Shadowwyn Moor if i had to think twice

pre calling to lch

Quill meandered outside of the Moor, sniffing her way to where the waters lay. The sun was now beginning to set, and she moved on the uneven landscape surrounded by colors of every sort on her search for something to drink. Soon the hills gave way to flatlands, and water was in sight. Quill sprinted the short distance left toward the waters, scaring a flock of geese into flight in the process. Distractedly she snapped at one but there was no reward for her meager effort, and she instead took to the task at hand: drinking.

Her ears flicked as she listened around her for signs of anything else. Other prey, predators, or perhaps someone of her species might be around. The land was plenty big... but she was drinking rapidly, to the point of where she paused to wretch, legs splayed. The female did not learn, it would seem. Immediately after she began to drink again, as if she hadn't drank in days. Which she had not.

They sought to begin staking a claim on Jade Fern Grove – though Scimitar was keeping a close eye on his mate. Still, they had not been within the area for some time, and so the cinnamon regal set off to explore the neighboring lands.. primarily seeking out anything that might threaten his family.
 
He found himself by a moor – the damp air did not help with the humidity, and the Alpha gave a gentle chuff. His paws began to lead him down the slopes to the flatter terrain, and only after a quick sweep of his aqua eyes did he catch view of the other.
 
The she-wolf was cream and brown in coloration – her eyes a bright amber. He had not smelt her prior, but now he did. Blinking, Scimitar felt an awkward surge of attraction as he watched her.. she drank from the water with an exuberance – and she was beautiful. He felt a wave of guilt for thinking so, given his own mate was still traipsing about her new home in a fog.. and yet this quiet escape pulled him forward. He was going to ask for her name.. no harm in that, right?
 
And then, without any warning, the female began to wretch – and the allure was suddenly gone.

*DIES*

There came a point when she was at long last hydrated. She lifted her head upward and gulped heavily, this time not falling over to wretch. The water dribbled from her bottom lip and she turned to inspect her surroundings when she noted a male in the distance. If he wasn't the most handsome male she had ever seen in her life, then she wasn't Eshe Endore—Quill, just Quill—and was certainly dead.

She backtracked for a moment. Oh. Oh, man. She herself had never felt more anxious in her life; this was the first male she'd interacted with outside of her own family. That he was taken did not occur to her. The only thing that did was that he'd more likely than not seen her in that moment where she was in bad form. Do I run? Do I stay?

Her ears splayed atop her crown before flicking upward and cupping in his direction.

Tall, dark, and handsome he was, and those eyes—

Well, she had truly ruined things for herself. Murphy's law and all. It tracked her down as death did his victims in Final Destination. "You... you see all that?" It was a fair question, she thought. "Sorry if you did," and she was, she typically had more control to not drink to the point of well, nearly vomiting. "Been a while since I've had a good drink. Or company." Manners were only now remembered, it seemed.

:o no worries, I know you're looking to join LCH! Just thought I'd drive a nail in Scimitar's coffin life.

He studied her with a certain amount of trepidation – and then she noticed him. He could see the flush of embarrassment practically roll from her, and as the silvered female displayed a sheepish-ness he had not seen in quite some time (his own pack mates seemed quite hardened these days) he found his amusement sparked – and ignited with it, once more, a certain lure to the female.
 
“I did,” he rumbled, amicably enough as he traipsed closer to her, his tail giving an idle swing through the summer air. “Just dehydrated?” Of course, he held no knowledge in the art of healing or medicine, he was only spurred by her comment of seeking a drink. Even more importantly.. she mentioned the lack of decent company… a loner.
 
“If it’s companionship you seek, my pack is looking to claim a grove not far from here,” he rumbled, his gaze teasing as it lingered over her beautiful form. Bazi had been jealous of rather pretty females in the past – she was no doubt far past that, given she barely looked at him these days. He almost wondered what her silver fur would feel like, clinging against the cinnamon and cream of his own..

*throws her thru a loop*

Well, shoot. There went that. Hopes and dreams, dashed to nothingness. His question was met with a nod, embarrassment easy to note in the squint of her golden eyes. Sure it was all natural and the way things went but naturally, the first man not of her family she met had seen it. And he was handsome, swarthy, and had a regal look to him. All of it was appealing to the adult whose only current regret was not dispersing from her family sooner so she could believe they were alive and not have misery nipping at her heels. She could've taken Bhreac and her brothers, too, thus giving her parents less people to help chase off... and everyone could've survived in the end. Who knew? The butterfly effect was odd...

