Horizon Ridge If I fall for you, I'll never recover

Set on Christmas Day. Kisu wanted and others welcome.~ :D

A frigid wind sank its teeth into her pale face as Pied padded up to the ledge. Her eyes began to stream, yet she resisted the urge to turn her back. She gazed at the open ocean below, sucking in a breath so deep that the cold air tingled in her lungs. What a view, she thought, then smiled as she added, Welcome home. Her heart leapt and did a dance on top of her ribcage, so happy to be by the seaside again.

Finally, she couldn't stand the icy wind any longer and she turned and began to pad down the sloping ridge to the beach below. She passed the tide pool, which would have frozen over if not for its salty waters, and strode onto the open dunes. The wind still blew here, though much more softly. It tousled the mottled fur at her nape as the Omicron walked toward the water, her weight sinking only slightly in the soft, cold sands.

When she reached the waterline, she turned to look over her shoulder at the ridge and found herself smiling again. A howl began rising into her throat and she threw back her head and announced her joyous arrival to her pack mates. She pricked her ears, hoping one of her new pack mates would answer. The only voice she didn't welcome was Jinx's, though Pied very much doubted the black-footed she-wolf would respond.

Turning around, she faced the water again and flopped onto her haunches. She hoped Kisu had heard her call and might join her on the beach. The two of them had holed up in a temporary den last night and Pied's first order of business as a member of Horizon Ridge was to find a more suitable and permanent dwelling, hopefully one that could house a family when the time came...

OOC: Jinx is just doing a single post pass-by unless someone calls attention to her!

IC: Hers was a slinking, low gait that bore her quietly through the trees, but its efficiency was questionable. Maintaining a low-slung stance while attempting to travel swiftly was difficult, though Jinx suspected swiftness was not necessarily required of her. The howl had been loud and clear, its intent easily read: a summons for company. Jinx had heard Pied's call for Akhlut a few days prior, but she hadn't thought anything if it then. Now, however...

Pied may have brought Akhlut's attention to Jinx's past, but the pale Kesuk was hardly concerned about the repercussions of that. To the wolves of Horizon Ridge, she was the highest ranked besides Akhlut, had been there to howl claim with him, and since, had worked diligently enough. Whatever ill will Hawkeye held for her seemed to have dissipated into insanity, which was well and near enough to peace to please Jinx and likely her Alpha as well. She had been to Neverwinter Forest and discovered the pack there, led by one Chakra Feralheart, another former Bon Dye wolf whom she had been rather unfamiliar with. This, she had reported to Akhlut. She was useful to her pack in her own eyes, had righted some wrongs - albeit unintentionally, and with malice - and ultimately, felt there was nothing Pied could do, living in this pack, to unseat her.

In time, Jinx would prove stronger, and more capable, than Hawkeye's best friend. Of that, she was absolutely determined, especially so if Pied ever spoke to her the same way afain. That time may have come presently, if she had strode upon the sand in silent answer to Pied's summons. She could have walked straight up to the dappled she-wolf and taken the respect of inferior wolf to superior wolf from her, as was her right, and ridicule her for abandoning Hawkeye. For a moment, she poised on her toes, ready to do just that, to make Pied regret the words she'd spoken when they previously met.

But she did not. Jinx lurked at the edge of the trees as they met the coast in a clash of dirty sand, broken driftwood, and reedy grass, plainly in sight of Pied and vaguely sinister in her scrutiny, but made no move toward her. It was not necessary yet, however... She had already decided she would never again be defied by this particular wolf, and if it should come to it, then Jinx would force her to her knees and make her holler for mercy and make her submit. If Pied was to live here, in the pack Jinx had chosen to get away from the heathen wolves of her former pack, then Jinx would happily show her her true place, in time. But that time was not now.

These things she thought as she stared pointedly from the trees at the female on the coast, an ominous shade who was not in the mood to deal with the other, and chose not to go nearer. With one final huff of breath, decision made, she turned to sink back into the shadows and away.

As Kisu ran to the call of Pied, he passed the White One and nodded to her. She seemed to be slinking, and her gait a little odd, but he continued on, wondering how well her and Pied would get along once they met. He stopped suddenly, turning to invite the white wolf along to meet the mottled female, but she had disappeared. Slowly turning back around, a trot turned into a run as he weaved through the forest.

When the greenery met the cold but malleable sand, he saw her. Sitting and waiting for him. He had stopped and now just stared at the white and blue-grey female he had become so fond of. A pang of fear hit his chest once more, and the thought of losing her was found in an almost silent whine that escaped his lips.

