So Rudyard had told Fern they were going out for the day for the purpose of training.  It wasn’t a lie.  They would build up her stamina with a good run but he wasn’t explaining the specifics yet. The motley boy wanted to surprise Fern with something fun

So they had run to the shimmering shore and kept going, from one end to the next and yet still going.  The tree’s sprung up as they left the shore and Rudyard led her in there as well.  There was a pleasant breeze that sent the tree’s rustling but Rudyard wasn’t done yet and kept them going forward.  Finally, they broke the treeline.  Open land surrounded a deep pool of water but the breathtaking sight was the waterfall hat poured into it.

Rudyard had only been here one other time and was willing to bet it could be an adventure to Fern.  Some new place to explore with what was likely to be loads of secrets.  Once they had cleared the tree’s he looked to Fern, “So, whatcha think?  I promised you adventures.”

"Speech"

Rudy had told her that they were going to train today and Fern had eagerly agreed to some alone time with him. Since the raid and the start of her training with Art, the gray girl has been spending more and more time away from Rudy’s side. But right now, Fern is following after Rudy, laughing and chasing his mottled form from one end of the shore to the other. Happiness follows the pair, in their laughter, in the joyful squeaks of surprise from Fern when Rudy would drop back to circle her. Rudy seems stronger than ever and it thrills the gray girl to see him healthy… and happy. They run, lope, and dart around, moving ever onward, toward some unknown goal. Well… unknown to her. Rudy leads her toward the trees that bend and rustle from the sea breeze. Breathlessly, Fern follows him into the trees, eager to be close to Rudy.

And then… they break the tree line.

Fern immediately stops, the thundering roar of the waterfall drawing her eyes upward to the crystal-clear water that spills down the rock wall. The water collects in pool at the bottom, raised off the floor of the forest by a stone basin. With wide, wonder filled eyes, Fern moves forward slowly, taking in the beauty and splendor of this hidden paradise. Everything is green, the water bringing life to the plants that crowd the pool and butt up against the streams of water that spill over the sides. Trees lean over the from the top of the waterfall, offering shade and privacy from prying eyes. Her mouth hangs open as Fern absorbs it all, turning slowly in place to try and see everything. Rudy’s voice breaks through her dream like stupor and Fern turns tear filled eyes to him.

It isn’t just the beauty of this place that makes the tears spring up, it is also the fact Rudy kept his promise to her. A wide smile appears as the tears break their dam and slide free. When she finds her voice, Fern says, “Oh Rudy. This is…” Her voice falters and Fern doubts she can properly voice just how special this is to her. Instead, the gray girl steps forward, pressing her body into Rudy’s chest while sitting down. Once she is seated, Fern wraps both of her front legs around Rudy’s middle and buries her face into his fur. The tears fall mixing into his coat and Fern contents herself with holding onto him for as long as she can. When she pulls back, wiping the remnants of her tears away with a paw, she chuckles softly, leaning back to look into Rudy’s eyes. her voice is soft as she says, “This is magical Rudy. I… I can’t thank you enough. For everything.”

"Fern"

Everything was going the way Rudy had planned it, well almost.  Things were going perfect until they got past the trees.  Her eyes were filled with tears that hadn’t quite escaped her eyes and Rudyard wondered what memory he’d brought to the surface to cause tears to spring forth.  Thankfully a moment later she smiles so Rudyard realizes nothing was wrong.

Fern starts to talk then goes silent and then suddenly she’s pressed up into Rudy’s chest.  The motley grey wolf has a crooked grin growing at the weight of Fern against him.  Her paws are on him and her head is buried into the fur on his chest.  It felt like electricity tingling up and down his spine and wherever her body pressed into his.

