Horizon Ridge Out where the lightning splits the sea

This is open because I want to see what happens.....

Although she was mobile again now and didn't need his help as much, Pied hadn't seen much of Kisu lately and it made her frown even as the realization struck her. She came to a stop on the dunes—well beyond the reach of the lapping waves—and sat, staring contemplatively into the distance as she wondered what might be preoccupying her mate.

Without even being aware of it, Pied slid forward onto her belly and lounged in the cool sand, her chin falling to rest atop her crossed forelegs as the sun began to sink over the sea. She fell asleep without meaning to do so. The cool ocean wind ruffled the dappled fur of her nape and caused her to roll over onto her side to create a lower profile, all without waking. Beyond her prostrate silhouette, the last light drained out of the sky.

She awoke a while later to a distant grumble of thunder near the horizon. Rising and stretching her cold limbs, she peered wonderingly at the heavens; it seemed a bit early in the year for thunderstorms. Even as this thought ambled through her sleepy brain, Pied abruptly became aware of a strange scent in her nostrils—and it certainly wasn't ozone. Her nose wiggled and she stood upright, her muzzle lifting into the air, questing after this peculiar smell. She took a few steps forward, then felt the strangest thing: dampness on her back leg.

Curling in half to inspect her own hindquarters, Pied squinted in the darkness and made out little drops of blood on her pale fur, as well as a few on the sand. She blinked and swiveled to sniff at those on the dunes, even as the realization struck her like a thunderbolt: I've gone into heat! And even as she became aware, a sudden and powerful longing rose up within her, the drive to mate becoming abruptly unbearable, like a savage itch in need of a deep scratch.

With her mate nowhere nearby, Pied didn't know where or how to find him. The only solution was to tip back her head and howl for him, aware even as she did so that her call—in addition to her scent—would surely draw the attention of any males within a few miles' radius...

i love torturing my poor awkward Kerby. lmfao

Kerberos could almost always be found somewhere near the sea, unless he was dutifully patrolling the borders or helpfully offering secondary catches to the pack food caches. The thunderstorm that brewed in the distance made it measurably difficult for Kerberos to sleep, though it was an annoyance of the noise more so than an actual fear. Despite the fact that it was still not directly over them hardly mattered – it was distracting his attention from the lullaby of the sea. The salt waters that crashed against the umbra cloaked sands was his lifeblood. He enjoyed the delicacies the sea offered him, bathed in it's icy waters which meant his fur, the color of dry sand except for the cream on his underside and the saddle the color of damp sand was often frosted in dry salt with stray bits of seaweed tangled in his fur. In some aspects this did not entirely make him all that different from Lecter who wore blood in a similar manner to the way Kerberos wore salt water. Sleep seemed relatively unavoidable as sea-green eyes glimpsed dismissively at the night sky, watching the flashes of lightning in the distance.

A howl rose not too far off of Kerberos' own position on the beach within Horizon Ridge, accompanied by a strange scent the teased tantalizingly at his leathery, black nostrils which flared eagerly as he dissected the decadent aroma that tickled them. The howl not been for him, and though it was, and a small part, concern -- she could have been hurt in need of help (he was not aware that she was calling for her mate, Kerberos was still kind of a hermit) -- mostly, he did not exactly realize it, he was spurred into movement by her intoxicating scent. Despite that he had been sexually mature for almost a full year, he had never been around a female in heat before, and frankly, it wasn't anything he ever had the chance to discuss with Nutaaq. He found her not too long after, comparing the pallid of her coat to the beauty of Atka's -- The other woman before him was marked fascinatingly.

"Are you alright?" Kerberos asked her softly, but she looked relatively find him besides the aged wounds that were barely visible to him in the night.

Although I'm hoping others (*prods @Kisu*) hop in here, I wanted to go ahead and post again. :)

Just as she'd feared might happen, a male—and a stranger, to boot—appeared from the gloom and walked closer. Although he did not appear threatening, Pied nonetheless felt incredibly defensive in his presence. Her fur prickled and, where she normally would've lifted her tail to indicate dominance, she instead curled it between her legs. She then crouched somewhat, as if trying her best to keep her hindquarters—and the enticing scent emanating from them—as far from him as possible.

