Malice grumpily left the Hollow after a not so pleasant conversation with the young warrior, eager to show that she could still care for them. And if not, fine, let someone else take over, see how well they would do! She would force a male onto whoever would take over then 'till she was pregnant, SEE HOW FUCKING WELL SHE WOULD DO! She snorted, her head hanging to watch her feet that now had to carry a few extra bodies. Was she really here to prove herself? She didn't know, didn't care.

She found herself going toward the lake, even had thoughts about showing up at Burke's borders as he had done, but then she would have to have a good reason. And that she didn't have. Well, not a reason he would need to know. She sighed, her anger slowly ebbing away as the familiar sight of the lake brightened her mind. She stopped at side of the lake, sitting down to watch the water. Maybe there were fish, though she had never tried to catch one before.

She stared at the water, praying something would show up that she could eat. If she had been an experienced fisher, she would have already caught one, for the fish were almost not affected by the disaster. But every time she wanted to strike, the bloody thing swam away, leaving her angry and disappointed. Listen little fishy fish, I won't hurt you, just come here... She smothered the animal as if it could hear her. Welp, that's how desperate she was now, talking to a fricking fish. you can bring your friends as well, let's have a partyyy... She hummed sweetly, making a grumpy face at the water.

All her talking had almost overpowered the sound of footsteps approaching. Almost. She quickly turned, making an innocent face as if she hadn't been talking to the water like a crazy woman. It turned into a grin though when she saw it was none other than the male who had "blessed" her with this extra weight.

Wouldn't dare to. She answered with a smirk. She didn't know why, but being around him made her bad thoughts fly away as if they were nothing. She had only felt this way for one other being in this world, her long lost friend Avalon. She watched him approach, admiring his appearance as always, even scooting closer as soon as he came to a stop. Something about the way he spoke made her think he was actually worried about her, though she knew better than to assume things about others. This was Burke she was talking about. How great seeing you here again. She said with a glance at the place she had been, ahum, "blessed".

Malice might have been scared of the male when they had first met in that eerie forest of his. She could still remember how dominant and strict he looked, how he almost came over as rude. But something along their way of being neighbors had changed that view. Back at the lake meeting, she had the excuse of hormones, but now... What did she have now to excuse her from admiring him? She wasn't mentally unstable, she wasn't in heat, and no one was forcing her to like him. What in the name of God brought him into every dream she had then?

She smiled gently at his words that almost sounded as if he truly thought it was good to see her again. After the little incident with Nemesis, she couldn't imagine what struggle he was going through again. Wait, was Nemesis alright? Her ears placed themselves flat against her head in embarrassment. Hope you're into curvy women then. She joked with a laugh. It wasn't a serious comment at all, though her mind was basically screaming for him to like her the same way she liked him.

Her ears perked up though when he mentioned food. She raised an eyebrow as he got into the water before she could protest that it was not needed. After all, pregnant or not, she was a capable woman perfectly able to catch those darn fish herself. Yet, she kind of knew she sucked at fishing, badly. The way he stood there almost made it look like he had some experience, though his first attempt was unsuccessful. She didn't know if she could make a comment here. After all, he was going out of his way to catch something for her. The mere idea of the older male being generous hadn't crossed her mind yet, and yet it almost made her heart melt again, if that was even possible. 

It surprised her to see his second attempt being successful. How did you...? She peeped in disbelief. She had stared at the water for minutes yet hadn't caught a thing. Hell, the idea of even stepping into the water to catch something seemed ridiculous. He got out, a struggling fish in his mouth that almost looked like it could escape any minute. Luckily it didn't, and she watched Burke killing the poor creature on the shore. With a baffled face, she looked at the dead fish that was placed near her feet, unsure of what to say. Her eyes went back to Burke, who was probably cold right now. T-Thank you... She said with an astounded look. She didn't know if it was selfish to begin eating while he had nothing though.

Can you teach me? She asked, leaning on one front leg that was placed closer to Burke to show her sparkling puppy eyes. No, she wasn't going to feast on his kill while he had nothing, that was not the kind of creature she was.

Malice never knew the old man could fish, nor did she know that Sebastian could fish. Huh, the more you knew. She wondered what else he concealed under that stoic mask. Was he a good swimmer also? Was he secretly a pro at healing? Hell ,could he fly?! All questions which she would eventually find an answer for, even if it would take her several years.

