You've got a hold of me, don't even know your power. Gethin stared out over the knolls, watching the buffalo milling about below. He knew Mercy was around here somewhere doing something, so here he sat, waiting for her to move on to somewhere else or to come and find him. He couldn't stand be not watch after her so here he was. Following her every step. A sigh passed his lips and his head turned up toward the sky to watch the clouds roll by for a moment. The day was fairly quiet, the chill of winter firmly planted around them. Sometimes he wondered how long he would do this. What else would he do though? The only things he was actually comfortable with was fighting and sex. He couldn't exactly spend every waking moment fighting and he hadn't entertained the idea of hunting down another woman since falling for Mercy. She kept him entrained plenty in that regard, but... he looked down at his paws again. He had to make himself stop just waiting around. Gethin told himself that he was acting as a guard, but she didn't need him to be. He told himself that he was just making sure her many wounds were tended to, but he was no healer. He pushed himself to his paws, his jaw clenching as a sigh passed through his teeth. No, he refused to get angry about this. He could only be angry at himself. He let this happen. He turned away from the buffalo and started walking down the slope from one hill to the next. He wasn't really sure where he was going yet. He was mostly just walking to keep his thoughts from dwelling and brewing on themselves. I stand a hundred feet, but I fall when I'm around you. "SPEAK"

She had been alone for so long that it was hard for her to remember others. Honestly her heart was filled with anger and regret, hoping that Revenge would show up so she could kill him herself. She was in heat as well, which only made her roam from one extreme to the next. Her last fight had been with Elias, the scarred man who offered his tail for her to bite. A smirk danced across her black lips, there wasn't a time that she could recall that someone had been so willing for her bite. Except maybe Gethin. Her pace slowed at the thought of him, her eyes looking towards the buffalo herd that she was stirring up for no good reason. He had been the only one who had put up with her in this long of a term -- besides her brother. She snarled at the thought of him, shaking everything way. She did feel bad though, he had told her that he loved her and yet she just... she couldn't say it back. There was no doubt that she had strong feelings towards him, something deeper than just sex and blood. But in all honesty she was afraid. Mercy didn't want her heart to be teared apart again as soon as she offered it, just like Revenge had done, like Kyarst had done. Everyone she cared about had just gone and left her. He may say pretty things like the fact that he was going no where, but how could she believe that? Her brother had said the same thing, that he would be by her side no matter what happened. And look how that turned out. Cursing under her breath her elongated tail grew ridged as it rose above her, the scent of her own heat nearly driving away everything else. But what was she supposed to say to the red eyed man? It had been hard for her to let him get this close, she had promised herself to never let anyone in ever again. And now? She couldn't drag him on, nor did she want to let him go. Agitated at the fact that she even had to make a choice, she wandered off from the herd. And then he entered her line of sight. Mercy's steps faltered as she saw Gethin ahead of her, his shoulders set in a way that she could tell he was irritated. Was that her fault? Maybe she could stir him up and get something out of her, she had yet to even get humped since she entered her heat cycle and hot damn did she want some tail. Gliding silently up to him, she matched his paw steps before lowering and wagging her tail, intending to spread the scent of her heat around him. Walking up to his flank, she leaned over and attempted to nip at his ear, a low chuckle vibrating in her throat. She could use the distraction right now, her purple eyes trying to meet his. They could both forget about their woes and just get busy. "SPEAK"