"Stay back," she warned. To answer his question, she replied, "I'm fine. I'm just waiting for my mate." She punctuated her words with a pointed look. Although the fact that he smelled of Akhlut was reassuring, she still didn't know him and certainly didn't trust him, especially not in such a vulnerable state. Even though he wasn't particularly large, she was aware that he could probably overpower her if he tried.

Pied shot a furtive glance over her dappled shoulder, fretfully searching for her mate. She then faced forward, keeping her eyes on the stranger. She hadn't told him to leave, per se, though she'd dropped some pretty strong hints that she wanted to be left alone. Suddenly, the Gamma felt bad for being so brusque with him. And, much as she refused to admit it consciously, she felt a strange yearning, a certain stirring in her belly...

"What's your name?" she asked after giving him a long, speculative look. She couldn't make out the features of his face too well, since it was dark and she'd asked him to stay back. "I'm Pied, the Gamma," she offered, still maintaining her defensive posture, even though she subconsciously began to loosen until she was sitting rather normally on the sand.

Kisu raised his rusty head at Pied's howl and rushed forward as fast as he could. Panic grasped at his chest as he came close and could smell that she'd gone into heat.

And anger was absorbed when he found her talking to another male. While she was in heat. He jumped forward, standing in front of Pied, and leveled his gaze to that of the male. "If you don't mind, I would prefer that you leave, friend. This is my mate, and I am sure that your nose can tell that she is in heat. I'd prefer that no other males go near her at this time." Kisu tried to keep his voice even and calm, but a fierce rage bubbled under the surface. As he said, he did not want any males near his mate at this moment in time.

Kerberos was met with a warning and though he was puzzled he obeyed, pausing at the place he had been when she had issued it, the water lapping eagerly at his toes and for once Kerberos did not turn his attention to the Sea. "Oh, uh, ok," Kerberos accepted her explanation and understood that by social dictation that was probably more or less his cue to take his leave. He didn't. Even the socially awkward Aok knew that he should be on his way, but something had cemented him to the earth that he stood upon, cold and soggy as it was; and she hasn't chased him away. If she truly wanted him gone she would have chased him away, right? Right. Kerberos was moderately surprised in himself, that he hadn't graciously accepted the invitation to leave. That was uncharacteristic of him, even considering that at Atka's decree he had pushed to shed off the "hermit" shell he had built around himself. He was a man, a man of Atka and the Sea but a man nevertheless. After a few moments of silence she broke it, inquiring for his name and offering hers and her rank as an incentive, Kerberos guessed. Pied. Her name was Pied and her rank was Gamma. "Kerberos," Kerberos' lips spliced to speak. "I am Kerberos."

A shape dissolved out of the shadows in the form of a male jumping in front of Pied like some gallant knight come to save the damsel from the dragon or something. It annoyed Kerberos slightly, when in all honesty: he'd done no wrong. He obeyed Pied's wishes - even if he didn't fully grasp why she wanted him to stay away, or why he felt compelled to stay, why there were embers smoldering to life in his stomach without any rhyme or reason. If wolves could have blushed, Kerberos would have been fire engine red when the male blatantly said that he wanted to be alone with his mate so he could fulfill his sexual urges with Pied who was sexually receptive. As it was, heat burned beneath the fur of Kerberos' cheeks and shame grasping him at the natural but uncalled for desires for Pied - this strangers mate - that he was feeling. Of course not, because other males meant potential competition. What in the hell? Kerberos couldn't believe the competitive tenor of his thoughts. That just wasn't Kerberos. He shied away from conflict. He was a obedient boy. "Ok, I was just making sure she wasn't hurt, I didn't realize she was in heat," It was his first time experiencing it - as in being near a female in heat - and he really hadn't known. It was time for Kerberos to depart, for real this time, so they could copulate with one another, but when he tried to make his paws move they refused. Atka give me strength to leave and get far enough away so I don't hear anything. It was a fair thing to ask of the Mother of Light but she refused, her rumbling refusal striking like ice in his heart. At the end of the day, he feared Atka more than he did anyone else. She wanted him here, though he failed to see why.

