AN: AAAAYYYYY Im back. It's been, what, 3 or 4 years? Im taking a narrative storytelling class at my college, so I thought I'd check this out again. Lo and behold, I decided to finish this chapter, might even keep going.
Reaching Out
Chapter 7
The day began with a whisper of light passing between the twigs and branches of a leafy door. This deep orange whisper came to rest on two dimly lit figures, huddled together and peacefully asleep, outlining them in shifting gold filigree. A soft blanket of golden light danced across their fur, glowing about their edges, and shining off their noses. As darkness gave way to the warm glow, the earth walls of a shallow cave came into existence, slowly gaining shape and definition, and the figures slowly became two wolves.
Connor drifted slowly across the blurry line between dream and reality, bringing with him an inexplicable sense of happiness. While he could not remember his dream, he knew that it had been a good one, possibly the best he'd ever had. He took in a deep breath; the crisp air filled his lungs and pushed back the drowsy veil hanging over him. The soft warmth of the sleeping body beneath his head relaxed him, the quiet roar of its soft breath nearly lulling him back to sleep. Connor's eyes opened slowly, his gaze focusing on the peaceful face of Natalie, still asleep, and with a slight glow about her as light refracted off her fur into the otherwise dark room. Connor tensed slightly, the closeness and contact had brought warmth to his chest, but all at once it seemed forbidden, a taboo he was dangerously close to committing. Panicked questions shot through his mind, I shouldn't be so close, what if she woke up? What would she think? How did I end up like this? He gently moved his head to rest on the cold earth, but noticed that the smile, which had hinted at the corners of Natalie's mouth, faded from her face, leaving the room a little less bright, the ground a little more chilled, his heart a little less light. Connor was surprised, he hadn't expected something so small to hurt so much, but nonetheless he tried to fall back asleep with the ache nagging at the back of this mind.
Natalie woke with the sweet glow of a good dream persisting, like the heat of the sun held by the dirt after sunset. Despite this, something seemed to be missing, leaving a blemish on her otherwise faultless morning. Her eyes opened to the dim light of a den shaded by a green curtain of leaves. She lifted her head, looked around, and saw Connor lying next to her with a slightly pained expression twisting his normally happy face. She wondered what could be distressing him so, but decided it must simply be a bad dream and rested her head back on the cool ground. After a while, she decided it was about time to get up. Natalie rose and stretched, yawning despite herself, and sat near the entrance grooming while she waited for Connor to wake up.
Deciding he needed all the sleep he could get, Natalie walked out of Connor's den and was greeted by a sight no less beautiful than what she had seen the night before. The sky, still dim before the day, was filled with clouds lit by the sun still hidden behind distant mountains. The vividness of the colors was incredible, hot yellow turning to a vibrant red-orange and accentuated more and more by deep purples and blues as the clouds grew closer. The sky that showed between the clouds was lit an almost cobalt blue in contrast to the bright oranges and reds. The outlines of trees were painted in black against that sherbert sky, their sharp silhouettes casting long shadows that slid along the ground as the sun rose from behind the uneven line of the horizon. Though there was a faint breeze, none of the flora moved, almost looking frozen in places, like some great power had held the world still just for a second, just long enough to get lost in the sight, the sound, the feel of that single, unending moment.
"It's too easy to just sit and stare, let the world turn while you watch." Connor remarked, he had quietly followed Natalie out shortly after she had sit down to admire the view, settling down next to, but slightly behind his engrossed friend.
"Huh?" Natalie murmured back, slowly coming back from her hypnotized state, "Oh ... yeah it is." Her reply was slow and quiet, like a sleeper trying to have a conversation before their morning coffee, never taking her gaze from the horizon.
While he did appreciate the grandeur of the valley, that had not been what held Connor's attention. He scooted slightly forward to sit even with Natalie, careful not to put weight on his bad leg in the process. He had no desire to tear Natalie away from her admiration of the view, so he sat with her and looked out from their high perch for what may have been half an hour before Natalie finally turned away.
