Silver Creek white hats

dropping a rabbit off at a cache for formation threads

clasped tightly between his teeth was the recently deceased form of a hare. its lengthy body was drooped on either side of his mouth and had stained his muzzle a deep red. he had taken a keen interest in tending to their formation, hoping that they could draw in more numbers by making their presence better known to the outside world. the strangers that he’d passed in the woods had not seemed to have noticed them, and his pride was a little injured at such words. still, he liked a challenge; harrison was eager to make the creek shout out that it had found new ownership and they were ready to claim their space.
 
pacing around until he had found his cache, the snake dug away at the snow and dirt that had rested over top of it. once he had unearthed the corpses of his other catches underneath, he tossed his rabbit on top of them and buried all of it again. winter had been difficult before, but he had done well in his hunts and he felt as though they had a good chance if they could find more capable men to keep the women well-fed and protected.

She watches from the shadows, colorless eyes following Harrison's movements. The scent of fresh meat makes her mouth water; she licks away a dribble of saliva that escapes the corner of her lips, but it only serves to increase her hunger further. She ignores the rumble of her stomach as she pads toward her brother, tail low but swinging gently in welcome.

Hello, Harrison, Addison says, greeting him with a dip of her head. Can he tell? Does he notice she is irrevocably changed? She wonders just what it is about her that the witches had altered. Her soul, yes, but what of the outside?

Her tongue moves again to swipe across her jowls. Well caught, she remarks, with a tiny smile. You and the other men have had good hunting, I've noticed. The caches are well-stocked. They will not starve, barring the Worst.

well there was a shockingly familiar voice. the pale snake turned around and latched his sights on his sister with a sneer that he could not help but to allow form on his features. his sharp gaze bore holes into her own, searching her for all of the secrets she had created when she had been away. of course, he couldn’t see anything by just staring at her like that, but he hoped that he could cause some sort of discomfort in the girl. she’d just up and left them in a rut for a good long while and he’d been left with no one to bother that entire time. he had to balance his charming knight persona with the nasty viper one that he offered only to addison.
 
“yeah there aren’t too many men right now, so it’s mostly me… sometimes grayson, but he’s busy running the castle,” the snake responded with an exasperated sigh. then, he narrowed his brows on the girl and took an uncomfortable step closer to her. it was there that he drew his tongue across his dark lips as though he could see all the deepest portions of her soul.
 
“where you been, addi?”

Ah, his attitude hasn't changed one bit. She supposes that is to be expected; what force of nature could tame this man? Addison takes his abuse with practiced patience, her face impassive as she nods along with his self-important speech. Then a question comes.

To hell and back, she says cryptically, mouth faintly wry. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  But I am here. She will offer no more unless pressed. He does not need to know the gory details, though perhaps he'd like to.

Instead, she blinks back at him. The mating season is upon us, she comments idly. Which woman has stolen your gaze, Harrison? She craves, almost as much as her own children, nieces and nephews to dote upon. Even if they are the spawn of this devil.

the charmer huffed at her response, almost taken aback by the boldness of her statement. it didn't strike him as very lady-like to answer in such a manner. his brow furrowed, but the savage leer did not leave his features. he couldn't simply let that slip by, could he? as selfish and brash as he was, harrison was also equal parts nosy. so, he leaned in closer to her and made a dramatic attempt to peer at her through one widened eye, as though he were looking through a magnifying glass. really, he wouldn't have been able to pick up on anything that had happened to her just by looking, but he felt like he could make her feel uncomfortable.

“tsk tsk tsk, addison! that's very unbecoming language for a young woman,” he chided her in the most condescending voice that he could muster. the smile on his face spread wider then, crinkling the edges of his eyes. he leaned back a short ways and shook his head in mock disappointment. really, he could have given a rats hairy behind what she did, but he sure did like to give her hell for it. “and it would be wrong of me to develop feelings for a woman who wasn't given to me as my wife.” at this, he made himself appear prim and proper by drawing his crown upward and forcing his jester-like grin down.

She stares back at him as he draws closer, that ugly face of his twisting into a leer. Her eyes, her face, show nothing as he speaks, only the tiniest of nods to each of his statements. Addison shifts her weight a little, leaning back slightly on her hindquarters; it eases the still sore muscles in her ankles from the long journey home.

You are right, Addison says, and gives him a simpering smile. If he wants to play this game, she will, too. Neither of them were unaware that a game was all it was. In any other pack, they would be equals. Well, it will be interesting to see which woman becomes my sister by marriage. It will be good to have another sister.

She thinks of Emerson with a pang; she hasn't seen her littermate around since returning, and her scent is stale. Grayson's and Harrison's wives may end up being the only sisters she had here, outside of Effie, who she knew not well at all.

of course, he was right! what kind of a fool did she take him for? well, surely, she took him for a great big fool because he certainly behaved that way a vast majority of the time. still, he was a capable beast who knew precisely what it was that he was doing and saying at all times. he was a viper in the reeds and he always waited for the precise moment in which he could strike against another. addison didn’t need to know such things, though. he only wanted for her to believe that he was an idiot. it would make his moment all the greater, whenever that time came.
 
