A Story about Yellowfang and Autumn Feather

((This okay, can happen, no worries ^_; ))

And not far behind him at the same pace followed the gray white wolfess. Yes their pace was good and covered a good distance. The sun was already decending, but she didn’t felt really tired yet and could keep this up for a few more hours. Of course they needed to travel longer now, to make up the time lost from the morning. Her black Sparrow feather vibrated to keep on going, even when there was no wind at all! By times she had gotten so annoyed by it, that she wanted to remove the feather from her head.

Smiling to him as he looked back to her, “Uhm?” She replied, thinking on it before giving an answer. “Honestly I don’t know Autumn Feather. I’m a healer, not a travel agent.” Yellowfang barked kindly, followed by a giggle of her own little joke to keep the mood cheerful. Her yellow eyes shining.

Even the Black-capped Vireo bird, wasn’t flying in their neighborhood. The bird self had gone long ago ahead of them to find the pack, to where they are traveling to. Once the bird had found their territory, she would return to announce it. So far, there was not yet a sign of her yet.

added
After a short silence the female picked up her pace to run next to her companion. She looked at him and asked: “Say Autumn Feather… Did you ever thought about settling down? Uhm.. I mean… you know… quitting about this wild goose chase to where our feathers want us to go?”

AutumnFeather was taken by surprise by her question and halted in his steady trot. Have I ever thought about stopping the quest...and settling down?I don't know.

AutumnFeather looked away from Yellowfang, his gaze was in the direction of where he still felt the slight tug of his jay feather. I never thought about it. I mean I guess it would be nice to be an average wolf, and to take up a mate and raise pups. But is that what I really want?
His thoughts seemed to haunt him as he kept his gaze away from the pretty grey she-wolf that had been his partner and friend throughout his whole career as a healer.

"I guess I could," The tri-colored wolf murmured, his gaze still away from her. "I have not really thought about it. I mean ever since HoneyBlossom died I had only thought about being a healer. So that one day I would be able to prevent another wolf from suffering the same fate as her. I never thought about wanting to settle down and take a mate."

AutumnFeather glanced at her and felt as though she was hurt by what he had said. "But, Yellowfang, that doesn't mean I would not settle down. If I ever found the female that matched with me so perfectly, I would stop and want to be mates with her. But I am not so sure about quitting our quest." AutumnFeather barked his voice firm, for he was voicing his true feelings.

Yellowfangs ears perked up on the moment that her friend suddenly dropped the pace and stopped. Huh? What? Thought the gray white wolfess and halted too, Did I said something wrong? She padded to him as she saw that he turned away from having eye or any other visual contact towards her for the time being.

On the body language of Autumn Feather, Yellowfang could see that he was lost in thought and perhaps a tat uncomfortable from her so suddenly question, that she hanged her head low and stared at her toes. Oh why, oh way, did I had to say that? Just while we had a good pace.. The female shook her head and sighed. Unable to find an answer from her question.

Her ears perked up as she thought he heard him say something almost inaudible. Looking up to Autumn Feather’s chest, rather then to his head, to hear the whole story. Which was extraordinary close to that of her own, as she had lost a brother on a young age. That struck her dearly and made her a bit sad. As loosing someone dear or close to you, is no fun, not that she was looking for a mate, or was wanting to suggest it.

His mindset was just like her own. It even brought a memory from a girl talk or patient to healer confidential talk. For that she and Autumn Feather would be a good couple or match. Something she always had denied or whisked away, as she was not interested in it. Her job was priority one, that of a mate a low one and tried to change the subject directly to something else and didn’t need any help in that specific area.

“Sorry to hear that Autumn Feather,” Said the gray white wolf softly, still looking at Autumn Feather’s chest. “I know how it is to lose a family member. I lost a brother as pup, from a very rare sickness. That made me to who I am now and hopefully one day I can find a cure for it. Yeah I know that our work can make it hard to find a suitable mate. Self I haven’t even thought about it. Let stand looking for one. But I’m glad to have you as a close friend and partner.. I mean as a colleague, ya know.”