"So, you wanna try to make our way down to the valley for breakfast, or stay here?" Natalie asked, "I can bring up some food if you want to stay."
"Eh, I'll try. Let's see how Humphrey and Kate are doing." Connor replied
Natalie stood up, pressed her shoulder to Connor's, letting him lean on her as he stood, and began to walk down his hidden path to the valley. While they made their slow way down the mountain, Natalie and Connor talked about this and that, Natalie's family, what little Connor had seen of Humphrey and Kate's wedding, what they liked to do in their free time. In what felt like only a few minutes, the pair arrived at the edge of the valley.
The shadows cast by the morning sun submerged a large portion of the valley in shadow, preserving the dew on the shaded grass for a few minutes more. The tops of the tallest trees shone in contrast as they stood peeking out above the line of the cast by the cliffs. They had arrived just before the hunt began, a small herd of grazing caribou standing calmly as their hunters silently slid up in the shadows and grass, waiting to pounce.
In an instant it had begun, hunters shot out from cover, the gap between predator and prey closing in seconds. The caribou turned to run, but not before a few of the outermost were caught and shortly brought down. The lucky ones kicked up dust as they ran with panicked fervor to the end of the valley, while the unfortunate fallen drew their last breaths under the onslaught of the pack.
As per tradition, the Alphas ate first, taking the choice pieces for themselves and their families. Once most had taken their fill, Omegas began to filter in, pulling at the remaining meat and gnawing on bones.
"Wait here, I'll get you some" Natalie said, pushing her way to the kills.
Connor sat himself a few meters away and watched as Natalie picked around for the best out of the remaining scraps. Those who had already chosen dragged their meals away across the trodden grass, most to their mates and friends. From his post, Connor scanned the outer crowd for Humphrey and Kate, guessing that the daughter and son-in-law of the pack leader would have been among the first to eat. Their scent hung in the air, but they didn't appear to be in among the rim crowd. Seeing Natalie making her way back to him, Connor gave up the search for the moment.
"Pretty good hunt today, I managed to get some of the good stuff." Natalie said, dropping the food and sitting next to Connor. Despite the lucky pickings, she didn't seem excited as he would have expected.
"Yeah, it's been quite awhile since we've had this kind of prime." Connor said, bowing his head and looking at the meat, then glancing back out over the pack. "I didn't see Kate of Humphrey, but I can definitely smell them."
"I saw them over there," Natalie replied, gesturing over beyond one of the carcasses, "they seemed pretty wrapped up in each other, so I thought we'd let them be."
"Ah... yeah, I guess they really haven't had much alone time since they got back."
After a moment of silence, Natalie leaned over and began to eat, Connor joining her. As others around the kill finished their meals, they slowly began to trickle out of the valley, meandering toward whatever they had planned for the day. Kate and Humphrey were among the first groups to leave, talking animatedly as they walked away from the day's hunt.
"There they go." Connor said, pointing the couple out to Natalie.
"That was quick, must have gotten in there right away." Natalie commented.
After a few more minutes, Connor and Natalie finished their meals and looked around, seeing that the valley had nearly emptied.
"So, what now?" Connor asked.
"I don't know, I've been... occupied so much this week I just don't know." Natalie replied listlessly, "I guess I'd usually go see what Kate's doing, or just stay home with my family, though that's not really an option right now."
"Huh, I guess I don't really know what to do with myself." Connor replied, "...you want to go back to that spot in the woods you showed me? The quiet sounds nice right about now."
Natalie hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, we could do that."
Noticing the pause, Connor's head tilted slightly as he looked at Natalie, his brow faintly furrowed in growing concern.
"I mean... we don't have to, we could go somewhere else if you don't want to-". Connor added tentatively
"No no, that sounds nice, I was just thinking." Natalie answered, gesturing dismissively.
Connor shuffled and as he made to stand, Natalie walked over and braced against his shoulder to support his unsteady rise.
"Thanks." Connor said in a low voice.
