A need for fish that couldn't be had in the river drove Wylla on a three day trip away from Swiftcurrent Creek, during which she supped on fat rabbits and shrews. She wasn't good enough at fishing in the rushing current to catch anything at home, but she was a damn good sea fisher, so she made her way back to the coast. She wasn't keen on running into anyone from Grimnismal, but nor was she willing to go anywhere near where she'd last encountered @Raptor, so she ended up at the sharp slope between bluff and cape. Close to her old stomping grounds but hopefully far enough for most Grimnismal wolves to stay away, and well out of the jackass pirate's usual range.
She waded into the shallow water, noting that it was a lot warmer than the last time she'd submerged herself in it. It didn't take long for her to fish up a wiry green sturgeon, which she carried back to the rough shore to lay down and tuck into. She'd catch herself another one or two after she finished this one, she decided as she peeled scales and flaky flesh from its bones.
She waded into the shallow water, noting that it was a lot warmer than the last time she'd submerged herself in it. It didn't take long for her to fish up a wiry green sturgeon, which she carried back to the rough shore to lay down and tuck into. She'd catch herself another one or two after she finished this one, she decided as she peeled scales and flaky flesh from its bones.
It was a fool's errand but he was on it anyway, certain that there was no good outcome to be had one way or the other. The silver wolf was right; she was far from the reaches he frequented, but he has pushed past them now in search of her. He knew nothing about her other than she had brothers. He only assumed she lived further down the coast in the direction he encountered her in, and so that is where the tides took him that day. The circling, pacing tracks in the sand that doubled back on themselves and changed gaits erratically told a story.
He wished he was oblivious to the consequences of seasonal affairs. But he had been learned about the birds and the bees. The wenches were off limits during their heat; a scent he only recognized on his coat after the fact. The stories of spring sirens must be true he reckoned, imagining the seafarers who had been lured to their deaths, imaging their deaths were far more instant than the delayed one of his that he was still expecting. Surely, he was convinced, someone was going to make away with him sooner than later.
He ran out of time to fret and second-guess what he was doing away from the bay. There she was, with a feed of fish for herself. He glanced to her flank — or tried. He could not really see it. There would be no quick answer for him with which to turn and run with. Swallowing, and sighing, he slowly approached. Head down, ears back, eyes cast just ahead of his own paws. His tail was tight to his hocks, and he half-crouched when he stopped a few lengths of himself from her. He was not sure what to say, and the only thing he could think of seemed so woefully inadequate and infinitesimal that he could hardly find his voice to say it at all.
"I'm sorry..."
He wished he was oblivious to the consequences of seasonal affairs. But he had been learned about the birds and the bees. The wenches were off limits during their heat; a scent he only recognized on his coat after the fact. The stories of spring sirens must be true he reckoned, imagining the seafarers who had been lured to their deaths, imaging their deaths were far more instant than the delayed one of his that he was still expecting. Surely, he was convinced, someone was going to make away with him sooner than later.
He ran out of time to fret and second-guess what he was doing away from the bay. There she was, with a feed of fish for herself. He glanced to her flank — or tried. He could not really see it. There would be no quick answer for him with which to turn and run with. Swallowing, and sighing, he slowly approached. Head down, ears back, eyes cast just ahead of his own paws. His tail was tight to his hocks, and he half-crouched when he stopped a few lengths of himself from her. He was not sure what to say, and the only thing he could think of seemed so woefully inadequate and infinitesimal that he could hardly find his voice to say it at all.
"I'm sorry..."
She didn't know the knave's name. She'd long since decided it was Chlamydia, because he just kept coming back again and again and again. She'd thought she was well out of his range, but groaned low in her throat when she lifted her head to look out across the beach and noted that cocky little saunter. Son of a bitch, she thought, and quickly gathered her feet and what was left of her sturgeon. By the time he meekly mumbled out whatever the hell he'd said, Wylla was on her feet and ready to beat a hasty retreat.
