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        Lycurgus listened for the lady's words but found that none were coming his way. His head continued to rest on the ground but his eyes rose so that he could see what she was doing. It was about that time a sharp whine met his ears and it was enough to raise his head in alarm and look hard at his companion. From her posture and the bare expression on her face, Gus could tell she was deep in thought. He felt a bit guilty. He had put a lot into her mind and closed with an offer that would change her life if she was to accept. Is was so much for her to think about and the sinking sun gave the impression that she only had a short time to make up her mind. This, however, was untrue. As much as he would have loved her to stand up then and there and tell him they were going home together to the Grand Canyon, it was an unrealistic expectation. He knew he'd be lucky if he even got an 'I'll think about it' response out of her. It was a big decision, so he didn't expect her to act on it at the drop of a hat. But the pain he saw creeping into her eyes suggested she was having trouble even wanting to think about it.

        One moment, Adelaide was frozen still as though she was in a trance. The next, her face was buried into the mottled color fur that lined the brute's shoulder. Gus hadn't expected this of her but he remained calm and still for her sake. Where he had just seen the young healer Adelaide of the Cougar Creek pack, he was now looking at one of his young sisters. Growing up, he had always been the voice of reason for his younger and less mature siblings. He provided them with guidance and support when their parents weren't there to give it to them. He had essentially become a father figure to his own littermates. They too had buried their faces in him to whine and cry about the woes of the world and he had heard them out for their problems every single time. Gus attributed this responsibility alone to his growing up with a personality full of peace, mental strength, and an oddly emotional state for a male. He was the rock among his siblings, the one that always knew what to do, the one with the softest shoulder to cry on. Having Addy bury herself into him like this brought back so many memories of the family he once had and it pained him for a moment not knowing how his sisters were doing. But his full attention then shifted onto the dark coated female. His memories were just that, memories. Adelaide was real, was here, and she needed him for emotional support now. He would do all he could to give her that feeling of comfort. That was what he knew best from his puphood.

        Gus twisted his head around as best as he could so that he could lick reassuringly at the female's nape. He stayed quiet for he could tell from her trembling that she was still lost in thought and he didn't want to disturb her. After a moment of licking he finished off with a nuzzle, made sure his tail was still wrapped tightly around her, and he rested his head on her forelegs. Though he was merely waiting for her to free herself of her burdensome thoughts, he realized that from this position he could here her chest thumping. He had no concept of what the heart was or represented to the rest of the world. But what he did know was that his own chest only beat so fast and so hard when he was exhausted from a run or scared out of his wits. Obviously the female had not been running so Gus assumed she was in a mental state of worry beyond what he could comprehend. He felt so sorry for her... he never meant to worry her this much. He believed his invitation alone was the only reason she was getting so upset and so lost in thought. It didn't really occur to him that maybe she too had that butterfly feeling in her gut and her fondness of him was playing an equally large role in her decision making.

        Gus had closed his eyes and though he was nowhere near the point of sleep, he was at such peace laying with Addy and listening to her heart beat that he had fallen into a sort of peaceful daydream. He wasn't in it long, just long enough to see himself with Adelaide standing beside each other nuzzling on top of the tallest mountain in all the world, before he felt his companion's face pull away from his body. He raised his own head in response and met her gaze as she spoke. The first word's out of her mouth about broke his heart on the spot. She wouldn't leave them. He knew she wouldn't want to leave them. Oh, why had he been so bold to even ask and hurt her the way he had? His brain threatened to explode from the overwhelming thoughts of regret, disappointment, and sadness he was feeling all at once. It was as though in the short time he had been waiting for her reply he had, for the first time in his life, only truly considered one scenario. He didn't know exactly how it would play out, but he knew that Adelaide was definitely a major part of his future in it. To hear her say that she wouldn't leave the creek wolves made him feel as though that opportunity was instantly out of the question. And it broke his heart. He was going to lose his friend the very same day he met her.

