No Female - {Novex}

[Drathlic]

The mountainous regions were hard on a varg's paws - especially that of a young adolescant who had barely breached adult-hood. The young male's paws were often sore and cracked - this also due to the shere cold of the on-coming winter - and he found it neccessary to stop his explorations and rest frequently, no matter how cold he was.
Drathlic groaned as his paws ached, wandering now aimlessly around the same area he'd visited quite often in the past few suns since joining List. He'd found this cliff edge to be rather peaceful compaired to other parts of the mountain he'd discovered - and it looked out across the whole forest and down into the great valley where List's Densite and meeting place was held.
Sighing to himself he looked upon the cold, bare rock that he often lay on and grunted - not quite feeling as though he should rest there, again.

Falling back onto his haunches with a dull thud, Drathlic looked about himself and frowned, flicking his auds forward in thought. Ever since coming to these parts of the forest - the only varg he was ever likely to meet were female, and he'd only managed to make two male friends. Knowing that he had also made friends with all the she-wolves he'd met, he knew that there should be no concern. But with a lot of time to think - he knew there was a problem.
Getting back onto his paws, restless now, he began to pad back and forth near the ledge, pausing every few minutes to look out at the lands below him and also to listen for on-coming pawsteps. Though he heard none.

Sitting down again, this time with his back to the mountain, Drathlic gazed out towards the horizon. A single female's name and voice played over and over again in his head. The thought of her made him tingle and his tail wag. She was great. He'd never met another female like her - a true friend with a Dragga as a father and Drappa for a mother. His first friend in fact. Shayla, daughter of Draeg and Cwen.
Giving out a small whine his auds flattened and he looked down to his paws, tail curling round his haunches. He didn't get to see her very often, but when he did - they never failed to enjoy themselves. But it was also her brother Kop that he feared.
Though Drathlic had befriended the grizzly grey cub, he always knew that the youth was more Dragga than he, and he was a mere sikla to his friend. If Kop ever knew about his slowly growing feelings for his grey pelted sister - then Drathlic couldn't bare to think of the consiquences.

However, this was not his only problem. Due to befriending so many female, Drathlic couldn't help but feel a little something special for each one of them - but not in the same way he felt for Shayla. No. They were just friends. Or at least he kept telling himself that.

Something stirred in the grasses behind him and Drathlic's muzzle swung round to meet the mottled black form of Novex - his friend and fellow pack mate of List. Sighing thankfully to himself he smiled and nodded to the youth. "Hey Novex - good to see another male for a change," he chuckled slighty - completely forgetting that Novex had no idea of the thoughts which had just been running through his head.

((Wow I didn't half ramble there hope you don't mind me having a private thread with you? I need to talk to more males, lol - if you hadn't noticed ))

[noveck]

With a inquiring, friendly look, Novex approached Drathlic, the comment rather strange, especially since Novex was ignorant to anything of Drathlic's past except for how he had first come across Renn. After a moment however, Novex grinned and sat down. "Hey Drathlic..." he paused, "What do ya mean by that? See too many faemmes lately?" He threw him a mischevious glance and sighed.

"Well, I suppose I would have said something along the lines of 'Hey Drathlic, it's good to see a varg for a change'... Although, I must say that your's was a little stranger than my own. Congrats, you won 'saying the strangest greeting'." Novex grinned playfully at Drathlic. The mottled ebon adolescent sighed and stared down at the ground, flicking his ear absentmindedly as he thought for a moment or two.

"So," He growled, "Why did you come here? I don't believe the mountain slopes are particularly easy to climb." Novex winced slightly, feeling his own paws pound from his own rather eager climb up the mountainous area. Novex was quite limber and agile for his age, smaller than most in comparison of muscle, and quite the tracker already due simply to the many days spent reaching every far corner of the List territory when the Alphas cubs had left. It was rather rare that Novex had approached Drathlic and Renn so swiftly, for he had even spent many days getting used to being around his packmates.

Novex sighed and rose, feeling the young blood pulsate through his veins. It was not simply Drathlic that felt restless, and the simple peace of the ledge only made the mottled varg's excitement worse. Novex was hardly one to sit for very long.

