April Showers
03-10-2013, 12:35 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-11-2013, 01:16 AM by Ardent.)
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03-11-2013, 01:47 PM
The dreary weather had Sheylie on the move, seeking shelter in any place possible. But the only type of shelter was just within her range of vision, a crumbling structure of unknown origins. It was weird, but Sheylie would take it. The rain had soaked through her fur within moments, leaving her drenched and quite uncomfortable. The promise of Spring hung heavily in the wet air, but Sheylie couldn't bring herself to be excited. Not when she was this wet and this miserable. Things would look better when she was drying off, however, and the thought of getting out of this dreary rain had Sheylie picking up her pace, bounding along as she headed for the crumbled structure. Reaching it as quickly as she could, Sheylie began to scramble up the smaller rock piles, slipping and sliding as she headed for a little bit of shelter. She found it beneath a half-crumbled pile of rocks, with just enough of an overhang that it blocked the torrential downpour. It was far from perfect, but Sheylie had been the brilliant soul to go wandering off from her temporary den when the rain started. However, things were looking better already, now that she wasn't standing around in the rain. She shook herself vigorously, sending water flying every which way, and sniffed the air carefully. Sheylie certainly did not expect to scent another wolf on the breeze, but that was exactly what she was smelling. And the wolf had to be close by for her to be able to smell it in this rain. The smell was familiar, too, but in a vague way. Her mind struggled to figure out why she felt like she'd smelled this wolf around before, but she was drawing a total blank. Still, it would be impolite to just sit here like a statue. A cautious pink nose poked out from beneath her shelter, and Sheylie snorted violently as the first heavy drop hit her, recoiling back beneath the rock. "Hello?" She queried, lifting her voice a little so that it might be heard over the rain, "Is there anyone there?" She peered around as well as she could beneath the outcropping, unwilling to peek out from this welcomed, if a little cramped shelter. Unfortunately for her slightly dryer fur, Sheylie was a little curious about why this wolf, if he would chose to answer her question, smelled so familiar, so very slowly, she oozed out of her crevice again and glanced around curiously. The rain limited her vision as it poured out of the heavens, leaving the female squinting around unhappily. A violent shiver wracked her frame, and Sheylie thought longingly of the shelter that she had discovered only moments ago. "Talking!" |
03-12-2013, 11:30 AM
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03-12-2013, 01:22 PM
She was ready to give up, to just retreat into her small shelter and curl up there and wait for the storm to pass. There was no response, no answer but a bitterly howling wind and pouring rain that drummed against her soaked skin, sliding down to splat against the ground when her fur was unable to absorb even a droplet more water. This storm was distinctly unpleasant, and probably not the safest to be caught out in. Oh why hadn't she just stayed back at the little place that she had claimed as her own? It was small, but it was better than this, better than standing out in the rain and waiting for a wolf that might or might not exist to appear. The female was about to turn back when a hulking shadow appeared out of the darkness. Black. Black as the darkest nights with crimson markings that reminded her of blood and sharp golden eyes. And that oh so familiar smile. In the seconds that passed between his appearance and his words, Sheylie had placed the wolf and reacted. Anger, a rare emotion for this female, surged in her body, making her vision flicker for a moment. How dare he? After all that he had done to her pack? After all that he had done to her! He'd been gone for so long that Sheylie had assumed that she would never see him again, and that was exactly how she wanted it! The only wolf who had scorned her friendship, who would rather watch her drown than accept an offering of friendship. He had left her pack, and she shouldn't be seeing him now! Not when hadn't even said goodbye. If he had been anyone else eliciting such a reaction from her, she would have snarled. But Sheylie was determined to not let him see how much he had affected her. Not when he looked so serene, so peaceful, entirely unbothered by the fact that he was a ghost from her past rearing his head in the one place that she didn't want to see him. "Frayer," Her voice was soft, fiercely controlled so that her anger wouldn't reach it. Why was she being so damned nice to him? He deserved every insult that she could fling at him! For leaving in the way that he had, for doing what he had to her pack, for everything. "It's been a while." She spoke slowly, examining him curiously as she spoke. He looked . . . good. Like his time away from her pack had treated him well. Well that wasn't fair. He should have been suffering without them, suffering as they had! She had lost everything after he'd been driven from her pack, and while Sheylie was not so superstitious as to link them, she was irrationally irritated that he seemed none the worse for the wear, and indeed even better off than he had before. A shiver wracked her build as the wind slammed into her body, a particularly strong gust nearly making the female stumble. It was enough to distract her from her thoughts and refocus her attention on Frayer. A growl longed to tear its way out of her chest, but it didn't. No. She would not be cruel to anyone. Not even a wolf who had done what he had done. It had taken her days to get rid of the skunk stench staining her pelt after his last trick. And when it had finally faded and wolves were willing to come near her again, she had felt like something was missing. And that was his fault too. How dare he? "Talking!" |
