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By the time Rumi managed to finally step foot into their penthouse after attending a gruesomely long business meeting she had insisted on going to alone—loudly forcing both Mira and Zoey to stay put and rest as they have had quite the long day already—the sun was already setting. Any other day and she would've simply shrugged it off as the usual, with her workaholic nature and all, but this evening she felt particularly exhausted for some reason. Maybe it was all the overworking finally catching up to her, or the fact that she had missed out on a good chunk of well needed sleep yesterday in favor of dragging out the unprompted movie marathon Zoey had declared that same night. Fact is; Rumi was beyond tired and her reputation be damned because she was dying to feel the softness of her bed right about now. She wanted to lie down, to sleep, and then emerge anew. She was sure her girls would be proud of her for the sleeping part in particular.
Speaking of them...
The exact moment the elevator doors slid open with a quiet whirring noise Rumi was almost immediately greeted by the sight of a huge furry blur of motion that came barreling into the metal box with too much eagerness and too little care at too rapid a speed. Fortunately Rumi managed to catch the excited canine with her arms, but if it hadn't been for Rumi's quick thinking, and the fact the woman had somehow actually anticipated the sudden turn of events—this definitely hadn't been the first time, neither will it be the last probably—she was sure Zoey could've and would've done quite the number on not just her but on the poor elevator as well.
"Woah there, Zoomie," she laughed, breathlessly, "that's one warm welcome alright."
She gently lowered the baby blue furred wolf to even ground and ushered her back outside so that she could step off the elevator herself. Zoey complied, albeit with forced restraint, up until the metal doors shut behind her leader with a quiet but definite thunk. After that she was on her again; tail wagging fast and joyfully behind her as she yipped on, loud and cheerful. Rumi even suspected Zoey might've been saying things the woman would've been able to understand if it weren't for her current human form. Since she couldn't, Rumi only offered the energetic furball a small but fond smile before she shifted her attention to Mira who lingered behind their bundle of sunshine. She was evidently more calmer than Zoey but not really fairing that much better herself, visibly pacing back and forth with a few measured steps each time. Rumi believed she must've been barely a hair's breadth away from pouncing as well.
"Mir," she purred the name lovingly as she held out a free hand to the pink stained wolf. She would've offered her both if it hadn't been for Zoey and her open clinginess right now. Expecting Rumi to not pet her when she gets all giddy at the mere sight of her leader would be the same as asking her to make the impossible happen. She'd be, quite frankly, damned, through and through.
That fact only gets hammered home even harder when Rumi watched Mira finally walk up to her with decisive steps and plop her chin onto her open palm almost immediately the second she presented it. And as if that wasn't enough already, she proceeded to nuzzle herself into it a few times too, actively seeking the warmth of her touch it seemed. The small action was enough to make Rumi's heart swell with double the affection it was already overloaded with due to Zoey.
Rumi opted for chin scritches without hesitating, and she was glad she did because the uncontrolled but pleased tail wags she was rewarded with in return made it all the more worth it. She could even hear the low, satisfied grumble that erupted from within Mira's throat as her eyes fluttered shut for a moment, clearly reveling in the sensation. Oooh, Rumi must've hit jackpot.
God, she loved these two so much. She couldn't wait to finally fall asleep and join them already.
"I see you've gone ahead without me, hm?" Rumi said as she quirked one brow, the faux betrayal in her tone contradicting the smirk that betrayed her true endearment. Though, lost in the high as those two furballs were due to the bliss of petting, they could only hear the former, and Rumi quickly made it a point to not give them the time to answer. Not like they could've in their current forms, but seeing two pairs of eyes shoot back open with worry and guilt written all over their features? Rumi couldn't be mad at them even if she tried.
"Calm down, I'm just joking," she reassured the pair straight away, "Honestly! This is, like, one of the best ways to welcome me back, I'm not even kidding. I definitely wouldn't mind a repeat."
