Going the extra mile

@Flynn @Meissa

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With the addition of the wisterian woodland, Remus' range had been greatly expanded.  Not that this was entirely a good thing, there would be larger gaps in patrol, less manpower for a larger area.  It would be the first time the old dog would have to explore the new borders.  

As he made his way through the edges of the new woodlands, he realized just how little he had actually gotten to explore the area.  There was a lot more to the world than the Elks Crown.  Lost in thought eventually Remus found his way to a large river.  He had overshot his patrol.  Gazing at the vast grasslands that painted their way to the horizon, he wondered if there was a place out there, a place worthy to lay down a life for. A nation after his own heart.
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 They roamed together, as was more often than not the case with her situation and with recent events. She would not allow him to roam too far from her and he would not allow her to escape his grasp without at least trailing behind. Two wolves, stalking one another, caring only for their safety and, what, comfort of mind? They were engaged to be wed, now, finally and officially. While some had called them husband and wife already, namely the man who showed a very obvious interest in Flynn that she was watching keenly to put an end to if it went too far, it was not yet officially so. Well, as far as having a wedding functioned.

 Southbound they went, towards the river they crossed.

 She had slowed, coming to the shore and lapping at the water cautiously, eyes trailing over the edge of the forest. There, she knew, was danger. Death. She could not return for fear of her life, of her children's lives, and those of her family. For fear of Flynn's life. She would not allow any wolf or otherwise to harm her husband, so she remained at his side. Regardless of her pregnancy and the way her mind washed with distraction oftentimes lately, she had been trained as a solider. She noted movement and was instantly alert, ears pricked and forward, eyes seeking out the source. A scent drifted forward - what?

 Her eyes flashed back to @Flynn.

 It was Remus. Fear gnawed at her stomach alongside guilt and worry. Why was he here? Was he under orders of the queen to bring them back for punishment? To kill them and every wolf they had befriended? Her thoughts went to Rosemary, to Florence, to the spitfire Tavra. Why were they here? Did they not have plenty of space within the Plains to not feel called back to the forest that surely denounced them?

 She recalled what he had said, the brown knight of Elkshire. Do not compromise. Well, she had not. She had not settled, at least not until she was happy with what she had. She sighed, rose to her full height, and gazed over the river at the man.

 “Remus.”

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The profundity of such a journey slacked his face; quenched with the rich pleasures that came when limbs met lengthy paths. Curled furs flew upon his nape, entangling in clouds, in sky, in the side-kissed hairs of his beloved. He'd dove far ahead of his her by now, having galloped through the plains much more like an ungulate than the canine he clearly was. Weeks he'd been pent up by that thickening side—though he wasn't entirely opposed to the frequent groomings and pillow-talk—reckless paws craved for release.

Had he known the true intent on such a course, perhaps he wouldn't be so joyous. Having gone blind by his own sense of freedom, clashing abruptly into the same scent Meissa had announced with her worried gaze. He approached, tail flagged and steady. He hadn't been expecting to see his figure over the horizon, yet he was certain he hadn't been looking for them, either.

Remus had been an honest brute, and hopefully, that would shine through despite their current situation. That didn't mean he trusted his intentions, thus he'd somehow have to keep ropes on Mei's muzzle as to not spill any important details on their whereabouts.

God help them.

“It's been some time, hasn't it?” He spoke, stiff-mouthed but friendly.

—

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Remus' stony expression cracked wide open.  He saw his friends, on the other side of the river, as if looking through the veil into another world.  They where safe. 

He did not expect to see them here, his dear comrades had made a new life.  Firstly, the details of their disappearance where unknow to him and any story that he got from Celenes' twisted maw was likely tainted by her own motivations.  It took him a moment to take them in, just there in the distance they stood, fur tossed by the gently winds of a not so distant grassland.  The old guard choked back a lump in his throat before trying to speak only uttering,  "Flynn, Mei..."

