__________Pastel greys and careful blues smudged the dark lines of the sky and serrated horizon, clouds separating gently every now and again to reveal the white light of a high summer sun. Beneath these fearsome rays, many wolves were afoot in the Salvajes, no doubt going about the daily business of hunting, exploring, patrolling, socialising and governing, but certainly not missing out one of the most important duties of all that had become common to this month. Caretaking. The illness that had spread through the Salvajes through apparent means of polluted water, was now very much well-known. Indeed, through experience Bronx now had it under reliable source that the illness was almost more or less the first thing newcomers heard about around here. Still, that did not stop them coming, for Salvaje Valley and its partner had always been a lush heaven for straggling loners, and in the brisk summer light, even more so.
__________Bronx’s stern fiery eyes squinted somewhat at the sun, as he calculated the vague time of day via information on its position. He had plenty of time for yet another patrol around Nova Mountain, though he supposed he would much rather spend a little time with his friends, and with his ill sister, Allure, and patrol half the borders. After all, one half of the massive territory’s borders was reasonably flat and it was extremely common for other wolves to appear on it. In fact, the experienced Guardian would go so far as to say that about 99% of all trespassers came from here. The other side of the territory borders was rather deep into the mountain range; craggy, dangerous, and only really accessible to mountain lions who came from that direction. Either way, that didn’t stop Bronx’s patrol.
__________So he started his walk in his usual stride of long distance, the pitch blackness of his coat contrasting handsomely with the light of the sun. Even though his coat positively invited such heat, it was now thin and soft due to the season, expressing his formidable musculature even more, and likely to turn that one bit lighter as autumn began to whisper in a month or so. Bronx turned swiftly as he heard the song of a nearby female – a smooth, feminine howl that called for none other than the Guardian himself. He changed direction and went inland, speeding his pace slightly, perhaps because he had just recognised who she was. As an individual usually seemed beautiful in one’s imagination, it was always so much more so when they were seen in real life – so it was with Tiamat, and her deep blue eyes. Tiamat – are you okay? He asked the Silver Creek wolf, his low tones conveying concern.

__________Yes, I am well. Good. Bronx nodded briefly to suggest his apparent concern for his friend, and wondered why he cared so much anyway. Perhaps it wasn’t that he cared, per se, but that he had asked and had expected a certain reply. Thankfully, he had indeed received the reply he had been looking for, which made him wonder if she too had been one to go losing her friends and relatives to this illness. For Bronx, according to damned fate, had been spared completely just so he could watch his packmates droop in disease, and his sister herself cause him a healthy amount of inner turmoil.
__________I’m fine. Bronx answered in return, in that way that did not suggest he was replying to a how are you today, then? kind of question, but one very specific. If Tiamat was here for news, he would give it to her – As bad as the other packs. We had about seven ill, but some have long since recovered, or not been effected too badly. The daughter of a friend of mine – of two of the leaders – fell badly ill, as did my sister. Hell, that came out quickly. He supposed that the more he said it, the more he’d accept it, and keep that hope that she was getting better.
__________The Guardian paused shortly as he sat down, sighing lightly, then shifting his fiery glance to Tiamat’s attractive, pale features. It’s hell, isn’t it. I’ve heard of no lives lost so far, but that’s not to say it’s a godsend.

__________Bronx simply watched the female as she talked, listening in the clearest of manners, gaze downwards in consequence of her slighter stature. Tiamat seemed genuinely bothered by it all; just like everyone else, he supposed, but to a genuinely afraid sense. The fact that she spoke so much about it was, in itself, an indication of the helpless worry that went on in that evidently good heart of hers. And she did have a good heart – a very good heart. One could see it a mile off. From the way she spoke to and behaved around him, to how she had handled that bear (with surprising patience and lack of violence), to the love shown to that little puppy he had taken from the swamp a short while back. As she expressed her condolences for Allure, he nodded briefly in appreciation.
__________That was another thing; helplessness. You’re not alone there, he replied to her wish for medical training; but I believe we can easily help. Even if that just means taking care of the ill the best we can, and going about daily life. The packs need to be maintained; we can’t all succumb to panic or even over-consideration of the illness. That may have sounded wise, but even more so it was practical. Bronx was helping out with the whole situation simply by being a good Guardian, pack member, brother and friend. Duties aside, it was also his wish to continue as normal – or as normal as possible – his usual personality heavy with concern; his usual actions heavy with responsibility.
__________At Tiamat’s question, he thought for a moment, then nodded lightly; Yes, but not after being seriously ill. One or two wolves of the pack fell minorly ill and then got better… but I believe the short-term minor illness to be one of the effects, rather than a hint at a cure. I think those who are much sicker have some way to go yet. Not very encouraging, but they were adults - they could face the truth. They had no choice in the matter.

