A dead rabbit clamped between his jaws, he crossed the border again, traveling up the side of the volcano with ease. He had promised to hunt, and so he had done, even with some distractions. He was wondering if he should tell Grace about his encounter with Teagan or if to keep it secret until Teagan was here to join. What would a friend do? He honestly had no idea. What he did know, however, that this place was far more beautiful than he had thought. It was very spacey, and less claustrophobic than the willows at the Keep. It had a dangerous atmosphere, yet very peaceful all the same.
He knew to avoid the rendezvous, the place where the pups were most likely playing, even though he really wanted to play with them. Tambourine had been so cute, and he wished he had stolen the child, but alas. Would Perry ever allow him to babysit or teach them about herbs? How old were they? Who was their mother? He had so many questions, yet no one to answer them. But, that's why he had caught the rabbit- to trick one into having a conversation with him.
He hoped he wouldn't run into Grace, seeing as how he was one to enjoy being alone a little more than usual, but he guessed the chance was there. Would she smell Teagan on him? No way, Teagan and him had had no physical interaction- luckily. He just hoped he'd either run into Perry or a total stranger.
Joining in!
Trekking up the side of a volcano was not just a leisurely stroll, the constant strain on her muscles reminding her so. She could not help but cast a glance to each side ever so often after crossing the border, looking for potential danger or something that could be percieved as a threat. It was when she nearly stumbled when the thought flashed through her mind. Why exactly was she here again? It didn't matter -- maybe she had just wandered too long, or actually meant on exploring. Either way, she was visiting what seemed like important aspects of her pack's territory.
Sasha gritted her teeth, sitting down for a bit to rest. She was sweating in the thick summer air, and the volcano, be it dormant or not, certainly wasn't helping with the hazy cloud of heat that clung to her fur. It was odd--she could almost smell the faint scent of rabbit and something...else. Maybe she was just letting her mind run wild with the help of her exhaustion.
Without a doubt, there was someone else there. She squinted, making out a figure holding a limp rabbit from his jaws. That would explain the mix of scents she had just noticed a few moments ago. Sasha decided to stay put, being the painfully shy wolf she was. Hopefully the male would notice her scent and come over, seeing that she smelled of his pack.
*runs to reply*
A soft grunt erupted from his maw as he was almost there. His body was made for climbing and running, but perhaps he had to just accept that not even the mighty Trick was perfect. The first half went great, there had to be a downfall somewhere- that was life. Or, in this case, a weird choice of a territory. He would never say it to Perry's face, but Trick did find it weird they were living surrounded by what seemed like a calm volcano. Whatever. He would have to just deal with it and get used to his home.
He stopped in his tracks to look at the sky. It was turning a soft orange, big, pink fluffy clouds floating by. Nature had its way of showing beauty, and Trick believed it to be dusk. It was his favorite time of day, feeling in tune with himself whenever the vibrant colors of the light danced around, illuminating his coat of obsidian and all his deliciously manly curves. He found himself to be just as- if not hotter than both Perry and Teagan.
His eyes, the reflection of the sky still in them, flickered. He smelled something- something that wasn't Perry, Grace nor a pup. It was someone completely new, a female if his nose was accurate- which it was-. This was his chance of getting some answers, to proof he was worthy of friendship, and capable of caring! He would have emotions! He would be normal... But did he want to be just a face in the crowd?
He followed his nose to a sight of mixed sandy colors, the image of a beach in Trick's mind. He supposed she was pretty, but nothing quite as dangerously sexy as Teagan or the patched beauty he had met a long while ago. He carried his trademark smirk, tail swaying slowly between his hind limbs in submission- he was new after all. Though as he approached her, he held a proud and confident look. Good evening, m'lady.
He greeted, mouth still stuffed with the dead body of the rabbit he eventually laid down before his paws.