He moved forward slowly, the sand keeping his presence quiet. He came up behind Pied, but suddenly changed his mind and sat next to her instead of jumping on and scaring, and possibly pissing her off. He set his chin on top of her ear and voiced a "hello, Pied" in a quiet, calm voice that rumbled across his throat.

Pied felt a tingling at the nape of neck, which elicited a strong reaction from her; she twisted the upper half of her body to look over her shoulder, while halfway rising to her feet. When there was no one there, she settled back down, though her white fur still prickled. In that instant, she'd felt certain that a ghost had just passed by directly behind her, yet she saw no presences—alive or otherwise—along the stretch of sand... save for the pair of eyes boring holes in her from the tree line several hundred yards away.

The Omicron squinted her eyes, only for them to tighten when she recognized Jinx. She did not react to the other female's presence, though her tail gave two cat-like twitches in succession. Even as Jinx melted back into the shadows of the coastal forest, Pied turned away from her. She did not wish to pick a fight with Jinx; she wished not to interact with her at all. She knew the time would come and that Jinx would likely try to dominate her. Although not a dominant wolf by nature, Pied wondered how it would play out when instincts and bitter vendettas clashed together.

The sudden warm touch atop her head made Pied jump, an airy squeak loosing from her lips. When she whipped around this time and saw Kisu a foot away, she laughed. "Sorry," she said, reaching out her muzzle to touch her nose against his cheek. "You scared me," she told him lightly, unaware that he'd done his best to avoid doing just that.

She peeked past his shoulder to make sure Jinx wasn't creeping on them, then swiped her tongue across Kisu's cheekbone. "I'm happy to see you." She rubbed her head against his shoulder, then the side of his neck, then positioned herself in front him so that she could look into his eyes. "Ah, it's much better to be looked upon with adoration than fierce hatred," Pied quipped a bit darkly, throwing one last paranoid glance toward the trees before focusing her entire attention upon her mate-to-be.

Kisu quirked his head and looked into the same direction as Pied. He searched the treeline, but nothing was there. After a moment more, he looked into the golden and indigo eyes of Pied. "What do you mean, fierce hatred? Is there some sort of ghost watching you?"

He looked back to the forest, then to Pied's eyes again, focusing on the patch that wound around her single eye. The thought of a malicious ghost-wolf, or a strange ghost-bird or ghost-anything, concerned Kisu. He would rather not be watched by something he could not see.

A wry smile twitched Pied's lips at Kisu's question. "You could say that..." she murmured. Then, to avoid secrets or misapprehensions between herself and her partner, she shook her head and elaborated, "Jinx was just giving me a death glare. Do you know her? She was my Alpha once. She abandoned the pack and when she reappeared randomly, she decided to blame us for leaving rather than take any responsibility for what happened. It... put a bad taste in my mouth. I'd prefer to have nothing to do with her, though I refuse to let the bad blood affect the rest of the pack, including you," she finished firmly.

Tail switching, she nudged him in the next beat and said, "You know, you're very handsome in this light." Her eyes danced and she gave him her best flirtatious smile.

Kisu paused. Jinx? Who was that? "Do you mean the White One? I do not know her as 'Jinx', or as a ruler of a pack before. She seems nice enough, even if she is a bit odd; though she abandoned you and the pack, she is our packmate now. Maybe she is different?" He tried picturing "Jinx" as an Alpha, and Kisu felt odd doing so, for she did not seem the type to be a ruler; he could see her being dominate and aggressive with a lesser wolf, though, and that did not sit right when he thought of her forcing Pied to submit.

At her change of pace in words, Kisu felt his face grow hot and he looked down. "I still stand by my previous words of our children taking after your beauty, Pied." He lifted his silvery golden eyes to meet Pied's mostly golden eyes, focusing on the indigo covering half of her right eye. "You may not enjoy your appearance thoroughly, but I do." With that, he licked her nose and nuzzled it in the same moment.

Kisu gave Jinx the benefit of the doubt and, though Pied wanted to protest, she held her tongue. It took a not insignificant amount of restraint to stay mum but she managed. She even nodded as if to give some credence to Kisu's idea that she might be different now, though truthfully Pied very much doubted it. She'd spoken to Jinx not long ago, after all, and she'd only proved herself to be an entitled piece of work.

"I don't see myself that often," she quipped in reply to her lover's compliment, sticking out her tongue for a second. She returned his nuzzle when he offered one, then queried, "Why so bashful?" Why had his eyes dropped nervously at her flattery? "I may have sounded like I was kidding but you really are a beautiful wolf, Kisu. Can you call a male beautiful?" she wondered without missing a beat.

