{"id":406,"date":"2023-07-18T01:00:47","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T06:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/?p=406"},"modified":"2024-02-10T10:23:02","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T16:23:02","slug":"backstage-before-the-howl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/backstage-before-the-howl\/","title":{"rendered":"Backstage Before the Howl"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The air behind the stage was thick with anticipation. The Electric Grove Theater<\/strong> hummed with the low thrum of a crowd gathering beyond the curtains\u2014muffled voices, laughter, the occasional sound check echo, distant but electric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Backstage was dim, lit only by a few overhead bulbs and the glow of the LED strips around the racks of gear. The scent of warm stage paint, fresh gaffer tape, and excitement filled the space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassie<\/strong> was running vocal warm-ups in a corner, pacing like a panther.
Maya<\/strong> was tuning her guitar silently, jaw set in steely focus.
Rico<\/strong> adjusted his strap for the third time, not nervous\u2014just dialed in.
Jonah<\/strong> sat cross-legged on a crate, tapping out imaginary fills on his knees, earbuds in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Near stage right, Gabriel<\/strong> sat on a coil of spare cable, one leg bouncing restlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane stood nearby, paws on his hips, quietly inspecting the new power distro rack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel looked up at him. \u201cYou ever think we\u2019d actually get here<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane snorted softly. \u201cHonestly? Not after the cult mansion. Or the truck stop. Or the busted amp in Little Rock. Or the week Jonah broke two mic stands and his own<\/em> nose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t break my nose,\u201d Jonah called from across the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour face hit the cymbal,\u201d Gabriel replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStill counts as percussion,\u201d Jonah muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel looked back at Thane. \u201cThis feels\u2026 real. Like we belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane met his gaze, the edge of his muzzle softening. \u201cWe do<\/em> belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel smirked. \u201cYou\u2019re getting sentimental, old wolf.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane flicked his ear. \u201cDon\u2019t push it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel stood and stepped closer, lowering his voice. \u201cHey. For real. You kept us together. Through all of it. I know you always say it\u2019s the pack, the gear, the work, whatever\u2014but you\u2019re<\/em> the one who never let go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane looked at him, eyes steady. \u201cIt\u2019s not about me. It\u2019s all of us. I just\u2026 couldn\u2019t stand the thought of losing this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel leaned his forehead gently against Thane\u2019s\u2014just for a heartbeat. No words. Just fur brushing fur, and the quiet rhythm of breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know,\u201d he murmured. \u201cBut I need you to hear it anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

A little further down the hallway, Mark<\/strong> sat at the lighting desk, hands on the controls, watching the pre-show timers count down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassie walked over and nudged him. \u201cYou good?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark nodded once. \u201cIt\u2019s a good room. Good rig. Good crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026You nervous?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He didn\u2019t answer for a long moment. Then:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get nervous. I get ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She smiled. \u201cDamn right you do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The stage manager stuck her head in the door. \u201cYou\u2019re on in five.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane turned to the rest of the band, voice low but solid. \u201cWe give them a show they\u2019ll never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel\u2019s grin returned, full tilt. \u201cLet\u2019s burn it down.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The air behind the stage was thick with anticipation. The Electric Grove Theater hummed with the low thrum of a crowd gathering beyond the curtains\u2014muffled voices, laughter, the occasional sound check echo, distant but electric. Backstage was dim, lit only by a few overhead bulbs and the glow of the LED strips around the racks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3225,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406\/revisions\/3225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}