I love a rainy night
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I've learned to slam on the break before I even turn the key, before I make the mistake, before I lead with the worst of me.
Torin had wandered for the first time since Jewell's kids had been born. For a while he had sequestered himself in the pack lands. He was fiercely protective of his sister and her new brood and had used that as an excuse to not leave. That was only partially the truth though as he had found himself once more alone, Jen had left to... well who knew where and while he tried not to be to angry he couldn't help but feel disappointed... She had seemed a singularly unique individual, a wolf who understood him and his solitude on a level he and his siblings had never shared. If he had been more aware he would have also known he had started to develop feelings for her, but as it was the young Adravendi was left to wonder why it hurt so much to think of her. Torin shook his head, trying to clear the woman from his mind. It seemed, to him at least, that he was doomed to never understand women. They seemed to like to get in close just to pull away again, and he wasn't sure why he had let it happen again; the first time had hurt enough. No! From now on he wasn't going to let them toy with him. He'd be reserved, distant. It wasn't what he wanted but it was what he'd have to do to protect himself. The rumbling of distant thunder drew Torin's attention skyward as he paced through the orchard trees. It reminded him of the day his nieces and nephews had been born, and a small smile pulled across his face at the thought of them.
"Silent treatment" & Deep thoughts |
Image by Lynx! |
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I've learned to slam on the break before I even turn the key, before I make the mistake, before I lead with the worst of me.
A soft bark told him of the approaching stranger, Torin surpressed a sigh. It seemed time alone would continue to evade him. Still he glanced back over his shoulder at the approaching woman.
"Silent treatment" & Deep thoughts |
Image by Lynx! |
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The Easter Bunny hops on by!
On her way through, she drops an egg at the paws of Torin.
I've learned to slam on the break before I even turn the key, before I make the mistake, before I lead with the worst of me.
It almost felt as if he was hyper aware of her presence, even as they waited in perfect silence he was aware he wasn't alone which was enough for her presence to feel heavy; Torin wasn't sure he had always felt this way with strangers or if it was only now due to his wariness. Would he have felt so much like a live wire if she had been a male instead? Maybe he was simply becoming too sensitive. Then again he'd never been too keen on strangers anyways. She spoke again and Torin pondered for a moment how much to say, that he was from Lirim was an obvious answer, if she had missed his pack scent then it'd be obvious enough if she took even a few more steps forwards. "Not here exactly," he spoke, his voice still soft; not really wanting to break the peace of the night air, "I belong to a pack to the west of here called Lirim." He paused for a moment, finally giving her one more glance over his shoulder. "What about you?" The man couldn't suss out any pack scent from her own fur, in fact she seemed to lack many scents of any other wolves on her pelt at all. Maybe she was a wanderer new to these lands then? Torin couldn't even begin to imagine, he had been born here after all; and frankly he expected to die without ever setting paw off continent.
"Silent treatment" & Deep thoughts |
Image by Lynx! |
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I've learned to slam on the break before I even turn the key, before I make the mistake, before I lead with the worst of me.
Despite his unease, despite how tense he felt he wasn't sure he was really all that put off by her. She wasn't intruding so much as having simply inserted herself almost naturally into the scene. That was probably the thing that struck him the most, she was slow and calm and the silence that stretch between them felt natural and not the awkward thing he was used to; the silence that demanded it be filled or things would degrade even further. Instead they would stand in silence between their sparse conversation and it felt natural. She spoke and he listened patiently, she spoke of a pack he was aware of to the East and as she finished speaking he found words falling from his lips, things he had not planned to say but he vocalized regardless. "Do you want to go back?" He rumbled, avoiding her gaze. "I could take you there is you wanted." What was he doing? He had a pack of his own to look after and yet here he is, offering to trek halfway across the continent to help a total stranger. That was so him, so willing to throw himself at anyone who could use his help without thinking through the consequences.
"Silent treatment" & Deep thoughts |
Image by Lynx! |
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I've learned to slam on the break before I even turn the key, before I make the mistake, before I lead with the worst of me.
