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the heat-scents of Natashe and Spring had Casmir fucked up. it seemed Spring had come out of hers, though the heady scent of sex surrounded her. she'd been getting it in with Heston, the boy assumed. while he was happy for them, it reminded him of how long it had been since he'd had any sort of fun thrown his way, and the thought chafed. whatever, he decided, lifting a leg to mark the borders.
when evening fell, Cas trotted off to rejoin his young family, a hare dangling from his jaws. he dropped it among the squabbling pups, nosed Rowan's cheek, and chatted with her a bit before heading off for a patrol. it was after dark when he returned to the den, rather bone-weary and in need of a long sleep, but first the boy settled himself and turned his eyes upon the cool snowy shadows that had fallen along the edges of the forest.[/tr][/td][/table]
The interaction with Natashe had left her still burning; she'd awoken in Rowan something that was long dormant. It wasn't that she didn't know of the thrills of a sexual liaison but the last time her loins had been the last thing Lasher had enjoyed. Perhaps that was a gift to him as much as their children were, but, Rowan knew better than to risk it. She licked her lips as she watched the children, curling herself half outside the den and half in it. Louisiana was not known for it's snow and this was something she had come to enjoy.
Casmir came back to her and while they hadn't addressed the incident still he did not shy from their family. He was doting as ever to Cortland and Mona, they reclined together among themselves as a family. When the children had grown tired Rowan had put them to bed, Casmir going to collect his thoughts. He didn't come back for a bit and Rowan frowned, eventually leaving the comforts of the den to find him.
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thoughts of Donnelaith were on his mind, and it was in that direction his ears preened, even as he kept track of the night-sounds. the gentle tread of footsteps sounded, but they were without threat, and Casmir smiled, relaxing and stepping down from his high alert. "hey, Rowe," the Mayfair murmured. truly, he saw no reason to address what had happened, chalking it up to female hormones.
nevertheless, his brow furrowed when he turned his gilded eyes upon her and noticed the frown. "hey, what's up?" Cas queried, pushing away contemplation of his natal pack to focus completely on Rowan.[/tr][/td][/table]
She could all but feel his emotions, a churn of dark energy that matched his pelt. She took stock of him, though he didn't carry any physical wounds the world's weight had cracked him down all the same. "I would ask the same of you," Rowan murmured, coming to sit next to him. She was tucked close, warmth shared with him as her pale eyes found his golden gaze. "You look like you have a lot on your mind." She offered, opening up the conversation as easily as she could.
She wouldn't push him, although he'd be welcome to tell her as much or as little as he wanted to. "Something feels different," She admitted, her pelt just the slightest bit bristled, as if the charge in the air was something tangible and shifting. Did they feel different? Was it the world itself? First Amber, then Spring, then Natashe - all three sisters had ideals on breeding. She wasn't sure if her children were safe, although she'd been given no indication to the contrary.
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she turned the question on him, gently, and Cas let the silence fill the gap between them, though it was one of comfort and trust. "i was thinking about Donnelaith. i think Dee needs me." he let the thought hang there, relieved that he'd spoken it at last; she would know his turmoil, sense the churn of his emotions. "but Saena told me to take Silver Creek, and Spring needs me." or so he thought, so he assumed.
his eyes settled on Rowan's pretty face. "what are you thinking about?" Cas murmured, only a hint of his usual joking air in his tones. tonight wasn't the time for it, as much as he wished it was.[/tr][/td][/table]
What could they suggest? Already, they felt split, torn in two among the ranks of Spring - who had been a great friend to them - and yet Deirdre needed them too. "It is your blood, both," Rowan said softly, reaching up to nose along his jaw as if it might soothe him. "We have one another." She said softly, licking her lips anxiously. "Deirdre - she is left by her own." She said quietly. Would they turn away from her, let her suffer through a season that was tumultuous and rough? Would they go now all the way to the Sentinels to ease the worry and burden on the younger witch?
A soft little voice - smaller than she'd intended - voiced her other thoughts. "Spring has her sister, has Heston, she would not need us..." Though it burned her to consider it, truthfully, what choice did they have? There was a need to tend to her, the same way she'd felt the need to protect Deirdre from the very start, and it burned her more than she liked to admit.
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he wanted to go to Deirdre, take Rowan and her kids back to where he felt they rightfully belonged. what she said was correct, regarding Spring and the family she had at the Creek, and Casmir felt it belonged to her. she had kept them together when Saena wandered off; she'd made sure they were fed, protected. that was also why he wasn't sure he could just leave her now, in the middle of winter.
the boy let out his breath in a frustrated exhale. "why does everything have to be so fuckin' hard?" he spat bitterly, hushing his voice as not to wake Cortland and Mona. yet his single ear fell back to cup his skull; he let the anger drift from him. "so, what happened the other day?" he asked tentatively, unsure of how she would answer or what she would even say.
or if he wanted to hear it.[/tr][/td][/table]
Rowan could never understand that pain, the frustration that no doubt overcame Casmir because the choice would not - could not - be easy. She gave a soft sigh as he lashed out though it was not at her and she knew it. Still, they would have to decide, they would have to come to terms with that choice. It was not only for themselves, but for their family, for their futures. "It wouldn't be right otherwise." She offered, sounding older than her few years, as she so frequently did.
