Redtail Rise melisma

hello 3am muse

With so many around, and more who had called, it was impossible for the thought to not have crossed Ashlar's mind.  And when he realized the willingness it inspired, he felt disconcerted and ashamed despite his lack of control over it.  He wouldn't fight for her cause, but he was more than willing, he found, to fight for this.  A selfish coward.  Even if he knew it wasn't true, was that what she'd see?

It didn't matter.  She would know better than to choose him and perhaps that was for the best.

Ashlar watched the river as it ran past where he lay, then stuck out a paw to dab at the surface.  The ripples lasted barely a second before being carried away, swept by the motion of the current.

As sure as he knew he would fight Tulimaq, Prophet, even his silent friend for them, he also knew he would fight her.  That frightened him the most of all.  He couldn't let that happen.

She wanted warriors.

For once, he couldn't pick out a tune.  He should go hunt, but for the moment he stayed where he was, taking a break and trying to allow the icy touch of the water to distract him.

she sidles along after her pack hunt, finding the singer along the banks of the stream. indecisive, pawing at the water.

she lifts her head in crooked inquiry, barking once.

she's on the opposite side of the bank, though only a hop or so separates them. she gazes into the current, looking for fish. she'd done this a few times in Bearclaw Valley and it isn't difficult—

but Avicus yanks her head up to look at her healer instead, cocking it slightly

he's alone. they should all be together.

He was focused on the water and his own thinking when Avicus appeared, so her sudden presence on the other bank startled him. He was immediately embarrassed by both his line of thinking and the fact that he was clearly sitting here, alone, caught up in useless worrying.

Oh, sorry. He said quietly, sitting up and glancing at her, unable to meet her gaze. It was silly to bother with this, what with everything she'd managed to do. His tail began to brush the ground behind him and he smiled. It's really great. All of this. I'm glad we could do it. He was glad he'd decided to come.

He didn't really feel like hopping across to join her right now, though. He liked the others, and he wanted to be a part of the pack's first celebrations together... but something held him back. He looked into the water again, watching the shadows pattern with the current's motion. Maybe he'd stay here for a little while first.

her brows draw together at his sorry and she shakes her head, shaking it off. the words seem just like pleasantries to her, but she appreciates them all the same.

Avicus steps down closer to the bank, and then into the water; it comes up to her belly and then past it at points, and she churns her legs to keep herself moving.

finally, she draws herself up alongside him, dripping. moves a short distance away and shakes herself out, the icy wind cutting into her bones through the wet fur. she pads closer again but keeps her forelegs in motion, like a runner jogging in place.

goodh you are here, she notes, nodding solemnly. we'll needh you.

Ashlar had expected her to go back, not to cross the river and join him. Despite the shake she gave he felt his guilt intensify. It wasn't her he was avoiding. It wasn't the pack, entirely, either. It was the complicated feelings he could neither explain nor tell anyone, ones he'd never felt or spoken of, not even with baba or mama.

I hope not. He said, pushing himself up to sitting. Then he heard how that sounded and his ears tilted back, slightly chagrined. I mean, not too much. I hope it's quick. Her goal and what she wanted to find, he hoped she found it and achieved it without needing him at all. Doing so would mean someone was hurt, and while that was likely, it felt wrong to wish to be needed like that.

Will you go back? When you finish it? The wolves here were not family, but they were kinder than the wolves of Ursus had been. Friends to him already. Ashlar had wondered for a while if she would return to her father when her goal was met, to her brother too. It would make sense for her to wish to share this with them, but she hadn't seemed happy there either.

he doesn't specify a return destination, but she knows it's Ursus of which he speaks. she shakes her head without hesitation, gazing into the water.

Ave 'hhleader, Avicus responds, eyes following the whorls of current, slipping between the jutting, moss-covered rocks. no room for me 'hhere.

Ashlar had witnessed their great fight. and though brother and sister had since mended the rift, she knew that neither of them would be satisfied unless they themselves ruled the roost. 

in another world, the saying. . ."this town ain't big enough for the two of us."

it paints an evocative picture of two individuals destined to be at odds—

and that was Aventus and Avicus to a tee.

she glances at Ashlar, her eyes warming. i 'hhlike ih' here, she says. it's ours, her face reads. not just hers, but of the wolves that had chosen to follow her. her!

Oh, yeah. He recalled the same fight that she did, the one he had witnessed between she and her brother. He still did not understand it within himself, but he knew now why they'd done it. Both wished to lead, but both could not if they did not agree on how. It was not hard for Ashlar to imagine the wolf he would rather follow; he'd made his decision easily.

He smiled, though, when she said that she liked it here. Me too, he replied as his tail swept the bank behind. When she first spoke, Ashlar had feared he'd made her unhappy with the notion she could not return. This place was better, far better, than Ursus had ever been. He knew better than to say this, but he was glad it would remain.

The awkward reluctance still clung to him, but he shoved it aside with bright resolve. He'd played previously with the silent one, but would she? Did she know how to play without seeking to harm? He'd never tried.

