Kisu stood on the sandy earth near the edge of the forest. He took in the scent of the ocean, the scent that clung to his fur and the inside of his nostrils at all times. He enjoyed the sea; he missed the large lake that surrounded half of Terrapie and this body of water reminded him of that.
The grey, white, and rusted male let out a low howl before charging forward in the sand. He felt as if he could run all day and night in this stuff and never move anywhere. It fell away from his paws with little grace as he shot towards the chilly foam, but stopped short, only allowing the wave to crash gently onto his paws and the lower part of his legs. Kisu walked along the wet sand, trailing prints behind him, and looked upward, noticing the sky mottled with clouds. Mottled like Pied.
Vires's player invited me to have Pied accompany her (Vires) on a scouting expedition. I'm going to play it like they're in the midst of that... *rambles*
Although higher in rank, Pied urged Vires to take the lead as they left the plateau and traipsed off in a northwestern direction, following the river just like Pied had done on her solo trek a few days back. They took their time, combing over the lands on this side of the river and exploring every inch of ground with their eyes and noses. In the distance, the dark forest loomed invitingly. Adjacent to it, a ridge rose up into the sky, casting a shadow that shortened, then lengthened again as morning passed into afternoon passed into evening.
Only an hour or so of daylight remained when Pied told Vires she wanted to split up momentarily to cover more ground before nightfall. The dark wolf headed off in one direction and Pied wandered in the other. She only meant to foray ahead a few miles at most, yet the sense of adventure sunk its hooks deep into her, pulling her forward—that, and a certain familiar scent.
Before she even realized it, Pied found herself standing in a place unfamiliar in some ways and incredibly familiar in others. She sucked in her bottom lip as she stared across the sands at the sea, over which the sun hovered, casting a molten glow over the blue waters. Pied felt her heart soar at the sight and she began to walk, then run, toward the beach.
She startled to a stop when a figure raced across her line of vision, accompanied by a burst of noise. Pied would've rubbed her eyes in disbelief if she were human as she recognized Kisu racing across the sands. He didn't stop until the surf crashed into his legs, pushing him back toward shore. Her two-toned eyes followed him as he began to lope along the strip of wet sand, oblivious to the onlooker even as he—unbeknownst to her, of course—daydreamed of her.
"Kisu!" Pied finally hollered, standing still and waiting for him to turn toward her. "Hey!" she added somewhat dumbly when their eyes met across the distance, a smile lightly touching her lips.
Kisu's skull snapped when he heard his name called. Could it be...? His eyes confirmed it, as did a "hey!" from Pied. He blinked a few times, not believing that the female so like the clouds he was just watching was standing so near.
The grey, white, and rusted male darted from his spot, kicking up wet and dry sand alike. He nearly tackled Pied, nipping at her neck and covering her face with licks. "Why are you here!" He exclaimed, excited to see the mismatched Pied.
He raced toward her and Pied braced instinctively, not sure what sort of greeting he would visit upon her when he reached her. He wound up licking her face, which felt strange but nice, and nipped at the side of her neck, which simply felt familial. She smiled at his exuberance, flattered by it. A short bark of a laugh erupted from her at his question.
"What—should I go?" she answered with a teasing glint in her eye. More seriously, she added, "My pack mate, Vires, and I are scouting. Our Alpha, Hawkeye, is interested in getting an idea for the lay of the land, I guess you could say." She paused and added sotto voce, "I really wanted to see the ocean again."
With that confession aired, she stepped back, hefted her head into the air and sucked in a deep breath. Her eyes closed, yet she didn't keep them that way for long. They popped open again and she drank in the view of the vast water stretching as far as the eye could see, the nearby waves cresting and rolling up onto the beach. It looked—and felt—like home. Pied grinned, exhilarated.
Kisu became serious before seeing that Pied was teasing, which he then nudged her playfully. He nodded at her words, curious to where her friend was. He looked around with his silvery-goldenrod eyes but saw no one. Pied must have wandered off then, and Kisu added that information to what he knew about the dappled girl.
"Well, come with me then. I will unite you and the sea once more." Kisu spoke with a gentle tone, but his eyes glinted this time. The grey wolf enjoyed watching Pied breathe in the air that he now lived in, and smiled because of her enjoyment in the scent. He nudged Pied once more, then took off in a run. When he reached the waves, he smacked the edges with his paws and then scooped water in his mouth secretly as to squirt Pied as he had Jinx some days before.
