Zephyr Rill I'd Be Searching 'Til I Found You

He wasn't sure why he had returned to this place. Why he let his own four paws drag him all the way out here on an impulsive whim that probably would just lead to disappointment. Because he was looking for someone. A certain tall individual with dark fur and a winsome personality that Cottongrass couldn't get enough of with their goofy smile and flirty ways. And he thought of the last time he had done this. When he loitered around places full of memories, hoping and waiting for an old friend to reappear and make his day even when he knew that the world really didn't work that day.

Once he had spent an entire month waiting, wandering through the mountainous forests of the northwest hoping to see Victoria or maybe Tumblebelly. Because they had been friends and friends hung out, even when they seemingly disappeared off the face of the world never to be seen again. It was part of the reason he had let Askan talk him into joining Wild Rye Fields. He had thought of never being lonely again and always being surrounded by friends. Or maybe even listening to his friend's words and forgetting old demons, becoming an important wolf in a humble little pack like he always dreamed of. Except after thirty-some days of living in isolation at the fringes of pack territory, it was too much.

Too much too soon and he had decided to run away. He was only supposed to be gone for a day, fully intending on sulking by himself before coming back and pretending everything was okay. But one thing lead to another and he found himself where he was now. Which was hiding away in a forest made up of impossibly tall and thick trees, muddy paws splashing in little puddles as he went.

He knew there was a pack nearby, could tell from the cloying scent in the air that said keep away. And there was no harm in loitering, right? He was just... Waiting for a friend. One that might've not even existed anymore, but a friend nonetheless. His tail wagged slowly in the air behind him and his paws came to a stop as he bent over over, lapping at the water that trickled over the land in unhurried laziness.

(This post was last modified: May 27, 2017, 11:12 PM by Cottongrass. Edit Reason: Coding mishap )

Ayti had been in Hearthwood River territory for far too long. He hadn't crossed the borders in weeks and weeks, and he had a bit of desire to take a walk that would separate him from his packmates for a little while. He'd been working hard since he got to the River, and he figured he deserved a little bit of space here and there to do things for himself. And besides, he wasn't going far. Just to Zephyr Rill, where he could get a nice, cool, fresh drink of water and remember back to the dead of winter, where he'd met that adorable white puffball who had proceeded to vanish entirely after their cuddle-session by the water.

The dark wolf wished he'd been able to talk the snowball into joining him in the River.

He'd been too wrapped up in his duties to his pack to go and seek out Cottongrass again, and he knew it was dumb of him to try and find him now that months had passed. The white wolf had probably returned to wherever he belonged, and Ayti had gone to where he belonged. Besides, now he had Inna - regardless of if he thought of her as a friend or was actually developing a crush on her. It had become rather clear to the mocha-colored man that he and the icy wolf just simply weren't meant to be.

Until he spotted a familiar, solid white shape leaned over, drinking out of the springfed brook on the opposite side to himself. His tail began wagging instantaneously, and those damned butterflies started up in his stomach again. This, he decided in that moment, was what a crush was supposed to feel like. A dangerous, excited feeling that drew you into the other wolf.

"Better day for a swim, now," he commented offhandedly, instead of leaping across the brook like he wanted to snuggle up to that soft pelt again. Still, his tail was wagging harder than it had in weeks, and there was a bit of wiggle in his hindquarters as he fought to stand still.

A part of him couldn't help but wonder if this was all one great big mistake. That he was setting himself up for inevitable disappointment when the wolf he was looking for didn't show. Because it would make sense that @Aytigin was gone. That the male had disappeared, blowing away with the wind to never be seen again like the rest of his friends. It would make sense, too. All they had keeping them together was a name and a memory, one that wasn't even special. They had been just two wolves cuddling in the snow, sharing body heat after playing in a frozen stream.

There was no reason for Aytigin to stay.

And maybe he should leave. He should just turn around and drag his sorry little self all the way back to Wild Rye Fields because he was being silly. Acting like some big old puppy that needed to grow up before it destroyed him. Because he was Cottongrass, didn't he remember? Forever cursed with bad luck like the time he got attacked by a stranger in the woods or the day the snow decided to swallow him up. But before he could convince himself to move. Before he could even think of moving, really—

It happened.

It actually happened and he wasn't imagining it.

