Heron Lake Plateau Just a wasted puzzle piece

After having returned with Towhee from the cliffside, Niamh wandered directly to the lake, so she could clean the blood from her pelt. She soaked in the water and lowered her muzzle in as well, hoping that the water would help numb the ache in her jaw and the stabbing pain from where her upper left canine had been torn out. The socket was open, and easy to keep clean even though she couldn’t bear to touch it with her tongue.

Once the blood had been cleaned from her fur, she moved out toward her densite, but veered away from that idea. That den would no longer be hers- it could cave in for all she cared. After considering that, though, she came to a solution;

She’d fill the damn thing in herself.

Colt wasn't hugely interested in the new group (accepted or no), so when the group broke up, he quickly split off.  He would have slipped away sooner, but Raven's glance had caught him, keeping him there in case things went sideways.

As he passed the lake, he spotted a dot of gold, one that he recognized as Niamh as he draw closer on the shore.  She and Towhee had looked rough, but apparently they'd caught Screech... and he was dead.  As he'd thought before; probably for the best.  

"Nice trip?" he asked, stopping with an easy smile.  The question was facetious, but his smile wasn't; he was glad she (and, surprising or no, Towhee) had arrived back in one piece.

As if on cue, or summoned by some distant thought, Colt ahowed up. His manner was easy and casual, as always, but by now she thought she could decipher a trace of concern, or at least genuine interest when he spoke to her, asking her about her trip. She nodded, moving forward to greet him, and swallowed the sticky blood off her tongue.

”We di’h wha we wen to do,” She replied, working her mouth in such a fashion that she could avoid tapping too near her sore, empty canine socket. She drew near him and without hesitation, she outlined his right shoulder with her muzzle until her chest was pressed up against his. Finally, she could feel some semblance of relief.

She'd washed the blood off, but as she moved towards him, he performed a quick and subtle once-over all the same.  Either the blood hadn't been hers or the wound wasn't visible, which meant likely it wasn't too bad.

Her speech was a little hard to understand, but he picked up on it a few words in.  "Can't imagine anything else, seein as it was you two."  He figured not much could stop either of them once they were set on something.  "Put up a fight, though, huh?"

She was pressed close, and he began to idly groom some of the water off of her fur as he listened for hopefully more information on what happened.

She was touched- and felt proud, too- when Colt praised her and Towhee. The expectations had been low, especially when they’d already lost the trail once, but thanks to X they’d been able to track Screech down and take care of him. Without him, Screech could have made a getaway. 

”Follow’t X. ‘Racked him to the coas’. Dowhee fought him, tore his throa’, buh both wen’ over the cliff. When I goh there, she and X were on a ledge, ten feet below.” She said. Having misunderstood X’s directions for her to guard Raven, rather than search for Towhee, she’d managed to find them in time. She’d learned from Towhee, on the way back, that she’d actually disobeyed an order- but it had worked out for the best in the end that she had. 

”Hah to dig up an alder tree, use that to pull them up.” She said, pulling back from his gentle grooming for a moment to show him the gap where her upper left canine had been pulled clean out. ”Loss my tooth. ‘Ah’s why my mou’h hurts.” She said, and mused on that fact for a moment. ”Hope I don’ soun’ this funny forever. ‘En both Dowhee an’ I will soun’ garbled.” She said. Towhee was reasonably easy to understand- once you got used to the way she spoke. She, of course, had a very reasonable excuse. All the same, Niamh secretly hoped she’d be able to speak properly once the pain lessened.

Colt gave her whatever the wolf equivalent was to a low whistle when she showed him her tooth and told what had happened.  It was a dumb move on Towhee's part, going after him solo like that, but thankfully she'd at least had Niamh there to back her up eventually.  Dumb, but understandable.

"It's not so bad, I get about every other word," he said teasingly.  He'd actually wanted to draw the Towhee comparison when she first spoke, but seein his and her rocky history, hadn't wanted Niamh to think he was shitting on the Beta by doing so.  "Guess you'll just really have to start using ptero."  Not the worst, he followed up with in signs.  Though if she did switch to primarily that, he'd still probably get about every other word.  He was still working on it.

It felt odd to smile, after such hardships, but with the weight lifted and relief settling in, she adjusted slowly to the fact that life would go on, and the right wolves had won. Colt teased her about her speech, but she had a feeling the impediment wouldn’t last too long. She was more concerned about her ability to latch onto prey if she was missing a canine. 