Sammi: as always, you're welcome to sort of fast-forward through any of the risqué stuff... or even go in a different direction depending on what Kisu would do, especially with Kerberos standing there, lol. :D

No more than two seconds after the male introduced himself as Kerberos, a familiar figure leaped in front of her, blocking Kerberos from view. Feelings of relief and joy filled Pied as she looked at her mate, finding him more appealing than ever. She barely registered his exchange with Kerberos. In fact, she forgot all about the other male as her mate suddenly became the sole and central member of her universe.

Unaware that their company showed no sign of departing, Pied slunk demurely to Kisu's side, pressing herself against him. She waved her tail, fanning her enticing scent over him. She even went as far as to make a noise somewhere between a moan and a growl as she slipped toward her mate's anterior, swung around to face him and licked gently at his nose and cheeks.

"It's time, Kisu," she confirmed aloud what her scent and the occasional drop of blood on the sand had advertised. Thunder rumbled dully as if to accentuate the fervor of her words. "We get to start our family." She beamed at him, still oblivious to Kerberos, who stood off to the side as if rooted to the spot. In a lower, slightly more sultry voice, Pied added, "I want you to make love to me, Kisu."

Her instincts had guided her actions since waking on the darkened beach but now she let them fill her totally, becoming their vessel. Conscious thought gave way to the impulses desires of flesh, blood and bone. Pied wasted no time toying with Kisu. They had already waited so long for this moment. Accordingly, the she-wolf spent a few moments rubbing affectionately against her mate before positioning herself in front of him and bowing forward on the sand, shamelessly wiggling her hindquarters in the air even as lightning crackled in the air.

Kisu eyed Pied with a narrowed brow and then stepped around her. He was pissed. The male had refused to leave, and Pied was waving herself in front of him while the other male looked on.

"I understand she smells good, but she is mine. It would do best if you left." Kisu stayed only to protect Pied, fighting off the primal urge to take his mate. He was embarrassed and irritated at his mate's little show in front of another wolf. Mating was a private matter to him, and this was unacceptable. Even though he knew he shouldn't be, he was mad at Pied for even getting herself into this predicament; if she hadn't always been wandering off, they wouldn't be in this situation.

This is Kerby's exit.

Rather abruptly it seemed that Kerberos' presence was entirely vanished as Pied fanned her scent around the male, albeit towards Kerberos as well. He blinked, toes digging forcibly into the sand as he fought every sugar primitive urge that drove into him like nails, urging him to do things that he would have never thought about in any other circumstance. Would it be easy to challenge the male, to fight for Pied as a mate and mother to future children as Jello had once fought Nutaaq? Would it be wrong to take what he wanted? Pupils narrowed within pools of sea green irises, hardened and sharpened like stones carved by the Sea. At this point, Kerberos half expected to hear Sos's voice whispering in his head but he only felt the Mother of Light's presence as always.

Kerberos resisted the temptatious urge to inch closer, to insinuate the challenge. Arrogance, Hadn't Nutaaq thought the same thing before Jello beat him and claimed Nuaja for his own? Kerberos had been a kid at the time but he had not forgotten that particular scandal. Shaking his head, Kerberos, mustering what ever motivational strength he had left within him, departed, trying to get as far away as he could before he did something inherently stupid.

Kisu's sharp words gave Pied some pause, snapping her out of her trance momentarily. She blinked at him, then remembered Kerberos only when the sandy male began to move away. She watched him for a moment, then turned back to Kisu, shifting to face him fully. She was oblivious to his outward ire and would've been hurt and confused if she could've read his mind; with her injuries, she hadn't been wandering anywhere except for the parts of the territory adjacent to their den site, including this stretch of beach. And would he really blame her for being caught up in her passions at a time like this?

"What're you waiting for?" she questioned silkily, stretching to lick at her mate's face. With Kerberos gone and the storm rumbling over the sea, her hormones quickly swooped back in, taking over her every nerve. "I love you, Kisu," she purled in his ear, "and I want you." Once more, he became the absolute center of her universe, as well as its only occupant aside from herself. She didn't care that they were out in the open (though she would cooperate should Kisu usher her somewhere more private) and the rain that began to fall did nothing to dampen the heat in her blood or the powerful flame of her desire.

