Springs in a Snowstorm

((Continued from: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t66p45-recovering-and-exploring#937 ))

Coven jumped to his feet and tried to dodge the splattering water, but he'd misjudged how much water Molly's thick fur could retain and didn't make it at all out of range. Shaking the water from his own coat, the black wolf laughed along with Molly at her abnormally bedraggled appearance. Though Coven's fur was spiked into clumps thanks to the water, it really didn't look much different from usual. While Molly groomed herself like some kind of cat, Coven rather enjoyed his natural, unkempt appearance, as it made certain wolves a little more wary. And he was so battered that it would hardly make any difference if he tried .

Still grinning to himself over the white wolf's appearance, the male walked over to her and began licking off as much excess water as he could before they were to start heading back. If she froze through before they returned to the dens, all the progress in Molly's health would be lost.
With a laugh, the wolf commented between licks, "Well, Molly, at least I can tell you that you've looked way worse..." 'And way better,' he added in a look up at her, eyes grinning jokingly, before getting back to work moving his tongue down her sopping shoulder.

Molly smiled as he shook off the water, but soon began to lick herself dry, looking up in surprise as he started to help. But she went back to grooming herself, allowing him to help her dry off, and ignoring his teasing about her looking worse. "Well, I'm afraid I've only ever seen you like this, so I can't really judge what you'd look like, but I could imagine better." She smiled, teasing him right back. She didn't mean anything by it, and in all honestly, she couldn't picture anything about the black male that she would change. Soon she was dry, and she nipped his ear playfully as he licked the last patch of her fur. "Now what, Watch dog?" She asked, teasing him about the fact that he was still looking after her like a watch dog.

(sorry it's so short)

Coven laughed at her comment, nipping lightly at her shoulder in response, and finished helping her dry off. After running his muzzle through the fur on the back of her neck one last time time to make sure it was completely dry, he backed up and shock the last misty drops from his own coat.
Grinning down at Molly, the wolf tilted his head and shrugged, twitching his ears wryly at his new epithet. "You tell me, boss. I'm just the help here. Do you want to head back and rest, or are you feeling up for walking around a bit more before heading back?" He really wasn't sure how much she should exercise, but the trip had been short, and she'd taken a long break.

Molly smiled, looking around as she decided what to do. She was relaxed and calm, and of at all tired, so she looked back at him. "let's walk some more." she said, smiling at him and starting to walk through the snow to the meadow. Soon she was jumping through snowdrifts, looking quite rediculous when she disappeared only to pop back up again moments later. Sure, it was tiring, but she was feeling fine. She'd have a break once they reached the meadow.

He shrugged and followed, curious as to where she was headed. They were heading farther out than he'd been yet, and it didn't take long for all his pent up energy to break out upon the sudden realization of this long-awaited (that's what a few day's time was to him) freedom.
As Molly popped in and out of the snow, Coven was doing the same, only his path was much more chaotic than her straight-forward one. He bounded around the wolfess in a huge circle, he criss-crosses her path in front and behind, and made mad dashes at the pines before leaping up and snapping at the drooping, snow-heavy branches.

Eventually, the trees ended completely, framing a large, snow-spread meadow. Coven stopped at the edge of the forest with pricked ears and stared out over the meadow intensely. There was something different here...different in that the feeling was stronger than normal, but not actually unfamiliar.

A clump of snow slid off the branch above the black wolf and lurched him out of his thoughts. Scowling up at the tree, Coven shook off the wet snow, flicking his snow-covered ears irritatedly. That was a little too much snow at once for him. Still twitching snow of his shoulders, the wolf looked back at Molly approaching, wondering if this had been her destination.

Molly smiled and giggled as he pranced around her, making circles and lines in almost every direction. But he still followed her path, and finally they reached the meadow and she came to a stop beside him, laughing softly at his scowl while he shook snow from his fur. "Welcome to the Meadow, Coven. This is where Blitz first met the spirits." She said, taking her eyes off the black wolf beside her and looking back at the vast meadow in front of them. Yes, there was a different feeling about this place, and she knew it was because of the spirits. This was a place that she wanted Coven to see, a place that she wanted to show him herself.

"What do you think?" She asked curiously, sitting down in the snow and looking up at him, studying his face for any type of response. She wasn't sure what he was feeling, nor was she sure how he would react, but she believed it was every Silverlight wolf's right to visit the meadow at some point in their life. She had been here a few times, but so far, none other than Blitz had spoken directly to a spirit. She only wished that some day she would have that honor as well.

