Tell Me What You're Running From [open]

[[Midnight]]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,435,true][bg=0a230d] Girl now tell me what you're runnin from She said, "everything and everyone." The world was frozen and the tension was as high as ever, and Akiko was learning how to cope with all of this stress. She was keeping to herself, mostly, and getting accustomed to her irrational sense of loneliness that was growing in her heart. There were many moments she felt like a horrible person; how could she be worried about something like getting a bit of attention when so much was going on? So she kept her worries to herself. In a way, it only added to her pain. Nobody seemed to notice that she felt so hollow inside. The forest was a great place to explore. Though she had spent many days here, learning to hunt mice and once even a weasel, she still felt as though she hadn't explored every nook and cranny. The playful side, that little bit of puppishness left in her, brought a smile to her face as she suddenly reared up on her hind legs and slammed her front paws into the trunk of a skinny tree. A large pile of snow that had gathered in its leaves came cascading down in a glittering shower. Some of it floated into her face and tickled her nose, sending her into a momentary sneezing fit. She sat back on her skinny hindquarters and rubbed a paw across her face. She hadn't seen Drake for a while, and the thought of seeking him out crossed her mind. She decided against it, though. For some reason, she was starting to avoid any sign of Drake. Perhaps she'd let too much time pass by without speaking to him, and now she was nervous? It didn't really occur to her that her reasonings might run deeper than that. It was possible that she was running away from reality, trying to block her mind of the possiblity that her friends and family might die by the jaws of Falling Moon. War, after all, was coming soon. Word had just come back about Taya and Bion. They would act soon.

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[Bre]

Drake let his body weave through the tree in a swift motion as he paced himself. Why was this giant white brute sprinting as it seemed? He just wanted to get away from the attention everyone was giving him. He understood as a newcomer you should expect attention but he despised being too noticed and now he was well, too noticed. He need to hide you could say? Slowly down slightly as the heavy scent of the pack died down a bit but it was still there, of course it always would be he was in their territory, well now his territory as well. Bandit was welcome as were the rest, especially Esmeralda but he rather not spends so much time surrounded by others. He had just upgrade from being a loner, so the presence of others made him uncomfortable. His body slowed to a complete stop before he let his ears perk to catch any sound of someone else nearby. He had heard movement east of him, but only saw a flash of a fluffy tail. He supposed it had been a squirrel, those little fur balls moved faster than most expected anyhow. As his shoulder rose and fell letting out a deep sigh from between his jaws, his nose caught a whiff of someone familiar.

Akiko.

The little pup he had saved, he hadn’t seen her in days and the thought bothered him immediately as he thought about it. She seemed so distant ever since returning home and it made him wonder if this was how she always acted or if it was something because of him. His eye brows furrowed as his head bent to the ground to inhale the familiar aroma once more. As his head rose, his body moved making his whole being swagger as with her bent slightly. Forcing himself forward slowly it didn’t take long till he spotted the sandy brown fur he had saved from the power waters that tried to swallow it. Rather than speaking he studied her, she seemed frozen. Well not frozen literally, but as if something inside of her was eating at her very soul. Her little shoulder ascended and descended with each breath she took and a slight wag started at the tip of his tail. He could help but let a slight smile plaster itself upon his muzzle, Akiko often made him smile even though they had seemed to only meet a week or so ago. What could possibly being going through that mind of her?

A thought that seemed to forever run across his when he looked at those emerald eyes in her petite head. Not wanting to wait for her to notice him, he took a few steps forward before he let his voice slip between his lips in a low whisper only she could hear.

“Akiko.”

The way her name danced of his tongue sent a shiver down his own spine. His voiced carried such emotion with her name it made it seem he was either he father or a lover of hers. What is my relationship with this small pup? Confusion crossed his face faster than he could ever make it disappear, he didn’t understand the connection he and the pup shared, but he didn’t seem to want to call her a pup anymore. She seemed nearly grown, but that was because she nearly is. Being a slight closer to her made him realize how much shorter she was than him, and the fact she hadn’t turned around to look at him twisted a part of him around. Maybe he should have left her alone? Well it was too late now wasn’t it? He didn’t have a choice anymore, now he had to stay he had already spoke her name.

