Rasp

    Rasp looked back at his alpha as he stomped along after the older wolves. His alpha had decided to trade him to the neighboring pack for peace, and he was none-too-happy about that. His icy eyes blazed as he took his one last look, so angry for one so young. Once he turned, he did not look back again. He turned his attention instead to the wolves walking ahead of him. One was light-furred and walked with a dignified air. The other was quite colorful, and had less of a feel of importance around him. Rasp would never have guessed that he was the leader between the two of them. They didn't have too far to walk since his former pack and theirs shared a border, and before too terribly long they arrived in a lush green hollow full of wolves.
    "Right. I'm going to go and find my hunting team and get them going. Hopefully I'm not too late," the light-furred wolf said and took off across the hollow.
    "Then the duty falls to me. I-" The colorful wolf stopped as he turned to look at the young wolf and saw his still-burning eyes. He sighed and sat down as if to have a chat, saying, "I know it's strange, one so young sent away to a new place and now you've just got to figure it out on your own. Really, though, you'll have all of us to help you along the way. I had to do the same a long time ago, and it really does work out in the end."
    Rasp eyed this wolf dubiously and sniffed, not saying anything as he got up and set out across the hollow to make his own way. The colorful wolf just watched him as he went, giving a sigh and a shake of his head as Rasp disappeared over a rise to have a moment by himself.

—

    Rasp had been training along as usual, keeping to himself and, actually, doing quite well this time. He hadn't entirely meant to pin Idrit again, but it just happened. He wasn't sure what made him just want to go after the other scout-in-training, but whatever it was could not be stopped. Now he sat looking off into the trees in the distance as Aleifr and Syndestar chewed him out. The two scouts were trying so hard with him and he wanted to do well in his role, but just being in this pack with the lingering anger of being traded away from his old one was just too much for him sometimes. Eventually the scouts realized that they weren't getting through to him, and they dismissed him. As they turned back to the lesson at hand, Rasp got up, shook himself and trotted out of the training hollow.
    He walked for a while, and eventually found himself at the border of his birth pack. He sat in the cover of some thorny bushes and watched for a while, thinking.

—

    The green-tinted wolf stalked his way through the brush, observing his target. Idrit trotted along a low, tree-covered ridge, staying low and looking at something on the other side of it. Rasp edged closer, trying to see what he saw over that ridge. Idrit had turned into a great scout and Rasp, having shirked most of his training, had taken to following him sometimes to learn a bit. He was nearly there, could almost see whatever it was that had the older scout's attention when he stepped on a dry twig which cracked so loudly a bird took off in a flurry of feathers above. Idrit whipped around and Rasp stiffened, hoping that he would stay hidden where he was. Idrit scanned the trees for whatever had made the noise, but thankfully did not see the younger scout crouched among some low bushes. Eventually he turned back around, realized he had lost whatever he had been stalking, and took off over the ridge at a run.
    Rasp let out the breath he had been holding and stood there for a moment more in case Idrit came back. When he didn't come the green-tinted wolf stood up straight and ran in the opposite direction to finish his own scouting mission.