The wolf tilted his head and pricked his ears, half in confusion and half sternly. Did she just say 'spirits'? He could almost believe that Molly would joke about that, but then again, her sincere awe and longing for the experience Blitz had apparently had was unmistakable. His gaze flitted from Molly to the meadow a few times before resting on the meadow, still silent and intently trying to figure out what he did think. Honestly, he'd never heard of anything so crazy in his life. Ideas like this, realities like this, didn't exist in the world he was from. If Molly had told him anywhere else, Coven would have laughed, disregarded it completely, and moved on. But they were here...and he felt the difference before she'd even said anything.

Eventually, Coven looked back at Molly, and though his face was still austere as it had been as he tried to put all this together, a softer acceptance was breaking through, too. "I think you need to clue me in to what exactly happened here," he responded, curious now and eager to learn more.

Molly's ears flattened slightly at his initial expression. It was clear that he thought the whole idea was crazy, or at least he wanted to think that. But soon his expression softened, and when he spoke, she smiled. She slowly got to her feet, looking up at him and flattening her ears with a soft smile as she tried to figure out where to begin. "Walk with me." She said softly, her voice barely above a whisper as she moved slowly into the meadow. The snow wasn't as deep here, so she didn't need to leap or bound through it, and she could walk slowly with the black male at her side.

"When Blitz first came to Silverlight, the lands were desolate, dying and almost impossibly empty." She began, looking around at the meadow as she spoke. "He had wanted to leave, to move on to more plentiful and thriving lands, but there was a feeling that overcame him, similar to the one I believe you have now." She said, looking up at Coven with a curious, but knowing look, before looking back at the snowy meadow. "So he wandered further into the lands, trying to figure out what that feeling was, and why it wouldn't go away. As he got further and further into the lands, he came upon this meadow, what we now call the Moonlight Meadow." She said, looking up at the sky as it was beginning to grow darker, the sun starting to set and casting a beautiful array of colors across the sky.

"When he entered the meadow, it seemed empty, but when he neared the center, he spotted a small bundle of fur curled up into a ball. When he got closer, it soon became apparent that it was a wolf pup. But he couldn't have ever guessed what would happen next." She said, glancing up at Coven with a soft smile. "The pup lifted it's head and began to speak to Blitz, although it's mouth did not move, nor was it's voice that of a young pup's. It was the first spirit of Silverlight." She said, looking up at the black wolf for his reaction before continuing. "The pup told him that Silverlight was dying, and in desperate need of his help. The spirit asked him to be the guardian of the lands, to help bring the rest of the spirits back to Silverlight, and bring it back to life." She said, coming to a stop in the center of the meadow, where the pup had been the first night Blitz had entered the lands. "Obviously he accepted, and ever since, he's been doing his best to keep the lands, and the pack, alive and thriving. And it hasn't been easy, as I know you've already discovered, since you had to help nurse me back to health." She said, sitting down and looking back up at the sky as she let the story sink in.

The black wolf obeyed Molly and stepped beside her, watching her as they walked and as she recounted the story. He did understand the feeling Molly mentioned, though he knew for a fact that whatever Blitz felt was a thousand times stronger than how Coven felt it. That made a lot of sense, though, and Blitz fit perfectly the description of "Guardian of the Spirit-land." When Molly got to the part about the actual spirits, Coven's face gave away his complete surprise. That's not the kind of spirit he'd been imagining as they'd walked. His spirits were shadowy, very little substance, and mute. The pup description blew all of those out of the water.

When the wolfess finished the tale, Coven sat down silently and looked off at the meadow surrounding them. The snow was pink and orange, reflecting the hues of the sunset, and in that light, with the story and feeling to back it up, the black wolf had no problem believing that this place was special. His eyes still on the slowly sinking sun, he finally said, "It's really strange to believe this all, but I do, I think. There's always been something kind of different about this place..." Smiling finally, Coven looked down at Molly. "Thanks for showing me all of this; I'm glad to know. And this place is beautiful anyway, spirits or not."

Molly couldn't help but smile when Coven finally spoke and smiled down at her. He was right, either way, it was beautiful, and although she wanted to look back up at the colorful sky, she couldn't seem to tear her eyes from his. She continued to smile, not even noticing when the sun sank and the stars littered the sky. Now her eyes shone with the glittering light from the stars and moon, the snow around them sparkling beautifully as they sat there alone in the meadow. She didn't know what it was about this place, but it seemed to change Coven. Maybe not who he was, nor his personality or appearance, just how she viewed him. She didn't understand it in the slightest, but she could already tell that she liked the feeling. After a few moments she realized she was staring, and she looked away, averting her gaze to the shimmering stars, only making her eyes shine even more.

