Hazel winced as she finally pulled herself up into the treehouse. Her shoulder was sore and scraped up from the fight, she’d fallen far harder than anticipated. Even with her armor on, she’d still bruised. That, and there were still her fair share of cuts and scrapes, one of which was particularly tender. Hissing to herself as she unfastened her armor, the red and pale girl grumbled to herself as she tried to take stock of it all. “How do I know if this is infected or not?” She shouted into the bedroom, trying to take a look at a scrape on her side. There was no telling if Bas was actually home or not, Hazel just sort of assumed. She grimaced and then frowned, trying to peer at the awkward spot on her shoulder with little success. "Hazel" & "Basilisk"

Basilisk was snoring, and dreaming about - surprise, surprise - food. Tables of it. Tables bending under the weight of it. The scent of meats of every variety, from fish to fowl. So rich he could almost taste it. His mouth was watering, which meant he drooled a little too. A sudden sharp nose woke him with a start, and the image of food vanished with a wink from his thoughts. He growled softly, wiping his damp mouth with a paw and pulling himself to his paws.

Wait, what had Hazel said? Frowning, he shoved open the door and found Hazel there, looking a little worse for wear. “Give me that” He growled as he reached her and grabbed the armour with his paws, pulling it off her coat. He wasn’t a healer, but with Halo so close, he had all but been forced to learn the basics. We should clean it, to be safe. Is Halo home?” Hazel would have scented her on the way up if she was.


"Speech"

Bas tugged at her armor, successfully grabbing not just the breastplate but Hazel as well. She knocked into him before successfully shaking herself free from it. The bruising was worse than any of the actual abrasions, and she'd be sore for several days to come. That's what happens when you give it your all in a fight, she'd earned that soreness. Maybe that's why she was holding her head a bit high over the fight itself, even after the loss. "Don't tell Halo," Hazel was quick to answer. The healer had become a sort of mother to her, and for that, she'd eternally be grateful. Still, she was a worrier, and there was no telling if this would cause an overreaction or not. "I can't risk her telling me to take even more time off." Hazel's ears flattened slightly. Spending so much of the last year sidelined brought on a whole mess of not so great emotions. "We should have something to was it out with, I just can't reach." Hazel was still well within the large boy's personal space, looking up at his face a bit sheepishly. Would he be willing? Both of them, having been so close under Halo the last two years, should be more than capable of washing out the scrape... right? Even if it was a bit crusted in dirt from where she'd fallen, and had been a bit moist under the closure of her breastplate on one side. They should be fine on their own for this one. Hopefully. "Hazel" & "Basilisk"

Woops She was so little, it was easy to grab her as well as the plate. But she managed to shake herself out of it easily enough. “Alright.” He agreed they were a team, they’d never tell on each other. Ever. if she didn’t want Halo to know, she wouldn’t hear of it from him. He understood why when she explained about more time off. Yeah, she would go bat crazy if she did.

“So, you going to tell me what happened?” He asked as he grabbed some things. A bowl of water, and a moss sponge. He gently tugged Hazel until she was in an easy position for him to reach her wounds. He dipped the sponge, and leaned over her, running it through her fur. She was a sweaty mess.


"Speech"

They'd never told on each other-- it was code from minute one. They'd stuck together, and they'd stuck up for each other. Some things never changed, and Hazel would always help that was one of them. Some sort of gravity stuck them together, after all, and there was no changing it. Cut from the same cloth in more ways than either one could ever know. There's trust that hangs in the balance between them, and Hazel doesn't trust easily. Not after everything that had transpired in her two short years. This is different. She grumbled softly as Bas moved her, but sat still enough. Hazel knew better than to squirm, but at the feeling of the sponge against the raw skin and the flushing away of the dirt, she hissed between clenched teeth. "I challenged Seer for the General seat," the words were simple, without fanfare. "He beat me, I tripped in the end." Hazel had ended up off of her feet in the end, explaining just how much dirt had ended up around the wound. "He still made me a lieutenant though," there was a light dancing behind her green eyes, a spark. The fire that never went out. Hazel hadn't made her ambitions a secret, and they'd always been the same. The admission that she'd been promoted, actually saying it out loud... it felt good. Better than she'd admit. "Hazel" & "Basilisk"

