Jaxon could tell that Darian put a lot of thought into their date and from his reaction to Jaxon unintentionally implying that he liked hiking, Jaxon could tell that the sweet, huge werewolf had been worrying if he would be impressed by the hike for a date.
What Darian didn't know was that after baking pumpkin pie, he could have made Jaxon run a marathon and he wouldn't even mind.
But that was not the reason he was excited for the hike, well, not the only reason. He knew that Darian was an introvert who craved his own company and as an ambivert, he felt that way sometimes, especially after the day he had before.
Nothing monumental happened for the first part of the trip, Jaxon was too busy with counting squirrels to notice that they had been walking for quite a while.
Darian looked relaxed, seeming to enjoy the walk while Jaxon hopped, wandering off to the side of the trail only to be held back by Darian who still held on to his hand.
He was the one who wanted to still keep their hands joined because Darian was fine with leaving him to wander around as long as he didn't go out of sight.
So it was no surprise when not long after, Jaxon separated their held hands to peek at a big moth he saw sitting on the petals of a flower big enough to hold its weight.
"Look Darian! I didn't know they got so big." He whispered in a wowed voice, creeping closer slowly to get a better look.
Darian slowed down so that the bouncy redhead could get a good look, he glanced off to the side for a split second, a horrified scream grabbing his attention not long after making him throw his head back in his direction.
Immediately, he went on full alert, his eyes flashing silver as he moved faster than his brain processed the situation, the only thing he latched onto was that Jaxon was in potential danger.
Jaxon jumped into the protection of his arms, still screaming his head off. He had been peacefully watching the moth until he reached out a hand for the exotic creature to perch on it then all hell broke loose.
The moth went after him with a ferocity reserved for more volatile animals and he screamed like it held a knife in its slender hands and was coming for his throat, batting it away was futile because he closed his eyes tight, opening it only to check where Darian was so he could jump on him.
Darian was concerned, shielding Jaxon with his body as he led them forward on their journey, leaving the outraged moth behind.
"Are you okay?" He asked as soon as they were safe, a furrow settling on his brows. Jaxon still hid his face on his chest and as much as Darian had no complaints about their positions, he also needed to check on the other to make sure that he was okay.
Jaxon's response was a nod, his heart still beating fast, although he knew that the moth couldn't deal any particular lethal damage, the jump scare was enough for him to be overwhelmed in terror.
He was also worried that he was ruining the date for Darian, that made him more terrified than the moth.
"Do you want us to stop?" He asked gently.
He was already shaking his head, no way they were stopping the hike just because he was scared of giant butterflies.
But Darian was already one step ahead of him. "There are spots for us to have our picnic all around us, I just thought that you'd like to see the creek but not if you're going to fight every animal we come across." He said in a lightly teasing voice.
Jaxon lifted his head at this, a pout on his face. "It was all the moth's fault." He grumbled, cheeks pink.
Darian watched him with serene eyes, a single thought going through his head. Cute.
"Come on, let's get going, stay by my side this time yeah?" Darian invited, offering his hand which Jaxon took without hesitation.
They continued the journey, this time with Jaxon sticking close, although he still pointed out everything around them that caught his eyes, his bubbliness returning not long after.
Darian was content to watch him enjoy every bit of the hike, paying minute attention whenever Jaxon needed.
So he was concerned when the previously bubbly werewolf quietened down, sticking closer to him but he still retained his excitement so Darian didn't think much of it.
They had walked a reasonable distance already and they were nearing the creek so he glanced down at Jaxon to inform him.
His eyes widened in surprise at the sight that he was greeted with, Jaxon looking like he might slump soon.
Quickly, he put his arm around him, mentally berating himself, what did he think? Jaxon spent all his days within the confines of the pack house, whatever made him think that he would be fit for a long ass hike.
He was amazed that he had even held out for so long. Fuck.
Dropping the picnic basket, he supported Jaxon's weight with both hands, preparing to carry him.
Jaxon shook his head at this, he was out of it for a few seconds. "W-What are you doing? Why are you stopping?" He panicked slightly.
"Nothing much, here let me carry you the rest of the way, we're almost there." He offered, smiling softly when Jaxon's brave front fell away quickly, the tired werewolf practically crawling up his back when he offered to piggyback him.
"Sorry I ruined the hike." He mumbled, wrapping his arms snugly around Darian.
"What?" Darian blinked in surprise, wondering what Jaxon was going on about. "You absolutely did not, you should have said when you were getting tired." He scolded lightly, trying to not reveal that he liked the turn of events, not Jaxon nearly dropping from exhaustion but everything else.
"Sorry." He muttered, relief coursing through him.
Absently, he wondered how long they spent hiking, the sun was a bit high up so at least an hour had passed.
Somehow, although he had been the one carrying the picnic basket and now Jaxon himself was added to that number, Darian only seemed to speed up, the rushing sound of the creek filtering into his ears soon enough.
His exhaustion faded away with the excitement to see the pure body of water, he only got to see it once a month during the Pack runs and even then there were far too many people to properly enjoy it.