Altar of Twilight hey, mama, how's it going?

@Aria <3

 

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she had harped and gotten Rowan thrown out, pregnant, into the cold, and then promptly left Donnelaith and abandoned Deirdre, with Connie and Eelay in tow. Aria had been trained by their father, but she hadn't passed that knowledge on, and Casmir had cultivated a healthy dislike for the pale woman. however, he had grown mature and wanted to give her a chance for explanation. the Mayfair boy paced at the base of the mountain and headed away at a quick clip presently, unsure of what he would say.
he returned some moments later and sighed a great plume of pale smoke into the air before tilting his head back and calling for Aria — she who had captured his heart, then broken it, and then stomped on the pieces. but he wasn't being dramatic or anything.[/tr][/td][/table]

Aria was as good as ever when it came to the borders. she patrolled them daily and moved to places where calls for leadership were made. it was nothing unusual, it was what she'd done in Donnelaith and what she did in her pack before that-- it was her job as a subordinate to protect. today was different, however, when the air was cut by a clear call not for leadership, but for her. she might have thought it normal, if perhaps it were Deirdre or Pearl coming to visit-- but it was not, and a trickle of fear shivered down her spine when she realized who had called.

"Casmir..." she murmured, her ears flattening as she moved slowly towards the voice. she might have ignored it, but she didn't know why he was here and their last encounter hadn't been as friendly as their first one. he probably meant no harm, and it was a bit unreasonable to be so nervous, but since leadership Aria had been nervous more often than not, though it'd gotten better since she stepped down. 

it'd taken her a while to come to him, mostly because she had grown so used to running from her problems that coming face to face with one intentionally didn't sound very appealing. she remembered all of their encounters very clearly, and no longer were they looked back on with a smile and heated cheeks. he was, however, just as she remembered him, though he looked older and less leggy-- probably as filled out as he would ever be. by now they were probably both full grown, and she wondered if he thought that about her. she stopped at the border, staring at him as he remained a ways off. he was here to talk to her, so she didn't speak. it'd been a while since they were together, and now she had nothing to say-- or maybe just didn't know what to say

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it wasn't long before the pale woman came down from the mountain to answer his call. the boy watched her descent grimly. he found that as she drew near, when at last he could look into her ice-toned eyes, he found that maybe he didn't hate her as much as he'd thought. the boy shoved this realization away, however, and as the cold wind played across his long ruff, he thrust his single ear forward and pinned Aria with a baleful glare, one that he could not hold for long, as it soon softened into hurt. 
"why'd you leave Donnelaith?" he asked quietly, but what he meant was why did you abandon Deirdre? Cas was aware he couldn't expect Aria to just stay in one place the whole time, but she could have at least done it better. he watched her as he fell silent, waiting for the girl to respond. his beef with Connie and his need to make up with Eilidh were separate from ... this ... whatever it was. Cas had no name for the anger and grief and love that had clumped into one ugly emotion that now burned within him as he faced Aria once more.[/tr][/td][/table]

that wasn't what she expected-- then again, she hadn't expected any of this. her ears cupped forward, raising from their pinned position. she stepped closer, not as afraid of him as before, and let him hold her gaze with a judgmental stare, sucking in breathes and sorting through words.

"it was not home," she said quietly, now that she were closer he could more easily hear her. Aria stopped moving towards him, giving plenty of space but being outside their borders now. "everyone had left. no one respected me--" she stopped, shaking her head, "i was no one's leader. they did not trust me or believe in me, the only one who stood by my beliefs was Constantine, and he too left." her head fell for a moment as she stared at her paws. "Deirdre led the sentinels before i stepped down, she made decisions and alliances behind my back that i did not support, but did not have the power to turn down. it belonged to her, she was the rightful leader-- and i accepted that, but it was no longer home." she looked back up as she spoke, studying him. she bit her lip as she fell silent, waiting for a response. would he understand that? maybe someone else would, but Aria and Casmir had never quite seen eye to eye.

