Keystone

Dylan and Liam Ellison. 24/27. Oregon.

[ellisonbros-blog]

into the woods || dj + charlie

@norkiewrites

DJ was antsy, pacing in circles around the living room of the house as he waited for the sun to go down. Liam had been so insistent on Charlie taking DJ out to hunt and of course she had followed through by inviting him. He had tried to convince her out of it, throughly reminding her of the last time they went out tracking together, but she wouldn’t have it. And as much has he really rather wouldn’t like to go hunting, it was the night before the full moon and DJ had to admit it would feel good to be a wolf for a few hours. 

Unable to wait much longer, DJ left the house just before the last rays of sun disappeared below the mountains only to find Charlie already outside waiting for him. "One last time, I’m telling you this is a bad idea,” he teased, shaking his head as he walked toward her anyway. There was no winning that battle. “So,” he took a deep breath, “What’re we after tonight?” he asked once he was standing in front of her.

[norkiewrites]

the taproom || carson & liam

[ellisonbros-blog]

norkiewrites:

@dj-ellison

          CARSON wasn’t usually a ‘bar girl’. Don’t get her wrong, she enjoyed a good night out just like the rest of them, but work had taken over her life — there had been an increase in animal attacks over the past few months that had left her co-workers baffled and their doors always busy — so Carson and her me time had been cut into near nonexistence. Which was why she currently found herself at The Taproom, a half-empty glass of beer balanced on the edge of the pool table and a cue in her hand.

          “Anyone up for a game?” She asked the surrounding population, flashing a brilliant smile. “Loser buys the next found? Seem fair?” It was a bold challenge considering she’d probably played about three games of pool in her life ( and lost every single one ), but Carson was tipsy and feeling social and one night of not worrying about anything besides buying a stranger a drink sounded like a good enough time to her. Stress relief, a voice echoed inside her head.

Liam had to make a run into town for some last minute errands before the sun went down. Charlie would be out helping DJ with his hunting late into the night so he saw no problem at stopping at one of the local bars he passed on the way out of town for a quick drink or two. He kept to himself, ordering a beer and finding a seat in the corner to take in his surroundings. There was group of local college kids picking out the playlist for the whole bar on the jukebox and a group of ranchers seeming to be deep into a conversation about property lines. 

His gaze came to rest on a woman who was racking up the pool table with her glass performing a balancing act on the edge of it. When she was done, Liam expected another person to enter the picture but was surprised when instead she turned to speak to the crowd around her. He raised an eyebrow and a grin spread across his face at her confidence. “I’ll take that bet,” he said, grabbing his glass and making his way over to her.

[ellisonbros-blog]

The First Hunt || DJ + Charlie

[ellisonbros-blog]

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As DJ lay on the ground Charlie sat back as well, eyes fixated on her ankle, hand rubbing absently over the smooth, unblemished skin. It made no logical sense that her ankle had hurt to such an extent and that there was no physical sign of injury. Even if she’d been stung by something with a strong enough poison to get past her thick wolf skin and into her system there would have been evidence of it – and there wasn’t. So logically Charlie knew that the dull ache that was slowly simmering to a bearable minimum shouldn’t even exist. But, then again, logic didn’t always pay well to a wolf. And slowly she was realizing that she did know why she’d felt the pain and why her skin felt like fire after any form of contact with him – she just didn’t want to fully admit it. Because the realization brought with it problems galore.

“We’ll manage,” she said once she realized DJ had started talking. “And you’re not that heavy. Besides. Wolf, remember? I can lift the truck if I wanted to.” A sigh left her lips as she watched him stand, doing the same. The wave if dizziness that washed over her couldn’t have completely been her own because she was still mobile enough to reach out for DJ as he swayed, concern etching its way across her face. “Easy,” she nearly snapped, protectiveness and slight annoyance slipping into her words – why did she suddenly care if he were reckless or not? “We’ll take it nice and slow,” she amended herself a moment later, stepping in beside him, slipping under his arm and trying desperately to ignore the sudden acceleration of her heartbeat.

