Just an excuse to wake me up at night

 Dawn had not yet arrived, darkness still settled gently over the land.

 The peace of sleep was still upon Event Horizon, the pack slumbering peacefully. Soon, the morning birds would awaken. Soon, the pups would rise to crawl and wrestle and fight amongst themselves, Hawking among them hopefully. Soon, those tasked with protecting would be on their patrols, focusing on making sure their land was clearly theirs and no other pack would attempt to claim them.

 In the meantime, Crux was on a mission.

 He rose early, slipping down and heading towards the den that Mordecai had chosen. The others had been informed of their impending trip, as it would take a few days minimum, but he wanted to get going before too many woke. Before the pups had a chance to whine for two of their best playmates' leaving for a few days. Palace had been instructed to watch them carefully while they were away and he was sure that the similar-blooded male would do his best.

 “Mordecai,” he hissed into his friend's den, trying not to wake the pack but wanting to make sure Mordi awoke. “It's time to get going, if you still want to come.” Even if Mordecai didn't want to come with him, Crux would be heading out. There were wolves to seek out, alliances to make. Potential enemies to scope out.

 They had a long walk ahead of them.

the staff team luvs u

 He hadn't forgotten about the trip, honest! He was just, very tired and had stayed up a biiiit too late playing with the kiddos. So, when he'd hauled himself back into the den, he'd fallen asleep immediately. As was normal for the portly man, he was snoring uproariously (the very reason he'd chosen this spot near the edge of camp) just like when he'd first landed in this new world of eternal autumn.

 His dreams were filled with tasty, beautiful things and occasionally he'd run his tongue over his lips in his sleep. However, in the middle of his dreams he saw Crux calling to him. Huh? How strange? He ran up to the prince with wagging tail but the fellow was talking strangely about if he wanted to come... didn't he see the abundance of food around?

 Wait... wanted to come? Wasn't there a--

 Mordecai's brown eyes popped open as he woke up, sharply sat up and looked around. Huh? What? That was today? He yawned cavernously and then called out, "I'm coming, Prince Crux! Don't go without me!" He had a very bad case of bed-head and he was stretching and yawning on his way out.

 There he was! The prince of the stars! The brown wolf gave an elegant bow, nearly falling over his paws as he tried to walk the sleepiness off. "Are you going to get breakfast before we go?" He asked after a yawn. His brown eyes were soft and hopeful as he eyed his travelling companion.

the staff team luvs u

 Mordecai awoke slowly, which Crux fully expected him to do.

 He stepped back, waiting patiently for his friend to come to and climb out of the den to join him. The brown wolf did so fairly quickly, all elegance and poise as he stumbled over his own paws on the way out. Crux smiled pleasantly, though that was quickly switched into a yawn, caught on by his friend's own yawn. He snapped his jaw shut as soon as he had control over it, blinking away the water that had gathered up along his eyelids.

 Yawns were way too contagious.

 He nodded in answer, turning to lead Mordecai towards the Stepping Stones. “I caught some fish earlier,” he said, voice soft as to not wake their sleeping fellows. The silhouette of a wolf sat nearby on watch and Crux nodded towards them, their nameless eyes following the pair. He reached the stones and looked back to make sure Mordecai was following him before he turned and deftly leaped to the first, then the second, then onward to the end.

 Finally on the far shoreline, he turned to walk towards a cluster of broken stones a bit downriver, making sure to stay slow enough that his friend could catch up without too much trouble.

 He reached the familiar cluster of rocks nestled against the water and used his head to shift a flat rock to the side, so its weight now lay across another rock. He turned to look down into the hole that the flat rock had been covering, where thin cracks let slivers of water in and out but large things couldn't escape. He reached in, neck scraping the rock uncomfortably as he strained to lower his snout into the water. The tiny pool was small enough that the handful of captured fish within had nowhere to go. One shot out and he snapped his jaws around it and used his paws as leverage to reverse himself out of the hole.

 He turned to where he expected Mordecai to be with the dying fish in his jaws.

the staff team luvs u

 Fish! He loved fish! The brown wolf nodded eagerly, mouth already drooling at the thought of tasting a nice fast fish! He followed along dutifully behind his leader, smiling at the wolf on watch and wagging his tail in a friendly manner at them. He wasn't sure what they did in reaction to it but he would assume it was something nice.