Shrugging in response to her own question, Pied suddenly darted forward and nipped the side of his neck, then spun on her heel. She kicked up sand in her wake as she began to gallop down the beach, the ridge on her left and the sparkling sea stretching out on her right. The Omicron glanced over her mottled shoulder, twirled her tail and then barked, inviting Kisu to give chase.

He had been called handsome by Red Heart plenty of times, and his prior mate had been delighted when two of their pups had taken mostly after him, while the third had claimed his eyes. Seeing his own reflection, though, always brought up memories of his twin brother slaughtering his innocent family. Why did Inazuma have to be identical to himself (besides a deeper golden color in his eyes)? He refused to check his reflection anymore, his fur only reminding him of his brother, and his eyes reminding him of his lost son.

Letting all of those thoughts pass in a moment, Kisu smiled as Pied took a playful stance. He may be older than her by several years, but he could still play as if he were a puppy. He acted nonchalant when a bark escaped the dappled female's mouth, and then, suddenly turning, took off into her direction, speeding through the sand he had become accustomed to.

Kisu didn't immediately give chase and Pied slowed, then barked again. "Get a move on!" it said and, nearly simultaneously, he bolted after her. Pied yipped and dug her paws into the sand, speeding up to put a gap between them but eventually slowing again to let him catch up to her.

Once they were trotting side by side, Pied glanced over at him and smiled. "Tell me all about yourself, Kisu," she requested, "from the minute you were born until now." Her tongue lolled out in a wolfish smile. She knew he was older—maybe even twice her age—and that he must have some adventures under his proverbial belt.

Kisu stopped in his tracks and looked at Pied. His mouth turned to a slight frown as he stared into her eyes? What would he tell her? His past was a mess. Should he go into detail?

He searched for a place where they could sit and talk, and finding a small dune, walked past Pied and beckoned her forward. When reaching the hill (near the grassy field), he laid down, motioning the white and blue-grey female to come as well.

Where was he to start? At the beginning, he supposed. "My mother died giving birth to my twin brother and me. My father named me for her gentle nature, while my brother was named Inazuma, meaning lightening, for her sudden outbursts when protecting those she loved. My father was very noble, and always seemed like he had things under control, but I lost him and my uncles when I was a year old to a war with a neighboring pack; my family took the pack down with them, chasing the others off, but, suddenly, I found myself the Alpha of Shi kokoro."

He paused a moment, sighing. "But the opposing pack had left a young female behind named Red Heart. My brother urged me to kill her, but I let her into my pack, consisting of myself, my brother, and my two cousins through my mother's side. Soon... we fell in love and had a litter of three pups; two of them taking after my pelt but with her honey brown eyes, and the third with her honey brown pelt and my eyes.

"One day, after scouting the borders, I came pack to Red Heart and the two pups colored as I am slaughtered by my brother, my two cousins, and a third member from the pack I mentioned before. The third pup was unaccounted for, and I assumed -- hoped -- he had run to safety, since my brother had demanded where he was. The scar from my nose and hind leg are from fighting my brother and cousins. I snapped the other male's neck. My cousins died from blood loss, and I left my brother to the same fate."

Kisu inhaled deeply, eyes becoming somber at the memory of it all. He raised his eyes to Pied and continued on. "I was a lone wolf for a while, until I came upon a new pack called Terrapie. I was to become the mate of the Alpha there, before hearing that my brother was alive, so I left to track him down. We battled once more, and I killed two more from his rogue pack. He ran off like a coward. I received the scar on my eyebrow from that skirmish.

"A month had passed by this time, and my prospective mate took another, unable to wait for me. Another month passed, and I left the woods of Terrapie, finding myself here in Wapun Meadow after a long time. I roamed these lands for three months before happening upon Blackfoot Forest once more and meeting you. Now I am here."

Kisu searched Pied's eyes for reactions the entire time he gave his life rundown.

"And what of you, Pied?" He asked the question out of genuine curiosity, but felt the definite need to change the subject as well.

Pied followed him, her hips swaying gently with the rhythm of her footsteps as they reached the dune. Practically the moment she settled on her haunches, Kisu launched into his life story. Soon, the sounds of the wind and surf fell away and she heard only the timbre of his voice as he spoke of his mother, father and brother, then of his mate and pups... and so much more.

Admittedly, Pied's lips parted in some surprise at the news of his previous mate and children, as she hadn't ever given any thought to the fact that she might not be Kisu's first love. Thinking on it now, it made sense that he'd been partnered before, considering his age. Although this new information made Pied feel a little bit strange, it didn't prevent her heart from dropping at the news of his slain puppies.