As it was in that moment he heard a voice, one that stood out from the gentle babble of the stream and had his heart stuttering over itself the moment it made its way over to him. Because he knew that voice! Was distantly familiar with the deep and hearty tones that were all too casual for the meaning it suddenly carried. It was him. The wolf he had spent days walking for, blindly hoping to bump into him again because he wanted to keep a friend that wasn't in Wild Rye Fields. And already there was a smile forming across his features as his jaws fell open, yellow eyes shining as he looked up towards the source of his excitement.

"Aytigin!" He barked, tail wagging so hard it had the rest of his rear wriggling away with the force of the moment. Unable to help it he kept on yelling, unable to quell the sheer joy bubbling up inside of him. Because—

"It's you! It's you! It's you!" And suddenly his paws were moving, propelling him forward before he could even think twice of it. Water splashed and his bones rattled with each impact as he rushed forward, fighting against the water pushing at his sides. He lunged towards the mass that was Aytigin, hoping to crash into him or flop over trying.

He probably should've expected this, on some level. It just didn't register that anyone on the planet would ever be so excited to see him. He was... he was just Ayti. The big, dumb, dependable asshole that said stupid shit and fucked up all the time. He had been beginning to think that he'd never actually be wanted. Not for what he could do - whether that be offering up special services to the ladies during spring or fishing for the ones in the pack - but for who he was.

To be fair, he didn't know who he was with Cotton, but so far he'd really liked the wolf it brought out in him.

The cottonball wriggled in excitement, yelled his name, and bounced across the river, too quick for Ayti to react, and leaped at him. Ayti raised up on his hindpaws to meet him halfway, and took the brunt of the weight across his chest rather than his head. The two of them tumbled backward with the momentum, the dark wolf instantly becoming sopping wet with the cool, spring water that the other's pelt held.

Aytigin had never been greeted this way in his entire life. Not once.

His throat tightened, just a bit, with emotion as he lay on his back beneath the snowy wolf, glad to have been able to cushion his descent. Though, it hadn't been too good for his already-strained muscles from the overflooded river the other day - not that it really mattered now. For a moment, he was overcome with the shock of someone was literally so happy to see me that they tackled me to the ground.

What a beautiful feeling.

"Well," he eventually said, voice huskier than its usual honey-smooth tone. "I'm nothin' special, but yeah. It's me." He leaned forward in an attempt to lick one fluffy, white cheek, his hazel eyes meeting Cotton's vivid yellow. This wolf was brighter than him, in every aspect of appearance and personality, and Ayti couldn't get enough of it. "I missed you, too, hon."

When he lunged forward towards Aytigin, it was like the whole entire world was thrust into chaos. Because everything was spinning as they tumbled backwards and forwards all at once, falling to the ground with a solid sort of impact that he could feel in his bones. It took a second before Cottongrass registered that he was warm and cozy. Pressed flush to his friend as their fur mixed and mingled.

It wasn't until Aytigin spoke did Cottongrass' yellow eyes finally flutter open. What greeted him was the sight of... Something. Of his friend's goofy face looking up at him, full of something soft and warm that he decided he liked in that lone moment.

And briefly—briefly—his thoughts flashed back to an earlier memory. Of a time when it was winter and the entire scenario was flipped, when Cottongrass was the one sprawled out on his back with a wriggling bundle in his lap. He thought of an adorable little wolf with the brightest fur he had ever seen who he would have done anything for. Except they were gone now. Never to be seen again even when he had lingered and loitered in mountainous forests for days on end. Something threatened to grow and take hold in the back of his mind.

But it all disappeared with Aytigin's touch, the lick a foreign feeling on his cheek and he didn't know how to feel. How to react. He settled for a smile, one that turned his eyes into happy little half-moons while his tail kept wagging in the air behind him.  "I thought I'd never see you again." He finally spoke, a little more calm around the edges even while something continued to rattle in his chest.

Aytigin smiled at the younger wolf's pleased reaction, and stretched out on his back underneath him. "I haven't been far - the pack to the east," he explained, tipping his muzzle a bit to gesture in the River's general direction. "I joined later in the day, after we met." A pang of regret hit him again, for not trying to prompt the white wolf into coming with him. Hearthwood would be so much more enjoyable with such an upbeat, fun, adorable friend. Though, if Cotton had joined the River, Aytigin vaguely wondered if they'd still be just friends at the moment. Every relationship the dark wolf had ever been in had been a whirlwind - quick, short, and chaotic. Perhaps it was better to just start off slow.

"Y'know," he began, wincing as he tried to find a more comfortable position to lay in. "As much as I like-" really, really like, "laying here with you like this, I'm kinda sore. Weather's been crazy lately, the river overflowed." He shrugged one shoulder, as though the terrifying event had been nothing but a hindrance. "Mind if we get up?"