 Along they went until they found the stream where Crux had stashed his catches. Although, he didn't see a stack of dead fish but instead some sort of rocky contraption with water. He frowned at it, clearly not understanding how this equated to "catching some fish". They'd have to do the work of catching the fish as far as Mordecai could tell. Not that he minded! He was more than happy to help Crux with getting breakfast, he was just confused on the choice of words.

 Then again, he was always confused about words.

 Of course, he found himself understanding... a tiny bit more when Crux started moving things around and out popped a fish! The man just snagged it like it was the simplest thing in the world. Mordecai's mouth fell open into an impressed "O" as he stared at his friend. WOW! HE WAS JUST THE SMARTEST WOLF IN THE WORLD!

 Mordecai would have never in a million years used a thing like this, in fact, he was still not understanding how it worked and it probably said as much as he glanced back at it. "That was amaaaazziiing!" The man praised, clearly awed by Crux's brains. Was this fish for him? Because, honestly, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to use the trap without breaking it apart.

the staff team luvs u

 After crushing the fish, he dropped it before his friend's paws, grinning at Mordecai's excitement for his fish-storage-device. He'd turn quickly and grab one for himself, crunching into it and backing up before returning to his friend's side and digging into his own meal.

 After eating a bit, he figured the contraption needed an explanation. “I found this splintered hole full of rainwater and though it was the perfect place to put fish I caught earlier and keep them fresh.” Unfortunately, he hadn't figured out a way to actually trap the fish first, so he'd just converted the idea of digging stashes of meat into something that would work for fish. 

 Sure, he could have dug a hole and put dead fish in, but they wouldn't be so nice and fresh now, would they?

 He ate as quickly as he could without his stomach threatening him with a return. After a final hard swallow, he spoke again, “There's a couple more in there, if you want another.” He was sure given time, if the hole was left uncovered a fish would eventually make its escape, but even if that wasn't the case and they returned to a starved or dead fish in the water, they could figure something out.

 In any case, someone would find it, so close to camp. It not meant to be a secret, after all.

the staff team luvs u

 "Thank-you, Prince Crux!" He said happily, wasting no time in flopping down on his belly so that he could more easily eat the fish. It never really took Mordi much time to finish a meal, and right after Crux had grabbed his fish. Mordecai had already eaten half of it. When the prince began to dig into his own meal, the brown male took a few more bites and the fish was down in his stomach. He made happy noise in the back of his throat while he watched Crux eat his own meal. Man, he could really do with another.

 So, he hadn't completely made the trap. Mordecai noticed as he listened to Crux speak about his instrument. It was still a smart discovery though. If Mordecai had come upon it himself, he might have just ignored it and just thought of it as a formation of nature that was useless unless a fish came out.

 There's a couple more-- Mordecai needed no further prompting and made a beeline for the contraption. He made to mirror Crux's actions from earlier and through his fairly clumsy attempts, managed to net first one fish and then the next. Happy that he'd have a it more food to eat, the man flopped down near Crux once more so that he could quickly eat the last two fish. Man, that hit the spot.

 He wondered when their next meal would be?

 Alright, he was ready to roll now. "Which direction are we heading in again?"

the staff team luvs u

 Mordecai was well pleased with the offer for more food and the monochromatic wolf smiled, watching as his friend ran over and gobbled up the last two fish. He was fine with it, really - the male never was all that hungry in the mornings and he'd had a long day yesterday. He pondered the thought of chasing down a rabbit or something on their trip later and decided that yes, that would be more appetizing than anything he found right now.

 He licked his lips as Mordecai finished and tilted his head, listening to the question.

 “East! I've already met a couple of packs south and I want to wait until a bit closer to summer before we check out the north, as from what I've seen it becomes tundra fairly quickly.” While he wouldn't be affected too badly by the cold, he knew any other wolves he took with would probably have a hard time in the weather. All except perhaps Palace, who shared his thick-coated lineage.

 He rose and shook off whatever leftover water had splashed up against his face and neck when fishing out the, well, fish, and looked to the sky.

 From the way the sky had a slight red tint towards the direction the river came from, he knew that way was east. “We'll head upriver and then skirt around the Stone Mountain for timeliness, though if we see anyone on the slopes when we head past, we can go check it out.” He didn't figure they'd see anyone up there, so he wanted to hasten their trip. If they stayed on the lowlands, they'd made more time heading into unfamiliar territory.

the staff team luvs u

 The large brown wolf nodded his head. East! Then, he looked westward, wondering what was out in that direction (because he had no idea that he was turned in the wrong direction), before returning to Crux's side. "Sounds good to me! I've never been a fan of cold toes." He said with a deep chuckle. Although, he did better in cold climates than some less thickly furred wolves. He still preferred spring weather, it was much better to nap in.

