Chapter Text
Rain
Wolves love the rain. The way the earth's scent fills the air, raindrops falling from leaves and petals, puddles forming in the mud. There's the feeling of renewal that surges through them. The understanding that with rain comes the growth of herbs and fresh grass. They can't help but want to prance and play under it.
At least that's how Maddy describes it.
To Rhydian, rain meant being forced to stay indoors. The grey skies were just another reminder of the dark hole that lies in his heart. A memory of his mother telling him to stay put, his father's rough hand ruffling his hair as he told him not to worry. Then the strangers came and took him away from the camp he knew as home. Frowns and glares directed his way telling him to not step inside with mud on his clothes.
He hates rainy days. He can't see the appeal of it anymore.
"C'mon!" Maddy grins, all wide and toothy, at him. Her hand reaches for his the moment he stepped out of Mrs. Vaughn's front door. She's not carrying an umbrella, and he's given barely any time to grip the handle of his when she drags him into the forest for their usual trail to school.
"Maddy!"
It's not yet pouring, the water dropping in a drizzle. She doesn't hear his call as she laughs out a squeal while jumping over a puddle. Despite the joyous occasion, she still can't risk getting too dirty for school. She's learnt that lesson the hard way when she was younger.
"Wait up!"
"Catch up slowpoke!"
The words are a playful challenge she knows he can't deny her of. The chase begins as soon as she says them. Water splashes around them, the falling droplets feel like nothing on their skin. Their laughter echoes around the forest. The few animals that are out and about scurry away at the sight of the two wolves.
She runs ahead of him, head turning over her shoulders to look back at him. Her wet hair swaying, eyes glowing a golden hazel, wide smile soft and mischievous at the same time. Rhydian can hear his own heart beating faster. Whether it was because of her or the chase, it didn't matter. The image of her burns in his memory.
"Woah!"
"Shit, Maddy!"
In a split second, her foot slid against the mud. Thankfully he was already closing in on her. His arms wrap around her waist, pulling her into him, and he moves one hand to protect her head as they tumble down the hill. He cushions her fall, groaning when his back hit the hard earth.
Her laugh continues. She pushes herself up slightly, hands on his chest while she looks around the mess of leaves that surround them.
"That was wild!" Her laughter dies down into a low giggle. She looks down at him, expression softening. Her golden eyes reverted back to their usual beautiful brown color, a warm blush on her cheeks. "Thanks."
He hopes she can't hear the sudden jump in his heartbeat (though he knows that's impossible for wolfbloods like them).
"Anytime."
With one last smile, she moves off of him and he misses the warmth of her. Her scent lingers on him, flooding him with the sweet smell of her lavender shampoo and the wild berries that grows near her home.
"We should get going." She reaches out her hands, taking his so she can help him up. He dusts off the best he could all the solid dirt on his clothes. "Tom probably has an extra uniform he can lend ya."
She leans toward him, hand swiping at his hair. A few small twigs and leaves fall at his side. Her scent returns despite the rain, giving him another whiff of the wild berries. Without thinking much of it, he reaches toward her and pulls a leaf out of her own hair. She stiffens, stepping back with reddening cheeks and tucking her hair behind her ears. He didn't miss the way her own heart skipped.
Clearing her throat, she turns to where their bags had fallen. She glances back at him. "Race ya?"
He smiles.
Maybe rainy days aren't so bad.
—
Fever
Maddy didn't show at school the following week. Out with the cold is what Mr. Jeffries said.
Normally, Rhydian would give Maddy her space to recover. He learnt that after the first time he visited her when sick and he heard her shout from upstairs to not let him up. He had chuckled at the time, her parents teasing that how she can be a stubborn teenage girl. At the very least he knew she appreciated his visit when he saw her at her window waving bye at him, the care package he, Shannon, and Tom put together in her hands.
Today, however, was different.
He's not sure why — nor did he really care — but he felt the need to see her. Make sure she was okay.
Mrs. Smith welcomed him in. "I was just going to take up this soup for her but if you want, you can do it. Dan needs me to help him with something out in the shed. I'll be back in a bit."
