Silver Creek no one's controlling me

marking borders for formation threads

the pale snake moved along the edges of the territory and stopped where he could to mark their claim. his eyes swept across the area surrounding the creek with some disdain. grayson couldn’t even explore… he couldn’t even have looked further than the first area that they’d entered. man, he really wished his brother wasn’t so fucking quick to make a decision. the cold had gotten to him, and he wasn’t a fan of the water being so close. harrison had done what he could to make a den for himself nearer to the forest, but he knew that it was a disservice to be that far away from the women.
 
with a few snorts and a grimace, the snake prowled along the edge of their lands and released what he had left in his bladder onto the ground. once he’d emptied the tank, he turned toward the creek with the intent to fill back up and began making his way toward it.

Joining 'cause I <3 these two

Having left Lilah in the capapble hands of another one of her pack sisters, Oryx stole away from the den and out into the open, breathing in the fresh air with quick gulps, as though it had been some time since she'd been out in the open. The scent in Lilah's den was overpowering, even for another female, and it made her feel the need to both stick with her sister- to ward off males- and the need to get away, as it made her anxious. She couldn't help but wonder what fate had in store for Lilah- would Grayson really deny her the right to breed for the entire season? She would only have so long before his decision would spell that out for her...And Oryx worried for herself as well; what if the same fate befell her? What if she went into heat too early, and Grayson had not yet chosen a mate for her?

It seemed as though their pack was gaining strength, though, with the borders thoroughly marked, and dens dug. The little cave she'd found would make a perfect place for pups to be sheltered and raised, as they would not feel the harsh swipe of wind against their cheeks once they were hidden safely inside. She had to tell herself not to dwell on pups too much, though; somehow, she got the feeling that Grayson might not choose husbands at all this spring, perhaps as a test to see who the true followers would be. She wanted very much to bear children, as this was her second year of being old enough to reproduce, but she would not step out of line to do so. 

However...She was tempted when she saw a pale figure not far away carefully burying something he'd killed in a cache. Just the very sight of him made her feel weak in the knees, and made her heart flutter wildly in her chest. She chastized herself, and tried to remind herself for what seemed like the hundredth time that she could not choose a husband for herself. She couldn't even want for one in particular- lest she should feel the striking pains of envy if Grayson chose another for him. But still, she couldn't help but fawn over Harrison every time she saw him.

i do too! <33

after he had finished placing his catch into the hole and covering it, he turned sharply in search of his next task. that was when he latched his pale sights on the dark shape of oryx and he felt his lips curl upward in a pleased smile. it had been a while since he’d seen the woman – since he’d met her first by the creek. he had wondered how she was getting on with the others and if she’d received any sort of trouble. to be fair, he hadn’t anticipated that she was going to have issues in their group. the girl had only ever been pleasant and sweet; the way a woman was intended to be. he thought she would excel with them.
 
with a lean-limbed swagger, harrison made move to approach her. he did what he could to clean the blood from his muzzle with a few quick draws of his tongue. when he figured that he’d done all that he could to make himself pleasant in appearance, he closed the remainder of the space between them and offered her a warm smile that spread along his dark lips. the end of his tail wavered between his hocks excitedly.
 
“oryx, how are you doing?” the snake inquired with a cant of his head. he wanted to know all about how she was settling into the rosings group. part of him wanted to know if she had set her sights on any of the men, but he figured that wasn’t the best way to start their conversation after not having spoken for so long.

Oryx still could not fathom how such a man had come into existance. While she found Grayson to be appealing as well, there was something she simply couldn't resist about Harrison that made her swoon as soon as she saw him. When he looked her way she all bit fainted at his smile, but did well to still her fluttering heartbeat and return his smile with an honest but coquettish one of her own. She moved forward a few steps, but he covered the distance with his sweeping swagger that made her wonder if he wasn't just going to close the distance completely and steal her into his embrace. A girl could dream, anyway. 

