Heaven Help Me

Her youthful exuberance was a thing most pleasant, to be sure. and I was glad that she so easily accepted my explanation. Though when she questioned why I had used the word mate in the first place I merely shrugged. It was common enough where I came from to refer to a friend as a mate, but I noted for future reference that it was most certainly not a normal thing here. After all, I didn’t want to have to explain to every wolf I came across here that I was no, in fact, interested in boys. So I moved alongside her, picking up a jog to match hers as we moved towards the edges of the woodlands. This had me a bit confused, why were we going to leave the forest if that was where he lived? So, I figured I might as well ask and clear up any other confusion that my unaware mind had made.

That giggle again, it was such a pure and innocent sound. Apparently I did not know what the damned hell I was talking about. But I just shook my head at my mistake, chuckling softly under my breath before listening as she told me the true name of the place we were about to leave behind. Enocra, a woodland frequented by anyone who might like to pass this way. Well, that certainly explained the lack of markings along the outskirts, as well as the varied trails of scents. It made me feel a bit better to at least know that I hadn’t been crazy to think it was an odd sort of pack land - because it wasn’t.

Together we moved across the landscape, and I began to recognize things from her earlier description the further we went. We made our way passed the rocks she had spoken of and I gave them half a glance, remembering her advice for another day and time. As the scent of dogwoods became more apparent, I figured we must be getting close. But I knew we had reached our destination as the forest edge loomed before us and a singular, potent scent became noticeable. It smelled a little like Amoxtli, but different; stronger, older, and more dominant. It was the marking of an alpha, the way that territories should be marked, and I felt a little more reassured that this land wasn’t quite so different in its pack workings as I had thought it might be.

As she glanced at me I gave her a smile, nodding to let her know I realized the difference now. How foolish of me to have thought that free land had been a pack. She told me it was fine for me to come across the borders seeing as I was in her company, and I nodded again. We made our way further into the forest and I couldn’t help but gaze up at the majesty of the trees that grew here. They seemed to tower high above, and the smell of them was so distinct and lovely. “Taviora… I said, musing softly to myself that Amoxtli had been right to be so proud of his home. Green eyes fell back to the spirited young girl who had been my guide as she asked how Amoxtli and I had met. “When I first arrived in the valley, my very first day here actually, he found me soakin’ my achin’ paws in some mud. We got to talkin and he tol’ me about Taviora. Lucky for me he knew where there were sum poppies growin’ too.” As we slowed before a dogwood my head tilted slightly to the side, but then Namira lifted her head and called out for Amoxtli before I could stop her. Only when her song ended and she looked back at me with bright eyes did a give her a sheepish grin. “I dunno that he’s home, act’lly. He’d said something about a bitta travel he was doin. I just wanted to see the place he was so proud’a.” If I was wrong and Amoxtli did happen to be around that’d be just fine, but if not I wouldn’t mind spending the afternoon with Namira. Then again, I couldn't really blame her if she wanted to go about her business after having to show a fool like me around the country.

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