Silver Creek Get Ready

Amber hadn't spoken to anyone since her falling out with Spring, and she hadn't yet gone out to call for her mate. She didn't care she was an Omega, that her sister was likely only letting her stay because the older Ciel was pregnant. Every day she paced the borders - especially the one closest to King Elk Forest, should her lover return for her sooner than he'd promised - and marked it. Every day, it seemed to get thicker, stronger, and she could smell the new hormones circling within her body. She should know - she could scent everything within the borders, she thought to herself. On top of anything she could complain about, at the top of the list came vomiting. This morning was only the second she'd had to deal with the morning sickness, but the shadowy fae soon found it was not only in the morning that she was plauged. It was any time of day, randomly, that she would keel over on the spot and empty the contents of her stomach onto the earth. 

So far, she'd managed to only throw up outside her den this morning - now, halfway through her patrol of the borders, she felt her belly flip. Groaning irritably, she rolled back on her haunches and bowed her shoulders, retching onto the border with a flick of her feathery tail. 
             Disgusting. 

Couldn't resist!

He hadn't spoken with Amber since the day she'd returned. He had wanted to give her space, to allow her to cool down and hopefully reconnect with the pack. He wanted her to go to Spring before they talked again, hoped that their differences could be worked out. He wasn't aware of the shitstorm he had missed, so when he scented Amber of the breeze a little more than a month later, he headed straight for her. Surely by now she'd have gone to Spring.

He trot along after her scent at a brisk pace, noting that she'd been heavily marking this border lately. Why, he couldn't fathom. He spotted her sitting not far ahead and dashed up, intending to poke her and startle her. The sound of retching quickly pulled him up short, very short. He frowned, wrinkling his nose in disgust, but concern lit his eyes. "Whoa, uh...hey Amber. You...alright?" He said, announcing himself clearly. He waved his tail at her, but noticed that something was different about her. Her scent was strange somehow. He couldn't place it. He wasn't used to the smell of pregnancy. "Did you eat something bad, or something?"

Im so glad you joined xD Anyone else still encouraged to join even though like everyones away from home 

Amber lost her thoughts somewhere in the pile of puke before her, and even when Heston's scent drifted closer, she didn't notice. She was too busy throwing up food she didn't remember even eating to realize the paler man was closing in until his surprised tone called out to her. He was loud about it - clearly doing his best not to startle her - but also very worried, and Amber's ocean eyes flicked to him in time to see his tail wave in greeting. Her own fanned behind her friendily, but before she had a shot to make word come out of her opened mouth, the femme turned and vomited one final time with a groan. 

                 "No, pregnancy just sucks ass."

Her words were perhaps just a bit colder than she usually spoke to Heston with, but the woman was still convinced that he and Spring were closer than she knew - how else would he know that her sister was dealing with other problems? This fact included him in her fury; however, the softness she felt towards him was just what saved the man from a tongue lashing. It was hard to be mad at his handsome face.

Keeping the drama rollin' :D

Amber's eyes dashed at him and her tail waved, but not long after another convulsion brought vomit form her stomach again. He grunted in disgust and looked away, allowing her privacy for her comfort and his own. When the sound of retching and groaning was done he glanced back, face sympathetic. He approached slightly, sure to be upwind. Her answer, though brought him pause for a moment. It took him a second to realize she was joking though. 

He coughed out a laugh, staring incredulously at her. He was thrown by the coldness in her voice, by the tone itself. "Pregnant? Good joke, har har. Seriously, tell me what you ate so I don't eat it myself. I could go to Rowan for you, as well. She said she dabbled in herbs. Maybe she knows something to calm your stomach?"

Heston didn't look at her as she expelled the contents of her stomach, but he did stay - Amber's heart ached at his words. Joking... She was far from joking, and the wistful, sorrowful look she gave Heston would have told him enough, but she spoke up too. This time, her words were much softer, kinder. 
 
               "I-I wanted to find you b-but.... I d-didnt think you'd want me....  J-Just Spring...."

Stumbling over her words awkwardly, Amber broke any eye contact and dropped her ocean orbs to her paws. Yes, she'd wanted to search out Heston when she'd gone into heat - but she'd just been too far, and too many thoughts of the posibility he and Spring were getting closer wracked her brain. Now, she would get an answer - and so help her god if he had no interest in the younger Ciel sister, Amber might just lose her mind. 

As glorified as Grayday was to her, Heston had been the one to alight the flame within her - to say he held her heart was a little extreme, but the almost white male was likely the head of her affections. Tears sprung to her eyes - real ones, not just tears brought on by hormones - and a sob bubbled in her throat. The obsidian femme could only choke out a meek apology as she shook with held back sobs. It was not the pups she felt bad about, just the idea that she might have hurt Heston - that there was some chance it was she who'd ruined any future with him. 

                                                 "I'm sorry, Heston...."

