aslan @n9nno - Tumblr Blog

I haven't written something like this in a long time, so am a bit rusty but I couldn’t resist the urge. (⸝⸝⸝╸w╺⸝⸝⸝)

Mist clung low to the earth, threading between roots and fallen branches, carrying the smell of wet bark and pine sap. The trail, if it could still be called that, had long since given itself back to the woods. Ferns brushed at ankles, brambles caught at sleeves, and the hush of early morning held everything in a careful, waiting stillness.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Milo asked, raising a brow at Asher, who excitedly jumped off a nearby log before extending his hand for Babe to take and help them down. “Positive,” Asher answered, his voice carrying that raspy, matter-of-fact edge, as the conclusion had already been reached long before the question was asked. He rolled his shoulders once, like a runner about to take off, though there was no starting line yet just trees, breath, and anticipation.

Babe snorted softly. “How reassuring.”

David stood a little apart from the group, massive even in stillness. His presence was less movement and more gravity the way the space seemed to settle around him. Angel leaned lightly against his arm, familiar with the quiet strength there. Milo stretched lazily, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Relax,” he said, his voice smooth and husky, words shaped with a faint East Coast lilt. “Worst thing out here is him.” He jerked his chin toward Asher.

“Hey,” Asher shot back without heat.

The others laughed under their breath.

A few paces off, Sam adjusted the cuff of his sleeve, expression calm, almost contemplative. The early light didn’t quite touch him; it slid around him instead, as if uncertain where to land. His voice, when he spoke, carried that easy Southern drawl, soft but grounded.

“Seein’ how you brought us out to some old trail, I reckon you have something in mind, Asher.”

Darlin stood beside him, quiet, still, and watching. Even in human form, there was something carved into them, something that had endured and remained. The scars were there, thin white lines crossing knuckles, cutting through brow, disappearing beneath collar. Old violence, worn like memory. They didn’t speak, only tilted their head slightly, listening to something no one else could hear.

Asher turned, eyes lighting. “Yeah. We are.”

David’s gaze shifted to him. Slow. Measuring.

Asher’s grin widened.

“Going to race.”

There was a beat of silence.

Then Milo barked a laugh. “You’re kiddin’.”

“Nope.”

David exhaled slowly, a sound low and gravel-deep. “Should’ve guessed you had this planned,” he said, voice flat, guttural, more statement than complaint.

“And you always keep up,” Asher shot back.

Milo chuckled. “He’s got you there, big guy.”

“It’s nothing more than a fun team race, our mates will ride on our backs, and whoever makes it back to the parking lot wins.” Asher explains, then looks back at Sam, “Of course, you race against us too, or are your bones too old to keep up?”

There was something in the way Sam’s smile shifted then, slow, deliberate, a little dangerous.

“Careful,” he said softly. “You might regret invitin’ me.”

Darlin made a low, rough sound in their throat, something almost like amusement.

The decision settled over them like a spark catching dry kindling.

Without another word, David turned toward the brush. Milo followed, still smiling. Asher didn’t hesitate. Darlin lingered only long enough to glance once at Sam before stepping into the green shadow after the others.

The forest swallowed them.

For a moment, there was only the rustle of leaves and the faint crack of bones, causing the others to shudder from discomfort. “I’ll never get used to that part,” Angel uttered. Babe hugged their arms. “Same.”

A low sound broke through the quiet, not quite a growl, not quite a breath, and the brush parted.

David emerged first.

Massive.

His wolf form carried the same weight as his human one, broad, powerful, fur dark and dense, eyes steady and unyielding. He held his clothes in his jaws like it meant nothing at all, stepping forward with slow, grounded certainty. Angel didn’t hesitate. They stepped forward, taking the fabric from him, fingers brushing briefly against coarse fur to which David let out a small huff.

Milo followed, smaller by comparison but still enormous by any human standard. Leaner. Quicker. His fur caught the dim light in softer shades, eyes bright with amusement even in this form. He dropped his clothes in Sweetheart’s hands with a playful flick of his head.

