Strai left the pack and ran. Stretching His legs, and letting the wind ruffle through his coat. There was a restlessness stirring in his heart that he didn't know what to do with. He couldn't deny the sense of frustration And confusion that had been plaguing him, but he didn't dare voice it. He knew Delphis leadership was still fragile and new. She didn't need doubts, she needed support.


His paws slowed, and he lowered his head. Panting hard. He didn't know how long he had run for, only that his paws ached and his breathing was tight and difficult. He fell into a light walk, stretching out his body and lifting his head. Wait… he knew this place. This was near where… had he come here on purpose? He wasn't sure. He looked into the trees silently for a moment. Perhaps… perhaps here was someone he could talk to. Strai didn't make friends easily, and he still wasn't sure how he had made this one. He turned to his owl, stalking him slowly above. “See if Spider is up? If they want to… if they have time to talk.” He instructed the feathered creature. He walked a few more paces forward, and then turned and covered the same distance again. He turned once more, and then looked back out towards the Wall. Maybe coming here was a mistake. If Delphi found out… he turned his back on the pack and started to walk away.

although initially surprised by the owl’s appearance, Spider has always erred more on the side of curiosity than caution, and there’s something familiar about this creature. so Spider follows the owl at a dutiful trot, letting it lead them from Armada lands. by the time they reach the wall, however, a pale shape already seems to be retreating. Spider halts mid-step, blinking slowly. they know that figure, know the broad line of its back and the slant of its shoulders. Astraios. picking up their speed, Spider crosses the final stretch between them.

“Strai.” their voice is soft, a mixture of caution and hope. it’s been a while since they’ve seen their friend, and the sight of him sends a bittersweet pang through their chest. “it’s good to see you.” but the longer they look, the more obvious it becomes that something isn’t quite right. there’s something…troubled about the way Strai holds himself. an unease, perhaps. “is everything okay?”

"Speech"

Strai retreat wasn’t fast enough, and Spider caught him in the act before he’d gotten very far. He stopped, and looked back at Spider a little sheepishly. “Oh, hey Spider” He said, as if he hadn’t sent his bird to get the other wolf. He could feel his resolve crumbling. How did he put into words that feeling he had lately? Of being confused, and lost. The ground he had been standing upon had fallen away, and he wasn’t sure what to do.

He didn’t look at Spider for a moment, his eyes on his paws when Spider asked if everything was okay. Spider was… good at the emotions. They’d always surprised him that way. Strai was pretty lost in every department there except anger. But even that hadn’t been enough to scare Spider away. “I… I don’t know. Are you sure you want to hear it?” he asked, giving Spider an out. Or maybe it was giving Strai an out. He wasn’t really sure.

"Speech"

it’s as they suspected; Strai is grappling with himself, an unknown dissonance shifting across his face. ordinarily he projects a stoic exterior, but it’s there if you know where to look, a tension in the set of his mouth and the skin about his eyes. truthfully, Spider is glad Strai felt able to come to them with this. they know how hard he finds it to voice his feelings, after all, and if they can help him unburden himself even a little - well, they’d consider it an honour as his friend.

“of course.” Spider gives a tiny, earnest smile, hoping to coax him. “if you’re willing to share, i’m happy to listen.” if he’s come all this way - is their first time meeting in the north? - then whatever’s bothering him is likely more than a mere vexation. and Spider themselves is no stranger to the kind of unrest that drives a person from their beds or leaves them irritable and edgy.

"Speech"

Strai sighed, seating himself on his rump as he looked at Spider. They looked different, a little older than when he had seen them last. When had that been? Time seemed to have slipped past him with all the changes in his life. He’d seen Spider… less, since they had professed their feelings to him. It hadn’t been intentional, it truly hadn’t. But he wondered if Spider resented him a little for it. He’d never cared before about resentment before this, he was used to it. He worked hard for it.

