Silver Creek of cloudless climes and starry skies
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#1
All Welcome 
the wind swept across the hillier parts of the territory and left a bitter chill inside the bones of the pale man. he had set his sights on the edges of their intended claim and hoped that he could close some of the distance quickly so that the trees might provide him with some shelter. winter had fallen into the land without much need for any further announcement; she had brought scattered snow showers and temperatures that felt close to the cold grip of death. even the prey had started to turn toward warmer horizons, which had left harrison with a sour feeling in the pit of his gut.

the snake did what he could to keep himself busy while the others tried to pull in recruits for their pack. grayson had done well, though harrison would never have admitted such a thing to his face or anyone else. it was evident that his brother would make a suitable leader for them. all the while, harrison had made himself into a hunting and patrolling machine. he did what he could not to think of oryx, knowing that she was tending to things that women were suited to and that he had no reason to think of her in such a way. the busier he kept himself, the better it would be; he had to keep reminding himself of that.
those whom life does not cure, death will.
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#2
as harrison drifted further from the territory's claim, he came closer to the outskirts of iliksis' den-site. roughly made and in no way central to the rendezvous, the den was more a sallow pit in a natural delve of earth than a true hollow, but iliksis had carved under one fallen bough that sunk into the hillside a hole, and it was here in that lonely gulley that he often resided, watching the world above as it passed him by. he did not trust his self-restraint enough to reside closer to the group, and knew with a bitter familiarity that his impulses were strongest at night.

he became aware of the crunch of feet, and lifting his snipey muzzle from the ground, caught sight of harrison on the crest above. pulling himself out from the channel, the beast carefully made for the leader's brother. he had seen the man many times in passing, but had never the inclination nor the interest in interacting with him -- but if he was to establish himself as a trustworthy member of their society, he supposed he ought to put on a cheery face and establish rapport with the locals.

"a little cold for a jaunt," iliksis called, keeping his posture neutral in light of the fact that harrison, in their unestablished claim, was likely higher on the hierarchy than him.
warning: PG-18+ explicit content.
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#3
the pale snake turned his attention sharply on a figure that he had never formally met. his light-colored gaze lingered on the dark figure of the man for a long moment. the comment hung in the air as he sized up the fellow. grayson was sure to have gathered other followers; this was likely one of them who had joined earlier on. at least, the color of his cloak was familiar enough for harrison. after he had inspected his companion, he offered a quick flash of a smile.

“too fucking cold for anything,” the charmer offered with a hint of a laugh that hung on the edge of his words. he hadn't been very diligent about hiding his distaste for the creek. he'd felt like the chill of the winter air had only gotten worse with their close proximity to the water. in doing this, harrison had spent a great deal of his time in the forest nearby. the trees provided coverage that he could not find beside the rolling waters, and they had created a natural warmth.
those whom life does not cure, death will.
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#4
too fucking cold for anything. iliksis canted his head in acknowledgment, noting the flash of a smile and how easily it had come to the male. he noted too the quick assessment the male made of him; the way he was sized up, imported, and assigned some hidden worth -- not too different than the way iliksis himself often studied women.

but this was no woman -- iliksis wondered if harrison would ever be a threat to him, and hid it with a mirrored smile that held its own warmth -- an easy charm he had picked up some time ago. "winter is not my favorite season." he offered conversationally, finding with some surprise that slipping back into a role of guile felt as "at-home" as slipping into a woman might -- he certainly had not lost his touch for deception in his months in isolation.
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#5
they were two sides of the same coin – iliksis and harrison – but neither of them was likely to know it. they shared very similar ideas of what women were used for and what they were worth. they really only had different ways of going about getting what they wanted. perhaps both skilled in the art of deception, harrison had found a way to rely heavily on charm as opposed to raw desire. he could not resist the twinkle in a woman's eye whenever he would cast a half-grin at them. they melted like butter in the warmth of his hands.

“i can certainly agree with you in that regard,” harrison offered with a small bobbing of his skull. his pale gaze roamed back to the darker man with a calculating glint there. the smile did not fade from his features, and he even offered a small wavering of his tail. “what's your name?” the charmer inquired with a slight canting of his head.
those whom life does not cure, death will.
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#6
iliks in truth was not so shrewd to recognize a likened spirit in harrison - perhaps in time, with suitable examples to witness, he would learn the two shared similar outlooks.. for now, the dark male remained ignorant.

such was the way of the world, and it seemed a good thing wolves did not possess the skills to gain deeper insight to other individual's mental process, elsewhile, the darker threads of thought would often be revealed, and that, to iliksis, was a horror he did not wish to release. delivering his own bob of a tail in response, iliksis cast his gaze in the direction harrison had come from, wondering if he had interrupted the male on some mission.