In a rare moment, the surprise and joy on the man's face was more than evident.  His fortress of stone had cracked.
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 Flynn was beside her and she sighed inwardly, strengthened by his presence. She had been so wracked with worry and guilt about ever seeing Remus again that being here, now, she didn't know what to say or do. She just stared at him, trying not to look as afraid as she felt. Even now, she felt like she had something to prove to Remus. That she was strong, a fellow soldier who had lived through wars and had battle wounds of their own, both beneath and above the surface of their skin.

 And then the soldier across the water softened, showed... joy? at their presence? Spoke their names.

 She let out a soft whine of relief, tails wagging behind her. “Remus, it's good to see you,” she said with a smile, then froze. Looked behind him, scanned the forest. Were there more, there, behind him? No, he wouldn't have looked so happy to see them. Still, if he was followed... she craned her neck to look down the edges of the river, in case anyone was trying to sneak across to grab them from this side. Her fear spoke to her of ambush, of using their friend as bait. Yet... her joy told her otherwise.

 Her eyes returned to those yellow irises of Remus's. “We meant to say goodbye, to explain, to -” She was brimming with questions, with thoughts, with words - and yet she could feel Flynn pressing in close and she knew better.

 “You look well.”

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---

Flynn stood, solid and absolute; late-summer currents gently wrapping around them like blankets. Yet this quilt, it pulled at all angles; suffocating him downward with scents of a time he wished he'd hadn't remembered. It wafted forgot memories to his forefront, ones of bitter and sweet nature. He never imagined he'd been coming back to this place. He never imagined he'd be coming back alive.

Yet, here they wandered.

When forested optics met Remus, there was no doubting the pain through joyous reunion. It was a shared moment of silence, the distance branched between them that took up most of their first seconds. Flynn, hesitant, stepped forward just as the male opened a staggering maw to let way his emotions. To say he'd expected such warmth from the veteran? A crackling smile, rippling up blacked lips as if he were to cry. Yes... Flynn had known.

“Thank you, Remus.” What had he been thanking the soldier for? Truthfully, he didn't know, but something about it felt right. “We've missed you, brother.”

—

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He wanted to know, what happened, where had they gone?  When and why did they leave? But at the same time, he think that he already knew, they where the kind that would not settle.  They had found a home together, far from the petty strife of royal blood.  

In a rare instance Remus noticed that he had completely dropped his guard, he had let it all hang out, his emotions where complete on his sleeve for a moment.  The old guard tightened himself up, pulling it back in to compose himself.  Adjusting his posture to reflect, "Y...Yes! You both look well"

He was shaken somehow, it wasn't a common occurrence to feel this way, and of all the battles, somehow this of all things shook him.  Knowing what the queen would want flustered him further.  "What happened, where have you been?"
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 To see Remus so warm, so emotional, it broke Meissa's heart. To know that he had actually missed the two of them, well, she had hoped for it but hadn't been too certain with the way they'd left without a word. They hadn't the chance to explain themselves, say goodbye even.

 Then the man tightened up and Meissa took a deep breath, trying to steady her lungs that wished to tighten into a whine. No, she couldn't do that, not here, not now. The three of them had fostered a bond in their training sessions and even before, when they had been caught in the rain. At first she had thought him terse with her, hardened. She hadn't understood it and thankfully, it had faded as they worked together and grew close in camaraderie.

 He asked a question and, feeling Flynn's eyes on her even if he wasn't actually looking at her, she forced down a good ninety percent of what she wanted to say.

 She could not, of course, tell him everything. Yet... how much could she say? “For the sake of our future, we had to leave the forest,” she said carefully, trying to pick her words in a way that gave some information but not all. Surely, he would realize that they lived beyond the forest, seeing as they were on this side of the river. She shifted her hips to the side to widen the angle that Remus could see and indicated with a point of her nose first at her abdomen and then at the cloak of white atop. Even if she did not make it clear in such a way, it was getting to the point where the scent alone would betray her state.

 They fled for the sake of their future children.