“Bylgja’s gone. I don’t know where, she just… vanished.” He said softly. The woman who had adopted him, had become like a parent to him. Had he failed her by not looking harder? Probably, it was easy to be a failure to those around you. It hurt how much doubt had crept into his heart lately. “Vidarr stepped down as leader, and… and Delphi is leader now. She’s ranked me just below her.” He grimaced instead of smiling at that. “Me? In charge of people? But how could I say no…” he put his head in his paws and groaned. “Everything’s changed Spider, and too fast. I don’t know what to do with it all.”

"Speech"

as Strai settles in, Spider follows suit, sitting back on their haunches and tucking their tail around their feet. they wait patiently, willing to give him all the time he needs to find the words. when he does speak, however, something cold and sharp twists their stomach, a combination of dismay and disappointment on his behalf. “oh no…Strai, i’m so sorry.” they remember how happy he’d been to have met Bylgja, his cautious hope at having a parental figure who was actually there for him. and yet, ultimately, she’d let him down too - intentionally or not.

his next piece of news has them straightening up in surprise. Delphi, the new leader? they think back to the last time they’d seen her, how grateful she’d been to get away from pack responsibilities for a few hours. and now she’s the head of one, with every member looking to her for guidance and direction. Spider hums in sympathy. it’s a big responsibility, and while some might relish the power, the wisest of leaders know just how heavy the title could weigh. “personally, i can think of plenty of worse choices to hold such a rank.”

they let their eyes just rest on him for a moment, thinking of all the qualities they love about him. all the reasons they’ve treasured him as a friend. “you don’t give yourself enough credit, Strai. you’re loyal, you’re fiercely protective of those you care about. you’d throw yourself in front of danger if it meant saving someone else.” he’d saved them from that deer all those months ago, and for that they’d always be grateful. “but if it’s too much for you, this role…you should never be scared to ask for help. Delphi loves you. she’ll understand.” of this they’re reasonably confident; the two had a fierce kind of love few Spider’s age could lay claim to. “and you’re both still so young.” Spider can’t even fathom what it must be like to lead an entire pack at their age. “i’d say you’d be a bit boneheaded not to be scared.” here they let loose a tiny chuckle, hoping to inject some levity into the situation.

his final statement has them sighing in agreement, thinking back on all the ways their own life has changed since their last meeting with Strai. Bas’ ascension, Ig’s appearance, their own rank as potential heir. and Hazel has been so distant lately… ”it’s okay if you’re feeling a bit lost. sometimes you gotta stop and take a breather.”

"Speech"

Watching Spider settle in across from him was oddly familiar, and he found that comforting as well. He didn’t want to meet Spiders eye when he told them about Bylgja, so he didn’t. Her loss felt like a personal failing. Proof that he wasn’t the wolf who could build lasting bonds.

He agreed with Spider's sentiment - Delphi was strong, and wicked smart and he knew she was a good choice for the position, even if her own personal struggles made it a bad time for it to happen. He frowned at Spider when they spoke of his strengths. “I wouldn’t risk my neck for anyone outside of you and Delphi. I don’t like people.” He pointed out a little dryly. Spider and Delphi had figured out the labyrinth of his heart somehow. He didn’t expect anyone else to solve the puzzle. “People are going to come to me with their problems.” He shook his head, it was insane. He was barely a functional member of the pack. “I love Delphi, and I want to support her, but this is… this is so far out of my depths, Spider. She’d be better with someone like you at her side. Someone who really understands people.” He vented

"Speech"

it’s an honour to be one of the few Strai feels close to, to be considered a friend by such a guarded person. their own feelings aside, they truly just want the best for him. and so as he speaks, they listen carefully, considering each word with a thoughtful frown. it’s true, they admit to themselves, Strai isn’t exactly a people-person. “then let someone else deal with the politics,” they suggest, though they’re aware it’s not as simple as it sounds. “Delphi wants you with her, Strai, regardless of what you have to offer. and you have lots to offer.” getting to their feet, they move to lightly embrace Strai, hoping to offer him a physical sense of support. their heart aches for him, and it twists something inside them to see him so conflicted. “i’m sorry you’re feeling this way. i wish i could take your anxieties from you.” if they could lessen Strai and Delphi’s load, clear the path ahead of them - well, they’d do it in a heartbeat. “is there anything i can do to help?”