The spirits spoke in whispers to her, they gave her information she needed and some she didn't. The could not help her in this though, the navigation of feelings as he asked her for details she couldn't quite explain. "How she looked at you - how she spoke to you." Rowan grit her teeth for a moment, giving a low sigh. "I couldn't help myself."
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the sudden age in Rowan's tones caught Cas briefly off guard, reminding him of the years that separated the two of them. but it was the next thing she said that commanded his attention. Natashe ... how had she meant so much to Rowan? Casmir liked the newcomer as his packmate, but the Mayfair woman — surely she knew how much more of a place in his heart she commanded? perhaps not. the boy reached to nudge her cheek softly.
"i'm like one of the only other dudes, you know," he laughed. a thought came to him and he peered quizzically at Rowan. "all right ... so what if i'd ... you know. would it change things?" he asked, his eyes searching her own.[/tr][/td][/table]
Her silver eyes closed at his soft, simple touch and Rowan relaxed into it. Was she threatened by Natashe? Certainly not. She felt confident in herself. She was confident that no matter the lack of a name or true direction there was a trust in one another. He had not sought to claim her fully, but that meant little. She met his gaze when he spoke again and offered a little curl of her lips upward. "Would you be pleased if you found me and Heston had made advances towards me?" She countered.
She didn't know what to say, but it had burned her alive; she'd wanted to react more strongly and violently. "I would have made you beg sweet boy." She said with the slightest purr. "My favors are hard to earn, after all."
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his gaze hardened. that would not have been cool, Heston trying to make off with Rowan. "that's against bro-code," he told the pale woman smugly, considering that she'd probably laugh at him, but it was totally true. bros didn't bang their bro's chick. he had to contemplate then if Rowan was 'his,' because that meant he was hers. was he down for that?
her voice took on a trill he hadn't expected it; it thrilled him but if he was being honest, it scared him a little too. "beg?" Cas rejoined slyly. "i wouldn't have begged." scoff.[/tr][/td][/table]
Oh she saw it - the flash of emotion, that rise of sensation. She did not shy from his gaze and she was not afraid of the emotions that stormed within him. She could tell he would have been outraged, would have risen to defend whatever this was - to defend her all the same. He could believe that he wouldn't beg for her but she gave a soft laugh. No - definitely wouldn't have been able to fight her for too long. "Oh my sweet," She said coyly, tail flicking behind her. She was not consumed by her heat, was no slave to emotions - she chose this.
Maybe, she chose him. "It would be so worth it."
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Cas' eyes widened slightly. what the fuck was going on? she wasn't in heat so — he was lost, so lost. and yet the glint in her eye and the purr in her voice drove away his coherent thoughts. he looked at Rowan with a new sort of expression, realizing the fact that he'd wanted her for a while, though he had lied to himself about his true depth of affection for her. why? Casmir didn't know; all he was aware of was the heat of her eyes leveled upon him.
"prove it" was his cocky rejoinder. she'd threatened that he'd have to beg for her. let her work for him. the boy had fuckall idea of where exactly this confidence was coming from, but who gave a shit really.[/tr][/td][/table]
He sounded so sure - so brave. Rowan licked her lips and stood, tail brushing along his flank, even flicking against his snout as she turned away from him. She did not go near their den, she would not make a sound to wake the children or alert them to the things she plotted. Instead she turned to lead him further away, trusting that they children would stay sleeping soundly.
A single glance over her shoulder and she took off at an easy pace. If he wanted her, he'd have to catch her first.
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instead of answering, Rowan turned and loped away, and Cas roused himself to follow her. she set a gentle pace for them, and he reached to teasingly nip her flank. the rush of cold wind against his face exhilarated the Mayfair; his eyes were gleaming as he turned them upon Rowan and waited for her next move.[/tr][/td][/table]
His teasing nips only make her buck, long limbs kicking off the ground with no aim to hurt him. Instead she danced, flitting away like a doe might, turning quickly until they were deep in the woods. A clearing opened up before them and she licked her lips, tongue lolling out. Even with the snow around them she didn't feel it; cold was nothing to her at that point. The witch smirked as she turned to face him, a fire in her eyes. "Now beg."
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she leapt away; he followed, until they were entwined in a dance even he didn't understand. beg, she said, and Cas burned with the idea of this new Rowan, a powerful seductress who charmed him into the darkness and demanded that he grovel for something he didn't fully understand. the goofy boy was gone, replaced in a moment by an almost fully-grown wolf who growled lowly and approached the silver-eyed demon with tight steps. "please." he did not beg, and a wicked light came to his own gaze.[/tr][/td][/table]
The witch and her daemon, together they could destroy empires, eradicate their enemies, burn the world itself down to raise a new one just in their image. Perhaps she would. Perhaps they should. Rowan licked her lips as Casmir approached her, posture stiffening, bracing without realizing it even as the boy-king came to stand just in front of her. "You can do better," She murmured, tail giving a few slow passes even as she reached out, butting her snout against him. "Unless you don't want me." A cruel ploy, certainly, but she could of course turn and go home - and for a moment, she did so and took a couple steps away from him. Let him prove his desires.