Wolf RPG

There were few places suitable for fishing this late in the season. Spring would come soon, but until then, most of the lakes and rivers would remain frozen. Ying pondered this thought as she wandered through the flatlands, amusing herself with fantasies of a fishy feast.

spring could not come soon enough.

to pass the time, he focused on the technical movements of his body; his tightly-wound crouch as he watched for shadows beneath the water, the stretch of his hind legs as he rose, the arc of his spine as he leapt into the air. an audible crack rang through the crisp air as the ice shattered beneath the force of his forepaws.

the ice was beginning to thin.  marginally, he might add.  he noted this with the same involuntary resignation that a man might have observing his receding hairline in the mirror, though in fengmian's case he was wishing it'd just be done already.

spring could not come soon enough.

he did not see her approach behind him, nor did he smell her as the wind was blowing in the wrong direction.  he did, however, hear her moving somewhere in the background.  he paused, turned his body towards the direction of her sound, and lapped at the free-flowing water below.

Still, Ying remained oblivious. She could see movement from the corner of her eye, but did not initially turn to investigate. There was something shiny which had caught her attention instead; only after discovering that is was a lost scale from someone else's meal, she shrugged and continued on her path. 

The black-capped "stranger" elicited some alarm. Ying stared at them for a moment, tail arched and hackles raised. Her eyes drifted and she realized that this was a male, not Caiaphas. 

The huntress breathed a sigh of relief. She barked out to him — Hi, boy. — and drew nearer, quickly recognizing who the boy was. Figuratively testing the waters, she called in her native tongue: Feng? No way!

he watches her curl and bristle beneath his presence; some hard-worn and masculine part of him is affronted by this, but he understands her reaction.  not every land is safe.  not every man.

but it seems to be his manhood that puts her at ease.  that does surprise him, and he is taken aback at how bold this woman is to approach him — presumably alone! — in the middle of nowhere.  

it's something about her accent that makes him recognize her just as she recognizes him.  in mandarin, he responds yingyue.

the sight of her alone brought back so many things that were bittersweet to touch.  there were many things he wanted to ask: why did you leave?  where did you go?  but he did not want to surprise her with them in the same way that he had been surprised by her very presence.  instead he settles for, i did not think i would see you again.

Rarely was she addressed by both names, but Ying did not mind the change. She sensed slight apprehension and halted further approach, content to speak from beside the water's edge. 

I did not think I would see you again. 

It was him then. Another ghost from home, from before the— She smiled wide and did a small dance, careful to contain the majority of her excitement.

Yeah, I didn't think I'd see you again either. Ying gave him a once-over and released a small giggle, unable to keep it from escaping. You look worse than I left you, she joked quietly, How's that possible?

her response slights him in a way that only she has ever been able to. he is not offended, per se, but he does lower his crown and snort in her direction.  one of his paws slides across the ice in front of him, leaving a small arc.  being on your own will do that to you, he replies.

he wants to resent her for leaving.  not for leaving home — dispersal was natural, after all — but for leaving him.  after all they'd been through.  didn't he deserve to have some closure?  didn't he deserve to know that one day he'd just wake up and she'd be gone like nothing had ever happened?  he'd always worried that he was overstating his importance in her life, and it wounded him to the core to think that perhaps

for once

he was right.  yet still, he cannot resent her.  the wind changes direction.  you have made a home here?  his tone is level all but at the end, not accusatory or even curious until the last syllables leave him.  is it good to you?

I'm sorry. 

Forgetting everything bad required abandoning the good. She had made a conscious decision to move on, after making the subconscious choice to forget. Ying had not meant to remove Feng from her memories, but he existed in the Before, and she was only concerned with the After. 

And so she hadn't considered that he might be hurt. Ying hadn't thought that maybe, her disappearance would wound him in the way that it now seemed. He was colder than she recalled, more standoffish; another incident for which she was to blame. 

She nodded toward the coast. My sisters and our cousins, everyone is here. Things had been simpler when they were children, playing and laughing just as another other family would. Feng was a part of that — of course! — and always would be, simply by virtue. 

Ying took an apprehensive step closer. I was joking, she told him. Her posture had become something akin to submission, or as close to it as she could get. I'm happy to see you again.

out of all of the things he had wanted, this was not one of them.  she did not crouch before him but she did defer and though his pride was finished taking the hit, that was not the ying he remembered.

no, he says, gentler than before as he lowers his crown further to look at her eye-level.  don't be.  his tail wags as the corners of his lips turn up at the mention of her sisters, her cousins.  so she'd found family after all.  i'm happy to see you too, ying.

the other things could come later, after they had caught up.  i could follow you back, if you had the time.  it would be nice to see everyone again.

Relieved, Ying met his gaze. She did not move, but smiled to communicate that she understood. Of course! Her personality slowly began to swell once more, filling the small gaps struck by her grief. I, uh...we can leave in the morning. There might still be some time left before the end of Hua's heat, and she did not want to return until then- especially not with Feng. 