He paused, surprise bringing his expression up as he paused in his work. “You did ?” He said, caught between delight for her for trying, and surprise that she hadn’t told him about it beforehand. Delight won out and he continued to hold the sponge, looking at her. Waiting to hear what had happened. He wasn’t surprised that his Uncle had beaten her - She was good, but he was the Warlord. It was how well she had conducted herself that he waited to hear. And there it was - His Uncle had made her a Lieutenant. “Congrats!” He said, meaning it. “Shit, I guess we need to break out the last bottle I’ve been hiding” He admitted, a little sheepishly. He turned back to the cut.

Finishing his work of cleaning it as quickly as he could without bringing her more pain. Once it was clean to his satisfaction he grabbed a clean piece of cloth and wrapped it around the wound. He gave her shoulder a pat for good measure. “We need to celebrate!”


"Speech"

The surprise wasn't lost on Hazel. She watched it spread across his face, followed by joy. "I uh, wasn't planning on challenging for it today, just sorta... happened," she grinned. Reckless. Relentless. Hazel was both rolled into a small package, and that was something she couldn't deny herself or anyone else. There were big things in her future, so many of them that she couldn't even begin to think about it. Maybe it was the small things, though, that she was most excited for. "You've been hiding one?" Hazel reached back to nip in the direction of her best friend's face. "Actually I'm glad you did," still grinning. It doesn't waver, and the warmth between them is immeasurable. She took the pat to the shoulder without so much as a whine, her paws tapping and excited as she put the remainder of the supplies away. "Don't think you can keep your hiding place a secret though," she teased softly. Hazel can't help herself. "Hazel" & "Basilisk"

“You just sort of happened to challenge for one of the highest ranks.” He teased her lighty. Typically Hazel, plunging right on into something. But he was proud of her too, and look at them now! Both high ranking wolves in the Armada now. How far they had come from the kids that snuck into the cellar in the Plains.

“What! Everyone needs a secret stash” He laughed. It wasn’t like he would have had it without her. “It’s cool, I’ll just find another one. You’re lousy at hide and seek” He teased, not bothering to hide what he was doing as he wobbled a loose plank and pulled out a bottle from under it. “It’s the good stuff, too. Halo’s been looking for it for weeks.” He giggled softly as he plonked the bottle down between them. “Well, go on. You get to open it. It’s your special day.”


"Speech"

“Well the plan was to do it eventually, but it just sorta came up today.” The grin was unwavering. At her core, Hazel was still the little girl who showed up in the cellar and ended up making herself at home. Though they were bigger, stronger, more capable now… both of them are still those kids. They’d come so far, but underneath it all, they’re still those kids.

“What other secrets are you keeping from me, hmm?” Hazel couldn’t help but tease, but prod. She might be a pest, but she’s his pest. “I might be lousy but at least I’m not too tall for all the good hiding places!” Hazel proclaimed, watching the loose floorboard slide out. Damn, why hadn’t she thought of that? “The really good stuff, holy shit how did you manage that?” Her tail wagged, lifting the bottle and flopping down beside Bas. It was well enough into his personal space, close enough to lean if he let her.

“To all the shit we’ve managed to accomplish, I dunno where I’d be without you.” Hazel’s voice was uncharacteristically soft, thoughtful, in the moment before she lifted and uncorked the bottle. She took a great big swig and then handed it over to Lis, her smile thoughtful.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He asked her back, placing a mysterious lilt into the end of his words. But he ruined it by grinning. He didn’t have secrets from Hazel, not really. He hadn’t exactly been hiding the liquor from her, but from Halo. It just hadn’t come up yet. “You just can’t reach the good spots, instead, shortfry” He teased her back.