She forced herself to remain sitting, not wanting to get up immediately as she usually did. It showed that she was fearful. This was one of her own packmates afterall, not some sort of rougeish or intimidating loner. She looked closer, taking in the unfamilar form. The warm light of dusk illuminated his figure, a sinewy man dressed in a dark coat of fur. Alright, maybe she was a bit intimidated.
However, he showed signs of submission, allowing a sigh of relief to escape from her lips. Sasha dipped her head back in means of respect, ears pressing forward as he spoke. On top of having a rabbit stuffed in his mouth, the man spoke with terms she was not familiar with. M'lady? She assumed that meant "my lady" which wasn't much better.
"Good evening," she responded, voice evident of an Icelandic accent. What a weird place to meet -- on a volcano, of all places. However, she didn't question Peregrine's motives due to her newness to the pack.
Trick carried his sophisticated aura with him as he sat down. It was not normal for him to do so, seeing as how he was small for the average male and he didn't want to appear any lower, but seeing as the female sat, he only found it fitting to follow. He had met a shy pup once, and she felt more at ease when he sat, he thought. Besides, he had made quite a trip, perhaps it was good to rest.
She seemed to have manners- good. Trick hated barbaric females who had forgotten their femininity. He didn't think of females as any less than males, he just preferred them to act like what God or whatever was up there had made them. Or maybe it was just a fetish he secretly had- take your pick.
She spoke, and his left ear twitched. She had an accent, and being the traveler he was, he somewhat recognized it. Iceland, if he were not mistaken, but he wouldn't go into detail. Hell, he wouldn't even ask about it. What is a fine dame like yourself doing alone at dusk without company?
He sat in his honey sweet voice, smiling a charming smile.
She squinted. What did a "fine dame" mean? She decided not to ask, and pick apart the question from what she could understand. "I was just walking around. Now, I am here." She muttered, voice soft but a bit reluctant, her gaze cast to the side instead of making contact with the stranger's. The male had a sort of sickeningly sweet demeanor, but she couldn't help bit feel a bit odd. Why was he so friendly when he barely knew her?
"Company? Why do I need that." It was both a question and a statement, and this time she looked up to make eye contact. "What are you doing here, without company?"
Well raised and spoken, Trick was known to be confusing with words. It wasn't on purpose, he was just more intelligent than he seemed- than what Peregrine thought. He saw it in the way she looked at him, confusion over something he had said. Or perhaps she thought he was shady, which he could understand. A small, well groomed man with glowing green eyes and a voice to die for did look a little shady.
Well, time flies faster when you're with loved ones, my dear.
He smiled, finally seeing her own pools of wisdom -as he liked to call eyes-. She returned his own question, and with a roll of his shoulders, he answered. I have not found anyone willing to share this lovely sundown with.
He said casually. May I know your name, flower?
She heard his first statement, not even trying to decipher what it meant. She wasn't used to the lingo and expressions of this language, and judging the wolf that sat before her, she wasn't so keen on figuring out.
"My name is Sasha..." she trailed off, a little skeptical. She had her doubts about this wolf for some reason, though she was naturally more of an introvert. Maybe there was nothing wrong with him, how bad could a wolf from her own pack asking to watch a sunset be? "I'm happy to watch the sunset with you, maybe we could be good friends," Sasha replied, unknowlingly pulling the friendzone card.
"What is your name?" she said, returning the question with a friendly tone.
Sasha...
He repeated with a hint of fake dreaminess, yet he did a hell of a good job hiding the fakeness. A lifetime tricking others with only words did that to man. He wished he could read minds to see what she was thinking of him, for if he could he'd think she was pretty smart to be skeptical about him. At the moment he was fine, not out to harm others but to help the Caldera and perhaps rise to power someday, but who knew when the wind changed directions.
His ears twitched upon hearing he'd not spent the evening alone but with a lovely lady. The part about "good friends" got him off-guard a little, but he supposed a good relation started with friends first. Who knew, perhaps he wasn't even into women. Teagan and Peregrine he had an eye on, but yet only the patched lady had ever struck him hard. You've just made a man very happy.