He waited for her lips to spread into her typical flirting grin, for her to head over to him and nip at him like she normally would. Except she didn't. She turned her eyes to him with a sorrowful gaze and spoke. Her words hit him like a blow and he jerked his head back in surprise. He gaped at her, a hurt look in his eyes. "But who...who's your mate?" He managed, still reeling. "How...how did you meet him?" Why isn't he here? He wanted to say. His mind spun to the joining process, was the male a tentative join?

It wasn't that he had claimed her, or truly had any conscious intentions...but he'd thought they were friends at least. To hear that she'd been courting another man and hadn't so much as breathed a word hurt him. And truthfully, he was stung by the sudden slamming of the door of possibilities. He was stung by the fact that now she was taken, and by his ethics code: not someone he should openly flirt with. It wasn't honorable, it wasn't polite to flirt and smooze another male's mate, or even another female's mate. He took mateship seriously, he didn't think it was something that should be easily begun or broken.

Her comment about Spring caught him off guard. Had Spring said something to her about him? About their time together? He very nearly asked that, but knew better than to do so. Of course he found Spring attractive and he wanted to spend more time getting to know her. He thought there was a possibility of something good with her. He wasn't mated to her yet, and hell, did she even look at him that way? If she did...well, of course he'd be overjoyed. He favored courtship though. He didn't like to leap into another's heart and wreak havoc. Nor did he want more pain in his own heart.

He had connected more with Spring recently, yes. Her story had spoken to him on many levels, they had shared a connection over their loss. He didn't know Amber deeply, not the way that he felt he now knew Spring. It was only now, faced with Amber that he realized yes he did have an attraction to Spring. A crush or more. Could it truly be more? 

Regardless, Amber had never been marked out as a possibility. Not until now. He was hurt, angry, but he didn't let it show. For all he knew this male was an old friend, someone she'd only recently reunited with. It would still hurt him, he'd still leave this interaction angry that a decision had been made for him: Amber was off limits. He swallowed and looked away from her, thinking. "Why didn't you tell me you were courting another male? Did you think I wouldn't want to talk to you anymore?" He voice was gruff, the hurt was thinly veiled. Surely she didn't think him such a loser as to only speak to her with romantic intentions....did she?

Heston asked about her mate - and with as confident as she had thought she was to keep her secret, she broke - and how they'd met. The lie rose in her throat - to tell him about Dagfinn and the Floodlands - but fell just as swiftly, leaving her silent for a long moment. His hurt was a slap to the face, and another, louder sob wracked her body before she was able to squeak out an answer. 

              "T-Those are two different people. I-... The father is a male I met in the mountains. He said he would come back, b-but I don't know if he will. J-Just in case I took a mate in another pack, let him think he was the father, but he's too young. I-I didn't know what else to do."

His lack of an answer on Spring was another blow - but one neither of them commented on. Instead, Heston asked why she hadn't told him - guilt swept over her, and also anger. The tears still flowed, but her tail lashed in irritation- as did her words. Yay, pregnancy mood swings!

                                         "I didn't do anything but what I had to for my family - I tried to get you to make a move before my heat, but you just didn't seem to notice. So when someone else approached and offered to give me what I wanted, I took it - does that make you think less of me?"

His ears flicked back as she sobbed, the different emotions playing across his face. He didn't want her to cry, he hated when females cried. He especially hated when females cried because of something he'd done. Her answer confused him, startled him even, but he fought not to let it show. His mouth opened and then closed, ready to comment on the situation but holding himself back. He didn't say anything about Spring, no, because he didn't know what to say. 

Her tail lashed and her words came out harsh. He shook his head as if to shake away the anger and took a step back, brows furrowed. His own anger bubbled up and he stared at her sternly, but he'd be damned if he'd stand here and yell at a pregnant woman. A woman he had considered a friend, even. "What, so I'm to blame?" His voice was serious, the anger was in the tone but he spoke levelly, calmly. "Amber..." He sighed, for a moment the anger fled his face and he looked at her beseechingly. "Do you expect me to mate with someone I barely know? You and I...we have fun when we're together but this is the literal third time we've spoken together. I like you Amber. I..." He shook his head and glanced away a moment, thinking of what to say. When his eyes returned to her the sternness was back, brows furrowed again. 

"I enjoyed your company, you're beautiful and your attitude suits my own. But," Here he sounded almost insulted. "I am not a wolf who takes mateship lightly. I don't partner just so I can...I can..." He bit back his cursing, attempting to stay a gentleman. "...mount a woman. I want someone I could spend a lifetime with. A friend...who I love." 

"And I don't know what you're on about with Spring, if she told you things... I don't know. But yes, I do like Spring. What will come from that I don't know. I certainly don't expect it to become anything tomorrow. I aim to see what happens, how our friendship develops. If love comes from that then I'd be happy to stand at her side as her mate. If not, I have a friend. I had the same thought for you." It wasn't all romanticism either, it was fear. He was afraid to love someone so quickly. Afraid to need someone when he'd had his life so thoroughly torn from him before. 