Yellowfang looked up and blushed when she said the word ‘partner’, as she used that more often then ‘colleague’. She knows that that word has more meanings and didn’t meant it as mates, or hinting to be the female he was looking for. For all the she doesn’t even know what suits Autumn Feather. It made her well curious to what his dream mate would be.

Then Suddenly and maybe unconsciously she flattened her ears to the back of her head in submissive posture and nuzzled Autumn Feather’s cheek and under muzzle. She had her eyes closed as she did it and spoke softly from out of her heart. “I think I have found mines.”

AutumnFeather nuzzled Yellowfang back. Keeping his gaze locked on hers, he re thought over the question she had asked. He knew that he had feelings about her. Emotions that he knew should not really be there. But he knew that the rules shouldn't matter. He had no idea whether or not they would even find another pack that they could be healers for. He felt that light tug that told him that they must continue that journey until its very end.

"I know how you feel. I feel that way too, but we shouldn't give up on our journey. It might bother us forever if we don't know what is waiting for us that the very end of our journey." AutumnFeather barked softly as he continued to look at the grey she-wolf.

((Sorry for taking so long, classes have been a big distraction.))

Yellowfang relaxed and exhaled softly through her nostrils as she thought back to an old conversation, and started to realize what this she-wolf had been ignoring. Well maybe not really ignoring as she was performing an important job for the pack, that there was simply no time for a romance with a male. Those emotions she felt to a particular wolf she kept solely to herself and suppressed them, until a couple of weeks ago.
While looking at the profession level of it, it was better not to have those feelings towards Autumn Feather, but there they were and she couldn’t hold it back any longer, as she was freed from everything. Like she was a prisoner of her healer status, Yellowfang could do now everything what any other wolf can do in certain areas.

Her gray ears perked up when the tri-colored male started to speak. She opened her eyes, took a slight step back and looked up into the eyes of Autmn Feather. It answered well the question where she was curious about. After he finished, she thought it over and nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right Autumn Feather. It was foolish of me to say that we should stop with this journey… It’s just that I’m just getting so tired of my feather. That it keeps on vibrating by times. To tell me and you that we must move on. Just like now.” Barked the female softly.


((Don’t worry about it, as I said it before, classes are more important than this.))

"That is true and I understand what you are talking about. From what I think on my jay feather is that it gives me hope that we have purpose in this life and that without this feeling of somewhere needing us I am sure we might given up soon after our journey began." AutumnFeather barked. He chose his words carefully so that Yellowfang would not be hurt by what he had to say and so that she would know that even if they hadn't had a need to go on their journey that they might not have even gotten this far from home.


(( I will add more later today.))

Nodding her gray white head in understanding and agreement as she listened to her colleague chosen words. Which let her remember what the packs Spiritual once told her: that ‘things happen for a reason and not out of coincidence or because you want it so to happen.’ Perhaps that the reason of her brother’s dead, was to make sure that she went to study the arts of healing? What if her brother didn’t die, would she then still have studied it, or became something else? She couldn’t answer that question, as it didn’t happen.

“That is right. Like what our Spiritual had said that: ‘everything happens for a reason and that you don’t have control over some things and just must accept it for that. How hard it can be, but for that, there is your guide, to help you with it.’ If it wasn’t for our spiritual guides, I believe we would have settled down in that nice valley we passed through. That place got everything we need.”

The Spiritual told Yellowfang also that ‘everyone’s feather is not just resampling their position in the pack, but also as a personal guide in life and not that everyone gets the same feather when graduating and talks to you in their own way. Not with words but by other means.’

After a short silence, Yellowfang let out a squeezing yawn, lowered her front half to stretch her front legs, her back. Got back up and stretched her rear legs. “I don’t know about you, but didn’t we had to go further?” She barked kindly as she looked up and saw that the sun stood now just on the horizon line. The orange glow was spectacular for how it stretched out over the skyline with the clouds. “I guess we have still a few hours left of daylight.”