Natalie just nodded as they slowly made their way from the clearing and back among the stalwart pines and meandering underbrush. The pair walked in silence, accompanied by only the quiet rush of the rustling pine-needles and the faint pad-scratch of their paws on the hard dirt and rocks. Though he wanted to be happy spending this time with Natalie, Connor could sense something bothering her, and while he was usually not one to talk first, he felt the unfamiliar need to speak up.
Mustering his courage and resolve, Connor glanced at Natalie's strangely distant eyes staring forward before looking back toward to ground. His jaw worked silently as he looked for the right words, his eyes shifting along the ground in thought, and nervously swallowed before taking in a breath to speak.
"Are you alright? You're shaking." Natalie said, cutting Connor off before he could utter a single word. Her eyes, for the moment, had left their vacant gaze on the path ahead and looked at Connor, much more present before returning to the journey ahead.
Surprised, Connor could only say "Yeah, I'm good...", but after a moment of steeling himself, he continued, "...Though I'm really more worried about you at the moment."
Natalie let out a faint, half-hearted laugh, "Me? Why are you worried about me, you're the one with a broken leg..."
Natalie trailed off, her eyes returning to meet Connor's now surprisingly serious and concerned gaze. The intensity of the look shocked her, she'd never seen anything like it on him before. To her, Connor had always been the calm, quiet, friendly one, very unimposing and easy to overlook despite his size, but now, when he wanted to be seen and heard, he truly commanded attention. Her chest fluttered a bit and all she could think was 'wow, where was this?'. They had slowed to a stop, and Connor continued to speak, never breaking his gaze.
"I can feel something bothering you," Natalie's eyes slid from Connor's toward the ground and her face shifted to a sadder expression. Before she could reflexively deny his statement, he continued. "I want you to know that you can always talk to me, about absolutely anything. I am always here for you, I'm always here to listen." As he spoke, Connor sat back on his haunches to rest his good paw against her shoulder, turning Natalie toward him. His expression softened, showing a tenderness and honesty he'd never shown anyone else, "Like I said before, if you don't want to talk, you don't have to, but I want you to know that I care about you. Your happiness and wellbeing mean a lot to me, and I want to help however I can".
Connor smiled, then raised his encased leg for both to see.
"Case in point." Connor added with more of his normal dark humor.
Despite herself, Natalie could feel herself choking up. She let out a strangled laugh as her eyes fell to the floor and she half-smiled almost ashamedly. She let out a slow, shaky sigh, then looked back up at Connor's now reassuring expression and gave him a tight-lipped smile with bleary eyes, evidence of the tears she was holding back. Natalie's tried to speak, but couldn't get the words past the lump in her throat, all she could do was let out a small, quick puff of breath somewhere between a chuckle and a sob before she closed her mouth with a sniffle ang clenched jaws. A moment later, Natalie leaned in and embraced Connor, the side of her head pressed to the soft fur of his neck. She held him tight for a moment, the wet from her eyes moistening her face and the leaving a damp patch in Connor's soft coat.
"Thank you" Natalie managed to squeak out, a face full of fur muffling her unsteady words.
Connor's eyes closed and he slowly exhaled as he held her to himself and gently rubbed her back, turning his head to rest his chin on the back of her neck as she quietly shook against him. After a few long seconds, Natalie's tremors had subsided and she slowly pulled back with another sniffle, rubbing the evidence of her tears from her face. For some moments more, Connor continued to rest his paw comfortingly against her back, gently massaging while Natalie regained her composure.
Resting his good paw back on the ground, Connor shuffled to Natalie's side and asked "So, do you still want to go to the clearing?"
"Yeah," Natalie answered, "Yeah, definitely." Her voice was rough, but returning to normal when she asked "You ready?"
"Yeah." Connor replied and leaned his shoulder against Natalie. They stayed like that for a few moments before both stood. To Connor's joy, Natalie had lost her glazed expression and now seemed more upbeat and thoughtful. Their strides in sync, both walked with lighter hearts and lighter steps along the worn dirt path to the creak's clearing.