Coven had ended up staring softly at Molly as well, but he kept his eyes on her even as she looked away. How lucky was he that his best friend in the pack at the moment was a healer, so kind, so knowledgeable, and so pretty on top of that. After another moment of taking Molly in, smiling with the kind of peace that could only come in a place like this, the black wolf turned his gaze to the skies as well. He loved the night, everything about it. Like Molly and snow, Coven easily disappeared into the darkness, whereas in snow he was hard to miss. He couldn't help but enjoy that kind of power.

Laughing at himself, the wolf forgot everything else and just focused on the stars, Molly, and the meadow for as long as he could. Eventually, Coven remarked with a sigh, "I wish we could stay out here forever, but I think it may possibly be time to go back...you've got to be starving," he finished, looking down at the white wolfess worriedly. How was it they'd been out all day?

Molly smiled as she felt his gaze on her, but when he finally spoke, she glanced up at him. He looked worried, and she smiled and nudged his shoulder gently. "I'm doing fine, but I suppose a meal wouldn't hurt." She said soflty, smiling softly up at him and turning back towards the dens. She started to walk slowly, her tail swaying gently behind her as she left the beautiful meadow and made her way back home. She kept her pace slow, dreading leaving the meadow, but knowing that it would still be there the next day. Soon they neared the dens, and she turned slowly to the path that led to the storage den. She stopped at the entrance, glancing back at Coven slightly before entering.

Coven smiled a little as Molly reassured him, and the two left the meadow reverently and silently. He knew she was feeling just as reluctant to leave as he, by the pace she chose, but it was true that they could always come back.

The black wolf pricked his ears as they entered the den area and sniffed the air as Molly led them to the storage den. At the entrance, he paused and glanced around searchingly, having immediately picked up the scent of new males and wondering if they were invited or not. They had to be, this deep inside the territory, but this was going to bug him until he found out for sure.

Reluctantly, he quit looking and followed the female into the storage den. He grabbed the first thing that touched his feet - a hare - and waited for Molly, wondering as he once again gazed out into the dark whether he should go check on Chaos and her wounds. She was still healing, as was he, and would need to be checked, as would Tessa probably, but it seemed the two black wolves had passed a point of no return as far as toleration went. He pretty much failed at this job, and still couldn't help speculating hopefully when the head header would be well enough to handle things on her own again.

Molly was silent as she and Coven made their way to the storage den, and when they entered, she took her time choosing a meal that would satisfy her and taste good at the same time. When she grabbed a chunk of deer meat and turned around to face him, she tilted her head to the side curiously. He seemed distracted, and almost worried, which unsettled her. She approached him slowly, nudging his shoulder and looking up at him. "Is everything alright, Coven? You seem a bit distracted." She said softly, the meat at her feet as she looked up at him. She knew there were things to get done, like checking on Tessa and Chaos, but there seemed to be something else bothering him. And it frustrated her that she couldn't figure out what it was.

She wished that he would be more open with her, but apparently he still didn't feel that comfortable around her. She sighed softly, nudging his shoulder again and looking down at the meat at her feet. "Don't worry, whatever it is. The world isn't going to end tonight, I promise." She said softly, and although the words were teasing, the tone of her voice clearly showed that she wanted to know more and that she was frustrated and even a little worried about him and his worrying. Ironic, huh? But as she picked up the meat, she exited the den, heading over to her own den and entering, laying down and beginning to eat. She assumed he would follow, and if he didn't, she'd look for him after she ate. But then again, she should check on Chaos and Tessa soon.

With Molly's nudge, Coven returned to her and the storage den. Looking down at her, he shook his head and mustered a small smile, replying, "I think so; there's just a lot of work to catch up on, and there are definitely new wolves around here somewhere..." That didn't really cover all he was worried and anxious about, though it was what had started his last train of thought. It was hard to admit he hated being such a failure at this job, but it would feel even worse to outright tell Molly that he was eager to leave, even though he'd just be giving her full management of her job again anyway.

He picked up the hare and followed Molly back to her den, stopping along the way to memorize the new scents all over the area, meanwhile now feeling a little guilty and a little pleased about Molly's worrying. Firstly, he didn't want Molly to be worried or frustrated - Coven was still trying to understand why he'd detected that tone in her voice - but he also was glad she cared. It was nice to know.

The wolf entered Molly's den and lay down beside her with the hare between his paws. He just sat and watched her eat for a little bit before beginning himself. He'd been trying to judge just how hungry she had been, but she fortunately didn't seem as ravenous as she'd been the past few days. Grateful for his luck in not killing her by letting her stay out all day with his lax care-taking skills, Coven could eat in peace, picking his bones clean and beginning to chew the little ones to bits. Suddenly, he lifted his head and fixed his eyes seriously down at Molly. "Ok, I have to tell you, Molly," he began decidedly, eyes fierce and sombre, "I am feeling way to energetic right now to not kill Chaos if she even tries to growl at me. I hate to make you do this, again, but there's no way I can check on her tonight."