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---

Pleasentries that once dewed darkened lips fluttered and faded; down-trot eyes oscillating their reflections as they twirled beneath them. There had been many words that remained absent from inside chewed cheeks, a twang of reality pouring over a man known for being more child than brawn. Sometimes moments went unnoticed until they were gripping around one's throat; a constant reminder that his head surely enjoyed living elsewhere in times of high emotion. He hadn't entirely processed the figure that stood, broken yet whole, across the rippling current.

Not until his relaxed baritone tightened, updrew back into a figure he now knew was a facade. Remus, while always having been a rather stony brute, had never quite fooled the young king. As he, well. He was the master of the fools, a boy of his heart and soul. He'd seen Remus then, just as he'd done now, and though he knew the river divided them he let their reflections meet tenderly.

For a moment he allowed Meissa to mutter cautious hymns, flicking a smile to his face as he realised she was struggling for words. It wasn't like her to hold back, especially with someone they believed they could trust. Even Flynn knew Remus likely wouldn't have wanted them dishing too much out, regardless of how much he wanted to know.

“Might I start out by sayin', it was never our intentions to leave so abruptly,” A fact, a hard one, but most certainly a fact. “Mei and I were never safe within the walls of Elkshire, my desires there couldn't be fulfilled if we stayed, so... We sought elsewhere.” Pausing, he let himself sigh, lifting eyes to meet Remus. “But what I am most curious about is the state in which we left it in... The state of the people yew still guard.” Would that be a question he was willing to answer?

He couldn't expect them not to wonder... Had that old bat grown stronger from anger? Weaker from greed?

Had nothing changed at all?

—

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By they way they stood with each other Remus already knew the answer to why they would leave. The two where quite attentive with each other, and now even more so. Their statements, " sake of the future" and "Flynn's desires" confirmed it, not that it needed any more confirmation. It was good for them. Undoubtedly, they would bring about rightgous and honorable heirs, to whatever nation they decided to pave.

Remaining silent for a moment Remus mulled it over. "Would you be surprised if I said that nothing has changed..."
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 Her tongue held tight atop her jaw, teeth forced closed to keep from revealing what she should not, though she wanted to. She watched Remus, noting the man's focus on them. He reacted very little to the knowledge that they were together and in fact that she was pregnant and she juggled between whether he had known before they had, or if he had not made the connection.

 No. Remus was intelligent, he would have figured it out.

 When the guard confirmed that nothing had changed, she gave a soft scoff. “No.” No, she wasn't surprised. What would have changed? Perhaps she would have expected them to recede into the Elk's Crown - she wondered if they still tried to claim the Royal Wisterian Woodland and the Sleeping Doe's Range below that or if they had grown sensible. Perhaps someone else had gobbled them up.

 After all, from what she recalled, they were well within distance to be snatched by other packs, especially ones who wished to expand their claims.

 “What's been said about us?” she asked, knowing that something had to have been said. Unless, of course, the queen wanted to pretend that nothing had happened. Ignore the fact that two thirds of her guard had left - after being demoted, of course. Plus both healers Meissa was aware of... she had not intended to leave them so weak but after some time of reflecting over what they had done, especially to her beloved... well, she couldn't feel guilty forever.

 Was Remus the only guard - why was he so far from the borders of his home?

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He allowed himself to sigh out his negative emotions, conducting everything that he'd thought prior now as a fact rather than a buzzing thought that kept him awake during odd hours of the night. Nothing had changed. Why? Nothing had been done in order to force such a change. Had the lessening of numbers not done a dent on her sanity? Had the flushing of those she once thought to be honourable not leave her tossing and turning in the house of sin that she called her den? He scoffed. Of course, nothing had changed, and how things were going as of late, he didn't know if he wanted them to.

A weird thought to have come from the man who shot the pistol. A revolutionary thunderclap that rocked the paws of those hungry for change, or at least a new beginning. He couldn't quite say much for the group he now wandered with. They were with him, although a bit distant recently, he knew they remained by his side.

