A Drizzle of Home

30 | A Drizzle Of Expectation

It was still raining when the two of us made it back home. The light rain had slowly grown into a downpour, soaking us both to the bone. Cloud walked at my shoulder, the two of us silent in an understanding bliss. Just being together was enough.

At the top of the slope, a blur of dark-fur entered our vision, running from the mouth of the den to meet us. Everyone else was likely curled up inside, but we could count on Pine to brave the rain for her cause.

She stopped at our paws, a curious gaze sparkling in her irises, then looked between us. The question was perched on her tongue like a bird ready to leap from the nest, yet she waited. I glanced knowingly at Cloud. Pine’s involvement in the “incident” was behind us both. And there were no more secrets. For anyone.

Cloud’s gaze slipped from mine, and she uttered a quiet woof. “There's something we need to tell the pack.”

The pup's smile widened in excitement, her tail swinging wildly as she bounded toward the cave. “Well, come on then!”

With a laugh, I followed, and we trotted after her to find the pack. They must've all inevitably known by now. But when we stepped through the opening, eyes adjusting to the even gloomier light inside, no wolf seemed the wiser. Mist and Dusk spoke among themselves, the pups just stirring from their rest at their mother's paws, and Spruce sat quietly in the corner. He didn't say a word, not even cracking a smirk or a look of disgust. Much better at hiding things than his sister.

Mist eyed us up and down as we made to sit before them, Pine filling a gap beside us and ushering her brother to do the same with a low bark. With an awkward grin, I tried to speak, but all that came out was a few drops of flying spit. Where to start?

“We have some important... news,” Cloud began, her voice wavering just a little. Like she couldn't decide if she was ashamed or proud.

I understood the sentiment. Mist’s lips already knowingly perked at the edges. Just like her story the night before. Like her smug glances all along, a twinkle in her eyes, ever since the day I arrived.

Heat brushed my cheeks with its claws. There was no use in drowning in the thought of how long I'd looked like a fool. Pretending that this wasn't where I belonged, here with my pack. Right next to her. “Cloud and I are now…” Through the thick saliva in my muzzle and the lump in my throat, I spat it out. “Mates.”

Mist’s breath trickled through her teeth. A slow moment of silence passed between the three of us, or the six, if you counted all the watching eyes. Her mouth never moved, and the anticipation in her eyes had fled. She stared blankly, before all of a sudden coming to with a nod. “That’s”–– she hesitated for a split second, holding her head a little higher, forcing a smile onto her face––“amazing!”

The tension in my muscles eased as her voice rose in pitch. She was happy, right? There was something familiar to the empty gaze, something I'd felt before. Being lost in thought, perhaps even a moment she couldn't escape. But now she played the part of perfect joy, tail wagging, teeth shining in a grin.

I swallowed the unease in my chest, finding everyone around me beaming. No one else had noticed. Even Spruce had cracked from his shell of apathy, and he smirked at their reactions. A cold nose ripped me from my thoughts, Pine having reached over to nuzzle me from the side. Without warning, I was pushed aside, her next target an unwitting Cloud. The buzz of joy rang with a volley of tiny yips, the pups awake and excited at whatever the adults might be stirred up about. They raced around everyone’s paws, and a brush of fur tickled against my leg as they made their rounds, bouncing at muzzles as they passed.

From Mist’s side, Dusk met my eyes, a small nod tipping her head: an unspoken congratulations through all the noise. I took it with a tilt of my snout.