Lessons in Love (Kane and Lawson)

He stretched himself out, shaking his fur as he enjoyed the sights and sounds of the forest before him. The birds chirping in the air, and the squirrels running about. He felt at peace, and part of him wished that one of his friends was here to see all the views in the forest.

The sun's rays bounced off the white snow to cast a brilliant yet blinding light. A brown male paused in his trek, grumbling with a paw raised, hanging in the air. A gust of wind shook the branches of a nearby tree, casting a small flurry to fall against his dark pelt. Even he wasn't immune to nature's charm and smiled while shaking the flakes off. Winter seemed to bring out his whimsical side.

Blinking, a familiar figure caught his attention. "Kane!" he called out cheerfully. The young wolf had a contagious personality that drew others in. Lawson considered him to be a close friend.

Sure enough, one of his close friends shouted for him. Kane turned, to see Lawson, fellow Ra'hat member, and friend. "Lawson!"Kane sprinted towards Lawson, and jumped in the air, to tackle the brown wolf. Snow flew everywhere, as the two wolves rolled in the snow. When the snow settled, Kane was nipping on Lawson's ear, laughing the whole time."How are you doing!" He wrapped around Lawson, and hugged him for a good long moment. Kane loved being with his friends, and it had been a while since he saw Lawson.

His eyes widened. This was going to be bad.

He pressed a black paw against his chest. "Alright, yes, it's nice to see you too. Now would you let me up?" It was hard to believe the small pup who latched onto his tail grew into this! Laws gave a playful growl at the long hug. "Enough of this mushy stuff! Get off, you big goof."

Kane still held on Lawson, as he started to play with the other Beta. "I'm not letting go. Come on Lawson, you're a Ra'hat member! You should be good enough to escape this hug." Kane continued to hug Lawson, and made sure to hold on until Lawson got himself out. Kane knew that Lawson was playing, but at the same time, Lawson should be able to escape a simple hug like the one he was giving.

He gave a bark of laughter. "Yeah, and you're a newly appointed one. Shouldn't you respect your elders?" The question made him frown and let his head drop back into the snow. I don't even do that!

After a few more grumbles, he placed both front paws on Kane's chest and heaved, getting enough room to wiggle out of his grasp. A good shake of his coat got off the snow stuck to his dark pelt. "Besides tackling wolves, what are you up to?" It was rare to see Kane without another wolf around.

Kane laughed as he watched Lawson was able to free himself from the clutches of his hug. He then shook his fur out, when he was asked about his day."Nothing really. Patrolled the territory, keeping the loners from stealing. I also came across a friend." Kane smiled and walked over to Lawson, and put his forehead against Lawson's."How have you been doing buddy?" Kane's tail still was showing that Kane was happy, and he always liked the moments he was with his friends.

Laws froze, golden eyes widening at the breach in personal space. A second paused as he worked to find his voice. Eventually he took a step back to regard the male with a quizzical look. "Not too bad. I was out scouting the herds to plan for our next hunt. There are a lot of mouths to feed and only four coursers."

"There were a few loners, but nothing too serious or anything." Kane sat down and listened to Lawson, as he talked about his daily life as a Courser. It made him think about Hani, and a smile came to his face."Look on the brightside Lawson, you get to spend more time with Hani now." Kane then started to wiggle his eyebrows at Lawson, in a playful manner. Kane, and everyone in Aryn, knew that Lawson and Hani were in a relationship of sorts. Kane did want them to become official in every way, and he hoped it would be soon.

The moment the gold she-wolf was brought up, heat pooled beneath his cheeks. He silently thanked his bushy winter coat for hiding his flush. Avoiding Kane's gaze, Lawson stared at the winter ground before taking a side step. A gruff escaped his lungs with a shake of his head.

Kane laughed at the eye-roll that Lawson gave out. He mentioned being with Seven and Echo, but it was clear that he was trying to avoid the topic. Kane had seen their little argument, or it seemed to set things straight. Kane was happy t see Hani with someone she loved, and Kane wanted to make sure that it was going to be Lawson."That maybe true, but one thing I do know, is that Hani cares for you Lawson, deeply." Kane then stood up, and looked at Lawson with a straight face."I feel like there's only one good wolf in the world for her, and that's you Lawson."

The bluntness made his eyes widened, breath hitching, the lump lodged painfully in his throat. Where was this coming from? Kane was also one of Hani's closest friends, so it made sense he cared about their well-being, but this... what he said...

He swallowed loudly. "Kane, I'm not sure what you're getting at." The words sounded strained. "Hani is my best friend. I, I care about her too, but not in the way..." The courser trailed off. With furrowed eyebrows, his eyes glazed off with a far off look. Could Kane hear how loud his heart was pounding?

Kane stood there as he listened to Lawson babble on about not being in love. Kane was rather surprised at Lawson denying it, but why? Everyone else practically knew that they loved each other, why couldn't he?"Lawson, the fact that you can't speak in a full sentence right now is proof enough." Kane then gave Lawson a smile, and a wink."You're in love with her, and I know that she wouldn't deny it as well." Kane was speaking the truth, and Kane did want the two to be really happy together.

Irritation, embarrassment, uncertainty all came crashing down. The pressure in his throat grew stronger and spread down to his chest. "I can't talk in full sentences because you caught me off guard!" His head lowered a fraction with his upper lip pulled back to reveal his canines.

Shame made him feel heavy like wet fur after a rainstorm. Lawson took a step backwards, unable to look the young wolf in the eye. "Look, I need to get back to work. Alcatraz asked me to find something for Lady Athena and the new pups." Deep down, he knew he was being unrational. There had to be a reason for that sudden rage. Kane meant no harm except he just kept pressing -

Lawson gave a small shake of his head. "I'll... see you later."

Kane was shocked at what happened next. Lawson began shouting, getting angry, and no longer playing. Kane was just talking and joking, but he apparently touched a nerve. Lawson started to give him question in anger, but before Kane could say anything in response, Lawson would interrupt him with something. Lawson left in a fluster of anger, and now Kane was just sitting there all by himself, still confused as to what just happened. He took a deep breath, stood up, and decided to go out and patrol more. He figured that things like love shouldn't be joked about, or something to rush, and Kane realized that things need to take time for that.