through with trying.

He had been working hard to heal up, mentally and physically, from his wounds received over the past half-year. Easing himself back into working with the pack and making sure everyone was as safe as they could possibly be was difficult, but he had managed. It was all so routine and repetitive, and the massive wolf was beginning to tire of it. It was where he was that day - walking along the borders, a slight hitch in his step when he tried to work that one shoulder too much, when he heard her.

It wasn't often that Aytigin got called for anything, so he couldn't help but be a little concerned. But then he placed the song to a voice and an image in his head, and he remembered just who it was calling him.

And he really needed her right now.

Without hesitation, he followed her voice and headed out to the Lake, where she sat on the shore, grooming that beautiful cream fur of hers. An easy smile spread across his lips, and he brushed his muzzle lightly across hers when he reached her. It didn't occur to him that she might not want him close like that, because if she didn't want it, she could just easily push him back, or even simply tell him to leave. So he pressed a greeting kiss to her cheek before stepping back, his tail swaying at a light tempo behind him.

"Hey, Rory," he said, to remind her that he remembered her name. "It's been way too long."

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

@Aytigin no problems! 

i don't even know if i believe

Aurora Thanne

She expected a lengthy wait, but Aytigin was quick to appear. He approached her with a touch, one she hadn't felt in ages, and the warmth sent butterflies through her stomach. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him up until that very moment and without missing a beat the lithe woman pressed into his touch and reciprocated the kiss along his maw as he had hers. Something about him made her heart weak, and she heard it loudly in her ears, only when he spoke did she break the long gaze she had given him to."Aytigin, have you missed me?"she said, wanting only to hear him repeat the words once more. When had someone like Aytigin missed her? Never.

She shook her coat, wanting to rid what remained of the water, and found that the chilly night had caused her to shiver ever so slightly at her spot. She hadn't meant to be this much of a mess, not when she was certain he had plenty he wanted to say to her but she couldn't stop her teeth from chattering now matter how hard she tried. It seemed, she had made this meeting about her. "I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time. I know how busy pack life can be." she said, her head cocked to the side with hope that at this angle she didn't look nearly as cold as she was.

"I spoke with Lachesis, he seemed to be stressed over something. He didn't tell me what but I can tell that there must be a lot of changes happening..." she hoped that making it about the pack would refocus his attention.

(This post was last modified: Dec 02, 2017, 02:30 AM by Rory.)

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Aytigin couldn't help but offer her a sly smile as he brushed across her flank, nuzzling her maw as he went. "Of course I missed you - who wouldn't?" he asked, his tail giving an easy swing behind him. He truly had missed the pale woman, and damn if she didn't deserve to know it. From what he recalled, Rory didn't have nearly the confidence that someone of her appearance and kind personality should have, and if she would let him, he would spend every single day reminding her of it.

Wait.

Where had that come from?

"Have you missed me?" he teased instead, warding off that line of thought before it went any further. But ten she stated to talk about pack life and he shrugged his shoulders with a small grin. "Pack life is a helluva lot better than loner life," he pointed out, hoping to perhaps entice her. Was that even possible? Would Rory ever want to stay with Hearthwood River?

God, he hoped so.

Noticing her shivering, the dark wolf pressed his flank into hers, attempting to get her a bit warmer. Probably wasn't the best time for a swim, he thought, but didn't say aloud. "The pack has been changing," he agreed, absentmindedly grooming the fur on the back of her head and along her scruff in an attempt to dry her off a bit. "Lachesis is always stressed about something or another, but I am glad you met him. He's a great wolf," the dark wolf told her, his tail still wagging behind him. "Why so interested? Need a home for the winter?" he asked, rather hopefully, but not trying to make her feel too uncomfortable.

Sorry for the lateness (again), but I will be trying to do better now c:

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(This post was last modified: Dec 14, 2017, 06:08 AM by Aytigin.)

<3!!!!!

i don't even know if i believe

Aurora Thanne

The question entered her ears and without missing a beat the woman found her smile returned and tail wagging alongside it, she had definitely missed him, more than she had initially thought and nothing about her longing for him made her feel awkward. Her desire for his company had long since crossed over from that of a friendship, instead it was a longing that made her heart thump and her cheek muscles feel exhausted from overuse but everything about it felt right and just. No one had made her feel the way he did, ever."Of course! I've thought about you constantly since our last meeting." constantly was an understatement, thoughts of Aytigin practically fueled her mornings and if she didn't think of him she felt incomplete and strange, as if thinking of him any less would alter the way he felt about her.