03-13-2013, 01:10 AM
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03-13-2013, 03:01 PM
A slight bristle was her first reaction to Frayer's cruel words, a sharp narrowing of her eyes as she glared at the male. But after a moment, she forced herself to respond, voice now quieter still and fiercely controlled. "Ah yes, I do so love water." Was there any hint of her irritation in her voice? She hoped not. But it was there. Damn him. Damn him and that stupid smug smile and that unconcerned way that he was talking, like he didn't care about her at all. She was angry. But she was also hurt, unfortunately enough for her. That was something that she was fiercely denying at the moment. She couldn't be hurt if she was angry, right? And it seemed like Frayer was just trying to irritate her even more. If she knew him at all, he probably was. But Sheylie wasn't sure if she knew him. Still, he was acting like the Frayer that she remembered. The Frayer who had left her pack without a goodbye. The female made a slight bow as Frayer spoke, stepping aside even as she glowered at the male. "No, I wouldn't want you to freeze to death. But you're going to have to budge over. Unless you want me to freeze." Of course, he probably did. And she should leave; she shouldn't torture herself. But she'd be damned if she let him see that he was having any sort of affect on her. Stepping forward daintily, she wriggled into the small space, trying to ignore how close she was to Frayer. It was easier to ignore when she realized that a chunk of her haunches was hanging out in the freezing rain. Stupid, stupid wolf. Why was he here? Why had he chosen right then to reappear when he'd been gone for years? Why couldn't he just stay gone, huh? "Isn't this nice?" She was going to play the game as well as he did. She was going to look unconcerned even when she was almost shaking with anger. She just wanted to shred his ears, to yell at him until he understood how she felt. But she wouldn't deign to lower herself to his level. Instead, Sheylie turned a thoughtful gaze out into the pouring rain, shivering slightly as she tried to pull her body into a smaller space. She would not let him realize how angry she was. He had walked out of her life without a care in the world and he was just as unbothered as ever now that he was returning. So she would be just as cool, even when she was furious. Furious at Frayer, at herself, at her pack, at everyone right then. Why was this happening? "Talking!" |
03-21-2013, 02:08 AM
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03-22-2013, 07:57 PM
The occasional shiver wracked Sheylie's frame as she looked out into the rain as if it were the most interesting thing she had ever seen. It was certainly a good deal more interesting than Frayer. Not that she cared about at him. Nope, not at all. The female was fuming, to say the least. Everything about this was wrong. She had always been kind to Frayer, right? And now he was here to destroy her life, it felt. Had he always been so cruel? She didn't remember. She didn't think so. He had been kind to her in the beginning. But then... Well, things had gone downhill swiftly. So maybe he had always been this cruel. The skunks had served as a reminder of his cruelty for a good while. The stink had lurked for days and the shame even longer. And then he'd been gone. Twitching her ears, Sheylie shook her head, sending water spraying outwards as she glanced back at Frayer, ears twitching uncomfortably at the sudden bump of his shoulder against hers. "Wonderful?" She echoed, a hint of disbelief in her voice. Oh, she had thought he was wonderful once. Back when she was a pup and every story had a happy ending. But this was the real world, and Frayer was far from wonderful. Wasn't he? "Of course. I do so adore having my haunches sticking out in the rain." Her anger lent her voice a quiet, almost thoughtful note. She was doing her best to keep her anger under control. She would not growl at Frayer. He was happy and she was happy and everyone was happy, right? Of course. Twitching her tail in a pitiful attempt to look as comfortable as Frayer seemed, Sheylie glanced out at the dreary rain again. They would be stuck here for a while, it seemed. Perhaps she should make nice with Frayer. But if Sheylie were honest with herself, she didn't want to 'make nice.' She wanted him to be punished for everything that he had done to her and her pack. And it didn't even have to be everything. Just enough that he saw the misery they'd been through dealing with him. And being ignored by him had not been particularly pleasant. But that had been so long ago. She wass't upset about that any more. Nope. Not at all. She started when he spoke of her family, ears flattening against her skull