After the day that he had spent with Keahi that had started with building a wall and had ended in far more pleasurable and enjoyable activities, he had made a habit of seeking out the sea fearing woman and had quickly developed a friendship or partnership of sorts with her. It was certainly the closest he had been to any wolf in quite some time and he was glad that their varied paths somehow brought the two unlikely pack wolves together here in Armada. In his spare time, even though he didn't have much of it these days now that the market was in full swing, he had been working on something for her in secret. If there was one thing he loved more than physical pleasure it was using his talents and skills to spoil the wolves he took interest in and cared about.

She already had a reinforced coat of polar bear fur, but he hadn't noticed her carrying any kind of weapons so that was where he decided to focus so he would at least be giving her something she could make use of. She didn't really seem like the type that would like something like jewelry that was purely cosmetic in nature which was something he appreciated about her so he wanted to give her something she could use more regularly. He stained a piece of the finest leather he had available to him so that it was very nearly the same color as her dark russet fur and he pressed and embossed the shapes of waves crashing into he shore across its surface, leaving some lighter variations in the leather along the edges of the waves to help them stand out a bit. He wanted it a similar color to her fur so that when he was done it wouldn't be glaringly obvious when worn, but he liked the subtle beauty in the details for someone like her.

When the leather was finished he cut it into the shape of a scabbard for a dagger, one he already had in his collection, but that he customized to fit Keahi. He replaced the leather on the grip to the same shade of leather as the scabbard and in the top of the blade just past the guard he embedded sapphires that reminded him of her eyes. When the dagger was stowed away the gems were hidden, but when it was unsheathed the light lightly gleamed off of the facetted stone. All in all it took him a couple of weeks of working on the project off and on to finish it, but he wasn't in a hurry. He wanted everything done right for Keahi. After attaching a pair of straps that would buckle around her upper foreleg, it was ready and he could hardly wait to give it to her to see her reaction.

He had specifically picked a patrol route today that would let him make the path with Keahi and when they returned to the Col he lead her over to the area in front of his den and workshop under the guise that he wanted her to help him with some training. He was actually trying to better his fighting skills just to continue being more useful to the pack, but that wasn't entirely his motivation today. Just as they squared off across from each other, ready to spar, he stopped and looked at her like he just remembered something and grinned, saying, "Wait! It looks like you're missing something." He turned and trotted into his den, pulling the dagger and custom made scabbard out of his things to carry it out for her. He offered it to her, his tail wagging gently behind him. "For you," he insisted, eagerly waiting for her reaction.

WC: 631 / 1500

"Ruga Amanto"

Keahi goes about her daily chores, moving from one task to the next easily even as her mind is preoccupied with the day spent building the wall with Ruga. It is funny how one moment can change the course of life, a simple sharing game had turned into a more intimate time. Since then, the red pair have sought each other, sometimes just to enjoy each other’s company and other times to explore each other further. The tropical woman had considered herself broken after the shipwreck, moving through life but not really enjoying everything around her. Ruga had changed that, reminded that it is okay to feel and to keep living.

As she begins her patrol, the familiar form of Ruga appears and Keahi lets out a barking laugh of happiness. A head bump and friendly words are exchanged, the red woman teasing him and the tall man ribbing her right back. They walk together, content in each other’s company. As they make it their way back to the Col, passing through the wall that they had built (yeah, she is very proud of it), Keahi allows her ocean blues to look over their work. A smile pulls at her lips as Ruga leads her to the area in front of his den and workshop where she then squares up with him and sets her defenses. However, a strange look crosses his face and the red woman relaxes her stance as her eyebrows lift in silent question.