At this Rumi received twin relieved faces that made her giggle softly. She kept scratching and petting her girls for a few moments longer until she forced herself to pull away and finally make her way deeper into their penthouse. As she walked she was flanked by both canines, Zoey and Mira falling into place on each of her side as if it were natural. And it was, in all honesty.
"Since you guys are in this form, that can only meeaan," Rumi drawled as she made for the couch first. No Zomira there. With a thoughtful "Huh." she moved onto Zoey's room next but still saw no trace of them when she peeked inside. "Okay... so Mira's room it is then?"
When she pulled her head back out of the maknae's space and turned to eye their visual's door down the hall, Rumi made out two sets of amused huffs that were exchanged between her fellow hunters who continued to follow along gladly.
It was when the woman stepped closer to the bedroom that she noticed the door in question lying ajar already; an invitation Rumi believed. But when she pushed it open wider to poke her head inside she was left even more confused when she still wasn't greeted by the sight of Mira and Zoey's sleeping forms. The idol did a double take for good measure but nothing changed. When everything stayed the same even after a third take Rumi opted to redirect her bewilderment to the two wolves below this time.
Mira and Zoey met her gaze with matching grins on their snouts before exchanging a brief glance of their own among themselves too and suddenly they were walking away from Rumi. The woman wasn't given the time to wonder why they were leaving, or acknowledge the fact she was missing their closeness already, before she realized they were both heading towards her room now.
No way, she thought.
Yes way, apparently, because when she made for her door and flung it open unceremoniously there they finally were; Zoey and Mira, her hunters, her girls, sprawled on top of her bedsheets while also somehow still leaving enough space for their third to wriggle in too if she really wanted to.
They looked so peaceful, asleep on her bed like that. Rumi almost couldn't look away.
It was when she felt Zoey's snout nudge her hand from behind and Mira's fur gently brush up against her leg that she finally moved, pretty much on autopilot at this point.
Rumi walked up to the occupied bed, climbed onto it carefully (despite there not really being a risk of them waking when their souls were literally right there, watching), and adjusted so that instead of taking the middle, she was now lying facing her two partners, eagerly spooning Zoey from behind while also reaching over to rest her hand on Mira's side.
For a silent moment she simply let the coziness wash over her as she huddled even closer, letting a sigh of relief escape her as she took them in. Rumi then remembered that she wasn't actually alone and she craned her neck to look over at the two wolves that had made themselves comfy on the carpet shy off the bed in the meantime.
They met her gaze head-on and it felt like even though Rumi couldn't understand anything they'd say to her right now, there was still this unspoken understanding happening somehow. A silent It's okay. We're here. We're not leaving your side.
And that was all the reassurance Rumi needed before her head plopped back into her pillow with a soft thud. It didn't take too long after that until the drowsiness was already making itself known by repeatedly tugging at her senses, gradually pulling her under for what Rumi knew was going to be one restful night, especially for her physical body. So she didn't fight the sleep when it finally came to claim her.
She didn't because before she knew it, she was already up again.
The same and yet not really.
A different but similar Rumi.
It hasn't even been that long since she last took on this form—running and thrashing around with it the literal night before too—but who cares? She had missed it all the same.
Being a wolfwalker, it has become a part of her so effortlessly now. To think Rumi had a much easier time accepting this relatively new development in her life than her own demon heritage that had been haunting her since day one made the woman frown whenever she was on her lonesome, but she always made it a point to not dwell on it for too long because Honmoon knows how but Zoey and Mira would always manage to smell out the bad vibes somehow and would come barging into her room with piles of snacks and blankets to cocoon their leader in. Though, having said that, it wasn't like Rumi necessarily hated the excessive care and attention they dished out. She'd actually be a total liar if she ever claimed otherwise.
The moment Rumi came to, she was greeted by the sight of her own resting face slumbering on peacefully. The purple furred lupine was perched on top of her other self but it wasn't long before she hopped off the bed altogether and yawned wide as she did a big stretch on the carpet below.