        He listened on and remained still throughout her words, moving only to wince at the painful whine that escaped her between sentences. As she finished, he pinned his ears backed and looked at the ground between her forelegs while he thought over what he had just heard. She was right. Her leaving the creek wolves to join the canyon pack would likely spell out trouble for both packs and definitely for both of them. And it was clear from her positive thoughts that she was attached to the wolves near the creek anyway. But the comment he got hung up on the most was her final one. He had no answer for it. Why was it so wrong that they enjoyed each others company? Why couldn't they be together without fear of what would happen to them? Gus knew for a fact that if he marched up to his alpha, any alpha, and told her that he had fallen in love with a wolf of the rival pack, he would be chewed up and spat out faster than he could turn to run. Adelaide had done no harm to the canyon wolves and Gus had never even met the creek pack. How could either of them be held responsible for the negativity between the two family groups? It was not their fault there was competition in Yellowstone, and it wasn't fair that someone else's problem was going to spoil their friendship. The young male's eye twitched in frustration as he thought about it.

        The brute looked back to the female and realized her sky blue eyes were boring hard into his golden gaze. This was the face of his sisters for sure and he knew it all to well. She needed answers, and she needed him to have them all for her. It seemed their goals were the same, they both wanted peace and and good in the world and they wanted to be able to see each other without leaving their families or bringing harm to themselves or those around them. Gus thought long and hard for the right response. He wanted her to know that no matter what he would have her back in any situation. But to come up with a plan that would allow Romeo and Juliet to meet freely without stirring up trouble in either family was going to be a tough one.

        First, he considered why joining each others pack wouldn't work. He didn't necessarily want to leave the Grand Canyon or it resident wolves and the same went for her at Cougar Creek, so there was that. And she had made a good point. If one was to leave to join the others pack, there would be serious tension in the abandoned pack that could stir up trouble or, worst case scenario, lead to a war. That wasn't an option at all. And all that aside, it wasn't really fair to ask just one of them to leave their new family and join the other anyway, was it? They both loved their new homes. How could one be forced to leave theirs while the other got to stay? It was wrong of him to suggest that she should betray her pack, her family, and he regretted having done it.

        His ears suddenly perked up hard and he looked forward into the darkening distance. A crazy thought just entered his mind. They could both leave their packs. They could run away together and build their own pack elsewhere in the land. The euphoria of the thought was grand, but short-lived. As fast he he could picture himself leading his own pack alongside the fae, pups running wildly between their legs, the reality of that thought actually happening slapped him hard across the face. They were just too young to do that sort of thing. He was a great hunter and he knew Addy was a great healer, but it took so much more to ruling a pack than just simple skills and he figured neither of them had quite the wisdom to do it successfully. And with their lack of experience in authoritative positions and their young ages, surely no serious wolf would join their league anyway. Without a pack, they'd struggle to eat in the long winter that was coming and it would just put too much unnecessary stress on both of them. And perhaps the most deterring reason of all was knowing that both the Grand Canyon Pack and the Cougar Creek Pack, two packs already well established and strong with members, would be at their doorstep the entire time. Surely the local alphas wouldn't come to them bearing gifts and good fortune.

        Lycurgus sighed as he thought on. So far, he had no solution to the problem at hand. He glanced back at her long enough to find her gaze, and then he looked away again. She was so much like a pup looking to its parent for answers that he couldn't dare disappoint her. His ears flicked as he started thinking once more. At the back of his mind lingered the most depressing option, one that would involve them parting ways to live with their own packs and never seeing each other again. That was the most painful thought of all, never getting to spend time with Addy again, but it was the only thing he could think of that would allow them both to continue living peacefully in their families. He couldn't say that out loud though. He couldn't tell her to just leave him and never look back. He didn't want to. Gus had a good idea what love was and he had grown confident that, between the lust he had been experiencing as he laid on the summit and the fear he had of leaving this female and not seeing her again, love was what he was starting to feel for this female. Having bonded with her so much in such a short time made him feel almost obligated to get her away from a potentially violent pack and find her a true home where she could be herself among like-minded others. He couldn't let her down.

