#skylar park.

[huntedarte]

The weeks following the Conclave fell back into some semblance of a routine. The visitors all went back to wherever they had come from and as far as Arte had heard, no one else had been murdered with symbols carved into their body. Hopefully, that would stay the case considering there were other things at play.

Since that night, Arte felt a little more at ease with the position they had claimed. They had survived their first conclave without anyone challenging them, and maybe... they weren't as awful at this as they thought? They mulled over the idea silently, red hair spilling over the seat of the ragged couch while their legs dangle over the back of it. The sound of the side door of the Alley opening makes them blink their eyes open, and an upside-down vision of Sky enters their field of view.

"H-hi," they say, twisting their neck slightly to follow her approach, and then wriggling their body into an upright seated position on the furniture. "Is um, are you good?" they ask. She's been quiet, quieter than normal, and Arte isn't sure if they had done something wrong. "How's Foam?" / @parkskylar

[huntedarte]

continued from xx

They don't move any closer and they try not to stare. They hate when people stare at them. Sky hasn't run away which means she's not afraid of them or mad at them, at least that's what Arte hopes. "Just... walking and th-thinking," they shrug. More like pacing and catastrophizing, but to Arte, they tend to be the same thing.

It's mid-afternoon, the sun already beginning its slow descent toward the horizon. It would be dark soon, and Arte still doesn't know where Sky goes when she's alone, when she's not with Arte or at the cafe. There is an entire life to the other wolf that they haven't gotten to know yet, but still they wonder.

"D-do you have plans.. tonight?" they ask suddenly, finally looking up to meet her eyes. "Th-there's a place. Kinda..." They frown because they're not quite sure how to describe the ramshackle warehouse that serves as their pack headquarters. And they're not sure how Sky would feel about the wolves milling about either. "I'm... we hang out th-there sometimes." // @parkskylar

[huntedarte]

[ FAKE ]: alternatively, the sender (who has just been crying in private) hastily wipes away their tears and tries to greet the receiver casually (to varying degrees of success). (SKY)

Time always passes in a blur for them. They're bound to the day-night cycle, but when it comes to weeks or months, sometimes it's impossible to tell what happened two weeks ago versus two months. It's not an excuse, even though it feels like one. They've gone from one crisis to the next, all while beating away nightmares and memories to the best of their ability. There are also some good things to it, the small group that has coalesced around them. The feeling of belonging and safety that they have been missing for over a decade, yet it also brings a new sort of terror.

They don't mean to avoid Skylar, but every time they think about her smile, they also think about the silver-black burn that scars Flick's torso now, and how uncharacteristically subdued the blonde has been since the night of the attack. It was like watching a flame burn down low and they hated it. They didn't want the same to happen to someone else they cared about.

But Lucian is here. So is Cam. And the mysterious witch who looks so much like Cham. They are not as far away from the horrors as they had assumed, and the instinct to run is still rooted deep. Run far and fast so the danger follows them. Lead them away so the others are safe. Isn't that what an Alpha does?

They are pacing, agitated and restless, and they don't realize where their feet are taking them until they spot Sky's frame against a tree, and they can smell the salt from her tears.

Like a switch, their own fears get shoved to the back of their brain and they approach slowly, making enough noise not to startle her. "H-hey..." They almost ask if everything is okay, but the words die in their throat. Obviously she's not. Arte chews on their lower lip and bounces on the balls of their feet for a few long moments before dropping to the ground to sit cross-legged. There to listen if Skylar wanted, or give her the opportunity to walk away if she didn't. / @parkskylar