She leaned back at his next words though, disappointed that he wouldn't teach her, yet grateful for his deeds. It wasn't every day she was offered a meal, not even with her own wolves. She had mostly hunted for herself because no one else did. Was that loyalty? Was she loyal to her pack? Had Sage left because Malice hadn't given her enough attention? She was too tired to protest and instead lowered her muzzle to eat the fish. She was hungrier than she had first thought and within minutes the fish was gone.

She looked up at him and then let her gaze go back to the water. When it came to returning favors, she was very determined, and she had set her mind on catching something for him too.

With a smirk on her scarred face, she stood there, getting cold and wet but the fire in her heart warmed her ever so slightly. She looked back at the now frowning male, understanding his confusion, and she loved it. Not only his frown though, she adored much of the older male. It felt as if she had a better bond, if you could even call it that, with Burke than with any of the Moonlit Wolves. Sure, they were nice and she got along with them, but they pretty much all did their own thing. After the meeting, no one even came to her den to check on her except for Issun. Sage was gone, she hadn't heard from Buffalo yet, Silver wasn't around either and Mitanni she had seen with Judas quite a lot. It was as if she was slowly fading away with this whole; I'm pregnant and grumpy, leave me the hell alone act.

I am trying. She answered vaguely. Trying to catch a meal for him, but she didn't add that just yet. It would be a surprise of some sort, though the smart brute probably already knew what she was doing.

She listened carefully, her gaze going back to the water and kept her orbs fixated on one pretty tasty looking fish. She forgot about the world around her, standing frozen, her feet getting numb. It came towards her and she lowered her muzzle slightly. And then, she strook just beside it, feeling the slimy texture of the fish as her teeth penetrated the fish. Holy shit, she got it! She was almost drowning, but she got it. She quickly raised her head again and breathed in loudly as her head popped above the water.

With a proud face, she returned to the shore. Soaking wet and cold, but proud. She did what Burke had done, waiting till the fish stopped moving and then placed it near his feet. She sat down again, the ground under her now getting as soaked as she was.

Just as she placed the fish before him, he spoke. She did not understand why he wanted her to eat it. She had something in her stomach now. Sure, it wasn't half a deer or a bear cub, but it was good enough. Besides, she was feeling pretty confident with the whole fishing thing. She didn't know if there were fish in the stream through Phantom Hollow, but she would check later... If she returned there any time soon.

Her gaze went from the dead fish to the great male in front of her and back, clearly in deep inner conflict. He was a big guy, he needed to eat too. She didn't know if there was maybe a place in Blackfeather Woods where he could fish. He didn't look all too starving, but otherwise she'd be in debt to him. But if she would argue, chances were he'd get mad and leave. yes, she knew him better than that, but she was still figuring him out.

So instead, she kept quiet, waiting for him to either take the fish or let him force her to do so.

The dead animal got pushed to her feet even closer and her yellow eyes looked the other way. When they returned to Burke though, he was looking at her. She knew he cared, it was kinda obvious by now, but that was no reason to let yourself starve. Sure, beneath that massive build and pale blue eyes there was a man struggling with his emotions and life in general with a heart of gold, but that was no reason she'd let him starve. No, eat. She returned as coldly as he had done before.

Everyone was hungry in Kintla Flatlands, hell maybe even in whole Teekon, and food could only be resisted to a point. He had to give in one time or another, because Malice sure wasn't going to bend. If he didn't want to sit here all night with her (which would actually be pretty great for Malice, to be honest) he had to eat the fish she caught for him. 

Malice watched as the great male before her attacked the dead fish with his teeth, gulping down the slippery slimy flesh of the sea creature without another word. Good, it was nice to see him listen to her once. She puffed her chest just a little bit in pride, both because she had caught a fish and she was getting closer to her... Crush? Neighbor? What were they really? She could state the obvious, but their bond was so different than any other she had in Teekon. This wasn't like her relation with Cogitemus, that had been a disney classic with the 'love at first sight' thing. And it didn't felt like friendship either. Maybe it was a new form of a bond she had never experienced yet. Still, it was hard placing it anywhere.

when she was done thinking, Burke had already finished his fish and was now looking at her. His theory was possible, but if God showed mercy for once, it wouldn't happen. Or, y'know, the baby plans and all had already been finished by the players, but details didn't matter. At both his other questions, she nodded her head in full honesty. No one cared for her at all. The only one that even came to her den one time was Issun, and that was more because Malice had let out a yelp of pain.

