Moonspear can you see me?

For @Arcturus :)

It was snowing. All around her plentiful heavy snowflakes fell like rain to the ground below against the backdrop of darkness of night--above a full moon illuminated light. She moved with silence, a thick cloud of her breath escaped her mouth as she moved, behind her lay scattered her thick pawprints as the only remnant of her presence. A harsh wind hit her with the speed of a bullet and she stumbled sidways, locking her limbs in place to steady her frame she leaned against the second one that pummeled thick snowflakes into her side and along the long strands of her face. Shaking her fur quickly, she created her own blizzard around her and nipped at the snowflakes playfully. The snow melted on her tongue and soothed the ember of fire that burned within her, signalling the start of the second heat that came over her this year--she only hoped that it would end soon. 

Continuing on the charade she ran, jumped and pranced to catch the free fall of snow around her and felt the rush of freedom that overcame her. It felt good that in the moment she worried not of catching prey, filling caches or practicing her sparring, instead she was free to be as silly as she wished and it felt so good.

hounded by his poor decisions, arcturus slunk home.

he picked a good time to complete his walk of shame: it was nearing the middle of the night, and a chipper moon cast its wide glare across the spear. for a moment arcturus paused and looked at his silver-clad empire with breathless wonder. it was so chilling, so hyperborean -- a stark and jutting monument that rose cold as a silver dagger against a burgeoning navy sky heavy with snow.

he resumed, taking an old footpath that sidewinded up one of the slicker peaks. his den was not so far from here -- yet a pervasive, familiar scent lingered that gave arcturus a feeling of nervous dread. scenting deeply of the cold night air, arcturus recognized it as the same scintillating scent that had practically slaked off of towhee.

he decided then and there, he would avoid her -- and he did exactly the opposite as he fell in step behind her pawprints, buoyed by a powerful instinct he did not yet know how to control.

So into her activity of catching and chasing snowflakes, the woman didn't notice the male until he was well within her eye sight, his presence made her pause nearly midstride. She lifted her head quickly, a beard of snow covered the underside of her mouth, licking away at it quickly she smiled sheepishly at the higher ranking male and settled to her haunches with embarrassment. "I...I..." she started off, not knowing how to finish the sentence and wondering if the male even cared at this moment. He had probably come after following the scent of her heat-- it didn't help that her playful nature had carried it even stronger into the wind. She didn't move, fearful of moving the smell around even further and nervous about what he wanted from her, she hadn't meant to cause any trouble but then again maybe he had come for something more official. "can I do something for you?" she asked, always prepared for service.

arcturus stopped as katya noticed him; his ears slung ahead in interest. snow flecked her pelt in little white dots, some even lingering on her chin and nose. arcturus watched her warily, admittedly thrown off guard by the suddenness in which she had turned around.

and then her directness: the beta shifted uncomfortably, realizing the scent that eddied around them was smothering his senses, his will-power.

for a long, dark moment, the beta remained silent. a shadow passed across his face as something -- a shade he had little control over -- urged him to do something he had no stomach for. yet it was his enormous strength of will that pulled him from that distant place, his eyes slowly coming to focus as he looked upon the female. "not really." his voice was tight, but not with emotion. "what are you doing?"

Katya couldn't quite describe the feeling within her, it was like a feeling she had never felt before and it was conflicting in a way that caused frustration and annoyance. She both wanted and feared Arcturus, his stare was enough to make her submit with a whine and no sooner did her stomach hit the ground did she roll to her back in such a fashion that her smell wafted even stronger in the wind. She hoped he would come closer to touch her, she wouldn't pull away and would continue to remain in her position until he gave her permission to stand. She wanted him as bad as she hoped he wanted her, it was her hormones that drove her but reality snapped her back to the reprecussion of illicit breeding and she cursed herself for being so weak.

"I didn't mean to, I don't want to cause trouble..." she said, coming back to her stomach and tucking her tail tightly over her rump, concealing her privates so that his prying eyes no longer had access. "I..it's..." she couldn't quite finish her sentence, her raging hormones seemed to hit again, urging her to lick at his chin in submission once more, wanting him to take total control but she held her position instead and stayed at her spot, whining with annoyance. She hated being in heat, especially without a mate to pass the event with. "I was just playing I guess, trying to keep my mind off the craziness of my heat and the tasks of the pack." she admitted to him, never leaving her spot. If he were smart and had control, he would remain where he was too-- at a safe distance where their instincts couldn't take over.

several - no, many things happened at once. arcturus watched, a bit slack-jawed, at the circus of movements katya presented: first, she whined and dropped to the ground, then she rolled over - as if to just stay there forever.. arcturus was moving towards her without realizing it, his long limbs sweeping underneath him as she propped herself back onto her stomach.

he wanted then to touch her, to drink the scent that compelled him to do what his rational mind knew better than to dare act upon. he barely knew katya, but somehow, that didn't seem to matter. for the briefest moment, arcturus succumbed to instinct and stepped over her possessively as she licked at his chin.

do not do it, came a voice in the back of his head: suffocating, treasonous pragmatism: do not, it cautioned again, as arcturus pressed to katya's pelt, listening yet not listening to the words that beat from her dark lips. in that moment he was neither in control nor smart, nor did he want to be. "no trouble," arcturus crooned -- more like charon in that moment than he would ever know. he made to preen along the back of her neck, all too aware of the hunger towhee had instilled in him that fateful morning. "but you should be careful, and lie low a while." read: stay with me, where i do not need to share you.