"Oh, gods, Kisu, I'm sorry," she managed to say before he plunged onward in his tales. She listened, though part of her brain couldn't get past the image of his murdered offspring. She could picture them perfectly and, though they hadn't been hers, Pied felt her heart squeezing painfully at the long-ago loss.

She found herself stretching forward to nuzzle beneath his eye as he finished sharing his story. It had been a lot bloodier than Pied had anticipated and part of her regretted making Kisu bring up such tragic subjects. Her two-toned eyes searched his face, easily spotting the pain in his eyes. She hoped her own gaze said how sorry she was for making him relive such pain.

"I hope your mate and pups rest in peace," she said softly, her ears falling back, then lifting slightly again as she added, "As for me... my life hasn't been anywhere near as eventful, so to speak. I grew up in my parents' pack, their only living child, and followed them when they disbanded and went back to my maternal grandparents' pack. My father disappeared shortly after that." She nibbled at her lip, then realized he was one of only two wolves she could tell about the next detail. "He's dead. I know this because he comes to visit me sometimes."

Kisu decided to simply nod at the words of Pied hoping that his family rest in peace. A small pang hit his chest, and then he wondered how she felt about him having a family before her. He dismissed the thought from his mind, for lips parted in a gentle surprise to the news that Pied saw her deceased father. A whirl encased his head and he felt a moment of dizziness and nausea. Did this mean that she could potentially see his pups? Or should he just let everything go?

Kisu sucked in air through his mouth. "So, you grew up without your father? Does he speak to you?" The colored male itched to ask more, but didn't feel as if flooding Pied with his questions was appropriate. This whole... ghost matter was still striking him as odd, but he kept a level head and wondered what it would be like if he himself could see the dead.

"He was around until I was almost one," Pied clarified. "No, he hasn't spoken to me. Most spirits do not vocalize, though some do. He's one of the former. I get a sense of sadness and shame when he comes around." While speaking, she gazed out over the cresting waves, though now she forced herself to look at Kisu, her eyes meeting his as she elaborated, "He took his own life. All he wanted was children, to start a family legacy. When my brothers and sisters all died, he took the blame. I was the sole survivor of the litter and the only one without life-threatening birth defects."

She maintained eye contact even as she lapsed into silence, which she broke after a moment or two. "I'm honestly a little bit afraid that my genetics are flawed and that there will be a risk when the time comes for us to have children. I've decided, after much thought, that I don't want the fear of that possibility to stop me from trying, though..." Perhaps Kisu might feel differently, though, especially after what he'd already been through. Her throat tightened, yet she managed to ask, "But what do you think?"

Kisu listened to Pied's story, his heart falling when he heard her father took his own life because he had "caused" defects in his children who had passed. He took a slow deep breath in, thoughts racing with the thought of losing his future pups to many different things: the elements, wandering off, defects... his brother returning. Even if these things could rip the heart from his chest, he knew he wanted them anyway. What was the point of living if he didn't develop his courage from the fear that filled him?

The grey and rusted wolf took a step forward and nuzzled into the crook connecting Pied's neck and chin. He then lifted her head gently, pushing his nose upward from under her chin. "I think even with everything that could go wrong with having pups, that we should still try. You have your fears, and I have mine, but we can conquer them together and have the family we deserve, Pied." His silvery-goldenrod eyes slipped shut and he rested his head in the same crook as before, breathing deep and steadily.

I love these two and how they're developing together. <3

Her heart stopped for a beat or two as she waited for the proverbial axe to fall. When he spoke, Kisu did so decisively, assuring her that he wanted to try for children in spite of the risks. Although her heart fluttered nervously now, Pied smiled and licked his nose, made happy by his willingness to see their dreams through in the face of adversity. When he tucked in closer to her, she sighed happily, even making a slight, catlike purring sound.

After several moments of comfortable silence, Pied asked, "Kisu, can I ask you something?" without moving. She felt her cheeks flush slightly beneath her pale fur. It wasn't embarrassment or shame, yet inexperience and excitement that made her blood warm now as she rolled the question over in her mind.

Kisu hesitated a moment before pulling his head back slightly and looking into the mismatched eyes of his future mate (no ceremony yet, but in his heart it rung true). He quietly pondering on what she could possibly ask.

And with that, he thought of moments to come. Catching prey as a team; journeying through the lands that did and did not belong to Horizon Ridge; Pied introducing him to Hawkeye, and him being accepted in the Alpha's eye; having pups together, watching them grow. He nodded, and enforced said nod with words. "Yes, Pied, you can ask me anything you wish to."