Her eyes trailed downward to the small opening in the water's surface. Ying stood once more and wagged her tail, glancing at the dancing silvers below. Maybe we should talk over a meal, she proposed, We can even make it a game, so I can beat you again.

he watches as she returns from the crawlspace inside her mind in which she'd receded; once again she begins to fill the corners of herself, settles into her toes and the tips of her ears.  she suggests that they spend the night here and truthfully he is too relieved to question it.  he is battered from traveling so long by himself and though his body does not yet betray his hunger, he could use a meal. 

that sounds perfect, he says, though you'll have to watch out.  i've been practicing.  of course, his practice was not in a lake but in the ocean, diving was much different than fishing above-land ... 

not that ying had to know.  here, he says, moving away from the opening to give her some space.  maybe if i am loud over here, the fish will come towards you.

Fengmian's distraction seemed to work. The sound which came from his side was enough to persuade the fish toward their demise. Ying watched hungrily as they scattered, several substantial ones swimming into the fishing hole. She snapped — catch! — and once more, though the second strike was less successful. Feeling both greedy and bold, Ying struck for a third time, and again found nothing but water to present. She nodded toward her partner before stepping off to start a similar distraction.

it did not take long for her to move, and the first time she struck towards the water she came up with a catch.  the following attempts were less successful.  he smriks at this, chuckles lightly enough that a brief plume of fog erupts from his nose.  she moves aside and allows him to try.

he is cocky enough that he misses the first time.  his ears pin back in frustration as he dives past the ice again.  the second and third time he's calculated enough to bring up some dinner.

does this look like enough to you, or do you think we should try again?

Although somewhat disappointed by her loss, Ying was quick to recover. She nodded — Three fish is more than enough. — and settled down beside her single catch. Teeth were quick to find the tender meat, staining her maw with red. 

Her mouth was full of food, but that didn't stop Ying from speaking. What have you been up to? she asked. Probably not more than her, which was likely for the best.

she is not a sore loser, and he is no sore winner. mmhm.  he collects his meal and recedes from her company if only to give them both space to eat. for a moment he thinks about offering her his fish, but he knows that he needs it more.

rubbery flesh is soon cracked to find meat both succulent and tender. not a lot.  he tears off another mouthful and finishes it before he elaborates. i left, as ying might have already assumed. i can't explain why. don't ask me to. i don't think i made a mistake, but i do think that i wasn't quite prepared.

he pauses.  what about you?

I-

Her brow furrowed with slight frustration. She looked off, away from Feng, and took a moment to think. Sighing, she returned to the fish. I don't think I was prepared either. Without elaborating, Ying pushed the conversation forward. 

I guess, is anyone ever ready? 'Cause I don't think so. Ying shrugged her shoulders and pushed the fish to the side. She wasn't as hungry as she'd once been, which kinda defeated the purpose of their hunt. But.. we're adults now. I think we're doing pretty good, just by having made it this far.

if no time had passed between the last time he saw her to right now, he might have asked her what caused her to pause.  if they had met later in life, he might have asked to knead the tension from her shoulders with his teeth.  instead, he watches her in silent intensity until the moment passes.  

mmm, he ponders out loud, at least some wolves get poached by other packs before they disperse.  and those who don't... he trails off and gestures at the frozen landscape. usually won't dare during this season.  he thinks if he had waited a few more months it might've been smarter.  but then again, if he'd waited, he never would have ended up here.

but, you're not wrong, he ribs, refusing to say it the other way, to admit that she's right.  you should eat.

Palpable tension, almost overwhelming. She could feel him watching her, but knew not what to make of the revelation. Ying ignored the discomfort until it passed, blowing it away with a laughed sigh. I know I'm right, she teased, I'm always right. As though daring Feng to argue, she bared (only the tips) of her teeth and smirked.

She wouldn't have known of Feng's built-up hunger, but still felt obligated to offer. Do you want it? Ying asked. She stood and picked up the fish, tilting her head to emphasize her willingness. 

After dropping it a bit closer to where he lay, Ying went back to her resting place. It had been so long since she'd made casual conversation; how did this work? Did you meet anyone while you were alone? Any prior feelings, they didn't matter anymore...right?

he wrinkles his nose and snarles lightly, though it's clear behind the almost-playful language of the rest of his body that he does not mean it.  no, he says, ignoring her first comment to respond to her question.  you should eat; if not now, then later.  his stomach growls as if only to spite him.  he begins to devour the other fish.

no.  he doesn't seem to grasp what the question is really probing at.  there was a man who travelled with me for some time, but we parted ways.  back east.  fengmian was no small man, but he felt like he was next to that impressive creature.  a more-than-small part of him is glad to have the man gone from him now.  he cannot figure out why, but he does not allow much time for it.

his name was tsiokwaris.  if it matters.  he finishes off his second fish.  is there anyone other than your family, where we're going?

Three wolves, Ying answered, Nukilik, Orochi, and Aiolos. The first is a castaway, and the second is just a kid. For a quick moment, she wondered why someone so young held such anger. Aiolos, he's one of my soldiers. A small swell of pride came about the young guardian, her chest swelling to accommodate its size.

However, she quickly returned to her neutral state. She stood and stretched out each of her limbs, rolling her shoulders to relieve some of the pressure. Do you want to go for a walk?

though he was not aware (and he would not admit it to himself even if he was), there was a part of him put at ease by the way she described the first two.  the third name he made sure to commit to memory.

he nodded in response to her question, and began to lead the way.

continued here