And now she regretted thinking that at all. Her family was dead. What the hell was wrong with her? What the hell was this dude doing? Damn. All of the time she spent with her family... those were the days, and she'd never have them again. Eshe slapped herself internally on the wrist. Family before... whoever this was. But as it turned out, even that could not apply. They were gone. So it was just "me, myself, and I" for the rogue, whose mind was consistently chasing out "Eshe" so she could just be and exist. The pain of the past... it was unbearable. No one should have to suffer as she had... but she was aware people did.

It was then the handsome male informed her of the fact that he had a pack. Well, she could have guessed that in his appearance alone. There was a regal, mature aura to the man that suggested as much. To join him sounded nice... it really did. The days of loneliness were things she wanted to put behind her.

She didn't see why not, honestly. Was she ready to join another pack? Eshe reared her head inside. There was a part of her that wanted to just... not. It would be the first pack since her natal one, and that change... it felt unbearable. Was it betrayal? It was that part of her that caused her to flatten her ears to her head. But she didn't want to say no to him, either. To see that face every day... what a life!

"I'd like to get to know you," she thought out loud, and it was only a second later she realized she had spoken. Woah woah woah. Quill had to think of something right quick to make it not sound exactly how she had thought it. "Before I make any promises, I mean! What if you're a tyrant ruler who, I don't know, ...trains assassins!" Really. Was that all she could come up with? She snorted. At least now the other before her would know she wasn't kidding when she said she'd been lacking in companionship. Hot damn, any and all social graces were gone with the wind.

She was slender – a creature cloaked in silver, beige and brown. She reminded him almost of Finley, the she-wolf who had dared him to.. well, take her. What would have changed in his life if he had taken the opportunity to do so? Would he never have mended his relationship with Bazi for the umpteenth time? If so.. then they wouldn’t have been in their current patch of unease, where both parent seemed to work together for their children alone, and exist amicably only for such.
 
But the girl before him was far from the bold creature he had met further south. No, her gentleness was alluring – her innocence.
 
What she said next stirred surprise upon him – his wolfish brows lifting to reveal such, and he felt a spark of pleasure ripple through his very being. That was, until she corrected herself, and an amused grin tugged upon his lips. Of course, his desire to leave Bazi out of this moment.. this very stolen moment, where he stood before a very attractive female and wanted nothing more than to fantasize about the things he would do to her.. well, he couldn’t. Not if he was looking to recruit.
 
“If by assassins, you mean five puppies, then I suppose. They are under training for warden or warrior apprenticeships,” he offered then, still hedging on the full details of his life. That those five kids belonged to he and his mate. “I’m Scimitar. Scimitar Frostfur.”

That he mentioned cubs appealed to her, if only because she was a natural caretaker. She had no cubs of her own but had taken care of both her siblings and cousins. That he (more likely than not) may father the very brood he mentioned was truly lost on her... young life always excited her. It was especially true in thinking of the young lives recently lost...

It was for the first time she thought of having cubs of her own. She had never been given the opportunity, but had never particularly wanted to be a mother, either. There were always so many to take care of... and both her aunt and mother were able to stress her out of her heat, further dissuading her. But if she was the last of—

But she was just Quill, now. That was too deep a thought. Quill pushed it away, refusing it.

Instead she opted to respond to him, quipping with a lifted brow, "Hey, they've got to start somewhere." Young assassins to be, huh? He hadn't exactly said no... it was hard for her to discern what sort of pack he could head. Warrior cubs, though... that was a new one. Perhaps if her family had that training...

She blinked. His name was a good and strong name. First, and last... Frostfur.

Quill Frostfur.

Her tail waved. "I go by Quill." Who she was in the past, what she went by then, didn't really matter anymore, did it? Dead and gone, like the rest of her family. Why should she have survived that when they hadn't? It was unfair. Eshe truly had lost herself in that time... but had found something else. Even now, she was discovering.

He was playing with a fire – and he was a terrible man for doing so.
 