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Cas listened, and when she had finished, he gave a grim nod. "i knew a little of this from Connie." his harsh voice hung between them like sulfur, and he forced himself to wait for it to dissipated before he drew a frustrated breath. "i guess i'm wondering why you and my brother kicked Rowan out, and then you left anyway. why not just leave and let Rowan stay? that's where dad is buried; that's where her kids deserved to be born. you ... you robbed her."
his words had eased up from the grate they'd carried before, even if he meant it inadvertently. in a stark contrast to their last meeting, Casmir intended that Aria understand the gravity of what she'd done, even if he came from a place of self-righteousness. "Donnelaith appears to have gone to shit ever since dad died. that's no one's fault. maybe he was the only one who could hold it together. and Dee should have listened to you."
Cas glanced at their backdrop of mountains, then back to the she-wolf. "are you guys staying here for good, then?" somehow he doubted it — Constantine and Aria had too much ambition to serve others for too long. [/tr][/td][/table]

she sucked in a breath, closing her eyes for a moment before finding the courage to speak. her body ran hot, and she held back the shivers that threatened to give her nerves away. "i don't like sharing," she said quietly, eyes opening and staring forward, though she wasn't brave enough to find his gaze. she shook her head. "your father told me that i could bare children for the pack-- which is an honor and a blessing and i've always wanted my own family. i didn't know who the father would be but when Rowan told me she was expecting i felt robbed," she explained, failing to mention that Lasher would have most definitely been the father. "it was selfish and stupid and i know that... but... that was my decision at the time," she said, her ears finding themselves back on her crown. "and that was the beginning of my rule-- when it still felt like home. things changed."

"Deirdre was fine," was all she responded with, though she agreed that the child was out of line on more than one occasion. she prayed the pack was fine now, though it'd been a few months since she'd left and they hadn't returned to check on Donnelaith.

Casmir asked another question, and Aria sucked in another breath. she shrugged, it was all she had to offer. "i don't know where else i'd go," she said quietly, "all i have is here."  

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Casmir's eyes didn't leave Aria's as she spoke, though his gaze narrowed somewhat at the mention of what she claimed his dad had said to her. a suspicion flickered through his mind, but the boy dispelled it as soon as it had come. shifting his stance, the Mayfair regarded the woman with a renewed sense of pity beginning to bloom in him. maybe she'd lost everything too. 
if she'd let him, Cas reached out to brush her shoulder with his muzzle. "listen. i didn't come to argue. it's time for me to get ... to get over everything. high time. i came to hear what you had to say." he offered her a tight smile, stepping back. "i..uh, i really do hope you can be happy someday. and that you find a home you love, Aria."
Cas found he meant every word; his ear folded back against his skull and apprehension crept momentarily into his expression as he waited for the girl's response.[/tr][/td][/table]

somehow, and all at once, Casmir's entire demeanor changed. he didn't seem kind or friendly like he did when their relationship first began, but he seemed like he genuinely cared about her again-- and it almost felt fake. she let him brush against her shoulder, though it was really shock that caused her to be still, and when he stepped back she searched his gaze for something. he didn't want to argue? did he ever? she certainly didn't, it just always happened, it was just who they were. when he finished speaking she shook her head, her jaw parted in semi-disbelief semi-confusion-- and maybe unjustified emotions considering the scene at hand was not hard to figure out.

"i... thank you, Casmir," she finally said, letting her furrowed brow unknit and her lips loosen into a small smile, "i appreciate it." the response lead to silence, for a moment, unsure what to say now-- that was uncharacteristically mature of him, something they had never had when they were together. her head dips slightly as she clears her throat, searching for something to talk to him about-- something other than whatever he had come here for. "and.. and what about you? you had a mate last time we met-- and your cousin? how have you been?" she finally asked.   

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he couldn't help but smirk in his usual way at her expressions and the little gape of her mouth. "yeah, yeah, yeah. it's weird. New Casmir is a fucking trip, right?" almost immediately the boy sobered and his gaze found the earth between their paws. "i think i got knocked down enough times to finally get it. i guess, anyway. plus ... i'm helping Rowan raise the littles. that's probably where the new mindset came from, too. no sense carrying on like an asshole." he shook his head at Aria's mention of Saena and Laika. "gone. both of them. my cousin decided to go run with a new guy and Laika ... uh ... Laika never came home." the boy. rolled his shoulders as a shaky sigh floated from between his parted lips.
"anyway, what have you been up to? are you dating my brother yet?" he teased gently. maybe the two of them would find successs where there had only been pain for Aria and himself. the idea was strangely comforting. [/tr][/td][/table]

"a real trip," she agreed with a wider smile, her tail waving. she nodded slowly at his next comment, shrugging. "i guess that makes sense," she said, but eyed him curiously. "look at you, being an award-winning cousin..." she paused, eyebrows knitting back together, "uncle...? nephew?" she had no fucking idea. she shook her head, deciding it wasn't worth the brain-power to decipher that-- she didn't know Lasher and Rowan's relationship well enough... other than they were related somehow. 

