Fallen Tree Cove I never thought it was a question of whether

For @Chan <3
Dated 1/13 - Early evening

She couldn’t bring herself to return to the Cove that night, nor the one after – she hadn’t been able to catch anything to bring home anyway; Home… Now the sun was starting to set again, and she had to make a choice on whether to return to the abandoned den among the fallen trees, or finally make her way around the lake shore to re-join the Sanguine wolves.   Flair had no idea what it was getting to her so much, Aleister had been leading when she first agreed to join the Cove, and Chan’s stint had always been temporary – it wasn’t like things were gonna change all that much; Except… Well, that was why she needed to get herself together, who knew how long her friend would wait before finally heading out on his journey, as he had planned before all of this. If nothing else, she knew she wanted the chance to see him off; And after that… We’ll see. Thoughts ”Speech”

Chan caught Flair's scent, and immediately turned to follow it. It was a gut reaction, perhaps procrastination from the conversation he would need to have with his family. When it took him back outside of the pack's borders, his pace picked up and his musculature relaxed as though weight had been lifted from his body.

He saw her, a smudge of rust in the snow, and sent out a few barks to get her attention. If she looked his way, a big smile would be waiting.

"Hey, Flair!"

There is a small pile of bones gathered on the ground, there might be some marrow left in them. +2 Health

 

She didn’t believe in fate, but perhaps luck was enough to explain the familiar voice breaking into her thoughts. Looking up, Flair naturally returned the warm smile coming towards her, wagging her tail in greeting as she called back: “Chan, you’re back!”

 

Increasing her pace, she rushed to meet him, reaching to brush her cheek against his. With him having been gone when she herself returned from her excursion, it had been a good while since they’d seen each other. She’d missed him.

Chan nuzzled her back happily, before slipping his head down to affectionately butt his crown against her jaw. Taking a step back, he gave her a quick once over, ensuring that she looked well and not still unduly afflicted by their tussle with the cougar.

"How've you been?" he asked with a toothy smile, "feels like it's been forever."

There was no derisiveness in his tone, as it was no business of his to wonder after why they'd kept missing each other for a stretch now. Flair had her own life to live, in and out of the Cove, just as he did.

(This post was last modified: Feb 04, 2022, 01:18 AM by Chan.)

 

Her smile remained as he returned her caress before pulling away to look her over. Flair tossed back her head, shaking her scruff in response to the attention, though she maintained an uncharacteristic grin.

 

“Been alright,” she answered quickly, intent on keeping the conversation light, at least for now. “Tryin’ t’ keep moving, get back into shape y’know?” She indicated her ribs with flick of her muzzle, shrugging her shoulders at the same time, like it was no big deal, she hardly felt any pain anymore.

 

Then her expression grew serious, the bravado dropping from her voice as she said more quietly: “I’m sorry I missed everything, with Kateri, I would have helped…” She trailed off, not sure what to say. In the end, they’d found the girl without her help, but she still felt bad – in more than one way.

Chan communicated his understanding with a nod, silently recalling to himself how thankful he was that she and @Nash had both been able to heal from their injuries, more or less. It certainly could have been far worse for any one of them, if not all three. He was actually glad for the subject to continue onward, especially to an issue that had already been resolved.

"I know," he assured gently, and with a smile. Of all wolves, Chan could certainly understand. Flair didn't deserve chains anymore than he did, and how could she know that there'd be trouble on the mountain? She didn't need to dwell if she did not want to.

"Anything interesting I missed out on?"

 

Chan was always understanding, it could get a bit grating at times, but today she was grateful. It was nice, to be able to say so much in so few words, and to not feel guilty for her increasing need to wander. Yet, her smile back was a little stiff. It was just too easy. With him she never had to justify herself, never felt like she needed to do or be more than she already was. Why was it so different with the rest of the pack?

 

His question drew her back out of her own head, and she shook it a little for good measure, firmly planting herself in reality. “Oh, well, I only came back a few days ago,” She started, absently raising a paw to scratch at her ear before she continued; “Al did announce he was takin’ th’ throne back. Guess you’re free now!” She flashed her teeth in a teasing grin, managing to make it all sound casual; No big deal right…? After all, it shouldn’t be.

Chan quirked a brow at her answer, for clearly he had needed to be more direct in his phrasing. She brought up Aleister and the transition, and he returned the broadness of her smile, tail snapping back and forth behind him happily. Free indeed!

"It was starting to feel like he didn't want it anymore," he admitted in a tone that expressed great relief at being wrong, tongue a little looser with a close friend than it likely would have been around others. He didn't feel the need to guard his rhetoric as much around Flair, trusting her not to make ammunition of his words.

"I'm finally back on track for heading out before Spring hits."

He pawed at the air between them then, as though gesturing toward the other wolf.

"I meant with you, y'know. Get up to anything out there in the world?"

If she didn't want to say or didn't have much to share, he would of course understand, but he wanted to make sure she knew - he'd been interested in her, not the pack.

(This post was last modified: Feb 07, 2022, 04:15 AM by Chan.)

 

His relief was obvious, so much that her smile had to soften empathetically. She’d known how he felt about leading, even if he had handled it admirably, and she couldn’t really blame him for being glad to have that weight off his shoulders. Still, the mention of his departure took a bit of the sway out of Flair’s tail, her shoulders stiffening at the word ‘spring’.

 

Chan moved on swiftly, turning the attention back on her, right when she wanted it the least – though how was he to know? “Oh, uh…” she breathed a few, nervous chuckles, licking her lips before continuing: “Not really. ‘met a weirdo who said he was startin’ a pack ‘n th’ Willows, not sure if I believed ‘im.” She shrugged, not putting much weight on the encounter. If it was true, the Cove would find out at some point, it didn’t seem all that important to her; What does at this point…

 

Amber gaze turned away from her friend, staring absently into the surrounding trees. Her happy expression had finally faded, tail going still as her attention turned inwards. She sighed quietly; “Mostly I was just… thinkin’.” When her eyes returned to Chan’s face, they were serious, voice unusually soft as she asked: “Y’ got any plans then? Where t’ go?” It almost felt like she was talking to herself; But maybe he knows the answer…