Kisu invited her to accompany him, then turned and galloped back to the water. Pied didn't need to be told twice. Her sylphlike figure raced after him and she loosed a joyous laugh when she hit the surf and felt the icy, salty water wash over her pale legs. Although she began to shiver immediately, she refused to retreat from the water, enjoying splashing around and even getting sprayed by her companion.
"So, aren't you flattered that I couldn't wait for you to come see me and came to find you instead?" she joked. This wasn't exactly the case, of course, but Pied had stumbled upon his scent by chance and followed it here. "It's beautiful out here," she added with a happy sigh even as seawater churned around her ankles and her two-toned eyes panned over the wintry sea.
Her gaze eventually found Kisu's face and she said, "I told Hawkeye about you," a small smile playing about her lips. "She seemed happy that I have a suitor. I told her that I might try to convince you to join us at Blacktail Deer Plateau." She didn't yet realize Kisu's new allegiance to Horizon Ridge. "What do you think of that?" she pressed playfully, a coy glint in her pretty eyes.
"I am infinitely grateful that you seeked me out, Pied." Kisu spoke with a gentle tone once more, which was basically an auto-setting with the blue-grey mottled female.
But he then frowned at Pied's next words. His goldenrod orbs hit the ground before searching the white face of the female before him. "Pied, I -- I have joined a pack. I cannot come with you at this time." He paused a moment before continuing. "I apologize, it just seemed right to serve out here. I know I cannot ask you to leave your own pack, but I am sure we can still be friends." His heart sunk at the word 'friends'. Friends... Kisu's face contorted and he whimpered, licking Pied's face and wishing that things had happened in an entirely different way. He shouldn't have been so impulsive as to join another pack when he knew that there was an invitation to join Blacktail Deer Plateau. The male could have been happy there, had a family again. Had Pied.
Pied smiled at Kisu's improper wording (seeked versus sought), finding it endearing. She looked at him as he spoke, finding herself attracted to his youthful, handsome features. The idea of a mate had really begun to excite her, yet Pied didn't want to settle down with just anyone. She wanted real romance. In this moment, she decided she could achieve this with Kisu in time.
But then his next words made her stomach drop and these wispy daydreams abruptly evaporated into the cold, salty air. It wasn't just that he'd joined a pack. She heard words like cannot be with you and we can still be friends and felt bile rising in the back of her throat, the physical manifestation accompanying a powerful sense of rejection. Along with it came a sudden, fierce and unexpected fury.
When he made to lick at her face, Pied lifted her lip, growled and shoved him away. "Don't," she said simply, her voice thick with disappointment, though she tried to hide the true depth of her emotions behind a cold mask. "You asked me to be your mate, then turned around and joined a pack without considering the impact on what we could've had. You're an ass," she declared, "and a flake."
Without another word, Pied marched out of the water and began to stride up the beach, back toward the place where she was supposed to rendezvous with Vires. It was time anyway; the sun had set and darkness now crept along the edge of the world. Fitting, Pied thought, happy for the breeze that blew past her, whipping away any tears that threatened to fall.
Kisu was taken aback by Pied's sudden cruelty (in his eyes). He smacked himself for his poor choice in words. He wanted to be with Pied. It's what he wanted.
"Pied, wait!" He called out and took off after her. "Wait! Don't go. Pied... don't go. We can still be together. I am sure our Alphas will allow this. If not -- if not I will leave!" He hadn't expected the final sentence to fly from his mouth, but he stood behind it. He would leave if necessary.
Kisu came after her, shouting and asking her to stay. Pied paused, took a deep breath, then whipped around to face him, her face twisted into a sad, angry frown. "Stop," she commanded. "I don't want to be with someone who's so obtuse and inconsiderate—as a friend or a mate or anything," she snapped at him, then immediately felt bad for her harsh words.
"I'm sorry," she said after a breathy pause. "I just..." Her voice trailed off momentarily as she searched for words to explain herself. "I can't believe you'd ask me to be your mate, then promise me your friendship and the possibility of more... then join a pack without even considering what that meant about us. I know we're not together—we're barely even friends—but I... I guess you'd really gotten my hopes up, Kisu. And I was just thinking about how I could totally fall for you when you... shat all over everything." Shat—one of the words she'd learned from her grandmother and always secretly wanted to use, just not in circumstances like these.