__________Perhaps it was true that one day in the future, these so far months of mysterious illness would not be too major. Perhaps something even bigger would happen that would change the place forever. Or perhaps… perhaps it just wouldn’t be as important and brutal in their memories as it was today: if the ill got better. The sick would be cured, somehow or other, and they would emerge from their states laughing at how they had acted. The medics would laugh at the simplicity of it all; everyone would be happy to have their packmates, neighbours, friends and relatives back and… that would be the end of it. Forgotten and shrugged off as a mere whimsy. Perhaps. Perhaps.
__________Either that or it would be given the memory it deserved, even if those effected did not dwell on it. As Tiamat spoke of this never having happened to anyone before, Bronx remembered with a dull thud of his heart that he had in fact come across something like this before… but it took him a while to decide upon saying something. Instead, he expanded on Tiamat’s list of “delirium”; Amnesia, confusion, aches, nausea, dizziness. Not a pleasant list. We’ll beat it. Determination met with a smile from Bronx.
__________The faint smile re-appeared as it began to rain, and the pair simultaneously looked towards the heavens. Bronx squinted as the rain entered his fierce eyes, and he shook his sodden coat briefly before remarking with a slight grin; I don’t find you odd. Come on; we might as well walk in it. so he began to do so, gesturing that Tiamat join him. His mental route was somewhere within Nova Mountain. Despite Tiamat’s track record, according to Sinistra, she was here on invitation of the Guardian now. No more trouble. After a pause, he responded to something she had said some moments ago. And actually; I have come across something like this before. Not the same disease, though. His limp became somewhat heavy for a split second, before it was fine again.

__________Tiamat’s grim smile more or less summed up how Bronx mentally reacted to her brief story. He could imagine it being rather amusing, despite the actual seriousness of it all; a wolf being all mad and jumpy, confusing and senseless, then just running away, leaving Tiamat clueless and dumfounded. Eating something dizzy… that was an interesting way of looking at it. He imagined that she may have felt somewhat guilty about letting her chronically ill friend just run off like that after hearing that she was in fact ill. Bronx made great care to both look after Allure intensely, and to go about his own duties and life. It was difficult, but so far he had been managing to pull it off, and had not disappointed anyone directly.
__________Bronx smiled at the rainy landscape ahead, his buckshot gaze sweeping over the stunningly beautiful horizon, and the close road ahead. Her comment about herself was amusing and, of course, admirable that she was far from arrogant (though he knew that already), though it was true… he didn’t find her odd at all. Perhaps she was referring to her clumsiness when they had first met (which still brought a certain fondness to his mind), though that hadn’t really been clumsy. On the contrary, Tiamat seemed elegant – exactly the type of female he would go for. Which was… interesting, to say the least.
__________What was it like? Bronx frowned faintly, noticing as the blue-eyed female’s gaze moved to his dark foreleg briefly. I only saw it in one individual – my cousin, closest friend and travelling companion; Forrest. It was, ah… I’m not entirely sure exactly what the symptoms were. It was some time ago now. But in the end he didn’t know who I was, and he grew excessively violent. The massive scar (although still unseen, due to his fur) on his foreleg gave a throb of pain.