"Speech"

He sighed, knowing the bitterness was bleeding into his words. It wasn’t fair what he had said, knowing what Spider had professed to him. He owed them more than that. He didn’t pull away when Spider moved closer, and he leaned into the smaller wolf. Spider didn’t have a magic fix for him, and he wasn’t sure why he thought the other might. Perhaps that thought had bled from the respect he had for the black wolf. But no one could spin magic to save him from the events that had happened.

“I don’t know, Spider. I don’t know what I do to help.” he huffed a soft laugh and rubbed at his eye. Must be some stupid dust in there. “What about distraction, tell me about what's been happening with you? It’s been… a while.” too long.


"Speech"

they can sense they’ve disappointed Strai, and it twists something low in the pit of their stomach. they disappointed him the last time they met, too, bombarding him with unreciprocated feelings. “that’s probably my fault,” they say, shrugging sheepishly. “i made things awkward.” they don’t blame Strai for staying away, not even a little bit. “um, let me see…well, Sirius stepped down as leader and Bas took his place. it’s been a little hard on him, i think, but he’s doing well.” he hid any strain well, but Spider imagines a weight like that must be difficult to bear. “oh! he made me his heir, kind of! well, it’s kind of a trial run thingy.” to think the two of them had met as pups, and now they both hold important titles in their own right. Strai had been a slave, for star’s sake! to go from that to his current role…Spider can’t blame him for feeling overwhelmed.

"Speech"

Strai shifted his paws a little, embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to stay away.. It was all the stuff happening in the pack.” He explained. He didn’t want Spider to think he’d been avoiding him. Especially when it wasn’t true. Time just slipped away from him. They were all of them getting a little older, their childhoods falling away. Terrifying times.

Strai hadn’t met Sirius, and he’d only seen Bas distantly the first time he had met Spider. He had been a colossal, scary wolf. Especially when Strai had only been a pup. “Wow… that’s a lot. I guess we’re both moving up in the world.” only, he could bet Spider was doing a great deal better with leadership. He fell silent, knowing he wasn’t the right wolf for the job he had fallen into, but feeling stuck all the same.


"Speech"

Spider chuckles, low and a little self-deprecating. “i guess so.” they flash a small grin, bumping Strai’s shoulder with theirs. “who would’ve thought it’d be us, huh? two scrappy pups.” their eyes light up, voice taking on an excited cadence. “hey, remember when we first met? you were all bristling like a porcupine, acting like you were gonna bite my nose off! and i made you play with me anyway.” they laugh again, this time more genuine, and some of the tightness in their chest eases. “things were simpler back then, weren’t they?” their biggest concerns back then were impressing Bas and Hazel, and gaining as many friends as possible. “Strai…i just wanna say, i’m sorry for springing my feelings on you that day. it was wrong of me. and i want you to know that you’ll always have my shoulder to lean on should you ever need it.” now that they’ve reunited with Strai, they don’t want to let their friend go again; they’ll probably need each other now more than ever.

"Speech"

Strai remembered that. He’d barely just landed on Boreas, and had seen his parents die. He’d been pissed off, and then there was this little wolf that wanted to follow him around. “Yeah, I remember. This pain in the ass kid insisted on playing with me.” But he’d had no one to worry about but himself. It was attachments that were scary, and a part of why he had tried so hard not to make any. But Spider was a wolf that wove their way into your heart, no matter what you did. Delphi, too. Maybe he just had a thing for persistent, annoying wolves. Delphi had certainly gotten under his skin a time or thirty.

Spider had more to say, more to apologise for. It seemed like they thought they would need to apologise for that forever. “If things were different…” He shook his head, he didn’t need to go down that route. “I appreciate you, Spider. I know I don’t always show it. You have nothing to apologise for.”

"Speech"