As sure as Brent had thought, when he returned to the spot he had been searching for caribou at after the society meeting, he could smell Banja nearby. She wasn't going to reveal herself on her own, so he sniffed around. He could smell her trying to move around him, but she never moved more than ten feet away from him.
"Maybe I won't have to do anything at all…" he chuckled to himself as he continued sniffing. Then, he dashed straight to his left. He made a few turns to avoid trees and found his measurements perfect; he caught Banja just as their paths were crossing. He slowed down by a millisecond and crashed into her. They toppled over and fell to the ground. The snow softened their landing.
"I thought I smelled you around here," said Brent, looking straight into Banja's one eye. He felt her heart rate go up as their chests were pressed together perpendicularly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her blush. She immediately rolled over and caused him to fall to the ground.
"I'm not here for any particular reason… I was just… uh…"
"Looking for me?" asked Brent with a smile as he got up, "Don't be afraid to admit it." Banja backed up a few steps, but didn't flee this time. She simply stared at him coldly, though he sensed warmth in her glare. A cool breeze whipped between them and drop of snow fell from the sky.
"Still summer isn't it?" asked Brent, "You ever wonder why we have winter storms nowadays?"
"Don't try to flirt with me!" Banja cried, "It won't work."
"I'm not even flirting," Brent objected, "I don't even need to." He saw her blush again, except this time, it was pretty obvious. She shook it off quickly.
"You didn't answer me last time," said Brent as the snow began falling more steadily, "Why are you here?"
"I've been… sent out on a scouting mission," she said quickly.
"That's a lie," said Brent with a chuckle, "Maybe last time, but not this time. Maybe not even last time."
"How would you know?" she asked defiantly.
"Last time you seemed desperate to find something to eat," said Brent, "I could feel it. But this time, I know for a fact that you came out here solely to see if I was still here. I wasn't for a while but then I came back knowing you were going to look for me." Banja was silent.
"It's true," said Banja in defeat, "I found this place by accident the last time we met. Then I decided once I got back to the Watch that I would come back here to see if you were still here."
"Because you like me," said Brent, cutting into her story. She blushed again, just as the snow started falling more rapidly.
"Looks like a blizzard is coming on," said Brent, "Let's go find a place to talk out of this cold." Banja looked too weak to disagree.
They found a hollowed out rock nearby and settled down in there to wait out the blizzard.
"How long will it be before they notice you're gone?" asked Brent, "Because this thing isn't going to be letting up for a while.
"I don't know," said Banja, not making eye contact. Without looking up, she asked, "What is the Myre Society like?" Brent was surprised at that question.
"Well, we're basically a spread out clan of wolves who help each other out whenever we need it," Brent answered, "Everyone is welcome just so long as they have been determined to have cut all ties to the clan wolves of the Beyond. Like me."
"So how did you end up in the society?" asked Banja.
"I was mortified by the MacHeath's behavior," said Brent in response. Banja perked up at this remark.
"The MacHeaths were declared Outclanners almost four moons ago," she said. Brent put on a shocked expression.
"You can't be serious!" he cried. Banja nodded. Brent had been unaware of the MacHeath's exile. He wondered what could have happened to his family.
"Did you have family there?" asked Banja.
"Yes," said Brent softly, "I had a mother and a little sister. My father was always distant. I left because of the chieftain's behavior towards my family. He tried to tear my eye out but failed and then successfully tore out my sister's right eye, just to make her a malcadh." Banja looked stunned. Not because she couldn't believe what he was saying, but because she fully believed it and knew exactly what he was talking about. Yet she didn't say anything about that.
"I… I'm sorry," said Banja.
"It's alright," said Brent coldly, "I haven't any ties to them any longer. It doesn't matter."
"It does to you," said Banja almost pleadingly, "I can feel it."
"So why do you care?" Brent snapped back. Banja fell back and silent. Brent softened his expression.
"I'm sorry…" he said, "I don't like talking about my past."
"If I could get rid of mine, I wouldn't talk of it either," said Banja. They lied in silence for a few moments before Banja brought up another topic.
"I… I really do like you Brent," she started, "I think I can understand why you like me as well."
"But as a Watch Wolf," said Brent, "You aren't allowed to have a mate correct?"
"So you aren't completely out of the beliefs of the Beyond," said Banja.
"You have your standards and I have mine," said Brent, "If they're different, I will respect yours and you should respect mine as well."
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Banja.
"It means that even if we believe in different ways, we shouldn't be persecuting each other for them," said Brent, "That is just plain wrong. We as even different genders may see things differently. That is why I respect females for who they are, even if I do flirt with them a lot." Banja was silent for a few seconds.
"So you wouldn't do anything to me without my consent?" asked Banja.
"Exactly," said Brent with a nod. Banja stood up and walked over to him. Then, much to his surprise, she licked his muzzle.
"You, Brent, are a noble wolf," said Banja smiling, "Perhaps I am not allowed to mate as a Watch Wolf, but perhaps my ways can be changed on the inside. I shall be a Watch Wolf on the outside while a free runner on the inside." Brent took that as a welcome to exchange vows with her as a mate.
"Then you shall be mine," said Brent, licking her back, "I accept you as my wife if you will accept me as your husband."
"I will," she said. And as night was falling, they lied down together and slept on the cold floor of the cave.
A/N: If this seems rushed, I'm sorry. I tend to do that with this category since my WotB stories tend to be short.