as he spoke of family. Her pack had endured much after losing Frayer, after all. Many losses. Wolves dropping dead of exhaustion, being crushed to death by avalanches in the mountains. Sheylie shuddered at the memories of fleeing her territory, forgetting for a short moment that Frayer was there, playing a game in which she was easily outmatched. "They're . . . ah, fine." She hesitated slightly before bravely soldiering on, trying to convince Frayer and herself that things were okay "My brother would send his greetings, I'm sure." Well, actually, she wasn't. She hadn't seen Xavier since she left the remainders of her pack behind, heading off on her own. It had been rather lonely since then. Twitching her ears, Sheylie glanced at Frayer. "And how have you been, Frayer?" Did she care? No. And yes. She cared. But she certainly didn't want to admit it. Hopefully, he would assume that she was just making polite conversation. That she wasn't trying to distract herself from thinking about the wolves that she had all but abandoned. Ugh! Why was he having so much affect on her? "Talking!" |
03-23-2013, 04:12 PM
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03-24-2013, 03:17 PM
In the silence that followed her words, Sheylie found her thoughts returning to rest upon the pack that she had left behind. Xavier had been one of the few survivors, but so many others had lost their lives or had simply vanished as they fled their old home. What was happening to them now? Had their curse of bad luck continued, or had it ended when they had all gone their separate ways? How was her brother doing? She was thankful when Frayer spoke, forgetting for a moment her anger in the rush of gratitude. She needed a distraction, even if that distraction came in the form of this wolf. How she wanted to snap at him in that moment, but at the same time, she did appreciate his voice serving as a distraction from thoughts of her pack. Twitching her ears, she fixed blue eyes on him, only to jump a little when a growl echoed in the air. Was he growling at . . . her? No, it didn't seem like it, but who else would he be growling at? Hmph. She didn't care anyways. Nope. She was too angry at him to care. Angry at him for everything he'd done, for causing the pack to drive him out. That was all his fault, right? He deserved every drop of anger that she could muster, every glare that she could manage. But... It was far easier to be angry when she thought that he had come through this without suffering at all. And as he spoke, Sheylie could tell, even if she had not noticed before, that he was lying. Lying as she had, hiding something. Hmm. It didn't take much for Sheylie to put the pieces together. The anger was fading, though Sheylie tried desperately to cling to it. She was furious with him, damn it! He had abandoned her without a word in goodbye, had caused so much trouble within their pack! And yet. It was hard for her to stay angry when he spoke. He had not been as well off as he claimed, that much was obvious. And neither had Sheylie. Damn him. Damn him for making her feel bad for him now, when she was trying so desperately to be angry. "Frayer." Oh she was going to regret this in about two seconds, "You don't have to lie. No one's life is perfect when they're on their own." No need to call attention to how obvious the lie had been... Why was she being so nice to him? He deserved the punishment. He deserved everything that had happened to him while he was on his own. And she didn't care at all! Except, as much as she tried to insist that to herself, she knew it wasn't entirely true. She was not one to be needlessly cruel. And she had been angry when she'd thought that everything had been perfect for him, but if the world had punished him even a little, it was hard for her to stay angry. What was wrong with her? "I mean, life hasn't been perfect for me either." Hmph. She didn't know why she was being so damn nice to this wolf. Except. It was hard to stay angry at him. And she didn't know why. "Talking!" |
03-25-2013, 01:26 PM
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03-25-2013, 02:23 PM
She had expected a slight lowering of his walls, perhaps, a release of the anger that he was clinging to, not a vicious return of that anger. Sheylie was of half a mind to meet his anger with her own, to cover up the hurt that reared its ugly little head when he snapped at her. Did he really think that it was all obligatory? That she had been only nice to him because she had to? If Sheylie were honest with herself, she would have known that she had been enamored with him as a youngster, enjoying his company until she was shoved in the river and almost left to drown. Even then... Still, that wasn't something that the female allowed herself to dwell on. Ears twitching, she tried to find an anger to match his own. "It wasn't obligatory. I could've been just as cruel as the rest of them were." She tired to put venom behind her words, but it was significantly lacking. She couldn't bring herself to snap at this wolf. Her anger was fading, retreating from Sheylie's mind as much as she tried to cling to it. She wanted to be angry. Oh, she did. But when Frayer seemed as defeated as she, it was hard to stay upset. "You weren't ever a curse, either. Which you would know if you ever dug your head out of the sand!" There was the anger that she had been lacking, raising its head in a sharpening of her voice and a quieter tone. But with that, however, Sheylie was willing to respect his wishes. She twitched her ears and turned to look away from Frayer as well, fixing blue eyes out on the miserable rain. It took her a few moments to start wriggling, trying to get situated and get as much of her body as possible out from the cold rain. This weather was miserable, and Sheylie was glad that Frayer hadn't driven her off. He certainly could have managed it if he wished, seeing as he was a good deal larger than she. "Talking!" |