He said with a friendly yet charming smile. [q]The name's Trick Likoto, m'lady, though only Trick is fine too.[q] He introduced himself in that same buttery voice.
Her name sounded weird coming from his mouth, be it from the lack of the accent she was so used to back home or that...weird way that he said it. She shook it off, telling herself to quit being so skeptical around a wolf from her own pack. He couldn't be that bad, but it almost seemed he expressed an interest in her. Maybe that was just his personality, a flirty, hot-shot sort of thing. How could he tell him she wasn't interested without seeming rude? Deciding that was a mystery for another time, she listened to his next words.
"If all it takes to make a man happy is watching a sunset with a girl, then men are simpler than I thought," she smiled kindly, clashing with her sharp words. She didn't know that she sounded rude, only speaking her mind when she did decide to talk. "It is...nice to meet you, Trick." She responded, glancing back at the sun which was slowly slipping behind the clouds.
Believe me, men are easy to manipulate if you know how to work it.
He laughed, a low voice straight out of the heaven's. I've even seen some falling for me, believe it or not.
He chuckled, thinking back of Teagan and how far they had gone the night of the locust attack. She was a smart lil' girl, wasn't she? It was good she did not seem very interested in him, for he didn't think he'd be quite ready for anything serious. A quick fuck would always be appreciated, of course, but alas.
Same goes for you, desert flower.
He said as he scooted ever so slightly more toward her. He made it look like he was just relocating to see the sky better, and maybe he really was- who would ever know? Tell me, flower, do you like it here?
She could not help raising a brow as Trick talked about himself. "A man fell for you? Interesting," Sasha wasn't disgusted, but merely intrigued. She herself had not explored that part of her mind, but wasn't revolted by the aspect of two she-wolves or two males in a relationship. It only made her wonder.
"Desert flower? I am the furthest from a desert than you could imagine," she laughed, referring to her Icelandic heritage. She gulped, noticing that the male had very obviously moved forwards in what seemed to be an innocent advance to see the sunset. However, Sasha could sense that this man was full of ulterior motives just by the way he spoke to her.
She furrowed her brow as the man referred to her as "flower" again. Did he think that was her name? Was her accent so strong that the name "Sasha" had sounded like something far different? She shook her head. Maybe it was just a term of respect, or friendliness.
"I do like it here. It is very different, but I enjoy it," she beamed, watching the sun slip further beneath the clouds. "What about you, flower.....?" she asked, testing the new term she had heard him say and hoping she didn't sound ridiculous.
While he didn't do it often, when Trick told about himself it needed to be something interesting. Still, he'd rather talk about anyone else beside himself, despite his confidence. I'm pretty sure he took me for a girl, I'm small, you see?
He laughed. The Icelander was even bigger than him, a weird sight really. Men were supposed to be big and strong to protect their mates, but he guessed he had other methods of dealing with the unwanted.
Ah, but the beauty of a desert flower comes from everywhere.
He said with a slight smirk- one of his trademarks, really. Of course he didn't actually think her name was flower, he just found her beauty to resemble one. He assumed she got that, but he was most definitely wrong. Especially when she even referred to him as a flower. He kind of liked the idea of her think calling others a flower was some sign of friendship, so he wouldn't correct her. That was the way of the trickster, he guessed.
It's... claustrophobic, I find.
He answered honestly. Beautiful, but trapping. I just need to get used to it, is all.
"Or maybe he did not take you for a girl," Sasha stated flatly, not quite knowing the extent of what she was suggesting. She glanced at Trick, sizing him up to herself. Come to think of it, he actually was a lot smaller than she had thought, although most of her size was the fault of her immense amount of fur.
"I suppose you are right," Sasha smiled from the compliment. "If I had to describe you...I'd say you kind of look like a stick?" she suggested, again not aware of how being called a stick was probably not appreciated. "The beauty of a stick comes from everywhere too." She was making this worse for herself.