((okies, or just post it here below))

AutumnFeather smiled slightly as he looked at the sky. "No we can stop for the day. Maybe catch some prey and enjoy the evening while we still can." The tri-colored wolf barked kindly as he looked at Yellowfang. He could see the dying, golden rays of the sun touch her fur and realized at that moment how beautiful the she-wolf actually was. He already knew how pretty she was but through those golden rays, he could see her true beauty.

AutumnFeather looked away from her, and instead looked at their surroundings. He could spot a good place to rest a good few yard in front of them. There was a small creek where they could get a drink if needed and there was shelter under some tree roots near by where they could rest for the night. We could just rest here. He thought but he would let her decide if they should stay here or keep going.

Did Yellowfang heard that correctly for putting up camp right here and not moving on? When AutumnFeather mentioned prey, she could feel her stomach rumbling and softly growling. It had been energetic day, burning more fuel then only traveling for a whole day. “I agree.” She yipped sweetly with a head nod and begun to wiggle her black nose to sniff around to find some prey.

After a short pause she spoke again. “I don’t think we shall encounter any large prey stock, but I do smell a large quantity of hares in the neighborhood. If we can catch those we have a nice meal.” She knew that even an experienced hunter can have a hard time on taking down a hare, let stand alone two healers, who haven’t gotten the advice on how to tackle that!

((Lets have some hare fun.))

AutumnFeather nodded with a slight smile across his muzzle as he moved his gaze from Yellowfang to the area in front of them that seemed to be hiding the hares from view. He enjoyed hunting with Yellowfang and wondered that by the end of their journey if they will be able to hunt together then like they do now.
"Okay. I'll take the right side you can take the left and we should see what we can find. Then we can turn this into a game." AutumnFeather barked as he nodded in the directions that they should each go.

Yellowfang had to admit that she loved the hunts with her healing partner, Autumn Feather and showed that openly by smiling at him as he explained the approach of this.
Something she had hoped not to get attached to, as she is a doctor and no a killer. When the final moment is there to end the life of a creature they caught, surfaced her healer side and ordered her to stop what she was about to do. Over time she had learned how to deal with that, by ignoring the order and closing her eyes so she would not see it.
“Alright. Even I think that… that it is better that we hunt solo on this one. To have a better chance to catch them.” Yellowfang yipped, hoping not to hurt his feelings, as the gray white wolfess found him a great hunting partner. But felt that it is asked for an different approach then with the bigger prey animals. She started to pad in the left direction Autumn Feather pointed out, only to stop briefly to look over her shoulder back to him. “Lets meet back here once we caught our dinner. And good Luck dear!” The last few words rolled out of her mouth with love in her voice.

AutumnFeather nodded and then turned away towards the direction he needed to go. Once he was in a good enough location he crouched down and waited. His thoughts wandered as he sat motionless looking in the direction that the sent of rabbits was coming from. AutumnFeather's thoughts kept resurfacing to the thoughts about how his relationship with Yellowfang was changing.
How could I feel this way? Love, the oath of the healers forbids it between two healers. Doesn't it? But I am not back in the pack anymore. I don't even know if I am going to join another pack. Maybe I should tell her?
AutumnFeather's thoughts were interrupted as he heard the faint scuffling of paws and then saw a plump, young, brown rabbit hop out from under a bush. Forgetting his thoughts, AutumnFeather quickly began to stalk the unsuspecting prey. Quickly he leaped and trapped the rabbit under his paws. After finishing it off with a quick bite, AutumnFeather trotted off in the direction that was the waiting place, his thoughts returning as he sat down and waited for her to return.

