Grouse Thicket You'll never know what hit you

@Hadraniel :) backdated to before the whole plot with Judas.

The lady found herself wandering the isle without much on her mind. There was little going on at the home they had chosen, but perhaps she was supposed to like this calm air... But she didn't. Malice was a thrill-seeker to some extant, and things were too quiet for her liking. And so, when the sun was high in the sky in it's hottest hour, she moved gracefully to the river and waded to the other side. She looked from left to right, but settled on the direction she knew best; to Grouse Thicket. Even she liked her sweets every now and then, and apples sure were sweet. She knew not to eat the seeds of them though, Veritas had told her a long time ago that they were poisonous.

She weaved her feminine body through the thick forest, alert and ready for anything that life decided to throw at her today.

Hadraniel was never one to complain about hard work, in fact he enjoyed it. It distracted him, gave him a purpose and that's all he craved in life - a purpose. What his destiny in life was remained unknown to him and he imagined it would remain that way for some time, but he didn't see the harm in going out and searching for it. After all, without a purpose what was the point in living?

So the male struck out in search of his fate, naively believing that he would eventually find it. But what he found instead drew his attention away from his task and towards a stranger who weaved herself gracefully though the thicket with what seemed to be familiar ease. He watched from a distance, acidic eyes glued to her features, and silently wondered if she would notice him.

What first seemed like a peaceful stroll soon turned more interesting when the scent of a stranger sent shiver down her spine. Her feminine head turned to behind, left and right to perhaps spot the source, but for at least 3 whole seconds the -what seemed like- male could not be found. Only on her fourth count could the stranger be spotted and she froze in place- tail carried high yet no hackles bristling. She was close to home, a simple howl would be her sanctuary and her voice was capable. She was a fighter, always had been, even without wanting it. She was safe. At least she hoped she was.

Hello? Her voice, though cracked here and there, was carried strongly by the wind. If the other did not wish to converse, so be it, but for this time she would try. She had always been the more.... approachable of the leading pair in Arthendal.

She seemed...lost, and only after she locked onto him did Hadraniel realize she had been searching for him. He gave an awkward shuffle, he had after all been staring at her and he supposed that was a bit creepy. Yet despite her risen tail, she didn't seem all that defensive. She called out to him and he was quick to respond with a friendly "hello" and a wave of his tail.

He approached slowly since she seemed a bit on edge, and made sure to keep himself looking as approachable as possible. He wasn't big on the whole being dominant thing and was perfectly happy to remain the lower of the two if that's what it took to have a conversation with a pretty wolf like herself.

Of course she had been searching for him. He was close to their home, to her babies, even though he did not look like a threat. It was her duty as the Lady of Arthendal to know who roamed the territories around the Isle- and she was going to do just that. He greeted her too, his tone friendly and his body not as tense as she would've assumed. Her scar, straight across her eye, was turned to him slightly, her head slightly turned to the right. 

He approached, and even she made an effort to get a little closer to the male. A few steps were taken in his direction before she slowed to a stop and they were face to face. What do you seek here? She asked, quite friendly yet with an undertone of formality and concern.

He was suprised to see that she too would take a few steps forward, but he greeted her with the same warmth he had shown on his features. He had been searching for his fate, and yet the second he saw her he had completely forgotten his reason for being here. "I don't know" he answered honestly and carefully watched for her reaction.

He turned to her then and gave a lick of his lips. "What do you seek here?" He was curious to know what she had been doing before they happened to stumble upon one another.

She squinted curiously. He had looked like he had a purpose here. Then again, she had just been going out for a stroll. He did not mind him having a very specific answer. How unfortunate - have you forgotten? She asked sweetly. He had been kind so far, which meant she could be kind back. At least, that was her social rule. She made an "o" shape with her mouth when he turned the question on her, but quickly smiled again. 

Well, I had nothing to do so I thought a stroll would satisfy my wandering lust. She answered honestly, finally comfortable enough to turn her head to him fully, allowing him to look upon her whole face. 

If Hadraniel had eyebrows he would have raised one suspiciously at her when she squinted at him. However seeing as how he was lacking some fabulous brows, he simply glared at her cautiously until she spoke again. "I suppose I have" he said with a hum before adding "must have forgotten when I saw that pretty face of yours." Real smooth, great way to make the lady come begging for him .

The man couldn't help but notice the scar that lay on her face and Hadraniel assumed there was a reason for her having it. "I'm guessing there's a story behind that scar" he said with a grin, fully expecting her to tell him how she received such a wound.

