Hiding from the pack (Jenn)

Just as he let himself relax and try to sort things out, Fallon approached him and started babbling. It took him a few moments to sit up and try to keep up with her words, but finally, he just gave up. Damn, this female talked fast. "Uh, I'm Karbon. I was attacked by Coven, not a rogue." He said, glancing over at the other black male who was now speaking to Molly again. Then he looked back at Fallon and tried to smile. "I'm sorry, I couldn't keep up with anything you were saying." He said, his ears flattening to the side almost apologetically. He usually didn't get along with others, but right now, he was far too confused and disoriented to be his normal self. Plus, there was something about this female that pushed him off balance, yet he couldn't quite get a hold on what it was. Maybe it was her energy and rambling.

Chaos lifted her head and growled at warning in Eve's direction as the old wolf entered her den. "What do you want?" She demanded, remaining laying in the back of her den where she had been when the other female entered. Was this wolf suicidal? She was very on edge right now, and if Eve made one wrong move, said one wrong thing, she would snap and probably accidentally kill her. That wouldn't go over well with Blitz or the pack. For some reason they all seemed to love the crazy old female.

Molly was surprised when Coven apologized as well. What was he sorry about? She had been the one in the wrong. As he spoke again, saying he didn't know what to say, she decided that she'd talk instead. "No, seriously, I am sorry. I shouldn't have taken off like that...twice." She said, looking down at her paws and frowning as she spoke. "I wanted to get away from the pack, but I didn't mean to leave you behind. I really missed you out there, Coven." She said softly, wanting to approach him but not sure if she should. So she stayed where she was, wincing slightly as a slight pain shot through her shoulder as she shifted her weight. She finally sighed softly, feeling a bit too weak for comfort, and sank down into a laying position in front of him, still a few feet away. "I promise not to leave again. Even if the pack gets to be too much for me." She said, her voice a bit more airy as she rested her head on her paws and closed her eyes slowly. That promise was a difficult one to make, because she wasn't completely positive that she could keep it. "Oh, and I'm sorry for not keeping up on my side of our agreement. I'm so damn stubborn. I'm working on it, I really am. But I failed this time, and I'm sorry." She said, finally finishing her apologies, at least for now.

"Karbon?" Fallon repeated, to remember the name. At the clarification that it was Coven, not an outsider, who'd gotten into it with Karbon, the hunter only sighed and shook her head, realizing her mistake. For the most part, she trusted that Coven had better reasons than Chaos usually did for attacking, though, so if Karbon was alright, then she was ready to move on.

At Karbon's comment about not keeping up, Fallon just shook her head and smiled. "No, you answered two questions. Way to go! Though I'm not sure anyone's ever had a hard time keeping up before...did you get knocked in the head? Look at me in the eyes; perhaps you have a concussion." He seemed fine, though the wolfess was still mystified at how he'd missed some of what she was saying. Perhaps he was just a little slower than most. She wouldn't hold it against him. But perhaps it would be best to give him a head start on getting to know the den area, just so he wouldn't get lost. Hopping back and pricking her ears invitingly, Fallon asked, "Are you hungry? We have a storage den right over here."

Settling down, breathing a little ragged just from the short trip over here, Eve answered, "Well, I was interested in learning why you ran so quickly from your pup. Surely you are happier than you seem to be..."

Coven stayed still and listened to Molly apologize in silence. Now that she was talking, there was much he wanted to interject, to assure her that he understood his fault in this, too, even if it was simply his insensitivity, but it seemed right to just let her get out what she wanted to say. It was like a mountain had been lifted from his shoulders and his heart when Molly so openly expressed that she didn't actually hate him, that she hadn't been trying to push him away. He'd done the exact same thing, so making sure that Molly knew he was in the same boat, Coven replied softly, shaking his head on his paws, "I'm sorry for my stubbornness as well. I know I'm not without fault here...thanks for being the one to get over it first, though. That is something I must get down, someday." Rising to sitting position, the black male sighed. "I've missed you, too. I'm sorry I've been such a...well, you know better than me, actually. Fill that in however you want. As for the pack..." He shifted his eyes to Fallon and Karbon, the only two wolves left, and shrugged, "I guess we're back to the beginning here. I don't want you to feel this way, so stressed and burdened, but I don't know how to fix it." This time, he wasn't going to offer suggestions. Molly could try, and then they'd eke out a solution from there. Exhausted from being angry, and still slightly detached from the events that day, Coven shut his eyes and stayed in the darkness for a brief moment before reaching down to lick Molly's ear gently, a final apology and acknowledgement that she surely could decide for herself what to do...though Coven wouldn't deny that some of his insight was more experienced and level-headed than her hyper-emotion-driven ones.

