Swiftcurrent Creek when i first met tom mccannon, i was working in the mines

omg! shadowposted!! just edited

the black hound was outnumbered, and so he reluctantly prepared his leave. the newest arrival seemed particularly hellbent, and thorn had no intentions of letting his hide come between her teeth.

he had begun to turn when the svelte she-wolf’s posture changed, ordering the apparent subordinate to stand down. thorn himself found his frame bending under her iron command, his gaze flickering almost guiltily to the flame-doused vixen; he caught a look of fiery resentment on her features as she turned.

perhaps he was not in risk of being chased off after all.

careful not to meet the icy silver of aria’s gaze, thorn dutifully threw his answer down before her — once again, confused that so much of her instinct had been hammered from her. yet before he could summon an answer, a new phantom arrived on the scene.

thorn tensed, bracing himself in case the brute proved hostile. thus far, the new male only aligned himself alongside the soft-furred she-wolf that had caught thorn's eye. he noticed, perhaps with a smug semblance of relief, that the swarthy brute did not touch the she-wolf.

raking his gaze across the male that had come to (rightly and intelligently) put an end to thorn's interloping, the eyjolfur made up his mind. as pretty as aria was (and so pretty -- how well she would complement him, if they ever stood side-to-side!), she was not worth losing his throat over. there would be other days to come court her.

he threw back his head in answer, and a low, keening song pressed from his throat. once it tapered off into a sultry finish, the brute lowered his muzzle and turned to leave.