[[Midnight]]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,435,true][bg=0a230d] Her eyes wandered across the different shapes and textures of the forest, and she wondered if winter was always this eerily quiet or if the whole world was simply getting swallowed up by the tension of her family. She ran her tongue across her muzzle and regretted it almost immediately as her saliva made her lips feel like they were freezing up. She heard something that made her ears perk and her head spin. The very wolf she had been thinking of just moments ago had suddenly appeared, and it was all she could not to just up and run away from her sheer embarassment. Her body tingled with warmth just at the sight of him, spreading youthful energy into all of her appendages. Still, why did she feel so self-conscious? As she turned her girth around to face him, her eyes met his and she saw the way he seemed uncertain. She realized she was taking too long to answer, so she remedied that immediately. "Hello, Drake," she spoke politely, with a sweet smile as she sat back comfortably in the snow. "Long time no see! I imagine you've met everyone already? Considering there are so few of us now..." The thought was spoken in a tone of mild sadness, as though she were remembering better times when the pack had more than a five or six head count. She glanced at him shyly, squishing her front paws in the snow.

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[Bre]

Hello, Drake.

This wasn’t Akiko, it couldn’t be. She was too tranquil and polite to be the she-wolf he had saved from drowning. This wasn’t realistic was it? It had to be made up entirely in his head; therefore this thought caused him to blink slowly once. When he grasped that it was not a day dream a random chill crept up him spine before hurling itself downwards. As she glanced at him with a look that appeared to be rather timid he’s feelings of becoming absent in her presence grew. His ears twitched as he remembers she had spoken to him.

What had she said to him again? Something about so few… as his brain processed what the Akiko had muttered his gaze bore down at her fragile frame. Who did she miss? She missed someone and it wasn’t him obviously. It wouldn’t make any sense to miss him in the first place he wasn’t anywhere she couldn’t reach him. Maybe she missed Caden, or others that were in the pack before him. His brows furrowed in frustration as he couldn’t pin point her disturbing nature. Either she was upset he didn’t see her after meeting her mother, or he missed the pack members of the past. Perhaps it was both, Drake could be quite intelligent but figuring out females was something that took longer than he’d like. Realizing she was sitting and he was the once standing made him even more uncomfortable. Why was she so calm? She wasn’t calm actually something about him sensed confusion and other emotions. He sniffed the air and back peddled slowly putting some distance between them before he spoke to her.

“Am I bothering you?”

Very direct? Maybe too direct? He didn’t care about that, he wanted to know whether she wanted him to leave or stay. He would stay or leave if she suggested it. It was all weighted upon her. Weighted, she had to be upset because she was carrying her own weighted problems and others. She didn’t seem to speak to anyone about problems – ever—and that caused a problem now didn’t it? She was containing it all and as his amber eyes locked onto her emerald orbs he could see the flicker of conflict that flashed for a brief moment. He let out a small sigh and strode forward making the distance he had created not too long ago disappear.

“What is eating at you? You seem as if someone has taken a try at destroying your happiness little one.”

His tone low as a near whisper but yet held enough bass that she knew he wanted an answer, a real one. He let worry display across his face and even allowed it to reach his flame colored eyes. Watching her carefully for any signs that she might try to turn away or keep him out. He’d encounter with affection, or what he had learned was affection from watching Esmeralda. Speaking of Akiko’s mother how come she didn’t worry about her own pup as much as he did? Perhaps that was another question to ask later. It also brought him back to the question of his connection with the sandy brown she-wolf in front of him.