Asher burst out third, energy barely contained; his fur was lighter, streaked with pale tones that caught what little light filtered through the trees. He tossed his clothes toward Babe with a quick snap of his head, already shifting his weight as he might bolt at any second.

Last came Darlin.

Their fur was rougher and uneven, lines cutting through their fur, patches where it grew uneven, where the past had left its mark. But there was nothing weak in them. They moved with a quiet, lethal grace, eyes watchful, posture coiled. As the others placed their mates' clothes into the bags they had brought with them, Sam stepped forward. Sam stepped forward slightly. “You alright there?” he asked, voice gentle. Darlin made a low, gruff sound, not quite a growl, not quite a reassurance. Sam smiled faintly. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

One by one, the mates climbed carefully onto their partners’ backs, fingers threading into thick fur, legs finding balance along powerful frames. There was familiarity in the motion, but also something new: a shared glance, a breath held a little tighter. Angel settled against David’s shoulders, steadying themselves. Sweetheart leaned low over Milo’s back, already grinning. Babe adjusted their grip on Asher, bracing.

The wolves and Sam formed a loose line, shifting paws, adjusting stance. The forest around them seemed to lean in, the quiet stretching thin. “Count of us will you? After all, this was Asher’s idea.” Sweetheart suggested to Babe, who let out a chuckle with a shake of their head.

“Fine. On three.”

The others stilled.

“One”

Muscles coiled.

“Two”

Breath held.

“Thr—HEY!”

Asher launched.

Babe’s yelp snapped into laughter and outrage as the world lurched. Wind tore past them as Asher shot through the trees, already gaining ground. Behind them, a chorus of barks and snarls erupted.

“Asher, you cheater!”

“Unbelievable.”

“I’m going to bite him.”

David surged forward with a force that shook the ground beneath him. Angel clung tighter, laughter spilling out as the forest blurred into streaks of green and blue. Milo darted after them, quick and agile, weaving between trees with sharp precision. Sweetheart whooped, ducking instinctively as branches whipped past. Darlin launched forward more steadily but beside them.

Sam vanished.

Not entirely.

But nearly.

He moved like something unbound by the same rules—his form a flicker, a blur slipping between trees faster than the eye could track. The air bent around him. Leaves stirred in his wake.

“Y’all better pick it up,” his voice drifted back, calm and almost amused.

“Move faster, you guys! Or the old man wins!” Asher said.

David’s pace increased, strides lengthening into something relentless and powerful. Angel pressed closer, breathless with exhilaration.

“Faster! Come on! Don’t you dare lose!” they shouted, voice lost to the wind.

Milo cut sharply over a fallen log, barely touching it before launching forward again. Sweetheart leaned with him, trusting completely. Asher zigzagged through the trees, reckless and fast, Babe half-laughing, half-scolding into his fur.

The forest came alive around them, branches snapping, paws thundering against earth, the rush of a creek as they leapt it in a spray of cold water and reflected dawnlight. The world blurred into motion and sensation.

Wind.

Fur.

Laughter.

The sharp scent of pine and damp soil. The distant, fleeting trace of something wild and electric, Sam, just ahead, then gone again. Darlin ran in silence, steady and enduring, scars catching the light with each stride.

The forest stretched wider as they ran through thinner trees, longer sightlines, the ground sloping into familiar territory. The air shifted too, carrying the faint mineral scent of the creek that marked the edge of their loop. Dawn pressed a little brighter now, though the canopy still held most of it at bay.

Darlin felt it before it fully arrived. A familiar pang.

It started deep buried somewhere behind the ribs, threading outward like cold iron twisting through muscle. Their stride hitched for half a fraction of a second, barely noticeable, but enough for their heart to drop into something heavier.

No…Not now. They thought. Their ears flicked back briefly, a subtle shake of the head as if they could dislodge the sensation. They pressed forward instead, digging into the earth, forcing their body into rhythm again.

Just gnore it.

Keep going! They told themselves.