"God that felt so good. Really needed that," she grumbled in content when she straightened back up again. The lingering satisfaction had her reaction time lagging behind though and before she could even blink, she was instantly tackled to the floor by an overly energetic Zoey.
"Ruru!!" she exclaimed in delight and went in for licks this time. Rumi, not the biggest fan of the face licks but ever the goner for their youngest's enthusiasm, accepted her faith with relative ease and little to no fight. "You're finally back!" Another lick. "We've missed you!" Lick, lick.
"Zoeeey," Rumi dragged the name affectionately before she finally attempted to wrestle the furball off her, but the wolf is persistent. She couldn't help but laugh nevertheless. "I've missed you too. You and Mira both, now get—off!"
She managed to twist her slender and flexible body just right to force her opposite off balance, using that advantage to swiftly gain the upper hand, or in this case, the upper paw (Badum tss).
Soon she was up, then down, then up again before crashing back to the ground once more—the pair's energetic brawl for power stretching on for several moments longer until finally, and with one quick motion, Rumi was back on top of Zoey, front paws planted firmly over the smaller's shoulders, pinning her to the floor with a playful growl and a mouth that hung open, occasionally dipping lower towards Zoey's throat but with little to no teeth on display. Rumi also made sure to not use too much force (never her claws) to pin the maknae in place.
For a few seconds they remained like that, both panting not necessarily out of exertion but rather with sheer waggishness. It was when Zoey tried to wiggle herself out from under Rumi with a loud whine that the latter rolled her eyes affectionately before finally backing off, allowing the blue wolf to do a full body shake once she straightened up again.
"This doesn't mean you won by the way," Zoey huffed, a smirk sporting her small features. Rumi offered her own response; confident, bordering on cocky even.
"Yeah sure, whatever makes you feel better about being a sore loser," she mused, and when Zoey looked like she was about to pounce again Rumi simply let herself plop down next to Mira.
Mira, who immediately leaned in to rub the side of her face against the fellow lupine's, profusely scent marking her in the process. Mira, who had been watching their playful exchange from the sidelines with a look on her face that screamed in what both women could only describe as sheer warmth and adoration. She may not always notice it herself, but whenever it came to those two in particular—her girls, her hunters, her pack—the pinknette would practically wear her heart on her sleeve instead of being the closed book she'd always claim to be.
Zoey and Rumi loved knowing they were the sole exceptions.
Rumi, especially, didn't waste time to return the sentiment but option to groom the taller's fur tenderly instead. An action that earned her another precious few tail wags from the canine. And if the mirrored reaction by Zoey was any indication, the smaller was clearly experiencing the same contentment just by watching.
"Say, where were you in all of this?" Rumi asked Mira, playfully accusing in between licks.
Sure, she liked to wrestle with Zoey, but going wild together was a whole different kind of fun! It reminded Rumi a lot of sparring, and with sparring it's always "the more the merrier". Rumi was sure that Zoey was with her on this too. Mira only shrugged, though (—mentally. In this form she really could only offer a small amused huff).
"If I had joined in on the fun in here, there is 90% guarantee that our surroundings would've paid the price for it," she explained coolly as she finally made to get up from where she rested in a half lying position. Rumi was swiftly (automatically) prompted to follow suit. Mira continued. "And furthermore, this is your room too, Rumi. If we really have to break things then I'd honestly much rather it be things of mine."
Rumi could understand where Mira was coming from, she presumed. And yes, it made sense to some extent too. But then again?
"Mir. You're acting like we aren't, like, filthy rich," she laughed easily as she passed the bigger wolf, headed for the door while she continued. "I'm pretty much convinced that there's literally nothing within this tower we can't have replaced or fixed by the very next day. Or within a week, tops." She halted at the threshold to glance over her shoulder and at her girls. "But if you insist."