03-29-2013, 04:49 PM
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03-29-2013, 08:48 PM
This growl she recognized as being directed at her, a lash out against the female that sat uncomfortably beside him. This was interesting night, to say the least. Actually, it was a good deal more than interesting. Sheylie wasn't entirely sure how she felt about this, in all honesty. She had missed Frayer, she had to admit. But this was not how she had anticipated their first meeting being. Actually, she hadn't expected to meet him ever again. It was . . . weird. Not necessarily in a bad way. Though she wasn't sure she appreciated this whole being quiet thing. It let her thoughts wander far too much. She couldn't keep them focused on one thing, and in the silence she found her thoughts chasing themselves in circles, always coming back to the one thing that she was trying to ignore; how she felt about the male next to him. How did she feel about him? Angry, obviously. But that anger was fading. Sheylie had never been able to stay angry for long, and she had been angry at him for longer than she had been angry with any other wolf. And so the anger was fading, leaving her with . . . something else. A mixture of happiness and sadness and something else altogether. All of the emotions that she had tried to ignore for so long after that whole drowning incident had come rushing back, hitting her like a tidal wave. And honestly, Sheylie wasn't too interested in sorting through her feelings right then. There was nothing better to do though, so in the silence that followed her comments, she worried at these thoughts like a dog at a bone. Why was she happy to see Frayer? He had made her life a living hell. Heck, he'd made her whole pack's life a living hell. Yet here she was, feeling strangely content in his presence. What was wrong with her? Maybe it was nothing at all. Or maybe she felt more strongly for the wolf next to her than she realized. Even in the silence, even knowing he was angry with her and wished nothing more than for her to leave, she was oddly content. Her anger was vanishing, as much as she tried vainly to cling on to it, to not let it escape her, and it left her sitting in an uncomfortable silence. The righteousness of it was gone and now it was merely a silence that had stretched out for too long. Half a dozen words sprang to mind, things that she could say to the wolf beside her, but the female bit her tongue on them, fixing her gaze on the rain and refusing to look at Frayer. That was until he spoke, at least. His sudden words had her turning to glance at him, head tilting slightly to the side. "Frayer..." The words came slowly at first, then tumbled out of her like a rushing river, "Look, I have something to say." Something that she had wanted to say for a long time. Something that she hadn't thought she'd ever be able to tell him. "When our pack decided to drive you out... I didn't speak out against it. And I'm sorry. I should have. I'm sorry..." There. And that was something she had wanted to say since the day he left. Even through the anger, that had been there. And now it was finally out in the open. Whatever he had to say was forgotten for the moment as Sheylie waited to hear what he would say. Surely he would drive her out now. "Talking!" |
03-30-2013, 03:32 PM
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04-05-2013, 09:48 PM
The silence was terrible. It ached, it weighed on her like a world had settled on her shoulders. She couldn't begin to imagine what was going through his head after she spoke, what kind of anger was building in that aching silence. She wanted to speak, to break it, but he was still holding her gaze so calmly, like nothing was wrong, even though Sheylie was absolutely sure that he was about to drive her away. She had admitted this though and it had been something that she had wanted to say. It was good to get it off of her chest, if only to sit in silence and endure the surely building and deserved anger that Frayer was stirring up. He had every right to be angry with her. Hell, she was angry with herself. What she had done was inexcusable. She had let her parents down. Every teaching that they had tried to instill upon her had been forgotten when it was convenient, and that was unacceptable. After that, she had never slipped up. But one 'slip up' like that, one time of letting a wolf get banished without saying a word was more than plenty. She should have never done that. It was almost to think that not so long ago Sheylie had been furious with the wolf before her, and now she felt more guilty than words could describe about actions long in the past. What had she done? What more could she do. It was in the past now. All of it was. Even her anger. There was no way that she could be angry at Frayer anymore. Not when he ought to be angry at her, not when she felt so bad about