"Well," he growled. "You wanna go do something? Unless sitting here all day is something you'd like to do. I know the mountain is one of the places not even I have explored yet. And where already up here so..." It may not have been the most exciting suggestion, but the varg was completely out of ideas of what to do to entertain not only himself but someone else as well. Novex growled mischeviously, feeling his paws begin to resume normality, no longer aching so bad.

[Drathlic]

Chuckling lightly at his friend's joking tone, he shrugged and got to his paws, padding over to Novex - simply for another excuse to get off his backside and move. Sitting down in a rather irritated way he looked from Novex and back to the ledge where the canopy of trees could be seen clearly. Sighing to himself he shrugged again, showing his adgitation. "Now you've said it, I know that's what my problem is," he peered back round into Novex's eyes, though making sure to look past them rather than into them - hoping that his new found friend was not like his brother Kane of friend Kop. "I have been seeing too many faemme lately. And meeting so many of them and befriending them all is driving me insane," he growled now with irritation, getting up yet again to pad aimlessly towards the edge of the ledge. Standing momentarily, staring again with his tail drooping in a sorry state, he growled and looked round to the ebon male once more. "I just come here to think. Found it when I was exlporing shortly after my test with Fiory. It's a nice place. But when you've got too much on your mind, I guess it becomes a bit...depressing so to speak," he gave a short laugh that more of a sharply exhaled breathe.

Growling and continuing, he knew that Novex was not going to be willing to listen to him rant his thoughts, so instead he shrugged again and turned to pad back towards his friend. "Anyway, it's not as if you really want to hear all of this - though it might help. But yes - let's go and explore the mountains together. This place is hell for impatient minds," he grinned lightly, almost as if it were a fake smile. Padding on past the ebon youth, he threw his head round and playfully grabbed the tip of Novex's tail and tugged it sharply.

[noveck]

Novex grinned as Drathlic agreed to go out on the mountain, although by the first comment he figured that Drathlic seemed to want to talk too. To this Novex shrugged his shoulders and flicked his ear toward the other varg, shifting his weight from paw to paw before they began their trek. It was then Drathlic nipped his tail and pulled. Novex growled playfully, swiping a paw at Drathlic's muzzle and pulling his tail free. He lept toward his friend, sliding slightly on the loose pebbles that littered the mountains. Just before he collided with Drathlic however, Novex spun around and jumped back and up, past a few boulders and onto a smaller ledge. The youth looked down, tongue lolling from his jaws in a particularly eager manner.

"Drathlic, we could talk as we explore - if it would help. As long as we're moving, I don't care what we really do." At this however, Novex looked up into the mountains which seemed to fade into the sky, eyes glittering with curiosity. What Novex meant to say was this: 'As long as we're moving upward I don't care what we do.'

After another long pause, he growled softly half to himself, "Bristol had told me a few days after I joined that there was a human village around these mountains. I've never seen it though." He swung his muzzle back toward Drathlic, grinning mischievously through a veil of innocence.

[Drathlic]

Drathlic was greatfully thankful as Novex suggested they spoke whilst exploring the mountain terrain, and his tail wagged enthusiastically as he bounded up the rocky slope, scrabbling more than anything as rocks dismantled themselves beneath his ever shifting paws.
As they reached a more level slope, Drathlic turned to listen to Novex and caught the mischevious glint that shimmered in his eyes.

A human village? Drathlic had never seen a human before, and to know that there was a pack of them residing close to his own, it intieged the youngster greatly. But he'd only ever heard bad stories of the two legged - and to some extent it made him worry. "Have they ever came in contact with List before?" he questioned Novex - curious now to see if Bristol had shared further information with the young ebon male.

But then his thoughts returned and he padded on through the rocky terrian, watching his ever step so as not to plummet of the mountain's sharp edge. "Novex," he started slowly, almsot speaking in a silent voice. "Have you ever had feelings for a female?" he finally asked, wincing at the very thought of what reply he might recieve.

[noveck]

Novex twitched his ears as he thought about what Bristol had told him. True, the information had been very little, and for good reason Novex assumed. But still, the answers he had received from their Dragga had not been enough to appease his hunger for information. "Well," Novex thought, looking ahead at where he was to place his paws as they began to range along the slope of the mountain, following Drathlic. "I believe they might have. I know that Bristol mentioned something about a cub and something tragic that happened. I don't exactly know though, Bristol didn't say much about it."