DJ scoffed softly when Charlie reminded him they they were wolves, “Right. Peace of cake then.” It was less her being able to handle his weight he was worried about more about that high possibility that he would trip over something and drag her down with him. His eyes were clenched tight as he tried to steady himself, and he felt a tight grip helping and leaned into it. Blinking a few times as Charlie moved in to stand beside him, DJ draped his arm across her shoulders and held on tightly.

And so they moved slowly, DJ planting his walking stick first and using it as a crutch to move forward as Charlie walked beside him. His ankle throbbed beneath the makeshift bandage and his entire leg felt like dead weight. They moved that way for a while, at least halfway back to the car, before the inevitable happened. DJ didn’t lift his only good foot high enough over an exposed root and tripped. Quickly, he let go of Charlie and tried to catch himself with the walking stick so he wouldn’t take her down. His balance didn’t keep and he fell to the ground with a thud. He landed with a grunt, but actually enjoyed the moment rest. “Look,” he said breathlessly as a pushed himself up, “I know I’ll be fine in a few days but this,” he motioned to his ankle, “Fucking hurts.” He sighed, wiping away the sweat that was dripping from his forehead and looked at Charlie, “I’m sorry this is taking so long.”

[ellisonbros-blog]

The First Hunt || DJ + Charlie

[ellisonbros-blog]

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Charlie sank back to the ground with a curse when she finally managed to throw the trap away. Face contorted in a scowl her hand went to her ankle, pushing up the bottom of her jeans so her fingers could press against the unblemished skin. It hurt. It hurt a lot. A bead of sweat ran down her temple and her scowl depend. “I know,” she said before she could stop herself, knowing full well that she shouldn’t know. “It doesn’t look good,” she corrected quickly, eyes travelling to his injured ankle. “But it’s okay, I can help you get back to the car. We’ll get back home and have someone look at it.”

Content with that plan she rolled to her hands and knees and then pushed to her feet, testing her balance. The pain was still there but it was ebbing away by the second. That confused Charlie even more and her mind tried to desperately comprehend what had happened. You know what it is, a voice echoed in the back of her head but she shook it away. “I’m fine,” she answered hesitantly, taking a cautious step towards him in an attempt to hide her small limp. “Here, c’mon,” she held out her hand or him to take, “Let’s get you up. Nice and easy now.”

As Charlie pulled the trap from his ankle, DJ felt the pain radiate into his fingertips. He didn’t think much of it, figuring it was just is body adjusting to the release of pressure. As he lay on the ground, DJ took in a few deep and shaky breaths as the initial shock started to wear off. He winced a little when she affirmed that the damage had been done, having been hoping that it felt worse than it was. “We’re a long way from the car,” he thought aloud. He looked around and saw a long, broken branch laying just out of arm’s reach. So, DJ rolled himself over and grabbed it and rolled back. “I’ll use this, too. So you don’t have to carry all my weight,” he offered a small grin. 

DJ was able to push himself up into a sitting position as Charlie stood, assuring him that she was fine. He shrugged his flannel off and held his breath as he wrapped it tightly around the injury, hoping to stop any bleeding and that it would serve as some kind of brace as the two of them found their way back to the car. With his branch turned walking stick in one hand, DJ reached up and grabbed hers with the other. When he stood he started to get dizzy again and grabbed out for Charlie, gripping at her shoulder to steady himself until his vision came back. Wiping the sweat from his brow and balancing himself on his one good leg, he planted the walking stick into the ground and looked at Charlie, “Ready when you are.”

