Don't expect happiness to just fall into your lap

For @Harper

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The man had traveled up north a bit, exploring the mountains a bit more than he probably should. For the most part, he had been trying to see what lived up here. Similar to in the forest, the scent of wolves was thick, something that made him slightly happy. However, the scent of everything else all mixed together annoyed him. He hated nonwolves and wanted nothing more than to kill them all as slow as he could. Perhaps, like his sister, he was a bit of a sociopath, but no one really ousted him as one, so he wasn't going to question it either. Plus, his siblings never seemed to mind. 

Wandering through, he sniffed the ground as he walked, trying to learn as much as he could about this new part of the land.

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^^With her sister being out of commission, on account of nursing her five children, Harper felt that it was her duty to pick up the slack, and she didn’t want to rely on Amaranth to do it all. In fact, Harper hated to rely on other canines, when it came down to just about everything - and while she didn’t know everything Valeska did for the pack - Harper would do her best to make sure the main things were taken care of.

Which as refilling the caches, which Harper had been focusing on. Beavers, foxes, raccoons; little things, because Harper imagined that her sister might not have a big tummy, or an appetite, but she’d go in to check on her sister later to see if she needed to bring hunting larger game.

She’d just made her kill, and was on the way bringing it home, with fox in mouth when she spotted something that made her heart skip a beat. The flutter of white fur that caused her to drop the fox as she looked around.

“Crux, baby?”

Could it be that he had finally returned to her?

^^
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He hadn't been paying attention as the woman approached, ears turning towards the sound of a voice. At first, he didn't think she was talking to him, unsure of who this 'Crux' was. However, as there was no response after a few moments, he would finally look her way, gold eyes landing on the darkened woman. With a simple raise of his eyebrow, he would watch her for a moment before speaking. "I don't believe my name is Crux. Though it is the first time someone has thought me for another. Melchior."

He would aim to walk closer to her, sniffing the air around her as he did so, attempting to get within a few feet of her. She smelled of a pack, one he had never met before. However, the scent of herbs is what caught his attention the most, his eyes lighting up slightly at that. A healer was always important, no matter what happened. "You're a healer, aren't you?" He kept himself standing, though stopped moving closer, not wanting to scare her off just yet.

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^^She knew.

She knew 2.5 seconds after she opened her mouth that this wasn’t her baby; this wasn’t the beautiful, gorgeous, freak show of a man that she’d married. No, no, no - this one was just some other good looking monochrome man that was barely old enough to sire children.

A baby himself, in all rights.

He had four toes on each of his paws; the bridge of her nose looked like hers, and he didn’t have cute little canines that reached past his lips, like Crux had. The blacks of his coat were dark, jet black - like tar - and in all the wrong spots, and much too dark, and his eyes were yellow, like Valeska’s, and not made of fire, like Crux’s had been.

And her heart would weep for him, though he was wise not to play pretend. Hell, even his fucking scent and voice was wrong! Her ears flattened, about to pick up her fox and run - how bloody embarrassing was it, for her to think he’d come back?

But she knew that scent. It wasn’t Crux’s, no, but another canine she’d met recently had that same pack scent. The girl who had accused Harper of following her. Her eyes narrowed, in wonder if this was the true bounty hunter.

But he stepped forward, sniffing at the air; immediately able to tell she was a healer. How interesting. Her ears lowered softly, giving a slow nod of her head.

“Are you looking for someone, Melchior?”

^^
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Note for me: Archivist

---

She seemed to want to run, or fight him, he wasn't entirely sure. Whatever it was, he could easily tell that she was on guard once she realized that he wasn't whoever her lover was. It was a bit of a shame that she had a lover as she was quite a beautiful woman. Nonetheless, he could tell that he put her on edge, but that wasn't something that was different to him. He put everyone on edge, be it his coat, his words or his psychopathic tendencies. 

Keeping his attention on her, he would shake his head simply, taking this time to look around them. He still kept himself slightly on guard though, knowing that, though she didn't seem like a fighter, she was certainly large and could be a formidable opponent. "Nothing really, my pack is down in the forest. I wanted to see what lay beyond the hills." He would turn back to look at her, curiosity flashing in his eyes for a brief moment before his face turned neutral again. He didn't seem to show much emotions in his face, only his bright eyes showing his feelings. 

"Am I correct in assuming your pack calls the elevated lands home?" He wasn't really one for mountains and snow, and didn't really understand why anyone, much less a healer, would want to stay there. Wouldn't many of the best herbs die within the cold? He new a bit about herbs, but not nearly enough to heal someone. He knew a bit for very different reasons.