She seemed genuinely surprised by his offer, which probably made sense. He wasn't exactly the most open or welcoming wolf. In truth he was almost as surprised by his own offer; not that he'd show it. No, the man kept a stoic look on his face, though he still refused to look at her proper. No doubt she'd have worries, he was a stranger and one she'd only just met; he probably looked suspicious. She spoke, it wasn't an outright rejection... it was an out. She was giving him a way to gracefully back out of his offer without feeling like he'd gone back on his word. She was giving him an out. And like the fool he was he'd reject it. Torin shook his head, this time lifting his gaze to meet her's as he spoke again. "It's no trouble." Which wasn't exactly true. He had other things he needed to do, a whole pack he was dedicated to and yet... well he was a fool who couldn't say no to a wolf in need. "I'd prefer to know you made it back, don't want you getting swept away again." His baritone had the barest hint of a teasing tone and he gave her a slight smile. I'm Torin Adravendi." He rumbled, realizing they had yet to exchange names.
"Silent treatment" & Deep thoughts |
Image by Lynx! |
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I've learned to slam on the break before I even turn the key, before I make the mistake, before I lead with the worst of me.
Torin blinked as she introduce herself, his smile growing and becoming a bit more genuine. "Any relation to Frostbite Wreckage?" he asked with a tinge of genuine curiosity. It seemed unlikely that there was many Wreckage families with no connection... but then he supposed there were likely a decent number of Adravendi's out there he didn't know. Her next question caught him off guard and for a moment the man glanced out at the stormy sky. He was a loss, he certainly didn't want to be gone from Lirim for too long and he certainly didn't want to force a stranger to spend the night with him, on the other hand he didn't want to make her wait too long or go home and risk forgetting all together... The man pondered in silence for a good few minutes before his mind stumbled upon a potential idea... how would she feel about it though? That last time he'd offered this option to someone it had been- Torin frowned, shaking the images of the yellow eyed girl from his mind. Taking a few deep breaths he finally fixed his gaze back on Derecho and he spoke, his words chosen carefully. "Lirim has a rank that's meant to be temporary, normally for housing travelers or injured wolves who need tending too but may not be sticking around permanently." He watched her face carefully as he spoke, trying to gauge her reaction. "If you wanted too you come back to my pack with me tonight-" His eyes grew wide for a moment as he realized what it sounded like he was saying. He quickly tried to cover his embarrassment. "You'd have a den you could sleep in all to yourself. Then we could head out to Abaven whenever you were ready." Then the ball would be in her court, she could maybe meet up with Frost, have a small family reunion and when she got to return to her own home would be totally in her paws.
"Silent treatment" & Deep thoughts |
Image by Lynx! |
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I've learned to slam on the break before I even turn the key, before I make the mistake, before I lead with the worst of me.
She spoke of her mother and confirmed his suspicions, Derecho asked about her uncle and Torin nodded. "Frostbite is currently the Kal- uh, the alpha of Lirim along with my brother Rory." He spoke the words with some amount of pride. He wouldn't mention his own rank for the time being; it had little importance in the current conversation and while Torin was certainly a proud wolf he wasn't prone to needless bragging. Torin did his best to ignore her smile at his embarrassment, forging on with his suggestion, and then when it was all out he didn't have to wait long for her response. She agreed to his plan, giving him a smile; his own smile growing a bit bigger again. He cast his gaze towards the sky again, another ominous thunder clap rumbling through the sky and he took a moment to just breath. "That way." He gestured with his muzzle back the way he'd come. "We'll have to pass through the desert a bit if you want to avoid the storm but it shouldn't be for too long." Normally he'd have skirted the harsher desert but if they wanted to be in Lirim with dens to huddle into before the skies opened up they'd have to take the less scenic route. "Just follow me." He said, hoping to assure any misgiving she might have, though his words were a bit rough. Torin, gave the sky one last cautious glance before he turned to lead the girl back towards Lirim.
"Silent treatment" & Deep thoughts |
Image by Lynx! |