Set just north of NP.
It was pissing down with early April rain, but Bazi nevertheless excited claimed territory that morning and made her way north. The cramps were an ever-present nuisance now, and there was only so many times in a single day Scimitar could alleviate the ache by servicing his wife. To make matters worse, he was nowhere to be found when she woke up, and Bazi had to distract herself by waddling at speed towards the beach. Perhaps a bath would help - or she would find some rogue on the road and trick them into doing her mate's duties.
To say that pregnancy had warped her brain was an understatement. She was ten wolves in one body - and not just physically. Each morning started with several fresh pounds of pregnancy weight and a personality lottery. Who would emerge today? Horndog Bazi, Loving Wife Bazi, or Psychotic Rage Bazi? A volatile mixture of all three was making its way to the coast, belly swinging to and fro like a barrel in a hammock.
How long has it been since she had good company? When she thought about it would seem like it's been forever. Out of all the wolves she met after recovering her memories none of them became her friend or ally. It left the impression that she didn't belong here. She had yet discovered why things were this way. Clearly the problem came from herself. She wanted to play with them, she wanted to tease them but she also had to resist the urge to assassinate them when things didn't go her way. Some voice in her head keeps trying to encourage that killing would make things better but if Lacinia listened she would end up alone forever, and she didn't want that.
Lacinia stayed alot around the coast and today it was raining. She didn't really enjoy rain but she prefered to wonder around instead of remaining in one place. She kept asking herself how she should act with wolves. Did she have to be passive and avoid approaching or perhaps maybe she needed to do something they like before she gets her way? She wanted to torture someone with both pain and pleasure just like old times but without any control she would never be able to do so. This complex puzzle frustrated her, how can she have control over someone if she wasn't strong? All she had was the knowledge of pressure points. She is able to strike precisely but her techinques don't work well on strong heavy wolves.
She was walking along the coast, in deep thought. The rain and sea made it easier to think but an answer wouldn't come just like that by thought. She needed an outside source of inspiration.
The sea was a completely foreign concept to Delilah; who, apart from the colourful murals at the zoo, had never seen the ocean. She found herself on the sand, looking at the strange body of water, constantly moving like a living being, pushing and pulling at the shore, lapping closer and closer with every breath she took. The air was completely foreign; filled with a salty tang that bit at the edges of her eyes and seemed to beat through her blood.
She loved it.
The sand under her paws (at least she knew it was sand) crunched and gave way and made for some rather hilarious and awkward walking. The water, that moving and breathing thing, tasted gross, too. It was very salty, and Delilah had been part disgusted and part filled with wonder. Salt water? It was fantastic.
It took her a little while, but eventually, her embarrassment overcome by her childish excitement, she plunged into the water.
Gods; it was COLD.
Delilah let out a yelp, but kept swimming, her legs strong against the pushing sea. Swimming was something she knew how to do. It was funny that she took so strongly to the sea even though she had spent so much of her life away from it. When she was at the sea, she felt home. She swam back towards the shore, leisurely, letting the waves carry her through the whitewater and the surf. She laughed loudly, despite the rain and the clouds, and felt warm enough to explode.
She hopped out of the water, her step light. She looked out over the beach, surprised to see a darker wolf, small like a female, walking along the beach. Her tail began to wag. She shook out her fur, spraying water everywhere, and waited for the wolf to approach.
The walk to the beach too much longer this time. By the time Bazi reached the border between sand and grass, she was the owner of four very sore feet and two badly aching hip joints. The rain had not abated, but Bazi did not mind - after an hours' waddle, she was surprised it wasn't steaming off her back.
The sea had drawn two other wolves to its shores today. Both females - one black, one mottled, neither one a member of her pack. Bazi paused, eyes an ears on high alert as she watched the two from a slight rise in the ground. She had not expected company in this weather, but perhaps this was an opportunity to make herself useful as something other than an incubator.
Angling herself so that her ballooning sides were not turned to either woman, the Alpha alerted the wolves to her presence with a low bark. Had they seen each other? "Ladies," she greeted warily from her elevated spot, glancing between the two of them.