She gave him a kittenish smile and bowed her head in greeting, her eyes shimmering with joy as he gave her- of all wolves- his devoted attention. "Oh, thank you; I have been well, Harrison," She said, the smile never leaving her cheeks and eyes. "I see you've had another successful hunt...You  provide for us all so well," She complimented earnestly, dipping her head gratefully in the process.

the smile was not missed as he closed the remaining distance between them. god, she was cute as could be; he had to remind himself that he hadn’t been assigned a wife yet, and that if he were to take any action toward her… well, it would not have ended well for either of them. still, the temptation was there, and he was forced to combat it through every second of conversing with the woman. even the sweet tone of her voice was enough to rile him up. in times like that, harrison did all that he could possibly do to keep himself cool, calm, and collected; he thought of addison.
 
“well, i certainly have to do my best. winter is hard for everyone, and we don’t want you getting thin and frail,” he remarked in a way that made it seem as though the duty was great, but he was the only one who could possibly carry the weight of it all. “gotta keep you beautiful,” he added with a wink and a sweeping smile that crinkled the edges of his pale eyes.

Harrison was always so composed- if he was at war with himself, Oryx would never have known, and continued to be blithely oblivious to any improper thoughts he might have had about her. Still held captive by naivety, Oryx fully believed that Harrison was immune to such thoughts, and would only really desire one woman as his wife...And that would be whoever he was given. She knew she should not pitch so much of her heart into wanting him but with each time they met and each stolen glance she found herself incapable of removing his coutenance from her fantasies- innocent still as they were. For her own reasons, reasons which were similar to Harrison's but different as well, she too had to pull her mind away from such fancies, knowing how much she would be crushed the day another woman was given to him as his wife. 

But until that happened, she would steal and cherish moments like these where she was free to fawn over him without worrying about making another woman angry with her. She dreaded that their time spent together would go by too quickly, and that these moments had an expiry date. The way he spoke to her made her feel special, and she felt flustered by the sudden blanket of attention and affection she was being shown. She was overwhelmed by the flattery he used, and her heart throbbed heavily within her chest. She wanted so much to press herself against him, to press her muzzle against his cheek where the smile lines drew up toward his laughing eyes; but she had to suppress that urge...It wouldn't be proper. Surely he had to feel the same way about her...She hoped so very much that he did, and it frazzled her to think that there was a possibility he did. She practically trembled as she restrained herself, and fought with her nerves to find something fitting to say as a reply. 

"You take such good care of us all," She said, deflecting his compliments slightly, as she couldn't quite figure out how to gracefully accept them without seeming selfish and egotistical. "We will all be so merry and plump when Spring comes around," She said, though a wistful note seeped into her words at the mention of the season's change. "I do hope..." She said, and trailed off, smiling sheepishly. They all hoped, did they not? It was foolish of her to think that she should hope any more than the others.

this post got away from me sorry for the rambles

as much as he would have liked to think that he'd get his way in the end and his brother would let him have his choice of pretty women for a wife, harrison knew better. it was likely that grayson would assign him whoever he felt was the smartest. he was mostly just glad that he wouldn't ever run the risk of being paired with addison because yikes. thankfully, incest was off the table and he didn't have to worry too much about having to wake up next to her crusty ass expression every morning. he imagined that his balls would shrivel up and fall off, and he pitied the poor bloke who got chained to that train wreck.

in the meantime, he was open to schmooze and flirt with all of the women that he fancied – even the ones that he didn't fancy very much were prone to receiving the occasional charm. he had to make sure that the wolves of the pack liked him. more than this, he wanted them to love him; he needed to be accepted and liked by those who surrounded him, and the best way to do that was to make sure they felt cared for.

oryx was truly a beautiful specimen. he had no issue with batting his eyes at her and giving her the occasional wink of encouragement. she was the whole package, he imagined, when he thought about what a wife would be like. she was quiet and unassuming, but she inflated his ego well enough that he didn't feel inadequate. “we ought to be merry and plump! that's puppy season. we'll have to prepare those who have been given permission to breed to welcome the new generation of kids,” he agreed with her quickly.

*hugs every word of it*

Oryx had a lot to be grateful for- and among all those many things was the fact that even if she wasn't chosen to be a mother and a wife that year, at least she would still be taken care of, as she could also step in to watch the children for all the fatigued, den-bound mothers that did end up being chosen. She couldn't help but smile only weakly when Harrison referenced pregnancy with such a vague attitude- she had hoped, prayed, that he might let slip something a bit more personal...But then again, he too was not permitted to choose who he would take for a wife. Grayson made all of those decisions, even after he had found a wife for himself- which had yet to happen. 