When she looks back up at him finally Rudy’s ears flick as he spots the teardrops along her cheeks, tilting his head forward a bit to lick them gently away. “Hey now,” the voice softly teasing, “No crying at magical moments.”  With the tears cleaned off, Rudy shoves his head under her chin, giving it a gentle bump, keeping his head there to prop up her muzzle as he gently turns it to face the waterfall.  “Now, if you have tears in your eyes it ruins the effect of that water falling.”

There was so much they could do here.  A lot of things.  For now, though they’d start with enjoying the view, maybe a spar, some hunting to keep up with other promises he made her.  After all the work was done they could see about just enjoying the scenery some more and doing whatever came to mind.  They could head back closer to evening as far as Rudyard was concerned.  It was going to be a great day!

"Rudyard"

For as long as she can, Fern holds onto Rudy. Right now, there is nothing bad in world, nothing scary can get. At least, not while she is pressed into his chest. She hesitates to pull away, to end this beautiful moment. However, time marches onward and she steps back to tell him how amazing this place is. After she speaks, Rudy leans forward and gently licks away the tears that are falling. His words, cause Fern to chuckle lightly and she sneaks a lick to Rudy’s cheek as he moves his muzzle under her chin. The bump causes another chuckle to bubble out and she sniffles as he turns her head to look at the waterfall. This time his words have Fern laughing softly and she quickly wipes the remaining the tears from her eyes.

Without a word, the gray girl is shifting her body so she can sit at Rudy’s side. Her front leg reaches out, wrapping around his before her body leans heavily into his side. Inhaling deeply, she releases a happy sigh and sinks a little further into his side. Fern is content to sit and watch the falling water, letting the sounds, sights, and smells wash over them. Fern’s head slowly drifts over, until her head is resting against Rudy’s shoulder. After some more time passes, Fern speaks up, trying to voice low as she says, “This is beautiful Rudy. Thank you for bringing me here.” With that she lifts her head from his shoulder and reaches up to kiss his cheek.

Untangling her leg from his, Fern stands up and stretches, giving her coat a good shake in the process. With a smile, she looks over to Rudy and asks, “So, what all did you have planned for today?” Ocean-hues eyes dance with happiness as she looks at him, wondering what else this day has is in store for them.


"Fern"

Rudy’s puff-tail is wagging as much as it had before all the bad stuff had happened.  The bad stuff that had engulfed him was now nothing more than a mouse stashed away in a hole amidst a huge open field made of content and joy.  She quit holding him but kept her body leaning into his side.  

Time passes and Rudy sits there with her and Fern’s head finds its way to his shoulder.  Rudy lets out a low contented sigh.  The wolf that seemed hard to keep still and quiet for long is perfectly at peace and content to let his mind quit scheming or planning, his mouth was silent and it was enough just to feel Fern’s weight pressed against him, the faint drumming of the water and the brilliant view of the water as it sprayed into the pool.  

Fern thanked him for the view and Rudy grinned broadly.  His plan had worked.  Even better than being right was that he’d made Fern happy.  She kisses him, Rudy returns the kiss.  Rudy felt an unusual urge wanting to do more than that but then Fern separated and asked what all he had planned.  Rudy snapped his mind away from another urge and back to what Fern had brought up and cycled back through the plans he’d come up with.

“Well, I didn’t want to take away from your training,” Rudy drawled out, “So, we could spar or hunt or do both.  Plenty of game here and a pretty nice view to fight around. I want to keep to what I promised you, Fern.  I promised adventure, I promised to teach you to hunt and fight.  So you tell me, what do you want most right now?  What I want to do right now is make sure you are as happy as you can be.  I love you, Fern.”

"Speech"

Rudy’s puff of a tail has been wagging more and more and it makes Fern’s heart happy to see. Smiles are never far from the gray girl’s lips when she is with him and this time is no different. As they sit there, leaning into each other, the gray girl knows that she never wants to be far from his side. Her heart is wholly his and Fern gives it to him gladly. When she breaks the moment, moving away to look out over the land, the motely gray boy’s voice follows her. His drawl lifting the edges of her lips, setting her heart all aflutter. Rudy asks what she wants to do and finishes with wanting to make her happy. That makes her smile grow but the words that follow have her beaming, ‘I love you’. Carefully, Fern tries to keep her back to gray boy, attempting to appear enthralled by what this place has to offer.