He chuckled at her admiration. “Appreciate it. Halo would have me digging latrines for a week if she knew.” He said, unaware himself that Halo knew exactly who had snagged her bottle of strong stuff. As she grabbed the bottle, he blinked at the gentleness of her words. Caught by surprise. “Yeah well, by my reckoning you're stuck with me. No one else would put up with my shit.” He said, grabbing the bottle from her and holding it up. “To us. Because no one will become between us. Mostly because no one else wants us.” He gave her a grin and took a deep sip. Coughing seconds later as it bubbled out of his nose.


"Speech"

Both of them with the wild look in their eyes, the grins, everything about them— they suited each other. Two pieces of the same puzzle, fitting together perfectly. She was at home here, by his side. Hazel couldn’t help it. “We should learn to make our own at some point, keep some for ourselves and make a fortune trading down at the market.” It’s an offhand thought, but certainly not a bad one. Halo had started making clear liquors for use in her healing, but if Hazel sorted out how to make things that tasted really good? That really would be something.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she winked. Maybe the words were more loaded than even Hazel knew. She leaned heavily against Basilisk’s side, comfortable. “I’ll drink to that,” Hazel grinned. “Pretty sure the whole ‘finders keepers’ rule applies to both of us.” As Bas coughed and let the booze drip from his nose, she giggled. “Gross,” she reached up to wipe at his face with her paw.

“Not a bad idea” He agreed, maybe they could beat Halo to the market. He grinned mischievously, through really he wished only good things for the little healer. They would eventually have to find things that let them make their mark on the world. Though he had always imagined that would be in fighting, and not in making booze. But if he did it with Hazel, it would be a journey, and it might even be fun.

Me either” He agreed, laughing, and then suddenly Hazel was in his face, wiping away his mess with a paw. “Gross” He agreed, and wiped his nose all over her paw, before grinning up at her. Her eyes were as green as fresh spring, and there was so much amusement, so much life in them. That was Hazel for you. Reckless, crazy, but more alive than anyone else he knew.


"Speech"

Leaving their mark. What a concept. Hazel hadn’t pictured herself with a future, not for a long time. The Armada was a new lease on life, and with it came all sorts of new things. Expectations, chores, responsibility— security. Safety. The idea that she’d not just survive but thrive. Hazel really was thriving, due in no small part to the boy who was settled in by her side. Together they were invincible.

“Ewwww,” she complained softly as he wiped his nose all over her paw. Hazel was comfortable here, though. She moved to wipe it all over his foreleg, but for a breath she stopped. Looked. The eye contact was prolonged, studying his face softly. The same face that she spent most of her days around, but how often did she really see him. It seemed to be more lately, but Hazel took a long moment to study him openly. He’d grown so broad, handsome, and yet he was still Bas. Comforting, familiar. To her, he’s home.

“Hey!” he said as she started to wipe it right back onto his arm. Crust bits of snot and alcohol. Delightful. Never mind that it had been his in the first place. But then he was distracted by her holding the eye contact he had started. Almost like a contest between them of who would blink or look away first.

That was the reason he held his eyes to hers. Really. What else could there be? The alcohol was already buzzing around his head. It really was good stuff. Strong. It was entirely, 100% the alcohol. Nothing more, nothing less. That was why he paused, and then leaned forward just a little more. Bringing his face closer to hers. His breathing was soft and shallow. Drinking her in. everything about her was familiar, and yet... Not. She had grown up. She was no longer the child she had been when she had sneaked into Armada land with him. She was all muscle and growth and scars that told a story of her life.

"Speech"

First thought, best thought. She’s always been reckless. She’s always been a lot. He’s never seemed to mind, and they bring out the best in each other that way. Was she holding her breath? Why was her heart pounding in her chest like this? What was that feeling… but it’s the feeling that’s always been there. Safe here, and yet she’s going to make a reckless choice. A choice that barely feels like a choice, but is just as natural as breathing here in the moment.