Karbon frowned at her as she insulted him, not sure if she meant to or not. But he kept his mouth shut, deciding it was better not to get in any more fights with pack members. When she hopped back and told him about the storage den, he scowled at her slightly. "I don't think that's a good idea right now. I haven't been accepted into the pack." He said, tilting his head slightly and frowning at her once more. How did she have so much energy? "I'm waiting for your alpha." He added, looking around and wishing the wolf would just appear so they could get the acceptance over with.

Chaos's eyes widened at Eve's words. "I..uh..." Damn, she was surprised that the old female had picked up on that. "He hasn't been mine for a long time." She said, looking away from the other female and into the darkness of the den. She wanted to talk to him, wanted to tell him who she was, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It would destroy his view of the wolves he thougth were his parents, and she didn't want to do that to him. She hated almost every wolf on the planet, but this one, this wolf she actually cared about. It was her son, how could she not?

Molly sighed softly as he spoke, knowing that their problems with the pack would likely never be solved. But she was glad that they were speaking again, and as he licked her ear, she slowly, and painfully rose to move over to his side, where she slowly sank back down into a laying position. The dressings on her wounds were getting stiff and painful, but she'd live. She was just happy to be with him again, without either of them being pissed off. She never stopped missing him while she had been away, and every time that he was mad at her, it was like she felt a piece of herself was missing, out of place. Nothing felt right. She eventually closed her eyes, sighing softly as she leaned against him, her head throbbing and her body shaking slightly from the discomfort of her shoulder and the dressing. It had been difficult to dress the shoulder herself, since she could barely reach it, so it was messily done, but done well enough to work. But still, the fact that it wasn't done well made it uncomfortable and painful. Oh well, at least she'd heal, right?

Frowning at Karbon's hesitance, Fallon tilted her head and shifted her gaze behind him to where Blitz had left to patrol earlier. "Fine," she concluded, making eye contact again with the black male. Blitz was going to take forever, as far as she was concerned, and who knew where Pravin was? So the female turned around and trotted to the storage den. A moment later, she returned with a small rabbit dangling from her jaws, and she let it fall at Karbon's feet. "There. Now no one can object. It's a gift." Sitting down and motioning for the young wolf to eat, Fallon continued, "It really wouldn't have been a big deal for you to come along. Blitz is a really generous guys. Plus, with your...condition...it would be best if you got exploring as soon as possible, especially while I'm free to help you out. I guess you've got the healer's den down...can you point it out to me, just to make sure? And then the storage den next."

Eve laid her head on her paws, neck crackling softly, and smiled at Chaos's response. That Karbon was Chaos' son had been obvious, to the right wolf. That Chaos cared for him as a son, that wasn't so obvious, especially considering this was, well, Chaos! The tone the head warrior took when speaking about Karbon now, wistful and unsure at the same time, aired the black female's feelings clearly enough for a fellow mother to read. "He has always been yours, if you have always cared for it to be so," the wolfess said softly, as if to the den walls, neither to Chaos nor herself. She wasn't interested in prying into the history of Chaos and this child - she was no Fallon busy-body - but this was the first time Chaos seemed to want something good, and Eve believed she should pursue it. She related this gently to Chaos, right before closing her eyes and dozing off.

((Eve continued here: ))

As Molly lay next to him, the black wolf licked slowly at the bite marks bloodying her muzzle. They weren't bad, but crazy Chaos had punctured the skin. Coven only glanced over the other wounds in order to add up damage Chaos had done that he'd possibly pay her back for, but the job Molly had done by herself was better than he'd been able to do even on his best day, so offering to help with that would be worthless.