When she turns back toward the motley boy, the smile is still there and she says, “Rudy, I love you too. With all my heart and soul. As for what I want to do today…” her voice trails off as she pretends to think very hard. Making a show of it, Fern screws up her mouth and furrows her brows, humming to herself. However, when she looks into his golden eyes, the charade falls away, every muscle of her body relaxing as she says, “What I want to do today, is be with you. And if you insist on making me happy…” Ocean eyes suddenly dance with mirth as Fern quickly turns and trots a short distance away, wheeling around to drop into her defensive stance, ready to fight. Before they start, Fern declares happily, “I challenge you to a spar Rudyard Carpathius! Whoever wins, earns the right to propose!”

Heart leaps into her throat as she waits to if he will accept the challenge, if he even understands what she is asking. The thing that would make Fern the happiest wolf in the world is travel by his side, as his mate.


Fern vs Rudyard for Spar (the right to propose!)
Round 0/?
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Medium
Build: Medium
Mutation 1: Enhanced vision - Perception
Skills: Expert Fighter & Advanced Hunter

"Fern"

Fern certainly seems happy and Rudy’s quite pleased with his whole setup.  Later on, he’ll have to give Reddy a better thanks, both for doing his role in the morning and not spilling the beans in any fashion after that.  He doubted Reddy would care at all to listen to how things went but most likely he was watching from somewhere.  For some reason, Reddy frequently felt a need to keep an eye on him when farther from the pack.  

Fern spoke of loving him too and while she’d already told Rudy that it still sent a thrill up him to hear it again.  Rudyard knew it would be a great thing for someone to love him but he’d never thought much of it nor had he realized just how great it would feel.  Then she made a great show of what she would say about what she wanted to do today.  Rudy knew all about shows, grinning lopsidedly at her act inwardly congratulating her on making the moment count.

The challenge was thrust out and the smile faded, just a little, just to an auto-pilot style smile that seemed to fit his features so naturedly while his mind tried to catch up to what was just said.  A challenge for, what?  Had he heard right?  Wait, was he insulting her by thinking about it?  Was he going to hurt her feelings?  Hell, he hadn’t even thought about it he was just processing shock she threw up the challenge.

“You want…” Rudy had never been so shocked! Rudy imagined what would happen if he said yes or said no to the challenge.  Oh, heck with logic.  Logic got wolves to waste too much time in what-ifs and found limitations and concerns.  Did Rudy want Fern to be his? Yes.  Did he want her upset? No.  Did he want someone to steal Fern from him? No.  Why bother worrying about other details?  That wasn’t what Rudy did.

Rudyard stood up, squared up his shoulders to a formal position he rarely bothered with, “Fern Lark,” the young man spoke with a deep somber tone, “I, Rudyard Carpathius, take up your challenge and will fight for the right to pro-pose.”  Really, it ended up the same way in the end if they both wanted it right?  This was just making the moment meaningful and who got the memory of asking versus the memory of agreeing.    He glanced about the trees, “No help on this fight.”  Reddy was surely out there somewhere so best to let him know.  This was certainly a personal thing between the two of them.

Rudy strode into Fern, going straight for a bite to the side of her neck.  Often Rudy went for misdirections and deciept but this would be straightforward.  With Art and all the other giant wolves, he couldn’t really use strength against them but, with Fern, he aimed to also push himself into her to upset her balance at the same time.