[ellisonbros-blog]

The First Hunt || DJ + Charlie

[ellisonbros-blog]

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“It’s not just you guys,” she admitted with a smile. “I know a few of my pack who aren’t exactly great at covering their tracks come a full moon.” A light shrug moved her shoulders as her gaze shifted absently to their surroundings, trying to find anything that would tell her there had been traffic in the area recently. “Not many. And yeah, basically. Either that or try and figure out why they’re here or why they’re packless. Make sure they’re not gonna cause trouble and then let them be on their way.” Lost in her own thoughts, she barely registered DJ stepping away, instead focused on the surrounding smells and sounds. It didn’t feel like anyone had been their recently but then that also didn’t make sense to her. There was something in her gut that had been growing by the second. Some inkling of anticipation and dread.

The pain was sudden and sharp and so unexpected that it took her breath away. Charlie pitched forward onto her knees, hands digging into the sand at the edge of the river as a cry left her lips, eyes clenched shut. Risking a glance down to her ankle she was surprised to see nothing – no injury or animal locked onto her. And then DJ’s voice was cutting through the silence and Charlie was on her feet in seconds, willing the pain away as she surged towards him at a limp. “DJ!” she shouted back, feet moving swiftly over the foliage until she came upon him, pitched on the forest floor with a trap clamped around his ankle.  

For a split seconds she was confused – Charlie had never stepped into a a steel bear trap before but she vaguely knew that it probably felt a hell of a lot like the phantom pain surging up her leg from her ankle. “DJ,” she panted, dropping to his side and running a hand over his back while the other braced against his arm in comfort, trying to gauge if the trap was the only source of injury. “Try and stay still, I’m going to get it off, okay?” She moved quickly, teeth gritted as a small spark of pain flared from her ankle and wrapped her hands around each side of the trap. Wrenching the thing open, she pulled the thing off of his ankle, pitching the metal away with a curse.

Every muscle in DJ’s body was tensed and heat radiated from his skin, sweat making his shirt stick to him. His jaw clenched and eyes shut tight trying to fight the pain that now throbbed through his leg, the pressure of the trap unrelenting. He heard Charlie’s footsteps as she rushed toward him. “Fucking get it off me,” he demanded through gritted teeth as she fell to his side and ran a hand over his back. As instructed, he stayed still as best he could as she wrapped her fingers around the trap. Slowly, she pried it open and DJ groaned in agony as oxygen hit the fresh wounds around his ankle.

DJ dropped to the ground and rolled over onto his back. “Charlie,” he breathed, his muscles relaxing a bit as he looked up at her, “I don’t think I’m gonna be able to walk. It felt like it tore through something,” he admitted. There was no need to pretend like he was okay since he had just set off a device meant to trap an animal ten times his size. DJ tried to sit himself up, but got dizzy and hot again and allowed himself to flop back to the ground. “Fuck”, he groaned, chest rising and falling quickly. He turned his head to looked at her, reaching out to grab her arm, “Are you okay?”

[ellisonbros-blog]

The First Hunt || DJ + Charlie

[ellisonbros-blog]

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Charlie let out a light laugh and waved her hand. “More times than I’d like to admit, yeah.” It wasn’t really the only reason as to why she’d joined the rangers, but her pack was always something to consider. Her whole life would be that way. “Though I deal more with newly turned wolves than the former. We try to keep track of who all enters our turf but it’s hard to keep track when lone wolves come and go.” Crouching at the base of the river, Charlie scanned past the fast flowing water to see if she could find any small trace or evidence of someone being in the area recently. “You’re in luck,” she said finally, sitting back on her heels and letting out a huff of laughter at how relieved he sounded. “I was wrong.” She didn’t particularly like admitting this fact, or really knew why she had admitted it, but it was the truth. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s been around here for a good couple of days, though…” another frown and she bit her bottom lip in thought. “If there were hunters around here then they’d know we’d be out looking. Or at least be able to find evidence. Maybe they tried to cover their tracks somewhere…” she was lost in her own thoughts, voicing them out loud as her eyes scanned the river and the opposing riverbank.