She turned away, trying to collect herself as she felt her raw emotions threatening to overcome her. As night continued to fall around them, the breeze picked up, gusting against her pale form and tousling her mottled fur. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the sensations, sounds and scents of it to distract her from either breaking down in tears or yelling at Kisu again.
Kisu whimpered once more after Pied had spoken. "It is not an excuse, but I was so taken with the sea. I had never seen it before. It just happened in the moment... Akhlut howled and I returned it. Can you not convince your Alpha to move out here? This would be a prime spot to raise a family. I have not retracted my desires, I just assumed you would no longer have an interest in my advances. Please Pied," he begged, "please do not do this to me."
Kisu felt his heart being torn to pieces. He barely knew Pied, yes, but he was taken with her. He wanted to scoop her up before anyone else had, and treat her properly. But it had seemed as if he had ruined his chances, all because of an impulse. A single moment.
An unwitting heh sound escaped Pied when Kisu mentioned the sea, for she knew that sentiment well herself. Otherwise, she remained quiet and still, her eyes still closed as she listened. The thing was, she had Hawkeye's blessing to move for him if she wanted. Pied didn't know how she felt about that idea—Hawkeye was her friend and she didn't want to abandon her pack—but, at the very least, she knew it was an option.
She lifted her eyes, which were shimmering. "Why would you take it upon yourself to randomly assume I'd lost interest, Kisu? That makes no sense and, I'm sorry, but it's stupid." She bit her lip, then released it and sucked in a breath. "Hawkeye actually gave me her blessing to move, you know. I might have considered it too but now I'm not sure you're worth it." Part of it was the pain speaking but that uncertainty was real, which was evidenced by the sudden quivering of her lower lip.
Kisu rotated his head slightly. "I assumed, because I know your loyalties lie with your pack. Why would you keep an interest in me if it conflicted with your loyalty? But your Alpha seems like a kind-hearted female; is leaving what you truly desire? If so, I am honored. I know you would not regret it, mottled one."
The grey wolf inched closer to Pied and spoke with, if possible, an even more gentle tone. He did not want to lose her, and he would follow her if she left.
Ah, Pied thought when Kisu explained. It made sense. He'd joined the pack because it had called to him, which was perhaps selfish... but could Pied really hold that against him, especially considering they hadn't had any sort of actual commitment to one another? The more she thought about it, the less she found him to be at fault. It still hurt because her visions of the future had been rattled, yet as the sea breeze whistled in her ears, it seemed to restore a sense of objectivity to the situation.
"I guess you had to take care of yourself, rather than worry about some stranger who rejected you," she sniffed quietly, her eyes now glimmering a little as a watery smile curved her lips. "For what it's worth, though, I've been thinking about you a lot since we last parted. I like you, Kisu. You're kind of adorable." Pied sniffed again. "And if anything, this turn of events proves that I have feelings for you now too..."
Licking her lips, which tasted salty, Pied paused for a few beats and asked, "Before I decide anything, I need to know something about you and tell you something about myself. The thing I need to know is: how do you feel about children? Do you want them?" Because, after all, pups were Pied's biggest dream. If Kisu didn't want them, there was no future with him at all.
He saw the look in her eyes and dared to lick her face. Kisu never wanted to hurt Pied in this way. His way with words was formal, and he supposed time away from packs had made him awkward; he used to speak with grace before Shi kokoro had... broken up. His time as an Alpha was over, though, at least for now.
And then he thought of Red Heart. His first mate. She had been a remarkable deep honey brown, with eyes that matched her fur perfectly. He thought of their pups, slaughtered by his brother. But Rob had gone missing; the wolf that was the perfect mix between himself and Red Heart -- her fur, and his eyes. It was almost as if he looked at himself whenever little Robur Aqua had done anything. Could he do that again? Have a family be torn away from him?
"Yes," he finally said. "I do desire to have a family with you, Pied. I wouldn't desire anything less." He connected his eyes with hers, and hoped that she could not read minds, for the pain he felt in his heart was great and generated fear for those he loved.