__________Bronx glanced down to look at the damp path ahead a moment, appreciating once more the way in which she handled the sympathy directed at him. It was true; he was strong in more ways that one, but this was not through vanity, but through experience and general life. He nodded: it had been very difficult indeed to handle, both during the scene as he had hacked at the wolf in an attempt to draw the mad brute back, and more so afterwards. For the fight had lasted about quarter of an hour; the aftermath had so far lasted over six months.
__________He looked over at Tiamat once more as they walked on, listening to her own experience concerning a fight. It seemed that as time went on, the pair had more and more in common. Something struck his mind, then – not that it hadn’t before – but it was quickly brushed off. Tiamat was not on good terms with Sinistra, despite their apparent clearing up of any mistakes made, and Silver Creek not on amazing terms with Nova Mountain. In fact, if one were to name any two packs that had some tension, Bronx and Tiamat’s respective homes would be named. That “something “soon disappeared from his thoughts, just as quickly (if not more) as it had arrived, mainly because he was silently surprised at his own quick attraction towards her.
__________That’s sibling fighting for you. was all he said in response, knowing that it had probably been that one bit more serious.

__________Bronx smiled distantly, his eyes once more set on the landscape, which was smudged by the delicate colours of a soft rainfall; quiet enough to allow them to speak in normal tones. He thought of sibling fighting, and was pleasantly reminded that ever since they had been reunited, he and his sister had not disagreed or fallen out at all yet. Then again “yet” didn’t really work as an expectation, because it was very unlikely that it would ever happen. Even as puppies they had been very close; as he had been to Snowflake. The three of them had gotten on extremely well, considering the favouritism that went on, though Bronx had always been very much a man’s man – Forrest had been his best mate, and Allure and Snowflake… well, they were the girls.
__________His eyes moved from the beautiful, steamed view of Nova Mountain (the peak of which was disappearing as the rock beneath them created a path) to Tiamat, who he’d much rather be looking at. So… I. I’m curious. In the slight pause that followed, Bronx was curious himself. As the question came, his gaze moved up ahead where it had been as he took a split second to consider. It seemed that Tiamat was rather worried about that matter, and he did care about her, so even if the truth was harsh, he would have twisted it. Thankfully, he found that the truth would be easy enough for her to handle.
__________I’ve heard now and again that Nova Mountain and Silver Creek aren’t the closest packs about, but those have just been vague rumours; they may very well be wrong. And I’ve come across little justification for them yet. The strongest of these rumours came from Calliope who had not, in fact, met any Silver Creek wolves herself. Although when I first met Sinistra, he mentioned you by name, telling the brief story of your trespass, speaking on behalf of some Nova Mountain wolf or other, and then apology. He did say that you made amends. he finished softly.

__________He found it very much in good character for Tiamat to shrug off the fact that perhaps Sinistra was still ready to get rid of her, even after their “making up”. Bronx smiled fondly. Ahh, decapitation. That’s Sinistra for you, he replied, not trying to arrogantly suggest that he knew the Alpha well, nor even that he’d keep a grudge forever, but… that wolf did know what he wanted. And, even more, what he didn’t want. Sinistra had mentioned that others believed him to be over-reacting about the case, but Bronx was one of those who believed otherwise, being a Guardian himself. He had spent years travelling, and one would think a lone wolf knew nothing of pack etiquette. But Bronx, as a mercenary who found most of his work in packs, was certainly no such lone wolf. He had a great deal of knowledge when it came to hierarchy (though Nova Mountain was his first personal experience of it), submission, dominance and indeed borders.
__________Bronx simply nodded when Tiamat spoke of curiosity. Contrary to popular belief, curiosity was certainly nowhere near a valid reason to go trespassing. She would have been much better off waiting at the borders, as Bronx consistently made an effort to do on foreign territories. As for being joined by a Nova Mountain wolf (one could assume the mentioned subordinate was a Novan), yes, that did change the circumstances a bit. Bronx would have let her get away with trespassing if she had been invited by an inhabitant. Indeed, it had been something that Sinistra had failed to directly convey.
__________Danflower. Danflower. Finally, a name! Duly stored. It sounds like it was started by a bit of a personal battle, to tell you the truth. and he had never considered that in his meeting with Sinistra – he had assumed it to be a simple case of trespass, when it was in fact a bit more complicated than that. It involved the temper and pride of quite a number of wolves – Danflower at the top of stubbornness and temper and Sinistra surprisingly at the bottom, with his acceptance of her apology. Ah well. Forgive and forget. he murmured with a wan smile in her direction, taking a brief second to move over a fallen trunk that was in the path. At the question, Bronx grinned flashily at the road ahead. Honestly? I think the Guardian may be a bit too late to kill you on sight. Anyway, she was a sight he wasn’t willing to get rid of.

