your {words} in my {memory} [Furphrates!]

[.Rabid Lycan.]

Sumer was gone.
The lone male wandered aimlessly through the tickling tendrils of prairie grasses and prickling shrubs. The field was aglow with starlight, radiating silver like the nameless beauties that roamed the skies. But for magnificence, he could care less tonight. Misery stung his eyelids and weighted his paws, and soon he was too exhausted to move a step further.
Euphrates seated himself heavily, staring with dim interest at the midnight horizon. He hadn’t returned to camp in some time, but he didn’t intend to. Gazing out at the planet, he wondered why he couldn’t have died with his family. He wondered if he would be welcomed in the Twilight Realm or the flames of Hellfire.
And, above all, he wondered if anybody loved him. But to his questions, the world answered him with silence, and he shivered at the response.

[Sivoncé™]

The night was cool and crisp, and lush with the smells of springtime. After a long winter, the earth was ripe for fresh growth. The flame-pelted femme was alone, but was peacefully so. At long last, she'd found a small piece of calm and serenity. Her headache dulled and eventually dispersed completely as she breathed in deeply, methodically, and smiled as the pleasant prairie aromas greeted her nose. I really do need to get out more often. Her eyes were only half-opened as she walked. Her stride was long and slow, but agile as well; she moved on in silent meditation.
Suddenly, she stopped. Her eyes flew open and an enormous smile threatened to burst from the confines of her face.
Euphrates!
Fireflight abandoned her meditations and dashed towards the direction of the familiar, beloved scent. Far off in the distance, she saw him standing in the plains as a lone figure in the night. Joyously, she picked up speed and rocketed towards him.
"EUPHRATES!"
Growling playfully, she leaped at him.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

A bullet of sound erupted into existence, piercing his eardrums with enough awing force to fling him back a few feet. Actually, he had originally managed to maintain his posture—until a certain fae flung herself onto him.
Euphrates squeezed his eyes shut, his stiffened muscles submitting to the playful blow. For once, he wished that Fireflight would leave him be; he only wanted silence.
Offering an obligatory smirk in response, he made no effort to wreak revenge on the mischievous intruder. He simply slumped onto his side, pupils managing to seize a small glimpse at his crimson lady’s form before returning to the horizon. He mindlessly rasped a tongue across her cheek.
“Hello, there.”

[Sivoncé™]

Her fiery excitement shriveled upon impact.
Immediately she stepped away. Her eyes flattened slightly, and she gazed at him with eyes full of hurt and confusion. She stared for a few moments, hoping it was a ploy, but his half-hearted greeting confirmed her growing fears.
"Did I do something wrong?" She asked softly. With Euphrates, it was simply her first reaction; Fireflight had been called many names by countless wolves, but it was Euphrates' opinion of her she cared about. He'd loved her unconditionally thus far, but she still hoarded a secret fear of his disapproval, especially with her rise to the alpha position.
I wasn't cut out for this, she thought miserably. I'm no leader...I can't do anything right!
She peered closer at him, and began to reasses. No...he's not himself. And I tackle him all the time -- it's pretty darn close to how we met. Normally he'd be all...twitterpated with me... She felt a small twinge of disappointment, but it turned quickly to concern.
"Euphrates what's wrong? What happened?"

[.Rabid Lycan.]

With her mystical aura, Euphrates suddenly felt inclined to apologize. His gaze softened slightly, though his entire body remained drained of vigor. “Never,” he murmured gently, shaking his head. He brushed his muzzle meaningfully with hers, but soon withdrew his touch; he couldn’t imagine attempting to pass off his somber appearance as exhaustion as much as he could imagine that she’d believe him. Shielding Sumer (and himself) was not an option, and he hardly considered it.
I want… no, I need to tell her…
“How much do you know about me, Fireflight? About where I came from, I mean… and Sumer. I… do you think I’m a good wolf?” His eyes were desperate as the question slipped from his tongue, but he diverted his gaze in hopes that she wouldn’t notice.