what she had (or hadn't, really) done. Her thoughts were interrupted by a grunt, a soft dismissal of everything that she had said. And he turned aside, obviously unwilling to even look at her any more. Well, she understood that. She didn't blame him for that. "I truly am sorry." They were miserable words, words that clearly didn't mean anything. Shouldn't mean anything. They couldn't change the past. "But. I know that's not enough." She could offer him something, of course. But what could little old Sheylie offer him? He had clearly done well enough on his own. Well. He had survived on his own. Ears twitching, a sigh escaped the female as she glanced at her paws. There was nothing that she could do to make up for what she had done. But maybe she could start? Except Frayer seemed angry, or at least too thoughtful for things to be working out in her favor. Any moment now he would be turning on her to drive her away, exactly as she deserved. "Talking!" |
04-07-2013, 08:37 PM
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04-09-2013, 06:54 PM
The anger was building, building and building like a volcano and ready to explode, to release and destroy her. And then it stopped. Frayer simply stopped. A long sigh escaped the male, and Sheylie watched him cautiously as he spoke. The words rolled over her ears like an ocean, bringing with them relief to something that she didn't understand. A different wolf may have doubted the sincerity of his words, but Sheylie believed them. Perhaps she shouldn't have, with Frayer's history of pranks, but she had always believed the best of him. And he looked so sincere. She could not have doubted that face if she tried, and Sheylie wanted to believe him. So she did. The female's tail began to wag a little, just a small twitch, but there was pure joy in her mind. She could never have stayed angry at him for long, no matter how desperately she tried. So the female interjected, her voice soft in the air, "I was far from an angel, and you were far from a scourge." An annoyance, possibility, but a scourge? No, never. Not to Sheylie at least. Would she forgive him? Hah. As if there had been any question of that. "Would I forgive you? Of course I would, Frayer. I could never stay mad at you," Here her tail began to wag slightly, and then a startled giggle escaped her when the black male jumped, laughter spilling from her maw and filling the air. "Is the water attacking the might Frayer?" She was teasing slightly, a smile on her face as she watched the black male, hoping that maybe this would convince him that she wasn't angry. It hurt her to see him look so worried. There was a pause, and then Sheylie voiced her final concern. "Could you ever forgive me? I failed to do what was right and I know that. I'm sorry too, Frayer." A hint of solemnity filled her voice, and then the gray and white female found her tail wagging a little more as she gazed at the male before her. "Talking!" |
04-10-2013, 07:35 PM
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04-17-2013, 04:56 PM
The relief that came with his words of forgiveness was impossible to describe or explain. It was just . . . relief. Like something had been weighing on her thoughts for years, and it had vanished with Frayer's words. It was a strange sensation, but a good one all the same. Whatever it was, she vastly preferred it to the anger that she had begun this conversation with. No, that anger was gone at last and she was glad, glad to see it go. And the feeling that had replaced it was one that curled up in her chest and made a home there. Okay, okay, time to put a stop to that. There was no need to be so . . . poetic about things. "Thank you, Frayer. It does mean a lot." More than she could hope to explain, really, but the female was content with that, her tail waving slightly as she resettled her weight, moving her bulk a little bit closer to Frayer's. She didn't mind getting a little closer to him, despite the fact that the storm seemed to finally be fading. But this was only noted distantly. There were bigger things to occupy her attention. Like the smile stretched across Frayer's features. She wasn't going to let herself get all poetic about this too but it was . . . different from the way he'd looked when she'd first run into him. Not that she was complaining! No, he seemed happier, and that was how she liked it. Tail flicking a little, she turned towards him when he spoke with a shy smile stretching across her features, "So it is," She agreed as she glanced at the sky, noting that the rain had indeed faded, "But it is a little late for me to be heading off. I think I'll have to take you up on that offer." Sheylie's tail flicked a little, beginning a slow wave in the air as she stretched slightly. It took her a few moments to respond seriously, however. Her voice was soft when she did speak, "I wouldn't dream of leaving." Not right then, and surely not ever. The way this moment seemed to feel was something that she wouldn't have traded for the world on a silver plate. This was all she had wanted, really, if she were truly honest with herself. Just happiness with the wolf who had always meant the world to her. And that gave her the boldness to speak the next words that slipped off her tongue, "I don't even have to leave in the morning. Unless you want me to." Here she fell silent, waiting silently to hear what he would have to say in response. "Talking!" |