Ankyra Sound you're stuck with yourself and a rage that can hurt you

play with meeeeee

Lycaon poked noiselessly and aimlessly around the coast. he didn't feel like reconciling with his brother yet, petty anger still astir despite the pangs of contrition that occasionally troubled his conscience. he'd had a... lukewarm... reception to his brother's attachment to childhood idylless, and the pale wolf fought back anticipatory dread that he would soon be deserted, again, by Ingram in favor of his new amour.  

to disperse some of this angst, Lycaon sought something new to focus on, something more productive than simply fuming over a situation he had no control over. he picked a furtive path to the tidal flats sidling the sound -- a place he and Caiaphas frequented when he was a boy and new to the methods and crusty means of a coastal wolf. he knew, thanks to mana, the way to find gapers and cockles and crab was to look for quarter-sized depressions in the substrate, so he kept a sharp eye for pinholes in the clambeds as he combed the length of the gelid tract. 

after some time he espied something promising. "look what we got here!" he tee-hee'd to himself, encircling the telltale breathing hole of some coveted mollusc with pert giddiness, tail lashing and tongue lolling from his mouth. his paws set to the task of spading heaps of sand out of the way, expecting his glorious bounty to be unearthed with ease. 

after every rake of his paw, he jammed his head into the dugout and inspected it optimistically, only to be met with disappointment when there was no reward awaiting the incurable clutch of his jaws. with a huff he returned toiling away at the hole, digging himself deeper and deeper until only his bottom was above ground.

While Nyx had been lingering in Ankyra Sound for weeks, acclimatising to her newfound role within its fresh hierarchy was going to take some time. Accepted among the ranks before she even knew they existed, the former loner figured she might as well use the opportunity to band together with others there than risk further travelling.

For a while, she did consider taking her leave. There were no connections to the shore for Nyx, and she wasn't particularly fond of the territory. Mountains and woodland gave her comfort, where the coast felt more... vulnerable? Exposed, maybe. She didn't know, but supposed it didn't matter; come the thawing of snow in the Springtime, Nyx would probably be on her way. Ingram had asked that she stay in the meantime, but with her agreement came no solid promises.

Nyx wandered the beach, not looking for anything in particular, when she spotted an unexpected sight. A pale rear presented skyward, platinum tail flagging with purpose. Immediately, the tawny wolfess recognised the frosty hue and a quick whiff of the air confirmed that it was Lycaon before her in such a compromising position. Mischief in her yellow eyes, Nyx slunk forward.

As she crept closer, a wave of damp sand was unknowingly flung her way and with a duck of her head, she made to protect her gaze. Another pawful came soaring her way followed by several more, smattering her head and dorsal, but she hunched her shoulders and pressed on until she was upon her pallid comrade. Nyx dared to plant upon his hindquarters a sharp nip, preparing herself to tear away out of reach should he turn his teeth on her in response.

his concentration on the task at hand was more than enough to strike him oblivious to the imminent shadow of mischief targeting his derriere. 

well, oblivious up to the extent of her literally bumrushing him and chawing on his cheek tufts. with a shriek, Lycaon's hind-end instinctively tucked in to avoid further assault, sending him tail-over-teakettle into what now amounted to his place of interment..."my best asset!" he wailed, snout (completely garbed in wet sand) slowly peering out from the hole to discern his assailant. 

it was the ebon she-wolf, Nyx, that saluted him from on-high -- suspensefully primed to beat a hasty retreat. a gamesome expression befell him, ears pulling sideways as his tail flicked and his head ducked a little lower so she would only see pale ears and the fiendish twinkle in his eye. "hey... you missed my face..." he said lowly. "easy mistake to make, they look the same. let me show you how it's done!" he crowed before springing from his bunker and charging after the dryad with lips theatrically puckered up and threatening mass seduction.

Yowling in surprise, Nyx' young victim did not swing around to snap her way but instead tumbled over himself to disappear down into the hole he'd dug out. She threw her head back to laugh hertily, and mustered her toothless grin when she spotted him peeking over the edge.

Her tail lashed at her rear, mischief gleaming in her electric yellow irises, and observed quietly as Lycaon shrunk further into his hollow. Hunching her shoulders, the tawny Ostrega braced herself; if he was anything like her, he would no doubt be preparing his own assault.

Nyx arched a suggestive brow as he announced that she'd missed his face, shooting him a look that said dat butt tho. He then bounded over the mound of sand toward her, lips puckered, and Nyx reared up to meet him by clicking her fangs playfully against Lycaon's pallid muzzle while her paws reached out to push against his tufted chest.

she braced herself against his ungainly impact and he reared up as she did, ashen embrace rebuffed with a hoist of her paws against his chest. he trundled backwards, but it didn't ward off his impetus for long. grumbling playfully, he lurched forward and began nipping at her ankles, encouraging her to perform a spry dance for him.

