following the news of relmyna's death, iliksis did not head back to the creek.
instead, he made north, seeking the coast. he sought the girl - the pale, limping waif that had once been of relmyna's fold. with relmyna dead, iliksis knew his time was short; eventually, his ruse would be discovered -- very likely by the sharp-faced addison.
the girl was not here; for all the scents that he labored to draw from the sands, he did not once detect maegi.
he would have to find an outlet soon - be it a victim, or another wolf in which he could be free to be himself in front of, much the way relmyna had served to level his manic urges, and ease his carnal appetite. as he looked down the strand, he wondered how long it would be before rosings could stomach him no longer.
perhaps he was better off far from them, where their fangs could not find him and his past was known to none.
After meeting up with Lucas, Laurel was still floating on a cloud of utter bliss. She could hardly believe her luck that she would've found back all of her children. Wyatt's betrayal still stung, but she had decided that it was a blessing in disguise. He had always reminded her too much of her father and the fact that he had stabbed her in the back like this was only further proof that he wasn't worth being her son. He would only cause her more pain if he would stay by her side... Just like her father had.
She decided to take a little bit more time staying near the oceanside before returning back to the Hollow. It was rare that there weren't that many sea lions around the shore today, so that she could easily get up to the water without trouble. Laurel wandered up to the shoreline and she pawed at the water, feeling energetic and surprisingly playful. Finding back her baby boy had given her a whole lot of new energy, even though he now had a handsome adult body. He'd always be her baby in some way. Laurel splashed around the shallows a little, her tail waving and completely unaware of the wolf who, further inland, was searching.
much like laurel, iliksis remained oblivious of her presence until he crested a small dune -- standing there on the gentle rise, he saw the coast spread out below. the water, glittering and boundless, stretched out into greyness interminable. the sand, marred by rags of dirty snow here and there, held small tidepools that glittered even brighter than the sea.
he made his way down, having spotted a wolf splashing in one of the pools. he was cautious as he approached, sniffing the wind like a spooked cur, tasting nothing but brine. he wished to know if she had company, or if she was alone, but all the wind gave him for clues was the scent of salt.
as iliksis approached, he studied her. she was not a streamlined creature; her pelt was the rough color of exposed bark, but her fur seemed tidy and she did not look like she would be an easy victim to the wraith. he liked the youthful way she splashed, like she was carefree - but he did not believe her to be a carefree creature from what he could tell.
"why are you splashing?" the dybbuk inquired after watching her whirl through the water a few times. while he had no intention of joining her, his tail twitched in slight excitement.
When she heard the voice, Laurel abruptly stopped her splashing. Her head turned sharply to look at the one who inquired, a sharp expression on her face at first. There were a few seconds of 'yuch, company' easily readable on her face as she looked at the one who interupted her. And a coywolf at that. Her expression changed quite suddenly into a more friendly one, and she moved from the shallows, feeling less exposed farther away from the rolling waves as her only way out, and shook her fur -- even though only her underbelly and legs were wet.
It's fun!
she said with a bubbly voice. And I'm in a good mood today, so fun fits on the agenda.
Laurel grinned at him, waiting to see what he would return and how he would respond. Was he from that weird pack of that weird guy, what was his name? Or was he a regular, reasonable sort of wolf?
iliksis did not miss the shadow that crossed and then lifted across laurel's face as she saw him. something about her appeared guarded, as if she expected trouble from his presence -- but that strange shade across her tan muzzle just as soon lifted.
she did not smell as if she was alone; carefully, iliksis subtly looked about him. no wolves lingered in his periphery that he could tell.
his gaze fell to the water, which laurel was splashing. she claimed it was for fun -- iliksis' expression turned wry, for she looked much too old to be engaging in the sport of puppies. her mention of being in a good mood was noted by the lift of his tall ears. "and why is that?" the dybbuk queried, his dull eyes tracing the small waves laurel's play issued.
He seemed not to budge, which only made the knot in Laurel's stomach increase. She didn't like that he was this way. She liked men that would fall for her wily charms and would laugh and play along. She liked men that could be moulded.
