Cassiopeia's View a choir of angels

Tagging @Séafra for visibility, @Hydra in case she wants to pop in - but open!

 

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This was the way it had to be; she had impressed that upon him desperately as they climbed the great heights of the mountains, using all of her charms to sway the older men to her whims while poor little Marmion - mothereless Marmion, meek and cautious Marmion - took much more finesse. He curbed to her will easily enough despite his apprehension. The boy did not wish to see his mère unhappy, and was strongly against being the cause of her misery. So he obeyed - drifting away from his mother and his uncle in pursuit of their next target. His first mission. His first attempt at being one of the adults; and behind him trailed Seafra, vigilant as always. Ready at a moment's notice to protect him, redirect him, or merely watch - and Marmion felt only a slim comfort upon sighting the man's pale coat climbing the cliffs behind him. Mère did trust them both but it was Marmion who wished to prove himself - and he felt simultaneously pacified by Seafra's presence as well as irritated by it. But he said nothing; rather, the boy plotted a course along the plateau so that they could be rid of the mountains for good.

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[table width=80%][tr][td]He did not mind trailing behind the youthful spirit - if Reynardine wanted that he did, so he would do. No protest came out of him nor did he feel the urge to go back and leave this mission be. He didn't even have a problem with their surroundings; while not a fan of mountains, he couldn't say that he was bothered out of his mind by having to walk upon its cold rocks and go down its dangerous cliffs. He simply followed, silently testing the abducted boy and trying out new strings to dance on when it came to their relationship.

In the distance did he spot the coast, quite near them were forests and the mix of strong scents indicated - perhaps falsely - that there were packs in this area. Whether they would encounter these wolves was up to Marmion. The entertainer simply leaned back and let the boy do the work of figuring out where they must go next - if he did good, surely he would reward him in some way. A chuckle left his maw and his ears swivelled around as he heard the sound echo. Quite a climb, don't you think? He questioned smug.[/tr][/td][/table]

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When the pale wolf laughed, Marmion stopped and turned his long face towards him; his ears cupped that sound first, but then swiveled back upon his head when he noticed the light sound of stones clattering off of the ledge. If they were supposed to be stealthy, Marmion was failing. In his haste to stop and observe his caretaker he had dislodged some stones; but it mattered little. The boy couldn't tell if anyone was following them or if they were nearby. He was not skilled in such ways, not like Seafra could possibly be (which may be why Reynardine wouldn't let the child go alone).

The older wolf asked a question - or just tried to make conversation - and Marmion's lips twitched as he fought the urge to smirk back; he merely nodded and turned away, glum yet curious, and sought out another path.

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[table width=80%][tr][td]One eyebrow lifted at the sound of the clattering rocks yet the smile on his face never wavered. He had made sure to not step near unstable forms of rocks which proved to be quite a task; perhaps the youngster just wasn't quite ready for an all-out stealth mission. Still, seeing that they probably had no sworn enemies near it didn't really bother him. They were simply crossing this part of the land - an unclaimed, rocky terrain that just happened to be in their way. Suspicious? Not in the slightest. Following the pair would prove fruitless as well; not to mention simply too difficult to pull off. Even Séafra found difficulty in sneaking here; his slight ego prevented him from suspecting anyone else that was not Séafra could pull this off as well as him.

Marmion didn't quite answer, though what was given was enough. Still, the man's pace sped up to just behind his young companion. How about we make this a little more interesting? He asked with the slightest of purrs. While inappropriate things were thought off, he might as well just be suggesting a small game of sorts.[/tr][/td][/table]

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Rey had tried to draw something out of him in the days previous, and while the boy remained innocent in many ways, he had gleaned some understanding from the open manner of the woman and her lovers. Thus when the pale wolf spoke again - his offer an ominous thing - Marmion felt an instant upheaval within himself. A resistance. He wasn't sure what Seafra could want but he wasn't comfortable with the direction of the conversation already.

Non, the boy murmured; he ducked and swept away from Seafra hastily, investigating scents in a more fervent fashion now. Reynardine disliked when he spoke in his old tongue but, seeing as she was not present, Marmion felt safe to do so - although his nervousness could have easily slipped him back in to old habits.

