Dealing With Two 'M's

((Continued from: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t112-back-so-soon#1944 ))

Coven walked with Molly, once again letting her guide him, as it seemed she had another destination in mind. After a few moments of silence, it became evident that she was headed toward the Moonlight Meadow. It was a fitting place, very calming, and Molly had a deep attachment to it, similar to Blitz and Inferno's.

As they broke the loose line of trees encircling the dimming meadow, the black wolf looked down at Molly before stepping into the grass and making his way toward the center of the meadow, where everyone who sought solace in the meadow seemed to head, perhaps because there were no trees to inhibit the stars' light. Coven's use of the meadow was to pace or watch the clouds, never the stars, but he'd seen Blitz do it and figured Molly would be following a similar path anyway. "You gonna be ok, Molly?" the wolf couldn't help asking as he sat down and squinted at the sky, not really understanding what could be found there.

Molly used the walk to the meadow in an attempt to calm herself down, yet as they reached the tall grasses, she found that she was just as shaken and upset as before. As Coven headed towards the center, she followed slowly, her eyes scanning over the grasses and finally making their way up to the sky. It was cloudy tonight, so it was difficult to see the stars. But then again, a cloudy sky seemed rather fitting for today. Suddenly, however, Coven's voice broke through her thoughts, making her jump slightly in surprise. "I, uh, I'll be fine." She said softly, glancing over at him for a moment before looking down at the grasses with a soft sigh. But even as she said she'd be fine, she found herself shifting closer to him, leaning against him and burying her head in his chest. "There was nothing I could do to help him." She said softly, her voice breaking slightly as she spoke.

He nodded, eyes on the dark silhouette of the trees across the meadow. "No one could," agreed the black wolf, glancing down at the top of Molly's head and then back to the trees. It was a miserable fact that no matter what, Coven just wasn't gifted with the ability to speak comfort, especially in situations he wasn't familiar with. He wanted to help Molly recover from this, sooner rather than later, but there was no way the warrior could do it if left to his own devices. "You know it wasn't your fault right?" he asked, looking down at her again. Just in case that was an issue, it was worth it to say, in his mind. Hopefully she'd already come to terms with that. Meanwhile, the male was having a hard time coming to terms with his inability to help Molly as much as he wanted to. After a moment of quietly sitting, listening to Molly's choked breathing, he muttered softly in miserable frustration - more to himself than her - "What can I do?" Accepting that she was going to be this torn up for an extended period of time was hard, and Coven didn't want to do it, not if there were a way for him to fix it. This experience did have a positive effect: it made Coven certain that leaving would have been a horrible idea, seeing Molly's reaction to this. What she had told him before had not been lies.

Molly heard Coven's words, but she didn't really listen to them. That was the difference right now. She was hearing him, but nothing sank in. She felt like she had failed the couple, after all of the success that she had healing and taking care of this pack, she had lost something precious. She had lost a pup's life, before it had even begun. Suddenly, Coven's second statement about fault echoed in her ears, making her look up at him blankly for a few moments. She knew it wasn't her fault, but she needed someone to blame. She couldn't blame Laek, she was going through too much as it was. She couldn't blame Cas, he was just as torn up as she. Who was left to blame? Fallon? No, she had done nothing but help. It all came down to her.

She looked back down and sighed, saying nothing in response to his words, unsure of what to say. Finally, his question pulled her from her thoughts. "I just need you here." She said softly, moving in closer and burying her face in his fur. She inhaled deeply, loosing herself in his scent and warmth. She seemed to draw strength from him, and she did her best to make her mind focus only on the touch, the scent, the sound of the male beside her, erasing the recent pack events from her mind - if only momentarily.