It was interesting how he viewed the Caldera. It was in a way she had never thought about; claustrophobic wasn't the first thing that came to her mind, but she could somewhat see what he meant. "At least it is beautiful," Sasha said, taking in her surroundings from the spot in which the two sat.
Hmm... Who knows. I never asked- I couldn't really with him on top of me.
He said with a wink at her, hoping she knew what he was talking about. Teagan had said he didn't care whether it was a girl or a boy he was fucking with, and maybe Trick could relate to that if he had ever truly fucked anyone. No girl wanted a little devious man like him getting at it, nor could he find a male that was willing to be the submissive one for once.
A stick?
He chuckled, then looked at his slender legs with small paws. I guess I sort of see the resemblance, but to call it beauty- I'm not sure.
He joked. Perhaps she wasn't as bright as he had first thought. Oh well, at least she was some form of company.
As the sun truly began disappearing, the other side of the sky becoming a dark blue, some bright stars already shimmering, so did his desire to socialize. He doubted she would be up for anything kinky anyway, and he still had some exploring to do. I guess this is all the time you could spare for me, huh?
"Oh...." Sasha trailed off, as she caught on to exactly what Trick had been implying. However, the wink he gave afterwards told her he was probably messing around. Probably. As for Sasha, she wasn't quite interested in this man, though he talked as if he were some sort of stud. She couldn't help but chuckle. If, by any chance, he had tried to win her heart at any point of time during their chat, it certainly didn't work. However, she did make a pretty amusing friend. That was the softness of her heart considering him as a friend instead of some weirdo.
"Well, a stick can be...interesting too," she said with a shrug. She shook her head. "Sorry, calling you a stick was not very kind of me. Back home, we'd call each other caribou...but I suppose that was also an insult as well," she said with a smile.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed stars. They hadn't been there a few moments ago, meaning that dark was approaching. Time must have flown by and she didn't even notice. "I suppose it is," she smiled. "It was nice to meet you, Trick."
He smirked and eventually genuinely laughed out loud as it all clicked in her mind. It could've been a joke- and maybe she saw it like that too- but it really had happened. Perhaps he was more of a guy to joke about feelings while simultaneously caring a lot. It didn't matter how long their chat had been and what had been his intentions, for now he could truly call someone his friend. It was weird, being bound to someone like this, but at the same time it felt really good. Perhaps Sasha was the first friend he ever made without having malicious intent.
It's perfectly fine, flower. Sticks can be very useful for gathering cobwebs and organizing herbs.
He reassured her. It was true- he had used sticks for the greatest part of his life for all his healing and poison business. He smiled. I've heard caribous are actually very regal, big and strong. I'd love to look just a little like them.
He said. A guy he had met on his travels had told about one, and the picture in his head was something like a deer- but bigger.
The pleasure's all mine, Sasha.
He said, repeating her name to show he had not forgotten. He lifted himself up with ease, moving from behind her with a swish of his tail- almost cat-like. If she would let him, he'd place a kiss on her cheek in goodbye. Goodnight, flower.
He whispered in a low tone, then made his leave to wherever he would sleep that night.
Sasha smiled sheepishly as Trick broke into full-blown laughter, wondering if she was really that funny. Maybe he was laughing at his own thoughts, and not so much her words at all. Either way, she couldn't help but let a small laugh escape her lips. He was good company, however zealous he seemed. He spoke again, this time about her "stick comment," in which she braced herself for the worse. Surprisingly, Trick seemed to have taken it in a good way. Even her caribou statement seemed to be going over better than she had expected.
"You are right, even if it is just a stick or just a caribou, it has a purpose," she agreed. Before she could form another response, he was suddenly up, planting a small kiss on her cheek. She blushed, shaking her head. "Goodnight....flower." The response still sounded a bit strange, but she supposed that the male himself was pretty odd too.