__________Some would have turned and looked at him, perplexed, wondering what the hell he meant by that. Did he know the Guardian? Had the Guardian been speaking to him? Damnation, was the Guardian someone she knew? But not Tiamat – no, she had hesitated but a few seconds before that humour returned and she dipped herself into a playful bow, Bronx soon following suit.
__________Run? he asked, a playful growl mingled with his deep voice; You wouldn’t manage a step! as much as he was teasing her in response to her own light-hearted mocking, it may have been true, in a way, for whilst Tiamat appeared very fit, she was a great deal smaller than him. The Guardian was perhaps likely to be able to pin her to the ground in a single pounce… as he now attempted, large paws aiming for her shoulders; gently, of course, but also in a proudly proving fashion.

__________What Bronx expected and what he should have expected were two very different things entirely. Considering his background, experience, stature and sense, he should have expected that Tiamat would have not expected an immediate pounce, and thus would have fallen to the ground easily. That, however, was not taking how he was beginning to feel about her into account. He knew her, rather; as an individual, and was well aware that the untamed female was not about to let him get away with the fierce movement.
__________Bronx had pinned her to the ground, but nevertheless Tiamat had successfully struggled out of part of the hold, leaving one of the Guardian’s large paws on her person, and the other on the ground beside her. He smiled that flashy grin again as she nipped playfully at his powerful jaw, and he drew his muzzle back slightly in response, before lunging it forward again, his vivid eyes glaring mischievously into hers as he replied; Oh yeah? with a brief smirk and, as an afterthought; Anyway, I don’t want you going anywhere.

__________For all his educated predictions, he had not quite been expected Tiamat to look as surprised as all that. They were friends, weren’t they – so why did she look so taken aback and flattered at his statement? Surely, after all, the Silver Creek female was in no rush to get rid of him, and yet shortly he supposed that perhaps she was taking it another way… the way he had meant, as opposed to expressed. Tiamat was the model of the type he’d go for – a beautiful, slender, feminine, funny, intelligent yet exceedingly individual girl – though he may have expressed thus by the look in his eyes… she had done likewise, hadn’t she. Indeed, the fact that she appeared to be taking his words in a certain way seemed to suggest her feelings for him.
__________Simultaneously to these thoughts, Bronx was wondering why he was even considering letting himself become more attracted to the pale fighter. They lived in very different part of the Salvajes from one another; their packs with different, sometimes fickle judgements on the other. No; he could play around with this one now; but that was about it. I hardly believe that to be the case. he teased with a dark smile, sensing her sudden movement, and drawing back as she struggled loose.

__________Usually, Bronx was very much in tune with his own thoughts and indeed subconscious – he was commonly not only aware of what he thought and felt, but what he should think, and what he really, thought, even if it showed himself in a profoundly negative light. Yes, Bronx knew himself very well. But due to the teasing, charming and content flirtation that was going on here, his persona had this time split into two. The two halves that most held far apart from one another – the conscious and the subconscious.
__________Subconsciously, he was being careful, due the obvious mistake that would be falling for a Silver Creek wolf, but consciously, he was just enjoying the action. Turning on the charm, and returning the playful teases and mocking grins; a prime bachelor in all his glory, slowly finding himself lost deeper in deeper in those twinkling blue pools. He met her reply with equal playful enigma in rapier-like swiftness; Well, you know… some things aren’t real, despite what one might say, and other things are. He smiled intriguingly, knowing that this sounded avoidant and beside-the-point… not to mention infuriatingly enigmatic: just to tease her.
__________Yet he was about to sweep that enigma away and leave no room for her to ask and what’s that supposed to mean? Bronx was still in a vaguely playful stance, pacing softly, but now he sat with equal comfort and light-hearted tone, glancing at Tiamat with a smile over his chiselled features. He paused, and the smile faded. Like the way I looked at you that day near the Swamp. That was real.