Bazi rest at home – heartbroken over the loss of their home. Slipping from his grasp every chance he tried to hold her.. until it had come to the point that his grasp was but the barest skim of a touch.. a dutiful one, as if offered only by habit than anything else. She hated Jade Fern Grove.. and he was beginning to suspect she was beginning to despise him as well.
 
But this dove before him. A breath of fresh air, and her easy nature was a pleasing change from the dripping sarcasm he had been receiving – and offering. “My pack is not without its drama,” he offered then, realizing their lifestyle was not for everyone. Very likely not for such a gentle woman as she herself seemed to be. “That is why we will train them. To protect themselves, if the need arise. A pack south of here, Blackfeather Woods, has tried to harm us before.” The explanation was simple, but it delved so much further than that. At least now she knew who to avoid, if he could no coerce the siren before him to come back with him.
 
Could he really, if only because then his illusion of tracing his muzzle against the length of her ear in a way his mate would not approve of? “Pleasure to meet you, Quill,” he rumbled sincerely, exhaling gently as he withheld the desire to take a step closer to her and do just that.

As he spoke of drama, Quill truly became all ears. She thought of the one drama she had faced in life, and how she couldn't bear it to the point of changing her identity. A pack had tried to harm his before... but had not met success, it seemed, as here he still stood. Blackfeather Woods. What had the wolves who had killed her family been...? Well, now, they were the Dry Canyon wolves. A new age of them.

"It makes sense," she responded in earnest, "It is good that they will be able to fend for themselves." As her siblings and cousins had been unable to do. She would steer clear of those woods herself; she had no interest in falling victim to an attack of theirs. He was obviously a capable enough leader that he still lived past that challenge and could train them... she simply had done her fair share of fighting, and more than enough running from it.

As she looked at him, she could see that in him. Strong man indeed, and all the more handsome for it. Protector of all that was his. She wouldn't dare think that she, in any capacity, could be his. Aside from the drama he mentioned, he was a thing of perfection... a true sight for her sore eyes. "Likewise, Scimitar," she responded pleasantly, grinning as she spoke his name. Quill did not know of his imaginings, but blushed beneath his strong stare, looking away. He was the first wolf she had spoken to in a long while for such a length of time... and she found she did not want him to depart from her. He had a pack, however... somewhere to return to.

Still. Still.

"Where are we, now? What is this place?" It sure was a lovely evening, and the fireflies were only now beginning to emerge around them, transmitting messages to one another in their flickering lights. It'd been a while since Quill had truly stopped to smell the roses and look to the world around her... she'd been too busy running.

She seemed content with that answer – the answer that had withheld the details of the more gruesome side of things. The near rape of his mate.. the torture of one of their pack mates, and the final battle where two others from his pack had both been beaten badly – and himself included. The chunk missing from his left ear was perhaps the tell-tale sign of his survival of battle.. and perhaps it was what had stemmed her initial question in the first place.
 
She was easy going, though. A smile brightened her features, and he regarded her with a certain wonder. When was the last time he had seen another smile? The thought alone stirred his heart to sickening realization, and he felt his jaw tighten as he reigned the emotion in.
 
He looked around at her question – only now pulling his eyes from the sight before him to take in the territory. He was unfamiliar with the moor, and he gave a slight shake of his muzzle. “We have only come back here a little while ago to settle.. I’m not sure. But they call the area Rising Sun Valley.”

Rising Sun Valley. It was a pretty name. It sounded like a name that would inspire hope... in fact, it did. But at the present time, the sun was due to set soon. It was when he looked away from her that she looked to him, taking in all of his features. She noticed the notch in his ear and thought of the Woods he mentioned. Had they done that...? What other adversities had he faced? He was strong and hard looking, not an ounce of him suggesting the softness she had—for the most part—always known.

He certainly made her curious.

"I'll just call it, Reallygood Waters." Evidently, she was less creative with naming places than she was at naming herself. No big deal. In thinking of just how good they were, she went to have a couple more sips... slowly, this time, so as to not gag with over consumption. Her throat felt better for it... most waters she had passed by were stagnant and would've given her a lot of future problems. She was just lucky to have come across this place at all. If not for the water, then for him. A nice man, even despite all the stuff he had seen.

When his eyes found her once more, she impishly determined the name for the current moor they stood in, and Scimitar offered her a lopsided grin. As if to solidify her statement, the she-wolf bent her muzzle once more, lapping gently at the waters this time, much to the Alpha’s amusement.
 