Temptation forced itself over his body, but anger prevailed. He turned his head away from her. "You looked ridiculous in front of that male. It's embarrassing. Learn to control yourself in front of others, Pied." She was still young and naive, and Kisu wondered if this would hold their relationship back.

Narrowing his brow and letting out a frustrated growl, Kisu mumbled, "I will see you at the den." The want for children at the moment did not fight itself past his temperament. He was pissed off, and there was nothing that could break through his anger when it settled itself over him.

This post is so dramatic... :o

When Kisu spoke again, his sharp words now directed at her, her amorous mood fell away abruptly, completely and, perhaps, irrevocably. She blinked, then took a step back from him, her ears flattening. He'd never spoken to her that way, rebuking her as if she was a misbehaving child. Confusion, humiliation and even a touch of anger flooded her. Her lips moved, yet she didn't know what to say in her own defense, as she'd never had to defend herself from her mate before.

He gruffly told her to meet him at the den—again, as if speaking to a child he was preparing to spank—but Pied didn't move. She couldn't move; her limbs froze. She looked at Kisu and didn't recognize him; he'd never been angry with her, so his was the face of a stranger. She backed up another step. This was supposed to be their moment, when they'd come together, swept up in their emotions, to start the family of their dreams. It was supposed to be romantic, passionate and wondrous. Instead, he was rejecting her. Worse: he was shaming her.

Sensation returned to her body, leaving the Gamma trembling and weak, as if her bones had turned to jelly. Her entire body shaking, Pied sank to the sand. Lightning still lit up the sky at her back, yet if there was thunder, she didn't hear it; she heard only the pounding of her own blood in her ears. She lay there, shaking like a leaf, as rain began to fall in earnest. This time, it snuffed out the final embers of her ardor, leaving her ice cold, soaking wet, trembling and more than a little dejected. It also hid the warm tears that began to slide down her pale, sodden cheeks.

"Kisu..." Still at a loss, Pied wondered if he'd even hear her pleading voice above the sound of the rain. "Kisu..." she repeated. Despite the way he'd spoken to her, Pied was suddenly terrified that he'd walk away from her, leaving her a broken mess on the beach and refusing to conceive with her. "I'm sorry..." Although he'd beaten down her mood, she didn't know what else to do or say, so she did the only thing she could think to do: apologize to her husband, the man who was to be the father of her children. Their ability to start a family mattered more than her pride anyhow. "I didn't—I was caught up—please, Kisu..."

He stopped in his tracks. Lust wafted over his brain, fogging it up. "No." He said. "You got so caught up in what you wanted that you embarrassed me, Pied. Mating isn't something that happens in front of other wolves." He growled out the last words.

He turned and looked at his mate, brow furrowed in frustration. He walked behind Pied, pushing his face into her flank and then trailing his nose down her tail. The male mounted his mate, pulling her hips back.

The rain seemed to be washing away whatever indignation she felt, leaving her feeling guilty for embarrassing her mate. "I'm so sorry, Kisu. You're right," she whispered, her eyes lifting as he walked toward her. Her heart skipped a few beats. At least he wasn't walking away from her. "I just got caught up in the moment. I forgot myself and basic decency. I didn't mean to embarrass you... or myself..." She looked down at her paws, feeling exactly like a misbehaved child now. Maybe he hadn't been so off base treating her like one.

But there was nothing childlike about her when a still-agitated Kisu positioned himself behind her and pulled her hips toward himself. Halfheartedly, Pied blurted, "Kisu, don't you want to..." She'd meant to say, Don't you want to go somewhere private? However, her instincts took over just as completely as before and propriety was lost again. Evidently, her passion was as undying as a phoenix, rising like a fireball from the dead ashes that had resulted from Kisu's anger and the pouring rain.

Suddenly, thunder crashed directly overhead and the world lit up like the negative of a photograph; everything was in stark black and white. The wind began to whip and howl, churning the waves and sweeping the storm up and over the beach. The sudden onslaught of rain pounded the sands with such force that it stung their exposed bodies. The roar of the tempest drowned out the primordial sound of Pied's mating cry as she arched beneath her mate's embrace.

