Howl-n-Run [Sanct] [M]

[Zero]

"I'm glad. I think." That was one less thing to worry about. If the cat wasn't hostile towards him, then Howland didn't have to worry about upsetting his beautiful mate fighting with it. He certainly wasn't sure how to feel about sharing his mate's affections with a feline, but there probably wasn't much choice in the matter.

It felt wrong, cold, when she dropped his hand. Howland wished so much to reach out and take her hand in his again, but he was sure the touch would be unwelcomed.

His Niusha redirected his mind to a more pressing matter. Where should they go? Howland didn't relish the idea of returning to the cave, it was the scene of his crime against his mate, after all. It was the place where he'd broken her trust before even earning it.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to have to leave here. You could have stayed." The idea of leaving her alone in the village while he lurked on the outskirts waiting for her was unpleasant. He hated the idea of being so distant from her, but Howland had no one but himself to blame if Niusha pulled away from him and made him stay away. It would be completely deserved. Especially as he realized that he had no home to provide his beloved mate. "I'm so sorry. I don't have a home to provide you with yet. I didn't expect to meet you now."

Howland was suddenly angry with himself for being so ill-prepared to care for his mate. He should have been ready!

[SanctifiedSavage]

While it would take quite some time before Niusha rather warmed up to him, she appreciated the 'sorry'. The elf didn't have any real affection for the small town. It'd been a nice place to stay and she'd been learning a fair bit during her time there, but she'd not set down any sort of roots nor made any lasting friendships. The people had been wary of her, but polite. Moving on was... inconvenient, but Niusha spent a lot of her time traveling. The reason for the move was more upsetting than the move itself.

When he further apologized for not having a home for her, that actually confused Niusha just a little. Was that something... expected? She shook her head a little and found herself awkwardly saying, "No, no. I didn't expect you to have a house..." Which, she didn't. Neither did she understand why he was sorry he didn't, but she didn't like how upset it had made him either.

This whole situation was just... odd...

Niusha didn't exactly look at him while she spoke. "Maybe we could go stay in some other town? Put some distance between us and... all of..." Her words trailed off and she made a vague gesture, a wave that included much of the things around them. A real change of scenery would be nice. Even having a sense of purpose or destination beyond right where they were. Niusha did like to travel and she did like learning new things.

There was a little bit of a silver lining, then.

[Zero]

Of course Niusha didn't understand. Howland looked at her a little helplessly when she tried to reassure him that she hadn't expected him to have a house. As her mate it was his duty to protect and provide, he should have a den to present her. So far he had done absolutely nothing in a way he would consider correct. He was anxious that he was doing a very poor job of proving that he was a good and capable mate for her.

It felt like a big loop of confusion and misunderstanding between them. They didn't know each other, let alone understand one another, and yet they were mates destined to be together forever. It was a frustrating situation all around.

Howland felt his heart drop when the words put some distance between us were spoken, but he realized she meant from where they were, not between her and him. He wouldn't have blamed her for wanting him to get far away from her, but not blaming her for it wouldn't have stopped his heart from shattering into thousands of pieces. She hadn't demanded he leave her alone yet, though. That gave him some small level of hope that he could still fix this.

"We can go anywhere you want. I only care about being with you, where we are doesn't matter that much to me." At least that much was true. It made him feel slightly less guilty for not having a home for her. If his mate wanted to travel right now instead of setting down roots having a den already ready for her might not have worked out well anyway.

[SanctifiedSavage]

Niusha didn't begin to know how to navigate their very unique situation, but she wasn't a cruel person to start. That wouldn't change just because... well... given what had happened... She was just trying very hard not to dwell on all of that, too much. She could think about it when the immediate needs were taken care of. When she had a place to stay, and the rest of her life wasn't a jumbled mess...

Priorities. She was attempting to be practical.

She chewed on her lower lip a moment when he expressed his desire to only be around her. Niusha was a little concerned that he might be under some manner of... spell? Drug? She didn't know him before... what had happened... and he seemed quite intent about being near her, to the exclusion of his own preferences. Was that normal for giant wolf-men? She had absolutely no idea.

After a long breath and passing a hand over her face, she nodded once. "Another town, then. So we can... figure out this... in a more... In a nicer place. Rather than in the middle of nowhere." Niusha could sleep on the ground, and she had aplenty traveling, but it wasn't her preference. She'd like to have some sense of normalcy before she tackled the entire mess of... this. "Do you know this area? Or... were you traveling through like I was?"

[Zero]

Howland wasn't entirely sure what Niusha meant by a nicer place. He assumed that she meant somewhere civilized, with people and buildings. For the wolf being out in the middle of nowhere was perfectly acceptable, and sometimes even preferable.  Since he had just decided to end one of his wild roams through the forest as a wolf it didn't bother him to find somewhere with humans to stay for a while - although his plans had greatly changed. There would be no roving inns and taverns in search of new and exciting bed partners. Howland would not behave that way ever again. His mate was the only lover he would ever need or want going forward.

"I know the forest very well in this area, but I am not as familiar with the places with people. All we have to do is follow the road, though. I know there are other nearby small towns and villages." Did they have inns where his mate could find a room? Howland didn't know, but if his mate wished to travel to another town, then that is where they would go.

"We will go now? The road is that way," The words were almost timidly spoken as he gestured in the correct direction. Howland wasn't used to feeling hesitant or unsure. The werewolf was used to being confident and fearless. With his mate in his presence he found himself desperate to appease and please her. He would have attempted to give her the moon and the stars if she asked – anything that would make it so that he could stay by her side. The wolf would grovel if he had to, and would feel it was what he deserved. He had caused Niusha distress and pain. Hurting his mate was too horrible to bear without intense mental self-flagellation.