 Mordecai looked first at Crux, and then at what Crux was looking at, the sky. Although, he wasn't looking to get his bearings. He'd found a set of geese that were flying by overhead and he eyed them lazily, thinking how awesome it would be to fly like that. "I wonder if we'll find any more wolves that woke up like us." The rotund fellow wondered idly aloud. Actually... "Have you found any wolves that're from here? I'd really like to ask some natives if there're any strawberry patches 'round here." He said, giving his pelt a nice shake as he prepared to follow Crux to whatever destinations abound. Maybe they'd find some real interesting wolves! Maybe they'd be new friends!

the staff team luvs u

 Crux laughed at that - assuming as much. Most wolves he'd met seemed to prefer the warmer weather of Ichorwood, though there were always those whose pasts and whose bodies all revolved around much colder places. Had he arrived in a similarly beautiful place up north, he might have been inclined to make a home there.

 Instead, he had claimed Ichorwood as their home.

 Mordecai mused on other wolves and the starlit male looked at him, slightly surprised, though in retrospect he knew he shouldn't. While he roamed near and far, speaking to almost every wolf he could get in touch with, he knew his friends here weren't quite so... active. He'd come to the decision that almost every wolf here had similar waking stories and had all but forgotten to explain his findings to his friends.

 He would have to be better about that. “Almost every wolf I've met, both those who joined us or are from further, have similar stories to us,” Though different in parts. Some woke from a deep sleep, some crawled from the earth, some found themselves awake after having their throats torn from them from strange beasts.

 “But I don't think there are any native natives, at least none that I've met.” He frowned, though began walking. If they sat around chatting all day, they'd lose daylight and would need to travel during the night. “It makes me wonder if pups can even be born here.” If they couldn't? He would never be able to sire any and that would be disappointing, to say the least.

 He hoped that the suggestion was not true. Having their numbers only increase by bringing in strangers was not ideal, even if it meant less time feeding mouths that could not contribute just yet.

the staff team luvs u

 Similar stories to them? So they'd just woken up here one day. Hmm... come to think of it. Mordecai hadn't really asked any wolves about how they'd woken up here. He usually talked about other things. He'd have to remember to try to do some quizzing himself the next time that he talked to someone. "How weird is that, right? It's an awful huge co-in-see-deens that we're all waking up all weird-like." He said, musing aloud to the prince.

 No real natives at all, huh? "Maybe we're lookin' in all the wrong spots." The brown wolf offered, completely at a loss as to why things had happened as they did. He was still glad that he'd woken up here though. He couldn't really remember his past life, so he was just happy to have Crux here with him. He was a good friend, for sure.

 At the prince's next words, Mordecai looked aghast. "No pups? But-but... that would be real awful!" It wasn't something that often crossed his mind but one day he hoped to have a family. He hadn't met Miss Right yet but hopefully one day.

 That made him wonder... "Say, Crux..." He glanced over to his friend. "Do you want pups one day? Provided that we're aloud to have pups here?" It was just a question borne out of curiosity and he'd be fine if the man didn't want to answer him. He was just wondering.

the staff team luvs u

 The speckled male nodded in agreement to most of what Mordecai said.

 The world here was strange. Waking with no - or little - memory of the past. Coming across only similar wolves and no natives, it was strange but it was quite possible. That was one of his goals for this trip: Seeking out strangers who might know more about this land than he did. So far, everyone here seemed to be similarly loose on knowledge. He hadn't even reached any wolves who had the slightest of theories, something that worried him.

 Would they always be so ignorant of their purpose here?

 He frowned at the talk of pups, then looked up with ears pricked as Mordi asked him a question. His frown turned into a little smile and he nodded, looking out through the forest before them as they walked. “I'd like to,” he mused, voice turning gentle and dreamlike. “I never had a father, so I'd like to have children to be there for. Ones of my own... though adopted ones are also good,” he chuckled, though there was a sad tint to it. Adopted pups were good, but they weren't his like pups of his own flesh and blood would be.

 Oh, how he hoped this land did not render them all infertile.