"iliksis. your brother found me some months ago, and has let me stay here. i am afraid i do not recall your name." he offered a finely-faked apologetic smile in response.
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#7
the name was not familiar, but harrison had not done well to immerse himself into the life that his brother was crafting. he barely knew who belonged to them and who was passing through. still, the type of man that was painted before him was one that seemed suitable to their culture. the pale snake did not imagine that the darker man would have issues with the way his life would unfold in his time there.

“i'm harrison,” the charmer introduced with a flashing smile that revealed the ivory tips of his fangs. “you've been around long enough then...” he then followed with a devilish smirk that creased half of his face. it was there that he closed some of the distance between them and eyed his companion with a sneaky and almost wary expression.

“have any of the ladies caught your eye?”
those whom life does not cure, death will.
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#8
the charming male divulged his name, again with that winsome smile -- how easily it graced his features, spreading across his handsome visage like sunlight across a spectacular field. iliksis envied such emotive capabilities - he often felt his own smiles wan and but a ghost of the true emotion they were meant to emulate.

his ear flicked as the male inquired of the women he had met; he had seen almost all of them, and they all caught his fancy in their own way. oryx he wanted to show what true male might meant, he wished to use her the way a man might use a thrall; he would keep her alive, of course, for he felt she was the most malleable to his purpose. liliah he wished to ambush, cover, and then gruesomely kill -- and for good measure, would likely cover her corpse and again and again.  daivya, soft daivya -- he wished to kill her slowly and purposefully, driving his whims inside of her as he willed until her light was at last extinguished... and addison... a dangerous flame still burned in her - he wished to nurse that flame to roaring heights by garnering her trust, and then pull the cord out from under her and show her that there was only misery and torment in this world to be had.

he said none of this, instead offering a charmed smile. "there are four i know of. oryx, lilah, daivya, and addison. each seem lovely in their own way, but i have no favorites. what about you?"
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#9
another commonality that they had... both of the men were enthralled by women. in another life, harrison would have likely been a dangerous creature. the lifestyle of the rosings wolves had turned him into a softer creature than iliksis was. the desire to murder was not attached to the longing to fuck. while he did have an appetite that was difficult to satiate, he had never found himself in the mindset to drive himself so far into a woman that he lost his mind. he had never longed to tear the throat away from a bitch – all except maybe his sister.

when the male spoke of oryx, harrison narrowed his eyes and nodded knowingly. he only knew of three of the members himself. addison and lilah could find themselves under the spell of whoever they wanted. it was the dark woman oryx that he had a protective mindset for. the sweet demure woman who had entered his life suddenly and consumed every one of his thoughts.

“all good women, certainly. tell me, do you admire addison's fire?” the snake inquired with a daring glance toward the dark fellow. his eyes were trained on the features of the other man. he was curious about how much of her personality she had shown to him, or if she had behaved in the manner that she was intended to.
those whom life does not cure, death will.
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#10
a long time ago, iliksis had learn to package his lies in such a way that they appeared as half-truths: tell a disbeliever an honest answer, and it was often hard for them to detect any trace of dishonesty in the reply. and so, when iliksis was prompted to think of addison and her fire, he did so without reserve, and answered as easily as if he had practiced for this very moment.

"she is quite fiery. i am not accustomed to such women, as it seems they are rare. yet, she seems different since she came back. have you noticed anything?" he transferred the attention back to harrison, much preferring it be him that the limelight of their topic fell upon.
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#11
the dark man agreed that addison had a fire about her. it was good that he hadn't been the only one to notice such things. it was then that iliksis made a comment that harrison hadn't entirely been prepared for. this did not register on his features. instead, he allowed for a curling smile to dance along the corners of his dark lips as he let the inquiry linger on the air. it needed to seem like he was thinking about his answer, he felt. more importantly, he was exceptionally pleased with the other man's ability to perceive changes like that.

“yes, she has changed. something happened to her out there, i'm sure,” he agreed with a stoic nod of his head – all feigned in an attempt to seem worried for his sister's well being. of course, harrison didn't care at all what had happened to the dark addison. he only wanted to know what it had done to damage her so that he could drive his knife deeper into her insecurities. “i'm only her brother. i'd say that she may not confide in me as easily as others, for fear of appearing weak...”
those whom life does not cure, death will.
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#12
there was a pause between them and for a moment iliksis wondered if he had said something wrong -- but the smile that lingered on harrison's features told him otherwise.

content in the quiet, he let the spell pass -- his gaze flickering only to harrison once the man spoke up again.

he acknowledged that he too had noticed that shift in addison's personality. iliksis could not detect if it was genuine concern or simply bemusement that moved harrison to speak of the dark sister's unusual demeanor following her return. iliksis listened until the man had finished his trail of thought, and spoke as if on impulse (despite it being a crafted response meant to rally harrison's trust) "women are weak by default anyway." he replied, slyly glancing upon the man to measure his success. "whatever it was, i am glad she is back. the women need a role-model."

the pair continued on their way for sometime, and eventually parted seemingly amicably.
warning: PG-18+ explicit content.