"The fuck do you want now? Haven't you ruined my life enough yet?" she hissed through the fish as she surveyed his uncharacteristically subordinate stance. Ironically, Wylla didn't know how much Raptor actually had changed her life; she was oblivious to that. She just assumed he was here to cause more shit as always. He'd always acted like a jackass who thought he was better than her and held himself like one, too. What changed? Maybe the fact that he liked storing his sword in a real sheath was enough to make him come crawling back, but if Raptor thought he was gonna get seconds, he was dead wrong. She fixed him with a stormy glare and her hackles flared like wildfire down her spine.
She wasn't feeling a fight, but she'd give him one if he tried it.
"The fuck do you want now? Haven't you ruined my life enough yet?" she hissed through the fish as she surveyed his uncharacteristically subordinate stance. Ironically, Wylla didn't know how much Raptor actually had changed her life; she was oblivious to that. She just assumed he was here to cause more shit as always. He'd always acted like a jackass who thought he was better than her and held himself like one, too. What changed? Maybe the fact that he liked storing his sword in a real sheath was enough to make him come crawling back, but if Raptor thought he was gonna get seconds, he was dead wrong. She fixed him with a stormy glare and her hackles flared like wildfire down her spine.
She wasn't feeling a fight, but she'd give him one if he tried it.
May 03, 2018, 04:08 PM
She rose on to her feet. Raptor fell further. He pressed his stomach into the sand and laid his chin between his outstretched paws. His tail was pulled beneath him and his ears remained deferential.
"Yes." He answered meekly.
He avoided her gaze but did not — could not, really — hide how his eyes searched her flank now that she was standing. He thought he could discern a tell-tale swell but it was so subtle he could not be sure. It was the breeze that carried confirmation. Seemingly sucked out to sea as the waves retreated, it skimmed past his nose and he breathed in the change in her scent, and recalled the last time he had been around a gravid female.
Raptor swallowed again, clenching his teeth before he mustered the courage to speak. "I just... I want to do what's right. He winced, knowing how dumb that sounded, aware of all the trespasses he had made against her when she had deserved none of it. "I messed up. Big time. I messed up a lot. I treated you like shit because I am shit and I am stupid and I thought I could fix my problems, and prove myself, by—" He stopped, bit his lip, and got to the point.
"You don't have to like me — you shouldn't like me... but let me help with them. Please. You shouldn't have to raise pups on your own. I can bring food or..."
"Yes." He answered meekly.
He avoided her gaze but did not — could not, really — hide how his eyes searched her flank now that she was standing. He thought he could discern a tell-tale swell but it was so subtle he could not be sure. It was the breeze that carried confirmation. Seemingly sucked out to sea as the waves retreated, it skimmed past his nose and he breathed in the change in her scent, and recalled the last time he had been around a gravid female.
Raptor swallowed again, clenching his teeth before he mustered the courage to speak. "I just... I want to do what's right. He winced, knowing how dumb that sounded, aware of all the trespasses he had made against her when she had deserved none of it. "I messed up. Big time. I messed up a lot. I treated you like shit because I am shit and I am stupid and I thought I could fix my problems, and prove myself, by—" He stopped, bit his lip, and got to the point.
"You don't have to like me — you shouldn't like me... but let me help with them. Please. You shouldn't have to raise pups on your own. I can bring food or..."
It was kind of sad, actually, to watch this gigantic jerk-ass wolf bury himself in the sand like that. A hot bolt of satisfaction shot through Wylla and made her lips turn up into a smug smirk—finally, someone showing her to respect she deserved, but coming from him of all wolves it was too little, too late. He spouted a whole lot of excuses that only made her growl through her mouthful of fish, and at length she spat it into the sand and pressed it firmly down with a white paw.
"Bullshit," she shouted at him, tail lashing. "You took me to the wrong wolves then made me feel like carrion and then tried to murder me for your mistake! You're lower than shit water and you deserve to drown in it." What did he think picking on a younger wolf would prove? How much of a total dick he was? Raptor was right. He'd proven himself, all right. Proven himself for the scumbag he was, and proven to Wylla that trusting strangers in any capacity was idiotic.