 “What about you?” he turned with a smile back to his friend, “Do you want pups of your own with wives and/or husbands?” If Mordi only had one husband, they'd have to adopt, but he didn't think that Mordi would be too upset about that. He seemed to love all pups, no matter what.

the staff team luvs u

 Ah, so they were in the same boat then! Pups of their own one day, or hopefully so if life was kind to them. He was sad to hear that his friend didn't have a dad. Was that rough? He didn't much know what it was like, he had some memories of kind faces. His parents, he assumed. He knew that he'd trained with his father to become a knight like him. It was a strange sensation to know that he'd done so, but not have the memories clear in his mind. "I'm sorry you never had a father... it's real good that you want your kiddos to have one though." He gave his companion a soft smile, trying to be empathetic.

 Then the question was turned back around on him. He answered with an enthusiastic, "Eeyup!" Of course, he didn't leave it there and continued on. "I'd like to have a real big family one day. With a wife and kiddos." He couldn't imagine anything more fun and amazing than that! He'd have the bestest wife in the world to pamper and dote on and he'd have kids to help take care of and teach how to fight and find the best places to grab food.

 He frowned a moment later though as he tried to think back on his life before. It was so so fuzzy. "I... I think there was someone before that I liked." Yeah, that sounded right, except... "But she never noticed me that way. I don't think I ever really stand out to girls or somethin'." He said with a laugh. He could remember precious few romantic interactions with anyone. Although he'd just keep looking towards the future, maybe something would happen he just had to be patient.

the staff team luvs u

 Crux nodded, returning the smile. His father's part of his life had been purely transactional. His mother had needed a male of different bloodline to rear children with her wives. It had been a means to an end, so he didn't fault the man. Still, he wished he had a father present in his life in some way.

 “That sounds lovely, Mordi,” Crux said with a smile. It made sense that the male wanted a wife - he hadn't ever seemed interested in any of the males of the pack, though they had a few good looking ones. Not that the starlit male had ever looked at his friend in that way. He'd just always figured Mordecai was pretty normal, as far as looking for a wife went. “You'd be a great husband and father, I'm sure.”

 The brown wolf seemed to grow sad, thinking about something long ago.

 Crux frowned when his friend spoke of not being all that interesting to girls. “Well, isn't it a good thing she never noticed you?” He'd flick Mordi with the tip of his tail. “If she had, you'd be missing her now.” It was actually pretty good that they were both bachelors coming here. Or at least, they couldn't remember having paired up for good with anyone. “I'm sure some sweet lady will see you and fall head over heels. Hey, maybe we'll find someone on this trip!”

 Or they could find some allies and ask around for any sweet bachelorettes who might want a lot of man.

the staff team luvs u

 If blush would have been noticeable under all of his dark fur, Crux surely would have seen it on his cheeks but instead, it was written in the way he spoke. "Oh gosh, Crux. That's awful nice of you to say." He hoped that it would be true. He wasn't sure what all it entailed to be a good father or mate but, he'd do his best to be the best one ever!

 “Well, isn't it a good thing she never noticed you?” The brown wolf blinked at that, confused for a moment until Crux explained further. "Ooooohh..." He said in understanding, chewing on this new piece of information as he broke out into a grin. The smile on his face cleared away the storm clouds as he chuckled. "I guess you're right!" Wow, he would never cease to be amazed at the star-touched wolf's wisdom and intelligence.

 "Oh wow, do you really think so?" The thought excited him but then he grew nervous. "Oh gosh... I'm not sure I'd know what to say even." He could feel his paw pads getting all sweaty at the thought of someone pretty batting their eyelashes at him. What if he made a fool of himself? "How do you even go about doing all that?" He looked to Crux as if he had all the answers in the universe. "Have you ever had someone special like that?"

the staff team luvs u

 Crux grinned - of course he was right! He wagged his tail slightly, moving over a fallen log with ease.

 How does one go about that? He considered it for a long moment, then laughed, “No clue!” Honestly, the few times he had gained attention from others, they had been the ones to start it. He always felt awkward when trying to flirt, even though he was well aware that to some wolves, he was pretty handsome. It wasn't narcissism, for he knew for others he was downright ugly, with his strange teeth and boxy snout.

 “Never a mate, but when I was a kid, there were a couple of girls who decided that I'd marry them when we got older.” One he had liked a lot, but then she'd vanished and her sister had decided to claim him for herself. He couldn't quite remember their faces or who they were in the pack, but he had tasted a lot of ambition from her and he had been so sure that she would have made a great name for herself... if only she hadn't vanished.

