Coho Pool neat

@Eros ^^

It had been more difficult to leave than Lael had expected. A litter of pups he didn’t want with a woman he didn’t want - heirs to a pack he would never see again. He’d done it out of nothing but necessity, and then he’d be on his way. That had been the agreement, and Lael had accepted it.

So why did it make him feel so sick to his stomach?

Emotions weren’t something the man allowed himself much time to indulge in. He would often go about his days without feeling much of anything at all, so this aching in his chest was new and uncomfortable.

Brielle had been a kind woman, meek and obedient. A good friend, Lael figured, but certainly not someone he’d wish to spend the rest of his life with. His parents had thought she would be - had pushed them together, urged them to bond. Lael had only agreed to get them off of his back and earn his freedom, but…

Was this regret? Images of the three little pups, no more than a few hours old, kept running through his mind. He hadn’t expected to love them immediately, but the second he’d lain eyes on the trio, he knew he’d made a mistake.

One he couldn’t return from.

He’d been wandering aimlessly for a while, seeking something and nothing at all. His paws brought him to a pool of water and he sat down, staring at the rippling surface. His own reflection looked back at him, face as impassive as always, and unscarred - proof he’d been just as much a coward as always and left without a fight. He wrinkled his nose before placing his paw against the water to break the image.

He was being ridiculous. This had been his choice, and he would have to live with it. He’d gotten the freedom he wanted, and paid the price he agreed on. Lael sighed, watching his reflection come back into focus. He was being absolutely, completely ridiculous.

HANDLE YOUR OWN WHEN YOU BECOME A MAN

Now that @Ally was at last home and safe, Eros just had to find his brother. The last they'd run into each other had been over a month prior, he would be circling back soon, wouldn't he? So much energy spent by himself and so many others within the pack, and yet it was like Archer and his daughter were magnets of like-poles, refusing to come together. But they were so much closer now than they ever had been since they'd first attempted to reintegrate into the Backwater. These pieces of his heart would fall back into place eventually, they had to. His nose picked up on the presence of someone else, a foreign lacework of information that meant little to him without that initial recognition. What did matter was that maybe somewhere within a stranger's head, a memory of Archer existed, a way to finding where he was now. "Hello?" he called out, picking his way through the forest toward the scent and sound of moving water. His gaze would land on the individual's back seconds later. "Hey, can I have a moment?"

BECOME A MAN WHEN YOU HANDLE YOUR OWN

An interruption was unexpected, and under normal circumstances, it would have been unwelcome. However, Lael found that he didn't quite mind getting snapped out of his doom-spiral of thoughts, like his head had been forcibly yanked from underwater. The silver man turned his attention to the stranger and took him in with a neutral, half-lidded gaze.

He was large, tawny, warm eyes. Handsome enough, Lael supposed, but that wasn't necessarily something he cared about at the moment. He tipped his head up and sniffed a few times, trying to discern anything else about the man, but fell short - they were too far apart.

"Sure," he said, getting to his feet and facing the other man. "Do you need something?" His tone was even and straight to the point, but he hadn't meant it in a rude way. There was no need for added flair or cushion to the words - Lael preferred to be as straightforward as possible. There was no need to beat around the bush, in his mind.

HANDLE YOUR OWN WHEN YOU BECOME A MAN

Eros' tail wagged at the affirmative response, not at all affronted by the directness. In fact, it was entirely what he wanted, to get to the answer of what he really wanted to ask as quickly as possible. "Yes. Have you maybe come across an Archer Valle? Black with gray accents, colorless eyes? He's got an average-sized build, pretty thin? Like, ragged, thin." The words came out quickly, hoping that if one detail didn't strike a chord another would. Perhaps even subconsciously pushing away an immediate 'no'. Even if they just passed one another at a distance, even if it was just a glimpse, just a hint of similarity... something to go off of, other than circling the pack's territory, basically still just waiting for Archer to come to them.

BECOME A MAN WHEN YOU HANDLE YOUR OWN