From the look on Molly's face as she looked up at him, Coven knew the 'it's not your fault' thing hadn't clicked. The concept was so alien to him, that she would take that obviously natural, though unfortunate, event upon her own shoulders. That kind of thinking never did any good and only hindered progression (as well as happiness), which was why no one he'd grown up with would ever have considered caring this much about something like that. But Molly was different, as well as stubborn, so Coven didn't say anything. He just latched on to her one comment. He could do that, be here. As the white wolfess drew closer, the warrior lowered his head over hers, licking Molly's ear and then moving his muzzle down through the fur on her neck. If he was going to just be here, the wolf was going to make sure his presence was as distracting to her thoughts as possible. The black wolf dug his nose into the thick white hair and moved it in circles, rubbing his head against the fur often and stopping to lick Molly's shoulders every once in a while. This probably was working better as a distraction for him than Molly, as he was getting to forgetting what exactly his original purpose was; being here with her was just wonderful.

Molly sighed softly and felt herself slowly relaxing as Coven rubbed his head against her, doing a wonderful job at distracting her from her present thoughts. She now found herself, thinking of only the feeling of him beside her and his scent, as well as the sound of his rhythmic breathing. It was more helpful than he knew, and she was drawn further into it, allowing herself to get lost in him as he comforted her. She knew she shouldn't be taking all of this so hard, and she was always strong in front of the pack, but Coven was different. She felt like she could be herself with him, let go and be vulnerable without the fear of getting hurt or judged. She was grateful for that, and she never wanted to let it go.

Finally she pulled back, looking up at him and licking his chin. Sure, she was still upset about the pup, but she felt a bit better now. "Will you walk with me for a bit?" She asked, getting to her feet slowly. It was still mid-day, and the weather was wonderful. Maybe a nice, peaceful walk would do her, and possibly even him, some good.

Coven looked down at her with a small smile, glad to see her mood more lightened. "Of course," he told her, rising to his feet and licking her ear. It would probably be a good idea for him to head back soon, especially now that Chaos was back on her feet, but there seemed no harm in hanging out for a little while longer. And Molly seemed to need it.

"Any particular destination in mind, or just rambling?" asked the wolf, moving off by Molly's side. It was always nice to be moving, so he didn't care where, even if it was just sticking around the meadow, but knowing the answer would help him figure out what Molly was going for. Sometimes knowing even little things on her mind helped a lot in figuring out what she was thinking, because for the most part, Coven was bad at that interpretation.

Molly smiled as Coven agreed to go with her. She could tell he wanted to get back, but she couldn't bring herself to go back to the dens quite yet. She'd have to check in on the mothers, make sure they were alright, and she couldn't see them right now. Not yet. When he asked where she wanted to go, she frowned, not exactly sure. "Uhm, there are a few large open fields between here and the sinking swamp." She said, wanting to be out in the open, to feel the sun on her back, to smell the grass and trees and even maybe run a bit to clear her head. But then again, she wasn't sure if she was recovered enough for Coven to let her run around like that. But she silently hoped that her condition slipped his mind, which she knew it rarely did.

He pictured the place she was thinking of and nodded. Nipping playfully at her ear, the wolf bounded off a few paces to avoid retaliation and then turned to grin at her, tail wagging. He didn't want to wear Molly out, but he did want to keep her mind off of the tragedy, the scene of which they'd have to return to eventually. Might as well try to forget about it for as long as possible. What Coven was really excited for was getting to the meadow and getting to eat some frogs. There was a small creek that ran through a portion of it, and it was warm enough that the little creatures were probably out already. Nothing like frog legs. And frog arms. And frog brains. And frog eyes - if that didn't cheer Molly up, then she was in trouble.

Molly was surprised by Coven's nip at her ear, growling playfully and trying to retaliate. But he had bounded away too quickly, and she scowled at him, but found herself laughing at the black male's playful attitude. They didn't play often, and she found that she was rather excited to do so now. And grateful that he wasn't being super strict about her condition. So she bounded off after him, much smaller and slower than he, but just as playful. She knew he'd go easy on her, and she found that she honestly didn't mind, for once.

