✧ prelude

—✧—

 

there was a time that solas would not have been alone.

he used to convince himself that he could remember his mother's heartbeat from inside her womb. the steady thrump, thrump, thrump of a soul reverberating through his mind-space, a macabre orchestra that only served as a reminder of what he had never had a chance to experience in life.

of course, he heard it even now. in every shuddering footfall, every cold-licked inhale, even his own pulse. it was as though his dead mother had left behind scribbles of her signature and the ink had bled. trails of it slicked down his forelegs, to his ankles, around his pale toes. the male appeared to be drenched in memories that he had only dreamed himself. the inky façade felt as though it clung to him even as he attempted to outrun it, tendrils of smoke and death and sadness billowing into the evening sky.

his pace now slowed, blood rushing to the sides of his face and ears as he stopped his incessant sprint. the area he had encroached upon was one he was not familiar with. the smell of wildflowers and wind swirled around him, tickling his senses, even provoking a deeper inhale to truly investigate his surroundings. tendons along his hind quarters tensed as he changed his gait. solas was weary of unknowns.

had briar been here, he might have remarked on the beauty of the bella vista. he was always that - idealistic, performative - things that his younger brother could not scrape from even his most lightest bones. solas acknowledged the serenity as one might nod to a passerby. he blinked, rumbled softly, cutting his gaze from the meadow back towards whence he came.

while his run had been a means to clear his mind, he seemed to have become lost in the process.
 

—✧—

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Ries was not as prone to wandering these days, but sometimes the allure of the outside world got the better of him.

He didn't want to leave - there was none of that demanding call from elsewhere to drag him far from his home, his family, his responsibilities. That grief had begun to lessen, and the mountain felt more like his refuge and less like a prison, chaining him down to his future grave. No, it was home once more, and its figure looming in the distance was a solace more than a source of anxiety.

Had he been here before? Ries did not recognize the place, but he knew the world had a funny way of arranging and rearranging itself. The place was beautiful, with wildflowers dancing in the breeze and birdsong in the air. Idyllic and welcoming, and so close to home! Ries made a mental note to come back here more often, provided it stayed put and didn't wander elsewhere.

The sound of footsteps, changing pace, and a rumble caught the Boesch off guard, and he paused mid-step, nose twitching as he tried to pick up on what else might be out there with him. It was a simple task to find the stranger - large and cloaked in shades of gray, standing out against the colorful backdrop surrounding him.

“Hello!” Ries called, letting his tail wag behind him, hoping he hadn't startled the man. “Hope I'm not intruding.”

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—✧—

amongst the myriad of smells and foreign inhabitants, solas considered himself adept enough to pick through them all with a label to each. a fawn and its mother had been here not too long ago - indicated by the slightly buried hoof prints, paired as small and even smaller. his nose bent down to rustle through the grass, nostrils flaring as he registered the hint of what he believed to be a rabbit as well. faint and yet still traceable. while his brother had his utopian faults, solas was raised to be a fine hunter, and his swift recollection of scents only attested to that.

despite this - he was slightly uphill, so it was not improbable that he would miss the more conclusive trace of a wolf. especially one that had not visited recently, if at all.

while he had not particularly meditated on those odds, it would seem the dice had fallen regardless of his awareness. his ears twitched slightly to the side at the conspicuous sound of petals bending underfoot. it always appeared that the world went more silent before revealing a new aspect, one of which solas had almost no reaction time to gauge before a masculine voice followed.

the dispersal male froze in place, singular hairs along his nape rising in instinct. the time for idled thoughts vanished and replaced with a new feeling of being caught out despite doing nothing wrong. he had only moments to decide whether to investigate the source or ignore it entirely to continue on his way. the latter almost appealed to him. and yet, he turned.

bleached lilac eyes locked onto golden hues. if responding quickly were a sign of good faith, solas resembled a stark opposite. he studied the stranger quietly. while they were both draped in curtains of monochrome, if solas were the cold, this boy would be the warm. after an uncomfortable - not for him, personally - pause, he cleared his throat, feeling as though he were waking his vocal chords after weeks of silence.

“hello.” he simply breathed out. he was not concerned with amicability, but felt trapped inside the greeting. he did not want to appear weak in response to the surprise he initially felt. so he bluffed. “no. you're not.”

his muscles tensed, anticipating any signs of danger. he could tell he had several inches over this stranger, but he had learned not to underestimate those smaller than him.

his lip quirked downward in an almost-frown. “you're .. pack wolf.” he stated matter-of-factly, close enough to inhale the stench of many others clinging to his fur. while it was phrased as a statement, it left room for a hanging inquiry between them - was he alone?

—✧—

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Silence stretched between them like a frozen river. Ries felt as though he were under a lens of some sort, studied by a watchful gaze of a color not unlike some of the dancing wildflowers around them. A shade unique to him, Ries would assume - he'd never seen eyes the same hue as a frosted violet. The man was much larger than himself - several inches taller, where Ries settled a comfortable average. Sharp and athletic where he was softer around the belly. Handsome, no doubt, in a way that made Ries' cheeks warm just a touch under his scrutiny. 

