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Enjin notices Rudo doesn't take anyone's items that smell like them, ever. He keeps to himself in his room and even in there he can hardly smell the rust. He never scents anything and anytime he does he tries to wash it off.
It truly makes him feel despair that a pup hates his own scent so much. Enjin’s been slowly working with him for weeks to build up his confidence.
He takes Rudo out to the mall, buys him lunch and candy, new clothes, then tells him to pick out a stuffed animal. Rudo's embarrassed and says he doesn't want one but keeps eyeing a specific one. Enjin buys it for him and smiles when he sees Rudo carrying it around hours afterwards.
It takes only one day until he checks on the stuffie and it’s scented. Not heavily, but it's certainly claimed. By the next week it smells more like Rudo than Rudo does himself.
There was an issue however. Enjin often can't find it. Rudo will only use it when sleeping. Other than that he hides it. Like he's still trying to keep his scent away from people.
One night he's smoking outside and the pup comes out. He's hugging the stuffie and hands it to Enjin.
Enjin knows what he wants. He holds it and gently swipes his wrist across it. Not much, he doesn't want to overpower anything or push boundaries. He hands it back.
"You know, not a lotta people like my scent either. It's ink and smoke."
That seems to get through to Rudo a bit. Baby steps of progress. He just wanted Rudo comfortable to be himself, especially around the pack. They were a big family who took care of one another after all.
After that night Rudo would often bring him the stuffie. Each time Enjin would scent it just a bit more. Then he started to smell other scents on it. Riyo first. Then Zanka. Enjin caught a glimpse of Rudo asking dear and Guita to scent it one night.
Gris comes up to Enjin one day. "You know what he's doin' right?"
"No.." He really didn't. He just thought this was good steps for Rudo to take. He was already accepted into the pack by everyone, but the pup hadn’t accepted himself.
"He's using that stuffie like himself. We scent one another. But he's so scared to taint us with his scent that the stuffie is his outlet."
Oh. Rudo had made the stuffed animal smell like him, then got all of them to scent it. That made sense.. It was really sad though.
Enjin had the overwhelming itch to scent his pack. Everyone did, it was normal. But none of them could do it with Rudo. He would freeze, tense up, shrink away. But with the stuffed animal he'd offer it instead.
Progress was slow, but it was still progress.
Rudo seems to like Enjin’s scent the most. He could guess why. They were both 'undesirables'. Rudo once told him his dad smelled like dust and books. Also not desirable. The pup also probably saw him like a dad. Not to replace his previous one, but a new one. He was doing his best to be one for him but it didn’t come easily or naturally to him.
Enjin never thought Rudo’s scent was bad. Just very shocking at first. It was a good thing he knew how to maintain a poker face. Even Zanka had struggled to maintain his own when he met Rudo. But once they were used to it, it was nice. Sweet, even.
Rudo kept visiting with the stuffie any time the scent began to taper away.
Then one day he curls up beside him and very shyly rubs their wrists together. Rudo’s own scent glands were broken there, but his gloves were something similar. Since he wore them all of the time the smell of rust was imbued in the fibers, so it worked close enough.
Enjin was internally exploding with joy at this but keeps calm. He scents the stuffie pretending he didn't notice the monumental achievement he just got with Rudo.
Rudo looks up at him and huffs. "Your purring is loud.”
Enjin smirks at him a bit. "Sorry. Just happy to be scented back, you know? Been scenting this little guy for a while, so I'm glad to have it returned."
This makes Rudo flustered but nod. The next few weeks Rudo is occasionally scenting his wrists. Mainly Enjin. He hasn’t worked up towards the others but is very close to doing so.
This was a huge step forward in his progress.
He starts with Gris and is very happy with the results. Riyo is next. She's very calm about it but makes him feel confident. Then Zanka. Rudo still has them scent the stuffie, but also allows them to start scenting him.
Even though it's been a few months since he joined the pack he’s finally starting to smell like everyone.
Enjin can see just how far Rudo’s come to realize he can trust them all.
Tamsy returns with Delmon one day. They are both Alphas, but Tamsy has a few packs he is in and visits around due to his alluring scent and busy lifestyle. He doesn’t visit often for that very reason.
