run with wolves | open post.

[thelittleone]

Characters

Asil, The Moor
A very, very old wolf and a member of the Marrok's pack.

Jang Eun
Previously of Carmel Valley, sent to Aspen Creek by her former Alpha.

Jesse Hauptman
Daughter of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack

Joshua Brennan
Burden-bound. A Sin-Eater paired with the ghost of a long-dead soldier.

PREMISE

All the stories are true. Years ago, the Fae came out because technology was making it harder and harder for them to hide, and it's been a couple of years since the werewolves did the same. The world is changing day by day. Humans and the paranormal live side by side, but it's not easy nor is it simple. While the Marrok has taken great lengths and care to preserve the werewolves' PR front, everyone - wolf, fae, vampire and other - know that it's only a matter of time before the humans start thinking that perhaps the other stories meant to warn of the dark are true.

This is an open post set in the universe of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series. The books are amazing and you should definitely check them out. More information via this Wiki link. The rules are simple: Drop a prompt, leave a tag, and let's play!

THREAD TRACKING

© tessisamess

Comments

[lastcall]

[She'll never get used to the fact that werewolves can look as though they're just out of college, and yet be old enough to have family, have offspring old enough to live on their own. To send them things from across an ocean and a country.

His mention of his son makes her wonder after her family. They don't know what she is yet. They think she's just been living her own life out of town, too busy to come visit like she normally did. Would it be possible to tell them now what she is? Have them come see her here? She might have contemplated it more, but the mention of a younger werewolf, and female besides that, catches her attention. Looking away from the windows, her gaze settles on Asil once more.]

She? How young is she?

[Eun herself is in her early twenties. She can't imagine handling the shift from human to werewolf at a younger age.]

[nosco]

Fifteen just this year. [ He sits comfortably under her gaze, pleased at his assumption that she might be curious about the other women in the pack. He'd been watching her with Anna. ]

Kara was turned when she was only a child. [ His grip tightens slightly on the wheel. Kara was theirs, his and his wolf's, even as she was Bran's. Their child. Their privilege to protect and care for. ] Her parents are in town, visiting.

They sometimes drop by because his work as a reporter affords him the freedom to travel and her mother is considering moving here so they can be close.

[lastcall]

[Fifteen is too young. Far too young. Fifteen seems a child to Eun. How much younger was Kara to be called a child compared to her fifteen years of age now? She must be extraordinary to have survived it, but Eun thinks that like her, perhaps it was not a choice. Considering Asil's reaction to her mention of an attack, the fact that already his grip on the wheel tightens, Eun decides not to state what must be deliberately remaining unspoken.]

How lucky for her, to be able to see her family still even while living here. I'm sure she'll be busy with her parents since they're visiting, but she's welcome to come visit me whenever she pleases. I suppose I can't take up all your time, asking you to show me around.

[There's a bit of a lilt to her tone, a lightness to hide her previous thoughts. Her words are truthful, however. A fifteen year old girl might not be an ideal friend, but Eun likes to surround herself with other women, given the choice, and no doubt Kara will appreciate another person closer to her own age to talk to. Anna seems friendly and approachable, and Eun looks forward to getting to know her as well, but she's also a married woman, one mated to the pack's second. She may not have the time she may like to spend with Kara.]

Is Kara a special case, or does Bran not object to visits from family outside Aspen Creek?

[nosco]

[ He fights to relax, a mantra in his mind that Kara is safe, happy and well. That John and Liza are good people who love their child, and who are generous to adjust their idea of family to encompass wolves who had frightened them before. ]

Ah, niña, it would bring me pleasure if you decide to take it upon yourself to bother with an old lobo such as myself.

Do not take offense, [ a smile ] I had thought to provide you options since I can get absorbed with my gardening and I have been told that my lack of attention to guests can get tedious.

[ To her question, however: ] Bran does not concern himself very much with humans. He has his hands too full with his wolves.

But if you are asking because you are considering inviting your parents into our territory - he does not object. You will need to let him know, so that we may arrange for their safety, and they will need to be briefed on where they can and cannot wander.