-I like that you’re learning ptero,- She said. -Towhee does too.- She added. ”Which is pre’y cool. I wan’ned you ‘oo to geh along. She’s my bes’ frien’,” She admitted, ”An’ you, you’re-“ She said, and froze. Bashfully, she lowered her head, not really articulating what she felt, but she leaned into him, and reached up to place a kiss on his cheek. For some reason, that had become one of the best feelings in the world, and she’d craved it. She avoided eye contact still, but kept the secret little smile on her face.

He was glad that she, and Towhee, appreciated it, much as he wasn't quite ready to admit the latter.  More likely than not, he and Towhee would function as they had so far... eventually they'd talk, and if it went well, he wouldn't rehash past things if she didn't.  Colt was ace at pretending conflict hadn't happened.

He paused though when Niamh struggled to put words to what he was, and instead leaned in for a small kiss to cheek.  A hell of a lot went through his mind at that moment; fuck this new mindset that made him think about shit like this.  He used to be perfectly happy taking it as it came, but now he'd tasted commitment and found that he liked it, curse the words.

More than that, he'd learned what it was to get your heart torn to pieces, and that he did not like.  At one time, he'd done just that to others freely.  Now, looking back at a few of them, the ones who had obviously not been as casual as he... he regretted it.  

"I'd like to hear the end of that sometime, though maybe after talkin's a bit easier." He said with a small laugh.  He didn't return the kiss, but he didn't move away.  Instead he went on a different track.  "So, what was the plan for the day? And you wanting some company?"

Through the time they had spent together, with Niamh bunking down with Colt for the night as her den was no longer a place of comfort, she had noticed that while he seemed to like her company, there was a line he did not cross. He had never pulled away from her presence or her displays of affection, and while they had groomed each other affectionately, he had yet to return any of the kisses she gave him. Even now, he did not- though he did seem to enjoy it when she bestowed kisses on his cheek. She’d begun to wonder, then, how exactly he felt. If he was simply tolerating and accepting her affection because she needed an outlet, or if he didn’t feel the same way. 

Presently, it seemed like he wanted to delay her confession- until her mouth was healed at least, which didn’t necessarily make sense...But at least there was the prospect of him wanting to hear it someday. She felt conflicted and wondered if maybe she should scale back, and treat him as she would a friend...But she wasn’t sure her heart would allow it.

She smiled, begging it not to falter on her lips and show her disappointment. At least he wasn’t discouraging her- but the lack of reciprocation wasn’t endearing, either. Nonetheless, she did have plans for the day.

”I wan’ to fill in my nen. Den.” She articulated, with some difficulty. ”Them hoofs any good for digging?” She asked, jokingly

If he noticed a falter, he ignored it for now... it was easier that way.  Always a joke, always light.  He didn't really know how to talk to a wolf any other way.  So where she would share, he brushed it off, and wouldn't think much of it until later.

"That they are, and they're at your disposal."  He said.  The idea made sense after the reaction she'd had to going back there before.  "You really do like sleepin underground, don't you?"

He didn't seem to falter at the idea of her filling in her den, and that that implied. Without her den, she wouldn't have somewhere to go back to, and thus, she assumed he caught onto the idea that in filling her den, she was more or less hoping to stay with him. He hadn't made her feel in any way that she'd worn out her welcome, even though he'd never exactly asked her to move there with him for good. Girlishly and foolishly, she simply hoped it'd be an unspoken thing, and that her position there would simply last, without being questioned. 

She nodded in response to his question and began to head toward where her den had been. "Yeah. I jus' like the closeness," She said, and gave him a sheepish smile. "Buh you probably already kind of knew tha'," She said, giving him a secretive grin and slid her side alongside his as they walked. There was something incredibly alluring about being able to reach out and touch someone like that whenever she wanted; it would never be enough for her.

"I might've noticed."  He said with a grin of his own.  "Can't say I mind it either."  Because he didn't.  Having her around was nice as hell, and he'd be sad to see that stop if she decided to dig herself a new place.  Then again... he might not be much of one for sleepin underground, but he was adaptable.  Couldn't be the worst thing.

Y'know.  If that happened.

Her smile, though.  That secret one, that made it clear for a minute, he was her focus... like he was a game she wanted to keep playing.  It took him back, to another set of eyes, green instead of gold.  It hit him like a punch to the gut, and for a minute, his smile flickered.  Fortunately, they were walking... she may or may not have seen.

"My luck, though, I'd end up bunkin with a badger.  There a strategy to findin the right spot for one of those?"