Tamsy can't help but gag since he isn’t used to the rust smell that instantly assaults his nose. To him, everyone smells wrong and vile. None of them smell like him and he hates that. Luckily Rudo's out with Enjin so he doesn’t see Tamsy’s reaction.
He scents everyone in a way that utterly masks and hides that horrid scent until it's smothered with his perfect lovely scent.
Enjin comes back home with Rudo after errands. To him he just came home and everything smells fine. He can obviously tell Tamsys here with his light airy scent but nothing else.
To Rudo, it's worse. He can't smell himself at all. It's like he's been completely erased from this place, shoved out. The only thing that smells familiar is Enjin so he stays near him. He's quiet as he puts away groceries with him.
Riyo comes in and wraps her arm around his shoulder, trying to say something. Rudo makes this sour face and pulls away. She.. does not have his scent. At all. He feels utterly rejected. And she smells like Tamsy. It makes him want to puke.
Then Zanka comes in. It’s the same. He can’t smell himself at all. Not in any room or on his packmates.
Rudo leaves quickly and hides away in his room. It smells like him, but he hates his scent again.
..of course when someone with a better scent comes by they'd want to smell like it. Why would they have ever wanted to smell like Rudo?
Despite how he feels he clings to his stuffie, burying his face in it. It’s the only thing that’s making him relax even though it hurts. It smells like family even though his beta brain is telling him they kicked him out of the family.
They replaced him with someone far more better.
He doesn’t come down for dinner even though it’s his favorite food. The whole point of grocery shopping with Enjin today was for them to pick out something for Rudo to eat. Normally everyone gets one day a month they pick out what gets made for dinner so missing something like this was unheard of.
Gris decides to check on him but the door is locked. He goes and gets Enjin to tell him what’s up.
His door being locked has never happened before. Even when Rudo first moved in, his door was always open because even if he pushed people away he still craved them coming to check up on him.
Enjin excuses himself from the family dinner and goes to check on Rudo. He shimmies the lock easily and enters and it smells like pure distress. The rust smell is intense, making his eyes water. Rudo has hardly made the stuffie smell like himself so something had clearly happened.
Rudo looks at Enjin. Puffy eyes, a look of pure hurt.. this wasn't a normal sadness. He goes to move closer but the pup gags. He recoils from Enjin as if touching him would be painful.
Enjin freezes. Rudos never even winced smelling rancid rotting trash. But he knows what scent Rudo doesn’t like. He saw it weeks ago.
Back when they first rescued the pup, Tamsy had visited. He saw first hand how Rudo avoided the Alpha like the plague.
Fucking hell. When had Tamsy scented him? He had specifically avoided trying to get his scent on him because he knew Rudo didn't like it, but to see him get sick being this close..
No wonder he was hold up in his room. "Shit, sorry. I'll take a shower. Will you be alright if I--?"
Another scent of pure distress. Worse than before almost. It makes his eyes sting from how intense it is. It was so bad Enjin was worried he'd have to take Rudo into a hospital or need medication to knock out.
"Okay, okay, I'm not gonna leave. I-- do you think you can scent me? To get rid of the smell?"
The thought of even touching Tamsy’s scent makes Rudo feel like the world is spinning. Tamsy’s scent is bad because he knows it. It smells like the sphere. It smells like he is specifically trying to kick rudo aside. It smells like he is replacing him. Like death, corpses, and rotting trash.
His chest hurt. His heart hurt. Breathing was hard. Thinking was worse. His eyes stung.
Enjin, the one person he was starting to really trust they were the same, smelled like Tamsy. Tamsy, whose scent perfectly masked his. Whose scent was perfect in every way to everybody else like they can’t smell the rot. There was no sharing scents when it came to Tamsy.
It was either him or Rudo, no mingling at all. And Rudo was the newest pup and a useless foul smelling beta at that. Even if Tamsy wasn’t the pretty alpha with the most alluring scent, Rudo was going to lose against him any time he tried, if he ever did.
"I'm gonna go wash his scent off okay? It will just be a minute." What could even happen in that time? He hoped nothing would happen while he was gone. Enjin leaves to go wash every scent off of him just to make sure.