        He continued on thinking and realized there was another option, but it was less than ideal. Perhaps they could just go on about their business and not tell their packmates or alphas about their interest in one another. They could just both pretend that they've never had any affiliation with the opposing pack. They would still be able to enjoy each others company outside of their home borders by sneaking out in the dead of night while the others slept in their dens, or whenever else they could slip away to see one another. They would have to be careful to make sure they weren't being followed and they would have to find a way to free themselves of each others scents before returning home, but none of that would be too hard. Sneaking around wasn't exactly near the top of his list of interests and he knew there would be dire consequences if either of them were caught. But it was the only option he knew that would allow them to see the other while still living in their own packs, and it was a risk he was willing to take.

        Satisfied with the answer he'd come up with, the young male looked to his companion's questioning eyes with a smile and gentle gaze. "I believe I may have an answer but it's going to be hard, Addy. If we want to keep seeing each other, we're going to have to have to take a few risks." He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then stared hard at the female as he spoke his thoughts. "We will stay with our home packs, me in the canyon and you near your creek. We will not breathe a word to any of our packmates about this meeting, about this friendship you and I share. As far as they should be concerned, you've never heard the name Lycurgus in your entire life. It will be our little secret. Surely you can keep it safe? You won't give me your any of your pack's secrets, so don't give your pack mine." He reached forward and shoved his snout into hers, a serious gesture to remind her that she'd already kept one secret from him and told him a lie in it's place. Hopefully she would do the same should the creek wolves ever ask of her late night adventures. "That's not the end of it though. We won't be parting ways forever. Do you see the moon?" He looked off into the distance and stared at the pale globe that had started to peek over the hills. "It is nearly full. That is when we will meet with each other, every time that moon renews and then grows it's plumpest in the night sky. Find a way to sneak out of your pack's borders when your fellow creek wolves settle themselves into the comfort of their dens for the night. If anyone stops you, give them a story. Tell them you're searching for a healing flower that only opens it's petals at night or some nonsense. Once you're free, find me in the neutral lands. It is there we will get to see each other once more." He found her gaze again, and looked to see if she had any thoughts so far. "Hopefully it will only be a temporary arrangement. It will hold us out long enough to come up with a better plan, or it will give us time to further judge the character of our packs and come to a better conclusion about staying with or leaving them. It will work, Adelaide. It will have to work. I can't imagine never getting to meet you like this again. The only thing worse would be if the next time we met, it was in battle..." He trailed off quietly, not wanting to think about having to fight against the Cougar Creek pack. He would do what he needed to to protect his own pack, but the thought of hurting the wolves she loved pained him ever so much. His next words were much quieter, almost a whisper, as though he was trying to keep it secret from the very night around them. "Think about it. You will get to live on with your pack and I will get to stay with mine. But most importantly, we will still be able to spend time together. It will be hard, but I think we can do it."

        Gus closed his eyes and pressed his entire face into the female's cheek, forcing her to break that painful look in her eyes if she still had it. He nuzzled her affectionately, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be alright. With this plan, she wouldn't have to choose between her pack and her friend. She could have both. Surely that thought would help to ease her troubled mind. "This night is young," He spoke with his muzzle nudging and rubbing along the bottom of hers, "But it will be painful for me when it comes to an end because I know I'll have to leave you. More painful than all the porcupine quills in the world." He grinned widely and moved his face aware from her cheek so that he could nuzzle and lick at her throat area instead. "But when the moon grows full again Addy, so will my soul, for that is when I will get to look into those alluring eyes of yours once again." He continued to nose around in her neck fur, every now and then pushing his cheek against her encouragingly. He hoped this answer would please her. If not, he had no idea what he was going to tell her next.
Adelaide