—

    Idrit and Rasp walked on either side of Aleifr as he made his way through the forest. Each of them were grumbling and huffing and making a fuss until Ale whirled around and the whole envoy stopped in its tracks. Idrit met the alpha's eye for a second before sighing and looking away again. Rasp rolled his eyes. Just because the alpha was his friend the fool wanted him to stick up for him and give him a pass. 'Typical. Not like Aleifr was my mentor or anything,' Rasp thought.
    "Can you two just deal with it until we get there? I need you both, but right now you're making things more difficult than they've got to be," the alpha reasoned.
    "I can if he can," Rasp growled.
    "Well, I can even if he can't!" Idrit barked, then turned on Rasp, "you just like making things difficult, don't you?"
    "Oh, yeah, we're pups again and I just want to bully you all the time! This isn't an important mission or anything!"
    "Then why are you over there making just as much of a fuss as I am?!"
    "Enough!" Aleifr roared with actual fury in his eyes. Idrit shut up and even Rasp was surprised. Then the alpha continued more quietly, "we are going on ahead. You two go home."
    Idrit opened his mouth, then shut it again when the alpha's steely gaze fell on him. Rasp just growled and looked away. They had been quite foolish, and though it was all just fine if they were at home, this was supposed to be an important pack meeting. Rasp was ready to admit he had been obnoxious, but Idrit began to walk off. Rasp gave a huff and a roll of his eyes and ran after the older scout who spun around as if to intercept an attack.
    Rasp just stopped and stood there looking at him. Idrit straightened up once more. Rasp didn't move. Idrit rolled his eyes and went to turn and walk off again.
    "Hold on."
    "Hmm?"
    "We're not friends..."
    "Nope!"
    "Oh, shut up and let me talk."
    Idrit sighed a long and exasperated sound, but turned and sat with a thud in the leaf litter staring Rasp down.
    "I'm sorry I messed with you when we were pups, okay? I didn't like you-"
    "I had no idea."
    "Shut it! Sorry. I just... don't mind you so much anymore. I can't always help the outbursts, but I do want to make a friend," Rasp's words were nice enough, but his tone remained gravelly and snappish. The rest of the pack didn't understand, but he really couldn't help that. He had been named Rasp for a reason.
    Idrit scowled at him, then looked deeper. He squinted at him, then leaned in slightly to stare into his surprisingly sincere eyes. He leapt to his feet suddenly which made Rasp jump, and he laughed. Rasp scowled back at him, but relaxed a bit as well.
    "I suppose a friend would be pretty nice. It would help us actually get work done, too, and maybe we wouldn't be kicked off of every important envoy we're supposed to be a part of..." Idrit reasoned awkwardly. "But if you're tricking me I'll bite your tail clean off!"
    "Alright, alright! Don't get your fur in a twist about it. I promise I'm not tricking you... right now," Rasp shot Idrit a tentative and very strained smile which made the older scout laugh again.
    "I suppose we don't have to go our separate ways, then... you want to see a cool sunset?" Idrit offered, and when Rasp shrugged he lead the way toward his hill with the nice views to try and make a new and very odd friend.

—

    Rasp stalked into the hollow scowling, trying to hide his face from any wolves he passed on his way toward the scrubby thicket he made his nest in. His team's hunt had lead him past his old pack's territory which had set him off again, not to mention there were strange things going on in the forest already that were freaking him out, and he had barely held it together for the run back home. Someone tried to call out a greeting to him as he went by, and he let out a growl almost against his will. Whoever it was hurried away and Rasp kicked himself mentally.
    He climbed into the thicket behind the large rock where he slept and curled up, trying to bring himself back down from the rage he had entered. After quite a while of breathing steadily and thinking of nicer things like Idrit had suggested one day, he fell into a peaceful sleep.
    "Hello there," a soft voice called, "uh, hello. Are you in there? Wake up."
    "I.. wha... what? Who are you, what do you want?"
    "I want to talk. You left in such a hurry and all of us had to pick up your slack," the voice continued sweetly but matter-of-factly.
    Rasp knew just who this was, and of all the wolves in the pack he certainly didn't want to talk to her right now. "Go away, moon-brain, I'm not in the mood."
    To Rasp's dismay the blue-furred, smiling face of Raea wormed her way into his sleeping space with him to sit neatly, just staring at him.
    "Uh, get out. Right now, go, I don't want you here," he said, trying to paw her in the face and get her to go back the way she came.
    "Too bad," she continued to speak in that overly sweet, friendly way of hers and Rasp felt his ears burn with indigence, "what's up with you? You really should talk it out."
    "Nothing's up with me. Wolves are going missing every five minutes, the weird fog is getting worse, and earlier we went to the place I- I just don't want to talk right now, okay flower face?"
    "Does calling names make you feel better? I guess you can call me flower face. It almost sounds like a compliment, really," Raea smiled, unfazed, and Rasp let out a shuddering sigh.
    Usually he really liked Raea. She was a bright spot in the world, for sure, and when he was feeling good she was nice to talk to. But now, confronting him about his problems like this... she was entirely right and he hated it. What's more she was offering to take what he threw at her so it might help him. He lowered his head and said in his trademark gravelly, thin voice, "no, it doesn't make me feel better. Don't stand for it. Tell me off, growl at me, something, will you? You're too nice and it's gonna get you into trouble." He took another deep breath and looked back up at her with a calmer demeanor, a hint of a smile even.
    "I don't growl. It doesn't help anything. Why were you so upset when we passed by that border?"
    Rasp's eyes went wide, "you noticed that?" He sighed, "across that border is where I came from. They traded me away for some kind of shoddy peace that's never held up anyway and I've never seen one of them again."
    "Well, I won't say I know what that feels like, but maybe you need to go and speak to them," Raea said tentatively.
    "Are you crazy? What am I going to say to them?"
    "Just tell them how you feel? Maybe it'll help. Just think about it, will you? And whenever you're ready I'll go with you... if you want.

