when will you make a grave? for i will be home then

[pursuitofcappiness]

who Steve, you!
what Homecoming
when Early morning, day 48
where Edge of the forest

He wakes up in the forest and he doesn't know where he is. But he knows his best bet's to walk east. He doesn't remember these trees, but he knows what time it is, looks for the sun creeping up over the horizon, knows where he's going.

He doesn't feel drugged like he assumes he'd be, and he doesn't feel injured. He just feels confused, like he doesn't know where he just was or what day it is. How did he fall asleep out here?

If he looks at his reflection, he might not recognize it. His hair is unkempt, his eyes are slightly sunken, and he has the light beginnings of a beard. The only thing familiar would be the sharpness of his stare.

As soon as he sees the end of the trees, he knows where he is. This place felt like a dream, and not a particularly good one. Now he's back in it.

Comments

[manofiron]

He isn’t thinking about the future or what could be improved upon. He’s existing solely in the present, with the soft, slightly lumpy thing beneath him – the mattress and the balled up sheets, if he knew what they were called – the solid warmth of the two-legs next to him, and his hand combing through fur in the most relaxing of ways. It’s not so bad, being like this, he thinks. It’s not the forest. It’s not running and jumping and climbing. There’s no game, no window, no endless sky. But it’s warm and dry and for the moment, comfortable.

The tiger’s eyes close as he lets out a mighty yawn, then leaves them closed as he rolls further onto his side, sets his head down, and lets the tension fade from his muscles. If the two-legs keeps it up, he’ll probably fall asleep.

For now, he’s just going to soak up the attention.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Steve's got plenty of attention to give. He wanted somewhere else to place his mind and he sure got it. He decides to give Stanley a belly rub. He can fall asleep if he wants. If the tiger ends up falling asleep on him, he'll just lie back and take a nap. It's not like Tony's using his bed while Stanley's on it anyway. Actually, it's morning and Steve hasn't done anything, but this is pretty relaxing and he might do that, take a fifteen-minute nap if his new pet (his new owner) lets him go.

A few of the gifts he's gotten in life were things that he's unexpectedly loved more than he'd have thought. A good strong will from his mother, letters from Bucky, one very useful shield, a picnic in a tower, friends he never expected to make... and a a new addition to the list, shocking mane and golden eyes and all.

No, it's still not an optimal place to be... but it's a nice silver lining.

[manofiron]

At first, he tenses. Stomachs are sensitive, vulnerable places, and only a very foolish predator leaves open his weak points. But after a moment, he relaxes, recognizing that while the two-legs is touching his stomach, he isn’t attempting to harm him. And the further he relaxes, the more he enjoys it.

They smell like food. They remind him of the animals in the forest that he hunts. Taller, bigger, with louder voices and things that aren’t fur or claws, but he isn’t hungry. The obnoxious one fed him earlier. His stomach is full and he’s as content as he can be, all things considered.

His breathing evens out. His ears relax and his tail stills. Slowly, the tiger falls asleep. And should the two-legs lay down with him, he won’t wake and take advantage of the vulnerability. There’s honor in the wild, and as the two-legs pays him the respect not to attack, so too will the tiger.