When he gets back it’s worse. That distress smell is almost entirely gone, just lingering in the air. The stuffed animal Rudo was just clinging to like a lifeline was set on the bedside table. Rudo was curled up facing away from it hugging his pillow.
Fuck this wasn't good. He was repressing everything and rejecting everything else. Enjin sat beside him and checked his temperature. He wasn't burning up. If he wasn't sick, why was his scent going so haywire? Was it really due to one person's scent?
There had to be more to this that he didn’t know.
"Rudo?" No response. Not good. No matter what he tried Rudo was ignoring him. It normally wasn't good to force any scenting, but he deemed the situation dire enough. Enjin gently ran his wrist against Rudos.
Finally a shift of life. Good. "Rudo?" Rudo instantly burst into tears and started to rub at his wrists. "Go away.. go away.. stop."
Had he gone too far with the scenting..? Maybe.. but he was so worried. "Rudo, I want to help. I don't-- you're actin' weird, okay? I'm worried."
Rudo looks up at him, eyes dull. "I want you to go away."
Even though Enjin could tell he meant it without a doubt, he knew his pup. He knew deep down Rudo was begging to be loved. He shook his head and laid down beside him, wrapping his arms around him.
"Sorry, bud.. I'm not leaving my pup alone."
The shift was instant. He could smell Rudo again. Body shaking sobs wracked through him. Enjin held him as he let it all out. Through the sobs, Rudo managed to explain what he was feeling.. and Enjin had to piece it together.
But boy when he understood the subtleties of just what Tamsy did he was not happy. Rudo had clearly tried not to throw Tamsy under the bus while quietly explaining his scent was entirely gone from the pack.
That was not an accident.
He couldn’t do anything about it right now either. So he held Rudo close until the both of them took a quick nap.
Rudo's wrist glands are already very fucked up. They don't produce very well. There’s still some scent there, but it’s 'uneven'. Not only that but it’s hidden by his gloves and his bandages, so even if it did work he hardly uses it to scent things.
Rudo mainly uses his neck. Enjins caught him nuzzling the hell out of the stuffie. Everyone’s scents and his own intermingled. It's adorable. He loves that thing so much.
But now he's avoiding it. And everyone. When Enjin woke up in Rudo's bed the kid was gone. He tried to smell him out but there was nothing. He got up and checked the bathroom since the shower was running.
Rudo was sitting in the bath hugging himself. His skin was tinted a bit pink being raw from aggressive scrubbing and the water was hot. Enjin walked over and turned it off. He drained the bath and got Rudo a towel. The beta was shivering now, and whined.
Enjin scooped him up and dried him off. He wasn't gonna talk. He knew Rudo was trying to scrub his scent away. He wasn't stupid.
He smelled like nothing. Absolutely nothing. That was not good or healthy at all. Everyone needed some type of scent. "Rudo.. may i..?" He showed him his own wrist.
Rudo instantly shakes his head no and pulls the towel closer.
Why? Why doesn't he want his scent? Enjin can understand he's so in distress he'd try to wash his own away. He's done that himself before. But denying being scented..?
"I don't.. understand. Is my scent repulsing you now?" He had to be sure.
Rudo shook his head again, this time firmer. Enjin picks him up and takes him back to his room. He dresses Rudo in his big fluffy comfort clothes, applies new bandages, and slides on his gloves. "Better?" No response.
The only other thing that even remotely smells like Rudo is his gloves. It’s faint, but there.
Enjin gets an idea. He's going to have to force scent again, but that’s better than being scentless. Rudo’s mental state is not good and he needs to know his pack is here, especially after he washed them all off.
Enjin risks it. He presses his wrist into one glove, right where Rudo's actual scent gland would be. Rudo doesn't pull away but stares. Slowly, he offers Enjin the other glove. He carefully scents that one too. "Want me to grab the stuffie?" To his surprise Rudo says no and won’t even look at it. "Can you tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it?"
"I'm wrong." Rudo finally speaks, his voice rough. "It’s me." "No, it isn't. It’s not you. It’s Tamsy." Rudo flinches when he says that name. He looks away. "It is me.." "How?" Enjin sits him on his lap and nuzzles his hair. He's fighting the urge to smother him in his scent. To claim him as apart of his pack, his family, as his son, and keep him away from Tamsy. He doesn't though.
