Author: Thane

Same moment, backstage before showtime

As Thane and Gabriel exchanged that brief, tender nuzzle, a quiet ahem rumbled from nearby.

They both turned to see Mark leaning against a flight case just a few steps away, arms crossed, one brow arched in classic judgment mode. He was fully in uniform—blue polo, black cargo pants, a soda in one hand that was already half-empty. How long had he been standing there?

“Don’t mind me,” he said dryly. “Just watching the heartfelt reconciliation unfold. You two want a spotlight or should I cue the violin section?”

Gabriel laughed and flicked his tail. “Oh come on, you’re just mad no one ever nuzzles you.”

Mark took a sip of his soda. “I’d settle for people not throwing me into every emotional support situation like I’m the band therapist.”

Thane snorted. “To be fair, you do have therapist energy.”

“Yeah, well,” Mark grumbled, “next time one of you climbs a thirty-foot truss with zero gear, I’m charging an emotional hazard fee.”

Gabriel grinned and reached over to playfully nudge Mark’s arm. “You’re just jealous I got the nose nuzzle.”

Mark blinked, then looked deadpan at Thane. “He say that like it’s a bad thing?”

Thane chuckled and clapped a clawed hand on Mark’s shoulder. “You’re our rock, old wolf. You keep us steady.”

Mark shook his head with a slight smile. “Someone has to.”

Just then, the house lights dimmed, and the crowd’s roar surged like a tidal wave crashing against the back wall.

“All right,” Mark said, pushing off the case. “Time to make noise.”

Gabriel rolled his shoulders and gave his bass one last strum. “Let’s give ’em a show they’ll never forget.”

Thane cracked his neck and stepped toward the stage, his voice calm now, but full of fire.

“Let’s howl.”

Backstage, moments before the lights go up.

The rigging was fixed, the cables coiled, and the stage lights hummed back to life—finally. The crew had mostly scattered, retreating to their posts or melting into the dark corners where they could do their work unnoticed.

But Thane lingered in the wings.

He stood there, arms crossed, ice-blue eyes flicking across the stage where Gabriel adjusted his tuning in quiet concentration. That red bass gleamed in the glow of the fixed spotlight, and Gabriel—back turned—was nodding faintly to the beat in his head, tail swaying ever so slightly.

Guilt pricked at Thane like a thorn in his paw.

With a slow breath, he padded forward. His clawed feet made the faintest clicks on the wood floor, but Gabriel didn’t look up. Not until Thane stood beside him.

“Hey,” Thane said, voice low—quieter than usual.

Gabriel glanced up, his expression unreadable at first. Then came that slight tilt of the ears, the same look he always gave when he was trying to decide if he should be mad or amused.

“I was out of line earlier,” Thane muttered. “You didn’t deserve that.”

Gabriel blinked, slowly resting his clawed hand over the strings to silence them. “No,” he said, gently, “but I get it.”

Thane scratched behind his neck, visibly uncomfortable. “I wasn’t just pissed about the light. It’s everything. The venue’s understaffed, we’re down a fog unit, and I haven’t even checked the comms board. I snapped. I shouldn’t’ve snapped at you.”

Gabriel gave him a long, slow look… then reached up and pressed his nose softly to Thane’s.

Just like that.

A quiet nuzzle. No words. No dramatics. Just warmth.

Thane let out a low rumble of relief and leaned into it, his claws brushing Gabriel’s arm in return.

“You always make it through,” Gabriel said, voice barely more than a whisper. “Even when you’re claw-deep in chaos.”

“Yeah,” Thane said, with the faintest smile, “but it’s easier when I’ve got my wolf.”

That drew a grin from Gabriel. “Damn right.”

A stagehand’s voice crackled over the comms: “Feral Eclipse, five minutes to go time.”

Gabriel backed off just slightly and gave Thane’s chest a soft tap with the back of his hand. “Let’s go melt some faces.”

Thane chuckled, his earlier tension finally breaking. “Just don’t fall off the stage this time.”

Gabriel smirked. “Only if you promise not to fall off the ceiling.”

By the lights of Feral Eclipse

The backstage world was always a chaotic hum before a show, like the quiet seconds before a thunderclap. Lights buzzed, cables coiled underfoot like restless serpents, and the air carried the metallic scent of sweat, amps, and electricity.

High above the stage, Thane clung to the truss like it was part of him—muscles taut, clawed feet gripping the metal framework with casual confidence. A busted lighting fixture hung limp in his hand like a broken tooth, its glass eye dark against the glow of the surrounding rig. The house was already filling with fans, their muffled roars building like a tidal wave behind the curtain.

Thane growled low in his throat, fur bristling as he twisted a stubborn bolt with one clawed hand. “Damn thing better not short again…”

Down below, Gabriel stood near the monitors, his sleek black fur glinting in the ambient lighting. His bass guitar hung comfortably from his shoulder, crimson and fierce. But his eyes—icy blue and sharp—weren’t on the instrument. They were fixed upward, locked onto Thane.

“No harness?” Gabriel called, ears twitching back nervously. “You’re seriously just hanging up there?”

“I’m fine,” Thane shot back without looking.

Gabriel took a step closer, voice rising just enough to draw glances from the rest of the crew. “Thane, seriously — just… be careful!”

That was the last straw.

With a huff, Thane spun around on the truss, teeth bared in a scowl. In a single, fluid leap, he dropped to the stage floor like a thunderbolt—boots absent, clawed feet slamming onto the wood with a thud that shook the rigging. The sudden movement made a few humans nearby flinch.

He stalked toward Gabriel, tail lashing behind him.

“Don’t you start!” he snarled, fangs flashing. “Not when I’m already up to my ears in busted gear and late cues!”

Gabriel stepped back, momentarily wide-eyed. “Whoa—hey—I was just worried, alright? You’re halfway to a nosedive and I—”

Thane’s ears flicked, and for a moment, silence hung between them like a tightrope.

Gabriel softened, his claws curling around the neck of his bass. “You scared the crap outta me. That’s all.”

The tension cracked, just a little.

Thane’s shoulders lowered, his brow easing—but only slightly. “Yeah, well… it’s not the lights I’m mad at. Just everything else.”

“Then come back up with a harness next time, genius,” Gabriel smirked, tail flicking once.

Thane grunted, turning back toward the truss. “Fine. But only because if I fall, you’re the one cleaning up the fur and guts.”

“Deal,” Gabriel chuckled. “But I’m not holding the mop.”