[[Midnight]]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,435,true][bg=0a230d] Akiko was embarassed to be called out and, honestly, hadn't quite realized she was giving off an outward air of sadness. She was usually quite skilled at hiding her negative side because disliked talking in detail about the things that bothered her. Running away from these things was more her style. With a flick of her ears, she locked eyes with Drake and hesitated for a long moment. She wondered if Drake could see through her more than she knew, and the thought made her nervous. How embarassing! Did he someone notice how she kept away from him as of late? Not just him, but everyone; she was turning into the loner type. The way he'd put distance between them, after asking her such a pointed question, made it all the more awkward, and she clenched her teeth and put on an even more sullen look. She searched for the words to describe her feelings. Few came. "Oh- don't be so dramatic. Of course you're not bothering me. Nothing's eating at me; I'm just fine, so don't have that worried look on your face," she finally spoke up, the fire returning to her green eyes as she took on a chastising sort of tone with him. As an afterthought, she added, "And stop calling me 'little one.' I'm already an adult, you know." She was coming off as superior or uncaring, and she sensed it, flinching visibly as she mentally wished for the ability to backtrack. With a sigh, her tail drooped. "Ah I'm being mean. I'm sorry. I'm a bit moody to be honest." She pawed at the snow again, her eyes staring down at the pile she was creating. Glancing back again at Drake, she tried to guess what kind of reaction she would get from her huge friend - and wondered why she felt so awkward and not at all like herself. In reality, she was frightened by this whole scenario.

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[Bre]

"And stop calling me 'little one.' I'm already an adult, you know."

Drake wasn’t entirely applauded by her choice of words; females often choose meaningless words that they regretted saying later. He was just shocked by her tone, not one he had heard before but oddly he liked it, she was growing up and she did have a point. She was an adult now; he supposed he’d stop with her nickname and call her by her real name out of respect. When she flinched and her tail fell to the ground he cocked his head as she mustered up an apology.

"Ah I'm being mean. I'm sorry. I'm a bit moody to be honest."

He already had known that from her distance for the past few days but he didn’t speak on it. He knew females well enough to know when to leave them be, when to speak to them, how and the purpose behind it. He could tell something was troubling her and after days past he knew she was bound to need someone to vent to. So perhaps a near stranger would do, he took a chance and tried it out. He knew the possibility of being rejected of his offer would always be there but it was better to try than to try not.

He let out a small sigh before settling down in the snow, as his rump came in contact with the ground he felt the bite of the cold against is bottom. It was odd but something he didn’t mind, he was too focused on Akiko. His eyes went from the snow to her face that was intensively looking at the snow as she made a small pile beneath her. Once she looked up at him he took that chance to speak, his tone soft and gentle.

“Apology wasn’t need; I’m apologizing for calling you out of character. You had every right to feel the way you just felt, after all you are a young adult now.”

He paused letting his words be taken in before he continued his tail whisking above the ground. He started his next sentence a little stronger but still held a gentle tone to it.

“Are you going to tell me how exactly what is wrong with you or are you going to keep pushing me away till I leave. I’m only here because I care and obviously the others don’t seem to that intensively at least just let me know if you’re going to shut me out or let me in."

[[Midnight]]

Instinct made her heart flutter with nervousness. She had unintentionally cornered herself into talking of her weaknesses, her least favorite thing to do. As Drake seemed to mull over her words, she couldn't help but be surprised that he didn't react with any outward anger or an obvious disappointment. He instead seemed thoughtful, which both panicked and calmed her if that was even possible. She knew she felt glad to finally be getting some attention, but she was cringing at what she already knew was coming; questions. And frankly, she just wanted to keep her negative thoughts to herself and simply be coddled.

She stopped her fiddling and watched Drake sigh and settle into the snow. Her eyes narrowed with lack of emotion.

And then, he spoke to her.

His tone was enough to bring tears to her eyes. Instead of overreacting to her harshness, or preferring to counterattack, he was treating her with kindness. Treating her with dignity. Albeit her intentions to stay rigidly cool, she felt her shell crack. Drake knew just how to make her feel good about herself and once again she felt confusion and shame over the fact that she had been scared to be around him anymore.

The tears came silently and all at once as she lowered her head and tried to her her face. Her shoulders racked with a sob and she felt her loneliness like a fresh wound, being reopened. Great, how was she even going to talk now?

Embarassed, she sat up and turned herself away from him just because she didn't want to be seen crying.

"Go away, Drake," she moaned with breathlessness, though her heart was screaming for him to do just the opposite.

Akiko felt like such a pup again, and the thought only made her more upset. She was so...uesless.