Arrow Lake Goodnight to all of you, wherever you are

the tiger lashed back toward merrick not with deeds but that honeyed razor-edge of voice steeped in lust. he knew it well, and steeled himself against the implication of it even as the other drew near.
the invitation for a fight, or perhaps another harsh coupling in the flat autumn dust beginning to cool around the lake. merrick flicked his lips with a quick lick. he refused to be baited; he knew the words that had been shared upon the border, he knew what had occurred, and the toothset jaws parted again.
"hand nyra to her, and we will talk about your little deal." the suggestion to spar ignored, carefully settled away out of sight but not mind. why was donovan here, alone? where was his more eloquent guard, or the bevy of wolves surely he too was fucking, gathered around him as they had been in the meadow. ground held, merrick warned the tiger to come no closer with a hotfire blink of his remaining eye.