You've got a hold of me, don't even know your power. Her scent found him before his eyes landed on her. Her scent was one he knew all too well by now, but her heat scent wasn't something that he got every day. He stopped in his tracks, his gaze lifting from the ground to land on her as she strutted toward her, tail swaying and fanning that hunger-inducing scent around him. For a moment he just watched her walk over to his side, letting her teeth graze his ear. There were no words, no greetings, no teasing banter. Just an immediate jump to physical touch. He could remember a time a year and a half ago now that he would have been thrilled to have some woman just walk up to him out of nowhere and basically just beg to be fucked. But this wasn't a year and a half ago. And this wasn't some woman. Fine. She wanted to be fucked? He had been chasing her around for so long now, had been at her beck and call. Why would he change that now? A low, dark growl rumbled in his chest as his head turned toward her, breathing in her scent deep as he shoved his nose into the fur of her scruff. He let that numbing desire that he was all too familiar with wash over him and blind any other thoughts he might have had lingering in his messed up little head. Another growl left him as his jaws parted and grabbed a chunk of her scruff between his teeth, biting down till his fangs sliced through her skin and her blood coated his tongue. He funneled all of his frustration and uncertainty and anger into this moment, his body trembling ever so lightly in the rush of adrenaline and pure lust. He let go of her after a moment and moved down her body, his side pressed to hers as he went. He wouldn't let her part from him for even a moment. His teeth found her skin again and again as he left nibbles and bites along her spine and hip. He was sure she would want him to draw this out, to cover her in wounds and let her savor all this teasing, but he just didn't have it in him to do that. Not today. He climbed over her and roughly gripped her body to his while his jaws found her scruff again and created a new bite wound there. For a moment his mind wasn't in the buffalo knolls with Mercy. It was somewhere else entirely. - fade - He panted hard as he fell from Mercy's back, his ears flicking as he slowly found his way down from the adrenaline-driven high. Back in the day when he fucked out his frustrations or emotions he would feel better at the end of it. He wasn't sure if that was quite the case this time. He shook out his fur, letting a sigh out through his nose. His eyes traced Mercy's body, eyeing the bloodied spots he had created and knowing that he would eventually get to work cleaning them up. He couldn't quite meet her gaze. Not yet anyway. I stand a hundred feet, but I fall when I'm around you. "SPEAK"

Mercy wasn't expecting him to get right into it. Her purple eyes grew wide as he shoved his face against her, pushing into her coat and scoring her skin. She hissed as blood flowed from the wound, her nails biting into the ground. There was something different about him though, he wasn't being as... attentive to her as he usually was. For a moment her ears hung low against her head, but his nips and bites threw everything else away. She was elated that he dove in head first, although a tad bit confused when he stood over her so fast. No! This wasn't want she wanted, two bites wasn't enough to sate her need for blood. She hadn't even been able to bite him before hi forelegs were around her hips. Letting out a warning growl, she told him that she wasn't pleased. But who was she to deny this attention that she so clearly needed? Her stiff muscles relaxed slightly as he bit into her scruff, actually making her yelp from his overly rough treatment of her. Mercy was always down for the rough and tumble, but that was her, not him. This wasn't Gethin at all. He was purely driven by the scent of her, and at the moment she didn't care to pull away. She would be lying if she said she didn't want this, regardless of his intentions. Giving herself over to the thrills shooting through her body, she didn't put up a fight as they both climbed into ecstasy. -fade- It was over before it had even began, and he was climbing off of her. Flipping her head around to him, purple eyes narrowed, she quickly realized that he wasn't even meeting her eyes. Her legs quivered, but it wasn't from the activity that had just taken place. It was him. It was happening all over again, wasn't it? Steeling herself, closing her heart inside a steel trap she spun around to face him, folding herself to her rump and curling her tail neatly around her side. As she gazed at him she looked indifferent almost, the relief and adoration she had felt just moments ago sloughing off of her like water off a ducks back. Inside she was panicking, he heart beating painfully against her ribs. The pale woman's emotions nearly got the best of her, a slight hitch in her breath as she drew in a lungful of air. Holding it in, she just waited. She didn't dare to say anything, fear making her muscles tense and her body stiff. Her black claws bit into the earth all over again, fighting against her better judgement to open her big fat mouth. Something was going on and she knew it, but why fuck her and then get all his issues out? Her inky lips twitched in a threat of a growl, but she managed to swallow it back. She was actually giving him the floor, although she was certain that her panic wouldn't make her say anything. Her tongue was already tied but he hadn't said a thing. But that was the problem, wasn't it? "SPEAK"

You've got a hold of me, don't even know your power. She turned and sat back on her haunches, but he still didn't look up at her face. He stood there, waiting for some sort of questioning or accusing for why he had been the way he was with her. Not that he had any answers for her anyway. None of them came though. Instead, the silence just stretched on. He finally forced himself to pull up his gaze, his ruby stare meeting her indifferent expression. There was no way that indifference went all the way through. He knew her too well. These were her walls. This was her putting a barrier between herself and his shit. He wanted to grab her and shake her, force that look of her face and break her out of this prim and proper stance she had sat herself in. He wanted to feel some sort of relief or release after what he did, but all he felt was shame and exhaustion. Not physical exhaustion, but emotionally. "What am I to you?" he asked softly, his expression showing how utterly tired he felt. "Am I just someone to clean up after your mess? Someone to fuck when you need it? What am I?" He surprised himself with how even his tone was, but the emotion was still there. She had his soul. There was no leaving her now. If this was the fate he had been given to just be her outlet for her lust then he at least wanted to know it so he could start accepting it. He wanted to sit back like she had, but he couldn't do it. It was taking all his self control not to pace or let his claws rip apart the grass just to have an outlet for his emotions. I stand a hundred feet, but I fall when I'm around you. "SPEAK"