"So, Molly...this is really bad timing, but how well do you deal with pups?" he asked, pausing his cleaning of her wounds to speak, "Because we've been kicked out of our den until Tessa's little darlings un-rig their traps and let us back in...I'm not up for finding out on my own what they've come up with this time."

Karbon watched her curiously as she left him and entered the storage den, returning to drop food at his feet. He had to say, he was grateful for it, and he lowered his head to eat it as she quizzed him. "The healer's den is over there..." He said, nodding to the proper den, "You just came from the storage den over there..." he said, nodding to the storage den as well. He wasn't an idiot, and he picked up on things rather quickly, when he could keep up with what she was saying. He was a male, after all and she was, well, crazy. He looked back up at her as he finished eating, licking his lips and nodding thankfully. "Thank you for that." He said, nosing the bones away for later disposal.

Chaos frowned as Eve spoke, listening silently before looking over at the other female. Great, now she had an old sleeping wolf in her den. She sighed softly, getting to her feet and stepping around the other wolf. She wanted to be alone, and with the old thing in her doorway, she'd never get any peace. She carefully stepped over the other wolf, exiting her den and skirting around it to get out of the den area before anyone noticed. She'd deal with Karbon later.

Molly kept her eyes closed as Coven licked her muzzle, his tongue soothing the painful marks as he did so. When he spoke about pups, however, she looked up at him curiously. But when he continued, she understood where he was going with it. "Uh, I'm assuming you're talking about Bleu? I'm afraid that I don't know how to handle her. I don't think anyone does. I bet you I could figure out what she's done to the den, though." She said softly, shifting to rest her head on his paws as she talked, her eyes closing slowly once more.

"Ah, great. You got 'em both," praised Fallon, genuinely relieved that brain-damaged Karbon was retaining this all so well. As the black wolf finished his meal, Fallon lifted her head impatiently and howled out for Blitz or Pravin. After, the female graciously accepted Karbon's thanks and then lay down, wriggling around until she was comfortable. For now, she'd remembered to speak slowly for him, so she stated her first question, "While we wait for those slow-pokes, why don't you tell me where you come from? How old are you? How long have you been on your own? What position do you want in the pack?" Ooh... time to stop; the questions were veering a bit.

If there was anything that could so quickly lighten Coven's mood, it was the face Molly made at his question. He was still smiling a little as she finished speaking. "Well, you're braver than me on that one...when it comes to Bleu, I'd rather just back off than risk getting set on fire, or something. I think she's going to be the craziest one in this pack...and that's saying a lot, considering the competition." As he spoke, the wolf placed his muzzle on Molly's neck, his half-restrained laugh at the end becoming muffled in her fur. Closing his eyes, Coven relaxed and dug his nose deeper into the white fur, relishing the feel of it sweeping against him. Yes, three days had been too long...it was almost impossible to believe that much of that time void had been his fault.

Karbon resisted the urge to roll his eyes and growl at her praise, hating that she made him feel like a pup when she spoke. But he got over it quickly, watching her lay down and squirm until she got comfortable. He prefered to sit, which he continued to do as she began questioning him again. Damn, did she ever run out of questions to ask? "I come from a small pack a long way away from here. I'm 2 years old. I've been on my own for about a year and a half now. I think I'd make a fine warrior." He said, answering all of her questions in fragments rather than in proper sentences. He didn't care that much about articulating and speaking properly, just as long as the information got out there and was understood, he could care less.

Molly frowned at his laughter, rolling her eyes as he teased her and dug his nose into her fur. She liked how he did that, it always felt nice to her, and she loved the contact. "Well, how about I give the little brat a run for her money when I heal up?" She said, joking of course. There was no way she was going to compete with a pup when it came to craziness. Plus, it wouldn't be fair to Bleu when Molly won. She herself laughed softly at the thought, nipping Coven's paw gently as punishment for his teasing. Yeah, he drove her crazy, but she was happy to be with him again.

Pravin had been wandering the pack borders when he heard the call for Blitz. Except it was not a pack voice, it made him curious. Ears perked up, he figured that he should check it out. But he never got to it, getting occupied by an adventurous lynx who dared to leave the inner mountains. It left the beta with a few extra marks and scratches, but that was fine with him. He knew they would heal, and if they got bad, he could find Molly or Rayne or someone. He was cleaning himself up when he heard a snarl not too far away. His ears perked up again, as he ran to the source of the sound. It was a little difficult, finding his balance with a lame leg.