She handed him a tray. A bowl of a pleasant smelling soup — was that chicken? No. Pheasant? — a vial of medicine, a glass of water, and a small plate of sliced apples. A normal motherly gesture he can't help but smile at. Despite his own reservations, even Mrs. Vaughn has done something similiar whenever she noticed he was feeling under the weather.
Knock knock.
"Maddy?"
The door creaks open as he enters the room. She's under the covers, her bag thrown on the floor beside her bed, homework scattered on her desk. He shuffles some things to the side in order to place the tray on her bedside table.
"Mads?" He sits on the edge of her bed. He hears a low grumble and sees her move onto her other side to face him. In gentle slow movements, he removes some of the covers, brushes away some of her hair out of her face. "Hey, how'd you feeling?"
"Dumb question." She mutters while readjusting her blanket covers. "I feel dead."
"Your mum prepared you this." He gestured to the tray. "Might make you feel better."
She groans. There's clear displeasure in having to sit up from her comfortable position, but the need to eat won over. He helps in adjusting and fluffing her pillows before placing the tray on her lap.
"Thanks." She sniffs, the scent of the soup has her shoulders relax and a bit of life enters her again. She digs in without another word.
"I brought you your schoolwork." He removes and opens his bag, taking out a folder. "I know it's the least of your problems right now, but Mr. Jefferies didn't want you to miss anythin'."
"Thanks," she repeats.
He's a bit surprised she hasn't kicked him out yet, but isn't going to point it out. He'll take whatever time she's willing to give him.
He tells her about the happenings at school. Jimi and Liam are annoying brats but Tom almost knocked Liam out during practice the other day so that was funny. The three Ks are hosting another party, and as per usual none in their group are invited. Though Katrina did invite him, but he rejected it before she could place the flyer in his hands. Shannon jokingly asked him to accept it so he can relay any fun information that happens. Still, he doesn't feel like partying without any of them being there.
Maddy smiles, sniffing again. "That's sweet of ya." She sneezes. He passes her a tissue from beside the bed.
"Here." He passes her the medicine. She takes it while he removes the rest of the tray. Afterward, he helps readjust her into a laying position.
"You didn't have to visit, ya know." She mutters. "You don't have to do all this for me."
"I don't mind." He sits on the floor next to her. "Pack takes care of one another, right?"
"Right." Her smile widens. "Thanks."
"You already said that."
"Still."
"Alright. New rule, no more saying thanks. I'll just annoy ruin your hair if you do."
"You wouldn't do that. Not to a sick person."
"Don't test your luck, Maddy."
She chuckles, stopping when her breathing starts to get heavy. His hand is on her forehead before he could think twice about it. It's cool compared to the heat of her skin. She leans against his touch, nuzzling her head into his palm.
"Your burning up."
"I know." She sighs. "The medicine will kick in, though. Mum says it's just a regular cold."
He frowns. "I could go, if ya want. Let you rest."
"No." She grabs his hand before he could move to stand. Her flushed cheeks darken a bit. She bows her head so her hair covers her face. If it weren't for his wolfblood nature, he wouldn't have been able to hear what she said. "Your scent helps."
His ears warm. "Alright."
After an awkward second, she moves to the other side of her bed. A silent invitation.
He adjusts himself to lay next to her. While she's still under the bed covers, he rests on top while she scoots back to be closer to him. She buries her face into the crook of his shoulder, nuzzling her nose against him. Instinct has him wrapping his arms around her so her head rests on one of his arms while the other is over where her waist would be. They stay like that in silence for a moment longer.
Her scent draws him in. He nestles his own cheek on top of her head, breathing in her in. Lavender shampoo. Wild berries. Her mother's honey chamomile tea.
"What's song is that?"
"Hm?"
"The song yer humming." She adjusts her head, breathing him in again. "It sounds familiar."
"It's a Welsh lullaby Mum sung for Bryn when he was sick."
He recalls the familiar position his mother and younger brother were in many months ago when he was with them and the wild pack. How his mother patted Bryn's stomach as she softly sang to him, a small smile on her lips as she pressed a gentle kiss to the boy's temple. There's a vague memory of her doing the same for him when he was younger.
"Can you sing it?"