The silence spread on, and she grit her teeth together. There was no way in hell that she would be the first one to break the ice that had formed between them, or the walls she had already started to build back up again. Every second of silence was just another layer of brick, she was slathering it on thick. He didn't know how much he meant to her, but that was probably the problem. Even though she had a feeling, an inkling that it would be about their relationship, it still didn't prepare her for the words that came out of his mouth. She grew even more stiff, her back ramrod stiff as her eyes narrowed. Did he have so little self worth that he thought that she was using him? Her lips did curl up into a snarl this time, a low growl rumbling in her belly. Still it took her a few moments to reply, fighting her initial anger to get out a clear word. "You're pretty fucking useless if I am just here to use you," she roared at him, chin tipping upward slightly to try and hide the flood of emotion on her face. "Why the fuck would I want someone who questions everything I had thought? Who demands nothing and yet gives everything? Why the fuck would I want to use you when you make me want to give my heart away all over again?" she stood finally, her tail aligning with her spine as she lowered her head as well. Taking two lumbering steps towards him, she stopped as her legs shook. She wasn't strong enough to do this, she had never been good with emotional bullshit. Sure she may react at the slightest thing, but this was real deep shit that she didn't like getting on her paws. "If I was just here to use you I would have been long gone, buddy. I wouldn't just come for a fuck if you tore my heart away every time I left your side. So why, why do I do it? Because I'm fucking scared, okay? There, I said it you stupid fucking bastard are you happy now? I'M SCARED!" she was screaming now, her eyes betraying her as they grew misty. "Everyone I have ever given myself to has up and vanished, leaving me behind. Promises of sticking around mean nothing, they are falling on deaf ears because it keeps fucking happening! Why in the ever loving FUCK would I do that, Gethin? Why the shit would I put myself through all these motherfucking feelings if you didn't mean anything to me?" The rage was overflowing, her chin nearly touching the ground as she quivered where she stood. But he had asked another question, and that was what was he to her. That, she didn't know. She didn't have a label to slap on their little fucked up mess of lives, nor did she want to call it this or that. She refused to use the word loving, knowing the full implications of it. It made wolves leave, that's what it did. It tore her into pieces until she went on a fighting tirade and nearly killed herself. It made her cross into pack lands and pick a fight with alphas. It did some pretty messed up shit and she didn't want that. "What do you want from me Gethin? I don't have shit for you. I don't have early morning cuddles and breakfast at a fucking shitty little romantic ass creek, I don't have lovey dovey, stab yourself in the throat, overly sweet little kisses. I don't have love left inside me. I have lust, anger, and teeth. That's all I am, and that's all I will ever be! So if you want more, than you should just... just...!" Mercy was nearly panting from all this exertion, her boiling emotions in overdrive. But she couldn't finish her sentence, she couldn't tell him to leave. The word was sitting painfully in her throat, making it hard to swallow around it. It was right there, it wanted to come up but she forced it down. Stopping, she looked away from him at a patch of tall grass. She needed to bite something, anything. Strutting over to the grass, she bit down and the base and tore the chunk out of the earth. Shaking her head with a series of growls, she tore up the blades of grass as dirt flew everywhere. Gasping, she dropped the bundle and plopped her ass down right where she was, refusing to even look at him. "SPEAK"