By the time he got to where the snarl had come from, there was some drops of blood on the ground. A faint scent of both Molly, Fallon, and Chaos was near. What the hell? Pravin thought in his head. All scents followed back to the dens, and the beta began to head there as another howl echoed. This time it was Fallon's voice calling for either Alpha or Beta. He walked into the clearing; there was Coven and Molly. Molly had returned from an unannounced absence. There was Chaos, attempting to leave the area. Pravin made a note to talk to her later. And there was Fallon, with a strangely familiar black wolf. That was probably why Blitz and Pravin were called here; to encounter this loner. He gave a proper nod in greeting to everyone.

Approaching the new loner, he gave his usual welcoming to loners. "Hello. I am Pravin, named Beta of Silverlight. I see you've met Fallon." The beta made sure to note the very recent injuries to the loner. He'd ask about that later. He had walked into the conversation as the loner had said he would make a fine warrior. Pravin didn't doubt that.

As Karbon talked, Fallon did some simple math in her head. Simple, but disturbing. "You're two years old...and you've been on your own for a year and a half?" she repeated, ears pricked in disbelief. "You've been on your own since you really were a pup? That can't be...what happened?" she breathed, engrossed in the wonder of this tale. It was hard to believe, and Fallon was partially waiting to be told she had misheard.

With a displeased frown, the female looked up at the tall figure of Pravin, interrupting at precisely the wrong moment. After all that waiting, they couldn't have had one minute more? Oh well. Out of the corner of her eye, Fallon watched Karbon, awaiting his acceptance into the pack. They'd finish this conversation later.

"I'm fine with your normal craziness. Don't feel obliged to step up your game on account of Bleu. We both know you could crush her...but since we're working on that stubborn 'I've got to win' problem, you don't have to go proving it. Bleu might end up traumatized..." He nipped her ear in return and moved his paw protectively out from under her head before pricking his ears at Pravin's approach. Looked like the pack would be getting a new member. With one ear tilted toward the trio of wolves, Coven turned the rest of his attention back to Molly, licking her muzzle once and then resting his head over her neck. "Looks like Pravin will be needing you sometime soon. I promise, those marks aren't mine." Everyone in this pack was starting to look quite shredded...

Karbon's ears flattened slightly as Fallon questioned him, opening his mouth to speak but shutting it quickly as another male approached and spoke directly to him. He lowered his head slightly in respect, glancing over at Fallon as the male, Pravin, mentioned her. "I'm Karbon. Seeking acceptance into your pack." He said, looking up at the other male hopefully. He kept quiet now, waiting for the beta to speak. This male was fairly large, and he seemed to fit the perfect mold for a beta, at least in Karbon's opinion. Unlike his mother, he didn't hate all of their kind, just most of it. But then again, it wouldn't be in his best interest to hate anyone here just yet.

Molly frowned and growled playfully as he teased her, shaking her head as he nipped at her ear and making a mental note to get back at him later for his words. But right now her attention was turned towards the group not too far away as Pravin approached and spoke to Karbon. When Coven spoke to her again, her ear flicked in his direction but she was too busy scanning over Pravin's injuries to speak in response.

((Blitz and Terah Continued from here: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t138p15-finishing-the-descent#2303))

Blitz approached the group quickly after scenting Molly's blood where Chaos had tackled her. When he was greeted with the sight of a new male and the other wolves scattered around nearby, he came up beside Pravin and nudged his shoulder affectionately before looking over at Karbon. He had just caught the wolf's name, nodding his head slightly. "And I'm Blitzen, Alpha male." He said simply, tilting his head slightly as he examined the wolf's wounds, then glanced over at Coven. These had the black male's name written all over them, but he soon looked back at Karbon and let it go. There was something about this male that intruiged him, but he couldn't quite place it yet. He'd be sure to figure it out soon, though.