DJ let out a dry chuckle and rolled his eyes at her answer, “I guess it’s in our nature to leave a mess.” he teased. “How many loners pass through?” He wondered aloud before directing his attention to her, “And what do you do? Make sure they don’t over stay their welcome?” He grinned when Charlie confirmed there wasn’t anything to be found. As Charlie continued to seemingly ponder to herself out loud, DJ turned and started walking down the bank of the mountain river. Following the flow of the stream, he picked up a few rocks and started attempted to skip the across calm pools of water. The leaves rustled beneath him and the water babbled and he grinned to himself as he took in a deep breath of cool fall air. 

Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the trees and a sharp, blinding pain shot through DJ’s lower leg. He screamed out in pain as he fell to his knees, burying his head into his hands against the cold ground. The pressure didn’t go away though and DJ clenched his jaw as he tried to compose himself, tears forming in his eyes. He lifted himself onto all fours slowly and looked back, seeing his right ankle caught in a steel trap and the sharp teeth of the device piercing into his skin. “Fuck,” he breathed, voice shaking and beads of sweat forming on his brow. “Charlie!” He managed to yell out, fighting the pain that shot up his leg with every little move. His vision kept blurring every time he opened his eyes and he felt like he were going to pass out.

[ellisonbros-blog]

The First Hunt || DJ + Charlie

[ellisonbros-blog]

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Charlie smiled, dipping her head slightly. “Thanks,” she replied, lifting her gaze briefly to meet his before she focused back on the ground. What in the world was wrong with her? Why had her gut tightened at the praise? And was she… was she blushing? She wasn’t sure if the heat across her cheeks were windswept or a flush but god did she want to hit herself for it. She hadn’t particularly put much thought into her statement and it took only a moment for a question to leave his lips. Thankfully it had ended up being a harmless one. “I work for the rangers,” she offered. “I’m sort of a liaison between them and the local P.D. I dunno. Figured we needed someone with a bit of an inside ear with the cops and then the surrounding area. I always have a reason to be somewhere now.” She fished in her jacket pocket for her badge and flipped it swiftly for him, stepping over a fallen log that she knew meant they were close. “It’s just up here,” she motioned ahead of them, eyes trained. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s been here recently. Doesn’t smell like it either.” Her head shifted up, eyes closing as she sniffed the air discreetly. “No trace of smoke. There’s a footprint but it’s caked. Means it’s been there a long time. And I think our guys are just in town.”

“Ranger, huh?” He looked both surprised and impressed by her answer and the flash of her badge, although he really shouldn’t be. Of course she was involved with something that helped the interest of the pack. “What’s that like? You ever have to cover up for us when a bunch of dead dear show up the morning after a full moon?” He asked, honestly curious. He wasn’t much involved with the affairs of the packs, leading an almost completely separate life. A construction worker during the day who ended up enjoying woodworking over hunting. He carefully stepped over the log and followed her toward the bank of the river. “Ah,” he smiled wide, “So, that means there’s nothing here and we can head home. Right?” He asked, excited that they had seemingly found nothing of importance.

[ellisonbros-blog]

The First Hunt || DJ + Charlie

[ellisonbros-blog]

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“I’m progressive, what can I say?” It certainly was the damn time for it. Charlie had spent, and probably would spend, a majority of her life being restricted because of the sheer fact that she was a woman. If she could have some control over how the people around her were raised then she would do everything within her power to support equality. “You mean it’s weird how we’ve basically placed our trust in each other’s family based solely on gossip?” The words were laughed out – she found the whole situation archaic and aggravating, sure, but what she found more staggering than that was that they really didn’t know anything about each other at all. And yet they were meant to strengthen the wolves? It didn’t make sense to her. “Well,” she cleared her throat, hand tingling after the brief contact with his own. “What do you…. what do you want to know?” Sharing wasn’t something she was very keen on but she did see the positives. She wasn’t marrying DJ – a small twist clenched her stomach – but she was marrying his brother. The more they knew – truth – about each other the better. “Nothing,” she said evenly. “If they’re still there we leave them alone and if they aren’t then I was wrong in the first place. Regardless of either outcome we’re heading back to the house. I told you I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you,” she turned briefly to look at him, “I meant it.”

