Days passed and life went on. Turnipper remained with the wolves and a fragile, strange kind of peace formed between them. Under Toshiba's protection, he was more or less tolerated around their daysite, although disregarded. A fact that more and more began to bother the fox. He enjoyed his alone time with the red wolf, greatly even. And considering the many lingering discrepancies concerning his presence among the pack, they got a lot of time alone. But this life on the sideline was dismally. He was there, but not a part. Just like home. A nuisance. An offense. He wanted to be - and was - more than just Toshi's lay!
His grand protector was currently dozing in the grass, not in a mood to pay attention to his sweetheart, but alert enough to jump to his aid, should his venturesome idea turn out a disaster. Turnipper's plan surely was not without risk!
Carefully he sneaked up to the more imposing one of the duo, taking cover behind the thick trunk of a spruce. This one at least didn't try to kill him with his eyes, whenever they fell on him. He also seemed like a reasonable guy, as far as Turnipper could tell. The white wolf, currently idly resting in a sunny spot, though obviously awake and focused, did not react to his presence, though surely must have noticed already.
"Hello," the fox said timidly, though with a friendly, if slightly anxious smile. The wolf showed no reaction. "My name is Turnipper. I... know we didn't have a favorable start, but I thought, by now, it would be appropriate to introduce myself." The white wolf remained once again silent, not deigning to look at the vulpine. "Toshi mentioned your name is Chen, but I also heard the other one call you Baobe--"
"Baochenmo!" the wolf stated, his cold, booming voice leaving no doubt that what he meant to say was, 'you will call me by that name and -only- by that name'!
"B-Baochenmo..." the fox repeated awestruck. "That's a very nice name." Honestly it was a pretty odd name that Turnipper never had heard before. He only hoped he could memorize it correctly. This guy seemed a bit peeved about it.
"What do you want?" Chen asked, rather unfriendly.
That question was relatively simple to answer. "Well, considering I..." Just had to phrase it diplomatically. "...intend to spend more of my time with Toshiba..." So far so good. "Which inevitably means I'll be around for the time being... I thought, it would be easier for all of us, if... if we got along. Don't you think?"
Chen remained silent for a moment, but eventually he spoke. "I have no reason to bother with you."
"Hehe, wow. Ouch." Turnipper chuckled awkwardly. At least it was not another death threat. "I mean, we don't have to become friends, but... there's no reason to be foes either, right? I, uh..." Sheepishly he scratched the back of his neck. "Heh, I must admit it's becoming a bit... stressful to grow eyes on the back of my head when you guys are around..." Maybe that very honest admission would give the wolf the sense of superiority he needed to tolerate a harmless fox in its presence?
"You are too insignificant to justify the effort of killing you," Chen said matter-of-factly. "But don't be fooled, fox. I will end your life, should you become a trouble big enough worthy of my attention. And then Toshiba won't stop me."
Turnipper gulped. "Ooookay... Glad we could find an arrangement that works for us, I guess. Just, uh, maybe shoot me a warning when I become such a problem for you. I'd gladly provide a remedy before you, erm... take more definite measures." The wolf did not respond. "Right..." the fox murmured, slowly setting out on the retreat. "Was nice talking to you, Baochenmo."
Dang, what a creep! But... maybe Turnipper could work with that? If he found a way to prove himself useful to the wolf, then maybe he'd be more willing to accept him. The question was, how could he be of use to a wolf like Chen, who barely considered his comrades worthy of his time?
Well, that might be a nut for later to crack. For now, he wanted to attempt to smooth the waters with the remaining pack member. Ever since Toshiba fobbed Reszet off with that meager bone, the gray wolf's grudge against him had only deepened. Turnipper naturally had offered to share his own quarry, but that gesture wasn't received kindly. Apparently wolves really are proud creatures. He had scolded Toshi afterwards for being this selfish and unrelenting while he tried to fit in somehow, but the brute was undiscerning. The alpha's gotta keep his strength and blah, yeah, alright. But the alpha also gotta provide for his pack!
"Bold to leave your buckler's shadow," Reszet sneered with outright hatred in his voice. "Or just stupid." Both of them knew that he wasn't going to attempt anything, but that fox ought to know he was not appreciated!
Within safe distance of the wolf, Turnipper stiffly sat down. "Even if I wanted to, I can't always count on Toshiba to safe my ass." Maybe it wasn't too smart to admit that weakness, but utilizing Toshi as leverage was neither something the fox should, nor wanted to rely on. If he ever wanted to find -some- form of acceptance in this pack, he had to earn it himself! "Which is why I want to make peace with you, Reszet."
The wolf huffed. "What makes you think I want your peace?"
"I'm just trying to defuse the situation a bit."
"Then leave!"