"Tamsy’s a good guy.. 'n he scented everyone.. 'm just jealous."
That’s not it at all.
Enjin can hear the lies. "Rudo, I'm not blind. He purposefully hid your scent and replaced it with his. I didn't notice at first but once I knew you were upset it was easy to put two and two together."
Rudo shakes his head "He's just.. fixing a bad scent in his pack."
Enjin’s heart squeezes painfully. He can’t help it. He leans down and nuzzles his neck, scenting him lightly there. Enjin feels genuine distress not being able to smell Rudo at all, even so close to a scent gland. How is he keeping it back so well? It’s scary.
Rudo lets out one broken quiet purr before it vanishes. "No he isn’t." Enjin huffed out. "He knows your scent and purposefully isolated you. He knows you hate his scent too.. he scented everyone like that on purpose. Damnit.." Enjin’s shaking with rage. "Im gonna kick him from the pack."
Rudo shakes his head no. "No! No don’t, i--" He doesn’t want to be the reason someone is kicked out. "Its okay I can handle it"
"Kid." Enjin’s tone is flat. "You can’t handle it. That’s why you’re in here with no damn scent." He hugs Rudo gently. "I'm gonna kill him.. who does this to a pup..?" Enjins mumbling to himself. Rudo listens and overhears Enjin say something about Rudo’s scent.. in a good way. That he misses it.
Rudo hands him the stuffie and watches Enjin bury his face into it and inhale. He can smell the stress from Enjin fading just a bit.
Words can be lies. Scents were the truth. Rudo.. really couldn't deny that Enjin liked his scent. It just calmed him down. Why..? Why?? Why does Enjin care so much about him and how he’s feeling?
Isn’t his scent repulsive? He’s a useless beta too. Rudo’s never understood why anyone would even remotely like him either. Those with good smells were loved and desired. And yet..
"Sorry, I scented it a bit." Enjin’s having trouble controlling it. His anger is getting to his head. It’s bad enough if he storms out now he's gonna punch Tamsy in the face. Staying near his son where he can protect him is the only thing keeping him from going downstairs and punching him black and blue.
Rudo leaned against him and closed his eyes. Another short weak broken purr. Enjin pets his hair as Rudo dozes off asleep.
The first thing he does is call Corvus. He picks up after the first ring. "Enjin, what’s up? How’s Rudo doing?" He can hear the party and fun in the background as the pack is playing games by now.
"Bad. He's going blank." If anyone went blank then getting a scent back would be hard. It was close to mind numbing insanity to be nothing. Those who went blank would struggle to ever get a scent again.
"Get up here."
Corvus ends the call and is at the door in literal seconds. He slowly walks in and sees Rudo asleep. Corvus shuts the door behind him and listens to Enjin explain everything. How Tamsy scented everyone specifically to drown out, remove, and isolate Rudo’s. Enjin’s theory is that he doesn’t like the beta for his scent and attitude since Rudo rejected Tamsy’s scenting even though he does that with everyone and Rudo despises his scent.
"I should have suspected something when Tamsy moved to scent me." Corvus rubbed his own wrist where some of Tamsy’s scent lingered.
On Enjin’s chest Rudo made a face of discomfort. He buried his head into Enjin’s neck right into his scent gland.
Corvus glared. Not at Rudo. Just at how bad it was. They were obviously aware of scent isolating or scent dominating. Where two people would try to claim the others more than the other. Normally it was two alphas and they'd try to kick the other out by having everyone smell like them. But this happened centuries ago!
And NOT between a beta pup who's already been very clearly isolated, shunned, and traumatized from his past versus an alpha who's scent is so desirable he is in several packs.
There was an issue. It was going to be hard to get rid of Tamsy. Every single person in their big pack would need to agree to remove Tamsy. If even one wanted him it would be hard to get rid of him.
Another issue was Tamsy’s been here for years and knows everyone. Rudo’s new and hasn't even scented anyone other than a select few pack members a few times.