Of course, he was far more distracted at the delicate arch of her neck, and the gentle curves that he could barely keep from staring at. He inhaled sharply, forcing himself to look away now, otherwise his attraction would become very apparent in more than one way.
 
Swallowing, the man made to distract himself, and lowering his own muzzle, swinging it closer to her, he lapped at the waters as well, though his eyes remained trained upon her features. They weren’t as refreshing as Swiftcurrent Creek had been, but he could see why a weary traveler would be appeased by them.

His grin, too, even crooked, caused her cheeks to warm. His inhale was missed by her, who could only hear the Moors that bubbled along. She did not look at him, immersed in hydrating herself once more, but as he approached and drank, too, she could not tear her gaze away. She took an unconscious, inconspicuous step nearer to him, tail twitching at her hocks, feeling excited by his nearness.

Sentient thought or words were all but gone from she who could hardly think, brain buzzing at his nearness. Quill paused in her drink for but a moment to dip her muzzle into the moor she stood aside, whipping it upward so that little droplets of water would sprinkle him. Whether or not her reach was successful or not, she threw him an impish look but did not move. Quill was all innocence and play, here, but did not want to escape whatever his retribution might be. Her brothers often tackled her for such a gesture—

She wondered what that might be like! To have fun with someone outside of her family. Quill had never humored this being a possibility... but she had come to terms with no longer running away, but running toward.

His thirst was not great -- and the distraction was certainly a failure. The proximity between the two wolves seemed to become painfully obvious to him, and as he glanced up he was met with a shower of water. Arching his wolfish brows, the regal regarded her coyness, as if silently questioning if she truly wanted to play that game.

He did not wait for an answer, his own muzzle whipping up to send a spray of droplets back to her -- his tail drifting contently through the air. One more step was taken to close the distance between them, and he swore he could feel the tips of his pelt brush hers, and it ignited his nerves.

Daring then, in that very moment, the male swept his muzzle forward, his nose grazing her cheek, spurned by the stolen moment.

Ah! Water flew into the air, and then onto her; it clung to the tips of her furs like crystal balls mounted upon their stands. Quill laughed, thrilled by the fact that he was willing to play. His own tail waved, too, and then he was closer to her. There they stood, chest to chest, and she made no move to withdraw. Something about the moment. Something about wanting to know what was next. It had been a while since she had interacted with another to this degree, and he himself was so handsome... Quill was taken by him, and could do little about it in the moment.

Especially when his nose caressed against her whiskers, into her cheek. Quill did not resist it, courted by it; she repeated the gesture in kind, seeking more contact. She smelt his pack-mates upon him, and even the cubs. But the most prominent scent upon him was his own, and she leaned further into it.

She didn't pull away.

No, it was quite the opposite. She returned the gesture -- tracing her muzzle to his own, and in that moment Scimitar knew he had walked over a line that should never have been crossed.. and that he could not undo.

Bazi would never forgive him. Kaskara, either, very likely. His children would have looked on in confusion, and perhaps even heartbreak if their younger minds could grasp exactly what had overcome the man.

But he lived in the moment of now, stealing solace in the fact that he could indeed enjoy what unraveled before him. His eyes grazed over her for a moment, and as she leaned to him, his muzzle swept forward, even more brazen than before, the earlier nudge of contact becoming more an act of desperation as he made to gently enfold her closer to him, burying his nose to the warmth along her nape.

For the first time in awhile, he felt like he was waking up.

Quill hadn't had any idea what she was doing, only that it felt lovely as she did it. There was no one or no thing to repress these age old desires she'd never experienced. What it meant she was not sure; but, it was reciprocated. Presuming this to mean something was right–especially as he nuzzled deeper into her–she felt her heart burst from her chest and fling to the sky. Her brain, too.

Her tail waved at the desperate touch, and she implored him for a little more as she pressed up against him, snaking her muzzle past his feathery throat and casting her head upon the apex of a strong shoulder. She lingered there, pressing her chin there as though willing herself to merge into him. She was all affection and plain adoration. It'd been so long! And she was being found again. The contact was mind-numbing... To forget everything was blissful, and for the first time in a long while, she could think of nothing but the present.

While there was absolutely nothing 'simple' about the way he held another woman and nt his mate, he could not help but feel in that moment that it felt quite natural. The way she melded to him, as if belonging there.. though there had been a time he had thought Bazi had fit perfectly in his embrace once too.

