You Feel Like Home
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Regulus. Was it bad that just thinking of him made her stomach turn? But not in a bad way. In the way that made her knees feel a little wobbly, and her mouth a little too dry. She didn't really know what to make of it, and she certainly didn't want to think too far into it. All she wanted to think about was the way his words made her feel that day, after he won the fight and kept Celestial safe. When he said he'd be happy to have her come home. Home. That was the word that always made her feel warm and fuzzy. And when she thought of home, she thought of Regulus. She thought of this place, where she first felt like she truly belonged. And that was all thanks to him. She didn't care if he made her feel all funny and giddy and nervous, she still wanted to be around him. She'd missed him. He felt like home to her, and she wanted that feeling back.
Solveiga let out a short howl, calling for the man she had in mind. Then she sat near the border and waited, tail slowly wagging as she waited for her huge, crimson friend to come into view.
Regulus Anatolii Adravendi |
It was the day after his father had joined his mother in death, and he was bearing it as well as he could. He needed to be as much of a pillar as he could be for his family and his pack. But in private, he allowed himself to grieve. His parents would never see their grandchildren. Gods, had Faite birthed her litter safely? He knew one thing, however, even if it was hard to act on that knowledge, just yet; his mother and father would not want him to hide away forever.
He was stepping from the cave when the howl reached his ears, turning his head as his eyes stared into the wall of the ravine. He was already moving before his mind caught up. He was tired, heartsore, but he suddenly felt oddly light and warm. So, by the time he reached the end of the ravine, he was running flat out, his limp hardly noticeable. He’d pay for it later, when he woke up stiff the next day.
He pushed himself hard until he was nearly in sight of the little healer before he slowed to a quick trot, wanting to maintain some dignity at least until he reached her. The limp was more pronounced in the trot, but it hardly mattered to him as he closed the last few feet, tail wagging for the first time in ages.
“Solveiga!” It was so uplifting to see her. He didn’t hesitate to wrap the much smaller wolf in a fluffy crimson hug, his right front leg lifting to drape a paw lightly over her back to draw her into the embrace before he released her and stepped away, haunches dropping to the ground.
“You have no idea how good it is to see you.” It was doing wonders for his outlook. He wondered at that ability. Perhaps he was just in deep need of a friend. But it felt like more than a friendship. There would be time to examine these thoughts. For now, he smiled, though the weariness was clear in his slight drooping of the shoulders, and studied the sky blue eyes. “Are you ready to come home?”
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As usual, the little woman pushed all intrusive thoughts aside and focused back in on the present. It was a good practice, and one she had tried to make a habit of lately. The old Solveiga always worried too much, and overthought every tiny thing. She lived too much in her head back then. But not anymore. This new Solveiga tried to live in the moment, take life a day at a time and just go with the flow. It was unnatural, at first. But she was getting used to it. She trusted herself a lot more than she used to.
So when at last Regulus came trotting into view, the petite young woman had successfully taken a deep breath to compose herself. But that didn't mean she was able to avoid the mini heart attack the crimson brute gave her when he swallowed her up in his embrace. Being close to him, wrapped up in his warmth and his comforting scent... what was happening here? Maybe she really would have to address these disturbing thoughts sooner or later.
Her friend looked a little worse for wear, but she could still see that admirable strength and determination shining in his eyes. It made her smile. Whatever he had gone through, he was always strong enough to survive it, to press onward despite everything. Solveiga hadn't done that. She had been weak, and had temporarily given up on the world. But in that time spent away, she discovered strength that she never knew she had. And she still chose to believe that she was all the better for it. So, though she had missed Celestial and her big red friend, she knew that she had made the right choice.
And now, she was ready to come home. "It's good to see you too, Regulus," she said, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out as a sigh of relief. "I missed you... and... and everyone else, of course."
Did Solveiga seriously just giggle like a pup when she said that? She looked down at her own paws, as if that would hide her embarrassment. "Yes, I'm... I'm ready to come home."
With that, she lifted her eyes to his once more, giving her alpha the most confident smile she could manage.
Regulus Anatolii Adravendi |
It thrilled him more than expected to hear she was glad to see him, too. And she’d missed him! His haunches wiggled slightly at the slight giggle, even though he wondered why missing them all would warrant a giggle, but he grinned, the expression helped onto his features by the sound of it. She almost seemed embarrassed by her own words… or maybe the giggle, and he watched the sky-blue gaze drop as she spoke words that he’d been hoping to hear.
Thank the gods for small blessings. When her eyes lifted, it was to find a gentle smile on the crimson features, the new scars under the right fathomless sapphire eye the only change apart from the underlying weariness of the last few seasons. “Then welcome home, Solveiga.” By the gods, he hoped she never saw fit to leave again, though she was more than free to go where she wished.
He rose, stepping aside to turn back inward toward the heart of the territory, offering for her to walk beside him. “It’s been… very quiet since the challenge. My fault, really. I haven’t been… Well, I haven’t really made any attempt to nip tails into action.” His head drooped slightly at this admission.
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Solveiga stepped further into the territory as her alpha rose, and she began to walk beside him. He dwarfed her so much; she had almost forgotten how childlike she felt beside him. But it was safe, too. She had seen what he could do. He could protect her, if she ever needed it. The grasses swished softly underfoot as the pair continued to walk side by side, and Solveiga strayed closer, so that the distance between them could not have exceeded a few inches. Occasionally that distance closed and the crimson fur of his side brushed and mingled with her own. She couldn't deny that all sorts of butterflies got stirred up whenever that happened. Surely she was just shy around him, as she had always been. Solveiga, after all, didn't have many male friends. And certainly none that seemed larger than life, as Regulus did.
She shook her head gently at his words. "Don't be so hard on yourself, you've had more than enough to deal with lately," she said. She had heard about his mother. But the passing of his father was too recent for the young woman to have heard of it yet. "I'm so sorry," Solveiga whispered, wishing to offer her friend her condolences, even though she knew it could be a painful thing to even bring up. "Regulus, you... you were there for me, when my mother passed. I want to do the same for you... if you'll let me."
And then, after she had given the alpha enough time to respond, it was on to brighter topics of conversation. No need to dwell on sad things right now. This was a happy reunion. "I'll help to make up for how quiet it's been. I've learned a lot about healing, in my absence. I'm excited to get back to doing what I love." And that, of course, meant being a healer for Celestial. If that was alright with Regulus.
Regulus Anatolii Adravendi |
The giggle gave him another little thrill of pleasure, a small grin parting his jaws just slightly. As they walked into the Plains, leaving the borders, he couldn’t help but glance down at her every now and then. The brushes of their coats lit a warmth in his chest, and that ember burned a little brighter as she gently chided him for being hard on himself. A wry smile pulled at his jaws as she gave her condolences. “It wasn’t your fault. Wasn’t anyone’s fault. ”
As she spoke next, he tipped his head to look down at her, smiling softly at the offer. “Thank you, Solveiga. It means a great deal.” There was a tightness in his throat, and he swallowed to drive it off as she went on, changing the subject just slightly. He listened, smiling as she finished.
“Of course. Kavdaya… isn’t handling my mother’s death well. She blames herself.” The snowy healer had asked to step down from the rank of Master Healer, and he’d given her that leave. Now he wondered if he should have kept her in the rank that demanded more work. Work that she could have buried herself in to not think about the deaths.
He paused and glanced down at her. “Currently, beyond myself, we have no high-ranking wolves. Hopefully, we can change this.”
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