Plus Tamsy was a sly adult who had a way with words, so if he got to speaking he could manipulate everyone to remove Rudo from the pack instead. Probably something like "he's new! He rejects your scents, he isn’t *officially* in the pack if we can’t smell him, he's a beta,". Corvus can see that happening crystal clear.
Betas were already quite undesirable to society standards. They were just 'in betweens' that were neither a commanding alpha or an omega with a sweet scent.
When Corvus had heard about a beta with a scent that no one likes he was rather shocked. Betas were already uncommon, but they normally had mellow scents. Enjin had seriously told him over the phone several times to keep a straight face.
Even with preparation the first time he saw Rudo and smelled him the scent stung.
He instantly knew why.
Rudo’s scent was a warning. To keep back. To stay away. He wanted no one close to him and was trying to repel them. The moment he felt safe and loved the scent had a sweetness to it. Even if everyone could hardly smell it, they knew it was good progress.
But Enjin, who’s right beside Rudo, can’t even smell him. He's going blank, and if he does Rudo will need some serious rehab before he goes insane. A scent was someone’s identity, so him trying to remove it from himself and everyone was making it worse.
"Ill handle it. Call me if you need anything." Corvus left. The first person he grabbed from the party was Gris. Now that he was aware of Tamsy’s plans of isolating Rudo, the alpha’s scent was turning from floral to sour and rotting.
It made him want to vomit. Was this was Rudo always smelled from the beginning?
"Gris, something serious has happened." Corvus glances back to the party. Everyone’s smiling and having fun. He doesn’t want to ruin it but he needs that alpha out of his house as soon as possible. He has to tell everyone what Tamsy did, get him out, and make everyone wash their scents. If they don’t Rudos going to keep spiraling feeling rejected by the entire pack, even by Enjin.
And it had taken them months to even get the pup to scent Enjin. "Tamsy's isolating Rudo from the pack." Corvus whispers.
Gris' eyes narrow. Not in suspicion, but of realization. He sniffs the air. Rudo’s scent was always just barely there, in the background, but it was completely gone. "Shit, I didn't even notice--"
Corvus shakes his head. "That’s a part of scent dominating. No one notices except the ones doing it. Thing is Tamsy just absolutely removed everything that smelled like Rudo."
"His room?" Gris growled low. Corvus shakes his head. "No, but Rudo's going blank. Enjin's keeping him company. We need to get Tamsy out of the pack."
Gris looks over. Tamsy’s smiling, scenting Bro as they spoke. He glares again. Tamsy was never a touchy alpha. Before Rudo he'd only scent twice. Once when arriving, once when he left. Nothing else. And here he was constantly scenting everyone. Over and over.
He was doing it on purpose.
"His.. scent. It smells horrid now. I've never seen someones smell do that before." Gris mumbles. It makes his stomach churn. Even if you hated someone, their scent wouldn't be horrid. It would just smell like them.
Corvus realized something. "His.. true colors. We are smelling what he actually is, not what we think he is."
Damn. Now it was up to them to ruin the party and kick Tamsy out or do something else.. "Its a tough decision but we can do it."
Corvus sighs and walks up. "I apologize for ruining the fun but something serious has happened." The room goes silent. Eyes are on him. "Rudos took a turn for the worse and is going blank. Enjin’s with him now but if this continues he's going to spiral."
Now that they know how dire it is..
Corvus looks at Tamsy. "Care to explain why you were scent isolating him?"
Tamsy stares at him, emotions unchanging. "I was not. I have just scented my pack. I did not scent Rudo since I am well aware of his aversion to this entire pack’s scents."
Corvus and Gris despise how he twisted those words to blame Rudo, to make it seem like Rudo was isolating himself and hated the pack.
Gris grit his teeth, showing his fangs. Something he never does. He’s an alpha who never wants to be feared so he always keeps his fangs hidden. "Then where the hell is Rudo’s scent, Tamsy? We just spent weeks working with him to--" Corvus sets a hand on his shoulder. He needed to be calm.
It was only a few days ago Rudo finally scented Gris for the first time. The pup had been so nervous, fidgeting, but eager. It was so light Gris could hardly smell it, but Rudo was there all the same. It was like his son was finally coming around.
And now it was gone.