"Doubt it would be any good." His pronunciation is nowhere near as fluent as his little brother's — and that's disregarding the fact that he's not much of a singer.
Maddy snuggles closer. "Sing it anyway."
He hates how can never say no to her.
The smile on her lips makes up for it, though.
Huna'n dawel, heno, huna,
Huna'n fwyn, y tlws ei lun;
Pam yr wyt yn awr yn gwenu,
Gwenu'n dirion yn dy hun?
Ai angylion fry sy'n gwenu,
Arnat ti yn gwenu;n llon,
Tithau'n gwenu'n ôl dan huno,
Huno'n dawel ar fy mron?
"How are we doing, pups?" Emma paused at the doorway of her daughter's room. A soft quaint smile spread across her lips at the sight before her. Moving as quietly as she could, she closed the door behind her. Leaving the two young wolfbloods to nap the afternoon away.
—
Dark Moon
"I hate coming to school during a dark moon." Rhydian yawns.
Not hearing a sound of agreement, he turns to look at his fellow Wolfblood. Maddy sits beside him, resting her head on the not-so-comfortable table desk they share. Her dark hair hides her sleeping face while a silent snore escapes her. He nudges her side with his elbow.
"Maddy."
"27." She startles. "The answer is 27. Wait—huh?" She glances at him.
"It's lunch, Mads. Class is over."
"Ugh." She lays her head back down. "Where's Tom and Shan?"
"Off to get us some snacks." He yawns, leaning back in his seat while putting his feet up on the desks. It's fine. No teachers are around. "Jana ditch back home."
"Seriously?" She sits up again. "She can't do that! Did ya talk to 'er?"
"It's fine. She showed up for morning classes, and she's already getting a 'troubled' reputation." He rolls his eyes. "Jeffries will just talk to 'er tomorrow about it."
Maddy shakes her head. Despite how she may feel about the wild wolfblood not following their rules, there isn't much they could do at the moment. Going after her sounds too bothersome for their tired bodies. It's just frustrating Jana isn't as bound to the rules as they are due to Maddy's parents.
Seeing her lean back into her previous position, he shakes off his jacket, folding it and putting it front of her a second before her forehead met the table's cold touch. He mirrors her earlier position from before he woke her, resting his own head ontop of his folded arms on the table desk. She turns her head to him, eyes boring into his for a silent moment.
A strand of dark hair falls over her gaze. He moves it behind her ears, fingertips light as they graze over her skin.
She smiles.
His chest warms.
—
Toothache
Panicked golden eyes look back at him.
Shit.
No words need to be exchanged. By now, after the many misadventures they shared, both wolfbloods know when the other is turning and the other is put on guard.
The door to the dark room locks behind them. "Maddy, what's—"
The question dies the second the smell hits him. Swirling with the usual lavender, wildberries, and honey chamomile is a hidden rotting stentch. The kind he's learn to recognize whenever he or his previous foster roommates formed a cavity or got seriously sick.
"I hate this." She holds her right cheek, already pacing around the room. "I hate the dentist."
"You and a million bunch of other folks." He tries to ease her tension with his smile. She glares at him. "Look, it's not so bad. Don't yer folks have a wolfblood dentist?"
"Yes." She hisses at her attempt to growl. "But she won't be in town until tomorrow and we got that science test today and I'm already a behind so Mum—"
"Hey, it's okay." He steps toward her, hands placed on her shoulders to stop her from burning a hole on the floor with her pacing. She looks up at him. Her golden eyes pleaing for help. His wolf whined at the sight.
Thinking fast, he let go of her and began to rifle through his bag. He pulls out a pair of sunglasses.
"Here." He hands it to her. Seeing the black veins forming on her hands despite her jacket sleeves, he also passes his own jacket. "If anyone asks, tell 'em you have an eye infection or somethin'."
His jacket is too big on her. The sleeves cover over her hands, perfect in hiding the wolf's veins. There's the sense of deja vu at her putting on the sunglasses. He remembers how comfy she looked back in Shannon's bathroom when her best friend accidentally gave her wolfsbane. She looked so comfy back then.
His eyes widen when she takes an obvious sniff from his jacket, tugging it closer to her body. She doesn't seem to notice she's doing it so he doesn't say anything.