As the male left, she left too in the direction he had pointed out to go to As she trot on, she could not help herself to stop turning her head to the right to look at Autumn Feather and sighed softly as she thought of him till Autumn Feather was out of eyesight. Turned her head forward, nose high in the air and sniffed for a sick or injured hare. Only there was none, so she was now forced to hunt for a healthy animal and that for the very first time.
Yellowfang followed the scent downwind and saw in a clearing a couple brown floppy ears. The female crouched down and moved silently forward to get as close as possible without alerting the cute fella.
Just as she was about to leap out of her hiding spot to the fluffy brown rabbit, it looked up, turned his head to where the wolfess hid and saw something grey whitish with bared teeth leaping towards him. The hare immediately sensed danger and dashed off, before the huntress could catch him standing.

Now had the healeress a chase on her paws to catch her food and she set chase. While she tried to grab that fluffy thing she wondered if Autumn Feather had the same problem or not. After a little while she managed to tackle the hare and with a quick and sharp bite on its neck it stopped struggling and laid there motionless. She picked it up and headed back on a fast trot to the meeting point. Her tongue lolled out to a side, chest heaving as Yellowfang really had to work for it.
Seeing her partner all sitting waiting for her, she felt that her heart skipping a beat. The Wolfess stopped for a moment, dropping the fluffy creature to the ground to let out a melodic howling call, then picked up the lifeless body and trot to Autumn Feather, with a slightly raised tail that was wagging happily to see him, who had caught also a hare.

“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting, Autumn Feather.” She yipped between her breaths as she dropped her bunny.

AutumnFeather had been looking in the opposite direction of where the she-wolf had gone. It wasn't until he heard the sound of her howl that he noticed that she had returned. He stood up and placed the rabbit on the ground, the tip of his tail wagging. "No, I haven't been waiting that long. I see your hunt was successful." AutumnFeather barked nodding at the hare that she had caught. His bark had a slight trace of nervousness.

Yellowfang smiled pleased as she approached him with her ears a slight degree back from straight up with her kill in her yaw, while her tail still wagged in a nice rhythm that reflects with her melodic howl. She was glad to hear from him that her hunt didn’t seemed that it took that long, while it felt well that way for her, as she had to chase after it then having an easy kill. Yellowfang nodded but didn’t noticed the nervousness in Autumn Feathers voice. “Yeah, but it wasn’t easy as I had hoped for. I had to chase it before I could take him down. Those hares are bloody fast! Anyway You have a nice price too. Did you had to chase yours also?” yipped the she-wolf as she was working to get her breathing under control. As she went over to the hare from Autumn Feather she pointed to it with a paw.

AutumnFeather's right ear flicked for a second as he listened to Yellowfang. "No. Mine was fairly easy. At least you got a nice run from chasing yours down. I almost missed catching mine." AutumnFeather barked. He was getting more and more nervous as he tried to find a way to tell her. He looked down at the dead rabbit that was laying at his paws. "We can eat now if you would like." AutumnFeather barked, his eyes still on the rabbit. He couldn't dare look at her in his embarrassment at being such a coward.

The she-wolf went to sit down on her haunches and looked up from the animal to Autumn Feather as he said that it was easy. Nodding that that the chase was nice, but she had hoped to avoid it. Oh well you can’t expect from your prey to sit still for an easy capture. Yellowfang cocked her heard to the right on hearing the last part, as that is not something for him. “Oh?” yipped she curiously, wanting to hear more about that.
This time she noticed that there was something with her longtime friend, as his barking and body language transmitted nervousness. As she tried to figure it out on what could make him jumpy, she got startled by his suddenly change of subject, followed by a growling sound of her stomach.

“Ah! Yes of course, let’s eat while it is still fresh. Bon appétit Autumn Feather.” barked Yellowfang, followed by lowering her front half, so that her rabbit was laying between her front legs. Placing a paw on the carcass to prevent it from moving too, she started to eat her kill.

A few minutes into eating her hare, she looked up at Autumn Feather with the front of her muzzle colored lightly red and saw that her companion didn’t had touched his food yet. “Is there something wrong Autumn Feather?”