Tamsy’s rotting scent was overpowering everyone’s. Smeared right over and smothered Rudo’s light scent. Gris was rubbing at it, trying to get it off.
"As Gris was saying-" Corvus continued for him. "We don’t just suspect you of scent isolating. We know you did it."
The room is quiet and staring at Tamsy. "Truly I did not mean to if so. When I walked in I didn't even smell him on anyone." Again. Deflecting, blaming Rudo. If he kept saying 'well, Rudo isn’t on anyone, he isn’t a part of the pack' He would probably convince everyone else he should stay. "If you really want me to leave.. we can hold a vote?"
Corvus is glaring at him. He opens his mouth to speak but Tamsy beats him to it. “I'll let the pack decide if I am to be removed for a simple mistake or not."
This fucking bitch. Corvus knew he was sly but his words were slimy. Saying he'd allow the pack to do this. Saying it was a mistake, and a simple one! SIMPLE!? Rudo’s on the verge of going blank and he calls this a light mistake!?
Bro looks at Tamsy and frowns. "This isn’t a simple mistake.. you aren’t here often so don’t know how much of a milestone it is to even smell Rudo’s scent in any room that isn’t his own."
This gets everyone nodding.
"I apologize that my scent overpowered his. I'll be more careful in the future."
Gris growls. "I do not want you in my pack." He looks to Tomme and Follo and motions them over. They have never seen Gris so aggressive and get up. Gris takes them to the kitchen where he gently and tentatively washes Tamsy’s scent off of them.
He's showing he is dead serious. That he would rather leave the pack with them than stay if Tamsy stays. No vote needed.
Tomme is very apprehensive since she and Tamsy have gotten close over the years and she loves his scent, but she trusts Gris more. Even if Rudo is newer, he's still been here for months. She's seen how terrified he is of his own scent.
She’s seen how he'd smell himself in a room and quickly clean it thinking no one was around. He already isolates his scent from everyone. So Tamsy taking away the very little he did scent willingly was disgusting.
She glares at Tamsy as she washes his scent off.
"If you guys still want Tamsy I am not keeping you. But I am making a new pack, so we will certainly have to change dynamics around if you stay with Tamsy."
Riyo hasn’t moved. She’s been on Corvus' side the entire time but she and Zanka want to see what bullshit Tamsy will try to lie about.
Delmon is the most apprehensive. Understandable. Bro dear and Guita are on the fence but leaning towards Corvus' side. Semiu Eishia and August are still waiting to hear out the rest of the story.
"I haven't been here in a few weeks," Tamsy tries. "And the last time I was here Rudo was new. You are blowing this out of proportion, Corvus. I will be very mindful of who and how much I scent now."
"You should have been mindful the first time. This is the second time. And you still smothered it."
Dear lifts his own wrist to smell it and frowns. Rudo had scented him that day which was rare and noticed it was completely gone. He could still smell everyone else. Enjin, Bro, Guita, he could even smell August who he hardly scents!
But only Rudos is gone.
Even if Dear was the youngest he knew that was deliberate.
It’s hard to accidentally cover someone’s scent. Smells intermingle and mix. They don’t vanish or get covered up. So why was Rudos gone? He gets up off of Bro and tugs them away to go wash the scent off. Guita hisses at Tamsy and stomps off. Bro stays but only to keep listening.
"Rudo is the only beta here, of course his scent is going to fade faster." Tamsy argues. "Have I ever done anything like this before? I have been with you all for years. No problems have ever arisen until this moment with Rudo."
Riyo finally sits up. "So you’re blaming Rudo?" She tilts her head at him. "Just cus Rudo’s a beta with a different scent who hates your smell? Well, I'm on his side. You smell like actual shit that's been rotting in the sun, Tamsy. I don't know how you changed your scent to make it alluring, but it’s making me want to fucking throw up."
Tamsy tenses. "I.. do not know what you mean. My scent is fine, it hasn't changed. And what about Rudo’s? Everyone had the same reaction to it."
Constantly blaming Rudo. Zanka rolled his eyes. "It was intense and sour at first, but not bad. It was a keep away scent, a defense. Yours smells like you are rotting from the inside out." Zanka gets up. "I don’t want you in my pack either."
