Combinations

After the hunt, Fallon had fallen quickly into deep, comfortable sleep. The air inside the den was warm all through the night thanks to having Blitz next to her, and she felt safe with the company of another. The she-wolf always slept soundly and without dreams, or at least without any dreams she could remember, so when she awoke in the mornings, she was usually well refreshed, though always slightly grumpy for no reason. Before she went to sleep, Fallon promised herself that no matter what time Blitz woke up - everyone in the pack knew he woke up extremely early - she was not going let herself feel guilted into getting up as well. She figured she would be so out that Blitz's early morning outing wouldn't wake her anyway. With that, the female fell fast asleep with a slurred, "Good night" to the alpha.

Blitz fell asleep shortly after Fallon, ,and slept peacefully through the night. He woke up early, as per the usual, and yawned softly, not wanting to wake up Fallon, for she deserved the sleep. He stretched slightly, sighing as he spotted the snow piling up outside of the den. He yawned again, heading outside to survey the results of the night's storm. There was at least six inches of snow on the ground, and he had to lean forward in order to plow through it, leaving a trail that Fallon could easily walk through when she woke. Soon he found a similar trail, no doubt belonging to Inferno, since it led straight from his den. He smiled, knowing that he had chosen the perfect wolf to be beta. He didn't doubt that Inferno had gone off in search for Laek. He had been planning on doing the same, but now he left that to the beta. He would join him later if he needed to. For now, he headed towards the lake, licking his lips thirstily in hopes of a drink. By the time he reached it, he sighed, knowing that it was probably frozen and buried in snow. Sure enough, he had to dig to reach the frozen surface. When he reached it, he reared up, slamming his paws down on the ice. It cracked, but remained strong beneath him, so he repeated the process several times until he broke through and lowered his head to drink.

Molly slept through the night, but she woke earlier than usual, her stomach growling angrily. Her thin little body stirred slowly, and she blinked sleepily awake, finding herself tucked securely into Coven's larger black body. She carefully lifted her head, a soft, high-pitched yawn escaping her muzzle as she looked over at the entrance. Her stomach growled again as she leaned back against Coven, realizing that there was no way she'd make it through that deep snow to the storage den. And no, she wasn't foolish enough to try either.

Chaos woke almost as early as Blitz, and she slowly stood, stretching and growling in annoyance as she spotted the snow piling up in the entrance of her den. But she was hungry, so she made her way out, having to bound foolishly through the snow in order to go anywhere because of her small size. She looked like a pup jumping around, and anyone that didn't know it was her, would have thought she was rather cute, jumping around like a pup, but no one in the pack would make that mistake. The grumbling and growling in annoyance made it clear who the wolf was that was making her way towards the storage den.

The black wolf's ears twitched up instinctively at the noise from Molly's yawn. He was always quite a light sleeper, and all it would take was a little noise like that right in his ear to wake him. Coven wasn't quite sure what the noise that had woken him had been, though, so he ended up lifting his head and looking down at Molly with a completely confused expression as he tried to figure out what that had been.

Quickly another sound caught his ear, and he unraveled himself from around Molly, stretched, and stood up. "Hungry?" he asked, looking down at her with a half-smile, amused at the sound of her stomach but understanding that it really could be hurting her. He just wanted to make sure that it was food she needed first, not something else.

Molly looked up at Coven as he spoke, giggling softly at his confused expression. When he stood up and spoke, she slowly stood as well. Her legs were a bit weak from lack of use, but she stretched and managed to stay on them. "Uhm, well, could you make a path outside for me? There's no way I'll make it out in that snow." She said, hoping that he understood that she needed to relieve herself so that she wouldn't have to say it straight out. Her ears flattened slightly, and her tail curled beneath her as she waited, and on top of everything, her stomach growled again. She glanced over at the entrance again, wondering if he understood her or not. She silently hoped that he did.