His words caused her heart to flutter, and she considered for a moment abandoning the journey to her den altogether just so she could please him even more. Part of her wanted something, but she was still unaware exactly what that was, or how to get it. She emitted a purring growl- a sound that was new to her, and pressed her flank against his for a moment, a sly, but almost smug smile on her lips as she tilted her head back. There- it was validation. She'd take any validation she could get and run a mile with it. 

Concentrated on her small victory, she hadn't noticed the change in his expression- she wouldn't have wanted to, either. Any tiny thing would easily shatter the illusion she was casting for herself, and it was too delicious to abandon just yet. "Tha's mosly what I do- jus' take over a den someone else has already nug. Tha' one was pre'y small...I migh' make my nex' one bigger, though," She said, feeling slightly nervous as she admitted that. Niamh, like any other young, impressionable wolf, had the same dreams as many other young women- she wanted a man, and a family, as early as she could have one. That was what the rest of her family members had done, and so a bar had been set. Already, her expectations were high- and she had yet to learn what it meant to have high expectations teeter and fall. But at the moment, it seemed impossible that something like that would happen. Ignorance was bliss.

Her purr actually quieted his doubts a bit, and put the ache aside.  Colt had a checkered past, and had done some questionable things, but one thing had remained constant through it all... he enjoyed pleasing women.  Emotionally, physically (bow chicka >>), any way.  What used to be a game had become, to Niamh's luck, a more centered goal.  And things he used to avoid like the plague (kids, responsibility) had become something he could think about.  Maybe too late, maybe not.

"And they never come back to bother you? Must be that charm, makes them  want you to have it."  He responded, sliding into a very out of practice compliment with the ease of greeting an old friend. "Suppose this can be my tryout - see if these 'hooves' are good enough to help you with the new."

Wow. Not only did Colt have the grace to avoid making her nervous about her decision to make her den bigger (because honestly, she wasn’t ready to admit why she wanted to do that) but he somehow slid in a comment about her charm that made her feel dandy. She smiled and laughed, thumping her tail against his side. ”Oh you,” She said, girlishly. In reality, it was Niamh’s teeth that kept the other den builders at bay. 

It seemed to Niamh as though Colt was treating this as some sort of audition- which tickled her to no end. The den was in sight, so she led the way up to it and paused, peering through the low entrance with a scowl. She sniffed twice- but  it didn’t smell like anything had moved in. What she didn’t do was smell to see if anything else had moved in, and that was a mistake. No sooner had she turned around and begun to kick dirt at the mouth of the den than an eerie, angry snarl came from within it, which caused Niamh to nearly jump out of her skin.  She skittered back to Colt’s side, teeth bared and ears perked, staring at the den’s mouth, not sure if she’d been hearing things or not. ”Did you?” She stammered, not removing her eyes from the den’s mouth, as though expecting some apparition to appear.

When they arrived, Colt also prepared to start digging, but he froze when the snarl sounded from the depths.  Immediately his hackles rose, and he stepped forward with one of his own, peering into the darkness.

A clawed paw shot out, clipping across his cheek and jaw, and Colt saw a small bullish head with rounded ears and a shadowy, stocky form.  "Wolverine," he growled, glancing at Niamh.  His face stung, but he'd probably deserved that.  Just like he'd probably deserve this... but never say Colt Blackthorn wasn't first to jump on a chance at a romp.  "Spose we need it out, eh?"  And without waiting for an answer, he pushed his way in, snapping at the creature and rounding the wall.  They probably could just collapse the den, but Colt knew what these little shits could do two pups.  There couldn't be any doubt they'd killed it.  Hopefully Niamh was back and ready for if he got the thing out.

A wolverine? What the fuck was a wolverine? Some cross between a wolf and something that ended woth erine? This was completely new to Niamh, who had never seen or heard of a wolverine before- but when she leaned forward to look, she could see its short head, and low to the ground body. Its claws raked Colt’s cheek, causing Niamh to snarl and move to Colt’s side protectively. It had claws that were long and sharp, and reminded her of a bear’s paw. Whatever the hell this thing was, it was dangerous.


Thus, it needed to be exterminated. This was definitely more dangerous than a badger, and as Colt moved into the den, ahe hung back. There wouldn’t be enough room for all three of them in there to fight, ao she waited, jaws agape, hoping he would force the creature out.

A chorus of snarls emerged from the den, and all she could do was wait- until she aaw a bristly, black and gold tail inside the den’s mouth so without a second thought, she lunged forward, grabbed it by its thick tail and began to pull the stubborn creature out.