21 wolves in this one pack?! Terah was astonished when Blitz told her. It was quite a large pack, it was a wonder there were two sets of pups that needed taking care of. She was excited to meet the pack and the pups as Blitz led her to the dens area. There was a good number of wolves there, and there seemed to be another loner. This pack must be really lenient, if they allowed a loner to the very center of their lives. Terah stayed on the edge of the clearings as Blitz went to nudge another large wolf. That must be the beta. He's very scarred, isn't he? She thought in her head. He looked very much like an old warrior in her pack. But that must have been impossible! She shook the idea away.

When Blitz came to nudge his shoulder, Pravin gave the alpha a nod and a glance, soon returning his gaze to the loner. There was something he didn't trust about the black wolf. Well, there was always something he didn't trust in wolves, but there was something extra. Something different in this black wolf. "Karbon, you say? Acceptance is okay with me. Now it's up to the alpha." Pravin made a note to keep an eye on this black stranger. If he didn't anything out of line, Pravin would be there. But the beta was like that with every loner who came by.

Pravin turned to look at who was in the dens area now. The same as before, except Chaos had left. But there was another wolf. Another similar wolf. But this time, Pravin thought he actually knew her. He tilted his head, "Blitz, who is that back there?" he asked quietly.

Blitz studied Karbon silently for a minute, finally smiling slightly and nodding. "I agree with Pravin's conclusion. You look like you'd make a good warrior. What do you say?" He asked, assuming, by the way that he was already covered in wounds from a fight - likely with a pack member whom he assumed to be Coven since Chaos had run off almost right away - he thought he'd make a fine warrior. Especially if he could hold his own against the large black male who was now over beside Molly. Then he turned to Pravin, smiling at his words. "This is Terah, our newest pup sitter and pack member." He said, moving slightly so she could introduce herself to those present.

Karbon was surprised when the beta offered acceptance, but lowered his head even more as the alpha appeared and spoke. He looked hopefully up at the large white male, sighing in relief as Blitz smiled slightly. It was obvious that this pack was welcoming to loners, and he looked over at the female that the alpha had in tow, assuming she was new as well, since her scent was different than that of the other pack members. When he was accepted, he smiled, wagging his tail gratefully and nodding in acceptance of the position. He glanced over at Fallon, who was watching intently, wondering what was going through her head right now.

As she relaxed beside Coven, the white female let her mind wander while she watched the group in front of them. She had been so lonely in the short time she had been away, but not because she had been apart from the pack. It was because she had been away from Coven. She had really grown attached to the large black male, and she was amazed that it had happened this way. But there was still a gap between them, words that she wanted to say, questions that she wanted to ask, but feared that he wasn't ready. It wasn't really that long ago that he had wanted to leave her altogether, she didn't want to scare him off. But she wanted desperately to say something. His earlier mention of pups had confused her, because she was almost positive that wasn't what he wanted. He had seemed rather amused by her response, which had only embarassed her. Now she laid silently beside him, her head on her own paws now as she continued to drift through her own thoughts.

Another new pack member? Fallon was about to die of excitement. Tongue lolling out of her mouth, the female wriggled with the movement of her wagging tail, taking in Terah and Karbon both. Two new members! No hunters for her, but that was alright. The pack was in serious need of warriors anyway, and even though Karbon was quite young, it was easy to see what great potential he had. As for Terah, Fallon loved her so much already. The new wolfess looked kind and happy - traits Fallon admired and responded to exuberantly.

Stepping up to Pravin's side to get a closer look at Terah, the head hunter smiled and wagged her tail in greeting. It would not be a bad idea to become quick friends with this new pup-sitter, considering the pups had taken a liking to targeting Fallon for their pranks, and that was getting old quickly.

Coven watched with mild interest as yet another new member was introduced. He couldn't help frowning at the thought that this was just another body to get lost in the throng of wolves now occupying Silverlight. But if Terah - as well as Karbon - proved to be loyal, the numbers would at least help deter most threats from the growing number of loners Coven was increasingly scenting at the borders. "Loners" was a term the warrior wasn't comfortable using for them anymore. That word meant they were alone, one vs. the world. That didn't seem to be the case anymore, and that was what was so disconcerting about the situation.