Upon Drathlic's next statement however, Novex looked over at his friend, about to reply with quick wit and sarcasm, but when he saw his friend flinch from the oncoming reply Novex thought for a moment and eased his thougths. Perhaps there was some fae that Drathlic had grown on. Indeed, the thoughts of a family and mate had never exactly entered the adolescent's mind before.

"No..." He growled after a moment. "In fact, the only faes our age I've met were the Dragga and Drappa's cubs and Renn. I suppose I saw one of the Alpha's cubs as friends but I didn't think much of it then... I hope you don't mind me asking but why?" He glanced over at Drathlic, curious.

[Drathlic]

The two cubs climbed higher and higher up the mountain side as the path Drathlic had taken seemed to slowly wind and curve up it's rocky sides. It was dangerously narrow at points, and at others it was able to fit a herd of mountain goats comfortably without one falling.
And so Drathlic padded on, flicking an aud to hear Novex's first reply and he nodded slowly, slowing to a halt as they reached an almost impossible path to cross, as the rock had simply crumbled away and was now...just a gap between the paths.

Growling deeply he looked above him then behind him as Novex replied to his second question, flattening his auds and looking down at his paws - feeling very embaressed all of a sudden. "Well, I've never really thought about faemme in this way before. I mean - the thought of having a mate is just...urgh," he stuck his tongue out at the concept of adults and how they cooed over one another in such sickening fashion.
In truth, Drathlic was still very young and found such ideas disgusting to be blunt. What else would a male his age think about female except the idea of friendship?
Though the guilty look glimmered in his eyes and he peered up slowly into Novex's eyes, heaving a heavy sigh before continuing. "I guess...there is one faemme that i've started having weird feelings for. I rarely get to see her, but when I do - it just makes me so happy I don't want to leave. And well, she's been in my dreams a lot too. I don't understand it," he growled with irritation, lifting his forepaw and scratching the rocky mountain exterior behind him angrily. "But what makes this even harder, is the idea of having so many other female vargs as my friends. I mean, what if the same feelings for them start to happen as they are with Shayla-?" suddenly stopping himself as he revealed the name of the varg he'd been speaking of, Drathlic's eyes widened and his muzzle dropped.

Suddenly looking away, Drathlic's heart began to pulse in fear that Novex would know who it was he was talking about. What if he laughed at the idea? The idea of having feelings for a she-wolf who's mother and father were the Dragga and Drappa of a pack as strong as Ge-Rad?

[noveck]

Although Drathlic had revealed the name of the mysterious varg he was speaking about, Novex knew nothing of a varg named Shayla, and couldn't even guess that she was the daughter of Draeg and Cwen, the leaders of Ge-Rad. One thing he could see quite clearly however was this: Drathlic was embarrassed about what he was talking about. In fact, had it been any other varg than Novex's friend, the mottled varg would indeed have laughed for the concept of mates was something quite humorous to him.

Now however, he was torn between the need to burst out laughing, and the need to be a good friend to the adolescent varg. He thought for a moment, thinking about what Drathlic's words could mean.

"Well..." he said after a moment, having noticed the way Drathlic had abruptly cut off his reply after a name had been mentioned. "I have not met this Shayla, so I guess you get off easy on that one." He bumped his friend playfully. "I don't know Drathlic. I've never experienced that before so I wouldn't know. I haven't really thought about... mates and stuff like that any time at all. But I guess it's ok, if she likes you back." He growled thoughtfully.

[Drathlic]

Not daring to look at Novex's expression, Drathlic could only assume that it was a broad grin that, he kept his back firmly facing the mottled black varg's form. But when he let out a slight joke and gave him a nudge, Drathlic turned his gaze slowly back round to Novex and sighed thankfully as his friend ended the joke and got onto helping him - even if he himself had never experienced such feelings before.
A small smile played on his muzzle, but it swiftly fell at Novex's last comment. "If she likes me too..." he repeated quietly to himself, staring down with sullen azure eyes, observing his paws with great intensity.