He hadn't seen much of them, but he'd spent enough time up north to know.  As Colt rounded, he was careful not to corner it, instead setting it so that it was directly between he and the exit.  He snarled and began to snap at the creature's face, but was unable to really get a good grab without exposing his own neck in the process.  It'd be dumb to open himself up before he had it out and in the open, with Niamh backing him up.

He earned a few more scratches on his nose and forepaws, but the creature seemed to come to the same conclusion as Colt as it backed away from him, snarling and spitting back.  Suddenly though, something seemed to pull it from behind.  Colt grinned, assuming Niamh had caught gold, and renewed his efforts.  If she pulled it out, he didn't want it immediately turning on her.

The creature shuffled and snarled as the walls of the entrance closed in around him, and colt pushed forward, slapping at it's head with his forepaws and scratching shallow furrows of his own.  His claws might not do the same, but they were something, and served to back it up further.

At first, the creature resisted being pulled by its tail out of the den. But whatever Colt did caused it to realize that with its body crammed in the entrance, it could do little to no damage- so it seemed to consent, and began backing toward her out of the den and away from Colt. 

But Niamh knew what could come next, and was prepared for it. Using her height as an advantage, as soon as the animal’s neck came clear of the den’s mouth she leapt upon it, driving her forepaws down between its shoulders and she grabbed it by the back of its neck. She was able to get a firm hold, and pull its head back- but it wasn’t over.

Lower to the ground and with a fair chun of bodyweight to it, it began to flail and throw itself sideways, eventually rolling onto its side and taking Niamh with it. She held tight, despite the pain it caused her mouth, and used whatever strength she had left to heave the creature onto its back- on top of her. She did her best to hook her forelegs around its shoulders, though the creature bucked against her, trying to escape.

Oh shit, Niamh was on top of it.... literally.  He wasn't sure what had happened until he managed to scuffle his way out behind, but when he got there, it was clear the creature had abruptly pulled back because Niamh had grabbed it by the throat.  Badass.

But she could probably use a hand now, he assumed, so he didn't linger more than the second it took to register what the fuck had happened.  While she had it held, he went straight for the creature's exposed belly, tearing in and ignoring whatever cuffing kicks and blows it might give.  There was a pretty good chance Niamh was gonna see some of the results of it on her pelt, but he hoped she didn't mind overly much about that one.

Niamh struggled to hold the creature still, but it was like trying to wrangle a lynx into a kitchen sink for a bath. Not exactly the most simple thing on the planet. The thing made horrible, guttural noises, but fortunately, Colt didn't take long to leap into action, tearing into the frightful creature's undersides and making it scream all the more terribly. She wondered if anyone else was around to hear- as this  was a sound that was completely new to Niamh and would have caused her great concern had she heard it without knowing what was going on. The creature's flailing at first doubled and she struggled to keep hold of it, but when Colt tore through the wolverine's underside, its strength began to flag as blood slithered down its sides. 

Niamh let go of the back of its neck and repositioned herself, grabbing the side of its throat instead. Its teeth gnashed a few inches from her cheekbone, and she couldn't get any closer to its throat, but she kept holding on, at least making it impossible for the wolverine to bite at Colt. Its motions slowed, and eventually, she felt safe letting go of it, as its snarls quieted and jaws slowed down. There was no coming back from this. 

She pulled herself out from underneath the creature and looked down at it, breath still slightly ragged. "This wha'h' you mean' by using my charm?" She said, giving Colt a crooked grin.

It looked like both of them had made it out with nothing more than shallow surface wounds when all was said and done, and he took a step back when the thing stopped screeching, licking blood from his chops. 

"Exactly, a flash of those pearls and they'll give you anything," he confirmed, grinning back before circling the creature.

"And look at that, a snack for when we're done."  His heart rate was slowing some now that the fight was done, and he remembered that right, they were here for a reason.  "Probably doubly good now, filling it in.  Else who knows what we'll find next."

phone post is garbage. My last one for this thread <3 gotta have an updated one soon!

Niamh chuckled and ran her tongue over her bloodstained teeth, glancing down at the wolverine and then to the den.  She didn’t care if there were any more in the den- whether the one they’d killed had pups or not- all she wanted to do was fill it in, so she nodded to Colt and resumed her position, kicking dirt between her hind legs and into the den’s mouth.

By the time they were finished, the den was more or less filled in- or at least the entrance was- with loose dirt and rocks. They’d dug up a fair bit of turf in front of the den, but she didn’t care. This was a place to be avoided, as it was no longer useful to her, with the exception of providing bad memories. 

She gave Colt an affectionate nudge, before she settled in alongside him to feast on their kill.