The black wolf grinned and bounded out into the snow. He couldn't help but be excited at the first snow. It was new and white and kind of a challenge to get through, and somehow, this all equaled fun for him. The wolf understood what Molly had wanted, but he found that he didn't actually have to deviate from his path to the storage den to help her out. On his way to the storage den, his path crossed with the one Inferno had made earlier that led out of the den site. Just in case Molly needed water, Coven did go out of his way to make a quick path to connect with Blitz's. It was obvious Blitz had made his way to the lake for the same reason Coven was not making a path to the stream - the shallow stream was most likely frozen solid. With a nod back at Molly, the black wolf followed Chaos's trail and entered the storage den.

Coven was still filled with an overflowing energy that came with the thrill of snow on the ground, and this made it too easy for him to slip into his natural habits, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to get along with Chaos...or something like that. The black wolf grinned in utter amusement at the female's comical grunting around the fluff hanging out of her mouth. He trotted lightly to the side to get around her, whipping his tail at her shoulder as he commented in passing, "Good morning to you too, Sunshine."

The wolf quickly picked up a few of the remaining rabbits, on for Molly and one for him, and bolted out the den door around Chaos, flashing an impish grin back at her as he flicked some snow in her direction with a back foot. Eyes bright and still grinning around the carcasses in his mouth, the wolf ran into the healer's den and dropped the hares near Molly. But he didn't lay down just yet, instead going back to the den entrance and looking out it with his ears pricked, tongue hanging slightly out the side of his panting mouth, and billows of vapor wisping out in front of him with every excited breath.

Coven twitched an ear in acknowledgment of Molly's presence next to him when she walked up, but he didn't take his scanning eyes off the scenery in front of them. For a little bit he stood in silence, but even to him who still had most of his attention on the land, the little white wolf's shivering became apparent. The black wolf turned to look at her and sat down close to her, wrapping his tail around her before turning his gaze back to the snow and asking, "How do you feel about winter? I love it...it makes the world different for a while. Summer just gets a little boring sometimes with all the green." White was so much more impressive. With a tilt of his head and a mischievous smile, the black wolf looked down at the pure white one, wondering jokingly to himself if she ever worried about getting lost in the snow. He definitely never did.

Molly was surprised when Coven moved beside her and pressed his body against hers and his tail wrapped around her. When he spoke and looked over the snow, she looked up at him and smiled. But even as he spoke of the winter, she watched him instead. When he looked down at her, she tilted her head to the side and it was obvious to her what he was thinking about. She didn't know what it was, but she seemed to know almost exactly what she was wondering. "Are you worried about losing me in the snow?" She asked, laughing softly as he seemed to examine her pure white coat. "Don't worry, I'll never loose sight of you. You stick out like a sore thumb with that black coat." She teased, nipping his shoulder gently and wagging her tail.

The wolf laughed heartily, everything about him invigorated this morning, and responded "I think I have good reason to be. First, I could never spot you in the snow; second, I think most of the snow drifts are taller than you are today. Don't /you/ ever worry about getting lost in the snow?" It was kind of surprising for him that Molly had been so attuned to what he had been thinking. He wasn't sure he'd ever experienced that before, and if he hadn't been feeling so happy this morning, it probably would have unsettled him a bit. It was also nice at the same time to be able to talk to Molly like this, too. "But 'sore thumb'?" he asked, tilting his head as if he'd been hurt, "Are you saying I'm not as pretty as you?" Now he pretended to be offended, tilting his head at her seriously in a mock challenge.

Molly smiled when he laughed, and she laughed softly when he said that the snowdrifts were probably larger than her. When he asked if she was worried that she would get lost, she shrugged. She had thought about it once or twice, but it had never really worried her that much. When he mock challenged her, she giggled softly. "Well, it's hard to be as pretty as me. Right Coven?" She asked, grinning up at him and turning the teasing on him. She knew that would be a difficult question for any male to answer for any female. Her eyes glittered with teasing, and her tail wagged as she leaned against him, still looking up at him playfully.

The male grinned down at her, too confident and bold to be fazed by her question. "Well, that is true..." he admitted, adding with a serious tilt of his head, "But it's only because of my big feet that you win out, ok? Let's say I came in a at a close second." He grinned, knowing he was no where near her but still wanting to play around anyway. Looking down at her, it was interesting for him to compare himself to her. They were so different, in almost every way. She was white, petite, and flawless. He was black-furred, tall, and had enough battle scars to prove that him being alive was quite an accomplishment. And yet, it was incredible that they could connect like this sometimes.