Instead of answering his question, Laurel rolled her eyes. Well, you're no fun, are you?
She gave him a sassy look and said, half sassy Laurel and half bubbly cheery girl, If it's so hard to grasp for you, why don't you just go somewhere else instead?
She sure wouldn't mourn losing his company.
he could sense he was losing her; his brow knotted as she delivered a cutting look intended to be sassy. iliksis knew if he was to capture her interest, he would have to somehow manipulate her.
he worked his throat in a feigned look of distress, casting his gaze aside in an artfully counterfeit expression of grief. "i'm sorry," he said hoarsely, knowing what he said next was true and would be delivered convincingly in light of that. "i just found out my friend died."
he was referring to relmyna - while her death came as an inconvenience to the dybbuk, it was easy for him to forge a sense of sorrow in learning of her passion. long ago he had learned women in particular were less likely to be defensive when men appeared vulnerable; if he could just convince her he was harmless, he might get somewhere tonight.
Unfortunately, Laurel was not only not exactly the picture of the average woman, but also had little interest in others throwing pity parties for themselves. She didn't go around telling everyone of her sadness and how her son hated her and her parents had all dumped her either, now did she? She resisted rolling her eyes at the statement, though she stopped splashing and looked at him, the smile falling off her face. For a split second it might look like she was falling for his sad scheme and feel sorry for him.
Oh,
she said, sounding almost a little disappointed, but mostly like she was now trapped in an awkward situation. Well, that stuff happens. Life sucks.
Not exactly the empathic reply he needed right now, perhaps, but Laurel wasn't exactly equipped to deal with grieving wolves anyway. She wasn't about to pretend she was.
turned out, this woman didn't seem particularly moved by death. iliksis' eyes lit up, trawling across her features with a new purpose.
he did not yet abandon his guise. with his ears flat, he conceded to her statement: "it does." let her think him harmless or lost - let her think he was feeble and vulnerable -- let her think anything but what he truly was.
playing his ruse a little longer, iliksis kept somber composure. he glanced out to the sea tentatively, and then back to laurel as if unsure. "can i travel with you? i can hunt, and keep you safe. i just don't have anyone now that... she passed away."
Laurel didn't like him. She wasn't entirely sure why, really, but there was something about him. Maybe it was that he was a coywolf, and she was simply judging him by that cover. Maybe it was that they just didn't click as people, or something. Maybe it was that he was being a killjoy and an unmanipulatible asshat.
Whatever it was, when he asked her if he could travel with her, everything in her screamed 'no!'.
Before she had time to really think about it, Laurel answered: No.
She stiffened then, having reacted a bit quick, and somewhat hastily added: I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude. We have enough in our travel party.
And then she turned away from the water, suddenly feeling frightened, though she could not explain why. Maybe because a stranger was trying to worm his way into her life. Maybe it was meaningless, but even if it was, then hurting some random pussy's feelings wouldn't make the world a worse off place. It was fucked, anyway. She hastily excused herself. I should head back to my friends. Good luck finding a place to stay.
And she started to head off, her body stiff with tension.
unsurprisingly, laurel reacted negatively to iliksis' request. his ears fell and his tail seemed to hang loose, but he did not press. if there was one thing he had learned, it was to play his cards carefully.
"it's okay," he offered as laurel mentioned she hadn't meant to be rude. "thank you.. and good luck." as longingly as he wished to stalk after her, iliksis instead took a step back and retreated back to the rift.
he would see her again, he was sure of it -- but not today.
Relief was palpable as she made her way off and he reacted quite normally, too. It made Laurel feel a little bad about mistrusting him. He probably was just a normal guy and nothing was wrong with him, but the world had made her guarded and she didn't want to give mr stoic coywolf the benefit of any doubt. They didn't need any men in their party -- except of course their children -- let alone this guy. As soon as he was out of sight Laurel's pace quickened until she was in the vicinity of her family; safe.