"Well, it’s about damn time your pack had a leader like you,” DJ complimented with a grin. All those qualities of Charlie’s were shining through and his feeling about them this time around was much different. The fire in the his stomach felt less like rage and more like butterflies. He cast his eyes to the ground as he felt heat starting creep up his neck. He scoffed a little at her rewording, “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” Dj shoved his hands into his jacket pockets as they continued walking, a poor idea for someone with his lack of stability. But his hand felt like it burned from the brief contact and he wanted to avoid having it happen again. “I dunno,” he shrugged, “What kind of stuff do you do besides, well, being a wolf?” His eyebrows furrowed at her response, the idea of her putting herself in harm’s way to protect him felt wrong. But, they trudged on toward the river.

[ellisonbros-blog]

The First Hunt || DJ + Charlie

[ellisonbros-blog]

 norkiewrites:

Charlie shrugged after a beat and let out a small sigh. “I mean it’s happening to you too,” she admitted, turning to look at him briefly. “Not to the same extent as us, but still. It’s happening to all of us.” Granted, it was happening to her and Liam more than anyone else, but that was beside the point. If she thought selfishly on the matter then the outcome would be just that – selfish. And there was no room for it during such a pivotal time. “I wondered if you were gonna ask me that,” Charlie laughed, flashing a smile. “I don’t,” she said after the slightest pause. “Not in any of that stuff. It’s a very old way of thinking and I think that if we really want to join packs, have all that unity our fathers keep preaching, then it starts with that even before Liam and I.” She paused, the smile curving up one side of her face. “So you’ve got nothing to worry about from me.” Charlie had heard the story surrounding the other pack – how Liam and DJ were half-brothers and the loss of their father’s first wife. She found the situation far sadder than anything else. “Not useless at all. Knowing where you’re going is the most important part to…. anything, really.” The small trip wasn’t lost to her and briefly, out of reflex, her arm reached out to catch the fabric of his jacket to steady him, but DJ saved himself before her help was every really needed so she backed off, keeping her step beside and slightly behind him. “I’m hoping nothing,” she answered. “But if there are hunters in these woods then they’d more than likely stick to the river to orient themselves. We’ll find footprints or signs of a camp of some sort if they have been here.”

DJ quirked an eyebrow at her admission that she had been wondering if he would ask that question at some point. And he couldn’t help but grin back, warmly, when she smiled at him and admitted point black that she didn’t believe in that. “Well, that’s good to know then,” he grinned back, feeling a positive shift in the atmosphere around them. Charlie indicated that she knew DJ was half human, which means someone along the way told her of their family’s history. Just as someone had told him about her family. “It’s weird how much we know about each others families and so little about... each other,” he admitted, leaves crunching under their footfall with each step. As he tripped, he noticed a tug at his jacket and instinctively reached back to find stability and found her hand. Once he regained his footing, he quickly let go and quietly thanked her. As they continued on, DJ noticed that Charlie fell behind him slightly and whether she did that on purpose or not mattered little to him as he shortened and matched his stride to hers so they walked side by side. “What do we do if we do find those things?” He questioned, curious and nervous all at once.