Rudyard vs Fern for Spar
Round 1/2
Age:  over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Clawed leather bracers
Defensive Battle Accessory: Caiman hide armor
Mutation 2: Agility boost - Agility
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Hunter
Specialty: Knight

Rudyard Carpathius

Oceanic eyes watch the motley boy with concern, anxiety flaring in her chest at the thought of Rudy declining her challenge. The shock that settles over his gray form is understandable, after all Fern did just say she wants to marry him. While they haven’t been a couple for long, the gray girl cannot deny that Rudy has made her want to live when she had found no reason to. He showed her love and Fern wants to continue to love and be loved with him. So, despite the short interval of time that they have been together, the girl knows that no one will ever hold the key to her heart like the motley gray boy does. As the moments tick by, Fern waits, stomach doing flip-flops until Rudy stands. With her body lowered toward the ground, Fern is already settled into her defensive stance but Rudy’s words cause her to straighten a little and wag her tail.

When he looks to the trees, the gray girl allows the bright smile that she had been fighting to appear and her tail to wag hard. Her heart flutters knowing that, no matter the outcome, they were both going to winners today. And then Rudy is striding toward her and she settles back into her stance, ready to give Rudy the fight of his life. His frame is bigger and the gray boy tries to knock her over. However, her center of gravity is kept low and she is barely able to stay balanced. Flashing him a grin, Fern reaches toward Rudy’s right foreleg to nip at it. If she hits, her jaws will close and pinch the flesh, smarting but not hurting the motley boy. Fern does not see the purpose in running away so she decides to dance around Rudy, laughing happily while leaning in to nip here and there.


Fern vs Rudyard for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Medium
Build: Medium
Mutation 1: Enhanced vision - Perception
Skills: Expert Fighter & Advanced Hunter

"Fern"

Rudy wasn’t able to knock her down and the bite to her neck even missed. It seemed she’d been learning well from Art.  Maybe he needed to up his game?  Fine, no holding back in abilities just in damage.  Rudy turns to track her motions, ears back in defense, his puff tail stick straight out by habit even if the nub no longer served a true purpose.

Keeping his eyes on her the boy refuses to think of what this fight is about.  No, if this fight is going to have meaning farther down the line he’s going to make it count. Rushing in Rudy attempted to fake out another attempt to slam, after all, last time it hadn’t been a bluff, this time he attempts to bite her front right leg and pull it out from under her.  His grip would be firm to hold but careful not to use his teeth to harm at the same time.

Rudyard vs Fern for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Clawed leather bracers
Defensive Battle Accessory: Caiman hide armor
Mutation 2: Agility boost - Agility
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Hunter
Specialty: Knight

Rudyard Carpathius

They fight, the motely boy seeming to take the battle seriously while Fern is more content to play. When Rudy charges again, Fern, one more, braces for the impact. However, it is a feint and, when the motley boy moves to bite her leg instead, the gray girl is unable to move fast enough. His bite is firm, bruising but not breaking skin. Letting out a small yelp of surprise, Fern decides to end this fight once and for all. When he lets go of her leg, the gray girl attempts to stand up and wrap her forelegs around his scruff. If it works, she hopes to pull him off balance and send him tumbling over allowing Fern to pin the boy and win the fight. A smile is on her maw as she moves, knowing that they will both be winners in the end.

Fern vs Rudyard for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Medium
Build: Medium
Mutation 1: Enhanced vision - Perception
Skills: Expert Fighter & Advanced Hunter

"Fern"

And the winner is...

Fern

Rudyard must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Fern: Attack Roll: 79 Defense Roll: 69 Agility Roll: 51 Perception Roll: 73 Total: 272 Attack[79] + 25% Bonus[19.75]: 98.75 Defense[69] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 69.00 Agility[51] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 51.00 Perception[73] + 10% Bonus[7.30]: 80.30 Total[299.05] + 20% Bonus[59.81]: 358.86 Rudyard: Attack Roll: 53 Defense Roll: 100 Critical block! Agility Roll: 51 Perception Roll: 37 Total: 241 Attack[53] + 40% Bonus[21.20]: 74.20 Defense[100] + 15% Bonus[15.00]: 115.00 Agility[51] + 10% Bonus[5.10]: 56.10 Perception[37] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 37.00 Total[282.30] + 25% Bonus[70.57]: 352.87

Rudy would make this a formal fight and he would fight at his best.  Really!  Except Fern was grinning and playing in the fight and it was like the real test here was focusing.  It was hard to keep a straight focused face when her smile faced him.