Ahead, Asher’s pale form cut through the trees, fast and reckless, his energy sharp as a live wire. Darlin surged, closing the distance in a few long strides. Asher snapped playfully toward their shoulder, a quick nip meant more to provoke than harm. Darlin twisted cleanly out of reach and returned the gesture, teeth grazing air where his flank had been a heartbeat earlier.

“Oh, you’re not passing me!” Asher’s voice rang through the bond, rough with laughter and defiance.

Darlin surged ahead. For a brief, fleeting moment, the pain dulled beneath the rush of the wind tearing past, the forest bending around them as they overtook him. Asher’s presence dropped just behind their shoulder, close enough to feel the heat of him, but no longer in front.

Then—

Milo.

He moved with a different kind of speed, not reckless like Asher, not heavy like David. Efficient. Controlled. Every step placed with intent. Sweetheart leaned low against him, laughing into the wind. Behind them, Asher snarled something indignant and pushed harder.

“Aww, come on, guys, let me win, will you?” Asher whined

“How do you end up losing to something you suggested?” Milo asked, briefly glancing back at Asher, who barked at the two.

“Well, it was just me and tank til you cut me off.”

“And look who’s in last.”

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you.”

“Either way, we’ve officially lost to Sam,” David interjected.

“So then we all agree second place belongs to Babe and me, right?”Asher said, Milo let out a snort as he and Darlin surged ahead, “think again.” Milo told him. Darlin would said something if not the pain became more and more unbearable with each stride they took. Pain spiked through their chest as they launched over a fallen log, something catching wrong mid-air, they landed harder than intended, paws skidding slightly against damp earth.

The forest blurred again. Breath, rhythm, motion. They locked into it, forcing their body into compliance even as they protested. Ahead, Sam flickered between the trees, untouchable, effortless. A ghost of motion more than a runner. Behind him were David and Angel. Angel clung tight, laughter still threading through their breath as David pushed harder, each stride pounding into the earth with quiet authority.

Darlin adjusted, angling toward him, drawing closer. His gaze flickered back at them just as they briefly slipped before finding their footing again. “You alright?” he asked, voice low, steady, cutting through the noise. “Don’t feel like you have to push yourself.”

Darlin surged forward, brushing past him with a flick of their shoulder.

“Watch where you’re going,” they shot back, tone light despite the strain curling underneath. “You’re gonna crash with Angel if you keep looking back.”

David huffed, something between annoyance and reluctant acceptance, and refocused ahead. Behind them, Asher groaned dramatically. “I should’ve made Sam ride. This is unfair because Tank is basically cheating, having no rider.”

“Didn’t you basically challenge him?” David shot back, glancing back at the three who were slowly catching up.

A beat.

“…Yeah, alright, that one’s on me.”

Their pace didn’t falter, though the pain gnawed deeper now, threading through each stride, each impact. Milo closed in again. Asher, stubborn as ever, followed. The four of them ran nearly neck and neck now, weaving through trees, leaping over roots and stones in tight synchronization.

The forest began to thin.

Light crept in more steadily now, still weak, still early, but enough to outline the clearing ahead. The parking lot. And there was Sam.

He was already there.

Of course he was.

Reclined beneath the wide sprawl of a tree, comfortably settled in the shade as if he hadn’t just outrun four wolves through dense forest. One leg stretched out, the other bent lazily, arms resting behind him.

Completely unbothered.

As they burst into the clearing, he turned his head toward them and smiled. A. Slow. Smug. Smile.

He lifted a hand and gave them an easy wave. “Took y’all long enough.”

The clearing opened wider ahead, the great tree rising like a quiet sentinel where the trail curved and ended. Darlin’s stride broke first. It was subtle at the start. A half-step shorter. A hesitation where there hadn’t been one before. The rhythm they’d forced their body into began to fracture under the weight of something older, deeper, unavoidable.

Pain flooded in. Not sharp anymore, it was worse.