—

    Rasp stalked back and forth across the hollow outside the herbalist's den, uttering strings of curses. The hollow had been cleared of all pups in order to shield them from this profanity, and to most wolves' surprise it actually amplified his language. Wolves were still always surprised when they realized he actually attempted to be a good and considerate member of the pack. Not that simply cursing less was actually all that considerate.
    After what felt like years passed, Nicht exited the den and Rasp made a mad dash for the den entrance. Idrit, who was on watch ran to intercept him and ushered him over to hear what Nicht had to say. He stared the weary herbalist down with blazing eyes as she began to speak.
    "My sister has gone... "moon-eyed" for lack of a better term. I've spoken to her at length and examined her for any kind of sickness, but there is nothing off apart from the fact that all she wants to do is... chase the lights. I think, and I'm not sure yet, but I think that this may be how it starts. The wolves affected by this mysterious thing see something out there and they're transfixed. They wander off more and more until... they're just gone," Nicht's voice gave way and Idrit stepped up to press his forehead to hers comfortingly.
    Rasp's eyes threatened him with tears and he closed them, taking a deep breath. "How do we fix her?"
    Nicht looked up at him confused, "fix her? We barely know what's going on out there, let alone how to fix the wolves who've been affected by it. I'm afraid she's going to have to be kept in one of the sick dens under guard until we can figure this out."
    Rasp was hit with a wave of dizziness as he realized he may never get her back the way she was. "Whatever you need to figure this out, I'll do," he said firmly, and Idrit agreed.
    Rasp leaned into his brother, half appreciatively and half for support. Nicht gave them a weak smile and he realized how worried she must be for her sister too. The three of them stood there a long while just taking in all that had happened, and then they got to work. Idrit agreed to accompany Rasp to see Raea and act as her first guards while Nicht went to report her findings to Aleifr.

—

    Rasp heard a commotion behind him as he stalked toward the opposite edge of the hollow to the herbalist's den. He heard his packmates crying out in shock and growling and mentally kicked himself. He knew it was a bad idea to leave Thorn and Idrit to guard Raea! Aleifr and his detail had probably been killed by that creature they had set out to defeat and now it had come for the pack while he had his back turned. The dark wolf narrowed his already sleep-deprived eyes and took off back the way he had come.
    As he ran, the dense fog that obscured the other side of the hollow suddenly dropped and disappeared. He skidded to a halt and stared in disbelief as the two missing wolves, Caio and Peregrine, appeared in the hollow. Caio was running around with Nila after him as though nothing had happened— well, no that wasn't true, she was cursing him for abandoning her as they went— and Peregrine was standing there watching as if it was the most normal afternoon he'd ever experienced. Afternoon. Huh. The fog had grown so thick and dark that the pack's sense of time had been skewed, and most of them just thought of it as a long, strange night.
    Rasp took in all of these new developments over several minutes, just standing and watching the blue sky and his packmates return, seeing the rest of the pack shake themselves out of a similar stupor and go to greet the newly returned beta and Wise hunter. His gaze swept over Idrit outside the herbalist's den and he gave a start.
    "Raea," Rasp breathed and took off toward the den.
    Idrit was peering down the tunnel to where Raea had been confined, and the blue-furred she-wolf was shuffling out of the den blinking her gray eyes in the newly emerging sunlight. Rasp called out to her and quickened his steps, meeting her at the mouth of the den while Idrit backed out of his way laughing.
    "Well, well. If it isn't my unrelenting guard here to keep me from the pretty lights," her words made Rasp's fur stand on end, but her tone was playful enough to let him know she was only joking.
    "Those lights would've blinded you or spirited you away like they did Peregrine here," Thorn's voice piped up as she led her mate toward the herbalist's den.
    "I wonder if this means Ale and the others were successful, then," Rasp murmured.

