Arrow Lake my darling angel is not inside

@Takiyok had soundly put thorn in his place, and rather than nurse his wounded ego, the brute sought ways in which to perfect his form -- so that someday, he would be far more difficult to best.

he did not take it personally he was bested (even by a woman) - instead, he was proud to stand among such capable compatriots -- it meant diaspora's claim was strong, and its tenants a precocious, fierce race. of that, the eyjolfur was immensely proud, much in the way a man might step back from years of collaborative work and feel an enormous sense of pride fill his heart to have taken part in its assembly.

carrying the untouched form of a dispatched quail, thorn sought out the centurion. he wished to apprentice under her if her patience would allow, and perhaps learn from her sharp counsel the skill to defend and conquer.

Tiredness was not something she was really used to feeling, so her mood had suffered some today as she found herself unable to shake the constant run-down feeling she had woken with. She had slept longer than she wanted to, and so she was only just now making her way to the borders to check on things. Not long into her sluggish stroll, she caught sight of Thorn's dark form in the distance coming towards her. Briefly, she considered turning around and going the other way to avoid a one on one conversation with him, but she was never one to avoid things. 

She trotted towards him, dipping her head in greeting once she was close enough. A quail dangled from his jaws, and the scent of it suddenly caused a powerful wave of nausea to pass over her. She stopped, swallowing the excess saliva gathering in the back of her throat as her stomach churned uncomfortably at the continued close proximity of the awful smell. She fought for control over her own body, forcing herself to breath only from her mouth as she finally spoke. Thorn, she offered as a spoken greeting, hoping her discomfort wasn't too obvious. She might think the bird was rotten or something, but it was clearly not--plus, she knew what was going on here, and she refused to let it make her seem weak.

thorn had not detected that takiyok had briefly considered walking the other way, though as she did make torwards him, he was surprised as she suddenly lurched to a halt and seemed to hunch over as if ... sick. he too froze, the quail abruptly dropped from his jaws -- for it was not so different than the scene he had encountered with the blackbird of swiftcurrent.

his ears pulled back, for he was most uncertain now -- was she okay? sniffing the air cautiously, he caught no trace of sickness lingering in her breath -- but bile was there, thick and acrid as a wasp's sting. the quail was forgotten, for it seemed she was in no position to eat it -- venturing as close as he dared, thorn asked "are you not well?"

She glanced at him as he stepped towards her, thankful that he had not brought the source of her sudden nausea with him. The feeling was starting to dial down to something more manageable, something she could keep in the background as she spoke with the male in front of her. She drew in a deep breath through her nose and--suddenly her eyes watered, and she felt her breakfast making its way up the back of her throat. She quickly turned and trotted away, luckily making it an acceptable distance away before emptying her stomach onto the snow. She stood there for a minute, inhaling deeply through her mouth and trying to collect herself. The bitter taste of bile in her mouth was almost enough to make her vomit again, and she swallowed repeatedly, attempting to wash away the taste with saliva. When she was able to talk again without fear of anything coming up, she turned slightly towards her packmate, careful not to look anywhere near the quail. Can you make that bird disappear please? she asked. Taki didn't want to look at or smell it ever again.

overwhelmed suddenly by some invisible ailness, takiyok turned away. instinctively, thorn looked elsewhere, not wishing to add his quiet gaze to her likely burning humiliation.

his mouth formed a quiet 'o' as she requested his gift be removed; unacquainted to the rather cruel whims of motherhood, thorn was puzzled but obliged -- certainly, this kind of sickness was not the same as a cough or mild fever, and he imagined there was no greater burden for a body to bear than the bearing of new life.

neatly tucking the quail into a cache nearby, thorn padded back to takiyok - wondering if she would still be where he left her, and if she wished for company or simply for him to leave her alone.

Much to her relief, he fulfilled her request without question. In the amount of time it took him to stash the offensive carcass somewhere hopefully very far from here, Taki managed to regain some of her composure. She drew in a few deep breaths and the nausea slowly began to fade back to it's faint level of intensity that always seemed to remain. She lifted her head, swallowing again and wincing a little at the way it still burned some, but she thankfully didn't feel like she was going to vomit again. 

When Thorn returned, she turned to face him, dipping her head a little in gratitude. Thank you, she said first. I apologize, Taki added a second later, feeling a little embarrassed that she had briefly lost her stoic mask. She cleared her throat a little and straightened her shoulders, ready to forget about her moment of weakness. Were you headed somewhere? she asked next, hoping to change the subject. Although she had considered avoiding him at first, she couldn't help but have respect for the man. He had risked his pride challenging her and had accepted his loss with grace. Even now, she saw no contempt in her dark packmate.

relieved to see takiyok remained where he had quit her company, thorn gave a reassuring smile — or at least, one he believed was reassuring. takiyok’s present state seemed troubled, and as she cleared her throat and apologized, the brute shook his head as if understandingly. no need, he murmured, his tone genuine. 

he wished to ask after her health, the way she had been so violently repulsed by his offer — but feeling such inquiring may be invasive or indecent, thorn wondered if he ought to avoid the subject entirely. he was not one to lie, however, so when takiyok asked if he was planning on going anywhere, he answered baldly. i was going to ask if you would teach me how to fight better — but it can wait for another time. where would you like to go?