[Sivoncé™]

Fireflight's lips parted and she smiled quickly at the sincerity in his voice. The smile was quick to fade, but the hurt dispersed from her eyes. She sat soundlessly next to him and wrapped her tail around her paws. She followed his eyes out to the horizon, an inky line in the night. She waited for him to speak, to alleviate her confusion, but as he talked, her brow began to furrow. What is he talking about? Of course he's a good wolf, he knows that...so why does he have to ask? There's something else here...something happened to upset him. He's never asked me questions like this...
"You came from Blood Mist, but left them and joined the Destinians back home," she woofed gently, referring to their old home beside the Mirror Lake. Smiling wistfully to herself she woofed into his ear, "I know quite a bit about you, and I love every inch of you. So no, you are not a bad wolf." She hesitated, then murmured, "But what would make you question that?" She swiped her tongue once across his cheek, then turned her eyes back to the skies. He knows these things...or I thought he did...

[.Rabid Lycan.]

“It’s just…”
Her words, earnest though they were, offered little reassurance. A hungering chasm lingered in the back of his mind, whispering convincing doubts. And the voice was growing louder, and sounded particularly similar to Assyria’s voice.
“…do you remember a while back, when this all started? There was the fire, disasters… and, one day, a great storm came down on us. I went off to search for Sumer… and it wasn’t just because of the storm. She was with our mother.” He frowned deeply. “…he’s done it many times, too… once, I ran into them. Didn’t tell anyone—I know I should’ve, but I couldn’t… and today my sister, she came and took him away.”
Euphrates looked up at the sky, smiling humorlessly. His eyes dampened with incredulity, but he did not weep, only mourned.
“…and I spoke to her, and couldn’t deny the words she said. I still have blood on my paws, no matter how I try to conceal it. There’s something in Babylonia, in Assyria… in Verlust that I can never get away from. And it poisons me.”

[Sivoncé™]

For a long time, Fireflight was silent with thought. Even after he'd finished, she made no motion to speak or answer her frustrations. Her eyes, instead, grew dull and distant.
"You....could've confided in me," she mumbled under her breath. Speaking up, she barked, "I didn't know Babylonia was your tie to Blood Mist, but Euphrates...I was there, in that battle the day she died. Every wolf -- of pack or of Blood Mist -- had blood on their paws that day, and that never changes. We live in a world that, unfortunately, necessitates violence. Maybe you've wronged, and maybe you've killed -- the majority of us will before our time is done." She sounded tried as she added, "She gave birth to you but she was never your mother...Sumer left you and...I...I know how it feels to lose true family and lose a sibling. I lost mine when I was still young....but Assyria, Babylonia...they aren't your family. You get to choose your true family. And that family, I believe, would be your antidote."

[.Rabid Lycan.]

Euphrates blinked, guilt boiling in his chest, but simultaneously soothed by the admission of it.
“I wanted to; I tried to, I just… couldn’t.” He shook his head, accepting it as no excuse, but unable to conjure up a more palatable and honest explanation. “I can see what you mean—that’s been my main argument, actually—but all the same, they were my family, once. I cannot deny affiliation, but I remember loving them. Assyria was my baby sister. I remember her in the nursery, telling me all about how she was going to be as fierce as me one day. Babylonia watched then, too, and Sumer was also there… I loved them.”
He sighed deeply, dreading that each confession was condemning him in Fireflight’s eyes.
“…family was everything. Blood was thicker than water, and I betrayed that. I shouldn’t feel guilty, I know; they’re not my family anymore. Sumer, maybe… but he chose a different path, and… they were killers, weren’t they? But I still betrayed them—I left my family to die! There is nothing anyone can do or say to deny that, Fireflight. Maybe now I have a new family, and the actions were justified. But back then… what’s my excuse, then? Should I betray you if I think you’re doing something wrong?”
He couldn’t face her; every ounce of courage had been absorbed into his speech, and nothing remained. Only fear of rejection lingered.
“…I don’t… want to lose you, Fireflight. I want you to be my family… I just don’t know what’s wrong…”