You've got a hold of me, don't even know your power. Gethin honestly didn't know what he was expecting from her for an answer. If someone asked him his prefered reaction would be for her to just agree and tell him that those few initial nights together had been a fluke, that she had been caught in the moment and she didn't really mean it. That would have been a painful sort of relief in a way. Sure, what little of his heart was there would have been shattered to dust, but at least then he could toss out these emotions and questions and just go back to his old ways without remorse. That's not what he got though. He got screaming and yelling and questions that she never actually wanted him to answer. Scared. That was the word that stuck to him like a thorn stuck in his paw. Out of all the furious screaming words she threw at him that was the one that hit him the hardest. He didn't respond at first. He stood there in silence, knowing that if he tried to retaliate it would just get worse. He had to let her play out before he could get a word in edgewise. Every muscle was tense across his shoulders and back, his jaw clenched as he fought back against himself. For a moment he thought she was going to just walk away after all of that when she took a few steps away from him, but suddenly she stopped and jerked a clump of grass out of the ground so she could shake it apart. That made him pause for a moment, blinking at the reaction without a clue how to respond to it. She sat down without facing him and he stood there for a moment while he let it all process. That was part of his problem. He didn't know how to process these emotions or how to explain what he was feeling. Neither of them did really. At least that's how it felt to him. He padded up behind her after a moment. He didn't go around her to face her, instead just standing behind her while he tried to form words to say. "I don't want breakfasts at a romantic creek or overly sweet kisses," he began, slowly setting himself down on his haunches. "But I know there is more to you than just anger and lust and teeth. If you can manage to see past my fucking twenty foot walls and see some tiny, insignificant shred of good in me then I can do the same to you. I get it. I get that you're fucking scared. So am I! I've been scared that I was going to lose you from day one. I've been scared that one day you're going to figure out that I'm so worthless that I would give up my life and my soul for the first woman that could stare my past and my nightmares and shit in the face and not even flinch!" His voice was so heavy with emotion that he wasn't sure he could get the rest of his words past his throat. He forced himself to his paws and walked around her so that he was facing her again, whether she met his gaze or not. "You keep saying that all these wolves left you and it keeps happening, but I've been following you around for ages now, Mercy. Always there to lick your wounds and fuck it better and make sure you eat something before you fall asleep. Just so I can keep you alive because I would die with you if you did. When I told you that you can have all of me almost a year and a half ago I wasn't fucking kidding. When are you going to fucking see me, Mercy?" I stand a hundred feet, but I fall when I'm around you. "SPEAK"

He sat there in complete silence while she screamed at him, a statue to her rage. It almost made her even angrier, wanting him to react in some way of form. Anything was better than just sitting there and staring at her, it made her hackles rise. She could see that his muscles were tense, but so were hers. She wanted to walk over and bite into his fur, to tear into his skin until she got some kind of reaction. But even when she spun away from him and massacred a patch of grass, nothing. Facing away from him, her sides heaved as she took in short, shallow breaths. Her anger was red hot and ready to burn. A shuffle of paws sounded behind her after a moment, her ears flicking back to listen to the sound of him breathing. Was he just going to walk away from her, or did he have shit to say as well? It didn't take long for her question to get answered, and she snorted when he said that he didn't want any of those things. Her shoulders grew ridged the more he spoke, jaws working as she retained a small ember of her rage. She had admitted that she was scared, but so was he. As much as she wanted to peek back at him she refrained from doing so, eying the destroyed grass at her paws. She growled when he spoke about how he was worthless, her fangs baring even though her back was turned to him. Mercy went to speak, but she didn't have time before he came in front of her and met her gaze. She stared at him with the molten purple stare of her own, grumbling as she let him speak. He asked something that made her stop for a moment, her body freezing. When was she going to see him? It went over her head for a moment, but when it sunk in after growl rumbled in her throat. "You don't think I fucking see you when you follow me? You're pretty shitty at hiding your scent and I wasn't fucking born yesterday. If you were useless I wouldn't keep coming back, would I?" she spat at him, raising to her paws as her anger got the better of her again. She felt like she had hit rock bottom, once again having a fight with this man over their relationship. "I don't know what else to give you! I don't know what to do other than what I have all my life. Even with others who cared for me I still went of and did my own fucking thing because that's who I am. I can't change just because you feel like you don't deserve me. You've got it pretty fucking backwards buddy, you deserve worlds more than me! I am the shittiest bone in the pile and it was me who got stuck in your throat. I can't give you anything more because I am so fucking broken that I don't even know how many pieces there are," her jaws snapped shut as she quivered, her head shaking back and forth. He had it wrong, he always had it wrong. He needed someone better than her, hell anyone was better than her. She couldn't say that she loved him, she couldn't give anyone that power over her anymore. She would snap if she was torn apart one more time, and she wanted to hold onto the thin shreds of humanity that she still had left. "I do see you, Gethin. I may not always thank you, or tell you I fucking care about you, or do what you want me to do but I see you everywhere. You're always in my head to the point were it gets annoying as shit. I can't fucking do anything without your face showing up in my head. Do you know how fucking hard it is to concentrate with your ugly grey mug floating around in my head?" Mercy asked, snarling as she raised a foot and stomped it on the knoll like a child. "Did I give you the wrong fucking idea when I poured out what's left of my goddamn heart and soul to you? What more do you want from me, Gethin? You've bled me dry! I have nothing left to give you." "SPEAK"