Looking up again at Novex he sighed. "I had never given the concept of mates much thought before until my sister Ilinga was courted by this male I don't like - the main reason why I've never been keen on the idea of mates. But, ever since these feelings have been plaguing my mind and dreams, it's just been like Wolfbane's den! I can't get them out of my head...and the worst thing is, I don't even know if she feels the same way..." he looked back down to his paws and flattened his auds against his head - clearly downtrodden after never even thinking about such a consequence.

[noveck]

Novex nodded as Drathlic explained his feelings, or at least why the idea of mates had been so difficult for him until he had met the she-varg named Shayla. And when he mentioned that he was unsure of her feelings for him, Novex growled thoughtfully again, tail wagging tentatively as he thought about something that would make sense and that would help out his friend. He shook his head, at loss for words for the time being.

"... I'm not sure how you could tell. It's never easy to interpret drappa's feelings, or at least I've never tried before. It's easy of course with young cubs but..." Novex trailed off and looked out into the distance where the ledge upon which the two were walking on narrowed slightly. The wind that was more common up here in the mountains than below tugged at his mottled fur, and Novex suddenly felt like what he sought to say was very much like the wind; always changing and never definite. What could he say in a situation like this when he didn't even know the she-varg?

"Where did you meet this Shayla and how long have you known each other?" He asked, muzzle quivering as he tasted the air and glanced over at Drathlic.

[Drathlic]

Drathlic nodded at the comment Novex made on how hard it was to interperate what drappa's thought, or at least how they thought. They were all so different and difficuly to figure out. Giving out a slight growl he commented back. "I know what you mean. After all, one minute Shayla can be so happy - and the next she seems a little...strange. I don't know if that has anything to do with taking after her mother or father, but it can be frustrating," he thought, looking back to when she was talking about what had happened to her life recently. About how her father had two mates and how she had two half brothers.

Staring out past Novex, Drathlic gazed at the forest below and sighed heavily before turning back to the path they'd came to an abrupt halt on, cocking at aud as he remembered why they'd stopped. The narrow ledge had broken away and the only way to get off where they now sat was to either go back the way they'd come and find a new route or to take the risk and jump across to the still narrow ledge which had initially led on from where they sat.

But quickly his thoughts were diverted back to their original conversation and he thought back easily to when the two cubs had first met and how his feelings of a clsoe friendship had developed. "Well I had recently just came to these parts of the forest and had found this big cave. She arrived just as I was about to go in and have a snoop and we ended up going in together to discover things. Her brother Kop arrived shortly afterwards and he treated me like a Sikla, the same way my brother Kane had always done. But Shayla - she stuck up for me and was always nice, not like Kop. My first friend and a good one too," he added on, smiling at how he'd licked her muzzle kindly in a show of friendly affection and had recieved a slight look of confusion in return. It made him chuckle at the thought.
But then he continued, slightly more grave at how often he actually got to see his good Ge-Rad friend. "Well that's another problem. I don't get to see her very often because we both live in different packs and well...I'm not sure how her mother or father would react to me. But I've met with her twice now that I recall - and both times hold great memories to me," he remarked, thinking back on both happy occasions as a gentle sigh escaped his young muzzle in a puff of misty vapour.

[noveck]

The dark shaded wolf nodded as he listened to his friend talk, his copper gaze shifting from concentration of the gray earth beneath his paws out to the forest canopy and lands of List below. They had reached the area where the mountain path had narrowed, and suddenly Novex realized that the dark pool he had simply thought to have been a shadow on the path was actually a gap of empty space where the legdge had crumbled down the mountain slope, an illusion. The two youths paused before the empty space, but neither mentioned it just now, as Drathlic was busy talking about the fae Shayla and how they had come to meet. Novex shifted his broad ears toward his friend and back, thinking for a moment before a thought struck him.

"You say this drappa is from another pack? And you don't know how her parents would react?" He looked over at the troubled Drathlic and swiveled his ears back and forward. "What pack is it that they are apart of?" Novex knew which packs in Transylvania List was currently allied with, and if Drathlic did not know, it perhaps had simply to do with the fact that the ebon-hued adolescent had been here longer. The brisk winter breeze in combination with the refreshing mountain wind tugged at the varg's lengthening coat and raked across his ears. Novex sat down on the cool slab that formed the ledge and path, gazing out across the forest trees, awaiting his friend's answer.