When she reached him, she pounced at him, nipping at his tail, since there was no way she'd reach his ear. But instead of just nipping, she grabbed it and held on, growling playfully and tugging at it as her own tail wagged out of reach of his jaws. She shook her head and growled, unable to resist laughing softly into his fur as she held on and harrassed the larger, black male.

The black wolf hadn't anticipated Molly's energetic response, and it caught him so much by surprise that she caught him, fair and square, and he laughed out loud. After a moment trying to wriggle out of her grasp, the wolf turned and jumped - though gently - sideways onto Molly, forelegs across her back and neck and fangs on her ear, tugging and growling. "You are such a pup!" he rumbled through his teeth, grinning. He continued pulling on the white wolfess's ear and moved a paw up to pat at her face, trying to get his tail out of her mouth.

Molly squeaked onto his tail as he turned and attacked her, growling and falling to the ground beneath him as he grabbed her ear. But she held stubbornly onto his tail, rolling onto her back and kicking at him as he tugged at it and batted at her face. But soon his larger form and annoying swatting, as well as his hold on her ear, had her laughing, which caused her to release his tail and nip at his shoulder playfully. "Hey! You're the one that started it!" She laughed, swatting at his chin with her paws as she laid on her back beneath him, her tiny white form dwarfed by his larger black one.

He triumphantly swished his tail away from her, wagging it now that it was free, and let go of Molly's ear. A paw still laying lightly on her muzzle, Coven tilted his head and grinned down at her. "What? I think not. You went for the tail!" Still smiling, the wolf licked at Molly's nose before moving off over her to let her up. He wanted to continue, but if they kept moving now, then soon they'd have a nice bright meadow to roll around in. Bowing down and waving his tail with a cocky stare, the wolf challenged her, "Now that I'm actually ready for you, I bet you can't get it again until we hit the meadow." It was unlikely that he'd want to make it all the way there without letting her catch him, but in the spur of the moment, Coven forgot about that. With a pounce almost straight in the air like a fox, the black wolf took off, not going very far so Molly didn't actually have to exert herself much, but making it fun and a challenge any way.

Molly rolled her eyes and nipped at his nose as he spoke, narrowing her eyes at him as he challenged her. She knew she'd never catch him if he didn't want her to, but thinking that way took all the fun out of it. Instead, when he dashed off, she scrambled to her feet and ran after him, barking like a pup and pouncing at him when he stopped to wait for her. But she missed his tail, stumbling and falling on her face with a laugh. But she was up in a matter of seconds, pouncing at him and growling playfully.

It had been far too long since they had last played, especially since she had been sick, and she was greatly enjoying herself. It was wonderful to get rid of all the tension and simply act foolish, and there was no one else she would do this with in the pack (except for maybe Fallon). But she knew that Coven was still thinking about her condition all the time, which was why she had jumped up so quickly after she felt, so as not to worry him. Although, she assumed that was hard to avoid.

Coven laughed and jumped away from Molly each time she made a lunge at him. It was always funny to be reminded off just how uncoordinated Molly was. Even if she wasn't on the mend, it was hard to believe she was much more balanced than currently. Thank goodness she had another skill to rely on, one that Coven didn't have a chance at mastering.

Finally, after a nice bout of back and forth chasing, the two arrived at the fields. The black wolf leaped into the grass and sprawled out on his belly, digging his claws into the earth. There was something to be said for just basking in the sun, even if just for two seconds before getting moving again.

Molly chased after him without success, her lack of coordination rather embarassing and causing her to come to a stop much sooner than he did. When he sprawled out on the grass, she walked over, collapsing and rolling onto her back beside him to nip at his ear and tug playfully. "That was an unfairly matched game of chase." She complained teasingly, tugging at his ear again before letting her head fall to the soft grass as she stared up at the clouds silently. It was so beautiful and peaceful out here, and she panted softly to catch her breath and was pleasantly surprised that she wasn't competely exhausted like she had expected to be.