When he looked into her eyes, Pied almost decided not to ask the question. Then she thought, If I can't talk to him about this, then there's a problem... Kisu was to be her mate, her lifelong partner. She needed to feel comfortable bringing up any topic under the sun. Besides, her curiosity was only natural. It was just slightly awkward, she supposed, mostly due to their different sexes.

"I know you can't answer this from the female perspective but... I'm just curious. Is mating as strange and awkward as it seems?" As the words left her lips, Pied suddenly heard how childish they sounded and she snorted at herself. It was an ungainly sound and she faced Kisu now looking sheepish but somehow shameless, her fang digging into her lip to bite back more puerile noises.

Pied hesitated a moment, seeming unsure of herself. Then, the question came, which Kisu decided not to blush at or shy away from -- she needed him to be steady and reassuring in this moment, and what was a partner that could not be taken seriously?

"To be wholly honest, yes it will be at first." He kept his voice calm and personal. "But turns into something beautiful and special, though. Something only we, as mates, can share together, Pied." He pressed his nose to his mottled mate's for a moment, then licked her mouth, hoping this would be as heartening as he had thought it would be.

He supplied an honest, straightforward answer and if he struggled not to laugh, Pied didn't notice. "Oh?" she said after his brief explanation, clearly intrigued. She weighed his last few words in her mind, wondering if he meant for them to sound so possessive. In any case, she decided she enjoyed this almost overprotective notion that she belonged to him. And he, of course, belonged to her in turn.

After returning his lick, she questioned, "It it something we should... practice?" Her voice and face were wondering as she continued to look at him with lighthearted but sincere curiosity.

He had to chuckle at her innocence. She was nearly three years younger than he, and she made him feel like a grandpa; and, then he realized, he possibly could be a grandfather -- if Robur had, in fact, survived and started a family of his own. A sinking feeling pulled in the pit of his stomach, before he snapped himself back to reality and focused on Pied.

A smile formed on his face as he spoke, ears pointing upward in slight excitement. "Of course we'll have to practice. We will practice until you are full of pups." The rusted grey male smiled wolfishly (heh) and pounced on Pied, gently tackling her into the sand.

He said that they would practice until she produced a litter of pups, which elicited a laugh from Pied. "Hey, I'm onto you," she warned playfully. She knew that conception was only possible during a very narrow window of time—during her heat cycle—and that any mating that took place outside this window would be for pleasure and not procreation. With that said, she didn't have a problem with it.

Yet, when Kisu suddenly and gently tackled her, pressing her down into the sand, she squeaked a surprised, "Now?!" Her voice was part trepidation and part excitement all at once. She wriggled beneath him, feeling a warmth spreading in the pit of her belly.

Kisu smiled and reached down to lick the white fur of Pied's neck, and then nuzzled her in the same spot, resting his head there. He knew the time was not right just yet, but sank into the moment of being so intimate and close with his mate. "Not here, no" rumbled from his chest gruffly.

Pulling his head back, he searched her eyes and pressed his nose to hers before backing away so the mottled female could roll over and get back up. A rush of heat had filled his body, and it would have been tough to gain control while still above her.

When his gruff reply came, Pied felt two strong and opposing sentiments: firstly, she felt relief and, just a second later, disappointment. When Kisu backed away from her, allowing her to spring back onto all fours, she eyed him curiously, chewing thoughtfully on the inside of her left cheek. The deep timbre of his voice had triggered the molten feeling in her belly even more and she felt the heat spreading through her bloodstream. It made her want to insist that, if not here, then possibly over there in that stand of trees... but she read his body language quite clearly and could see that Kisu didn't necessarily want to proceed just now.

Closing the space between them, Pied touched her nose to his cheek. "Soon, then," she whispered demurely in his ear, her breath a warm puff against his cream-colored cheek. She smiled against his velveteen fur. She felt suddenly very sappy with emotion and she felt herself wanting profess her adoration to her mate. Feeling that the word love was a bit strong yet, she said instead, "I'm falling for you, you know," her muzzle still touching the side of his face.

He tensed with the feathery whispered that traveled to his ear. The young female was testing his control, and he wasn't entirely sure that he wished to control himself. Kisu suddenly wondered if any other males had looked upon Pied with desires and a wave of possessiveness flooded over him.

But that melted away with the words that came from the female that stood so close to him. "I'm falling for you, you know" danced around his ear and made his brain into mush. He replied with an "I know" and a smirk before saying: "I feel the same way, Pied." He breathed in the scent of her, which matched the sea so perfectly.