Confidently the fox stood his ground. "I don't intend to leave Toshiba's side."
"He's just toying with you," Reszet said spitefully, once again not hiding that he wished all the bad of the world upon the fox. "He always was prone to play with his prey. What do you think you are? His bitch? Bound forever?" A snicker escaped the gray wolf. "He will discard you, sooner or later. Tire of you. Dump you like a worm-eaten carrion. And then, I'll be there..."
With a slight shudder, Turnipper resorted, "I must disagree. Toshi is very fond of me a--"
"THEN GO BACK TO HIM!!!" Res barked through the forest, teeth bared and up on all fours now. When he saw the fox flinch, the gray wolf rose even higher and stood on his hindlegs, fists clenched. "Or do you want more peace with me?!"
"Mrrr, Nip? What's going on here?" Toshiba suddenly rumbled, shaken from his midday slumber. Casual, but nonetheless imposing, the red-furred giant matched Reszet's pose. "Did this shit bother you?"
"Heh, no," Res answered quickly, the deception clear in his hissing voice. "We were just making peace. Isn't that right, Tulipper?" His cold, blue eyes pierced the fox like claws of a cat.
A bit awkward he stepped back and put a hand to his invincible savior. He apparently still had to rely a lot more on Toshi than he wanted to admit. "Y-yes, we were just talking. No reason to fuss. And... it's Turnipper."
"Who cares?!" Reszet spat and then turned to leave.
Protectively, and also kinda possessively, Toshi put one of his huge arms around the fox. "Eat shit, Res!" he called after him, then guided Turnipper away. "I told you not to bother with them." He sounded a bit grumpy, but there was no real anger in his voice. Probably just irked he had to interrupt his nap. Clumsily he sat back down on his spot and urged the fox to join him.
"I know." Rather disappointed of his failed attempt to socialize, he took a seat beside the massive wolf and leaned against his burly form. Toshi smelled a bit earthy and dusty, kinda stuffy too, but it was a scent Turnipper had learned to embrace. "But I have to."
The wolf snuffed disagreeing, though nevertheless nudged the smaller guy's cheek with his big, wet nose. "What for? Am I not enough for you?"
"Well... no," he admitted, well aware of how ungrateful and insolent that sounded. "I enjoy being with you, Toshi. And you are more than enough to keep me happy and content, don't you worry! But... I want - need - to be more than just your lover. I..." It still hurt to talk about it. Not that he had someone to talk to about it up until now. That was basically the problem. "I need a place where I belong, with people who accept me, at the very least. You have your pack. It's small, and you lot obviously have some issues, but it's your home. I don't have that. This is not my home. I am not accepted here, not even tolerated. The only reason I'm still breathing is because of you."
Calmy, Toshiba listened and nodded, though when his time to answer came, his words were underwhelming, "Then I'll tell them to be nice to you. And if one of them pisses you off, I'll beat 'em up!"
"No!" Turnipper scolded. "You can't force that. Actually, you can't really do anything at all. That's a thing between me and them and it's either going to work somehow, or it's not." He sighed frustrated, twirling his finger through Toshi's rusty fur to curl up a strand. So far, it's definitely turning towards the latter. "This... honestly puts me in a predicament..." he said, though didn't elaborate. Instead, Turnipper obsessed himself with that rebellious tuft of fur.
Toshiba peered down on his cute, little fox. He was especially adorable when he was pouting! "What predicament?"
Hesitating another moment, Turnipper sheepishly saw up. "Don't get wrought up, if I tell you!"
"Big wolf promise!"
The fox laughed faintly, but the subject at hand was a bit too serious for that reaction, so he bit his tongue. He wasn't entirely sure whether Toshi was mature enough to be confronted with this yet. He was indeed a bit... simple in his thinking sometimes. But sooner or later decisions had to be made and consequences had to be dealt with. The way things were now, couldn't go on forever!
"I don't want to leave your side," he said and cuddled up to his wolf. "We might be an odd couple, but I enjoy it and don't want to lose what we have found. I want to see where our way leads. But... if I don't find my place in this pack, I'll be... I'll just be a fox you drag along to fuck, while the rest of your pack hates me. I don't want to live that way." Desperately he looked up again, into Toshiba's docile, yellow eyes. "Can you understand that?"
To be honest, his face said that he didn't, but Toshi nodded after a moment of thought. "I guess." Foxes were social animals, just like wolves. They didn't live in packs, but clans, though. There were some significant differences, the most prominent one possibly that wolves came together to hunt and eat, but split up for leisure, while foxes hunted alone, but gathered for social life. Of course Turnipper would miss that as the only fox in the middle of a wolf pack.
"I'm not sure whether I can overcome your friends' resentments," he admitted. Then, a bit softer, added, "I'm not sure what to do if I can't..."