Pied planned to tell him about her special abilities before she made any decisions. However, when Kisu said he'd love to start a family with her, her insides turned molten and her emotions finally overwhelmed her. She made an awkward noise low in her throat and threw herself at Kisu, her neck wrapping over his as her forelegs came up to snag him in a wolfish embrace. Within seconds, she released him, only to slide up against him and wedge her mottled head into the space beneath his throat. One of her soapstone ears pressed against his breastbone and she heard the beat of his heart over the spraying surf.
"This is crazy," she announced to no one in particular, then laughed even as tears—both of sadness and happiness—welled in her eyes and spilled onto her moonlit cheeks. She turned and spoke gently in Kisu's ear. "I mean... it's crazy how quickly I fell for you, though you fell for me fast first!" She chortled at the tongue twister. "I don't think I want to be just your friend..." she added after a beat, letting that sentence hang between them in the hopes that Kisu would understand what she was saying.
A deep laughter rumbled from Kisu's chest as Pied mentioned him falling for her first. "Yes, my little Pied, I came for you and I have won." He bent to nuzzle her face and rested his head on hers.
"But... what do we do now...?" He let the question hang by itself, waiting for the white and grey wolf's answer. What would they do now? He did not wish for Pied to leave her pack and her Alpha friend, but leaving the newly joined pack and ocean would be painful, even if necessary.
Pied wanted to revel in this moment a bit longer, yet reality did not stop for them. If they wanted to pursue a courtship, they must address the issue of their packs. Of course, they could agree to a long-distance relationship until things became more serious... but, as she gazed sideways at him, Pied found she already felt serious about him. Besides, a relocation for one of them would be inevitable, so they might as well figure it out now than procrastinate about it.
"Let's walk up the beach and find a tree to sit under," she suggested lightly, motioning for him to follow as she began to walk. "Vires is expecting me soon, so I can't stay for long." She said this in a regretful tone. "I do want to hammer out some details, though, and there's still something I need to tell you..."
When they found a tree a few hundred yards from the shore, Pied reposed on her haunches at its base and gazed out over the sea. The last light had faded from the sky and it was shiny and black. The view was so similar to that of Moonlight Meadow back in Seahawk Valley that Pied felt her breath hitch in her throat. That she was so enamored with the ocean would definitely play a part in this decision.
"I think," she said after a long period of comfortable silence, "that I'm going to go back to the plateau and tell Hawkeye I intend to move here. Where is here, by the way?" she asked with an incredulous laugh aimed at herself. When she realized it was Akhlut's pack—and the place where Jinx lived as well—the information stunned her into a momentarily thoughtful silence, yet ultimately did not sway her decision.
"I'll tie up things at the plateau, then come back soon to stay. That is," she said emphatically before Kisu could agree to these terms, "if you still want me after what I tell you next." Pied adjusted herself so that she faced him, so she could look him in the eye. "This might sound very strange but I'm telling you the gods' honest truth, Kisu. Please give me the benefit of the doubt, okay?" She drew in a breath, held it, then let it out as she confessed, "I can see spirits—as in ghosts." She clarified, as Pied didn't want there to be any confusion about the matter.
The grey wolf tailed behind Pied as she walked toward the treeline. Where she sat, he laid down on his back to watch the stars. It was his new favorite thing to do at nighttime -- watch the blanketed and sparkling sky while listening to the waves of the ocean. Soon, his and Pied's pups would be doing the same.
He rolled over and looked up at Pied after her strange words, giving her a blank look. He cocked his head to the side. "I knew you were special," he started. "Does this mean our pups will also see spirits? I do not have that ability myself..." The male trailed off and adjusted himself in the sand. "Even if you told me you followed a dark god, I do not think that I would desire you any less, Pied." Though, seeing spirits was something very foreign and new to him, he did not press for answers to the questions that swam in his head.
His desire was not for Pied to leave her pack, but she was a grown wolf and could make her own decisions. He just hoped that Hawkeye would still believe the words that she told Pied before.
Pied didn't know what to expect from Kisu. He could find this admission strange or, of course, disbelieve she truly possessed any such skill. Worse, he could reject her for this quirk that defied belief. There was also the chance that he would react positively, intrigued by the idea of communicating with the dead. Instead, he gave the most unprecedented reaction at all: cool acceptance that lacked any real excitement.