[Sivoncé™]

Fireflight shrugged her shoulders with a newfound uncertainty. Suddenly, the world seemed jumbled and confusing. There were pieces and fragments, but none of them seemed to correspond or cooperate. She sat back on her haunches, deep in thought. The silence stretched out once more, and finally Fireflight changed tactics, "I guess....well, I'm thinking out loud, here. This situation has made me uneasy for a while....with Blood Mist. But what is...what is the difference between us and them? My first thought was that they attacked us, originally for no reason...they brought back a rivalry that had been settled long ago...but what have we done? We never negotiated with Blood Mist, or vice versa...we assume, but we don't know, that all they want is our annihilation...which at this point, would be justified. We're all -- all of us -- killers, aren't we? If most of us end up killing someone...then what is the difference? We could say Blood Mist is crueller....but..." She broke off and shook her head. "I...I'm confused too. We -- the packs -- have a habit of repeating our own history. We don't learn anything...."
Suddenly she stood and shook herself roughly. She turned to face Euphrates directly, padding close enough to feel his breath on her face.
"Some cynics say life is just a test....maybe the test is that we're supposed to break the cycle." Her tone softened, and her copper eyes grew gentle with love. "Euphrates," she whispered softly, "I could....we could have a family..."

[.Rabid Lycan.]

He reached forward to caress her muzzle with his own, the touch more cautious than anything—as if he feared that she may shatter in her imaginary fragility should he brush against her too carelessly. “The packs have demonized BloodMist; in all honesty, so have I. But we are both fighting a war, here. Like you said, we’re all killers, so where’s the distinction? BloodMist, at the time of my birth, was very religious and increasingly ambitious, but is that necessarily a bad thing? Granted, maybe their methods differed, but saying that one side is worse than the other just because they supposedly killed someone in a ‘more gruesome’ fashion than the other side is really a technicality, wouldn’t you say? At the end of the day, the wolf is still dead!”
He managed to bring his gaze to meet her eyes.
“…they’re mothers and fathers in that pack, just as there are in here… and you’re right. Maybe it’s all a test, a new opportunity.” Her following words, however, caught him pleasantly off guard. A small but sincere grin flashed behind his façade of despair. “…in truth, I want nothing else.”

[Sivoncé™]

A brilliant grin flashed across the she-wolf's face, though seriousness still lingered in her words. "Maybe...maybe we could negotiate? If not for peace, at least to clear up why we're fighting..." She nuzzled her head lovingly against his shoulder. "We've lived lives in the lines laid down for us for...centuries on end, it would seem. Maybe it's time for a change...to change the molds we've been given to work with..." Suddenly, the foreboding conversation seemed more of an encouragement than anything. Fireflight felt lively, excited almost. The possibilities are endless, we've just ignored them all until now. "Maybe it's time, too, for the packs to act as separate entities again, instead of all as one...."
She smiled serenely up at her mate, eyes glowing with happiness.
"Something happy in spite of all of these problems. Sounds perfect to me."

[.Rabid Lycan.]

Euphrates lifted his chin, eyes settling hopefully on the horizon. The inky smudge of sky falling behind the mountains suddenly appeared brighter, despite dawn being hours away. Dark, brooding emotions shed from his mind, refreshing him with a new sense of optimism. He couldn’t add to her words; she had spoken them all with upmost accuracy. Even the Hellfirians, he was sure, could not deny her logic. There was a new era now, and with it sprang new opportunities to emerge even better than before.
“We’ll mark our own path,” he concluded, smiling lovingly as he nuzzled her in return. “…and great! Sounds like a date!” A smirk formed on his maw, and, for once in a long while, the world was not collapsing. Rather, it was parting away to reveal a new beginning.
He was happy.

[Sivoncé™]

(( I feel like this has come to a cute little ending xD We should let them have their date in privacy ))