A spreading ache that lit up every scar, every old wound buried beneath fur and flesh. It crawled through their limbs, turned each step into something jagged and wrong, like running through splintered glass. Slowly, Milo and Sweetheart passed them and were now up against David and Angel, leaving just them, Asher, and Babe.

Neck and neck for a heartbeat.

Darlin’s vision blurred, not from speed, but from strain. The world flickered at the edges, every movement dragging against resistance their body could no longer hide.

Asher pushed forward, stubborn, relentless, but Darlin couldn’t match it anymore, and they fell back. Asher crossed the invisible finish with a dramatic, drawn-out howl of defeat that echoed through the clearing like he’d lost something far more significant than a race.

“I wasn’t last!” his voice snapped back into words as he skidded to a stop.

Laughter broke instantly.

Babe doubled over against him. Sweetheart’s voice rang bright. Angel leaned against David, breathless and grinning. Even Sam chuckled low under his breath, shaking his head.

David huffed.

Milo snorted.

Darlin

slowed.

Stopped.

The moment the race ended, so did whatever thin thread had been holding them together. They limped forward, no longer hiding it, each step uneven, heavy. The strain carved plainly into their movements now, into the way their head dipped lower, shoulders tightening against pain that refused to be ignored any longer.

Sam’s gaze sharpened the second he noticed. Darlin reached him and didn’t hesitate. They sank beside him, body folding with a quiet heaviness, and lowered their massive head into his lap with a deep, exhausted exhale. The breath left them like something carried for far too long.

Sam’s hand came to them immediately, steady, familiar fingers threading gently through their fur, careful of the ridges where scars lay beneath. “Easy now,” he murmured, voice low and soft, the southern cadence even gentler here. Behind them, the others were already moving.

David, Milo, and Asher crouched low, allowing their mates to slide carefully from their backs. Concern replaced laughter in an instant, hands lingering against fur, eyes scanning for what they hadn’t noticed before. Angel clasps their hands together, “Are they okay?”

Sam nodded as he continued to stroke Darlin’s fur, “tired, that’s all, promise you there’s nothing to worry.” David approached more slowly. Measured. His voice, when it came, was firm but quieter than before. “You should’ve said something.”

Darlin’s ear flicked.

"Save it."

The thought carried less bite than usual, more fatigue than defiance.

“It’s just the scars,” they added after a beat. “I ran this old body into the ground one too many times. Finally caught up.”

Asher stepped closer, all restless energy softened into something more careful. He lowered his head, nudging Darlin lightly with his muzzle.“Yeah, well,” his voice came quieter now, stripped of its usual sharpness, “we care about you too, you know.”

A pause.

“I shouldn’t’ve pushed the race,” he added, almost grudgingly. “I didn’t know—”

“Don’t you start,” Darlin cut in, lifting their head just enough to nudge him back.

“I’m fine. Promise.”

A breath.

“I had fun,” they admitted. “I haven’t had that much in a long time.”

Then, a flicker of dry humor, “Just getting old.” Milo snorted immediately. “Oh, that’s it,” he said, voice slipping easily back into its teasing lilt. “You've been spendin’ too much time with the old man.”

Darlin let out something between a grunt and a chuckle, and then, without warning, rolled their weight sideways into Sam. The impact pressed him back into the tree with a startled sound that broke into laughter as Darlin pawed at him clumsily, half-affectionate, half-retaliatory.

“Hey, easy now,” Sam laughed, bracing himself. “You’re a bit bigger than you think, darlin.” Angel laughed outright. Sweetheart joined in immediately. Babe clapped a hand over their mouth, barely containing it.

David shook his head once, then turned toward Angel. He nudged them gently. Angel blinked, then nodded quickly, already reaching into their bag. “Oh, right, your clothes, here.” They said, handing him his clothes.

Milo and Asher followed suit, clasping down onto the wad of clothes handed to them. Sam slid his hand under Darlin’s jaw, helping guide them upright. “C’mon,” he said softly. “Up you get.”