She looks back at him. Her piercing gaze clear to him even through the dark lenses.
She takes his hand. "Thanks."
"Anytime." His fingers squeeze hers in return.
—
Soup
"This is a bad idea."
"Which part? Being in the moors during the middle of the night following two wolves on a hunting trip? Or not letting the Smiths know that we've let two wolves to go hunting around town?"
"Both. Both are very bad ideas." Tom looks at his red-haired friend with raised eyebrows. "I don't get why they're huntin' anyway. We could've gone to the butcher's."
"Rhydian wants to surprise Mads with her favorite soup dish because of she's been dealing with really bad cramps." Shannon tuts. "Poor thing couldn't even show up to school today."
"That doesn't explain why he needs to hunt."
"You try having a body organ shed their lining every month, making you bleed and feel like yer being punched by Death himself then." She glares. "I thought being a son of a woman doctor would make you wiser."
"No, I get that. I'm just sayin' he could've bought her chocolate — Wait, no. Not that — Ice cream? Mum and my aunties say ice cream helps."
"They're wolves, Tom. They hunt to feed their pack." The movement of her eyebrows gave all the answers he needed. "Besides, I think it's rather sweet of him."
A sigh escapes him. "He does make a cute lovesick puppy, doesn't he?"
Before she could provide a response, the sound of rustling grabs their attention. Shannon grabs her binoculars while an echo of growls and yelps carried in the air. She could see the faint shadows of animals fighting in distance.
"Get ready, Tom."
The sounds was starting to get close. They can hear the fall of the wolves' feet crushing the leaves beneath them.
"I hate this. Did I mention that I hate this?"
"Tom!"
Shannon drops her binoculars as the two wolves approached with a small flock of wild pheasants attempting to scatter away from the sniping predators. A weak whine escapes Tom as he stumbles to grab hold of the rope dangling beside them. With a single strong pull, the pheasants screech as they are then wrapped into a large tarp net. At the same time, the two wolves jump over the bush their human friends were hiding behind.
The red-colored wolf jumps back to snap her jaws at the net while the other tawny wolf moves to the side.
"Great job, guys." Rhydian grins at his two friends after transforming back. His breath heavy with the miles he had just ran.
"Next time pull the brakes a bit better so you don't almost pounce on us." Tom shakes his head.
"So what now?" Shannon grins.
"Now is my favorite part." They turn to see Jana's wide wicked smile. Her pupils blown wide as she stares at the bag of squealing pheasants.
"Remember this is for Maddy." Rhydian bares his teeth, causing Jana to step back.
"Well she's not gonna eat all of it, is she?" She snaps back. "Half of that catch is mine."
"Maddy. First." He snarls.
Jana huffs but agrees. "Fine. I got those herbs ye was askin' for back at the caravan."
After sending Tom and Shannon home for the night, and leaving Jana's caravan with his bags full of chopped up bird meat and herbs, Rhydian set out back to his home at the Vaughns. By the time early morning came, Mrs. Vaughn was startled to see the blonde teen stirring a pot of a delicious smelling stew.
"Now what's this all about?" She eyed him as he poured a decent amount into a tupperware bowl.
"Good morning. I'm just practicing a recipe Mrs. Smith taught me." He glanced over at her. "I hope you don't mind. I made enough for some to be left over for us as well."
"Not at all, and thank you." She blinked, moving to sit down at the kitchen island to watch him move about. She needn't ask for who the tupperware dishes were for. She could take a guess in the way he's gently wrapping it in one of her larger hankerchiefs. He pauses and turns to her.
"You don't mind if I borrow this stuff, do you? I'm planning on having my friends have a taste as well."
"No, no, go right ahead." The smile he gives her is soft and bright. Another clear sign on who this was all for.
Her suspicions are confirmed true a couple days later, when Maddy Smith drops bye to hand the empty and clean dishes back to Rhydian. The two young teens bashfully smiling at each other, oblivious to just how lovesick they look.
—
Maddy
Sometimes she hates how caring Rhydian can be.