Perhaps some would feel uncomfortable under the glare of a stranger, but Malice was not one of most. She allowed him to look, which probably gave him the courage to say what he had said to the Lady of the Isle. Her yellow eyes opened further, the one with the scar squinting a little more than the other. Flattery will not get you in my To-Do list. She answered, perhaps a little coldly. Yes, flattery had gotten her somewhere, but she was a nice special snowflake had had it easy. Burke had been a broken man and needed a woman in his life, and she was just in the right place at the right time. This man was not so lucky - Malice did not need anything from him. In fact, she probably had more to offer him than the other wat around.

There is. She answered, a bit surprised. She did not usually get comments on her scar since most knew to avoid the topic. Not even her children had seemed to mind. But it is not a very nice one. She specified, already knowing that she would not tell him the whole story anyway. He was barely a friend, and was not even part of the Retreat they had formed on their island. 

Huh, so his charming good looks and flattery turned out to not be enough for her to come crawling. Shocking. He let out a laugh in a single breath, accompanied by a wide grin that showed off his stained teeth. He assumed she was just playing hard to get, and Hadraniel had always been a fan of a little challenge every now and then. "What will?" he asked, regarding how to get on her to-do list. 

The sandy male had always enjoyed hearing other stories, particularly the ones that were exactly all happy and carefree. They made him feel like his life wasn't the shittiest in the world. "I didn't expect it to be" he replied, leaving silence hang between them so that she could tell her story if she decided to indulge him.

Malice was an independent mother of two and a leader of a pack that respected her - it was not natural for her to come crawling to a loner she barely knew, just because he flattered her with possible lies. She had everything she needed and wanted, and would never betray Burke like this with some random guy. True, her mate could be stubborn and a pain in the ass, but he was still hers and she loved him. Probably nothing. She shrugged, her smile turning into a line that was neither happy, sad or angry.

It's a story only a small portion of my wolves know - why should I tell you? She asked, perhaps a bit triggered by the fact that he thought she'd just share her problems with everyone. Besides, only the scar remained of that dreadful day. Judas was among them now, and everything was fine. Malice actually felt flattered that he came to her for help.

He let out a sigh when she said there was probably nothing he could do to get with her which was a real disappointment. "That's a shame, I totally could have rocked your world" he said with a toothy grin and left it at that. She didn't seem interested in him and Hadraniel knew there was nothing more annoying than someone who couldn't take a hint.

When she announced that only a few knew the story it made the male all the more interested. "Why shouldn't you?" he asked flipping the question on her. "Is it really that significant that a stranger like me could actually use it against you?" 

She smirked playfully. I very much doubt it. She answered honestly. Malice had never been into boys of her age until meeting Burke, and he was the love of her life. She would not let a total stranger ruin what they had build - what they had made together, and would not let her pack suffer a break up, nor her children.

It is of great emotional importance to me, and I would hate to put anyone in a bad light. She answered with a flick of her tail. While she couldn't take the hint that he wanted her, he could not take the hint that she really did not wish to tell him her story.

"I guess you'll never find out." Hadraniel knew nothing of her life, didn't know she had a mate or children, all he knew was that he saw was a pretty face and figured why not try and make a move? Besides even if he did know about her life and who she was with, he still might have tried to smooth talk his way into convincing her to get with him. Handraniel believed that even those who tied the knot and settled down should still be free to seek others that wish to enjoy themselves. Whoever came up with the stupid idea that a certain kind of love had to be restrained to one individual anyways? The more the merrier right? 

"It probably has to do with a family member then, or a friend perhaps?" he guessed right after she finished speaking. "Great emotional importance usually has to do with those you care about and well friends and family tend to be the people we care about most." A sly smile found it's way to the man's lips as he was confident he was correct about her scar being given to her by someone of importance. Even if he was wrong in his assumption, he still might be able to get her to reveal a bit more about her scar and that's all he truly wanted.

As if I want to. She shot back, quite proud of herself. Not often did she act this bitchy, but this man brought the worst in her out. It felt good to be a "bad bitch" again, even if it was not something she felt very comfortable with. She was a mother of two, a seeker of peace and acceptance, a stargazer - and here she was, conversing with a male that was so very obviously into only her good looks. It was despicable, yet she could not bring herself to move, for even though she quite certainly disliked him at this point, she did not want to be rude.