As Ruga talks about her missing something, Keahi opens her mouth to correct him but he is already trotting away. Confusion colors her eyes as she waits and, within a few breaths, he is trotting back to her, carrying something. Puzzlement turns to admiration as he passes the dagger and custom scabbard to her. Haunches lower so that she can lift her red paws and gently take the offered gift. Holding it with one paw, she gently runs her toes of the opposite paw along the embossed scabbard, wonder and gratitude written on part of her. Taking the hilt between two toes, she gently pulls on it until the sapphires and blade come into view. Breath hitches as the blue gem gleams brightly at her and her eyes look up to Ruga, thankful and yet, uncertain how to properly thank him.

A smile plays along red lips as she breathes, “Oh Ruga.” Putting the dagger back into its home, Keahi moves to strap it to her upper leg, fiddling with the buckles until it is securely in place. Once done, the red woman steps back to model her new accessory, playfully saying, “Well? How do I look?” A genuine laugh escapes her as Keahi moves in to wrap her arms around Ruga, pulling him toward her so she can whisper in his ear, “I cannot thank you enough. But maybe tonight we can explore some ways that I can… show my appreciation.” She gives his cheek a soft nibble, a taste of what is to come later before stepping back to say, “I’ve never used a weapon like this before. Will you show me to use it?”


WC: 524
Total WC: 1155 / 1500

"Keahi Mogotsi"

Ruga watched as the understanding and gratitude crossed her face as she examined the dagger and seemed to realize it was made especially for her. The grin on his lips grew and his tail wagged behind him as he watched her with rapt attention, admiring how the surprise and appreciation looked on her lovely features. Giving gifts was one of the main ways he knew to show how much he liked and cared about someone and Keahi had very quickly formed a special place in his life. This felt like a small thing compared to the connection that they had found through their game of sharing and exposing their secrets, but he knew she would appreciate something like this more than any fanciful jewelry or adornments he could have come up with. This was practical, but still beautiful—very much an embodiment of how he viewed the feisty navigator. The little hitch in her breathing when she pulled the dagger free of the scabbard enough to expose the sapphires that had been hidden made a familiar heat rise up in his core and made him want to make her breath hitch in other ways.

She affixed the scabbard in its rightful place around her foreleg, the leather blending in with her rich red-brown fur beautifully just as he hoped it would. He grinned and a deep chuckle rumbled in his chest as she showed off how the dagger looked on her and asked for his opinion of how she looked with it on, giving her a sly look as he replied simply, "Beautiful." His gaze was no longer on the scabbard as he spoke, instead letting his gaze linger on hers. She was beautiful regardless of the dagger he had specially crafted for her, but still, he could admit that it suited her quite well. As she moved closer and wrapped her forelegs around him, he smiled and wrapped one of his around her as well, giving her a brief, but tight squeeze. The not so subtle promise of what would come later for her to show him her appreciation added more fuel to the desire she brought out in him so easily and he gave another low chuckle, giving her another squeeze and swiping his tongue teasingly over her ear. "I'll be looking forward to that," he rumbled, very clearly more than happy to enjoy that time with her as thanks for his gift.

As she stepped back and asked him if he would show her how to use it, he nodded easily in agreement. "Of course! I'm not all that well versed in using weapons either, but I've seen many wolves use them and have tried many out myself on occasion." He didn't have any weapons or armor of his own which was probably humorous for someone who made their entire living and identity around crafting such things, but he simply hadn't found exactly what he wanted yet and his standards were incredibly high because of all of the excellent pieces he had made and sold in his time. He motioned for her to draw the blade as he stepped up close to her again, a little hint of a grin on his lips as he lightly tapped the pommel at the end of the grip that was now held between her teeth. "The grip has thick wraps of leather around it so it won't hurt your teeth to hold. Don't be afraid to hold on tightly so you don't lose grip on it as you're swinging. The leather can always be replaced if it gets too worn down." He sat back on his haunches so that he could lift both paws to slightly rotate the dagger in her grip so that the sharp edge of the blade was facing him and the flat of the metal was facing the sky. "You want the edge toward your opponent so that if you swing your head you'll be cutting outward with it." As he lowered his paws he brushed one against her cheek and along her jaw with a knowing grin before he got back to his paws and started moving toward his stores again.