__________He had never really looked at a female this way before. Other girls had been and gone – had been his for however long he wanted them, and then that was it. He’d weave his charm and easy graces, taking steps, as would she, then after a maximum of a week, he’d be gone and away. Away with his true love – the road; the adventure; the world. And Forrest, of course. But usually he’d be weighing out the options in his head; playing to that reason and logic that came so quickly to the strong traveller. Not now, though. Later he’d feel so crude, knowing only what was in his line of sight – and that was Tiamat.
__________She too abandoned the light-hearted tone, and soon she had cut out all possibility of her turning round and asking what the hell are you on about?, instead the agreement that his gaze that day at Forbidden Swamp had been very sincere. Perhaps she was forgetting that his look had merely been in response to hers… or perhaps not. The female extended his words, her eyes playing with meaning, and he felt her gaze move to a mighty peak of Nova Mountain that even now, in the dainty rain, was clear as pale crystal. Her meaning in this was not so direct. Either Tiamat meant could he forget her or forget the Mountain… do you want me to? he asked, wondering that with her answer would come the subject of what could – or indeed could not – be forgotten.

__________Bronx looked right back into those deep blue eyes; dark, which was rare, and sparkling with intelligence and a delicate, romantic passion. They had shared many a meaningful look, it seemed – or perhaps not meaningful, per se, but searching… what did the other want? Me, as much as I want them? The tall Guardian had long since dismissed any feeling of hierarchic dominance – ranks didn’t matter on the lands of another pack, but if the local wished to be dominant with the trespasser, he could easily choose to do so. But of course he had never been thus, for they were equal as individuals, and Bronx knew her not by rank or position, but by manner and mind.
__________And at that thought, his strong heart raced, his eyes baring into hers. Tiamat… just Tiamat. That was what he wanted. He loved her. Now hold on one moment… love? Surely not. Well Bronx, being as masculine and sincerely inexperienced when it came to actual love as he was, didn’t recognise the feeling and connect it with the word, but it seemed right. No matter how quick it had been. These hours could have been years, and he still would have come to the same conclusion.
__________I want… without my choosing… I’ll tell you what I want. he said, getting up and moving towards her, stopping close so that they were inches apart, then moving his dark muzzle to delicately brush her neck; You. Blatantly. I want you to live here, Tia. I want you to be my mate. I… Hey, too soon, too soon! warned his subconscious, fuck off, said his conscious; I’m too busy being in love.

__________The physical contact was compulsive; he felt it was all he needed right now, except more. And more. Bronx was no longer in the physical position to go searching through her eyes, nor she in the position to go searching through his. She spoke, and he ceased his idle caresses on her neck, and drew back slightly to look at her, noticing her shrug. Was this all this was to her? Shrugs and “reason” and “why not just…?” So she didn’t feel the same way after all.

Shit. He had made a fool of himself.

__________He glanced away darkly; poisonously, then back to her where he once more melted and all thoughts were momentarily wiped from his mind. His feelings were utterly clear. And damn them. Damn them. I think my Alpha would be equally distasted of my moving. From him I have trust, responsibility and rank. I have friends here, and a debt to pay, and my sister. My sister Allure – I made her a promise. And she’s ill. I’d have to be dragged from her side. Understand, Tiamat; this isn’t about choice. Because I told you – I choose you. It’s not choice, it’s… What was it… what the hell’s going on?
__________This wasn’t the Bronx he knew so well… he had changed. In a startling second he realised that there was nothing for them at all. She wouldn’t leave the Creek; he wouldn’t leave the Mountain. There was a stony silence on Bronx’s behalf, and then he drew back from her contact entirely. I’m sorry. Forgive me, I didn’t mean to be so… fucking hesitations again This shouldn’t have happened. I shouldn’t have said any of that.