"If we judge it based on the final results, you kind of won anyway," he responded with a smile, flicking his now slobbery ear back and licking at Molly's chest. Also noticing that Molly wasn't completely winded, Coven commented in relief and joy, "Looks like you really are getting better. Maybe our next match won't be so one-sided." Well, with Molly's clumsiness, it really wouldn't get much better, but he wouldn't have to worry so much about her collapsing from fatigue. That would remove a lot of stress from both of them.

As Molly laid and watched the sky, Coven moved so her head was between his paws and watched her instead. He smiled down at her as she scanned the sky, noting that she apparently was more beautiful healthy than when she was sick. It made sense, but it was so pleasantly shocking to see, especially as he'd found her so gorgeous before. Not starving and with her hair regaining its natural luster, she really was moving even further out of his league in looks as well, now. He licked at her paws curled up against her chests before returning to gazing at her face, a soft, awed smile on his own. How could he have considered leaving? The reasons that had been so clear earlier would not re-enter his brain again, though it wasn't like he was trying very hard. There was no way he'd consider that again, because nothing be as perfect in his life as this.

Molly rolled her eyes and shook her head as he spoke. They both knew she'd lose every time, but she didn't really care. That wasn't what mattered, after all. As they laid there and relaxed, the white female's eyes scanned the skies, admiring the clouds as Coven admired her. Her paws twitched lightly as he licked them, his smile distracting her from the clouds and making her stare back up at him with a smile of her own. She remained perfectly still as she stared up into his eyes, smiling and blinking every once in a while as her chocolate brown eyes glittered slightly in the sunlight that beat down on them.

She couldn't think of anything more wonderful than this moment, not a place in the world that she'd rather be than right here with him. Her tail wagged every so slightly as she watched, getting lost in his eyes as he too stared back at her.

Wagging his tail in response to Molly catching his gaze, the wolf licked the side of her muzzle and sighed, relishing the sign that his own peace and contentment was being reflected back at him in Molly. How strange it was to think back and remember their first meeting; the healer had not liked him much then. It was for a good reason, he supposed, but it had worked out so wonderfully. Coven almost had to laugh when he tried to wrap his head around the fact that if it weren't for nasty Chaos, he and Molly would never have become so close. His world would have been so different...and Molly's as well; she perhaps would have gravitated toward Xerxses again, and Coven most likely wouldn't be here anymore. Yet somehow, this reality was almost more odd to the wolf than the idea of what would have been. He never would have imagined getting so attached, growing to love another wolf.

"Do you realize how special you are, Molly?" asked the wolf, tilting an ear, smile replaced by amazed pondering. "I love you." 'And that is phenomenal!' He wasn't sure if Molly would ever understand what an idiosyncrasy his devotion toward her was, but Coven sure got it, and it would forever amaze him.

She closed her eyes slightly as he licked her face, wagging her tail a bit more in response. But soon she was staring adoringly back up at him as his mind wandered over what could have been. Molly, on the other hand, didn't dwell on what could have been. No, she was here in the present, and determined not to let this moment go. She stared up at him as he thought, loving the way his expression changed as he ran things over in his head. She could always tell when he was thinking hard, or just thinking for the sake of thinking. To her, it showed as clear as day on his face. So suddenly, when his expression changed slightly to focus back on her as he spoke, she blinked up at him for a moment as his words sank in and were processed.

"Maybe you should tell me more often." She said softly, lifting her head slightly to lick his chin as he continued to speak. "I love you too, Coven." She said, her voice even softer than before as she stared up at him. She didn't know where they'd end up, whether they'd stay together, have a family, or simply fall apart, but she knew that she never wanted this moment to end. Yes, she had loved before, deeply, but never like this. No, this was something that she had never experienced before, and as she stared up into his loving and adoring gaze, she felt her stomach flutter and her mind go blank, as if she were melting beneath him in his eyes.

