Wolf & Witch III: Oracle's Path

Ch. 20

The sun was occasionally breaking through the clouds, offering some relief from the chilly weather, but the temperature didn't bother the wolf that sprinted through the trees. His coat was plenty good for that, as was the running.

The exercise had also helped to lift his mood, which was steadily recovering. He slowed, though as he crossed a particular clearing. A scent had caught his attention, and his ears perked—alert. A few scratches at the dead leaves rewarded him with dirt that was still damp from the previous morning's frost, and a bit of it stuck to his nose as he huffed and snorted.

He was so focused on trying to pick up more of the scent, that he didn't even acknowledge the sound of something padding closer. At least not until he was able to set his icy blue eyes on them.

Nate's nose had guided him to his uncle, all the way from Slade's trailer, and in the blink of an eye he'd traded one form for the other. Dakota recognized the frown on Nate's face, he brought him back to the same angry pout that Nate had as a child, whenever he tried to explain that he couldn't play with him—a sad, selfish, and mildly offended glare.

Nate's hands were nearly numb from the cold, with no fur to protect them or his face from the wind, his pale skin was turning red. It made the hot tears all the angrier as they ran down his face, burning as they cold and froze his skin. He was angry, but not at Dakota, instead all his anger had turned inwards at himself for never understanding.

He'd never understood why Dakota left him behind, why serving Travis had suddenly become more important than everything and everyone else in his life. But he understood now. If Axel had dominated his thoughts before, it was easily ten times worse now and even trying to imagine what he would do if something happened to his mate filled him with so much pain that he could barely breathe. He wasn't sure how bad it had gotten for his uncle, but he had a good idea. For the first time he felt like he understood him and at the same time he couldn't think of what to say. He'd tried to warn him, to protect him and he'd said those terrible things. Unforgivable things.

Nate's appearance had alarmed the other wolf so much that for a moment, his hackles had raised. His tail had even fluffed, but the whine Dakota admitted relayed his concern, even before he'd gotten his paws to move.

"I-I'm..." Nate sniffed. "Sorry..." he managed before breaking into a full sob.

As quickly as he could, Dakota shifted and took a hold of Nate's arms. "Nate, a-are you okay? What happen-?" ...A familiar scent, all too close to the one he'd been fruitlessly digging for a moment ago, clung to the younger wolf. "Nate..." he sighed, gently pulling his nephew into a loose hug. "It's okay..." he whispered, his own voice cracking. "You're okay."

Nate hung onto Dakota tightly, murmuring something, though it was so muffled and garbled by tears that it barely registered as words and not whimpers. After a minute or so, Nate's sobbing died into just soft sniffs as he pulled back and wiped his face on his sleeve. "I fucked up... I didn't know... I should have listened..." he mumbled as he tilted his head up towards the sky, to avoid another flood of tears.

Dakota tried to smile reassuringly, but was struggling. Seeing Nate like this...with tear-stained, wind-bitten cheeks, hurt. He had to look away a few times to clear his own throat. He couldn't cry anymore himself. He was so tired of feeling beaten down—of mourning. Dakota just wanted to be done with it. He wanted to feel like himself again. Even if he'd always feel like half of him was missing.

"Hey, it's not the end of the world," Dakota said softly, not unlike how he used to comfort Nate when both of them were still just kids. "We all fuck up...things are gonna be different now, but that's not that bad, is it?" He had to fight back a frown that pulled at his lips when he remembered what Nate had said...that he wanted to be with Axel, but that Axel made him feel like shit... Anger flared in Dakota's gut. Axel better fucking not... Not now. Not anymore. Not ever.