Seana she didn't care for. the one encounter she'd had with the woman left a bad taste in her mouth-- but Laika seemed to make Casmir genuinely happy, and although it'd been laced with passive-aggressive jealousy at first, she did feel bad for him now. "that's... shitty," she said finally, ears flattening. it was, there was no sugar-coating it, and Aria always got a tad bit more blunt when Casmir came 'round. 

his next comment though was a real shock though, and her mouth parted again in shock and confusion. was he kidding? or being serious? was he being passive-aggressive and jealous? she couldn't tell, but she decided to keep rolling with the 'Casmir is actually being a cool guy right now' thing and force a smile. her cheeks were heated, thankfully not from anxiety, but she shook her head. "i'm not really involved with anyone-- i don't think," she said, thinking now about Floki-- whoops.

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this time he laughed. "dude, i have no clue. all i know is that cortland and mona are my baby sibs. second baby sibs, since Dee and Em would be my first baby sibs." his voice trailed away as he realized he was rambling, and Casmir chuckled sheepishly. "a bit shitty, but that's been my luck with women, you know." he meant it as a joke, but it hit a little close to home and he cleared his throat. 
not involved? he arched a brow. "come on, Aria, there has to be at least one dude flopping around behind you. at least one, if not like, five." he glanced around them and snuck a look at the hanging moon, then returned his gaze to the she-wolf. "wanna take a walk?"[/tr][/td][/table]

"brother," Aria muttered softly, squinting at the ground. it was too confusing, too much incest, and she didn't want get into that right now. "well, i'm glad," she said anyway, deciding to gloss over his second comment considering she was one of those women-- and she hadn't meant to completely fuck up everything... she just needed a break, especially after the whole Behati thing, also her fault. 

"i just haven't had a lot of free time, i guess," she said with a shrug. after his previous comment she felt a little weird talking about relationships with him-- but maybe that was just going to be their friendship now. awkward passive-agressive jabs that really aren't all that passive-aggressive, they just come off as such. oh well. then she nodded, smiling and stepping towards him. "sure," she said simply, eyeing him.

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the tension thickened and then fell slack as Aria accepted his invitation. Cas set an easy pace for the two of them -- no sprinting, but not leisurely all the same. he knew she'd match him and was comfortable not to speak for a time. at length, he cast her a grin and decided to lighten the mood, or at least attempt it. "so, back at the Creek, there's this dude named Heston. real badass. ripped the tail off a moving elk. now he keeps it outside his den to tell other elk to fuck off."
Casmir was fairly guffawing at this point, though it remained to be seen if Aria found it as funny as he did. probably not. "i am probably gonna hang out here for a while and see if i can't catch Connie and Eilidh before i go visit Donnelaith and the girls. if you uh, wanted to like...hunt or something." was he hitting on her? he couldn't tell. goddamit. [/tr][/td][/table]

her nose scrunched up as they went, her pale gaze eyeing him from the side. "ew, seriously?" she asked in mock disgust, but her lips were turned up into an amused smile. "did he at least kill the elk? or is there just an elk walking around with a bare ass?" she asked, tail wagging. no one in Donnelaith had been that exciting, not since Lasher's reign and the days when the whole pack was filled with yearlings-- just about, anyway. Casmir found it was funnier than she did, but his obnoxious laughs earned a few earnest giggles from the theta, who's tail continued to wag.

she nodded then as he brought up Constantine (again) and Eilidh, thinking for a moment. "i haven't seen much of your sister, but Constantine is around, you'd probably catch him at the borders... i don't know what he'll say to you," she said, finding a heads up appropriate-- at least if they were going to be friends. her ears then perked, and she nodded. "yeah, we could hunt," she agreed with a smile. was he hitting on her? she couldn't tell either, she pushed the thought away.

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"no! that's the best part! the elk is still alive and still a total dork." cue more mad chuckling. to be honest, Casmir couldn't recall a time when he'd laughed so much with Aria. her little giggles were tiny bell-like tolls of cuteness. he gave her a nod for the heads-up; out of the three he'd come to visit at Moonspear, he suspected that Constantine would be the hardest nut to crack. giggity. "all right. well, uh ... if you aren't doing anything right now, didja wanna?"
he tried to keep his tone light — whatever. if he was hitting on her, then...whatever. maybe he just couldn't help himself around pretty girls he once tried to date. it wasn't like he was begging to lick her mouth or anything.[/tr][/td][/table]

Aria snorted, shaking her head with amusement (and almost disbelief). "that's ridiculous, Casmir," she said with a grin, her tail wagging. she paused though, giving him a sideways glance. "i'll let you know though if i see an elk without a tail wandering around up here-- maybe that Heston could come finish what he'd started," she said teasingly, ears perking up. gaze falling back in front.

he offered to hunt, and truthfully she could go without hunting. she wasn't hungry, she was sort of tired, and she should probably be spending more time practicing her mountain skills-- she was still pretty bad at scaling the thing. but magically, her relationship with Casmir had just been glued back together. being lazy wasn't really a good excuse to throw that away. so she nodded, nosing forward to motion to the territory. "did you pick up any scents on your way over here?" she asked curiously.