He closed his eyes, licking Molly's cheek in response. "I'll work on that," he apologized softly, nuzzling into the long fur on the side of the wolfess's face. Yes, because Molly deserved it, he'd try to remember to tell her more often. If the sensation of strangeness kept popping up, as it just had, then there'd always be a reminder and reason for him to express that sentiment in words again. But being so invested in someone - loving them - was a new experience, and Coven was sure that he failed at parts of it sometimes. Molly's gentle reminders and suggestions were certainly helpful, though, and he'd try to keep them in mind, even if there was still the dark cloud in the back of his mind preparing him for when this really would end. That was just how his world worked, mostly by his own design. But like Molly, Coven could desire for this moment to not end, and he was. Molly looked honestly happy and completely cured for the moment of her depression over the pup, and no way did Coven want her worries and sorrows to come back to her now, or ever. "I don't think I tell you this often enough, either, but you're beautiful, even when you're yelling at me." He had to grin at the end.

Molly smiled when he apologized, an apology not what she had been going for. But it didn't matter, she knew he'd sincerely try to tell her more often, which only made her feel more loved and wanted. As she continued to stare up at him, she leaned her head back slightly, nuzzling against his chest as they laid there, staring adoringly at each other like neither had ever imagined would happen. It was such a strange turn of events, but Molly didn't regret a single minute of it. Sure, they had their rough patches, and she was positive that there were plenty of bumps in the road ahead, but that didn't mean she was going to give up. They both knew she was way too stubborn for that.

When he spoke again, calling her beautiful, she smiled once more, her face softening from thoughts and shining at the praise that she recieved. At the last part of his sentence, she laughed softly, stretching out a paw to swat playfully at his chin, pushing it up gently and then letting her paw fall back to fold against her chest once more. "Come on, I don't yell that often." She said, nipping at his paw and then looking back up at him. "Only when you really deserve it." She teased, licking his nose and laying back down in the soft grass to smile up at him. She stared at him for quite a while before she opened her mouth to speak again, tilting her head slightly and looking up at him with an amused, but also confused look. "Coven, tell me something. How on earth did you fall in love with a crazy female like me?" She asked, knowing that she was impossible to deal with and even more impossible to love. Yet here he was, confessing a deep love and attraction for her that - looking back to before she got sick - neither of them ever thought possible.

He snapped back at her nose, missing it by millimeters, at her comment about him deserving it. Though he'd like to deny that he ever deserved that, his pride couldn't overrule the fact that it possibly was true, maybe...once in a blue moon. All he could do was grin impishly at her, content to know that she forgave him anyway.

Coven's ears pricked forward immediately as the look on Molly's face contorted. The question she asked was not one he was anticipating - more serious than he was expecting. The wolf gave a short, surprised laugh before letting his eyes lose their focus on Molly so he could concentrate on finding the answer. His immediate one was 'I don't know', but there surely was more to it if he just thought about it for a moment. Tilting his head and still staring at nothing, the warrior began slowly to articulate his thoughts.

"Firstly, you're not as crazy as you think you are," he began, starting to realize that he knew how this had happened. Coven was going to pretend that she didn't actually want the full story, so he skipped over the descriptions of the actual crazies he'd messed around with. "And secondly...I think you actually know how. It's the part where I ended up pretty much forced to talk to you, and that's it." The situation had been perfect to make this work: if Molly hadn't been so fragile and in need of compassion and patience, if Coven hadn't been in such a position as to try to win Blitz's favor by volunteering to help her, and if he hadn't been in need of her help to heal as well, they most likely would have never talked, as Molly didn't interact much with the males of the pack, even now, and Coven was automatically drawn to more athletic and/or feisty females. If he'd never gotten the opportunity to actually talk to Molly, physically care for her, and learn how sweet, smart, and fiery she was beneath her sensitive, delicate exterior, then the warrior would have most likely pursued either Fallon, Laek, or Tessa - or all of them - as he'd been seriously attracted to all three. But over time, his relationship with Molly had won out, because it was more substantial, because they both needed each other, as best friends who would sacrifice time and pride (most of the time) in order to meet the other's needs. Yes, talking to her and learning to worry about her had done it.