Molly frowned as he spoke, knowing instantly that he wasn't telling her the whole truth. It upset her and frustrated her that he wasn't being completely honest, but she let it go. She didn't want him to get worried that she was worrying. It was a strange circle that she didn't want to get stuck in. Finally he followed her into the den, and she glanced up at him, eating her food slowly, showing that she was perfectly fine, even after being out all day. When he turned and spoke to her about Chaos, very seriously, she stared at him for a moment, completely silent. And then, she couldn't help it, but she laughed. "Coven, don't worry about it. I'm a big girl, I'll be fine." She said, turning and finishing her meal. "Plus, it's my job anyways, not yours." She added, not bothering to look up this time. She was still obviously on edge and seemingly upset, confused and frustrated, but she was honest when she said she didn't mind.

"I hear she's been tormenting newcomers anyways. That'll have wasted some of her energy." She added, picking the last few bits of meat of the bones of her meal before casting them aside. Then she licked her lips, stretching out on her side, turned so that she was not at all touching Coven, which after the past few days, was very strange. She laid there silently, staring at the wall and mentally preparing herself to confront the head warrior.

His ears held back slightly, the black wolf looked at Molly's back for a few moments, confused as to why she was so unhappy. By the way she'd responded about Chaos, he was positive that was not what was troubling her - which he was glad about - but it meant there was something else. Thinking back on everything, retracing his steps and her reactions, he came to the conclusion that it went back to the worrying thing, though now it was kind of an angry thing. Frowning, the male couldn't believe that was it.

Sighing, because he couldn't take the barrier she'd physically placed between them, Coven tried to figure out how to confront her about this. He wasn't used to caring enough to ask, and he wasn't even sure what he even wanted to know. Staying where he was, tensed up from her strange behavior, the wolf simply asked, "Molly?" It was an almost hopeless question, stating as much as Coven ever could out loud that he had no clue what was going on or what she wanted or what he needed to do, and pretty much was a desperate plea for her just look at him. He hated this kind of communication.

Molly laid there for several moments, listening to his breathing and sensing his confusion and frustration. Good, at least she wasn't the only one confused or frustrated. But when he said her name, she sighed softly, turning her head and lifting it to look back at him. She didn't say anything, but simply looked at him, her eyes locking on his face and surprising her by growing seemingly entranced by what they saw. Yes, it was still the same Coven, but when she looked up into his eyes, it was obvious that he cared, that he wanted her to be happy, and that there really was a hint of a soft-hearted wolf beneath all that rough, scarred exterior.

She stared up into his eyes, perplexed at what she saw, almost forgetting what she was upset about in the first place. What was happening? She remained silent and still, watching him as if waiting for him to say something, although in all reality she probably wouldn't have noticed or understood, had he said anything at all.

Coven was filled with relief when Molly turned back to look at him. She didn't look angry, and he took it as a sign that she didn't hate him, a fact that uncharacteristically mattered to him. But even though she didn't look angry, her gaze confused him - yet again - such that he just blinked for a few seconds, tail twitching warily, before he realized that he was supposed to say something.

Since he was convinced the solution to this problem would be to reassure Molly that he wasn't actually worrying about anything important, just wondering, really, Coven's plan had been to go ahead and do just that. Reassure her and get their relationship back to normal. The wolfess' gaze was so abnormal and unreadable to him, though, that he had to know what she was thinking - it wasn't the same look in the storage den, it wasn't the same look before she'd turned away just a minute ago, and Coven broke down and finally asked, flicking his ears back uncertainly, "What?"

Molly continued to stare at him as he looked down at her, and he looked very confused. The fact that he seemed so concerened and worried only made her fall further into her thoughts. Why did he care so much? And why did she like that he cared so much? She tilted her head slightly to the side, her mouth slightly open as he looked almost as confused as she felt. When he finally spoke, she blinked up at him, as if she hadn't realized that she had been staring for so long. After he spoke, she rolled over to face him, still laying, but no longer turning her head around to look up at him. She lifted her chin, looking up at him curiously, their bodies much closer than before. "I....I'm not sure." She said, her voice barely above a whisper and just as confused as she assumed he felt. "It's just that...no one has actually cared about me this much before. And don't deny it, I can see it in your eyes." She said, tilting her head to the side curiously and staring up into his eyes. She took a deep breath, blinking as if it would help her understand what was happening. "But my question is, why?" She asked, tilting her head to the side a bit more, so that her ear flopped over slightly, although she hardly noticed.