The way he shields her during high stress situations. How he always knows when she needs to be comforted by the hold of a hand, a pull to the side, the smell of his scent relaxing her in a matter of seconds. She can still remember the taste of the soup he made for her. Despite using her own mother's recipe, his tasted slightly different. Not better, of course — they do say nothing compares to a mother's cooking — but it warmed her heart in a different way. It made all her pain and worries go away.
She wishes she could do something like that for him. Wishes there was anything she could do that could measure up to all the ways he's there for her.
"You comin' tonight?" She asks him when he arrives at school.
"Wouldn't miss it." He smirks.
"And Jana?"
"She'll be around near your place. I told her to stay away from the neighboring farms, and no hunting."
He always knows what's she's thinking. Already knowing whatever plans she might scheme. Although it's different this time. She doesn't let him know, keeping her plans in the deepest part of her mind so he can't magically hear or find out.
They enter the dark room where small blasts of confetti greets them.
"Happy birthday Rhydian!" Their friends shout.
Rhydian stares at them with wide eyes. Maddy laughs at the expression, throwing her own little pouch of confetti at him as well. "Surprise!"
"Didn't think we forget, did you?" Tom smirks.
"You guys didn't really need to do all this."
"Don't be daft, of course we did." Shannon leans to put one of those cone party hats on him. "Just because it's a full moon doesn't mean we can't celebrate ya."
"Ha!" Jana lunges at him, throwing punches on his arms. Tom goes to join her before he could think of retaliating. Shannon laughs while telling them to be careful of the equipment.
His own laugh makes Maddy's own smile widen. She can hear the sound of it all day and never be tired of it. Not wanting to be left out, Maddy jumps onto his exposed back. Her arms wound around his neck as he moves a hand to hold her leg at his side. She ignores the way her heart patters at the feel of his fingers gripping her thigh, preferring to focus on the way his own heartbeat races with joy.
She focuses on it throughout the whole day. When they're exchanging inside jokes through small notes during class, when they race through the moors with Jana during lunch, losing breath with all the laughs they share. She listens to it when their hands graze past each other while walking down the halls. Her own matches his when she takes hold of his hand, giving it a tight squeeze.
Later, after school ends for the day and they continue to race through the moors (this time just the two of them), they find themselves rolling down a hill. They land beside each other, breathing heavy with cheek-hurting smiles. They stay that way even after catching fresh cool air returns to their lungs. Their hands fall back to their sides with his landing on hers due to how close they are.
"We should start heading back to your place."
"Yeah."
Neither make a motion to move. Their gazes remain locked on the canopy of tress above. The sun was starting to set, transforming the blue sky into a light orange.
"Maddy?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks." His fingers intertwine with hers, turning her hand over so their palms meet. "For everything."
She turns her head to look at him. His blonde hair a mess due to all the running, a bit of sweat trickling down his temple, his gaze on the view above. He takes a deep breath.
"I didn't have much before, you know that. I didn't know where I came from. I didn't have any much friends. None of the other foster kids I roomed with could ever get as close to me as you and the others. For the longest time, I thought I was going crazy because I had no idea what was wrong with me." He finally turns to her. She almost jumps at how close they are. She could feel his breath tickling her face. "But then I came here and met you… and I — I never felt more at home, so thanks."
There's a fluttering in her chest. It melts her heart, the warmth it creates growing the more time she spends with him. She knows what this feeling is. Has known for quiet some time, and maybe he knows it too. Yet the words don't appear to measure up to all that's between them. The words he exchanged just now feel like the right step toward that direction though.
Any worries she had about not being able to repay Rhydian for all he's done for her vanishes. It was silly of her to think of it in the first place.
"You don't have to thank me, Rhydian." The words leave her lips in a whisper. This moment is too precious and sacred for any other pair of ears that aren't theirs. Her fingers squeeze his. "We're a pack. Always."
His lips curl into that wonderful grin of his that makes her grin right back.
"C'mon." She decides to be the first to break their nice little bubble. "The others are probably waiting for us."
"Others?" He watches her stand up.
"Did you really think we were just goin' to celebrate your birthday in the dark room?" She reaches out her hand. "Let's go."
He laughs. Hand-in-hand, they walk a bit further into the moors until they continued on their race.