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Casmir chuckled too. it was pretty fucking absurd. "absolutely. he would love that." he moved at Aria's side, marvelling at how easy they were with one another, when a month ago they wouldn't have looked twice at each other. he wondered if it was too soon to have hope that they'd keep it together, then decided that didn't matter.
Aria agreed to hunt, and he was lying if that didn't make him happy. he didn't want to leave her presence, not yet. "a deer, off that way," he rejoined, jerking his head in a direction that laid away from the mountain. "it's alone and weak. we could probably take it."[/tr][/td][/table]

truthfully, it probably was too early to decide that this would last forever, knowing both of their explosive tendencies. but maybe this would be okay, maybe they could be friends for longer than a single encounter-- that would be nice, that she would like. she nodded when Casmir mentioned a deer, smiling a bit as she thought of it. "well then lead the way," she chirped, nosing his shoulder in a friendly manner before waiting for him to do as she'd told him.

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he did so, trotting slightly ahead of Aria and lowering his muzzle from time to time until he picked up the scent of the aforementioned deer. it was on a ridge beneath them, the land gently sloping to its location, and appeared to be resting. this confused Casmir, as there was a fuckton of snow on the ground, but he led Aria down all the same.
the ruminant snorted and staggered to a more alert position as the wolves descended, and here the Mayfair paused to take in the situation. "looks like its left back leg is fucked up," he muttered to his companion.[/tr][/td][/table]

she studied it quietly as Casmir spoke. she let out a quiet huff and nodded in agreement, deciding he could probably take the lead here. "what do you wanna do?" she asked him, ears perking and her pale gaze falling on him. she was still fast as ever, and she could hunt as well as any wolf. she was ready to do as he suggested, and though she wasn't hungry when they set off, the sight of warm meat so available made her lick her lips impatiently.

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Cas fought the urge to say you when Aria spoke. he would have found it funny, but somehow he doubted she would. "let's fuck it up," he chortled, dancing to one side. if the she-wolf caught his gist, she'd veer to the other side and they'd come at the deer in a pincer movement. when he drew close, the animal groaned in fear and tried to strike out at the wolf, but it stumbled and in that moment Casmir flashed forward and latched his teeth into the side of its neck. the animal was truly weak, starving even; its bones ground between his jaws.[/tr][/td][/table]

she might've thought he was serious, if he'd said that, and she probably would've turned into a large ball of awkward... but thankfully he didn't, and the thought didn't even cross her mind. she nodded, moving as he did on the other side. like an inverted image, she came around with grace, and when he struck, she did the same. her teeth met bone and flesh-- though mostly bone-- and she bit as hard as she could manage. the thing struggled but it was incredibly pitiful, and she was confidence they'd be able to take it down.

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their jaws closed on either side of the deer's throat; it struggled valiantly, though as Casmir readjusted his grip on its true throat, the animal's flailing became weaker until finally it twitched against the ground where its blood drooled between the wolves' teeth and was silent. the boy released his hold then, sniffing at the thing's nostrils — he was more than a little suspicious of how easily they'd been able to kill it, but moved around to its flank all the same, teeth flashing as he began to tear aside the pelt.[/tr][/td][/table]

and down it came! thankfully the thing didn't fight back too much, it seemed to die rather quickly. Casmir sniffed it curiously, somewhat cautiously, but as soon as he started to move towards the flank she grinned. "nice!" Aria yipped, nudging him playfully on the shoulder as he moved to tear into it. blood stained her white muzzle, and she licked her muzzle quietly-- and somewhat redundantly-- before digging in right beside the Mayfair boy. for a moment, she wondered if this was what life would be like had she not been so 'women deserve more, feminism FTW' and sucked it up, because she had really actually liked him when she'd turned him away... or maybe they'd just fight as often as they did now. who knows.

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it was pretty ironic her thoughts, given that as he ate alongside her, he wondered the same thing. part of him wanted to say something stupid like 'we make a good team.' he guessed it was a day for his brain to say dumb things. however, the boy did rock back on his haunches and grin at Aria while he licked the blood from his jaws. "that was fun. we should kill things together more often. plus now you have a kill for your pack." he winked. "i'll even let you take all the credit, for i am a gracious god."[/tr][/td][/table]