Rudy lets go of her leg and then there is fern leaping up to wrap her paws around him.  She smells wonderful and, oh crap.  Fern most definitely put him off balance and he falls as she wanted.  If Rudy had to be pinned then Fern was the one he wanted pinning him.  Rudy looks bemused looking up at her.  She licks him and it's lovely.  Everything is perfect even if he did lose.

Lose.  Pinned, face above him.  Rudy’s eyes widen, memory and reality shift for a moment, and Rudy rushes to his feet even as the wolf gets off him.  Rudy’s wide-eyed head turns around and looks to see only Fern with him.  No Oxx.

Fern.  Fight.  Proposal. Rudy lets out a slow sigh and sheepish look and weak smile.  Hey, he hadn’t tried to kill or flee from her at least when the fear came.  Would he have if she hadn’t gotten off so fast?  This wasn’t the time for these fears!  This was a day of him and Fern and apparently proposing.  “Sorry,” humbly spoken, “buuut…” a weak smile given, ‘you won.”

"Speech"

As Fern lifts her front into the air, legs moving to wrap around the motley boy’s neck, a smile lights up her face. Everything seems to slows when she connects with him, ocean-hued gaze meeting golden eyes causing her heart to skip a beat. Is this really happening? Is Rudy really in front of her with a surprised (is that fear?) look on his face? Fern feels as if she is in dream, worrying that any moment, she will awaken and this perfect moment will be lost back to the ether. But it is real. The weight of his body under her legs is real and the gray girl smiles even brighter. Nothing can take this moment from her. Shifting her weight, Fern pulls the startled boy off his paws and rolls him onto his back. She turns with him, ending with her body over his, light paws pinning his broad shoulders. The smile never falters, never fades and, as the gray girl leans down to give his nose a loving lick, Fern whispers, “I love you Rudyard Carpathius.”

Then, everything shifts and the gray girl watches as Rudy’s eyes widen in terror, no longer with her in this beautiful moment. Cursing herself inwardly, Fern backs away from the fearful boy, singing sweet nothings to him as she gets clear. If anyone understand the pitfalls of memory, its Fern and she watches as thoughts of Oxx steal the motley boy away. Emotions flicker across his face as Rudy fights the anxiety and fear that grips him. She sees the exact moment he reawakens to the real world and the gray girl says softly, “There’s my love.” Moving slowly so as not to frighten him again, Fern makes her way to back into Rudy’s space. Gently, she hushes the motley gray boy apology and wraps her legs loosely around his middle. Carefully she sinks into a hug, holding onto the boy that stolen her heart. No words are spoken as she holds onto him, offering him a grounding presence and a loving embrace.

When Fern breaks the contact to take a step back, she gives him small kiss before looking into his golden eyes. Her smile is tender and her words light as she says, “You have no reason to be sorry Rudy. When we take mates, we agree to love all their imperfections along with all their achievements. We both have been through a lot in our short lives and, my hope is, we will build a better future… together.” Straightening up a little more, Fern’s gaze turns serious but her words still hold their gentle tone, “So, Rudyard Carpathius… will you take me as your mate?” Leaning forward, still holding his gaze, Fern whispers, “It’s okay to say no Rudy.” Her soft smile is filled with love and, no matter what he says, Fern will always love the motley boy.