"So you’re accepting a new problematic beta pup with a bad scent over me?"
Ah. His true colors slipped.
Corvus saw the shift instantly. Eishia and August left and Semiu was making a face. They were all smelling tamsy for what he was instead of what he was pretending to be.
"I don't think we need to hold a vote. Get the fuck out of my house, Tamsy."
Tamsy looks to Delmon. Delmons frowning. "Rudo is a good kid."
Tamsy’s eyes narrow. "He is a brat."
Delmon gets up. "You never tried to get to know him. Instead you tried to shun him away because you didn't like that he hated you."
Tamsy growls as he leaves. Corvus and the others spend hours removing Tamsy’s scent as best as they can. It's pungent. It seeped into everything and clings there like a desperate last attempt to stay.
When done, gris makes a plate of food and carries it upstairs. He cautiously opens the door to see how things are.
Enjin’s been gently nuzzling the stuffie, then nuzzling Rudo’s neck. He's trying to put Rudo’s own scent back on him. It’s a sad sight but he gets it.
Gris sits on the bed. "Is he awake..? You hungry?"
He sees Rudo’s red eyes look up at him then drop to his wrist. He can tell Rudo’s trying to smell him from a distance.
To his absolute surprise Rudo reaches out. He slowly brushes his glove against his wrist and brings it close to him. "Gris.." Rudo's voice is so raw and small, meek and rough. "Where-- where is your scent?" He sounds in distress.
"Sorry." Gris looks away. "I just washed everything off so it’s not really there."
Rudo swallows, confused. He didn’t say shower or bathe. He said washed it off. "Why?"
Gris smiles a bit at him. "I was removing Tamsy’s scent. He isn’t a part of the pack anymore. I haven’t had time to rescent anything.."
Rudo doesn’t like not smelling Gris. It makes him feel anxious, like he's there but not really. He reaches out and takes Gris' hand, pulling it close. He nuzzles his wrist, only relaxing when he smells a bit of his familiar scent.
It's gentle but strong. It smells like a workshop, but also like the outdoors. Rudo realizes in that moment why Enjin was so worried.. and still is. Rudo knows he smells like nothing. But.. He had just smelled Gris smell like nothing.
Was that how they felt?
Rudo teared up and clings to Gris' arm. "I.. I can't make my scent.." Hes trying but nothing is happening. Tears spill out. He's shaking. "I cant-- I cant--"
Before he can truly panic something soft is in front of him. Familiar. Nice. He buries his face into it. Its him. It smells like him. The twang of rust mingled with Enjin, Gris, and a few others. He hugs the stuffie close and closes his eyes.
It's his family. Not entirely. Not yet. But it's close enough and he feels.. loved.
Enjins holding him close. Gris is beside him petting his head. Rudo lets out a weak broken purr.
"Even if you can't make a scent we will still love you the same." Gris speaks low, carding through his hair. "But I will miss it."
Enjin nods a bit. He isn't good at words for comfort but tries. "Youre our pup.. and if i have to leave Corvus' pack to have you with me then I will."
Rudo sniffles and shakes his head. "What 'bout Zanka and Riyo?"
"They’ll come with. I'll beat Zanka senseless until he accepts it if he already hasn’t." Enjin swears he hears a dry laugh.
It's paired with a familiar scent. It feels like Rudo. Enjin can't help but bury his face in his neck and rumble as he purrs upon smelling Rudo, encouraging him to keep at it.
Rudo hugs the stuffie closer and nuzzles into Enjin's neck, weakly purring as he scents his dad. He looks over and offers gris his hand. Gris gently nuzzles his glove, making sure to not scent it as much. He never wants to overpower anything.
"Gris.. m.. my neck?" Rudo shyly asks. Gris doesn't even hesitate. Enjin pulls back and smiles watching Gris nuzzle Rudo's neck, smearing his scent. Mingling theirs together. He reaches up and wipes some tears from Rudo's face.
"If anyone ever even tries to isolate you.. you better tell me. I will not hesitate to kill them." And he is speaking the truth. Rudo nods and nuzzles into them weakly. He can at least make his own scent now.. which was extremely good.
Gris and Enjin lay down and don't sleep until Rudo does, safe and sound.