Lycaon was pushed back, and Nyx' claws raked the dense fur of the young male's pallid chest before her forepaws found the frozen sand beneath them once more. She did not hesitate to sweep in after him then, jaws parted to make an attempt at seizing him by the loose hide at the side of his powerful neck. Failing to grapple him, the tawny Ostrega yipped in surprise as her comrade lowered his head to nip at her lower limbs.

She jerked a forepaw away as he went for her ankle, then reared up to escape his attack on the other. Feeling unable to back away quick enough on her hinds to avoid him, Nyx pushed herself forward in a way that she would likely find herself awkwardly straddling his shoulders.

his teeth clicked around air as Nyx drew back her leg in defense of his fretting assault. he ducked as she weaved, rearing up and clasping him to her bosom. caught. he flinched, as though in fear of the culmination to this deathmatch--Lyc made a pretense of suffering with a series of supplicating whimpers. "oh, be merciful to me, a sinner..." he rasped dramatically, eyes pinched shut.

Her chest collided with his shoulders and she huffed a soft "oof!", as she raked her claws through the ashen pelt of his ribs in attempt to maintain her hold. Gripping him at last, Nyx beamed in quiet triumph.

Beneath her, he wailed in feigned defeat. She was sure that Lycaon wasn't the type of wolf to go down without a real fight, but he seemed to react quite well to having his head accidentally mounted. Eager to continue their play fight and use her position to her advantage, however, the golden Ostrega's mischief flared to life once more.

To add insult to injury, Nyx did not dismount. Instead, she pressed her weight down on the pallid wolf's shoulders and made to topple to the side with every intention of dragging him down to the sand with her.

oooooh i deeply suck, i'm sorry this is so late! :<

if he was bothered by it, lycaon sure didn't express any overt objection to Nyx's roughhousing as she dragged him to a prone position--he made no effort whatsoever to avail himself of any illusion of strength--and they both collapsed upon the sands with a grunt.

if nothing else, he certainly couldn't complain about the vista of tuscan sun eyes staring back at him when his lids fluttered open again. he gazed openly at her, mostly to be obnoxious, sinewy legs folded neatly to his chest. shifting to his back, his attention turned to the robin-egg blue sky abounding with cumulus clouds that scudded across its palette spanning miles beyond the horizon. "that one looks like Ingram." he said, pointing a claw at a rather amorphous, voluptuous cloud possessed of no distinguishable features.

 

<3

As the duo slumped to the ground, she slackened her grip on Lycaon's shoulders and flopped to her side, shifting her forelimbs to plant her sandy paws directly on his back - as though to keep him a comfortable distance enough away that he could not seek revenge for her toppling. Her tail swayed contently at her rear, and she grinned toothily at her pale play-mate as he arched his head to gaze in her direction. She moved when he rolled belly-up to face the sky, though she did not mimic his pose. Nyx instead pulled herself up onto her elbows and scooted so that her shoulder meshed with his. It was an offering of support - providing herself as a pillar to lean on as an unspoken apology for dragging her superior down with her.

Her growl was soft as she reached her snout to press her nose against the Beta's neck, where she tentatively set about preening tufts of dampened silvery fur in a friendly grooming session to rid him of unwelcome grit. Nyx couldn't help but admire the raw strength of muscle beneath the density of his proud mane and, caught up in her primping of her companion's pelt, she did not register his mocking of Ingram until a moment later when she pulled back with a curious "hm."

The she-wolf blinked, somewhat dumbly, and pointed her muzzle toward the sky to catch sight of whatever claimed Lycaon's interest. She smirked at the sight of this shapeless cloud, then peered down into the face of her comrade with a wry smile. "You're absolutely right," she agreed with ease, always happy to poke fun at her pack-mates when the opportunity arose. "The resemblance is uncanny!"

as she preened his nape to liberate him from dirt, the tickling sensations raked a shiver ran down his spine. he folded his shoulders up reflexively, softly batting at her aureate snout with his paw as she made her effortless consensus that yes, that cloud was a positive dead-ringer for their favorite silver-spined Kappa. the smile on her face was met with an arch look. ”i know right? it’s the hips.” he remarked with smug glee.

a wroth thundercloud roiled on the horizon, foretelling of an incoming storm, and his mind made a predictive leap to Chusi. ready as ever to overshadow him and rain on his parade! his mien dimmed for a moment at the thought of the girl, but he punched back up once his eyes caught a glimpse of Nyx’s serene demeanor. 

her presence in Grimnismal didn’t go unappreciated—the undramatic bearing she possessed made her worth her weight in gold alone. laboring with a bit of guilt in terms of how she might be treated within the hierarchy, Lycaon hesitated with his words for a moment. "hey uh.” sorry if my insecure sis is a dick to you, i don’t know how to turn that feature off but we’re working on it. "do you feel comfortable here? nobody’s pickin’ on you, right?” he treaded carefully--of course, he was loath to offend her by implying she couldn’t hold her own against any of their constituents... but he certainly didn’t want her enduring Wylla’s spurs in passive silence, either.