Molly couldn't help but smile as he admitted it, but when he continued to talk, she glared playfully at him. "Big feet? Well that's an understatement, honey." She teased, unable to resist beginning to giggle in amusement. But she had to admit, they had almost nothing in common. She was small, white, and fragile, and he was big, black and covered in scars. But she had never felt so comfortable with anyone else in her life. It confused her, and she looked up at him quizzically, not even realizing she was doing it as she thought. It was a strange situation, but she was glad that she was in it, because she really had no idea if she would even be alive if it weren't for him. She would have likely perished that day she had fallen in the mud outside of his den. And he could have just left here there, like she knew Chaos had every intention of doing. But he helped her, took her in, and was nursing her back to health. What had she done to deserve all of this?

Ponderously, Coven lifted a fore paw, examining it and saying, "How much bigger can you get than 'big'? I wouldn't classify my feet as 'ginormous'. Just...bigger than yours." He grinned, looking back up at her. "I'd rather have ginormous feet than little bunny feet anyway," he laughed, poking Molly's much smaller paws with his.

The black wolf went quiet and tilted his head back at Molly, mimicking her expression with a wry smile. "What are you thinking, Molly?" There was no way one couldn't be curious with the look she was giving him. Unlike her, he was still very bad at reading her mind.

When Coven looked down at her and mimicked her expression, she smiled, and tilted her head to the side slightly. When he spoke, she held his gaze for a moment and then looked out over the snow again. "I was just wondering what would have happened to me if you hadn't come out of your den that night in the rain." She said softly, her expression serious and contemplative now. She sighed again, turning her head to look up at him again, "Why did you help me, anyways? I never did anything to deserve it. If anything, I was more of a burden to the pack than anything." She said softly, her voice getting quieter the more she talked. Then she said, ""Just like now..." in a soft whisper, mostly mummbled and to herself. When she finished speaking, she immediately regretted what she had been saying. They were enjoying their morning so much, and here she came ruining it entirely.

Coven's smile softened into one of sympathy as Molly spoke. It was really hard for him to understand the kind of guilt she was feeling, the one of being a burden to the pack. It wasn't that he thought he was a great asset - well, sometimes he did - but in both cases, Coven just was doing what he wanted to do. If he was enjoying life, whatever he was doing was good enough for everyone else, in his mind. But he understood that Molly was much more sensitive than him, and maybe even more than most of the wolves in this pack.

"Molly," he explained, straightening up and shaking his head slightly at her, "you are part of the pack, and you're anything but a burden." He knew he hadn't really answered her question, but it was because he really couldn't. It just would sound so strange to say that he just couldn't let her die. She looked so helpless and sick, even he couldn't leave her out there. The reason that would have sounded weird to say was that there was nothing really special about why he'd helped her, and he kind of wished there had been. Now, though, he would have a reason to help her; she was a friend now.

He cocked his head again, an sly idea popping into his head. Coven hated how stressed Molly got about her role in the pack. It seemed to hurt her every second, and it was almost painful to watch. Perhaps he could give her some incentive to loosen up just a bit more. "You and Inferno are quite alike sometimes, you know," he said, turning his gaze toward the snow-scape to try to hide the almost playful look in his eye. "I could see him worrying about that same thing, too."

Molly didn't look up at him as he spoke, but instead forced herself to focus on the snowy landscape in front of her. She tried to listen and agree to what he said, but she still felt like she was a burden. Her eyes scanned over the snow-covered trees and the white landscape, but when he mentioned her being like Inferno she gasped and looked up at him in surprise. Her ears pinned back, at the comment, and she frowned up at him. "I am nothing like Inferno." She said stubbornly, her ears flat against her skull as she looked back out at the snow. Of all the wolves in the pack, Coven had to compare her to him?!? It was obvious that she greatly disliked Inferno, but as she thought about it, he was probably right. She frowned, looking up at him, obviously surprised and upset. "No...I can't be like Inferno...he's so cold and...well, a jerk..." She said, looking up at him but mostly just thinking out loud, trying to convince herself that it wasn't true. Although she knew it really was.

