The sun was dipping behind the canyon walls as twilight settled over the venue. The pre-show hustle had wound down into a lull — gear was in place, lights were programmed, mics checked, and crowd noise was rising like a low tide just beyond the stage curtain.
Backstage, most of the crew was off grabbing food or chugging last-minute caffeine.
Thane was crouched behind the main rack near the wings, triple-checking cable runs like he hadn’t already done it twice. His ears flicked once when he heard footsteps approaching— soft ones. Familiar weight. A scent he always picked out of the crowd, no matter how many bodies were packed around him.
Gabriel.
He didn’t say anything at first. Just stood nearby, fidgeting slightly with his in-ear cable. His tail was curled low—not tucked, but definitely not wagging.
“Hey,” Gabriel finally said, his voice lower than usual.
Thane didn’t look up right away, but his ears turned toward him. “You good?”
Gabriel exhaled a shaky breath and sat on a nearby flight case. “Getting there.”
There was a long pause—comfortable, but heavy.
“I, uh…” Gabriel picked at a Velcro strap on his wireless pack. “Didn’t think I’d freeze like that. I’m not usually scared of stuff.”
Thane finally looked over at him. His ice-blue eyes were steady, unreadable for a second. Then he spoke, quiet and even.
“Height hits different when it sways.”
Gabriel snorted a weak laugh. “Yeah. That’ll do it.”
Another pause.
“I thought I was gonna be cool,” Gabriel said, tail flicking a little in self-directed frustration. “Like, ‘oh hey Kyle, don’t worry, your local support werewolf has arrived.’ Instead I locked up like a damn deer in the headlights.”
“You still went up,” Thane said simply, turning back to the rack.
Gabriel blinked. “What?”
“You knew it was stupid. And you went anyway. For someone else.” Thane shrugged one shoulder. “Can’t teach that.”
Gabriel stared at the floor for a second. Then nodded. “…Thanks for coming after me.”
Thane didn’t respond right away. He adjusted a cable, locked it into place, and stood. As he passed Gabriel, he reached out and gave his shoulder a firm, grounding squeeze. Clawed fingers warm through the fabric.
“Always will, my wolf,” he murmured.
Gabriel closed his eyes for a second, breathing through the leftover adrenaline.
“Hey, uh…” he said, voice sheepish, “if I ever go up there again—”
“You won’t,” Thane said, dead serious.
Gabriel grinned despite himself. “Right. Copy that.”
From out front, a sudden roar erupted as the crowd saw the lights dim.
Thane looked toward the stage.
“Let’s go remind them who owns this canyon.”
Gabriel stood and cracked his knuckles. “Time to shake the mountains.”