"I...Hate to be a nuisance," She peeped feebly, "But...Do you think that Grayson will choose marriages soon?" She asked. "And...I should like to know how to prepare. Are gifts often offered, when pairings are chosen? I should...I should find something to give, surely," She said. Of course, she assumed that Grayson would choose a wife for himself first, assuming that there was one among them he deemed suitable. Unless he chose to forgo that choice- in hopes a better match might come along, and instead give a wife to Harrison or a husband to Addison. Nevertheless, Oryx- like most of the other women- was beginning to get antsy, especially knowing that one among them had already gone into heat- and the rest of them would follow suit at some point.

it was a good question, and the charmer didn’t believe that she was being a nuisance at all. still, the inquiry caused him to furrow his brow and frown thoughtfully. the more that he thought about it, the more he realized that his damn brother hadn’t really mentioned anything about the marriages that were to take place. harrison wanted to know some of the dirt. he definitely wanted a small hint and who he’d be paired with so he could throw a tantrum or find something new to inflate his ego with. from the last that he’d looked at it, they had more women than men. this was concerning, only because harrison wasn’t positive what it would mean for the ladies who were left alone.
 
“y’know i’m not entirely sure about all that. grayson hasn’t said much to me about the arranged marriages. i think he’s waiting for us to officially settle in,” the snake answered her with a kind smile. it was really cute that she thought to prepare a gift. he wondered what kind of offering she could make that would appeal to someone. didn’t women only know about weeds and stuff? he pushed the thought from his mind and cast a crooked grin to the dark girl. “i’m sure that whatever you prepare would be accepted with absolute thanks. it’s really sweet of you to think about something like that,” he offered her.
 
it was there that he turned to latch his pale gaze to her own, and froze.

It was disappointing and perhaps a bit alarming for Oryx to hear that not even Harrison knew when if or the marriages would be chosen...There would only be a certain amount of time for the women to conceive, and it was already likely too late for Lilah...If Grayson did not choose soon, then they would be without puppies that year and Oryx did not necessarily like that idea. She would be three years old this year- practically a spinster already- and she knew that if she did not have children this year that she would be even older next year, and all the more likely to be forgotten when it came to considering wives. Who would want her, when she had already outgrown the soft petals of youth? 

But this wasn't Grayson's fault, and he did have good reasons to choose to wait. Oryx simply hoped, then, that it would not be too much longer before the pack officially settled. There seemed to be no more questions to Oryx- but then again, they were a pack mainly composed of females, and perhaps Grayson was waiting for a few more males to join so that they could be properly protected come spring, and safer to have children. It would be harder to defend their territory if they didn't have the manpower to do so. 

"I do trust in his decisions," She said, as she knew it was important for her to do so. And she wanted Harrison to know the same. She wanted to be the ideal, to have complete faith in her alpha- but she knew she might have her faith shaken, slightly, if she was not chosen to be wedded that year. She would have to be strong and simply have faith that it was or wasn't meant to be...And that meant putting her own feelings aside. She would have to do the very same when it came the time for Harrison's mate to be chosen, especially if she was not the one chosen for him. 

His compliment made her feel warm and flattered, and she lifted her gaze to his, not expecting to see him looking back at her. Unlike most other times, though, she didn't blush and look away- but she looked into his eyes silently for a moment, a fey smile on her features. She had been fishing for more- and she wanted him to continue and confess...She wanted to lure something from him, even just a hint that she was the one he wanted. His companionship, compliments, smiles...They were all sufficient to feed her adoration, but Oryx wanted more. It was well outside the rules for her to ask for it, but she could fish, nonetheless. Still, rather than hinting at all that she might be the one receiving gifts, or that they could accept gifts together, he simply gazed at her. She felt feeble, in that moment, and had to tear her gaze away, trying to hide the fact that her feelings had begun to get in the way of things. She had to be strong; and she couldn't want as much as she did...But one couldn't simply wish desire away.

she trusted grayson, and all that he could think when she admitted such things was that that made one of them. as much as he loved his brother, harrison was never sure what the dark male's plans were. he always felt like his brother had a way of going with the flow until someone went against his plans. there was nothing that made him more uncertain in those times. he often wondered what would have happened if none of grayson's plans managed to make it through the idea stage. he even wondered if they would get the pack up in time to have children that year.

all these thoughts were kept quietly locked away in the vaults of his mind. instead of voice them, the charmer turned his attention on the dark girl at his side and offered a soft smile. in that moment, he wondered what he would have done if his brother picked her. the burning feeling of jealousy seemed to rage like a wildfire in his gut. he could not stand it if grayson decided to wed oryx. chances were that if that happened, the rosings wolves would have witnessed an adult tantrum the likes of which had never been seen before.