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^^Harper, too, wasn’t sure what she wanted out of him. Fight him for not being Crux, or invite him to bed for looking similar to Crux? There was a mix of emotions, and Harper was not keen on hiding those emotions.

He shook his head, though; so Melly here wasn’t hunting for someone. He seemed very observant. He knew she was a healer, and knew that, likely, she lived nearby. His own pack lived somewhere south, and he had just been curious what was out here. How interesting.

Harper made many mental notes, nodding her head with the licks of her lips. “Yes, I am of Elysium. It’s a bit northeast. My sister and I hail from the tundra, and she likes the cold.” Harper offered a bit of information with a sheepish smile.

“Which pack do you hail from, Melchior? And what other packs are south aside from yours and the Nightwalkers?”

^^
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Note for me: Archivist

---

He listened and waited, locking everything she said back into his memory. It would likely prove useful in the future. For now though, he nodded silently, letting her know that he was, indeed, listening. Elysium, northeast in the colder areas. Perhaps he would go up there and explore later. Of course, he would have to tell his brother about it first, but there was never a thing as too much information. 

As she talked about the Nightwalkers, he cocked his head to the side slightly. He had heard about a pack not too far north of his, but he had never heard their name. Perhaps that was them. Or maybe they were the pack more south, directly east of them. Either way, this was important information. 

"I don't know much of the packs around my land as we just claimed a place in the south, however we are called Labyrinthian. Would you mind telling me more about the packs you know of in these lands?" He flicked the end of his tail slightly, looking rather calm. 

His full attention was on her and nothing left, as if she was the only thing in the world around him that interested her.

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^^He did not smell like Crux; did not sound like Crux; did not even have extra toes, or a flat nose, or longer canines like Crux, but when she spoke and looked to her, Harper saw Crux.

And some part of her wanted to search the entire world to gather and collect every single monochrome canine that existed, for the sake of Crux; because surely, one of them somewhere had to be him, right? Harper, is this your villain arc?

And Not-Crux wanted to know about the other packs in the area. An ear twitched, at the thought, a smile spreading - though slowly - (like a villain..) across her otherwise dark features. Even her eyes had a bit of mischievous emotion in them as she stepped closer and circled him like the prey he was becoming.

She could, very well, tell him about the Wars that were circling amongst the mountains; about everyone else’s fucking drama oh, but what good (or not good) would that do? What would happen if she opened her big, fat, ugly mouth?

So she circled him and embraced him the scent of her with a smirk and tilt of her head. “I know much about the packs here and their people,” save for the elusive southern mountain folk that Harper had never once had the pleasure of meeting or knowing.

“Tell you what, handsome, why don’t you tell me about Labyrinthian first? Then we can discuss the other packs, and what I know, and what you can do for me.”

^^
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He knew the moment he asked for information and saw the grin that crept across her features that this, originally meaningless conversation, was about to turn into something way more interesting. He stayed sitting down as she circled around him, only turning his head to watch her with amusement in his eyes. She was quickly becoming something that he was latching onto, likely in a rather unhealthy way. 

With a smirk, he would speak up, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Very well, we live down south in a place called Reclaimed Roots. Its mostly grown over and debris from what looks like ruins lay there. My brother is the leader, perhaps you could come visit sometime." He would chuckle slightly as he flicked the end of his tail slightly. 

"Now tell me, what can I do for you?" 

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^^Melly spoke of their pack, which was located south in an area called the Reclaimed Roots that sounded almost familiar, though she couldn’t place it - as that had been a lifetime ago, now.

His brother was the leader, and that sparked interest, as her own sister was the leader of her pack, as well. But she could have easily taken his scent and followed it south, to these Reclaimed Roots; so the information he gave her was not, in the least bit, satisfying, but alas, she had an itch that needed to be scratched.

“Don’t be coy; we both know how you can further assist me.”

---

either we can fade or keep going, your choice.

^^
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The man was content with what he was gaining from this, though he had a very clear suspicion that he was playing into her games and not the other way around. Not that he minded at all. He loved the fight that she put up, though it was clear she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. So, he fought her back, making his want and needs clear to her from the beginning. With a groan, he was content, letting out a soft growl as he moved to try and nibble down her back.

They had finished what they were here for, but he made no move to leave, only laying there as he waited to see what she would do.

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