But no, while Kara is a special case thanks to the circumstances of her Change and her age, the Marrok cannot play favorites or he will risk outright defiance.

[lastcall]

[Eun hasn't seen her parents since the attack. There simply wasn't time. After it happened, everything changed so quickly. She needed time to learn how to work with her wolf, how to not lose control of it and get used to how her life changed in the aftermath. After that, she found herself navigating pack dynamics, trying to rebuff her unwanted suitors. It simply wasn't a situation she wanted to bring them into. She came up with excuses. Sickness. Work shifts. Emergencies with friends. Anything to keep from traveling up the coast to see them.

If all goes well here, however, perhaps she could bring them to Aspen Creek. She could finally explain to them what's happened to her, hold them close and reassure them that she's alright. It would be a huge shock to them, and she knows they would need time to adjust, but she doesn't have any fears that they would reject her.

It's too private a consideration to voice aloud to Asil now. She puts it aside to think about tonight, and the days after as she settles into this place. If it feels right here as she hopes it will, she may talk to Asil or Bran about this again.]

I plan to meet everyone that I'm able to, and I'm happy to prioritize Kara when she's available, but I'm afraid that you'll likely be stuck with my company quite often regardless. [She feels more herself now, here with him, than she has in the last year. It's no understatement that she is extremely grateful for his conversation.] I happen to love flowers, and can respect what it's like to get absorbed in one's work. I won't expect constant entertainment if you don't object to me bringing a book to keep myself occupied on occasion.

[nosco]

[ He can picture her in his greenhouse, he realizes. He can see her curled up on the wicker loveseat he'd installed especially for Kara. Or sitting with him for tea at the wrought iron breakfast set that Anna had strongarmed him to include at the far end. He'd decided to renovate in the last year, connecting his greenhouse to his home so that he could walk from his kitchen to his garden without needing to worry about the cold or snow.

It is not that he is lonely. But wolves seek out their own, and too many of the pack dare not risk causing offense by entering his sanctum. Devon had been a frequent visitor, but with Devon gone...

Yes. Eun would be welcome. If it worries him that he has known her barely a day and is already growing attached. Well. ]

I am... not... opposed to this.

[ It has not escaped his notice that she is comfortable in his company. He is a vain, old thing, but not too old that he does not appreciate the game of flirtation. ]

[lastcall]

[Eun's smile is immediate and broad. It's not a city for her to paint red, but it's no doubt warm and fragrant and peaceful. A sanctuary she could escape to if her own cabin feels too lonely. Privacy is good and she appreciates it, but there is something to be said for the presence of another person.]

You'll be less opposed when I come bearing baked goods.

[Her tone is low and amused as she looks away as they continue to drive. Her father is the baker in the family, and while she's not an expert, she knows how to make cookies, cakes, and scones. She can follow a recipe fairly well.

She hadn't wanted to bake for her old pack. It had been a thing she'd done with her father, too special to offer to the people who never made her feel at home. But Aspen Creek is already so different, and as Asil is the first to greet her and make her feel at ease, he can be the first to enjoy whatever she makes first in the cabin's kitchen.]

Am I wrong?

[nosco]

I should show you my kitchen.

[ Anna is one of the few who bake. Leah does, as well, but they are not in good accord, he and his Alpha's mate. Yes, chiquita. That is an invitation. ]

[lastcall]

Yes, you should.

[She'll accept the invitation when he offers it, on a day or night that isn't this particular one. She's been traveling all day and now that she's approaching the place that will be her home for the next few months, her weariness is starting to catch up with her.]

Is it very different from the one in the cabin I'm about to move into?

[nosco]

[ He makes a thoughtful sound. ]

I have not actually been to the guest cabins. [ The Marrok has his uses for Asil elsewhere. ] Bran maintains them as guest quarters for the wolves who visit or pass through. They are upscale, because we cannot risk causing offense to the older ones who are used to certain standards of living.

[ But she will see for herself soon enough, so he answers her question more directly: ] My abode is... modest. I have lived alone for a long time and it seemed a waste of space to have a dwelling so large. Beyond Kara and Anna, I rarely have visitors.

[ Until lately.