Whether due to their own choice or the fact there was simply no place like Little Haven. He didn't care what brought them to his reach, only that they were happy with the person they looked at once they opened their eyes each morning. That, well. That he was satisfied with.

“Remus, might I ask a rather bold question?” He spoke as if the words weren't already on his lips. “What exactly keeps yew in Elkshire?” He hoped the answer was as simple as the man himself, but Flynn could never be for sure.

—

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"The queen only said that you where traitors, and she wants you dead."  Remus responded bluntly.  There was no need to sugar coat it. They would already know by now how the queen was, and this wouldn't come as a surprise. 

The last guard of Elkshire sat there upon that bank, staining his mind at that question.  Why was he there? That question drilled a deep and existential dread into his very heart.  Attempting to cover the thought the old dog responded.  "I'm only doing the only thing I know how to do."  The response was vague but seemed earnest, also giving off a tone of repression.
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 The woman listened as her husband followed up her question with one of his own, a very pointed one she hadn't the courage to ask. Her eyes went from the soft but firm features of her lover to the stoic face of the man they'd both worked alongside. She'd never dare to ask him what Flynn had, would feel shame at the very idea... yet the thought flourished as it was spoken by her man.

 Why did Remus stay?

 Did he agree with the beliefs there? Surely not... yet.

 The queen spoke of them as traitors and Meissa let out a soft breath and a nod. She had figured as much, had worried. She wanted them dead... “Has she sent hunters?” If Remus was here, would she have followed his scent with her hounds to tear them limb from limb? Or... had she sent him. Even if she had, Meissa had doubts that such a demand would be followed. Not after seeing the pure joy that had drifted through the soldier's face when he had seen them.

 “Does your loyalty remain with her... and her teachings?” Could it change? She could not ask this directly and she wondered if Flynn would expand... Then her thoughts moved on to the planned events in the future. Well. Not quite planned yet but the decision was in place. She wanted to invite him but with the fear of Elkshire diving in on them, could they? They could trust him, surely.... right?

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Then and there had the male decided something hadn't settled right within his gullet. The feeling of regret, or anguish. They tangoed violently inside of his chest. Flynn hadn't known what to expect when he posed the question to the warrior, but he knew there was no way in hell that Remus would pledge under a kingdom almost destined to fall. If not in people, certainly in its teachings.

Was this a practice he stood by? A history he wished to see his name written in? Had the war-hardened brute dreamt of standing next to such lessons of discrimination and prejudice? Maybe... But the king begged to differ. “There's no fault in doing wot yew know, it's only when that's all anyone knows you for does et become a problem.” The royal spoke, attempting to clean up his accent so that he could be heard clearly.

What was left here for Remus other than a job? Did he not wish to sleep comfortably? To eat his fill without waiting, to practice and train a crowd that would appreciate his work other than for their own gain? Though he had questions, he knew it wasn't his place to ask, especially after what he'd already said. “If they have sent hunters, they're doing a pretty shit job.” He said calmly. 

—

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Remus chuckled, perhaps for the first time in awhile. Has she sent Hunters "What hunters..." He stoicly replied, with a good layer of dry humor. Who did the queen really even have to do her bidding any more.

Turning his mind towards the more difficult question Remus shuffled his feet in place as he thought of questions about his loyalty. Did he care for the queen's beliefs? No. That was simple. Why he stayed this long may have been more complicated. Maybe, It felt as if his job wasn't yet done. But, only answered "She is my employer..."
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 What hunters indeed. Still, the word rang in her mind. Mercenaries. She knew nothing of the changes that had occurred, that they no longer claimed that title, only that the last she had spoken to one, they had been just that. Hired killers. She shuddered the thought, trying to remove it from her mind.

 The queen gave a dry laugh and shook her head. Hunters and employers... If anyone was to poke holes in that argument, she would leave it to Flynn to do the poking.