Darlin pushed to their paws with a low, strained breath. Asher moved in immediately, pressing his side against theirs without comment, letting them lean as much as they needed. Sam passed Darlin theirs, fingers lingering just a second longer than necessary.

The two slipped into the brush together, with Milo and David trailing behind them. The forest swallowed them once more, and then, just as quickly, returned them. The four stepped back into the parking lot. Sam approached Darlin again, eyes scanning them carefully. “You sure you don’t want me to take a look?” he asked, voice softer now. “Could fix you up.”

Darlin shook their head. “I’m alright,” they said, a little rough around the edges. “Just sore.”

Sam studied them for a moment longer before nodding his head.

David opened his mouth, though before he could say anything, Asher clapped his hands together. “Alright!” he said, far too loud for the quiet morning. “Breakfast. Immediately. I’m starving.” Without waiting for agreement, he slung an arm around David’s shoulders and the other around Darlin, pulling them both in close. “C’mon, you have to be hungry, right? Right? , We should get some food.”

Darlin snorted faintly.

David exhaled, but didn’t pull away.

Milo slipped an arm comfortably around Sweetheart’s waist, tugging them close as they started toward the park car. “Man runs one race, and suddenly he needs a feast.”

“What aren’t you hungry from all that running!? ” Asher asked.

“You could eat an entire self-serve buffet and still complain,” Milo added.

“I could, and I would, thank you.”

Laughter broke out again, lighter now. David spoke up after a moment, voice low but certain. “I wouldn’t mind eating either.”

Asher froze.

Then—

“YES!”

He threw his arm up triumphantly and immediately bolted down the parking lot, dragging Babe with him. Babe let out an excited squeal, stumbling after him. “Asher—!”

The rest of them stared.

“…How is he not tired?” Sweetheart asked. Milo shook his head slowly. “Nothin’ in this world wears him out.” They started walking in the direction of the car. Ahead, Asher’s voice echoed back at them. “Hurry up! I’m starving!”

A beat.

“Faster! Faster it like you want Sam to turn into dust!”

Sam scoffed. “Sun is hardly up, and he’s acting like I’ll combust the moment a sliver of light touches me.”

They broke into a brisk walk.

Then a faster one.

“Seriously!” Asher called again, voice carrying pure, dramatic suffering. “I will starve to death if y’all take any longer!” David sighed, though there was something faintly amused beneath it. “The good thing about Asher,” he said, glancing at the others, “is that he keeps morale up.”

Actually I change my mind I HATE THIS.

jacketthief

May I request Porter and Darlin headcannons? I feel like they would get along really well and kinda be friends but you make their relationship however you want :)

(a/n: i like the way you think! reqs open!)

i think they’d definitely be wary of each other at first. trust doesn’t come easily to either of them

but other than the more overt similarities (returning to dahlia after some time away, their connection to sam)

i think that they both have lives that have been irrevocably shaped by violence

people they care about have been hurt. they’ve internalized it, made it their mission to repay it in some form or fashion

others take issue with the way they carry themselves and misconceptions abound

i could see a situation much like “dinner with the vampire boys” in which the two of them happen to end up somewhat alone

and the topic winds its way to quinn. darlin’ can’t find it in themselves to explain why, but it’s much easier to talk about him with someone who gets it to a degree

when they mention the way quinn viewed others, as disposable playthings, porter noticeably stiffens

“has he been dealt with?” he asks quietly

they nod

“good.” he murmurs

simple as that. it’s good that quinn is gone. he doesn’t pry into their separation from the rest of the pack, their lack of communication, their isolation and their less than friendly attitude. he asks after the problem and is gratified by the result

he gets it. it might not be a ‘good’ thing, but it almost feels like it

after that, i don’t think they go out of their way to hang out, but i do think that they gravitate toward each other when there’s some form of gathering and their partners aren’t otherwise engaged

and i especially think they’d have a lot to say to him about the prospect of leaving one reality in exchange for another. of allowing himself to become just a tad more vulnerable to join something that might be called a family.

and hey, if he does choose to do so

then he’ll definitely have someone on his team

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