Snowmelt

IX

I look up from my work, glancing around to see if anyone is nearby, only to see a pair of sooty paws directly in front of me. I manage to keep my gaze low as I raise my head, averting my eyes instead of meeting his. 

"Look at me for once, would ya?" I hear a slight laugh in his voice, then see it in his eyes when I finally meet them. I'm taken slightly aback by the genuine happiness in his eyes, as though he had wanted me to look him in the eye, and wouldn't take it as an aggressive act. Well of course he did! He told you to after all, didn't he? Yeah yeah yeah, but so what? Why would he be happy just because I listened to him? That's kinda what I'm supposed to do...

I shake my head slightly to banish the thoughts, instead focusing on the moment at hand, the wolf in front of me. I glance around once more, noticing, both more relieved and further concerned, that I am alone in the clearing, except for Firetrail of course. When I look back at him, I notice that he seems to be watching me very intently, very curiously. 

"Did you just...? Check the perimeter?" He asks, peering into my eyes, muzzle only barely apart from mine. 

"Maybe." I roll my shoulders back slightly, taken aback by my own boldness, reminding myself silently that "THIS IS MY ALPHA. DON'T GET KICKED OUT OF THE PACK." , but Firetrail only laughs.

"Did you want something, Alpha? I don't mean to be rude, but I want to get this done as soon as possible." I say, glancing around once more, which only makes Firetrail laugh harder, though the joy scrawled across his face is soon replaced by an odd mixture of sheepishness and solemnity, the oddity of which makes me smile ever so slightly. He glances at me, but his eyes then drop to my paws, and I follow his gaze, staying silent and still, as though I had been turned to stone.

"I... I did, actually, and I'm not really sure how to say this, so I guess I just will." He stumbles over his words, a problem I find both hilarious and endearing. "Well, I was going to ask... I was going to ask if you'd... if you'd be my - my-..." His voice lowers until I can barely hear him, causing me to lean towards him slightly in an effort to hear him. 

"If what?" I say it barely loud enough for him to hear, barely managing to keep myself from pinning him to the ground and beating the rest of the sentence out of him. I feel a growl rumble deep within me, my temper threatening to boil over. My curious and calm facade doesn't fool him though, and I can tell he hears the thunder rolling inside of me. His ears flatten ever so slightly, though I can't tell if it is out of fear, surprise or both, and I take a step back, lowering my own as well as my tail, which I had instinctually started to straighten. I stay silent, trying to figure out what he might be talking about.

"I was going to ask if you'd..." He stops, takes a deep breath and shakes his front paws before blurting out "I was going to ask if you'd be my mate." He screws his eyes shut, as though he didn't want to look at me, despite the question he had just asked me. I look at the ground, finding my paws fascinating all of a sudden. Who knew there were so many possible shades of awkward... From midnight black to blinding white.

"Oh..." It's all I can manage to get out, his question having struck me dumb. I can barely form coherent sentences in my mind, much less get them out through my muzzle. Such an idiotic creature, aren't you, Snow? Is that really the only thing you can think of saying? How about an answer?! A few minutes pass before either of us say anything more.

"No answer for me then? I'm sorry I asked now... Shows you just how much I know..." He mutters, turning back the way he came, tail hanging, limp, between his legs, head lowered as though defeated.

"Wait no! I didn't mean... no, per say... This entire thing was pretty out of the blue for me, you've gotta admit..." I blurt out, adrenaline coursing through me. I guess this is what happens when this happens... Who knew? my brain stupidly wonders.

"So... Do you have an answer...?" he asks hopefully. I shake my head, and his head falls, ears and tail drooping. He turns and runs, almost like a small pup, towards his den, which is (luckily) in a pretty secluded part of the camp, which in and of itself is large, though it only takes up a fraction of the pack's territory. 

"Just let me finish talking! I meant that I don't have an answer for you, not that my answer was no!" I stop just outside the entrance to his den, realizing that I do in fact have an answer. I just don't want to admit it, not even to myself. 

Yes.

(Hey guys! I know some of you guys probably saw this coming, so feel free to tell me if you did, and what gave it away in the comments! Also, sorry this took so long... I wasn't really sure how to write this part, becuase I don't write these kind of scenes much, so I'll take critisism if you have any for me. Then again, that rule stands for all my stories all the time.)