He kept his smile and lifted up slightly into a bow, then hopped sideways, inviting her clearly to either a chase or a game.

she's surprised, somewhat, when he leaps into a play-bow. Avicus has hunted with the healer, and has certainly seen him in motion, but the notion of his physicality counters everything she feels about him. he's the still, the cerebral, the moonlit pool on a clear night.

and yet, here are ripples across that surface.

her jaws open wide, letting her tongue loll. it's not a smile, but it is an answer as she feints forward, nipping at his forepaws before dashing away. 

the red girl splashes briefly down into the shallows before rising up on the banks, shaking her fur while at a run and sending crystalline droplets everywhere in her wake. she looks back, her heart beginning to gallop with the thrill of the chase.

She would play!

He hadn't done this since his earlier days, time spent with Rannoch and Liffey's children in a time he'd mostly forgotten. Between time traveling with his parents, Ursus, and the flight afterwards, he'd nearly forgotten such a thing could be done. Augur had awoken it in him again and shown him that such things could be done in fun. Now he wanted to show her.

He danced back as she nipped at him, then bounded forward, splashing into the water before leaping out into a sprinting run. She was quick, but so was he... and if he managed to catch up, he'd grasp lightly for whatever he could reach. His jaws would not clench, simply run over and release... the promise of contact, but without the threat.

This game could stay a chase or it could turn into a wrestle. Moving between the two was the fun of it and, just as he had with Augur, he would happily lean into both.

he's quick. she knew that already. she feel teeth graze against her hindquarters and accelerates briefly before skittering to a stop, hoping to send him tumbling past and vulnerable.

should he do so, she'd begin to lightly pummel his ribs, nipping gently but insistently at his ears and cheeks.

this actually. . .was quite enjoyable. 

she'd played with Aventus, right? perhaps, but even their early puppy-spars had been suffused with the savagery their father had instilled within them so young.

Ashlar has none of that savagery.

she's seen it as a weakness for so long, but perhaps his ability to lighten and loosen up could be beneficial.

He fell entirely into Avicus' trap. Ashlar had played enough to gain enthusiasm but not enough to gain any measure of skill. He was naive in the ways an opponent could deceive and in the ways that footing could betray. She sent him tumbling deftly.

His features were still alight with silent laughter, though, as she took the advantage. He wouldn't grab for her muzzle but instead tried to fend off her blows by nipping at her forepaws. After only a couple of playful attempts, he shifted sideways. He didn't have enough weight behind it to move much, but if he managed to catch her surprised, perhaps he could shift the situation so that he could gain the upper ground.

Really, if she wished it to be, the fight was over here. There was nothing he could do, with his current unwillingness to push, that would release him should she choose to keep him pinned.

he gives way. it's too easy!

she laughs, actually laughs, as she sets upon him, and he not resisting— eventually she tires of the domination and rolls away, rising to her paws and shaking the ice from her pelt.

you can hhdo beh'her, Avicus goads him on, swiping a tongue along her jowls. come gehh' me.

and with that, she's away again, bounding over the snow-bound plains, occasionally throwing a glance back to see how close he gets.

this time, she'll let him. well, catch her, at least.

the rest will be up to Ashlar.

He tries to get free but the attempts are half-hearted. Eventually she let him up and he rolled to his feet, pausing in his eager follow up only to listen to what she says. She issued a challenge.

Better? He isn't sure. But she is so clearly enjoying this that he would absolutely try. He'd do anything to hear that laugh again.

Ashlar nodded and smiled again, this time with a quiet determination that set alight a slight answering challenge in his look. When he comes for the chase, he does so with the intention of overbalancing her this time. He at least isn't naive enough to use his size - instead he uses momentum, trying to playfully tackle instead.

bravo, Ashlar!

she soon feels him hot on her heels and before she knows it, his body is careening into hers. they're pretty evenly matched for size, and as he's got the leaping momentum, she buckles under the sudden weight. a startled whoof escapes her muzzle as she tumbles to the snow, and then rests there for a moment, panting.

well done, she breathes, a little wheezy. her eyes roll up to meet his, sharp but suffused with good humor. 

before she can say anything more, the trumpeting call of a bull elk pierces the air—near enough to send a thrill down her spine—and she rises quickly, her posture shifting from playful to predatory. ears canted forward, she casts a quick glance toward Ashlar.

we should check that out, her face reads, before Avicus begins to ascend the Rise at a brisk trot, not waiting an instant longer, nor looking back.

fade here? <3

He was immediately worried he'd hurt her. He hadn't expected to actually land on her hard enough to knock her down, and he backed off immediately. But she was smiling, and her 'well done' set his very heart to singing! He glowed with it, bent into a play bow, and beamed back at her happily. He was ready for more play, but they were interrupted.

It was easy to see that the call of the prey interested Avicus more. Ashlar straightened and followed without any disappointment - she was his friend, but she was his lead. Of course the hunt would draw her.

He would quietly accompany and observe. Ashlar was thrilled with what he had already learned here; Avicus did not need blood to enjoy play, and doubtless he would draw her into more later, just as he did the others.