 “We're to wed,” she said, without even thinking. It startled her for a moment and then she realized why she had said it. She glanced at Flynn, wondering his thoughts, but continued. The trio had been close, back in Elkshire, and beyond the fears of hunters, she hoped that her lover would feel the same way. “I'd like you there for the wedding, if at all possible.” She would not insult the man by asking if they could trust him to do it without bringing all of his pack down on them. She was not inviting him to remain, just to visit for the event and then head home safely, back to the Temperate.

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Remus chuckled, Flynn chuckled in return. If it was true in which he spoke, that nothing had in fact changed, then there was no need to worry of hunters or spies or this and that. Even if their cover was blown and their land discovered, the queen had no puppets other than her own waddling children. He knew she was a bold woman, but would she risk her own life over a silly cause when there were children involved? Would she go as far as to hurt his wife, a woman with child, all to gain what she never had to begin with? Maybe. Only time would tell. “Your employer? Smooth. Hope she's paying yew enough.” He cracked a smile, tail picking up a wag.

His breath caught in his throat as Mei spoke beside him, and while there was something he wanted to say, he didn't. Had he wanted Remus there? Of course... But he wasn't going to say that. He didn't want the old man thinking he'd missed him, even if it was already apparent.

—

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The guards mind strained, trying to find the time to sneak away from his duties in elkshire. Though, would anyone even notice if he was gone for a day or so. Often his patrols would take that long anyway. It grated at his pride he had in his work to do such a thing, it's not like he could ask for the time off from his 'employer' she would be furious if she knew why.

Squinting his eyes at Flynn's jest, it didn't look like the guard took the joke about pay to well, after all these two lovebirds where free from the queen's tyrannical whims.

Against all instinct and habit Remus expelled the words, "I'll make the time to be there, when?"
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 Meissa felt more than heard Flynn's reaction and she tried to still her beating heart, focusing on their friend before them. She was certain she'd get a scolding of some caliber later, probably on their walk home, but she could not help but miss the bond the three had shared - thanks to the relentless training by the forest-dweller.

 The veteran spoke of making time and asked when. She swallowed.

 There was a lot that went into wedding planning that she had no fucking clue of. She supposed, though, that the date was at least something she could share. She described the planned date and continued with a, “We can send a scout here to accompany you back.” See, Flynn, she wasn't going daft and telling everyone where their home was! She was just... giving the date and place for a potential captive. Not one of the married couple, but she was certain they could find someone who would make the run.

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He hadn't a word to say in response, as he hadn't a single clue Meissa would flat out invite the man to the wedding. It wasn't in him to deny his significant other what she wished, but if she was going to go as far as she did, he assumed she had some sort of date in mind. He certainly didn't. Everyone knew a wedding had very little to do with the man, normally they just paid for the shit and got to watch as daddy's little girl gets married off to some other man that she now referred to as her new daddy. “A scout, yes.” How did they even distinguish days?

“I guess we'll have to see.” Flynn smiled faintly, nodding softly before feeling the itch to leave. They'd been here for too long, and as much as he missed seeing that hardened mug of Remus, he didn't want to get him in trouble... Nor did he want to get him and his wife, killed. Still, he would wait. Just in case there was something amiss.

—

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Remus somehow doubted that he would be invited in the end, and he could understand why.  He knew their safety would be at risk, so he expected the scout to never come, he wouldn't be offended.

"Well, I will await your message." He said, trying to be polite, still doubting if it would ever come.  Re-posturing himself, Remus too opened up to leave. "It was a pleasure.  Truly..."  He meant it

we can wrap? or yall can close it

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 At Flynn's words she felt a drop of cold in her gut. We'll have to see. She glanced at him then, knowing for certain that she would be getting an earful later. Maybe once they were home and were certain nobody from Elkshire had followed them. Would they need to spend the night in the fields, hide their scents? She clicked her teeth together in thought before turning her gaze back to Remus.

 “It was good to see you, Remus.” she offered with a smile and a dip of her head in camaraderie, hoping that they could indeed invite him.

 They would have to see.

 So, the queen turned to go, keeping to Flynn's side with a head held high and eyes scanning for dangers unseen, both before them and behind.

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