Not intruding, he was assured, though something about it made Ries wonder if the man was just saying that to keep the peace. It could no doubt be intimidating for a loner to encounter someone who smelled so strongly of pack, even if Ries wasn't typically considered the most imposing of wolves. 

You're... pack wolf.

That all but confirmed the stranger's wariness, in Ries' mind. Not unwarranted, for sure, though the Boesch boy did not harbor any of the same concerns. Maybe he should, given the gap in their size and his own tendency to hunt and wander rather than fight. Belenus had taught him some, sure, but he'd never been a brawler and never would be. 

In reality, Ries was the one at a disadvantage, should things come to blows. 

Ries, however, was not one to shy away from a stranger. 

"I am," he confirmed breezily, motioning with his muzzle toward the mountain looming in the distance. "Ries of Vanderfell Woods. We're over on the Summit." A grin, a wag of his tail, and then, "Decided to take a walk today. Didn't really expect to run into company, but I'll never turn it down, either." An assurance to the man that he was, indeed, by himself, hoping to ease the wariness that lined the stranger's body.

Tacked on afterward, "Are you hungry?" Loners typically were. Hunting alone was a difficult thing, and Ries was likely only alive today because of the kindness and help from others. It only felt right to extend the same kindness when he could.

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—✧—

solas's inquiry was not left unanswered for long. the other male seemed to sense his distaste - or perhaps assumed it simple weariness - on the matter. solas's mouth tightened into a thin line as the stranger nodded off towards some point in the distance, indicating his pack resided there. amethyst eyes drifted to stare at the towering mountain. it was shrouded in clouds, but he could still gauge the size.

it unnerved him that he was that close to claimed lands, but he would say nothing of it. it didn't serve either of them to complain. realizing the male had also introduced himself, solas returned his gaze back to the wolf before him. this time, his attention settled more pointedly on the scar over this "ries"'s eye.

a mark from battle? a scrape from a hunt? he could not tell, but it had left grooves deep enough to attract scrutiny.

“solas.” he answered flatly, still debating quietly with himself on the manner of this man's eye. was he the violent, scruffy type? surely not, given his willingness to greet a stranger with such a sunny disposition. he had almost made his mind up about what kind of wolf ries was when he asked about his hunger.

hungry. had he been? he couldn't remember the exact last time he had caught something, but he knew it wouldn't have been large. pack wolves like ries probably saw more formidable prey than a loner could manage. still, the question seemed to lend to an offer of help. solas did not want to owe a debt to the member of a pack.

so he grunted, shook his head, and took a minor step back. something to put distance between the air of comradery and warmth this other male exuded. perhaps he was rude for it. perhaps he didn't care.

“i've eaten.” his stomach growled.
solas winced.
liar.

he wasn't emaciated by any means. just ... hadn't hunted in a few days.

eager to change the subject or shoo the man away, he diverted. “well, i'm sure you're wanted back at home. for .. something.” he mumbled.

—✧—

---

he's being such a turd ries does not have to comply LOL

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Both flattered and a little unsettled by how closely he was being scrutinized, Ries shifted on his paws, unable to hold perfectly still under the other man's periwinkle gaze. Was there something on his face? Or maybe the man just thought he was really ugly or something. Whatever the reason, the stranger was staring, and Ries wasn't sure how to bring it up. 

Solas. 

A nice name. Not the friendliest delivery, but Ries had learned not to expect perfect sociability from everyone he came across. His tail wagged a little at the offering. "Nice to meet you, Solas," he said, because he had manners, and maybe he could be friendly enough for the both of them. 

I've eaten.

A growl of his stomach made Solas a liar, but Ries wouldn't point it out. Still, he couldn't help the ghost of amusement that glinted in his eye. Maybe this man was just too proud to accept his help. Maybe he was the I can do it myself type, or maybe he liked to be the one helping others instead. 

"You must be a good hunter," he responded, a little bit of teasing sprinkled into his words, body language still loose and open. "It's pretty hard to survive out on your own." While some could manage it, assistance was necessary for some. For Ries, after all, helping and receiving help was nothing to be ashamed of, and nothing to dread. 

The last statement might as well have been Solas showing him the door. And maybe Ries should have taken the hint and backed off, but his rational mind had not yet caught up with his mouth. "Probably," he drawled, the word stretched lazily. And then the idea hit, and Ries had to fight to keep the grin from his maw. "But it's a long walk, and even though you might have eaten, I haven't." A lie of his own, sort of, because he was well-fed back on the Summit. "So I've been looking for something that I can take down on my own, and being so hungry and feeble, well... I haven't had any luck." 

Sunflower eyes turned back to the loner, and he figured he'd try one more time. Purely out of the goodness of his heart, of course, and definitely not because he was lonely and constantly craved newness and connection.

This was for Solas' sake, of course. No other reason.

"You'd really be helping me out," he told him, dramatizing the words just a touch. "Big, strong guy like you? You'd probably be able to take down anything in this field if you tried." 

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Ries isn't deterred dw!

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