She had broken from camp and struck down the shore, her mind preoccupied by woeful little things. The errant creature picked and prodded down the shoreline without purpose, musing to herself her newfound comrades.
She slowed to a halt as she saw down the coast a wolf that strode with the most intent of purpose -- noting how elegant she seemed as she marched along the seaspray. Caiaphas resumed motion, adopting a poorly organized lope in the wolf's direction. A cackle rippled from her muzzle as the wolf fended off a gull and its' 'wares' -- and she slowed down to a walk as she came within reasonable distance.
She said nothing, though a mirthful smirk pressed hotly against her features.
Caiaphas instantly bristled, sensing somewhere in the wolf's tone that she was being patronized by the cavalier female. She jutted her thin chin, her slender muzzle contorted into a grisly sneer. Her right, sundered ear flickered in a gesture of mild indifference, as if the female had not just passively slighted her.
She then offered the blandest of smiles -- one that wholeheartedly reflected her own complaisant opinion. "If I need beauty sleep, then you need hibernation." The bland smile turned wicked and she regarded the straw-blonde and lean creature with disregardful yellow eyes.
Curiously the interminable silence that stretched long and yawning before them before Khatera spoke did not unsettle the angular creature. She proffered a loathsome smirk as the silence bore into them -- and when Khatera spoke her tone lacked the sprightly air it held before.
It pleased Caiaphas greatly that she did not offer a retort. In a slithery, weaselly way, Caiaphas considered this a small victory. She puffed out her chest every so slightly and regarded in the same cool manner Khatera studied her. "No." She answered simply, hoping the succinct reply would spawn another endless lull of silence.
She waited, hoping to see the female fidget in the quiet. After a few moments she spoke again. "You must have a reason for asking that. Where are you from?"
She watched as the female remained quiet -- a wry smirk (one is tempted to call it a smirl) wringing her haggish features. Khatera, an unarguably sharp creature, had met Caiaphas' silence with despondence of her own. If the female was going to play Caiaphas' game, she was in for a surprise -- Caiaphas never played fair.
Most wolves would have likely reacted to silence by moving away or displacing themselves from the situation. Unlike the rest of wolfmanity, Caiaphas thrived when others were uncomfortable -- and with that ugly and insidious smirk still travailing her muzzle she rose and stepped dangerously close to Khatera. She would inch and inch and inch until they were within kiss or kill distance -- face to face with pretty wolf facing scullion coywolf; until they were close enough that each of them could feel the heat of the other's body pulsating through the brine-ridden air.
A sharp trill of pleasure escaped her slack jaw -- instantly her eyes were alight with impish satisfaction. The female's reaction was, well, quite customary -- most wolves did not like their comfort breached. Khatera was quick to recoil -- and she even swore! This elicited a throaty gurgle of relish from the wicked girl.
Bemused and most pleased with herself, Caiaphas inched closer -- settling into the sand in the same manner a cat would crouch. "I'm not a freak. I'm Caiaphas." She spoke up suddenly -- as if she were innocent of deliberately attempting to traumatize the stranger.
wrapping up ):
The female was not receptive to Caiaphas' attempts at beguile. Caiaphas grew weary of the blase exchange and she straightened herself out prissily, a careless rake of her harsh gaze given to the admittedly much more attractive female.
In a way, this made Caiaphas feel insecure. And being insecure made her feel grossly uneasy.
With a huff that announced her displeasure and also signaled as a dismissal, Caiaphas rose to her feet and cast the female one last scathing look before kicking sand out behind her with her hind legs and trotting rudely away. Oops!