"Oh my god, yes, we're going out??" Zoey chimed in as she followed their leader with excited steps, her body practically vibrating already at the mere thought. She had fun playfighting, sure, but Zoey would be downright lying if she claimed that that had been nearly enough to quell all that pent-up energy she got buzzing through her system right now. From the very moment she and Mira stepped into their penthouse together, her inner wolf wouldn't stop pacing back and forth restlessly, demanding to be let out already. Zoey desired to run around, as far and as fast as she could. To simply feel the chilly night air on her fur as she'd allow her instincts to take over for a while. It was the only way to truly satisfy the intense need she'd always experience at the end of each new day. Where physical exhaustion gave way and her second nature took off.
"Oh you bet," Rumi laughed before offering the smaller a mischievous grin. "Trust me. You're not the only one dying to get these legs up and kicking already."
The purple furred followed up with a small but effective wink, and Zoey's heart be damned for how her tail betrayed her delight yet again with even harder wagging than before.
"Subtle much," Mira commented as she passed her with unhurried steps, though deliberately tracing the maknae's face with her own tail while she did so. Zoey hated that it successfully managed to fluster her more, so in an act of rebellion Zoey broke into a run, darting past Mira and almost knocking into Rumi who waited for them in the hallway.
"I'll show you a sore loser," she declared, echoing Rumi's earlier accusation. She met the surprised look on Rumi's face with a competitive grin of her own that stretched far too wide. "Race you two to the roof!"
Why the roof you may wonder? Well, that's because there was only so many places within the tower they could roam in their wolf avatars. It took some figuring out back when being a wolfwalker was still fresh and alien to them. They weren't dumb enough to risk being spotted simply waltzing down the tower's stairs, plus it wasn't really ideal when they were literally living on the top floor of said building. Taking the elevator was out of the question pretty much from the get-go too because they just had no way of ever knowing what or who they could run into on their way down. Constantly anticipating the worst to happen would've been bad for their hearts. That left them with their only (somewhat safe) bet which was up, and after experimenting a lot with the honmoon's magic threads, they had eventually figured out a way to get down the building without being spotted by any cameras or security.
Well.
At first it was only a theory of theirs. They didn't actually know if it worked.
It was Zoey who had tested their theory in the end in a spur of the moment action, dashing towards the edge energetically before flinging herself off the tower's roof entirely—much to Rumi's and Mira's paralyzing terror. Stunlocked, they couldn't do anything but watch their youngest free fall for a few seconds longer before she then suddenly caught herself on glittering threads which she skillfully used to slide down the remaining distance. It was only when Zoey's paws safely came into contact with the even ground below and she gazed up at them with big sparkling eyes and a wagging tail that the two remaining wolves allowed themselves to finally release the breaths they were holding simultaneously. They made sure to chew out their youngest thoroughly for that stupid stunt after they, too, reached the ground.
Back to the now—gone Zoey was; bolting the second she uttered the words, not giving them the time of day to even remotely try and respond to her challenge.
Once she vanished from their sight, for only a brief moment, the two lingering canines continued to stare after their missing third, shocked into silence before they both quickly snapped out of their stupor with astonished laughter.
"This girl—" Rumi started.
"I mean, you did call her that earlier, Ru. I'd say this one's on you," Mira snickered.
Rumi offered the taller a mock betrayed expression with a visible smile dancing on her lips before she, too, surged into a sprint of her own. "Oh she's so on."
"You two are ridiculous," Mira commented breathlessly but followed suit nevertheless, a delighted expression sporting her features as she ran after their leader.
By the time those three made it back to their penthouse with the help of the honmoon, the sun was already kissing the horizon good morning. Needless to say, they made sure to thoroughly quell any and every need that may have plagued them before, to the point where they all returned to Rumi's bedroom with matching lazy but content smiles on their faces.
You'd think that running around so much would have them even more exhausted than before but you'd be dead wrong. Their physical bodies were getting the rest they needed after all. It was their souls; they felt more alive than ever, almost aflame. It was refreshing.
They were more than ready to start their day.