[ellisonbros-blog]

The First Hunt || DJ + Charlie

[ellisonbros-blog]

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The bite to his words was unexpected and Charlie lifted an eyebrow, titling her head slightly to the side. Everyone and everything had pointed to the fact that DJ was – though it was severely unwarranted, she thought – the submissive pushover. Maybe that was the curse with being born second. Always second, always catching up, always fighting for a foothold. Distantly it occurred to her that she seemed to have more in common with him than Liam. “That was always going to happen,” she replied, fixing the collar of her coat absently. “Doesn’t mean I had to roll over and take it. It’s my life, not theirs. They need to realize what they’re asking of me – of Liam – and know that it’s archaic.” It wasn’t something she wanted to think all that much about. DJ was right. It was happening and she now had to deal with it. She was composed enough to know when fighting would do nothing but create more tension — tension that wouldn’t leave to a victory. His ringing question brought her out of her own thoughts and Charlie glanced up, finding him and the direction in which he was heading – it was North. “I’m impressed,” she huffed out, laughing. “There’s a river a few clicks up ahead. Figure we can make it there and if we don’t find anything I’ll humor you and we can head back.”

Unsurprisingly, DJ felt regretful of his words once they spilled from his mouth and bit his lip. Charlie was quick to remind him that this was unfair to her - and to his brother - too. They didn’t chose this, and in the end, they were each doing it for the better good of their packs and their history as a species. Times were a little more dire than anyone cared to admit. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t have any place saying anything about it,” he admitted, a moment of awkward silence falling between them. “But,” he didn’t allow the silence to last too long, “I want to know one thing. Do you believe in all that shit about pure bloodlines?” He asked because maybe that was what was holding him back from liking her, needing to know if she had an pre-existing opinion about him before even getting to know him. “I’m not entirely useless. Although, direction is probably about the only skill I have,” he grinned, turing his attention back in front of him. But not before his toe caught the ground and caused him to stutter step. Catching his footing quickly, DJ continued on, trying to pretend that hadn’t happened. “Fine, the river. What’s there?”

[ellisonbros-blog]

The First Hunt || DJ + Charlie

[ellisonbros-blog]

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“Met them, talked to them, yelled at each of them for a good bit,” she nodded, musing. They didn’t scare her primarily because they were the ones forcing the situation onto her. “Told them both that if they wanted to join packs then they should be the ones getting married.” Charlie flashed DJ a smirk over her shoulder, “That got them off my back.” She sighed next, fighting the urge to roll her eyes and instead felt a small bubble of endearment stir in her stomach. “Stop being so dramatic,” she drawled, grinning, “Like I said. I’m not going to let them blame you for anything. Or use you as a sacrifice. I’ll just say I was showing you some basic outdoor things. Which. Isn’t a total lie.” Hearing him jog to catch up behind her set her pace evenly, no longer having to consciously wait and see if he was going to follow. He hadn’t tripped yet, that was a plus. “Oh you do?” she said, lifting her eyebrows, impressed. “Then lead the way.” Charlie motioned for him to take a step in front of her knowing full well that he probably didn’t and was just saying it to try and keep up with her. That was a thought. Someone actually trying to keep up with her. And not her fighting to secure her spot in a hierarchy of power.

DJ practically snorted, “Didn’t really get them off your back, did it? You guys are still getting married. They’re still getting what they want.” Why he was pointing this out to her, he was unsure. Charlie was a good person and well-spoken, a woman of strength and poise. And in a normal situation, DJ would admire that, find it attractive, even. But this was anything but a normal situation. She was marrying his brother and maybe that’s what bothered him the most. “Yes,” he snapped back quickly, slightly insulted that she didn’t believe that he at least knew that. DJ took a breath and stood up a little straighter as he took a step ahead of her. He took a second step and then a third, and then a few more when she didn’t stop him, “Well, are you coming?” He looked over his shoulder at Charlie, flashing a smile.