"You became my best friend, and I just realized one day that you were relying on me, and I wanted you to." He shrugged and grinned down at her. "That's never happened before - from best friend to wanting anything like that. It just kept progressing, and here we are." It had been a process that took time, but his responsibility for her, his interaction with her and growing understanding for her, and her love for him all formed a basis for his love for her to slowly stretch from. He probably had the oddest reasons out of anyone for loving Molly (it wasn't her sweetness or loyalty that drew him to her), but his reasons were significant to him. What really was an perplexing question was how Molly had come to love him so much; however, Coven didn't want Molly to think over that too hard in case there really wasn't a good reason, so he didn't ask.

Molly listened to his words silently, watching his expressions change as he spoke. Finally she smiled, licking his chin affectionately and gazing up at him lovingly. Yes, she agreed that they didn't have the best beginning, but she didn't regret that it happened. She knew that if he hadn't gotten in a fight with Chaos - which she still thought was foolish - then they probably wouldn't have gotten to know each other, and he would be gone. Her ears flattened slightly at the thought. Her mind brought her back to not too long ago at the lake, when she had begged him not to go, not to leave her. And he had stayed. She didn't know at the time how strong her pull on him was, but she did know that he hadn't stayed for the pack, he had stayed for her.

She could tell, even now, that he didn't want to be here. That he disagreed with Blitz just like Inferno had. He wanted to wander, to be on his own, away from the responsibilities of a pack, of this pack. But he was staying, for her. She could already tell that he wasn't likely to stay forever, but she had already decided to follow him however far he'd let her. That night when he had told her he was leaving, she had felt her heart breaking, and now here he was, mending it for her. She never wanted to go through that again, nor did she believe he'd put her through it. It was obvious that he'd never leave her again, but she didn't doubt that he'd take her with him. He was her best friend - more than that even - and she smiled as he said that he wanted her to rely on him. She wanted the same for him, and she did rely on him, more than he knew.

As she sat there, listening to him and watching him, she realized how lucky she had gotten with the sickness and his injury. If he hadn't stepped up to care for her, he'd probably be laying here with Fallon, Tessa, or Laek right now. She doubted that he would have even given her a second glance. She wasn't coordinated, wasn't strong, was much more sensitive than the other females, and well, she thought them to be more attractive than her as well. She had nothing that would have attracted him to her, yet here he was, staring down at her and telling her that he wanted her. If she were to be honest to herself, she couldn't pinpoint exactly why she loved him. At least not all of the reasons. She knew that she loved that he cared about her, she loved the way his face wrinkled with worry when she stumbled or fell. She loved how he took care of her when it was obvious that he would rather be anywhere else in the world. She loved how he wasn't afraid to tell her what was what, and not let her get away with being stubborn as hell all the time. Hell, she even loved his smartass side from time to time. Sure, she'd stick by Blitz no matter what, but now she found herself feeling more loyal to Coven, even if she didn't share all of his opinions. But she wasn't one to be big on pack politics, so she had managed - so far - to avoid that clash of opinions. But she feared that it would become an issue one day, that she'd have to choose - decide between Coven and the pack. She knew what she'd choose when that day came, but she prayed that it never would.

Coven licked at Molly's cheek every time her expression clouded and her ears went back. He didn't know what she was thinking about, but he hoped it wasn't the pup again. Just enjoying the peace and time away from the drama of the pack, the black wolf shifted over so he was laying side by side with the healer and began to groom her, starting from the top of her head and working down to her shoulders. This afternoon was going to go by fast, so he was savoring it and focusing on nothing but now. That was something he'd learned from being with Molly.

All too soon, the black wolf sighed and looked up at the sky, noting how the sun had shifted. Now it was probably time to get back, just in case. He licked at Molly's ear. "Ready to go back?" Asking was probably a bad idea, since the answer probably wouldn't get either of them going anytime soon, but Coven got to his feet anyway, pretending that Molly would assume the question was rhetorical.