She squinted as he returned to the subject of the scar. It's none of your business - get off my case. She shot at him. She did not like to be questioned about her past, much like her mate, and he had already made a bad first impression on her. She made a promise to herself that if he would return to the scar-matter, she would turn and leave.

The man was too arrogant to actually believe there was someone in the world who could resist his good looks. So at her remark he quickly shot back "you know you do" with a wink and waggle of his eyebrow. He let his tongue slide out to lick his lips before letting it lazily loll out the side of his mouth. He had nowhere to be and believed he had all the time in the world to get to know this mystery woman. 

"Jeez, don't be such a party pooper lady" he said when she told him to get off her case. What the hell was her name anyways? "So if we aren't going to talk about great emotional importance, can you at least tell me your name?" That shouldn't be so difficult for her to give up, but considering how she seemed all uptight, he wouldn't be surprised if she didn't tell him that either.

You know I don't. She replied with some anger behind her tone. How this man's ego had grown so big, she did not know. She was all for self respect and being who you were, but this male was taking it a step too far. There was a difference between respecting yourself and simply feeling as if the world owed you something of great importance always. One did not need much, just love and acceptance of both oneself and of the ones who mattered.

Her brow furrowed in anger. A party pooper?! The words were foul, and she did not dare repeat them in fear of speaking vulgarly. Absinthe. She lied, not sure if she should even trust him with her fake name. But when did a name ever do you any good? 

A lazy sigh escaped him as she continued to protest against his charming good looks. It wasn't really fun anymore to tease her and she had totally ruined his spunk so Hadraniel ultimately decided to keep his mouth closed for once. She didn't seem to know how to let loose every once in a while and he was determined to not waste anymore of his life on trying to bone her. 

"Absinthe" he repeated, completely ignoring her question. "I'm Hadraniel" he introduced with a toothy grin and a slight raise of his head.

When he had seemed to given up his quest on getting her into a nice and cozy den, she felt victorious. It was nice knowing she could still be hardheaded after turning into a softy so many months ago. She liked having this power over a stranger - but more so did she like having a family with a loving mate. Only in heat would this handsome guy have a chance of boning a woman like her.

Hadraniel - it's a pleasure to meet you. She nodded, lying her ass off. 

He repeated her name several times in his head while trying to decide if it fit her or not before ultimately decided that in the end he just really didn't care. After shutting him down Hadraniel practically lost all interest in her, though he hadn't completely given up hope on getting with her someday. He just told himself that she was in a bad mood and if they should ever run into each other again she'd totally realize what a huge mistake it was to turn him down. A man can fantasize right?

"Of course it is" he slyly added after she said it was a pleasure to meet him. I mean who wouldn't be happy meeting this handsome face?

It was true that her mother's name might not have fitted her in the beginning; her mother had been a kind, considerate wolf. While Malice was that now, she surely lived up more to her father's last name instead. The Lanius family did not have a pretty past, but The Lady would make sure that it would have a nice future through Pyro and Vassago. Sure, some Rochester was thrown into the mix, but it was the next generation of the Lanius family as well. Little did Malice know that her half-sister Nemesis was also doing that with her own litter of 4, who already showed signs of one day becoming darker souls than their parents.

It would be an even bigger pleasure to see you leave. She added with a grin. The man's ego was bigger than his heart, which was probably the reason he would never find love. If one could only see one's own greatness, never could they see more in their partner. A partner was there to support one, not to be trampled over by the other's ego. Burke and her both had a great ego, but they respected and genuinely loved each other. That was all one could ask for in a healthy relationship.

Last post from me!

He let out a half-assed laugh at her comment before turning to look at the direction he came from. "Your wish is my command" he said with a grin before winking at her. He didn't see a reason to stick around any longer so with a flick of his tail he was on his way. "If I ever get on that To-Do list of yours, just give me a call" he teased as he made his way threw the forest, making sure to keep his ears open for any snide comment she might throw back at him. 

She was intriguing at best, but her attitude kind of killed the positive vibes he had before running into her. No matter though, he would kill something and then eventually go back to being his old cocky self, or so he hoped.

Malice rolled her eyes with a slight smirk on her face, not sure how to shoot him down properly. She guessed he was not a man of reasoning when it came to these sort of things, which was a shame because one could not deny he had good looks. But good looks weren't everything. She would never let a man like him into her heart simply because he was cute. She was a sucker for power and control, and he had neither.

As he left, she, too, went back home. Hadraniel had taken away her will to explore further, and for now she would just go back to her den.