 He considered the question further. “I think... you have to show some sort of interest? Compliment them, but not too much.” If it was obvious enough and they were interested in return, they would react as much, he figured. They were no longer pups, they didn't need to beat around the bush. “If you ever need me to try to arrange something with allies or in the pack, I can.” It'd be an odd start, but he had the power to go around looking at allied packs to see where bachelorettes might be.

the staff team luvs u

 No clue? He was confused for a moment until he broke out into a grin and began to bellow out a laugh as well. Well, he supposed that no one had a book that was written about this sort of thing. What was a book anyway?

 He listened intently when Crux began speaking about his past. He had to admit that this was pretty nice. Getting to talk with his friend, reminiscing and exploring new topics that he had no clue about. "Ooooh, two girls!" Color him impressed! He'd be happy if he could get one girl interested in him. He would just stay optimistic. There was some fantastic lady out there for him somewhere. He just knew it.

 Showing interest, eh? He could do that! "You mean like... 'Hey! I think you've gotta really pretty... uh, face!' But like keep it like that and don't go overboard like a buuuunncchha compliments. Hmm... come to think of it. If someone just complimented me over'n'over'n'over'n'over again I'd probably feel all weird about it... Oh! Unless they complimented how well I could find berries. I'm real good at that and--" He paused, what were they talking about again?

 Oh yeah! Ladies!

 He nearly tripped over a large rock as he tried to keep up with the conversation. "Like one of them blind dates I've heard about?" He said with a giggle. He knew that sometimes wolves would set up other wolves with a wolf that they knew nothing about just to see how it went. "That might be pretty fun." Although he'd probably be super nervous the entire time. He'd just have to keep his cool just like Valentine.

the staff team luvs u

 If they were to take mates and bear pups, they could not afford to be too picky. Crux may have been the cream of the crop in his generation in his birth pack, with sisters raveling over one another to pair with him, but none had truly made it to his side as true mates or even as Bonds.

 Nevertheless, he laughed.

 “Sisters, even... and I'm pretty sure their other sister was also interested in me,” From sweet Lotus to fiesty Feizen to then the third, Ashtar, whose heart would have drawn him even further from his mother's god. Had he remained, had that world not fallen, had they not vanished into nothingness... what would have occurred? Would he have joined all three sisters in matrimony? Would they have let him?

 He smiled at the attempts at coming up with pick up lines. “Maybe... "What's a gorgeous lady like you doing here all alone?" Or "Come here often?"” he almost choked in laughter, “Make sure not to sound creepy though!” Oh he could absolutely see those turning bad or sounding like a threat, at least the first.

 Mordi asked about a blind date and Crux considered it, then gave a little shrug, moving past a shrub. He could see the edge of the forest in the distance, the blue hue turning lighter. “Blind dates, sure. Or some sort of alliance thing, maybe? If we make allies with single ladies, that is.” He was sure there were some out there but he also knew to be careful. He didn't want any packs thinking they were roving males, seeking out women to steal away home, even though that might have been exactly what they were doing.

the staff team luvs u

 "Three girls!" He shook his head in disbelief, wondering how Crux could be so popular. And if any of that popularity and desirability would rub off on him by osmosis. Maybe one day, if anything that Crux was saying was true --and Mordecai had the utmost faith in him-- he would have some dates due to alliances or something else. He could be patience and not creepy. "Oh jeez, I hope I never come off as creepy." He'd been told by someone before that he could be scary looking sometimes but he usually tried not to be. In any case, he made sure to mentally note the things that Crux said, scribbling them down on the dingy tattered notebook of his mind for safekeeping.

 "I'm real excited about that!" He said with a laugh as he followed behind Crux towards the clearing. "Be sure to let me know if we've got any alliances brewing! I'm good with getting along with people and junk!" And hopefully that would get him some brownie points too with the single ladies in those allied packs.

the staff team luvs u

 Crux laughed and shrugged. He wasn't shy about his pretty face or the fact that he wasn't a one-girl kinda guy, but he hoped that nevertheless it wouldn't make him sound like a womanizer. Perhaps he was, but he was one who cared and would have stuck by all of them if they had desired it. Fate hadn't wished for it, though, so he was left single and alone.

 What he had said previously about being glad not to have any connections like that was true for himself as well. Had he mated and had children, he would have been searching for them. Event Horizon might not have been formed, or if it did he would have been out and about looking for his children and mates.

 So, in the end, it was better this way.

 Crux's tail waved in response to the rest of what Mordi said. “Of course!” He grinned, then inhaled deeply. “Let's hurry and cover more ground.” and into a run he'd jump, leaving Mordi behind only for a bit before he knew his friend would catch up to his casual lope.

---

/exit

the staff team luvs u