For some reason her voice grew smaller, more seductive and her eyes more flirtacious as she felt him near her, his bulk and strength enough to make her swoon. In a normal setting where her blood didn't boil and her hormones raging, she would be running from this male with her tail tucked between her legs for fear of upsetting a wolf of higher rank. With her heat in full swing, she wanted nothing more than to show him how worthy of him she was, and her tongue rolled out of her mouth to lick at his dark pelt as honey eyes sought to search his own firey gaze. "you are very handsome Arcturus and I want you." she admitted with a smile.

The male assured her that there was no trouble and she naively believed him, knowing that anything less would mean he was a liar and she highly doubted that Arcturus was a liar--she could tell from his looks alone. "Good." she crooned back, pressing into him with her tail thumping loudly behind her. "I think we should lay low a while." she said, and immediately she began to recall the warning from Hydra, the one where illicit breeding would cause trouble and was forbidden, and her heart beat loudly in her chest.

What was she doing? "we shouldn't do this, we can't do this, she'll kill us." she warned, speaking sense into this meeting and pushing from him, even if she instantly regretted it and craved the warmth of him once more. One of them had to be the responsible one and Katya was trying very hard to be just that. "I shouldn't have seduced you, I was wrong." she admitted with shame. "besides, we aren't mates. I don't want bastard pups." she admitted, sighing deeply and feeling the release of tension roll from her. Perhaps the truth would cut the tension between them with a knife.

were it not for the whirlwind that followed next, arcturus might have found himself walking down a hazardous, lonely path. he was not so close to reasons' grasp as katya -- the power of the season was in full swing, and he but a puppet to its whims.

he wished fervently to bask in the warmth of her pelt and the sensation of them touching - it sent his skin buzzing - but katya was quick to her senses, and pushed away. at once he was bewildered, and aware painfully of the cold seeping into his flank where she had been. come back, he almost implored -- but the look in her eyes was too near to home to be ignored.

he unfurled a lengthy sigh, pining that brief moment and its passing. and then he sat down, not daring to come any closer despite how every muscle within roared in protest. would it be that he could pursue his own passions, free of hydra's tyranny! "you are right - but only in a sense." arcturus conceded, not hiding the way he looked upon her. towhee had but scraped the tip of the iceberg in terms of the mountaineer's appetite -- and now that the fire within him was kindled, he was not sure it would ever fizzle out.

"she will not kill us, but i don't want bastard pups either." and as much as he wanted that moment that would lead to puppies, arcturus was still reeling from the hurt inflicted by towhee. in a way, it had shut down the innocent part of the beta that would have once been sweet and kind: now, he was too emotionally stung to possibly become vulnerable ever again. "you should go." while it pained him to suggest that (and how he looked away, refusing to meet her gaze), he knew if he stayed around her for much longer, that he would fall prey to instinct -- with or without reason.

I know my activity is spotty but if you want, I would LOVE for them to meet again!

A chilling sensation came over her and she shook as though cold, withdrawing from his touch before the sensation had the opportunity to repeat itself. She turned her head to look at him, her eyes searched his face as the silence consumed then though not for long-- he would eventually respond to her request. She had tried hard to keep her feelings in check and given the dark males response, she felt that her mind had finally taken over. "I don't want to be on Hydra's bad side to find out if she will kill me," she admitted, her ears pulled backward with a correction. "us." she was sure that even despite Arcturus'high ranking, he would feel the wrath of her teeth and potentially be tossed from the pack for disobeying pack law.

He advised for her to leave and for a moment she contemplated talking him out of it, wanting to enjoy his company even if it meant remaining near him in silence. It was a silly fantasy for her to think that one as well respected as the pack's beta would be interested in her, she knew he had plenty of other options and had probably partaken in this ritual more times than she (unaware of Arcturus' age, she could only assume) and felt it best if she left to clear her mind. "that is a good idea.' she mentioned, shaking her pelt free of the snowflakes that had accumulated on her pelt and the tension that had built along her shoulders. She would probably need a long walk afterward to clear her mind. "I hope to see you around soon." she said, smiling in his direction before turning on her heels to leave the area.

your activity is perfect!! always down for another thread anytime <3

to hell with hydra's any-side, arcturus found himself thinking through gritted teeth. it was as if every time he made to do something, hydra's image was there to hold him back, or to tell him what he was about to do was wrong. everywhere he went, it was hydra's ruling he must abide by.

not for the first time, did arcturus feel his freedom stifled here on the mountain.

his gaze fell longingly across katya. were things different, she could be his -- had he not had so poor an encounter with towhee, or a sister who kept him (rightfully) close.

he leveled a sigh, yet remained silent as katya rose to leave. he fought the urge to call out to her as she shook snow from her pelt and turned away, but in the end all he could manage was a tight and solemn goodbye in response.

when her form faded into the gently falling veil of snow, arcturus slumped to the ground and rested his head upon his paws in deep, isolated thought.