Pulling himself out of the nightmarish speculations that were beginning to shadow his thoughts, Coven shook his head and broke the silence between him and Molly with a random observation, "Looks like we get another pup-sitter...that could end up being a good thing for us or a bad thing for her. Think she'll survive?" He chuckled darkly, imaging the pups gobbling up this newcomer.

Fallon's gaze darted to Karbon's disappearing form, and then back to Terah. What to do? She wanted to learn about this new pack member, but poor Karbon...out there alone...he could get lost...die...drown...leave...Her decision made, the female stepped away slowly from the trio of wolves, picking up her feet strenuously as if she were pulling them out of a tar pit. The need to help out the young black wolf prevailed, and soon she was shouting out over her shoulder, "I'll be back in a bit! Don't worry, I don't get lost!" Fortunately, Fallon ended up speeding up enough to get out of there before getting to see anyone's reaction to her random - to them - change of focus.

Once on the trail to the lake, the huntress picked up her speed and flew to find Karbon. Miraculously, he'd made it to the lake. Panting, Fallon stopped next to Karbon, turning her head to look at him curiously. Even she couldn't miss the air of somber contemplation surrounding him. "Um, you ok there, Karbon? Are you dehydrated? Don't worry, the this is the right spot; you can drink from here. You won't die...or at least, no one has before, so I don't think you will, but I can show you to the stream if you're really concerned. Do you like fish?"

Molly's silence had Coven pricking his ears sharply down at her, picking up finally that something was on her mind. Though he was instantly concerned and moved automatically to lick her ear in a gesture of comfort already, there was also a small echo of foreboding resounding deep inside the wolf. He never had been able to navigate well through Molly's thoughts when she got like this, and much of the time she went silent because she knew he'd disapprove of what was going on in her head. This had happened so often that there was almost a fear associated with Molly getting like this.

But Molly had just come back to him, and he wasn't going to let anything stop him from trying to resolve this...if that's what Molly wanted. That'd be a good place to start, he decided. Looking down at the top of the white wolfess' head, Coven asked softly, "What are you thinking, Molly? You can talk to me..." He was quite aware of the wolves gathered not to far away, so he kept his voice and head lowered enough for this to stay just between him and Molly.

Ears pricking in surprise at the eloquent delivery, Fallon listened to Karbon explain himself. She couldn't help voicing, "Oh, you're not? in pure surprise as the male elucidated on his mental status. The information was well-received, though: it was a big (self-induced and imaginary) burden lifted from her shoulders. She sat down and tilted her head, musing over the rest of what Karbon'd said as he drank. "Why did you want to join this pack? she asked after a moment, staring off at the glinting lake. The silence was a little too long for her to sit through patiently. Couldn't Karbon at least think out loud or something?

The male flicked his ears back, unpleasantly surprised, at Molly's words. "Terrified? he repeated, his low voice revealing how much that word shocked him. It honestly had never occurred to him how hard this rapid-like relationship was hitting Molly deep down. He should have known. Coven's life, since the beginning, had groomed him to be without fear, without ties that would make him suffer. He knew enough of Molly's life to understand, now that he thought about it, that she had been hurt before - by her former pack and leaders, by him as well - and that made her react differently than him, made her react differently to him. With a remorseful sigh, Coven realized that Molly's fears were legitimate; anything could happen. As much as he'd like to proudly argue otherwise, he couldn't promise anything about the future.

"Molly," the warrior began slowly, mulling over the way to approach this, "what do you want to have happen with 'this'?" If she was scared, it was because there was an expectation in her mind, an aim that could be undershot. That disappointment is what caused pain, which is why Coven lived in the moment as much as possible. It worked well. But he didn't want to even try to subject her to that kind of thinking: this time it would be he who sucked it up and bent for Molly. They surely could compromise on what was going on here.

Karbon frowned as she spoke, admitting that she had honestly thought he was an idiot. He shook his head, tilting it to the side slightly she questioned his reasoning for joining. He sighed softly, looking back out at the water before back up at her as he opened his mouth to speak. "Well, I've been part of many packs in my life, and in each one I've learned a valuable life lesson. I just feel like there is a lot I can learn from being here. Plus, there was just something about this place that intruiged me." He said, looking back out at the water as he let his paws dangle in it absently while he spoke. Even as he finished, he made a mental note to try and get his thoughts out faster for her, since she looked rather bored and impatient waiting for him to sort out the right words in his head before speaking.