He didn't really mind if Cotton wanted to keep on laying there, like this. It was pleasant, with a toasty warm blanket laid out on his belly and chest. But at the same time, his shoulders and back twinged and throbbed, reminding him that he currently wasn't built for such abuse.

A pack to the east. And without thinking Cottongrass followed Aytigin's gesture, yellow eyes peering into the seemingly endless expanse of thick tree trunks. His tail gave an absent-minded sort of wag behind him. Because he was already memorizing everything there was about this moment. Like how @Aytigin smelled obnoxiously earthy and different, no doubt that the cloying scent was that of a pack he never met. Or the way the forest and trickling streamed all looked different when there wasn't snow covering every square inch.

He decided that he liked it. That it wasn't no Tufted Tundra or even Wild Rye Fields, but it was still pretty okay in its own sense. It had Aytigin, after all.

And at that thought Cottongrass looked down, trying his best to prop himself up so he could get a good look at the wolf beneath him. "I joined a pack, too." He said, chest puffing out with pride even though he didn't understand why he suddenly liked the thought. "It's called Wild Rye Fields and it has my other friends." Like Reyes and Askan. Maybe even Adelayde, Drestig, and Jessie when he thought about it. But he was still taking puppy steps. Still taking his sweet time in getting used to the motions and patterns that once plagued him.

It was actually a part of the reason why Cottongrass had hauled his butt all the way east, determined to find someone he knew before trying to get over his problems by himself. But his thoughts were cut short when his newfound perch wobbled, almost threatening to topple him over in one little movement. He looked back down, head cocked and ears twisted forward when Aytigin spoke up again. Voicing his concerns about how being on his back hurt.

"Oh." Cottongrass chirped, attention snapping to the present. "Yeah, yeah. Sure." And without being asked twice he went to get off of his friend. Because he knew from experience that being someone's cushion wasn't exactly fun. It involved stuff like having lungs and organs squished while being all sorts of uncomfortable.

He waddled to shake out his coat while Aytigin got up or something, fur still dripping wet from his little sprint through the stream.

The younger wolf had joined Wild Rye Fields, apparently. Seemed proud about it, too, which was kind of adorable in its own way. Was everything this guy did super freaking cute? Because Aytigin was pretty sure it was. He probably would've known that the white wolf was in that pack if he hadn't been wet. Water always hampered the dark wolf's sense of smell quite a bit, even in small amounts. Just another thing he sucked at. Because, now that he was focusing, he could make out a smell that had lingered on Askan when he'd met the grumpy ass.

He was glad Cotton had friends there, but he still wanted to know for sure Askan wasn't picking on the younger wolf.

Ayti got up with a soft groan and wince, his shoulder popping as he moved. It was one of those good pops, too - the type that loosened the joints and relaxed the muscles. He waited until he was all the way sitting up before he spoke. "That's great!" he enthused, a smile broadening his features. Tactfully, he chose his next words. "You know a guy named Askan? How's he doin' lately?" Perhaps the snowy young man would share something of his relationship with the black wolf, if prompted by Aytigin - even subtlely.

The darker wolf just let his fur drip-dry rather than shake himself off. Ayti rather enjoyed water on occasion, and god knew he'd had plenty of it to get used to the sensation recently.

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

When Aytigin mentioned Askan, Cottongrass' snapped to attention. Because hey hey hey, he knew that name! And he wondered how Ayti knew of Askan. If they were friends or something and wouldn't that be cool if all three of them hung out or something. It'd be like some of his favourite people coming together!

"He's my friend." Cottongrass chirped, tail wagging away at his heels even if moments later his mood took a turn for the worst. Because Aytigin asked how Askan was doing and that was a question, wasn't it? A good question that he didn't know how the heck to answer. Because he hadn't seen his friend in a few weeks. Had barely acknowledged or talked to the older wolf before he decided to hike all the way east on a childish whim. He licked his lips and shook out his messy coat while he struggled to form an answer.

"I don't know." He finally admitted, a frown overcoming his features the more he thought about it. One day everything had been fine and then Askan had come home, disappearing into the little den he had for what seemed like forever. It even had Reyes acting strange. "I think something happened? He's okay, now." Cottongrass said, trying to focus on the positive. Maybe he should head back sooner rather than later. He felt guilty for sort of just abandoning his friend when they might have been hurt or something.