Of all Ankyra Sound's wolves, Lycaon and Ingram would forever remain her favourites. They'd accepted her with ease from the start as she did them, and she felt she could truly be herself in their presence. Had it not been for the brothers, Nyx would not have hesitated to take her leave when others began to form Grimnismal. She'd never been a believer in fate, but they were meant to be her grounding to the shore - of this much she was certain.

She was content, much to her own surprise. What surprised her even more was the pallid Beta's sudden change of tone, as he hesitantly asked if she was doing okay. Her smile faltered and an raven-tipped ear canted backward as her vivid eyes turned, curious, to seek his ashen features. "I'm doing fine," she assured him, though the confusion remained. A part of her hoped he didn't think her incapable of holding her own, and racked her mind for a time when she might have shown some form of weakness.

Nyx, patient and still very much a loner despite her place in the hierarchy, didn't go looking for trouble. Perhaps Lycaon referred her 'remaining in the background' approach in life, and if this was the case, she supposed it was sweet of him to be concerned about her. "I'm a big girl," she teased, her smirk returning as she pressed with her joking tone, "though I suppose I could pretend to do the whole 'damsel in distress' thing, if that's what you're into?" Wink wink, nudge nudge.

in the privacy of his mind, relief washed over him as she affirmed her contentedness. he did not surmise that Nyx was a slouch incapable of holding her own, and her response only secured that preconceived notion for him. however, she was one of the first wolves he’d met and by some wonder, got on with, aside from Ingram, so he wanted to make sure her lifestyle here was an opulent one—or as opulent as a loutish beta could manage. he would have held the same concern for Ingram or Caiaphas, if one wasn’t as feckless as himself and the other wasn’t practically bound to the masts of ships in homage to her ability to thrive under mob rule. 

a smirk unfurled on his lips, her teasing pass at him rallying coy luster to his eye. ”don’t go stealing my trope. you know how good i am at being a damsel and in distress.” he huffed, pitching his muzzle away from her with spurious snootiness. sinking his withers lower into the sand, he draped a paw over his face and looked up, riveting the best puppy-dog gaze he could muster for her scrutiny. ”see? look—see that anguish? it’s soul goddamn deep.” 

Lycaon leapt to all fours, twirling about to face her and dropping to a play bow that left the stern of his canoe skyward and susceptible to clout. ”you gonna be my dragon or my knight?” he questioned with anticipation thick in the air, tail drubbing his flanks with friskiness as he stared down the winsome face of his comrade.

Wanna finish this up?

Nyx' yellow gaze glimmered with mischief at Lycaon's response, and she eyed her companion with playful suspicion as he sank dramatically to his side and swept a paw over his pallid featured. He blinked back at her, adorable and pitiful all the same, and her tail swished with amusement at her hocks.

"Hm," she observed, feigning seriousness as she gathered herself and made to sweep around him in a loose circle, "I dunno, the big eyes are cute and all, but aren't damsels renowned for being pretty?" She rolled a sable shoulder. He pulled himself onto his feet and swung around to face her; the tawny she-wolf paused to look upon his handsome features and smirked. 

Nyx knew that Lycaon could steel himself against her jokes, bitter as they may seem, and fully expected that he would bounce back with some witty retort of his own. "Draw some lashes on your butt, it is definitely more appealing than your face - then, maybe, I'll consider being your knight."

you got it :)

he was still as a steppe mouse as she perused around him with a critical eye, his tail slowly brushing dervishes in the sand as he struggled to hold frame. even when Nyx called is prettiness--his prettiness!--into question, he barely shriveled under her nitpicking gaze. just barely. he knew, deep in his pickled little heart, that he was very pretty; and self-confidence was the premier virtue of attractiveness. or that's what he told himself, anyway.  

when they were both on their feet and Nyx had concluded her evaluation of him, Lycaon made room for a thoughtful pause, his glance shifty as he contemplated the verdict. mm.. there was definitely work to be done to make her his knight, but that meant there was only a single option left.

"....dragon it is then!!" he suddenly crowed, twirling about on his haunches to scramble in a disoriented direction. "oh please don't breathe your fire on my cute little butt!" he said in the girliest, most damsel-esque soprano he could muster, and then took off like a sidewinding rocket in the direction of the grotto, confident there would be a smouldering drakaina giving chase.

Apparently, her rejection of becoming the knight in his little game automatically thrust her into the role of dragon, to which Nyx visibly deflated in defeat. She simply couldn't resist his invitation to play along, no matter how hard she tried to stoically. She stood there for a quiet moment, watching Lycaon with amusement as he floundered around pitifully before her with his dramatic display of "damsel in distress", before the tawny Ostrega flared her nostrils and stood tall in attempt at towering over the pale, cowarding form of her victim.

"Rooooaaaarrr!" Nyx bellowed, tail lashing as she parted her jaws and peeled her lips back, revealing her fine canines as though preparing to gobble him up. She stomped forward, closer to him, but the princess was quick to react - he bolted in the blink of an eye, tearing across the sand toward the Grotto. The dragoness, with a frustrated huff, hurried after him in hot pursuit to continue their role-play.