"Fern"

Rudy’s poof tail swayed slowly a few times as fern wrapped her leg about him.  It was horrifically embarrassing to panic like that and at the worst possible moment.  It was bad enough when Art saw him panic but now Fern was getting to see him at his worst.  She had a tendency to see him at all his worsts actually.  She found rudy where the water had pushed him ashore right after Oxx hurt him, she saw him in recovery when the ooze had affected his thoughts and he’d attacked her, and now, while they sparred for the right to propose she had to see it also.  Looking at that checklist of bad moments it was amazing she’d still want to love him.  Rudy had plenty of good moments but it was like Fern was still there for all the bad ones also.

With Fern hugging him Rudy rests his head on her shoulder with a slow exhale, recalling her earlier words, “I love you too Fern.”  It was a nice moment, he enjoyed the feel of her body against his to soothe that ugly inner scar.  She stepped back and his head raised up an inch, ears pricked forward at the change in demeanor.  Ahh, right.  Fern had won so she got to ask the question.  Somehow Rudy had always imagined being the one to ask a woman to be his mate.  Oh well, he had agreed to the challenge and for the most part, it had been fun.

Rudyard would love to have given a witty fun response as a way of saying ‘yes’ to Fern’s question.  Both her expression and the weight of the question refused to allow him to make it a fun joking statement.  He quietly looked at Fern with a stillness that was rather unRudyard like, passive and somber.  There was no takeback from this answer. “Yes Fern, be my mate.  I swear I’ll get stronger and help you in whatever endeavor you want to take as well.  Stay with me and I’ll help you accomplish whatever dream you come up with.”

Rudyard Carpathius

Life has a strange way of working out. It has put the gray girl and motley boy together, allowing the pair to understand just how similar they are. When Rudy has a panic attacks and flashes back to Oxx, the gray girl knows exactly what to do. She has learned how to cope and deal with them herself, her mother’s techniques come to mind and Fern quickly employs them to try and help calm the motley wolf. Gentle legs wrap around his frame as Fern buries her face into his chest, remembering the pain and fear that has followed her ever since her mother’s death. Realization dawns on her that are two broken wolves, trying to piece themselves back together. Maybe… all they need is each other to heal. He rests his head on her shoulder and the gray girl deepens the embrace, mummering happily under the weight and closeness of the wolf she loves.

Rudy’s voice breaks the silence, reminding Fern that he loves her too and her smile grows as her face presses into the soft fur of his chest. However, there is more that needs to be said. Stepping back, a content sigh escaping, Fern plants a fleeting kiss on his gray lips before saying her piece. Rudyard’s passive, somber stillness worries the gray girl, causing her to wonder if she has made a grave error. Then, he speaks and everything seems to brighter. Her loving smile grows into a brilliant, bright beam of joy as ocean-hued eyes dance with excitement and wonder.

Lifting a gray paw, Fern captures Rudy’s face, drawing him down toward her lips. Electricity races along every nerve of body as their lips connect, the prospect of having Rudyard in her life forever seems to make this kiss even more special. She drinks in his love even as she pulls away, leaving her paw to gently stroke his cheek as the gray girl looks the motley boy in the eye. Every rough edge that Fern had when she met Rudy has been knocked off. At first, she had felt vulnerable, the urge to keep old, ingrained behaviors in place battled with the love she has for Rudy. But now she sees the value of it, the love that has taken root and is blossoming into something greater then she ever imagined possible.

She gets lost in his gentle, golden gaze for a moment, a dreamy smile spreading on her lips as Fern imagines their future. Finally, she speaks, “Oh Rudy. You don’t need to get stronger but, if you want to, I will help and support you in anyway I can. We are partners now. I want to help you accomplish your dreams too. And… you’ve already fulfilled one dream of mine.” Paw still stroking Rudy’s cheek, Fern reaches up to place a kiss on the motley boy’s lips, before whispering, “My heart is yours Rudy. Now and forever.” With that, Fern drops her paw, aiming to move closer and embrace him again. For the first time in her life, Fern feels truly and wholly complete.


"Fern"