"Lets give that baby a try!" he called back to her over his shoulder with a laugh, adding, "But lets make it a fair fight, huh?" He went into the collection of various weapons he had stowed away and came back out with a spear. "You're fighting with a weapon you've never fought with so I'll do the same." Plus, he figured it would be a good tool to block her swings with and the wood of the spear wouldn't damage the metal of her blade that he had only just recently honed. He stood across from her at the ready with the spear between his teeth, giving it a few test swings to test out the range and the feel of it. It was a lighter weapon than he had used in the past so he had to adjust for the speed of the swing a bit, but after a little bit of trial and error he was ready. He nodded for her to make the first move, grinning around the wooden pole.

WC: 869
Total: 2024/1500

"Ruga Amanto"

Ocean blue eyes dance with happiness as Keahi shows off the gift Ruga has just given her. His sly smile and simple word when she questions how she looks has a cheerful laugh falling past her red lips while a playfully wink is tossed to the taller man. She laughs softly as she walks to him, the sound falling away as she sits back to wrap her arms around him. Desire flashes in her eyes as she enjoys the smile that curls his lips up and his own, strong foreleg wraps around her. It sends her heart aflutter as Ruga gives her brief, tight squeeze and her next words pull a low, rumbling chuckle from him which makes the tropical woman smile giddily. With a promise of more fun to come later, the pair pull apart and the red woman asks for a lesson with her new weapon.

Keahi steps back, listening to Ruga and flashing him a grin when he speaks of not using weapons. Truthfully, it does not surprise her that the tall blacksmith has not used them, his voiced distaste for what the weapons he made were used for had led her to believe that he might not. However, the fact that he is willing to spar with her to allow the tropical woman to test out her dagger means a lot to her. Ruga motions for her to draw her new weapon and Keahi reaches down, easily sliding the blade from its hiding place. The sapphires catch the sunlight and flash for a brief moment as she brings her head back level with her spin. He steps close to her and blue eyes look up at him as he explains about the leather grip, an affectionate smile curling her lips.

Ruga sits back, slightly rotating the dagger in her mouth so that the sharp edge was facing him. Keahi listens to him explanation, blue eyes catching his seafoam gaze and giving him a wink. His paw brushes her cheek and trails along her jaw, leaving sparks of pleasure in its wake. Oh, he is a tease. A mischievous smirk appears around the hilt and then Ruga is retreating to grab a spear. The tropical woman takes a step back, giving her weapon a couple strong swings before the tall blacksmith comes back. He swings his spear a few times before nodding for her to make the first move. Ocean blues flash with mirth as she sets her defenses, eyes locking with his gaze. Keahi knows that, no matter who wins this spar, both of them will be winners tonight.

Red legs push off, and Keahi ducks under a swing of the long spear, racing toward the tall Ruga. The dagger is clutched tightly between her teeth and, as the spear swings back toward her, the tropical woman twists, allowing the dagger to deflect the weapon. Her body is liquid, flowing from one motion to the next, and she is racing toward him in the span of a few seconds. Blue eyes brighten as she sees an opening, paws adjusting to place her in the zone when the sky and ground suddenly switch places. Ruga uses the spear to sweep her legs out from the red wolf and sends her crashing to the ground. For a moment she lays there, dazed and confused as to what just happened when the tall blacksmith comes to stand over her.

The concern in his eyes has Keahi offering him an amused smile when the realization hits her that the dagger is still clutched tightly between her teeth. Rolling onto her stomach, the red woman slides the dagger back into its special scabbard and allows the laugh that had been caught behind the hilt to bubble out. Ruga helps her to stand and dust off and Keahi concedes defeat with the words, “Alright, alright. You win this round Ruga. What do you say we move this game inside?” A wink is given as she brushes against his side and the tropical wolf saunters toward Ruga’s den.


WC: 675
Total WC: 2699 / 1500

"Keahi Mogotsi"