[ellisonbros-blog]

The First Hunt || DJ + Charlie

[ellisonbros-blog]

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“You’re more than welcome to head back,” Charlie responded, eyes shifting past him and to deeper into the woods. A small part of her didn’t want him to go back – a strange pull in the pit of her stomach that sent it flipping at the thought – but she pushed past it and focused on their surroundings. “They’re not going to do anything to you. I’ll tell them it was my idea, which it was, and that it wouldn’t make sense to rip you to pieces.” Honestly, everyone fought over the fact that they thought they had more control over Charlie’s life than she did – but that wasn’t the case and would never become the case. “Besides,” she flashed him a teasing smile that hide something else behind it, “I won’t let anything happen to you. I don’t really care if you’re Liam or clumsy as hell, everyone should learn to be comfortable in the woods – especially wolves.” She took another step deeper into the forest and motioned for him to follow, “C’mon, now. I’ll teach you how to find North and what you can and can’t eat and all that stuff.”

DJ’s face scrunched at her words, practically daring him to be unpredictable for once. And, as much as he would prefer going back, he felt pulled toward her. He scoffed, “You have met our father’s right? You do know this things with you and Liam is the only thing providing any kind of stability with out packs right now. So, I think they’d kill me and then kill each other. I’d make a fun sacrifice for them first.” He was trying to fight back, a last minute ditch to convince her otherwise, but stopped promptly when Charlie turned and flashed a teasing smile. There was a fire in the pit of his stomach that grew every time she looked at him. DJ sighed, defeated, and jogged to catch up with her, “I know where North is...” he mumbled under his breath.

[ellisonbros-blog]

The First Hunt || DJ + Charlie

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It was oddly strange watching the two brothers interact – Charlie was an only child and even though she had the pack, she didn’t have the bond of a relationship with an actual sibling. The blonde didn’t know what to make of it or even what to say so she stood back, watching the two with mute fascination. A small impulse to tell the younger of the two brothers that they wouldn’t have let anything happen to him almost bubbled out of her mouth, but she held herself to silence, instead focusing on the far off shutter of leaves as a crisp wind shook them. For some reason the thought of him actually getting injured didn’t sit well with her and she frowned.

The right from the phone snapped Charlie’s eyes sideways and she glanced intently to Liam, reading body language and small tells. The lightheartedness that had been there not a moment ago was gone and with the information of who was on the other end, her gut clenched. The two of them were suddenly alone as Liam excused himself and she risked a glance to the other wolf, eyes wondering over him quickly before she became very interested in the moss covering the tree root close to her boot. “It’s not like I have much of a choice,” she responded at the question, her mind processing what she’d said only a few seconds later and she offered a small wincing smile. “What I meant,” she corrected with a slight clear of her throat. “Was that I don’t have anything better to do. I would’ve been out here anyways – I’m glad I have some company.”

A small flair of adrenaline shot through her when Liam returned with the new information. But with the adrenaline came so many questions, ones that she could barely think of the answers to. Before she could protest – she wasn’t just going to go home and wait, who did they think she was? – Liam had turned and started back towards his car. “Be careful,” she called out, voice steady and level but the slightest bit of concern had slipped in as well. She didn’t like the situation she’d been put in but that didn’t mean she would care. “Uh, yeah, no,” she said finally to DJ once Liam was out of earshot. “I’m not going back to the house. They were out here for a reason and I’m going to find out why.” She took a step deeper into the wood before stopping, turning to glance at DJ over her shoulder. “You coming or what?”

DJ let out a light scoff at her answer, not because he expected her to be having the time her life with them, but because her sentiment reflected his own. Once Liam returned and just as soon left them, DJ was relieved. The prospect of being able to go home and disappear into the shop was ideal. However, that relief was only short lived as he watched Charlie step deeper into the forest. His jaw slightly open in shock at her demanding tone. He looked back between her and the direction of the house a few times and only ran to her once he noticed she was getting farther and farther away. 

“Look, I’m not Liam. I’ll be absolutely no help if we get into trouble. If fact, I’m more of a liability. And I can’t leave you out here alone. I think both our dads would enjoy ripping me apart of I did that. So, we should really just head home. Yeah?” DJ walked slightly behind her, talking quickly and hoping he could convince her to turn around. Although, he had a feeling he’d be winning no fight against her any time soon.