But they couldn't possibly continue in this downpour, even with impetuous instincts driving them. Pressing her shivering, soaking wet body against his after rising and breaking free from Kisu's grip, Pied yelled, "Let's find some shelter!" and gave her mate's wet cheek a lick that was still tinged with apology. She then scrambled toward the foot of the ridge, the sheer rock wall offering only sparse shelter from the elements. After Kisu presumably caught up with her, she dashed deep into the nearest glade of trees.

With the rainfall greatly reduced here, Pied shook out her pale pelt and then rushed to Kisu's side, pressing into him for warmth. "Some storm," she murmured, speaking not only of the actual and unseasonable thunderstorm washing the lands but also of the freak storm that had broken out between them. "It'll pass, leaving everything fresh and clean in its wake," she said as if to herself, pressing a lingering kiss to the side of Kisu's muzzle.

"If you will still have me," Pied said after a time, "I would still like to make babies with you." She smiled weakly, feeling somehow barefaced and vulnerable, as she gazed imploringly into Kisu's golden eyes, which were sweetly, achingly familiar to her once more.

Kisu stayed quiet but gave a single nod. He trailed his nose along her spine, nibbling on the way. He was still angry, but holding back the lust before made it come in even more powerful waves now. He nipped gently at her rump and pushed his nose against it, trying to move her upwards so he could mount her once more.

He said nothing, though Pied didn't take this to mean anything bad, particularly because she could see the transformation taking place as she continued to gaze at his face. Kisu looked suddenly ravenous, though she knew full well his wasn't an appetite for food. She shared in that same hunger and, upon seeing it written so clearly on his handsome features, her insides seemed to turn to lava.

Eagerly, she obeyed his unspoken instructions, lifting her backside to make it easy for him. In her effort to accommodate him, she actually pressed herself backward with such enthusiasm that their bodies connected before either of them was properly ready for it. Pied squeaked, a noise which lengthened and deepened into a wild, untamed yowl.

It was over in what seemed all at once like seconds and millenniums. Pied sank down, gently tugging her mate with her. The air suddenly felt hot and muggy, as if they were in a tropical jungle instead of a temperate rainforest at the tail end of winter. Her wet flanks rose and fell rapidly, though they eventually began to slow. The Gamma slowly adjusted herself, curling into a ball against her mate.

"I love you, Kisu, and I hope you'll forgive me. I don't want our children to have been conceived in anger," Pied said quietly, eyes shining in the damp darkness. The storm had begun to subside out there. "I want you to be happy, for us to be happy." Then, with a crooked smile, she dared to hope. "And I want to do that again... and again... and again..." With a quiet, slightly shaky laugh, she let her head fall to rest on his forelegs, her face pressed into the soft, downy fur of Kisu's broad chest.

But he couldn't help but be angry. He wasn't sure if he could forgive her for the embarrassment she caused. She was an adult now, and not a child anymore. Pied should have known better... was all he could think.

With a sigh, Kisu laid in the muggy air and listened to the rain, watching late afternoon turn to night. Somewhere after this, he fell into a restless sleep where he dreamed of his mate being an unruly pup.

If she'd known Kisu was still dwelling on her behavior earlier in the evening, long after she'd assumed the storm had passed, Pied may not have lay quite so contentedly in her mate's arms. Even as the lives of their children bloomed deep inside her, Kisu likened her to an unruly whelp in his mind, rather than as a young, imperfect woman who'd been caught up in nature's most alluring call. She knew she'd behaved inappropriately but it would've made her feel horrible to know her husband was even silently debating whether he could ever forgive her for her youthful blunders.

But she knew absolutely nothing of her mate's patronizing inner monologue, nor the fact that their offspring had been conceived not only in anger but in derision; nor did she suspect any of it. And ignorance was bliss. Content as a milk-drunk kitten curled in a patch of sunshine, she enjoyed the sensation of their quiet heartbeats. Pied even fancied they synced and their rhythm, just like the quiet rush of rain, lulled her. Certain that everything was well between them—she'd taken responsibility for her faults and apologized, after all, then they'd made love!—she murmured a final, heartfelt, "I love you, Kisu," and fell into a perfectly happy sleep.