Her eyebrows drew up slightly in surprise. She felt it was awfully humble of him to come to her asking for instruction on fighting rather than resenting her for winning the rank challenge. She wasn't sure she would have felt the same way had their roles been reversed, and she couldn't help but admire him a little for his determination. Her nausea had dialed down to a more manageable level, and she considered his request for a few moments, thinking she was most likely up for showing him a few things. Besides, she wasn't exactly looking to be treated like some kind of invalid just because her hormones made her feel like shit. She had no intentions of slowing down or taking it easy. I don't mind teaching you some things, she answered, offering him a quick nod of her head. I'm pregnant, not dying; I think I can mange just fine, Taki added, a raise of her eyebrow daring him to disagree.

having never been pregnant himself (and also never impregnating anyone, thank god) thorn didn’t have much of an idea how pregnancy worked. if you asked him, the bits and pieces he observed of pregnant women made him come to the conclusion it was a miserable ordeal, and that women were something else (crazy, insanely strong, determined?) to bear such a burden willingly. 

he smiled sheepishly at takiyok’s edict wondering if his caution had not been appropriate. he did not think her weaker, but his faith in her growing puppies was perhaps different - thorn would die of shame if he was the reason a wolf in his pack had miscarried, or worse gave birth to lumps deformed all because he had asked for a spar. 

are you sure? he blurted, immediately regretting questioning the woman: her eyes were rimmed with determination, and he knew to question her judgment was frankly insulting. i mean — i know you’re strong.. you beat me.. but is it ok for the puppies?

She paused, considering his words for a few seconds. Suddenly, she began to imagine all the horrible things that might happen to the life inside her that she was supposed to protect. What if he was right? She thought she could continue on with business as usual, but what if this was something she shouldn't be doing? A spar normally didn't mean any injuries, but what if something happened accidentally? She would never forgive herself. She wasn't even mad at him for questioning her proclamation. Maybe you are correct, she answered hesitantly, now not quite so sure a spar was something she could offer him today. Maybe once I am not pregnant or taking care of newborns, she offered. 

We could patrol instead, Taki suggested next. At least that way, they could get to know more about each other. She was surprisingly developing more respect for the dark man, and she wondered what else about him would surprise her.

forget she would never forgive herself -- if thorn happened to somehow be involved in the tragic deformation of diaspora's first litter, he would see to it that he was skinned alive. stigmata wouldn't even have to come gallumphing for his head -- he'd offer it, then and there in shame.

he was relieved takiyok's decision was changed -- he wanted no part in a baby bloodbath, thank you very much -- but he looked forward to, all the same, their spar-date set sometime in the future. nodding politely, thorn readily took to the task of patrolling. "i would enjoy that just as much." he stepped back to allow takiyok the lead if she so wished - content then to patrol among pleasant company.

Taki dipped her head at his acceptance and began walking. She said nothing for a few minutes, never very good with small talk. She spoke when there was something to say, and she didn't really care to speak just for the sake of speaking; silence never bothered the northerner. When she thought of something to ask, she glanced to him briefly before looking back in front of them. Where were you before Diaspora? she asked. She was, at the very least, always interested to know what brought her packmates to the mountain pack. And Thorn was a founding member like herself, so she was especially interested to know what drove him here. Hopefully it had not been as turbulent and tragic as her reason for finding herself without a pack. Her gaze remained trained towards the front as she waited for his answer, curiosity making her mind race with all the possibilities and distracting her from her nausea.

keeping this vaguey vague but closing out thorns threadlog - left this open ended enough that you can archive or squeeze in one reply <3

very similar to takiyok, thorn was a reserved man when it came to conversation. he spoke when it was required, but more often than not enjoyed silence. when prompted to speak, he was not a wolf shy with words -- so he easily indulged the pionier's query.

he shared with takiyok as much as she wished to learn: how he had grown up in a normal pack in schugkill, and had simply grown out of his familial range. how he and his siblings had come to the wilds and split - he missed them, sure, but diaspora was his home now.  he even told takiyok of his brief flirtings with aria, and how after much courting it appeared she had left the wilds - this was told with a slight twinge of sadness, but thorn was not a man to weigh heavily on his failures.

and then, because he was interested in takiyok's life as well, thorn asked after her own happenstance. he did not pry, but listened keenly if she imparted anything at all.

<3

She listened quietly as they walked, soaking in every detail he offered. Her interest piqued at the mention of a female from the creek to the north, wondering what would have happened between the two packs had things progressed between them. It was no secret that things were somewhat tense with the creek wolves, but she supposed it was a moot point now.

And when he asked about her own past, she told him of IkKanattuk and her family, eyes filling with shadows as she gave a vague recount of the glacier's fall. She explained her agreement with Stigmata and how Mahler had found her after her pack's demise and brought her back to Diaspora. She briefly touched on her still-missing family members, the subject too sad to dwell on for too long. She left out anything about her pre-Teekon history, not wishing to discuss her father or really think about him, especially now that she had her own children to do right by. 

She was surprised to be so at ease in his company, and she hoped they were able to have more conversations like this. She also, of course, looked forward to their spar.