You've got a hold of me, don't even know your power. If he could throw his arms up in exasperation he would have. He didn't know how else to get what he was trying to say through her head. He wasn't talking about physically seeing him. He knew she could see him. It wasn't like he had been fucking hiding. In fact, he had been trying to do the exact opposite. What it had ended up being was him following her around like a lost pup. This wasn't what he wanted. Watching her self destruct, throwing herself into violent fights, all the yelling and screaming. He didn't know if she had been with anyone else and he honestly didn't want to ponder it. He wanted to shake his head at everything she said about being the broken one here and how he deserved so much more than her. How could she not get it? It wasn't until she kept going and talked about his "ugly mug" floating through her head and how she had poured out her heart that he could stop for a moment and feel like he wasn't just alone in this. She was still furious and stomping and yelling, but that was Mercy. He knew that. Every time he yelled back she was just going to yell more. He had learned that a long time ago. He took in a deep breath and let it out through his nose, making himself pause for a second longer to calm down. On the outside at least he appeared a bit more calm, but his shoulders were still tight with tension and inside he was fucking terrified. His gaze never left her face while he tried desperately to come up with something to say. "We can't keep living our lives feeling like we don't deserve eachother. We can't keep thinking that we're pieces of shit and that the other one can do so much better. Every time you talk about how you're not good enough for me... That's how I feel about myself toward you. We can't keep living like that." He wanted to reach out to her so badly. He wanted to press his face into her fur, but he held himself back. He didn't want to push her any farther than he already had. "I just... I just want you. And I know you're going to tell me I have you and I've bled you dry, but I don't. I've seen you. Walking around the same haunts over and over, searching for something, obviously upset, obviously thinking about someone or something else. Ever since I found you after your pack disappeared... Something changed. Something changed and you haven't told me what." His jaw tightened as he forced his emotions back into check. "Just let me be here for you. Just fucking hear me when I tell you how you're the only one I need and the center of my world and believe me." I stand a hundred feet, but I fall when I'm around you. "SPEAK"

Mercy could almost feel his exasperation with her, but honestly she couldn't help it. Anger was easy to feel, it burned all other emotions out of her so she could just be mad. She didn't have to feel pain or disappointment, nor her broken heart. It was just all fire and nothing else, and it made her feel better. She didn't have to deal with all this bullshit and yet here they were again, fighting the same fight. She was mad for the sake of it now, watching the set in his shoulders as he talked to her in a calm matter. It would seem that he learned that screaming at her just makes it worse. Clever boy. A loud sigh blew out of her mouth as she spoke, her head hanging slightly as if in defeat. He was right, she was tired about getting pissed over the same thing. It seemed like neither of them felt self worth, but being through the shit that she had, that they both had, she couldn't blame either of them. They both had fortresses of iron and steel that they promised no one would get through. And now this. She flinched when he called her out on being different, floating through the knolls and the range alike with one wolf in mind. Gethin wanted her to talk about it, to open up and let him in to the fucked up little world inside her head. Her whole body trembled at the thought, and still she didn't look up. What could she even tell him? Where to begin? Mercy knew that he had a brother, but the relationship that she had with Revenge was far different than most. A part of her didn't want to admit to it, to say out loud just how close they had been. But the bastard at walked her right into a corner. She stayed silent for awhile, looking at the poor grass she had killed in her fit of... whatever that was. At least it wasn't his leg. Ever so slowly she lifted her head, gazing at those ruby red eyes that had haunted her in so many ways. She didn't look at him now, casting her gaze off of him. She didn't want to see him as she spoke, her ears clinging to her head. "Imperium gave me a purpose, a reason to fight and better myself. I had wolves to protect and a rank to fight for. But now... there is nothing for me to prove. I don't have anything to strive for anymore. Fighting is just for me now, still working to prove myself I guess. But no one is here anymore. My brother..." she grew ridged, a low growl vibrating in her throat. "He promised that he would be here for me forever, that no matter what he would be at my side. I loved him so fucking much, I wanted him all to myself but that stupid fucking Esti strolled in and was fucking my brother in front of our den. That was the last time I saw him, after we got into a fight over her... He just... left me. After everything, after how much he told me he cared for me. How could he do that?" she asked, not really looking for an answer. Her purple eyes squeezed shut as she pushed the red hot tears away, refusing to cry over him. "He was the only thing that kept me going some days. He left our parents after I did just to make sure I was okay. Revenge worked so hard to make sure I was okay after every fight, getting mad when I let wounds fester. But honestly... I liked it when he worried about me, when he fret over me. It made me feel wanted, like his words really were true. He was the only wolf that knew me outside and in, we could communicate with just a single look." Mercy grew silent, the tears slipping down her black marked face as she looked towards the horizon. She grit her teeth together again, a snort pushing through her nose. "Now all I want to do if rip his fucking face off and get some answers. But I never do get them, I always am left wondering why. Is it me? Am I so terrible that I push everyone away that my own brother had to get away from me too?" the pale girl almost choked on the words as they left her lips, shaking her head ever so slightly. "I am always just left in the dust without so much as a single lead. No words, no clues. The just disappear without a trace, never to be found. My own fucking parents never gave me answers, and now I missed the chance. My mother is dead and my father is who the fuck knows. Probably found another poor bitch to impregnate and then leave to her own devices," Mercy laughed, but it was without humor as she finally looked over at Gethin. "Imagine that, I did end up like my bastard of a father. Imagine that." "SPEAK"