—

    Rasp glowered at his opponents, severely outnumbered but never ready to back down. They fixed him with mean glares, slavering at the jaws in their lust for revenge. Rasp made the mistake of letting one hind paw shuffle back a bit and in an instant they were on him. A dozen sets of surprisingly sharp little teeth gnashed and tore at his hide, and he tried desperately to shake them off. It was all in vain, though, and before long he went down. His flank hit the ground with a thud and he began thrashing around wildly, sending several of the attackers flying in all directions but they just kept coming back.
    "All right, I yield! I yield!" The dark wolf cried out as he felt a vicious nip to his ear that surely had drawn blood.
    A dozen young pups released their iron grip in his fur and dropped back to the ground as he rose, wincing. They had become tiny savages under his tutelage, not exactly because he was a good teacher, but because he led by example and often gave them a pummeling harsher than he ought. He was sure they all had it out for him.
    "You've done well, pups! Too well... I'm sensing a quest for vengeance and for that I'll have to send you over to Coorah before I whip you all into too much of a frenzy," he stood up straight and formal and nodded in their direction, "you've been great, I've just loved having my tail presented to me each lesson, but you're relieved now."
    To his surprise the pups' eyes grew big and watery at his announcement, and several of them darted forth to wrap themselves around his paws. They begged him not to send them to another teacher, apologized vehemently for giving him such a beating and promised they'd go easy on him next time if they didn't have to go. Rasp's expression first grew indignant and enraged at being coddled by a bunch of pups, but as more and more of them came to sit at his paws and beg he softened and smiled.
    "I suppose we could continue together if you really want to. But we're going to have to work on control... which is something I'm not good at..." he trailed off as they began to grin up at him expectantly, then continued to their delight, "so bear with me, lads!"

—

    Rasp walked alongside the two alphas, squinting over at them periodically as they spoke of the goings on of the pack and their plans for its future. He still wasn't sure why they needed him for this. He and Raea had been training puppies and she was probably getting swamped by now without him. Eventually the alpha siblings came to a halt and faced him, supposedly coming to some culmination of their discussion.
    "...and Rasp, we want you to be a part of it."
    Rasp looked around for some hint at what their point had been, gave up and asked, "a part of what?"
    Anahera gave a little sigh of defeat, tilting her eyes up toward the sky. Nikau looked excited, as if Rasp had simply not grasped the full excitement himself yet.
    "A part of the Wise, of course!" The younger wolf's eyes shone as he offered Rasp the opportunity he had been denied for his whole life. Rasp wasn't sure what to do, exactly, so he just let out a nervous chuckle and attempted to organize his thoughts.

    "You turned it down?! Why on earth would you turn it down?!" Raea howled later as they walked along the riverbank together.
    Rasp shook his head and gave a little shrug, "I don't know, it just seemed a bit like pity. Or, really, more like a reminder of something I've always fell short of but no longer want? If that makes sense. I don't need it, I know I belong here without having a title and a hundred more responsibilities... no offense, of course." He added sheepishly.
    Raea let out a pent up sigh, but sounded relieved, "none taken. It is a hard job, everyone asking me questions all of the time, expecting me to know things. Well, I'm just glad you've found your place. You've earned it more than any wolf in the pack, you know."
    The blue furred she-wolf bumped her forehead to his and kept on forward with no more discussion. Rasp smiled and followed along, content with her company and the quiet.

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