“of course, sweet sister! of course,” he said in a voice that dripped with condescension. then, he cast her a look that was both pitying and savage in its delivery. “you must be lonely without the company of a sister.” at least, he hoped that she was lonely. god, he hoped that grayson never awarded her a husband in all the time that they were there. he could have died happy if something like that came to be.

She nods again. I am, yes, she murmurs. Though a woman like Oryx would make a fine substitute, she adds, a small, gentle smile coming to her face as she thinks of the dark fae. Addison is becoming quite fond of Oryx; she has proven herself loyal and true, knows her place, and is good company, to boot. Addison rarely enjoys company, but with Oryx, it is different.

Maybe Harrison will take the hint—though she doesn't wish her brother on anyone, much less the closest friend she has.

And children, Addison continues, her face softening further. It will be good to have children around. Pups always were and always will be her weakness. She cannot wait to welcome her nephews and nieces into the world. . .and soon, God willing, her own offspring.

when addison mentioned oryx, harrison could feel his heart fall from his chest and land in the pit of his stomach. he wondered if she knew anything about the moments he had shared with the dark woman – if she knew at all what he thought of her, or how he wished that grayson would pair them together. he had a terrible feeling that she would attempt to derail that if she did know. his sister was not one to be trifled with in such scenarios.

“oryx is a fine woman and would make a lovely wife. if she should come to me, then you shall have your wish,” he answered her with a stoic nod of his head. it was the first time that his tone seemed genuine, and the first moment that his words seemed to carry any weight to them. he had not thought about what would happen when the day of the pairing had arrived. he simply imagined that things would go his way, as they always had.

“are you hoping for any men, addison?” he then asked, deciding it was wiser to change the subject.

She notices none of the fear that flutters through him, but the sincerity in his tone. . .is a surprise. It seems as if he really is interested in Oryx, and that pleases her. She can think of no better mate for her brother, though she would have preferred Grayson for her friend. Still, it means that—should Grayson choose Oryx for himself or Harrison—that they will be sisters. That is good.

His question is no surprise, however; tit for tat, after all. Addison dips her head demurely, the shadow of a smile tugging at her lips. I put my trust in Grayson's judgment, she answers in typical diplomatic fashion. Still, the familiar flood of heat fills her belly as she thinks of Iliksis, those cold yellow eyes drilling a hole through her.

She raises her eyes gently to Harrison's face. Whomever it is will suit me well, she murmurs. I can hope for nothing more, at this point. That, and children, of course. It is the latter, after all, that is much more important to her than any choice of mate.

his interest was more than genuine. he could scarcely get the dark woman to leave his mind. in times when he was left alone, harrison had found himself fantasizing about a life they could have together... with children. god, he wanted to claim her as his own more than he wanted anything else – more than he wanted the woods, or the pleasure of taking the beta rank from any others who sought it – but he knew little about what grayson's plans were for marriage. he was not even certain that his brother considered him to take a wife so early on.

addison responded in a similar fashion. this cast a wry smirk on the dark lips of the creamy male. he was not unfamiliar with his sister's longing for pups. he knew it well, as she seemed to change whenever she spoke of the premise of a family. it caused him to wonder just what their brother had planned for their future, and whether or not there was a mate in store for the dark woman. he only hoped that the fella who got paired to addison was prepared to handle her. she may have been a woman, but she was devilishly capable in her own right.

“you know... i'd imagine that there's a chance for children for you,” harrison remarked casually. he even shrugged a single shoulder as if it meant very little. “what would you name them?” the snake then inquired with a sharp glance toward his sister. that wasn't against their ways, was it? it seemed an awfully girly thing to want to do – naming kids.

holy shitballs i'm sorry to keep you waiting this long

Well, it isn't up to him, now, is it? Only Grayson is the arbiter of her womb this season. Still, she gives him the barest of smiles, nodding. I hope so, Addison says. As for their names. . .something strong for the men, and beautiful for the women. I thought, perhaps, one boy could be named for Papa, though Grayson—or you—might want that as well.

Madison, Jefferson. . . Though perhaps they should leave the -son suffix behind. Keep it as a hallmark of their litter. She likes the idea of old-fashioned names, or monikers from her childhood stories.

She scans the horizon, noting the sun is lower than when they had began speaking. I must keep an appointment with Lilah, she lies, unsure of how else to end the awkward-at-best conversation with her brother. Thank you, again, for the meal, Harrison. I am glad to see you again, and in such good health. It is stilted but not unkind, and she even gives him a soft look before bidding him adieu.

u never have 2 apologize 2 me! i don't mind waiting. let's have a new one soon???

strong and beautiful, he repeated in his mind. the smile did not fade from his features as she divulged only the barest amount of information to him. she mentioned that she would have liked to name one of her children after their father. the charmer squinted a single eye at this remark and nodded his head, offering no verbal reply. he did not want to fuel the idea that he would take their father's name for his own children – he also could not speak for grayson.

when she had finished, addison mentioned that she had plans with another member of their group. the snake did not stop her from leaving. he bid her farewell and then turned to patrol the border; it was his duty, after all. there were few men in their midst and he needed to keep the members that they did have safe.