You've got a hold of me, don't even know your power. Gethin slowly sank down onto his haunches while Mercy spoke, answers suddenly flowing out of her all at once. He had wondered for months and months what was really tearing her apart inside, and how he knew. It wasn't an "ah hah" moment like he hoped it would be. He hoped it could be something he could fix, something he could change. He couldn't make her pack reappear. He couldn't drag her brother back out of the abyss. These were things that had been festering and boiling in her all this time. Her gaze never met his as she the words continued to spill out of her mouth, but he kept his eyes on her face all the same, watching the tears in her eyes and the pain in her expression. A low, simmering, useless hatred for everyone in her life that had left her like this pooled in his gut. He was fully aware of the fact that if her brother hadn't left he may have never connected with her like this. He may not have even met her really. But if it would have kept her from feeling this self loathing then that's what he wanted. If he could go back in time and change whatever she wanted to make her happy he would do it, even if it meant cutting him out of her future. But he couldn't do that. He could only sit here with her broken pieces and his own broken pieces and hope that maybe he could help put them both back together. If anyone that had hurt her ever crossed his path though... When she finished and her gaze finally came up to his again and claimed that she had ended up like her father he shook his head with denial. He stood up and finally crossed what little distance was between them, dipping his head a bit so he could gently lick the tears off her face if she'd let him. "You didn't end up like anyone but yourself. You are Mercy and no one else. You are my vicious beauty, my ridiculous woman... My Mercy. Don't compare yourself to anyone that you outgrew and that you rose above." She may not believe in her self-worth, but he wouldn't have her putting herself on the level of someone that wasn't worth the dirt stuck to his paws. He was tired of talking. He had enough talking and fighting and yelling and emotions for a lifetime. He didn't know if anything was really fixed, but he knew how hard it was for Mercy to give him how much she had given him today. That was enough for now. She had given him a free pass to a peak inside her fortress and he didn't want her to think it had gone unnoticed. He leaned forward to brush his muzzle against her cheek and tipped his nose up to gently lick over her ear. "I'm sorry for how I treated you earlier," he mentioned softly, taking a step forward so his chest was lightly brushing hers so that he could reach her scruff where he had bitten before. He licked the fur there, cleaning some of the dried blood from her pale coat. He felt sincerely guilty over his rough, frustration-driven sex. It has been selfish and savage of him. "I never wanted you to see that from me. You didn't deserve that." He nuzzled into the fur on the upper section of her scruff, letting his chest press to hers more tightly. "Let me make it up to you? Let me take your mind off of things for a bit?" I stand a hundred feet, but I fall when I'm around you. "SPEAK"

