Shroud of the Lost nap on the front lawn, look up in the sky

The man did not leave his mind for sometime in the following days.

He had awoken with no regrets, but now that they had parted, he felt the longing. The way he missed the man in a way that felt foreign. It was not the same as how he might have missed a friend or family member when away. It fluttered his stomach.

So he had paced off away from the riverside, into the forest. Far too helpful that he might find a fresh scent for his chance encounter. He would not hide from him, if they found one another, that Loach had not intended for this encounter to be just chance.

He hummed warm and melodic. An old tune from the seaside as he meandered further and further into the shroud...

The tune might not have been familiar, but the voice that carried it was. Maybe he'd heard it that night, maybe it had been different notes or none at all. The apples had left some details fuzzy, but Clouse remembered plenty enough to linger in the area longer than he otherwise might have. After all, he had all the time in the world and next to nothing to lose. Loach hadn't been so far off in that final assessment of him; heartbreaker.

It couldn't ever be real if he never tried.

The sea captain was taking his turn as siren, drawing Clouse straight to him. He appeared from the overgrowth and weatherworn trees with a fanged smile and wagging tail, regarding his inamorato mischievously.

"Hey, good lookin'."

It worked, somehow.

Loach had not been certain that he'd fine the man again. Nor did he know if Clouse actually wanted to be found again. Yet it was the man who approached him first this time and Loach could not stop the lazy sprawling smirk that crept along his face.

Well lookit here. This rumbled warmly as he ceased his humming for the time being. Think I owe you honesty. That this one ain't a chance encounter. But he figured Clouse was wiser than that, that he'd already know that Loach had come looking. So was I right? You a heartbreaker, Clouse? His voice remained warm, daring playful.

His heart could be broken, he could accept it.

Loach had a way of making invitation hard to turn down, that unabashed affection shining in his eyes and words alike beckoning Clouse to take another swim in the waters of his world. Were he a bit more naïve to nature of such relationships, he might have not thought twice. Unfortunately, he had hurt others before and knowing this kept him at bay for the moment. What if sticking around just made another casualty of his newly found paramour?

He'd been looking for him, and there was something he wanted to know. If only Clouse had the answer for him, but the future refused to show itself to his eyes like it did his sister.

"What exactly are you proposin'?" he asked, voice and features just as light and affable as they'd always been. His concerns did not leak out from within, kept safely stored out of sight.

A soft tcht escaped him, even if the soft grin never left his features.

Not the proposin' type. His humor felt abundant, even if he quarreled with himself internally. Perhaps it also hinted that he had not come here to lock Clouse down after a fling. He did not believe that such things were reserved for only the wedded.

But I...do wonder if you plan to stay 'round 'ere for a while. Or if you have to be gettin' back to your forest? An out, if it was wanted. A way to soften the blow that he had opened himself up to.

And he truly did have nobody to blame but himself. Getting all soft for the charming devil before him.

Just like that, his worries were washed away. In fact, Clouse wasn't sure if the other man could have said anything more romantic in the moment. Perhaps he had remembered that which the young Archer had chosen to toast to, recognized how deep the importance of it was. Or maybe he was simply likeminded enough to want for similar things.

Clouse stepped closer now, eliminating those few yards he'd kept between them.

"Nothin' back there but ghosts," he answered truthfully, a small shrug lifting his wolfish shoulders. He much preferred the warmth of the living.

"You sure you want me around the not-family? I've been told I'm a bad influence."

Nothing but ghosts.

It made him wonder why the man had even been headed that way in the first place. What did anybody want to do with ghosts? Asked the man who had gone chasing after one himself.

Oh, they hang with me, no? Doubt you're any worse. A low chuckle, he mused their personalities with a lazy grin. Yet his eyes shined a bit brighter, a touch warmer. Stupidly endeared, of course. How could he not be?

Although...you a fan of water? Fish? Truthfully it was about the only requirement that Loach had for those who stayed with him.

I think you'd be surprised, was a thought Clouse couldn't help, but he lingered closer yet all the same, brushing shoulders and flanks with Loach before coming to stand at his opposite side. He leaned his temple against the other man's dark neck and looked up at him with wagging tail and a fond gaze.

If those were truly the closest he had to conditions, then Clouse saw no reason not to walk a little further down this path with him. Was this maturity, the marked difference between the wolf before him and all those he'd lain with before? Whatever was setting the would-be sailor apart, the wayward heir was grateful for it.

"As a matter of fact, I am."

His posture straightened and he took a step forward, inviting action and hoping that Loach would choose to lead him to his little world.

"Where're we off to, then?"

Another face to welcome to Fisher's Rest.

He would never say it. Never. Yet...he did think he cherished this face the most. Maybe was just smitten with it the voice. Neverminded the messier feelings and logistics of things. Clouse was a good thing. Loach could appreciate that without complicating it, right?

I've been hanging near a nice split in the river. Although we might outgrow it at this rate. He chuckled warmly, leaned into Clouse as they walked along. Loach could allow himself to be open like this here. With just the two of them. Was that being open?

Whatcha like to do with your freedom, Mister Clouse? He practically purred the words. Only unable to for the fact that he was canine, not feline.

Just like that, Clouse suddenly had the faintest of plans ahead of him. He hadn't anticipated it, but he wasn't much minding it either. Perhaps just a touch of structure wouldn't be the worst thing, so few strings attached and easily broken if he ended up wishing it. Loach's shoulder pressed into his, and those what-ifs vanished for as long as the heat remained atop Clouse's cheekbones. He would reciprocate with affectionate pecks of his muzzle against the other's dark fur and gently nibbling at his ear here and there, taking the opportunity to lavish Loach with the attention he deserved while it was present.

His shorter legs kept stride effortlessly, being the other wolf's shadow all too natural. The question asked deserved a second of thought at the least, as Clouse supposed that was exactly what he'd set about to discover. What had he found out about himself the past year, exactly?

"Hard to say, I suppose, when I feel I've seen so little of the world," he gave his companion honesty, deciding that would be a good rule of thumb for him to follow going forward, regardless of what all ended up being asked. One could say that Clouse was a rolling stone that had only just started on its way. He felt like there was so much more out there, away from wherever it was he currently existed. As though home were a word not meant for him.

"I like to meet new faces, especially the handsome ones," he teased with a wink, "hiking rough terrain, learning languages..."

Likely not as exciting an answer as Loach expected. Clouse threw him a toothy grin.

"Where do you get your fun, sir?"

(This post was last modified: Jan 20, 2023, 12:11 AM by Clouse.)