“have you ever thought about what you'd name your kids?” the snake inquired to his companion after a moment of silence. his eyes were still latched to the dark features of her face. he found it difficult to pull away, in spite of the words of warning that sounded from the back of his mind. harrison did feel as though it was a smart switch in their conversation. it was something that he regularly thought the women would plan for. surely, she would wish to know just what she'd call her pups. he wanted to know too.

They remained close together, eyes roving over the other's face and features with daring care, and she wanted very much for him to reach out and touch her. He could not claim her for his own, she knew that; but she wanted him to, from the depths of her heart. He continued to look at her, and though she was normally quite shy and fey about such things, something kept her soft, reverent gaze upon him as well. She only looked away when he asked her a question, one which made her blush. 

"Oh, I...I do not know," She said. Names? She hadn't given names much thought just yet. It hadn't exactly occurred to her that she might be chosen that season. "I...Would prefer to wait, and consult my husband about such things, if that should come to pass," She said softly.

he thought her response was bashful and cute as hell. harrison could hardly prevent the curling smile that erupted along the dark black line that was his lips. she really was the perfect woman, when he thought about it. he was shocked that his brother hadn’t made more of a move on her. fortunate for him, harrison seemed to have found the diamond in the rough. oryx was nearly everything that he had thought of in an ideal wife. the only thing he was missing was his claim over her. until then, all his passion and yearning could be spent on nothing.
 
“surely, you’ve thought about it? let’s pretend that… i was your husband and i wanted to hear your thoughts on names,” he ventured in a way that was intended to be sneaky. he did well to make his tone casual. it was no big deal that they share in such discussions. of course, oryx and harrison were not officially mated. grayson had not yet made his decisions about who would be paired with each other or even which ones had the right to breed. still, he could not help himself; he wanted to know the secret thoughts that lived inside of her mind.

Harrison seemed to insist that she had spent some time thinking about names- and while she had spent plenty of time thinking of herself being chosen as his wife, she truthfully had not committed much time to choosing names for their children. Children, thus far, were an afterthought for Oryx. All she wanted was fo the ceremony to happen, and for Grayson to choose someone for himself- not likely Lilah, as she could no longer bear children this year, but perhaps one of the others- and then for him to choose Oryx for Harrison. The majority of her fantasies simply went that far, and no further than that. She wanted to attempt, at least, to keep her thoughts pure- even though she shouldn't have been thinking of Harrison that way at all either. 

But when he spoke next, she blushed heavily, and her gaze fell. It was quite obvious that that idea flattered her, at first, as a private, sweet smile found its way to her lips even though she tried to purse them together to keep the smile from showing. "If you were my husband...We would not spend too much time talking," She said, her private smile growing slightly and she chanced a coy look up at him for a moment, before she blushed again, and felt slightly ashamed of her boldness, hinting at how much she wanted him- and the sort of time she would devote to her husband. "But...Perhaps...Perhaps Stetson for a boy...Or Watson...And perhaps Madison for a girl." She concluded.

she was right, after all; if they were mated, he would not want to waste their time with words. there was something to be said for the strange sort of distance that they had in that moment, though. he thought it to intensify the yearning that he felt. if they were allowed to openly touch each other – to share in the warmth of one another – surely it would have ridden some of the mystery. as much as he wished he could close the space between them and take her, he knew better. harrison was not a fool, no matter how unlikely that seemed. he hid himself behind a veil of charismatic charm, but his mind was sharp and capable.

“good names,” he responded in a rumbling voice. “what do you think of ellison for a girl? maybe genn for a boy,” harrison then mused with a thoughtful frown that creased the dark line of his mouth. adopting the 'son' ending to the names was not required, and he thought that it would be good for him to step out of that familial chain – to offer something unique. besides, he thought that genn was a powerful name and would suit one of his sons well.