Her muzzle rested to the crook of his neck and shoulder, easing his access to bury his own further in to her fur. The touch in itself was innocent, and while perhaps a few moments earlier he would have craved something a little m ore, that thought fled at the realization of just how innocent the beauty before him was. He would not be able to corrupt her -- nor partake in an attempt to. For the moment she was cherished, and his current life forgotten. He would return to reality soon enough.

Quill was incredibly interested and intrigued by this man. What luck had brought her here? That he had found her! She considered then just going to join him, even despite her reservations. This was where she wanted to stay forever. The Moors! With Scimatar. She closed her eyes and lingered there.

The two year old did not wish to withdraw from him. His touch was a comfort, the first in a long time. It felt like all would be well after all. It never occurred to her that the man before her had a wife and kids, the very Cubs he had spoken of, actually. So nothing felt amiss; she felt in perfect bliss.

He could have held on to the moment forever – simply holding the lissome girl in his embrace, and allowing the stress of his failing mateship drift to a life of the past. But prolonging it would do neither any good, and if she came back with him now.. he wasn’t even sure what he could possibly say to her to make any of this seem like an act of fate.
 
Because the truth of the matter was that he was a married man, who was supposed to be devoted to the woman he had swore himself to.. and the silver siren before him was not her.
 
He drifted back now, his muzzle nudging her gingerly to pull her from the moment, and his eyes attempted to seek her out. If he spoke now, that the five children were his – four with his very alive and very real mate, and the other adopted in to their family.. it would have been the best thing for both of them.
 
But he was at a loss for words, and instead, the dark agouti wolf gave a small smile. “I should get back to training those future little assassins,” he rumbled, his gaze searching her. She wouldn’t even fit in their lifestyle – she seemed far too gentle to be a fighter. A warrior. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Quill.”

When he withdrew, Quill let him. Her heart ached and immediately, she longed for his touch again. It was comforting and strong, different than the way her father had held her when she worried for nothing, different than anything she had ever known. Ah, yes, the cubs, his pack... of course he had to return. Still, she teased in return, "I knew it." That they were assassins, she meant. Her tail waved and she grinned; Quill thought she knew a great many things in that moment when really, she knew nothing at all.

Quill grinned at his next words, heart skipping a beat as she recognized them. Quill could not call him out on the fact that he had said them before; his mind must have been as dizzy as her own. Would she ever see him again...? Her eyes held to his own, bright amber warm in the darkness.

"Hey--" She spoke, hopefully before he turned, but even if he was moving to depart. What was she going to say...? Quill took the reins, with the confidence of a new cowboy stepping into the rodeo for the first time... unshaken without defeat, yet still anxious with the prospect of it. She might fail, but she'd damn well ride that bull 'til she fell off of it. She figured, the bruise would be worth it, even if she did. "I know you've got a pack to go back to with assassins, and, you're a tyrant and all that, but if you've ever got time to spare, I plan to take a trip back here in four days. In case you want... an hour off, or something." She had nowhere to go and nothing to do, unlike him, so planned to investigate the new place... but at least she could rally back to a familiar face once more, right?

The invitation was on the table and she smiled warmly. Quill moved to press her nose lightly against his own before turning around herself, moving toward a hollow tree she had seen in the near-distance. That was where she'd be sleeping tonight, beside it and in the glowing light of fireflies.

He didn’t want to leave – but he knew he had to. He would need to rub himself against a few trees on his trip home, as well, lest the scent of the female before him cling suspiciously to his pelt and raise further ire with Bazi.
 
He allowed a fleeting smile at her returned quip, and made to turn, though he was pulled back when she spoke. Blinking, the man canted his creamy muzzle slightly, feeling a surge of need to simply remain here for another hour or so. But he couldn’t.
 
Her invitation was asking for trouble. She would end up hurt – Bazi would end up hurt.. his family could even end up broken. Was it worth it? Was it worth hurting his children? His mouth formed the words – to end this entirely, and simply say no.
 
“I’ll try,” he murmured instead, unable to resist the urge to see her just once more.
 
Just once.. and maybe then, he would tell her everything. With that, the male pulled away from her, leaving behind a siren that would devastate his dreams.. and potentially his family.