        Gus took a step back as the female seemed to be shocked into reality at the sound of his voice. He hadn't meant to surprise her, though he supposed he could have made his presence known from a bit farther away. He was hoping this small incident wouldn't ruin his chances at a friendship or alliance with this other pack wolf. The female had dropped her leaf bag and it's contents had tumbled about, several threatening to roll right off the side of the mountain's peak. She scrambled to gather her belongings and Gus too snapped out at an escaping cluster of stems, placing them onto the leaf but believing his action had gone unnoticed amidst the lady's struggle to regain her composure. After she was settled, she began to say his name aloud. At first, she seemed uncertain of the pronunciation but once it rolled off her tongue correctly, the young male gave her another nod and a smile. She offered her own name in return, to which the brute repeated the gesture of practicing it out loud. "Adelaide. What a lovely name. Adelaide..." He let it roll softly out of his mouth, as though tasting the name itself. It was indeed a wonderful name and so much more fluent than his own.

        Adelaide seemed to relax a bit in the male's presence and he mirrored her actions to help ease the tension. He sat and smiled, listening as she spoke, enjoying the sound of her elegant voice. He couldn't help but compare it to the warbling of the tiny birds in the forest he'd spent his puphood in with it being so smooth and song-like. She confirmed his suspicions about her belonging to the eastern pack. They were known as the Cougar Creek pack, and the young male let his ears and tail twitch a bit as she mentioned them being bloodthirsty and evil wolves. That didn't sound right at all. Surely this lovely young fae with her bundle of foliage wasn't a vicious monster under that beautiful hide. Gus had actually assumed the exact opposite of her actually. Seeing her plants made him believe she was a healer of sorts. His old pack wasn't well practiced in the art of healing with herbs and objects, but he wasn't unfamiliar with the application of plants to wounds and wondrous things happening after the fact. His slightly tensed body relaxed again as she started to laugh, exposing her true nature and the fact that she was harmless to him. He joined her in laughter, "Eh, I think I could have taken you anyway, oh bloodthirsty one." He was confident that this female was no threat to him, but he knew better than to dismiss her pack so readily. If they had a reputation for being cruel, then surely they had somehow earned it.

        With introductions aside, the dark coated female finally acknowledged the leaf bundle she was carrying with her. But rather than just tell him what was inside, she surprised him by mentioning his sore paw. He had been trying to hide his limp, but surely that didn't matter as he had just about completely snuck up on her anyway. There's no way she had seen him favoring his good paw, so how could she possibly known that he had injured himself? He cocked his head in confusion as to how she knew about the damage, but he wasn't about to hesitate when she offered to help. If she was even a fraction of as good at alleviating pain as the stories of his young life in the den suggested, she'd be able to do him wonders. After nosing around in her bundle and pulling out what looked to the brute like any other old green leaf and a wad of tangled cobweb, she asked him to stick out his paw. He did so, only slightly hesitant at first, and allowed her to handle the injured limb. He admired the way she shifted all her weight onto her hinds and allowed her forelegs to move freely. His face was full of curiosity and amazement as she chewed the plant and trickled it out onto to soft side of his foot. Her touch was gentle and full of finesse. The mood was changed abruptly though as a sharp sting found itself burrowing into the base of his cracked pawpad. The liquified plant seeped into the wound and stung him like a wasp, making him want to yelp and jerk his paw back so that he could lick it free of the pain juice. But to do so would only make him look like a sissy in front of Adelaide so he tolerated the discomfort, noting that her apologetic ear flick did nothing to ease the irritation in his paw but instead brought forth a forced and pain-laced smile out of him.

        Sealing the plant to his pad with the cobwebs, Adelaide returned to the young male the freedom of his paw. As the initial sting from the plant subsided, it was replaced by a warm and tingling sensation. Gus looked the covering over closely before allowing his foot to return gently to the mountain's surface. The female spoke again and he wasn't surprised to hear that she was indeed a healer. "And a wonderful healer's apprentice you are, lady Adelaide. Thank you for this." He lowered his head and nudged at his now bandaged paw. "I've never been treated by a healer before. It's a magic my birthpack never learned nor taught. I only hope this herb of yours strengthens my foot, and doesn't cause it to fall off." He chuckled a bit after his last comment. He figured the female's intentions were pure but if there was ever a way a kill off a member of an enemy pack, poisoning them under the guise of healing them would be it.