Molly frowned as he asked her what she wanted, lifting her head slowly, obvious fear in her eyes. Not of physical harm or anything like that, but of how he would react. She didn't think he was ready for what she had to say, or for what she wanted. She was sure it would only scare him away, or at the very least, make things awkward and uncomfortable between them. She didn't know what he wanted out of this, if anything, and it left her at a loss for words to explain her desires. She opened her mouth to speak once, but then closed it again, at a loss for words, an courage to say what was on her mind.

It was then that the one thing a good friend once taught her back in her old pack came to mind. He had been her closest friend, and like a father to her in many ways. His words were something that she tried to live by, words that had gotten her through many hardships. He had told her "All it takes is 20 seconds of insane courage, and I promise you, something amazing will happen." This thought had her looking up at Coven once more, her ears flat to the sides and her eyes losing some of their fearfulness as she took a deep breath and opened her mouth once more to speak. "Coven, I love you, and I'm scared to lose you. We fight so much, and I don't even know how long we have until it happens again. But I still love you, and I don't want this to end. When you laughed at my reaction to you mentioning the pups earlier, it was as if you had read my mind. It caught me off-guard, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I want a family, Coven, I really do." She said, her eyes widening slightly as her 20 seconds of courage died down almost instantly and left her terrified again, scared half to death about how he would react. But she had been honest, and the ball was in his court now. She couldn't take her words back, but she found that she didn't want to, even though she felt like an idiot saying them. She meant them, every last word.

It kind of hurt that Molly was so fearful of telling him what was on her mind. That'd be something to work on, making it so she didn't have to worry about telling him anything. But all his own thoughts were pushed aside quickly as Molly's brown eyes brightened, steeled slightly, alerting Coven to the change occurring inside her. As the healer bore everything, the black wolf absorbed himself in her words and expression, trying to come as close as possible to understanding just what she was saying. It was a surprise in the end when no translation or interpretation of hidden signs were needed to get what Molly wanted, for her and from him. A family.

Coven's intensely focused expression softened, his ears flicking halfway back, relaxing, as he arched his neck and pressed the side of his head against the side of Molly's neck. His eyes closed for a moment, and then he raised his head to meet Molly's gaze once more. He didn't know what he was expecting her to say, but as usual, he'd jumped to the worst conclusions possible. It wasn't completely irrational.

"Ok," the wolf began his reply, still immensely relieved, but a more serious look once more dominated his gaze, "I'm going to be honest...if you want that, then I want it, too. And the idea of having a family scares me." One of the only things. He went on to explain, lowering his ears, "I've jumped packs like crazy, I've jumped relationships like crazy - and I've never loved anyone like I love you - I'm restless, I don't know if I've changed, and you know I don't particularly like pups...All I can promise you is that right now, I love you and want you more than anything else, and I don't plan to leave you. And that goes for anyone in a future family." He wanted to touch Molly, show her he was serious, but there was the worry that somehow she didn't know him as well as she thought, and all that he'd said would make her reconsider, leave. So the wolf held back, watching her closely, yet as if from afar, in case she decided loving him wasn't worth those issues after all.

His intense expression frightened her a bit, but when it softened and he pressed his face to her neck, her ears perked in confusion. What did that mean? But soon he was looking down at her again, her eyes locked on his, trying frantically to read his expression as she listened intently to his words. His first word, 'ok' knocked her off her feet (figuratively), since it was something she hadn't expected from him. She blinked up at him, her eyes confused and her ears perked hopefully as he continued. It was when he said that he wanted what she wanted that she smiled, her ears flattening slightly to the sides and her tail wagging a bit, even as he said he was scared. She licking his chin lovingly as he continued, looking up at him and keeping eye contact until he was completely finished. She found herself speechless, though, no matter how much she wanted to say something, all she could do was smile at him.