She eased into his touch, a sense of relief washed over her when he began to groom her and without much thought she ran her tongue along the thick fur of her coat to do the same. Within a few minutes the shivering had passed and what remained was a feeling of happiness that he had cared that much to mend to her needs. Judging from that action alone, she knew that he truly did care. It seemed that Lachesis' stressing had not gone unnoticed by his pack mates and she wondered how much of it consumed the pale leaders life if it was noticed by so many but the thought passed the moment she was questioned about joining a pack. Instead of growing defensive she felt a wave of calm come over her and her eyes found those of Aytigin's swiftly with a smile. "I do not need a pack but...I'm not opposed to it. Winter is basically here and I will need some place to stay...my friend Cottongrass is with some friends from the Rye. They do not have a pack but with Askan around, I am sure that won't last long. I am considering joining Cotton, where ever he plans to settle at." although Aytigin had her heart, in whatever strange way it was, she felt that Cotton needed her at his side. He also needed Askan and Reyes, and since she had become just as important as them, she could't imagine letting the young male down.

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It certainly helped to know he wasn't the only one who had been pining. The chaos with Cotton and Inna had broken him down - made him question whether he ever wanted to settle down with a wolf. But every time he even thought of Rory, that innate desire returned, and he realized he did want that safety and security someday. That he might even want it with her, if she would let him. Maybe not have kids or anything of the sort, but just to have someone that he could trust and be faithful to.

He really did want that. It just needed to be with the right wolf.

And it was really beginning to hit him that that wolf might be Rory.

The massive wolf did little more than smirk into her fur at her confession, and continued to groom and dry her off so that he could keep her warmer. It was important that this particular lady not freeze into an icicle. He was lost in her scent and the comfort of just having her presence and her closeness that he forgot to even speak at all, so she had to do it for him. Rory had since stopped shivering when she leaned back to meet his eyes and come up with another statement that nearly sent the Delaney reeling.

Ah, shit. She knew Cottongrass? Was going to stay with Cottongrass? Ayti didn't hate the guy, even after he had so rudely torn his heart from his chest and ground it into dust. And just when Aytigin had been ready to say those particular three little words that he had actually never said to any wolf in any serious matter, too.

Did she need to know all of that? Ayti certainly wanted to tell her.

Instead, all that came out of his mouth was a hastily-blurted, "Why not stay with me?"

i don't even know if i believe

Aurora Thanne

If she knew what was going through his mind, the fact that he was wondering if he loved her, she probably wouldn't have mentioned Cottongrass or the pack and spared his feelings by telling him that she would have loved to stay at Heartwood River. The idea of being able to see him everyday was enough to make her contemplate the offer, especially since Lachesis had offered her much the same not too long ago, but she knew that Cotton needed her more. He was Cotton and held a special more mothering place in her heart and she felt responsible for keeping him happy. When he blurted out why she haven't considered staying with him she could feel her eyes soften and thought it was easier to look at the ground then the hurt in his face. She hadn't meant to crush him, but it was something she felt she needed to do."I....Cotton needs me more Aytigin." she said, choking on her words. "you have so many wolves here who love and care for you, like Lachesis. Cotton needs me with him..." especially since she had failed to help him find a friend that had been equally important to him. "it's hard to explain." therefore she didn't.

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What was he doing so wrong? Was there a specific reason as to why wolves that he cared about - that he had given a piece of himself to - refused to remain by his side? He was beginning to think that his original view on the subject had been best, but the Lore had turned him soft. But he couldn't be angry at Rory - not when she seemed just as upset over the situation as he was. However, the dark wolf found that he couldn't quite bring himself to raise his gaze and make eye contact with her again. Suddenly, his paws were infinitely more interesting than anything else around him.

"If he ever-" he began, then hesitated again. "If he ever... bites you, or something... let me know. Or if you change your mind, you can come back here. We're always looking for new paws, and I'd like to have you around." But he didn't want to hang around here as much as he thought he did, so he stepped back from her and sighed softly, his ears lowered just a bit and his eyes still downcast.

i don't even know if i believe

Aurora Thanne

Everything about him had changed just in that moment. His eyes seemed sad, his posture seemed to have drooped to a level lower than her own and his voice stammered to explain to her why he needed her around. She understood and wished that she wasn't pulled to either end of the spectrum by both wolves she loved but everything would smooth itself out in time. She wondered if Aytigin would wait for her and whether another pretty face could steal his attention and allow her to become a forgotten memory. She hoped not because nothing about joining the pack with Cotton meant that she would stop thinking about him or continue to visit. "I'll be fine, don't fuss." she said, giggling and licking his nose ever so gently. She hated to see him like this and she wondered what Cotton would think of her abandoning one love for another. "Let's do something, anything. I don't like how sad you are." she whined, nudging him and licking at his cheeks with affection with a hope that a smile would replace the frown that had quickly taken over.

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