[ellisonbros-blog]

The First Hunt || DJ + Charlie

[norkiewrites]

The scene was, arguably, one of the most unsurprising things Charlie could have ever walk up on. Nine times out of ten if they lost sight of DJ it was because he’d tumbled down a hill. Or tripped over a root. Or slipped on a wet patch of leaves. Which wouldn’t be all that surprising save for the fact that she’d just recently met him through his older brother Liam – her new arranged marriage fiancé and the hopeful link between their two feuding packs. “Maybe that was the plan all along,” Charlie joked, flashing him a wide grin as she hopped down from the large tree root she’d been standing on, boots landing deftly on the muddy ground. “Use you as bait to help attract the guy.” His annoyance and slightly disheveled appearance was adorable, she’d give the younger wolf that.

[ellisonbros-blog]

DJ glared over Liam’s shoulder at Charlie as she hopped off the root with an ease that he did not posses, “So, you just want me to run ahead? ‘Hey, hunter! I’m a werewolf, please come shoot me in the heart with your silver bullet!’” He teased, waving his hands in the air chaotically. “C’mon, DJ. You’ll be fine with the two of us right behind you,” Liam joked, elbowing his brother in the ribs. DJ rolled his eyes at his older brother and shoved him away. Suddenly, a loud ringing started coming from Liam’s pocket. He pulled out his phone and his silly demeanor quickly turned serious. “It’s dad,” he looked quickly between DJ and Charlie and then back down to his phone, “I’ll be right back.” He turned swiftly and walked out of earshot from the two of them.

Liam had, and would always be, the alpha and therefore the favorite of their father. It also showed in the differences between the two brothers. Liam was physically stronger, his senses were better, and he could actually land a jump. DJ on the other hand could barely bring down a small deer at full moon. However, being second came with perks. Liam grew up with their father breathing down his neck, priming him to be the next leader of the pack while DJ was given the freedom to do pretty much whatever he wanted. But recently, as the two rival packs arranged the marriage of their two oldest due to a rise in hunter activity, DJ’s life was increasingly more scrutinized and structured as “Son of the Alpha.” Didn’t matter if he was second or not, they had to put on a good show to keep the relationship good between the two packs.

DJ took a breath, his exhale foggy in the chilly fall air. He walked to the stump the Charlie had just jumped off of and sat down, usually opting to sit rather than trust his own feet. “What about you? I’m sure hanging out with the two of us isn’t high up on your to-do list,” DJ said, directing his attention to the blonde, leaning back on his hands. Quickly, Liam returned, brow furrowed and lips pursed. “They found the hunter. Led us right to a whole lair of them,” Liam huffed, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. “I need to go meet up with everybody but they want you two to head home. Stay inside until you hear from us, okay?” Liam turned and started jogging off in the direction of his car and DJ pushed himself off the stump. “Guess we should be making our way back to the house then.”

[ellisonbros-blog]

“Whatever it is you love to do, that is the sexiest part of you.” 

-Nick Offerman, American Ham

[ellisonbros-blog]

The First Hunt || DJ + Charlie

@norkiewrites

DJ groaned, rolling over onto his back to see his older brother, Liam, laughing down at him. “Shut up,” he said under his breath, pushing himself up unto a sitting position and started to wipe away the dirt that stuck to this skin and clothes. Looking back up, DJ saw Liam holding out a hand to help him up. He took it and was hoisted onto his feet. “I don’t understand why I’m out here with you guys,” he mumbled, wiping the last of the dirt from his butt and looked between Liam and his fiancé, Charlie. “I mean, it makes sense you guys are out looking for this hunter. But, if anything, I’ll just attract this guy to us,” he huffed, frustrated that his dad had sent him out to be the third wheel to the next alphas of the pack, and tried to regain some composure.

[ellisonbros-blog]

Dylan “DJ” Ellison: Moodboard 1/?