She had expected him to move away, to deny that was what he wanted, to leave her. But he had surprised her, and made her happier than she was sure she'd ever been. When he seemed to watch her closely, but with distance between them, almost as if he wasn't sure if she wanted him, she scooted closer to him, burying her face in his fur and inhaling deeply. She loved his scent, and when she felt her fur mingling with his, his body surrounding her, his scent filling her nose, the rest of the world faded away and the contact between them was all that mattered. They were the only things that mattered, the only thing that existed.

A happy, relieved smile crossed his face as Molly drew toward him. Immediately after, he stiffened with the impulse to pull away and relate to her in more detail why she should not be reacting so jubilantly. They were talking about this now, but there was so much time between now and later for Coven to just wake up one morning and walk off. He'd done it before, and even though his fear with Molly came from the fact that he didn't want to leave - at the moment - what if flaking out on families had become habitual? What if he had no control over it? What if he did have control over it and still turned out to be the cold, selfish wolf that existed when Molly hadn't been around?

On second thought, Coven decided not to mention any of that. This would go one day at a time, and for today, they could just love each other. He breathed deep and sank into Molly's fur, closing his eyes and using every other sense to take her in. There was nothing like being with this wonderful wolfess, even if she was sick and damaged pretty much every minute of her life.

She felt him stiffen, and along with that quick and faint movement, she felt her heart stop for a moment until he relaxed and sink into her fur. Was he trying to give her a heart attack? She leaned against him, curling up the best she could with her shoulder and closing her eyes as a soft, content sigh escaped her muzzle. She was happy, happier than she had been in a long time. Yes, she knew that there was the possibility that at any moment, he could leave her, break her heart and run away. But she trusted him, whether or not he trusted himself. She knew he loved her, and she loved him back. She couldn't give up on that, not ever. "I love you, Coven. And I always will." She said softly, not even sure if he could hear her because her voice was muffled from his fur.

Her friend had been right, and she really did hope that something amazing happened. All it took was her short insane bravery and here they were, lost in loving each other. This wasn't what she had expected, but she was glad that he had surprised her. Her fear melted away, for the most part, as she nestled up against him. Sure, she still had her doubts and lingering fears, but she trusted him, regardless of what happened next.

"I love you, too, Molly. Even when I'm yelling." He grinned and stroked the fur behind her head with his tongue before nestling his nose into her fur and tracing small loops deep into the softness. Moving from this spot was an unbearable thought, but Coven was still somewhat aware of the real world, and it bugged him that Blitz, Pravin, and Terah were hanging out so nearby. "So," he said finally, having pulled away to look down at Molly, "are you planning on healing up in the healer's den or ours? I'm gonna cast my vote against ours, since it's still impenetrable at the moment...pups of yours couldn't possibly be so evil, right?"

Molly smiled slightly at his words, nudging him gently and relaxing once against him. When he finally spoke again, she looked up at him, one brow raised and her head tilted slightly as she studied him for a moment. "My pups would be perfect little angels. Yours, on the other hand....." She said, trailing off and nipping his ear playfully. "Rayne has been sleeping with Blitz a lot lately, the healer's den should be a safe bet for healing." She said, licking his nose affectionately as she looked over at it. But her eyes were soon distracted by watching Blitz, wondering just why Rayne had been spending so much time with him lately. The alpha seemed to have some sort of soft spot for the white female, and it made Molly smile, glad that the alpha had someone. But soon her attention turned back to Coven as she sat up. "So, what does this make us? More than just friends?" She asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. Titles didn't really matter to her, but she was sort of curious about his opinion on it.

Coven grinned back impishly and pushed Molly's snapping jaws away with a paw. He wasn't so sure either one of them was capable of producing 'perfect little angels', though the thought of his own characteristics replicated was way worse than the thought of another Molly. Combined...now was the time to stop thinking about that horror.

As he got to his feet, the black wolf glanced over at the alpha. Rayne, huh? Wasn't Blitz a little old for that stuff? Molly's question brought Coven's gaze back to her. With a shrug, the wolf answered easily, "We've been more than friends for a long time, Molly. I think 'best friend' is a level all on it's own. Other than that, though...I have no idea." After giving the healer's ear a quick lick, the black wolf started heading slowly toward the healer's den, matching his pace with Molly's. As they walked, he looked over the wounds again, silently cursing Chaos for her insanity. If he ever did leave this pack, Chaos would probably be leaving with him.