February 13, 2015, 01:08 PM
After returning from Duskfire Glacier, Koda had been living on the fringes of the pack, eating only leftovers from the caches and avoiding everyone, even his mate. The disaster that was the hunt was still fresh in his mind, and he was sure his pack mates were still angry with him for his outburst at the injured juvenile. Dante was right, he hadn't handled it well it all. He'd handled the whole thing badly before the chase even started. If he'd wanted to do it right, he should have stuck to the teachings of his father and forbidden the girl from taking part in the first place.
In retrospect, he knew he'd given the wrong impression when he'd told Saena to leave the hunting to the men and go look at clouds. Now, the others seemed to think he was some kind of woman hater. But it just wasn't that simple. He'd been raised to believe that men and women simply had different strengths and weaknesses, and in order to survive they both should stick to what they did best. Nature had built men bigger and stronger so they could handle all the dangerous work and keep their wives and families safe and happy.
But Nature's roles for females were not less important, just less visible and much less dangerous. Women were naturally much better at caring for the youngest, most vulnerable members of the pack. When a hunter was injured, it was by the skill and knowledge of a woman that he was made well. Males were terrible communicators, resorting to bared fangs and snarls during a dispute. A levelheaded female could quickly calm the situation and get everyone involved to discuss matters like adults (caretaker, healer, counselor, all "girl jobs" according to Koda). Sure, being a hunter or a warrior looked like a life filled with excitement and adventure, but without females to look after the more domestic side of things, any pack would crumble and ruin. In a way, they were more important than the men in the pack.
The look Kesuk had given him that day, that icy glare that froze the blood in his veins, let Koda know that she did not agree in the slightest. He'd wanted to explain himself more clearly, but he'd decided to give her some time to cool off first. Perhaps if he could discuss this with Kesuk in a calmer setting, she could more easily see his point of view. She was precious to him, and he wanted to protect her from all the nasty things in the world. Was he really such a bad guy for feeling this way?
A hesitant howl rang out, his lover's voice. She was calling to him. Koda's stomach lurched as he was suddenly overcome with fear, anxiety and hope all at once. He was so flustered, he couldn't call back, so he just went obediently to the call. His steps were heavy with uncertainty as he trudged through the undergrowth on his way to the den. He barely felt the branches and thorns pulling at his fur as his mind raced through all the possible scenarios that could play out once he reunited with Kesuk. He wondered what had made her finally call him to their den at precisely the moment he was thinking about her. Would she let him talk, or had she already made up her mind about him?
She stood in front of the den, her expression fraught with worry. Koda felt a stab of guilt, knowing she was feeling this way because of him. For this reason, he did not rush to his mate's side and try to comfort her, fearing such sudden action could possibly upset her even more. He simply stood at the edge of the clearing, head and tail lowered in shame and submission. But even as he stood there, waiting for her to tear a strip off him, he couldn't help but think about how beautiful she looked, even when she was upset.
"Hey, Kesuk," he greeted softly. "I'm ready to talk."
In retrospect, he knew he'd given the wrong impression when he'd told Saena to leave the hunting to the men and go look at clouds. Now, the others seemed to think he was some kind of woman hater. But it just wasn't that simple. He'd been raised to believe that men and women simply had different strengths and weaknesses, and in order to survive they both should stick to what they did best. Nature had built men bigger and stronger so they could handle all the dangerous work and keep their wives and families safe and happy.
But Nature's roles for females were not less important, just less visible and much less dangerous. Women were naturally much better at caring for the youngest, most vulnerable members of the pack. When a hunter was injured, it was by the skill and knowledge of a woman that he was made well. Males were terrible communicators, resorting to bared fangs and snarls during a dispute. A levelheaded female could quickly calm the situation and get everyone involved to discuss matters like adults (caretaker, healer, counselor, all "girl jobs" according to Koda). Sure, being a hunter or a warrior looked like a life filled with excitement and adventure, but without females to look after the more domestic side of things, any pack would crumble and ruin. In a way, they were more important than the men in the pack.
The look Kesuk had given him that day, that icy glare that froze the blood in his veins, let Koda know that she did not agree in the slightest. He'd wanted to explain himself more clearly, but he'd decided to give her some time to cool off first. Perhaps if he could discuss this with Kesuk in a calmer setting, she could more easily see his point of view. She was precious to him, and he wanted to protect her from all the nasty things in the world. Was he really such a bad guy for feeling this way?
A hesitant howl rang out, his lover's voice. She was calling to him. Koda's stomach lurched as he was suddenly overcome with fear, anxiety and hope all at once. He was so flustered, he couldn't call back, so he just went obediently to the call. His steps were heavy with uncertainty as he trudged through the undergrowth on his way to the den. He barely felt the branches and thorns pulling at his fur as his mind raced through all the possible scenarios that could play out once he reunited with Kesuk. He wondered what had made her finally call him to their den at precisely the moment he was thinking about her. Would she let him talk, or had she already made up her mind about him?
She stood in front of the den, her expression fraught with worry. Koda felt a stab of guilt, knowing she was feeling this way because of him. For this reason, he did not rush to his mate's side and try to comfort her, fearing such sudden action could possibly upset her even more. He simply stood at the edge of the clearing, head and tail lowered in shame and submission. But even as he stood there, waiting for her to tear a strip off him, he couldn't help but think about how beautiful she looked, even when she was upset.
"Hey, Kesuk," he greeted softly. "I'm ready to talk."
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Messages In This Thread
I walk and talk like a machine - by Kesuk - February 06, 2015, 11:20 PM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Koda - February 13, 2015, 01:08 PM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Kesuk - February 15, 2015, 12:20 PM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Koda - February 17, 2015, 04:58 PM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Kesuk - February 18, 2015, 12:40 PM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Koda - February 19, 2015, 04:45 PM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Kesuk - February 19, 2015, 06:20 PM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Koda - February 22, 2015, 07:51 PM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Kesuk - February 22, 2015, 08:36 PM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Koda - February 24, 2015, 05:57 PM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Kesuk - February 26, 2015, 08:20 PM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Koda - March 03, 2015, 02:50 PM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Kesuk - March 13, 2015, 05:16 PM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Koda - April 09, 2015, 09:44 AM
RE: I walk and talk like a machine - by Kesuk - April 24, 2015, 12:27 PM