Coven couldn't help turning his attention back to her and chuckling at the aghast look on her face. He had no clue why Molly has such a strong opinion about Inferno being a jerk, and the black wolf hadn't spoken enough with the beta to contest any of this, but he was pleased that he'd correctly interpreted her thoughts on him before this.

"Don't worry, Molly," said the wolf, nudging her lightly with his shoulder. He smiled warmly at her, but it was also slightly discouraging that she had so obviously missed his point. She really needed to /quit worrying/. But Coven would be here for a long while, hopefully, so there'd be time to keep working with her on that.

"So," he said, standing up and looking back at the food that lay forgotten in the back of the den. "Food and then the rounds?" Taking care of Chaos this morning was not something he was looking forward to, but it was his job for a while, and he hadn't forgotten.

Molly looked up at him as he told her not to worry. She sighed softly, soon loosing interest in the white landscape that surrounded the den. She wasn't sure what to say, so she said nothing, only thought. He had a point, she did worry about a lot, but she wasn't sure how not to worry. Soon she was lost in thought, staring blankly out into the snow when in reality she wasn't seeing it at all, but she was lost in her thoughts, seeing nothing of anything that was in front of her.

Coven's voice snapped her out of it, making her jump slightly. Her ears flattened in embarrassment, and she blinked up at him, letting his words register. "Oh, yeah. Ok." She said following him back to the two rabbits that he had brought back for them both. She picked up one, laying down and beginning to eat, realizing that she had forgotten how hungry she really was. She finished it quickly, licking her lips as she looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you for breakfast, Coven." She said softly, wagging her tail and slowly standing to stretch.

Coven followed her and ate his meal quickly, sighing in satisfaction when it was finished. Last year, a snow like this would have meant a breakfast not quite so glorious as this one. It was a wonderful feeling to be full with the prospect of being well-fed all winter long. "No problem," responded the wolf, sitting up and looking around as if searching for something.
"Those plants you used yesterday for me and Chaos...do you have any stored here, or do I have to go out and find some?" he looked back at the white world outside, worried it would take half the day in digging to find the plants.

Molly looked at him curiously as he spoke. "Oh, the herbs...they're in the back over there. The ones on the far right." She said, motioning to the back of the den. She had done her best to get everything well stocked for the winter, mostly because she knew that the winter would kill off most of the most useful herbs. She would let him take care of grabbing the herbs, and she exited the den, frowning as the cold hit her with a sudden shock. Her ears flattened and she lowered her head, silently cursing the wind and lowering her posture so that the snow drifts mostly blocked the wind from her body. She shivered again anyways, unable to escape the freezing wind as she waited for Coven to join her.

Coven wrapped the herbs in the large leaf he would use to mix them in and then trotted out to join Molly as they made their way to Chaos's den. Right then, he was wishing he had remembered that morning that he would need Chaos to be in a good mood when he went to visit her.

The black wolf poked his head into Chaos's den first, just in case she was feeling hostile this morning; he didn't want Chaos to vent her angst on Molly. Coven put the pile of herbs down and said to the black female, "Ready to get that wound taken care of...prevent infection, potential death, and all that?" He just wanted to make sure that Chaos remembered that rejecting his help could cost her a lot.

Coven needed no words from Chaos to understand that there was no way he was getting in there today. Without a second thought, the wolf shrugged, picked up the package of herbs, and turned back around, giving Chaos a long, silent look that promised he would be back later. It was his job and he was going to do it, whether she liked it or not.

The black wolf went back to the den and set the herbs down before staring out the entrance toward Chaos's den, frowning at her angry rejection of help today. It was true that he could have tried harder, but he was sure that would have ended up in a fight. No one would be happy about that. "Think she'll be ok for a while?" he asked Molly, not really worried, but just making sure he wasn't going to get into trouble.