What's Wrong With Me?
The girl... well a woman now, seemed to have a thing for the islands of Ardent. Ever since stumbling on her first one, she had made it a task to visit them all. Plus, since the start of this season she was trying to stay away from other wolves. She had no idea what was happening to her, she had been on her own for so long that she didn't know she was in heat or what it entailed. All she knew was that her scent was changing and she felt... awful. She wished for the first time in a long time that her brother was here. He probably didn't know either, but at least she wouldn't be so alone. Sighing, she stretched out on the warm beach and listened to the waves. She could have stuck around her uncle... but will this odd feeling she just needed to get away. Maybe she could track down Carletta and ask her why her body was doing this. She felt heavy, like she had swallowed a mouthful of rocks. Wiggling uncomfortably, she buried herself further into the warm sands. At least it was pretty here, maybe she had just eaten some bad meat and got a stomach bug? Ashelynn hoped so, because she really had no other way to describe how she felt. Grumbling, the lava-legged wolf rested her head on her stretched out front legs. If only finding the answers was easy.
"SPEAK"
The weather was becoming more mild as the seasons began to turn and the sun became less, well, aggressive. And that was a relief for Alarik, whose fluffy coat had sent him to the north during the summer months. He now felt a little better about exploring the other lands this continent had to offer. After all, he hadn't had the chance to see all that much of it yet, and he still had an adventurous heart inside of him despite the fact that he was now fully grown. Just because his days of being a pup were over didn't mean his days of fun and adventure had to be over, too. If he wanted adventure, he was going to have to search for it.
And so, with that in mind, the handsome young man wandered south. And then east, through woods and across rivers, all the way to the coast. He saw some pretty amazing things along the way, too. But all of those things dimmed in comparison when he saw her.
Her being the beautiful young female on the beach before him. Alarik had been moving at a steady walking pace, but when he saw her he stopped dead, his paws sinking slightly into the sand. His eyes widened, and honestly he was acting as though he'd never seen a female his own age before. But truthfully, he hadn't seen all that many. And this was different. He was no longer a boy, but a man. And the female before him was surely a woman. He... he could tell.
The wind blew her scent straight in his direction, ruffling his nerves as well as his fur. And there was something different about her scent. Something that pulled him in, in ways he never imagined possible. It was important to keep in mind that Alarik had yet to have any sort of conversation about the birds and the bees. The last year of his life had been spent away from his family and older, wiser siblings. And frankly, they hadn't felt the need to impart any of that knowledge yet. So Alarik had no idea what to make of this. But his intentions were entirely innocent as he slowly taught his legs to move again, shuffling through the sand toward the ashen beauty before him.
"Excuse me?" he said, his baritone voice very soft. "You seem troubled, I just... is there any way I could help? Or perhaps offer my company?" "Talk" "You" Think |
Studying the pattern of the waves, she was all too focused on her inner turmoil to hear the sound of another approaching. With the wind coming off the water there was no way that she could even smell him, not until it was too late. Ashe was snapped out of her thoughts as his voice called out to her, making her jump to her paws and spin to face him. Her silver eyes were wide as she studied him, breaths ragged as a new feeling stirred in her gut. It brought heat to her fire marked face, taking in his russet marked coat. He looked similar to her, but his tones in his fur were a lot deeper and somehow more rustic looking. It made her heart pound faster in her chest, this whole ordeal curling her tail towards her belly. This wasn't like her, and it was all so new to her. She realized she was staring, hard. He had said something but her mind tumbled over his common tongue, it had been so long since she had talked to anyone that she had to bring up her small knowledge of the language. Even though she had been on her own for so long, she hadn't had anyone to practice talking with. Spanish was all she knew, it's how she thought and how she sometimes spoke out loud to herself. Licking her suddenly dry lips, Ashelynn tore her gaze off of him and looked down at her lava dusted paws. "Umm..." she whispered, her accent heavy on even the most simple of sounds.
Ever so slowly, the dame peeked up at him. Her head was still lowered, her silver eyes shining bright under her lashes. "Is okay. Not problem you can erm... be fixing." She managed to stutter out. It made her feel even more foolish that she couldn't sound normal. Shuffling her weight across her paws, Ashe took a seat and curled her tail tightly around herself. She was usually a fighter, a strong woman who wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. But now? She was a bumbling idiot, and she wasn't sure that there was anything she could do to change it. Swallowing hard, she picked up a paw to draw a circle in front of her. "Thanking you, is very... sweet. You offer help but you not no me." The dame smiled sheepishly at him, too afraid to raise her head to look at him fully. This was terrible, it was so awkward! It made her sound stupid when she spoke, her Spanish-taught tongue stumbling over itself. She cursed herself softly, blinking sweetly at the boy who offered her help. She did need help, but she had no idea what was even wrong with her. There were no words she would be able to put to this... need that she felt. It was oh so new, and just as terrifying.
"SPEAK"
It was hard not to call to mind the childhood fantasies he'd had, about rescuing the fair princess and working tirelessly to win her heart. To Alarik, it seemed possible that such a fair princess now stood before him. His warm orange eyes were alight with admiration for her. And then she began to speak. The natural smile that had come to his lips now faltered, only slightly. Did she not speak the same language as him? Her words were a bit awkward, and not always correct. But if it was all foreign to her, she was doing an incredible job. And somehow, her sheepish smile made her even more endearing to him.
His face warmed a bit as she thanked him and called him sweet, and he smiled as he sat down to relax in the sand as well. "You don't have to thank me," Alarik said gently, slowing his words just a little in case his suspicions were correct. It would make it easier for her to do all the translating in her head. If only he knew her first language, and knew how to speak it so she would be more comfortable. He had this desire inside him to make her feel content and comfortable. Such a damsel should never be in distress.