She found she appreciated this more than she could articulate. In response to his reaction—or lack thereof—she bent down to lick the side of his muzzle. It was the first kiss she shared with him. She smiled down at him, shaking her head lightly as if to say, Unbelievable. Being accepted so unconditionally was a lovely feeling and she could get used to it.
"I have no idea if it's hereditary," she said thoughtfully, her eyes laughing at this strange notion. "Don't you want to know more? Don't you have a thousand questions?" she pressed, unable to fathom that he wasn't all over her about it... but appreciating it at the same time. "I have a 'pet' magpie that follows me everywhere. I call her Mag. She doesn't speak to me. Some do, though," she shared.
Kisu felt himself blush when Pied leaned down to lick him, and then shake her head at his response. "I do not wish to bother you with questions. We have time for that later. I would have gone with 'bird' for a name myself, you are much more creative than I." Kisu winked at Pied while wondering what it would be like to have a ghost bird following him nearby.
"I am more interested in having the family you mentioned earlier." He raised his eyebrows at Pied, then blushed again while looking away. "I apologize, Pied, that was rude." He peeked at his new mate to find what her reaction was to his hasty words.
Kisu was a simple wolf by nature and admission, something which could've turned Pied away from him. Instead, she found him refreshingly candid. Kisu said what he meant and meant what he said. He was honest always and came right out with what was on his mind. There were no games and Pied never had to second-guess his genuineness. He was not unintelligent, just unassuming.
When he mentioned the family they intended to have, Pied looked at him curiously, feeling a little flushed by the implication. "How so?" she wondered, not sure what he meant about being rude. "I haven't had my first heat yet," she admitted, wondering if she should feel awkward discussing this with him. She did feel the flush rise slightly. "It's due this breeding season, though, which means we can start our family within a month or two," she added optimistically.
Kisu blushed deeply when Pied admitted to him that she had not had her first heat. These were matters that needed to be discussed, though, so he sheepishly nodded at Pied. "I did not mean to be so straight-forward with my advances, was all I meant." He blushed again, and felt as if his face would turn to flames at any moment.
"I cannot wait to see what the pups will look like. I hope they have mottled fur like you, Pied. And your eyes. You have lovely eyes." Kisu truly did wish all of the things he listed, but mostly the eyes. He didn't know if he could have another offspring like Robur Aqua. Whenever Kisu caught his reflection, his silvery-goldenrod eyes haunted him. He had looked for his son for weeks, barely eating, only surviving on the thought of finding him, but he never had.
Kisu looked at Pied and took in her features. She truly was a unique wolf, and her eyes were beautiful. And she was his.
"It's okay," Pied told him, despite the warmth in her cheeks. "It's kind of flattering, knowing how eager you are," she quipped a bit daringly, biting her lower lip and glanced at him from beneath her eyelashes. Never before had she had a romantic interest or partner, yet she was close to sexual maturity. Her parents had filled her in on the facts of life long ago and instinct would fill in the rest. She didn't know shame, just a touch of shyness.
When Kisu mentioned her piebald pattern and heterochromatic eyes, she gnawed on her lip for a very different reason. Though she didn't say it, she actually worried about these very features. Her litter mates had been born with various defects. Although she'd won the proverbial lottery in that department, she'd always feared the same would happen to her offspring. She'd decided it wouldn't stop her from trying parenthood, at least once, but until they arrived in the world, healthy and whole, she would metaphorically hold her breath.
"I hope they take after you," she countered him in a playful tone. As she spoke, Pied flopped down next to him, lying upright like a pale sphinx and gazing down at him. "You're handsome, you know." She fell silent for half a second, then asked something that sprung suddenly to mind. "Do you have a surname, Mr. Handsome?"
Kisu thought a moment. He had always just gone by "Kisu" and nothing more. "My father's name was Pura Virtúte, so I suppose it would be Virtúte, making my name mean "Kiss of virtue"." A small smile appeared on his grey face, the name amusing him thoroughly. It was as if his father had named him to make Kisu into a chivalrous wolf.
He hoped that he was making his father proud in his ways. Yes, Shi kokoro had been destroyed by his brother Inazuma, the lightening wolf. But was it Kisu's fault that his brother's betrayal ruined what his father had started? If he had lead the pack better, would Red Heart and their pups still be alive? Kisu shook his head, not wanting to ponder on these things after such a long period without doing so. Still, he worried that somehow his twin brother would return and rip apart what he had once more.