So what was the trick to gain control over others? Strength did have a major part in it but then so did numbers. Lacinia didn't have the ability to control those with a will, but what if she had someone who could help her. That would make things much easier for her. Although it was time to return to the question at paw. What was the way to gain someone's favor? She was completely stomped on that question.
Her thoughts were disrupted by an abnormal sound compared to the rain and sea. She realise that she wasn't paying attention to her surrounding and it would appear that she had walked into a few wolves. Lacinia looked at both females. She didn't feel endangered, in fact she always prefered meeting females instead of males. She hated males quickly the moment they show signs that they are taking advantage of her. She could never let her guard down with them around but here it was different.
"It seems that even when it rains on the sandy beach you still can't lower your guard. Luckly none of you are males or I would probably be out of the game." She said calmly as she looked at the white female. Then turned to look at the other. She was alot more wet compared the the white female. Did she jump into the sea? Lacinia didn't think about ever jumping in. Even when a male she met invited her to play in the water. It was always a no but she managed to get a little fun out of him before he ran off.
Lacinia was mainly curious and cautious, at the very least she wanted to make friends for once. Hopefully what she said wouldn't scare them off or worse, Call her crazy.
Delilah was concentrating on the wolf in front of her, making her way down the shoreline and deeply engrossed in her own thoughts. She thought of going out to the wolf, to say hello and meet it, but her mind was changed after hearing the huff of breath behind her. On a small rise in the sand stood another female, with an unreadable expression and looking down on both her and the darker wolf.
Delilah felt her tail wag. She couldn't tell why the female in front of her was so guarded, but Delilah felt no reason to be threatening or to be threatened. Her energy still shimmered from her swim, her blood still thrumming with adrenaline, and she was happy. Her tail wagged harder, more insistently now, and she smiled brightly at the female on the rise. "Hi," She said amiably, feeling more relaxed than she had in a while.
She looked at the darker female, who had come up beside her. She chuckled at the darker female's words, smiling in response. She looked up into the sky; the rain had stopped and the clouds were clearing. Every now and then a patch of blue sky speared away the grey. She looked back at the two females. "I'm Delilah," she said, with a friendly tone, "It's nice to meet you both."
The swim fan quickly turned out to be the least reserved of the three, greeting the other two with great exuberance. Bazi's made shifty eyes from her rise, weighing her curiosity about the pair against the risks of getting any closer. Eventually, she decided that since either one of the females would be able to catch and kill her anyway in her current state, the risk had already been taken. She made her way slowly down to the beach, forming the last point in the little triangle - Lacinia on her left, the salt-stained Delilah on her left. "Hi, Delilah," the mountain Alpha greeted neutrally, offering no name in return, before turning her attention to the second female's words with a crinkle in her brow. "Why did you say that thing about males..?" she asked, "Have there been incidents?" The image of Crescendo came to mind. Had he followed the pack?
The rain had decided to stop for the time being. Lacinia felt the need to shake off whatever water cought within her furs but she only shook her head. She looked at Delilah for a moment. She wasn't quite sure what to really say but sharing a name did seem important. "My name is L.. Aklaq." She said with hesitation. Lacinia and Aklaq are both her name but one was more known than the other. She did want to say her real name but in a way that name had died. She couldn't be the way she was anymore anyway.
It would seem that what she said didn't have any negative effect. Well of course, unlike the other wolves she met these wolves were females. Surely they can understand her. "I'm on my own so it wouldn't be surprising if a male showed up and try to take advantage over me with their superior strength. Have you two ever seen a male use fear and intimidation?" She asked, answering a question with a question. It's true that Lacinia had seen her share of what they can do. But it was used to keep her under control but more importantly her victims.
It was a trade Lacinia was forced to do to survive. In truth the only thing she didn't like about her past situation was that she was forced to follow orders. But that's all in the past now, it won't be coming back.
Lacinia mood was getting a little darker. Instead of looking at the other's eyes she looked down a bit. This dark feeling wasn't coming from these females. All she could think about was her assassinations, It didn't seem to have removed the source that keeps her from being happy. Clearly there are more males out there, and the little voice in her head continues to encourage to take their lives away. Surely having no more males that take advantage around would make her happy but she knows that job isn't over yet.