His final plea confused her though, and her growl subsided as her ears flung forward. "The hell are you talking about?" she snapped. "I don't have any pups, dumbass."
"Bullshit," she shouted at him, tail lashing. "You took me to the wrong wolves then made me feel like carrion and then tried to murder me for your mistake! You're lower than shit water and you deserve to drown in it." What did he think picking on a younger wolf would prove? How much of a total dick he was? Raptor was right. He'd proven himself, all right. Proven himself for the scumbag he was, and proven to Wylla that trusting strangers in any capacity was idiotic.
His final plea confused her though, and her growl subsided as her ears flung forward. "The hell are you talking about?" she snapped. "I don't have any pups, dumbass."
May 07, 2018, 06:35 PM
She shouted. He flinched, squeezing his eyes shut.
"I know — I do," he agreed. Pained sincerity in his quiet tone. But drowning, he thought after, would have been a far more merciful fate and he did not deserve that mercy.
He did not so much as look up to her until she spoke again. For a fleeting moment, his listless expression came alive in surprise. He swallowed and chewed his cheek. "Err..." He was not sure how to correct her. He doubted himself; how could he not when he was so often wrong. But he pressed on after searching for the words and not really finding any impressive ones.
"I think you will..." he said. "I mean we... did that... and you were in season. That's what happens after... usually. Your scent has changed. Smells like other pregnant females I've been around."
"I know — I do," he agreed. Pained sincerity in his quiet tone. But drowning, he thought after, would have been a far more merciful fate and he did not deserve that mercy.
He did not so much as look up to her until she spoke again. For a fleeting moment, his listless expression came alive in surprise. He swallowed and chewed his cheek. "Err..." He was not sure how to correct her. He doubted himself; how could he not when he was so often wrong. But he pressed on after searching for the words and not really finding any impressive ones.
"I think you will..." he said. "I mean we... did that... and you were in season. That's what happens after... usually. Your scent has changed. Smells like other pregnant females I've been around."
May 20, 2018, 02:00 PM
She didn't think her fur could flare out any further but it proved her wrong of its own accord. Her coat spiked as Raptor went on; she let him finish, let the realization that he was probably right sink in, and felt even her undercoat prickling to life along her shoulders. She cut a fearsome figure like that, especially since she still wore the scabs and scars of their last encounter. Smells like other pregnant females, he said, and her growl grew to drown him out.
"Shut up," she ground out, standing at her tallest, "get out of my sight and never show your face again." It made sense now, why her body had silenced her mind's call for violence and allowed him to mount her. With a clearer head she knew she would never have allowed her enemy to satiate himself with her body, but she had let Raptor. That was the doing of biological imperative; now that she knew it, she couldn't see how she'd been so stupid.
She didn't wait to see whether he left or not; she stooped to pick up the rest of her fish, spun on her heels and stalked off back toward the mainland and Swiftcurrent Creek. Suddenly she wasn't hungry, but the fish could sit in the caches for someone who was.
"Shut up," she ground out, standing at her tallest, "get out of my sight and never show your face again." It made sense now, why her body had silenced her mind's call for violence and allowed him to mount her. With a clearer head she knew she would never have allowed her enemy to satiate himself with her body, but she had let Raptor. That was the doing of biological imperative; now that she knew it, she couldn't see how she'd been so stupid.
She didn't wait to see whether he left or not; she stooped to pick up the rest of her fish, spun on her heels and stalked off back toward the mainland and Swiftcurrent Creek. Suddenly she wasn't hungry, but the fish could sit in the caches for someone who was.
May 26, 2018, 05:34 PM
He cringed, cowered, as her anger rose, but again he made no move to defend himself. If she wanted to put her teeth to him, she could do so unchallenged. But she never. She turned and left instead after laying a seething warning on him, and that was that. Raptor remained where he was, in an emotional stupor, watching as she set course inland.
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