"Forgive me, I don't mean to be rude," the young man said. "But your accent... Were you raised to speak in a language other than this?"
He hoped the young woman could tell that Alarik was in no way laughing at her. He found it fascinating. If she spoke another language entirely, that must mean that she came from a far away land. Or her family did, at least. And Alarik, being the dreamer and adventurer he was, couldn't help the way his imagination got the best of him. Which is why it took him several moments to realize he still hadn't introduced himself yet. Crap.
"Oh, and uh..." he began, clearing his throat shyly as his face warmed up again. "My name is Alarik..." "Talk" "You" Think |
Ashelynn's face grew even hotter when she saw his face falter when she spoke. The girl hated that she sounded like a dumb, faltering child. It made her feel less intellegent and it threw her off her game. Her own ears clung to her skull as she looked away, ashamed in the way she spoke. It had been quite awhile since she had even had a conversation with anyone, having been alone for most of her life she wasn't able to practice the common tongue. Cursing herself now for not trying to practice, she watched the crystal clear water again. It was probably better if she just didn't talk, but it was nice to have another wolf here for once. Plus there was that odd feeling in her belly, the unnamed feeling that she just couldn't place. It kept her paws rooted to the sand, her mottled gray tail tucking up ever so slightly. This wasn't who she was, it made her feel so much weaker than what she had proved herself to be. Sure, winter had been a scary and trying time, but she had prevailed.
When she sat, that odd feeling didn't go away even with her gaze off the russet marked male. Her ears pulled up and twisted towards him as he spoke, ever so slowly pulling her silver eyes towards him. She didn't want to be rude, not to the first soul she had seen in quite some time. A hesitant smile claimed her lips again, dipping her head softly instead of trying to speak again. She was thankful for his offer, they knew nothing about each other and still he said he would help if he could. She just didn't know what she needed help with. It was embarrassing to mention, and she wasn't sure there was a word for it. In her now two years of life, she had never smelled like this before. Is it because she became an adult? Did you scent change when you reached your second year? There were no answers to her million questions, at least not yet, and none that she felt like asking this kind stranger. She mentioned that he was speaking slower as well, which made her want to look away again. Ashe wished that she could just hide from this all, or learn the stupid language in one breath. But it would probably take seasons to fully understand and carry on a conversation like a normal wolf. The lava marked girl didn't want to wait that long, but there was no way to move at a faster pace.
Before she could decide what to do with herself, he asked her if she spoke another language. A hot flash rushed across her body, silver eyes slowly blinking. Oh gods, did he think that she was just mentally slow? Swallowing back any harsh replies she felt like spewing, she slowly nodded her head up and down. She had been raised by a Spanish mother, and a fill in mother like that. They had been told that they were born from the elements themselves, and she wasn't sure if they had a language. "We born here, but not woman who raised us." By 'us' she was speaking of her brother, but she wasn't quite sure if he even counted anymore. Clearing her throat, she looked down at her paws as she shuffled her weight across her splayed toes. "I speak Spanish, common tongue is... tricky. I been alone most times, not much to..." Ashe's head fell to the side as she thought of the word, her brows pulling together as she fought to pull it out of her clustered mine. "speak to." It wasn't the right thing, not exactly what she had meant but it was close enough. Falling silent for much longer would have just added to her cluster of nerves.
Alarik soon introduced himself as such, making her realized that she too had forgotten all about this. Well great, what a way to start things off. Muttering a quick curse under her breath she met his fiery gaze again, appearing a lot more bashful than before. Gosh, she might as well be a giggling pup at this point. "Ashelynn." She said with more strength, at least getting that out without stuttering over the words.
"SPEAK"
Oh. Oh, no. He had upset her, hadn't he? Alarik felt his smile loosen and fade, ears tilting back a bit to mimic hers as she looked away in shame. He truly hadn't meant to be disrespectful. He'd only wondered what language it was that she spoke. He in no way condemned her for being unable to fluently speak his own.
The young man sighed quietly as she watched the waves again, and he watched her. She really was a sight to behold. Like all the fair maidens he'd imagined when he was boy, pretending to be the brave and charming knight. And just look how that was turning out for him. It was quiet for a while, but eventually she sat. She still looked as uncomfortable as when he'd first spotted her lounging on the sand, but Alarik was no closer to understanding why. Perhaps she didn't even understand why. But he had to admit, it brought a sense of relief when that hesitant smile came to her lips once more. She spoke with that same appealing lilt as she explained her situation. Born here, but the woman who raised her spoke a different language. Spanish, she called it. She knew some of the common tongue, of course, but it sounded to him like she hadn't had much opportunity to practice it.
Alarik smiled at her all the same. He was fascinated by the idea of hearing another language. "Spanish?" he said, tail swaying gently behind him. "Perhaps I could hear it sometime. If your accent is any indication, it must be a lovely language." His words were earnest and sincere, and he reclined in the sand a bit, which inevitably brought him closer to her. She still smelled so... nice. It was a hard scent to describe in words. Musky, but faintly sweet? Whatever it was, it was intoxicating, but Alarik knew better than to comment on it. He tried his best to relax, ignoring the tightening of muscles in his abdomen.
Shoving all other thoughts away, the male turned his attention back to the woman beside him. "Ashelynn." This she said with more strength. More certainty. Alarik gave her a charming smile.
"Ashelynn," he repeated, tasting the name on his tongue for the first time. "Talk" "You" Think |