[Drathlic]

Perking his auds, Drathlic suddenly looked very startled by the question Novex had jsut asked him. Should he reveal her identity and give it away that she is the daughter of Cwen and Draeg, Drappa and Dragga of Ge-Rad? Well...he'd already spilt as much as how the two had met and the feelings he now felt for the grey faemme - there was little harm now in telling Novex that she was a Ge-Rad varg.
Feeling his muzzle burn, Drathlic peered again at his paws whilst mumbling his answer in a nearly unaudible tone - clearly showing his embrassement had reached a new height. "Well...she's from Ge-Rad. Cwen and Draeg's daughter..."

Shifting his paws uncomfortably and flicking his tail in thought - Drathlic suddenly wondered if sharing this information had been a mistake. Surely Novex could hold in his laughter no more?

(Sorry, posting everywhere with writer's block is not good for me >.< )

[noveck]

[lol, I know what you mean]

Novex blinked and his copper eyes widened in surprise. Drathlic had a fancy for a drappa in a strong pack, but a strong pack that included List's enemies? He blinked away his surprise, watching the ruddy youth's obvious embarrassment that he had acquired a liking for this fae Shayla, daughter of the Ge-Rad. The mottled ebon adolescent sighed softly, watching the mist that unfurled from his maw rise into the seemingly close heavens above until it was no longer in view. He turned to look over at Drathlic with a friendly grin on his snout rather than a mocking one. "You really do want to make this all the more difficult for yourself don't you?" Novex joked half-heartedly, turning his gaze across the green tops of the trees below.

"Ge-Rad...." The black-hued varg shook his muzzle slightly, his gaze now extending past the opposite horizon. "Well, I don't suppose her mother and father would take the news very well, neither would our pack I believe, though I'm not sure how our Dragga or Drappa would react. But if you really care for her, I'm sure what they think won't matter much anyway." Novex blinked and grinned over at Drathlic, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. But after a minute, his expression changed and he turned to look back across the ground below. "Will you tell Bristol and Fiory? It won't be easy for us to keep it from them, and it'll be all the more difficult for them to trust us should they find out all on their own. But I'm not very well going to tell them if you don't want them knowing just yet." Novex growled softly, shaking his head. "You really can't make things easy you know." The black mann growled playfully.

"So... when will I get to meet this Shayla friend of yours? You make her sound like an interesting varg to meet." Novex sighed with a grin on his muzzle, trying to turn the brooding thoughts away for the moment, they could think about what would happen later at a different time, now Novex's paws were becoming fidgity again.

[Drathlic]

On hearing Novex's first responce, Drathlic let out a great sigh of relief to hear that his friend wouldn't pass a horrific comment meant to make Drathlic wish he'd never told the youth anything. Smiling kindly he let out an exhaled laugh and shook his head before speaking. "No I guess I don't. Life is never easy, is it?" he added on before following Novex's gaze out across the tree tops - many bare and just branches reaching out at the clear, icy blue sky where no warmth was held. Though there were the great amounts of conifers and pines - standing tall and sharp amongst the rest.
Letting another sigh escape his grey muzzle in a plume of shimmering white mist. Ignoring this he spoke further words, azure gaze now transfixed on the horizon as if he were in a mere day dream. "Do they need to know? After all," he broke off, turning now to look back at the mottled black cub's face, looking now as though he were exhausted of the conversation for it had ran through his head too often to count lately. "How do I know that these feelings are not just because she is a good friend? And if she doesn't like me in return, then it is all in vain to cause trouble and worry which isn't needed through a rough winter where food is short," he spoke wisely - knowing that if he told either Fiory of Bristol...they would see it as a problem or an issue worth little to their worries of a growing pack and little meat to suffice them all.

Though a grins oon spread on Drathlic's muzzle as Novex asked to meet Shayla and he got to his paws almost immediatly as if to set off for Ge-Rad to meet her. "You can meet her whenever you like! You jsut have to be around me more often incase we run into her in the Kerl lands...after all...thanks to her parents being so busy now with the pack, she gets to sneak away more often. Or so she told me last time we met," he joked before nudging Novex in the side with his muzzle - attempting to move him back the way they'd came in order to find a new route to wander..