        If her smearing chewed foliage over the brute's paw wasn't discomforting enough, Adelaide then touched her paw to the barb that still stuck out of the young male's face. The brute shrieked as a surge of pain filled his nasal cavity, dropping his ears back and tucking his tail as though submission to the quill would cease it's aching. The female's actions were innocent enough, maybe Gus was just acting like a whiny pup. He mostly regained his stance and smirked stupidly, as though trying to insinuate he had just been playing and the barb truly didn't hurt him at all. Oh, how he was being such a fool in front of this Cougar Creek wolf. Surely she'd have a story to take back to her pack of the wimpy male pup of the Grand Canyon pack that she'd met who couldn't handle even the slightest bit of pain. When the female turned to walk down the mountain, Gus silently snarled at himself. He was acting like such a moron. He was an embarrassment to himself, his pack, and wolves everywhere. At least, that's what he was convincing himself of. So far he had really enjoyed the female's company and her skills as a healer would be helpful should he ever need a hand from this friend, but that required him to befriend her first. All he'd done so far was snuck up on her, announced he was from a rival pack, taken advantage of her healing techniques and cried about petty wounds. At this rate, she would never want to be his friend. He would have to improve his appearance if he wanted to impress her.

        Impress her, the brute thought to himself as his rose to his feet and padded off after the female. What does that even mean? He hadn't started the day off wanting to impress anyone but his alphess, so what did he have to prove to this female of a rival pack? Yes, she knew her plants as a healer, but surely someone in his own pack would know what to do in the event of serious injury. He didn't necessarily need that skill of hers on his side. But where the other members of his pack had shown little interest in him so far, this female was quick to speak with him and offered him help when he needed it. Lycurgus, though a level-headed young wolf, was on the fence with what to think of this Adelaide character. He tried to consider the bigger picture. He saw a potential friendship in her, but he also saw unrest in both of their packs if they were to ever meet again. Maybe, if she took care of the wretched pin stuck in his face, he would just thank her for her efforts and leave her to be. His pack would never need to know that he was hanging around a Cougar Creek wolf. Or maybe, she'd ask him to stay with her. Or come join the Cougar Creek pack. Gus' head rattled with scenarios and options and possibilities and... it exhausted him. That was the downside to being an intellect, it was easy to overthink everything and it could be ever so tiring. He tossed his head to shake the thoughts from his mind. He would just have to play this by ear, see what would come of their little meeting, and think up a story later should he need to cover his tail about anything.

        Gus left his own mind long enough to settle his gaze on that dark flicking tail before him. Though he didn't dislike the view from behind, he figured a further sharing of words would help to settle his thoughts. He increased his pace, being careful not to disturb the little patch of cobweb on his foot anymore than he needed to, and pulled up alongside the female at a trot. Making sure he wasn't about to crash into any trees, he looked over to Adelaide and tried to find her blue eyes against the dark mask on her face. "So Adelaide, this pack of yours. If they have a such a... rough-and-tough reputation, why do you run among them? You can't tell me I've misjudged you. You seem to be such a friendly young fae. I can't imagine you among hatemongers." He looked forward again to verify the path ahead was still clear, and returned his gaze to the female. "I'm sorry if I seem like I'm prying. It's just curiosity, truly and honestly. I haven't yet met any others our age since I traveled to this part of the land. My alphess is fairly young, but even she has several seasons on me. I'm just convinced everyone doubts me because of my age..." He took his eyes off of her and stared forward again. "Listen to me rambling on. I do apologize, lady Adelaide." He continued on in silence, waiting for her response and to see where she was leading him.