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[table width=80%][tr][td]A loud and energetic laugh spilled from the pale wolf's mouth when the other retreated into nothing, not accepting the idea of a small game. Of course, the entertainer's games weren't always appropriate but who said that all he had was his body and rod? He was a playful man and since Marmion and him were stuck in this together for now it was only natural for him to spice things up. Calm down. He told the other as a whistle escaped between his teeth.

I just wanted to race ya to see who was gonna catch our dinner is all. He revealed in an innocent voice as he still trailed behind the other.[/tr][/td][/table]

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Seafra was a trickster. They all were - but it was Marmion who was often fooled, and with no way to defend against their sweet whisperings and precious promises, the comfort of their presence, or the family they provided the youngster, there was no way for Marmion to see through the games.

He took what was said at face value and stopped trying to evade the older man's attention. The boy paused and lifted his head, alert and clearly curious; but then he drooped like a spring flower against the coming of the winter. I am not fast, he all but sighed in the coy manner of a child. Seafra would be fast, he was older and stronger and bigger - but Marmion, well, Marmion knew his limits.

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[table width=80%][tr][td]It wasn't that he liked picking on the "weakest" of their group - it was more that Marmion was such an easy target and that he couldn't help it. Oh - who was he kidding? Of course it brought him slight satisfaction whenever he proved to be on top of things more than the yearling. He believed his actions to be justified though; everyone needed to be fooled in a world so seriously strange. Without his tricks he believed the life of the other would be a long, boring drag.

Then you better shape up for our future trips together. He grinned sweetly. It wasn't that bad that he had to go out for dinner whenever they settled somewhere. Fine - you'll get free dinner for today, little slowpoke. He teased, not caring if his words hurt Marmion.[/tr][/td][/table]

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Free dinner - it was one of the perks of being young and poorly trained at everything. Marmion did not like feeling useless but at the same time, he was not keen on studying the things that Reynardine had tried to force upon him; he had kept himself safe from her so far, although her efforts came on many fronts. It was difficult to distinguish a potential lesson from a danger - from her, or from Marmion's uncles.

But he would accept the free dinner whenever it was offered. As one of Reynardine's success stories, he'd be doted on for a few more weeks at the very least. The older he got the less pleasant she would be with him (especially as he was so good at avoiding more lewd situations), but he would not know of this for some time.

That said, Marmion wanted to be of use. I can try to help, he all but whispered, and then shirked away from the sound of his own voice like the Eeyore-wannabe that he was.

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[table width=80%][tr][td]A pure laugh spilled from the trickster's lips as the whisper only but grazed his ears. He could not imagine the mess they would make together; could not imagine Marmion failing at hunting by tripping or losing a trail. It was all simply too beautiful to be true and Seffie didn't like the facades the future wore. You'll simply scare the prey away. He said with a chuckle and in an awfully eerie tone that was neither sweet nor mocking.

But you could feed me scraps whenever we do find something to eat - so romantic... He purred cringe worthily.[/tr][/td][/table]

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The tone of the man's voice made him instinctively want to curl in to a ball, or lift his lip and bare his teeth, but Marmion was too meek for either; he did cast Seafra a skeptical look, a big-eyed thing of worry, but he was also hungry and knew to accept things as they were.

I could.. I-I could scare prey to you, he offered glumly. As Marmion was watching Seafra he wasn't looking where he was stepping, so as he said this, the boy caught the wrist of one of his forelimbs against a tree root and half-tripped, half-freed himself in one instant and the dishevelment caused the poor child to knock himself in the chin as his paw abruptly came free. He shrank back from the tree after that, a bit dazed and more than a little embarrassed.

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[table width=80%][tr][td]Seffie didn't mind the looks he was given; it only meant his words had reached the boy. He grinned a toothy grin, blinking his eyes innocently as they went further down. The more he walked, the more his feet longed for soft forest bedding to rest upon - not to mention being out of the wind and safe in the clutches of a nice den if they were lucky enough to find one. Marmion wouldn't mind sleeping with him, right? He chuckled at the thought of it.

The entertainer watched the show as it went along with raised eyebrows and a mocking smile - His companion stumbled and tripped and had managed to hit himself in the face. Perhaps he had a talent for being the least stealthy in the world. You do make enough noise for them to be scared... or perhaps they'll just laugh at your clumsiness! Seffie said awfully cheery.[/tr][/td][/table]