Bas leaned in, and she met him there. A kiss, but there’s more than that. There are implications and there are feelings, but none of it matters. None of it matters in the here and now. The warmth and the haze of the alcohol, but maybe this was the most intoxicating of all. When she finally pulled away, Hazel couldn't make eye contact. She’d gone with what felt right, and that was that.

She closed that last tiny gap he had left her. Leaning in towards him, and then her lips were on his. Her touch was like a fire across his skin, and he gasped slightly, surprised - no, astonished - at the sudden course of events. Even if he had sorted of helped them along a little. She was Hazel. His flatmate. His best friend. She wasn’t a girl, or at least not just a girl. Or maybe he had forgotten that she was a girl. But he remembered now. Oh boy, did he remember.

Hazel was pulling away first, and he found himself wanting more. It was like a whole new world had opened up before him. He hadn’t even thought, hadn’t even imagined. But then she turned her head away from him. Like she couldn’t look him in the eyes. Did she regret it already? Had it been a mistake? It hadn’t felt like a mistake. He grabbed the bottle, and greedily sipped at it. Trying to burn away the sudden fear flowing through his veins. What had he done? Had he ruined everything?

"Speech"

It was everything, he was everything. Bas was everything, and that… maybe that concept was scary. Maybe that was too much for her head right now. Still, Hazel knows that she can’t be anywhere other than right here, anything other than… this. His? No, that’s not where her head needs to go right now. Alcohol. Fuck she needs a drink. The moment he sets it down, she licks it up and takes a long sip too.

Since when is she shy? Had she fucked up? He would have gotten and if she’d fucked up, and if he was mad she’d know. This is something else. Hazel set the bottle down and hid her face against Bas’s neck, burrowed in where she could be safe and be close to him. Shy… since when? She’d let the impulse take hold for a moment, but was that okay? Unable to stop herself from asking, she speaks into his soft fur. “Are you mad at me?”

When Hazel put the bottle down and leaned into him, he was very careful. Placing a paw against her lightly. As if afraid that holding her too tightly would cause her to squirm away. To turn away from him as she had after their… kiss. Because yeah, they had kissed, hadn’t they? He scrunched up his nose and looked down at her in confusion. “Mad?” He asked, a little bit confused. “I thought you were… maybe.. I don’t know. Ashamed or something” He said.

This was far too awkward. He wanted to shuffle his weight, but decided not to. He didn’t want to jostle Hazel, who was leaning against him. He could feel her breath stirring his coat. In fact, he didn’t think he had ever been more aware of her in that moment than he ever had in his life.


"Speech"

They’d kissed and it was like time stopped. They’d kissed and it was like everything had fallen into place. She’d just gone for it, and then she got nervous, worried, an odd occurrence for the usually confident and bold creature. Hazel stole a peek at his face, looking up from where she settled beside him.

“Not ashamed, never ashamed,” she shook her head. “I just didn’t know if you… wanted to or if I messed up,” she felt small in this moment. Curled up by his side, safe, filled with more feelings than she knew how to articulate.

“Oh.” He said. ‘Oh’ was a safe word. It gave a way little despite the way his entire world seemed to lurch around him. Everything suddenly changed. Because he wasn’t sure she would be just ‘Hazel’ now. Just his flatmate. The girl he had brought to the Armada when he had found her hungry and ready to gnaw on his paws at the border (Okay, it wasn’t really like that, but he could tease)

Well. Maybe he was bad at words, but maybe he didn’t need to find the right words just then. Instead, he looked down at Hazel, and nudged her gently. Waiting until she looked up at him before bending his head down again. He really wanted to see if another kiss would be like the first one. If it really ingles across his muzzle like that. His lips met hers, and he found that it did. Heat pooled in his chest, and then he was kissing her hard. Hard, but still being careful not to crush her.


"Speech"