Well of course he cared about her! Didn't he tell her all the time? By how long he'd stuck out this position in order to help her out, yes, that counted as telling her all the time. It was definitely past proving himself to Blitz now. It wouldn't even have crossed his mind to deny the obvious, at least this time. As to why, though...the wolf had to think about that for a second. If the unanticipated importance Molly was hefting onto this subject wasn't so prominent, Coven would have laughed at her funny posture. It was very un-Molly-like, and yet retained her sweetness.

Coven had thought about this before, and he didn't really know why. He'd never really gotten into such a good friendship with anyone before, and it was for good reason. Molly was better than him in so many ways; maybe that's what it was. She was kind and knowledgeable and pretty and caring...

"Why shouldn't I?" Coven responded, lifting his ears. After thinking that all through, why shouldn't anyone care so much about Molly? She was wonderful. The best friend he'd ever had at least, and one of the few wolves to ever care for him, probably one of the few that could (he'd never seen another wolf so skilled with herbs). The black wolf stared at her for another second, tilting his own head just slightly, and asked just as curiously as she had, "Why do you care that I care?" This whole conversation was beginning to border on ridiculousness, and the feeling of confusion despite all this talking was maddening. How had they started talking about this again?

Molly couldn't help but roll her eyes and narrow them with a slight smile when he asked 'why not'. That wasn't an acceptable answer, but she let it go. When he asked her a question of why she cared that he cared, she frowned. She wasn't exactly sure, and she looked down at her paws for a moment as she thought, then looked back up at him slowly. "I've had friends before, but they never stuck around for long. I grew up in a pack where the males were in charge, and there wasn't time for one-on-one interraction with anyone. That is, unless you got into trouble. It was the responsibility of the females to take care of the sick and injured. There were really no friendships or relationships with the males, only servitued I suppose. So it really does matter to me that you have stuck around, even though I know you hate it." She said softly, looking away from him as she finished speaking. Soon enough he'd be done taking care of her and he'd disappear with the other warriors and she'd be left alone again.

Her ears flicked backwards as she turned away again, resting her head on her paws as she thought about how little time there was before she healed completely and he left. Sure, they'd both still be part of the pack, but unless he got hurt, she'd probably not see much of him. It just wouldn't feel right, she had gotten so used to him being there all the time, she didn't know what would happen when she got better. It upset her just to think about it.

Coven couldn't help but smile, partially because he was relieved that he understood completely what Molly was saying - no mystery there - and partially because what she said about him hating this job was true and partially because something about the way she spoke just made him smile. Reaching out, the wolf licked at one of Molly's lowered ears. "I hope you know that what I hate is my ineptitude at this job, and the fact that I don't get to travel or use my teeth," he told the back of her head. "The only reason I stick around is because of you, and I don't think that's going to change, Molly. I don't want to lose our friendship, no matter what, so I'll be sticking around for as long as I'm here...just not full-time." 'Better not be full time...' he thought quickly, hoping Blitz was as kind as he'd shown himself to be.

Molly's ear twitched slightly as he licked it, and when he spoke of not disappearing completely, she glanced back at him slightly. She wasn't sure what to say, but it was obvious that she was satisfied with what he had said. "Good." She finally managed to mumble, turning to face him again, curling up against his side. "It's going to feel weird to not have a warm body to curl up against once you move back to the warrior's den." She said softly, nuzzling into his fur and sighing softly, enjoying the scent as she closed her eyes and listened to his breathing.

It would feel strange, and she figured she'd have plenty of cold nights alone once he left. But she hoped she'd at least get to see him every once in a while. She knew he'd have responsibilities, and she would never ask him to stop doing what he loved for her, but she was most likely going to still be confined to the dens, as per her job. She had never resented that until now.

The black wolf sighed contentedly as Molly moved in comfortably next to him. He wrapped himself around her and licked the fluff of her neck softly. "Sorry about that," he murmured, thinking about it now as well. It would be strange to not have the white wolfess next to him at night any more - that had been how he'd slept every night since he'd joined the pack, whether in his den or in hers, it had ended up that way. They'd both been fine until then; it was weird how what was normal had so dramatically shifted.

"Do you think it'd be horrible if I came and visited once in a while?" There seemed to be a lot of den-switching going on anyway, and he didn't care. If Molly didn't care, either, he'd make it happen. They'd have a lot more to update each other on, anyway, if they weren't living side-by-side the entire day. Even if just to drop by and chat for a while, there was so much time in the night that it would be able to happen often enough.