They don't. I mostly eat from my own hidden stash, but it's not much anymore. It's good to know I'm capable of fishing though... She added the last part with a fake optimistic voice, one that was more saddening to see than if she had said it with a pout lip. my Beta has left me in the dust also. To be honest, I don't think they care one bit about me. Well, maybe Issun does, but he doesn't show it with bringing food or anything. She rambled on, and once she realized that, her ears lowered in embarrassment. She hadn't meant to ramble on like that. Sorry... She added, just to be sure.

Malice sure was someone that looked out for the hollow. While she was incapable of patrolling the borders for long, she still did it as frequently as she could. She was a leader, after all. A leader with not much to lead. Moonlit Hills had become more of a pack where loners could go to to feed of Malice's hard work and leave her in the dust once again. In some way, she took offence to that, but was too afraid to stand up for herself. She had never done so in the past, Lucifer had always been the one giving orders. It became clearer and clearer to her that when you give too much away with asking nothing in return, you end up with nothing.

She didn't fault Burke, for she had been there fully conscious by the lake as well. She had let him, even asked him for more in the end, and how could they have known about this? No, this wasn't Burke's fault in her eyes. It was just nature. The cruel, heartless nature that at times could be beautiful.

She looked up to Burke as he gave his words of advice again. Perhaps he was right, as always really. She was doing everything for Moonlit, but what had they done for her? She could hardly call it friendship. Her face became determined, determined to do something about her life. It was time to change it up. But at his last words, she almost choked. Right, right now? Like in, now? She could hardly believe it. Did she have to inform someone about this? Would they care? She thought Issun might take over... Or Judas or something. Like, I'd love to, but... Isn't that rude? Leave like that? Wouldn't that make me just as bad as all those that have left me in the dust in hard times?

The smell alone of the Dark Brotherhood made Malice sick to the bone, the trauma of her first day with Nemesis coming back to her any time she smelled it. But, this was for the best, right? Her children deserved a better future, one she never had. Moonlit Hills would be fine without her. Hell, they'd be super without her! It was as if they were all loners already anyway with the way they treated her. But still, Phantom Hollow was home now. It was the place that shaped her. The place she had bonded with so many and had made something of her life. Would she miss being a leader? Was she even a true leader if no one respected her?

The sudden touch was unexpected but not unpleasant, and she found herself closing her eyes to think better. Her mind wandered off to the quiet mornings in the fog while the sun slowly but surely came back to earth, to the young Issun and Judas that knew all her secrets. Even to Mitanni it went, and Buffalo who had been so kind and funny. But the rest? She barely remembered their faces. 

I- I don't feel guilty! She opened her eyes with a determined face, one of conflict yet assurance. She sighed, looking back at where she had come from in he first place. They'd be fine. And if not, that was not her problem. You're right. This is for the greater good. She spoke, eyes finding their way to the dusty ground. Besides, it's not like I will never see them again, right? She asked

Malice's left ear twitched as he said his next words, and her head popped up. Would he really do that for her? She became as red as a tomato under her fur, but she didn't think anyone would go looking for her. She wondered if they would even notice Malice wasn't present anymore. Not in her den, not on the borders, not on the big fallen log on which they held meetings. She'd be all the way across the lake, in the blackfeather woods. She just hoped she could get used to the smell and the darkness that ruled there.

Thank you... She spoke in a truly appreciative voice, not knowing what else to say. Perhaps Issun would indeed come, but maybe he didn't fit in the Dark Brotherhood. Nemesis had told that it was a team of assassins and stuff, and she didn't see that in the young boy. Besides, he was the Gamma, chances were he would take over. Would they all stay? What about Buffalo? 

She also didn't know if meeting Nemesis was such a good thing. Sure, Malice had apologized, but Nemesis didn't seem like the forgiving type. Or she could be wrong. Maybe Nemesis was the best wolf to hang around with once you get to know her. Luckily, I like learning. She said with a slight chuckle to make this decision a little less hard. She wondered if Burke would tell her about Sebastian too. She sighed again.

Shall we go then? She asked. She was going through with this. For her, for her children, for Burke.