 Here his voice was hurt, plain and simple. "I don't think less of you, Amber. I am hurt, though. For what I thought might have happened between us. What we might have been. I liked you, and now I'm sore to see that you're..." He glanced to her belly, eyes sad. Taken. He wanted to say that if she had wanted him so bad she would have found him during her heat. He'd have had the good sense to keep her somewhere where this couldn't happen, without taking advantage. Yet here she was. But he didn't say that. He didn't need to be hurtful.

He wanted to tell her what he thought of the thing with the two males, too, that also burned him up. What a heartbreak for the younger male, to raise children and only eventually realize he couldn't be the father. He didn't comment on that either, not right now. He wanted to still be her friend, but right now he was hurt and angry. Not that she had mated, he'd never have been angry over that. He was angry that she seemed to blame him for not picking up on some signal, hurt that she would act as if he'd been ignoring her when all he had wanted was to know her better. Spring had shared some of her soul with him, it was only natural that he felt closer to the woman.

Some part of Amber told her to ask him not to say anything to anyone - but what else did she have to lose? It was an awful, bitter thought, one that would likely come back and bite her in the ass, but she had other problems. Heston took the blame personally, and the shadowy fae shook her head - It wasn't really anyones fault.... Okay, maybe it was hers. But she'd never see that. His next words smacked her hard: was that all he thought she wanted?

                     "No, Heston. I'm just stating facts. I was trying to get your attention - and not for you to mount me, mind you - but I couldn't before my hormones took over. Thats nobodies fault, so don't try to pin it on me."

Amber didn't hear his compliments, his wishes, what his plans had been - they stuck in some corner of her mind to be re-heard later, when she was listening. All she could hear was his interest in Spring, and that he was trying to turn blame on her even though he really wasn't. She could blame all this on hormones all she wants - and maybe some would believe that was the only factor behind this - but her fragile heart was also to blame. She was easy to hurt, swift to take things personally.

                                             "If you liked me so damn much, maybe you should have said something about it - we never had to jump right into mates. You want nothing less than me, Heston - but I guess I just wanted kids first. If you can't accept that, well, I guess you aren't the male for me."

Flinging icy words at the male through a sob, Amber shook her head. She had nothing left to say. Padding forward, she strode right past Heston without so much as looking at him. Another sob wracked her as she passed, and the Ciel couldn't help but pick up speed. She didn't want Heston to see how much he hurt her - how much she'd hurt herself. Whether or not he followed didn't matter - she wasn't listening, and couldn't even if she wanted to through her increasing sobs.  

T_T Sorry she's being such an ass. Feel free to follow and keep it going, or we can have another thread later on where she can apologize for her bitchiness. xD

No, no! I expected this thread to go quite dramatic, wouldn't be fitting any other way! I'll end it here and we can do the other thread where she apologies and then probably chews him out for spilling the beans lol

She didn't ask for his silence on the words and he was unaware just how privileged the knowledge was. Her voice was still angry with him and his brows lowered and he scowled slightly, confused somehow at how she could make her statement of trying to get his attention seem so insulting. She said it was no one's fault, but he still distinctly, felt as if she was telling him it was entirely his.

She spat the word mount at him heatedly and he flinched from it. He was saying he had wanted something more than that, how was it that she was throwing it so accusingly back at him? Perhaps he had jumped to conclusions with her words before. "I'm stating facts here, too, Amber. For my reason for not seeing." His tone was tense, but it carried a note of pleading, as if somehow hoping to salvage the situation.

She cursed at him and his brows raised in surprise. "I don't know you, Amber!" He cried suddenly, the surprise still ringing in his deep voice. "I can't tell a female I like her before I know her, I might as well have said I have a crush on you, like a pup." He would never outright tell a woman he liked her, a thousand things could happen in the span of a few days, as was clearly evident here. If he said that but then found out that something about that woman was unfavorable, or even started to like another woman...it would be needless heartbreak. There was a subtly to romance that he was keen on.

"You could have said something too, you know." He said bitterly. "It's not like I was in this alone. You could have told me, and I would have told you my thoughts on mates then and there. I would have said I wanted to know you more, but you didn't either." He shook his head, clenching his jaw and looking away from her for a moment. Her words about the kids caught him off guard, he didn't know how to reply. 

He opened his mouth, but he moved forward and brushed past him without a glance. He heard her sob and felt his anger drop to his paws. He turned to watch her go, wanting to call out for her and at the same time knowing they both needed to cool off. He'd nearly said something he would regret at the end, and he was glad he'd held his tongue.

He watched her go a moment longer, mouth opening once to yell after her. He stopped himself again and shook his head, kicking at a flower that grew near his feet, unhappy with how things had gone. He'd talk to her again soon, he thought, once they both could cool themselves down. For once, though, he found himself not looking forward to a conversation with Amber Ciel.