He lets out a sigh and offers her more transparent truth. ]

My son sent me to Bran because he would not kill me when I asked. I avoided speaking to him for years because I was angry and disappointed.

[ Gentleness creeps into his words next. ] In the last year I have made some small renovations. Now I have two shiny guest bedrooms just in case Hussan makes good on his threats to visit me.

[lastcall]

[That Asil calls the cabins upscale concerns her. Not that it would be a hardship to be there, but it feels like she's become Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This pack treats her poorly. This pack treats her too well. She doesn't feel as if she's earned any luxury, but then again she probably ought to see just how nice it is before she makes judgments. Some things can be rather subjective.

His responses continue to inspire questions in her. How modest is modest? If it is modest, why should she see the kitchen? Is it among the renovations? Has he put more time into the place where he keeps his roses? No, instead of that, why does he rarely have visitors? He says he is unstable, she's seen it, but he's been so charming to her, she doesn't understand why more would not visit him.

Eun opens her mouth to ask, but Asil adds more.

More that this time she did not expect. That does not answer any of her questions.

She goes still as he mentions so calmly that he asked his son to kill him. That he was sent to Bran--and again, she has questions. Sent to Bran for what purpose? To do what his son would not? That there was a schism between father and son makes her heart ache with sympathy. Asil is so very old, and she thinks that perhaps his son is also. A werewolf too, if Asil asked Hussan to kill him. A separation between parent and child when they have been in each others lives for so long--Eun cannot fathom how deeply terrible it must have been.

Carefully, she watches Asil out of the corner of her eye, at him but not at him as he speaks. Confesses in the quiet of his car. That his son now talks of visiting, that Asil is still there, does that mean that perhaps things are better than when he first arrived in Aspen Creek? He has prepared his home for a possible guest. For the two that visit him...]

Invite him. It sounds as if it's been a very long time since you saw each other, and he may be waiting for you to ask him outright. To respond to those "threats" you mentioned.

[She wants to ask him if he still wants to die. Why he wanted to in the first place. If it's because he feels unsafe that he asked, or if wanting to die was a symptom of his instability. There is a difference there, she thinks. Small, but significant.

She wants to know why she cares so strongly about his well-being already. He is dominant to her, but the human she was and the wolf inside her want to see him safe and protected, even from himself.]

[nosco]

[ Oh, Eun. You make his heart hurt. It has crossed his mind more than once to invite his son to America - and he has accepted more phone calls and emails in the last year and a half since Anna and Charles' trip to Seattle. ]

I might. It is, if anything, something that he and I can plan for. Hussan cannot be away from my old pack for very long. He is Alpha now and overburdened by the responsibilities that I left him with.

[ He takes a deep breath and smiles, even as he turns one more corner. And there it is - a large if simple looking log cabin nestled among the trees. ]

We are here.

[lastcall]

[Not knowing the situation any better than what he's shared, Eun doesn't push him. They've only just met. They're only getting to know each other. There may be more to the situation than she's aware of and he does give a logical reason for why Hussan might not visit.

She thinks it's bullshit if he really wants to see his father, if Asil really wants to see his son, but she's not over four-hundred years old, so what does she know?

Her attention is turned to their arrival at the log cabin, and Eun's mouth drops open slightly. It's much larger than she expected, much nicer too. Eun's always had an independent streak but she can admit to herself that she's a little intimidated by this cabin, and being in it all alone.]

It looks nice. [She glances over, and smiles a little also.] And you're right, there's my rental. I should get it unloaded. Is this where you leave me then?

[nosco]

Perhaps, it is for the best.

[ She has given him a lot to think on and he can feel a restlessness in his bones. Perhaps he will shift and go for a run. The wolf is a practical creature and though he will never give over control, it will do him well to shed his human skin even for a little while. ]

Settle in and make yourself at home. I suspect Bran will extend an invitation to dinner this evening - most of the pack wander in at their pleasure. I am sure Anna will be happy to introduce you to the rest.

[ He holds his tongue. He will not make her promises that he cannot keep.

But perhaps, if a run and his roses can settle him enough, he may just drop in himself. ]