She had poured out her heart and soul to him and now she just felt... tired. Her head hung a touch low as a long sigh hissed through her clenched teeth, her ears flat against her head. Never before had she ever shared this much with another soul, and she doubted that it would ever happen again. They had been together for over a year and she hadn't mentioned this at all. It wasn't that it never came up, but it was just a part of her past that she didn't like to talk about. The emotions were too raw even now, and getting into them just dragged her down further into the pit that she had dug for herself. She had no one to blame but herself for all of this, didn't she? It was her own fault that they had left her one after another. No... she growled softly at herself. She couldn't keep tossing this back and forth like this. She needed to just let it go and move on with her life... but it was a lot easier said than done. But Gethin shook his head when she mentioned being like her father, her purple eyes gazing into him. He stood up and walked towards her, and the dame found herself tensing at the thought of him drawing near. She was too on edge, too frayed from everything that had happened. But as his tongue lapped at her face she relaxed slightly, her claws letting go of the earths he gripped between them. She leaned into his touch, a soft hum rumbling in her throat at his comfort. His words were sweet and kind, but they fell on deaf ears. She didn't feel like her own wolf, merely a shell of what could have been. She hid everything under sex and blood, fighting and lust. She turned herself into an obedient dog that would act at in her masters stead. Without that she had no purpose but to try and fill the void that it had all left behind. She was one fucked ip beast, that was for sure. He caressed her and apologized for before, but Mercy just shrugged. It wasn't her first spiteful bout of sex and it probably wouldn't be the last. He said more about how he never wanted her to see that, and that he could make up for it now and take her mind off of things. Honestly though, for probably the first time in her life, she didn't want that. Turning away from him, she lifted her head to watch the sun as it started to sink low in the sky. It probably wouldn't take much to change her mind, after all she was in heat. But for now, she said nothing. It wasn't like her at all, but none of this had been like her. This didn't feel like the Mercy she had become, or the woman she thought she was. A shuttering sigh left her as she trembled slightly, feeling more than a little exhausted. She didn't want to sleep, nor did she really want to move at all. Her ears twisted to face Gethin, letting him know that she wasn't fully ignoring him. She was just... unsure. Mercy was never the type of wolf to half ass something, but it would seem like today was just an out of character day. "SPEAK"

For the first time since he met her he watched Mercy turn away from his offer of sex. He blinked with surprise and his eyes followed her as she turned her head, but her ears stayed turned toward him. His ears flicked and his shoulders slouched a bit. It wasn't that he was upset about her denying him, he was more upset that she wasn't herself. He knew it was partially his fault for pushing her and for that he felt guilty. A sigh passed his lips and his gaze drifted down to the ground for a moment. This wasn't something he knew how to handle. "I just want you to be happy," he said softly, glancing up at her. "I don't know how to do that yet, but I'm going to figure it out. Just... Will you just bear with me till I do? I'm trying really hard to figure out how to do... this. Whatever this is. Besides my brother you're all I've ever had. I don't want to lose you." He sighed again and leaned toward her so he could try to brush his nose against her cheek. "I'd do anything for you." He looked away from her then, the wheels in his head turning. "I'll be back, okay? Don't get into too much trouble." Gethin gave her a small shadow of a smile, leaving a kiss on her muzzle before he turned away from her, padding off unless she stopped him. "SPEAK!"

Art by Otackoon

Mercy nodded her head when he spoke, she knew that already. Of course it never hurt to hear it again, and she leaned into his touch ever so slightly. Honestly she was probably sick or something, the fact that she had turned down sex while in heat was a mighty big deal. It was just too much effort at this point, and she wasn't quite sure how she wanted to feel. When Gethin told her to wait here though, she spun around and watched him go with a raised brow. Where on earth was he going? After all of this he was just going to up and leave, just to try to make her happy? Well walking away from her when she was vulnerable wasn't the best start. But she stood there, curious as to what he had thought of so suddenly. Still nothing left her lips as she stared at him, watching him walk down the knoll and off to do his task. A ghost of a smile lingered on her lips, her head shaking back and forth ever so slightly. Fine, she would take a nap while he went to do... whatever he had to do. Plopping down on the knoll she closed her purple eyes, quite easily falling into a bit of a daze. Her ears were still alert atop her head, flickering with every sound around her. Mercy felt exhausted after their little spat, and for opening herself up as she had. A nice little cat nap would do her some good. -exit Mercy via sleep- "SPEAK"