Lia was cooling her heels near the Armada while she waited for Vântoase to finish up with her family, and decide where to take them next. She knew the crystal-coated wolf had plans to start a band, and she was all for it. She just needed to get past this waiting period…

It was late evening when she made her way through the colossal redwood trees, stopping only when she found a clearing large enough to give her a glimpse of the sky. There was a burnt orange tone taking over the autumn blues. The growing shadows were less noticeable here, where most of the sky was already shaded by some of the oldest trees she had witnessed. She took a seat on her haunches, leaning back with a sigh. She could feel the weight of her antlers pulling at her tipped head, and wondered if she should head back to the Armada for the night. But it was so peaceful here, away from the noise and business of the pack.


"Lia"

E R E B U S


♆

his arrival was sudden and new. boreas received him graciously; the air warm and vegetation plush under his dark paws. the trees stood high above him, making even his stature seem small and pathetic. yet it doesn't intimidate the bloke who trotted with a thunderous plow. a deliberate walk that was unyielding and insensitive to the newness around him. invading the territory without thought, trampling over the terrain with a heavy pant. there is unmistakable confidence in his every step.
he is not aimless with his travel-, he heeds the path of an inviting perfume. a female; stranger to him but by not much longer. foreign to this land, he sought to find direction to their localized packs & whatnot. perhaps more. moments pass & it's only then that he meets her from behind- yards away but finally in his anticipated view. his binary eyes focused on her figure as he came to close their distance had she not moved when noticing him. he aims to acquire a few feet between them before halting. his barrel chest then pausing from the heave of painting as his piercing gaze shoots across to her.
shamelessly, he looks her over. measuring her body and features with quiet lust. a pretty thing with a moderate height, wearing an array of autumn hues; reminding him of dying embers. looking at her face then, she wore a dazzling crown of antlers.. how interesting. erebos continued to dissected her some more, pondering of her origins. "Hello. I'm not from around here.." his voice was masculine and deep with hints of his greek accent bleeding through slightly. "I intend you no harm, gynaíka(woman)." his throaty voice echoed forth. standing tall with his eyes forward & unwavering, erebos watched her quietly.


"talk" 'think'

table by scarlet, art by ashon

The sound of a stranger in the woods caught her attention. She moved slowly, cautiously. Freedom of choice was still a relatively new concept to her, and she startled easily. She turned her head towards him, slowly aligning her neck with her body as she watched him approach. She was no stranger to the look in his eye as he let his attention roam her body. She was reminded all too easily of wolves seizing her up, and deciding how much she was worth bidding. Not for her mind, or her skills. But purely for her body, which was cursed to look far too attractive in the eyes of man.

She wasn’t the first to break the silence, but his words were unexpected. She had anticipated something a little more… obvious. Something in line with the look in his eyes. “What do you intend for me?” She asked, raising a brow at him. Ignoring the thumping in her chest, and old wounds. Both physical and mental. She wouldn’t meekly skirt around the obvious. Not as she would have in her youth. She wanted him to admit exactly how much of a threat he was to her, so she could decide if she was going to face it with strength or cowardice. The latter came more easily to her.

"Lia"

E R E B U S


♆

she if far more intelligent than he perceived at first meet. in fact, she it witty and clever with her tongue. just as quickly, she triggers a new side to him. a fleeting light of sincerity flares within him then; wanting to connect with her but he dims it out quickly. his eyes glare with something of a more genuine admiration now. he liked the way she spoke. simple but poised with thoughtfulness. she had been through things-, pitty. but it aged her well. he doesn't need to think of his answer-, he pours through it with burning honesty. unafraid of offending her as she cried wolf. "Well. I meant to leave you as I found you. But now, I'm far more interested in you." he wanted to demonstrate his capacity for self control. an attractive woman was not his weakness. but intelligence was. what could she harbor? her worth was seen through the lenses of his calculative measure. a picky male-, she'd see soon enough.

furthermore, hes reserves of his darker thoughts to himself. to one, this may be seen as pretentious but to him, he simply kept quiet until she beckoned him to tell. "lead the way.." his gaze hardened slightly; a subtle narrowing with pupils dilated. erect ears eager to hear what she really needed to say. allowing her to shift the light and set their tone. "Is that what you wanted to hear, Agapiménos(beloved)?" he spoke with a baritone voice. his flirtatiousness is bold and confrontational. whether he misread her or not, erebos now refused to leave her be. planting firmly into the ground with a watchful gaze.


"talk" 'think'

table by scarlet, art by ashon

The longer she had to look at him, the more she recognised what was inside him. She had met so many wolves just like him. A predator. Would he be like one of the well-mannered gentlemen that smiled at their mothers and wives, and kept a slave like her in their basement? Her instincts screamed danger and her training screamed submit. She didn’t want to go back to that life. Her freedom had been so fleeting, sometimes she woke and struggled to believe it wasn’t anything more than a dream.

His words only confirmed her fears. She steadily held his gaze, searching for that strength she had seen in the wolves around her. The strength that allowed Vanta to fight for those weaker than her. The truth was, she had never been very good at finding it when she was alone. “Wolves more dangerous then you have found me interesting.” She said, her voice low as she started to move. She knew she needed to move, if she held still she would freeze. She stalked a slow circle around him, projecting an image of strength in those slow, careful movements. “And stronger wolves have regretted it” she lied. Grass crunched quietly under paw, and she held her eyes to his. Not prey, not prey! she tried to convey. She didn’t know how successful she was.

"Lia"

E R E B U S


♆

there seemed to be a game of underestimation that these two played in. while it would irritate him later, he entertained her for now. his left ear flickered in agitation of being compared to others. a natural rebel, he wanted to do opposite of her past suitors. and if it was spitting her out in distaste,.. he would. he sighed, jowls opening slightly as his fangs clicked. "I hate competition." his gaze stares downwards for only a brief moment before shooting back up at her.
she's daring as she comes to circle around him. standing his ground, the male closely watched her; his tail erect between taut flanks. humming, he said with a casual tone, "how do you know how dangerous I am?" she played at him and he, at her.
he doesn't allow her out of his sight-, moving his larger body towards her head on before standing still again. intending to interrupt and interject her, erebos was not one to be chased or preyed on. it's apparent her guard is up- but why? he could not imagine her traumas-, nearly wanting to shudder them off himself. healthy externally but it was obvious of her sickly nature. a lost identity trying to keep itself safe. "I suppose you have threatened me." he speaks with slight disappointment. expecting more from her than this standoffish attitude of a teen. "You are beautiful. But you are not deserving of my fight." he releases a guttural growl; a warning for her. "I do not care to force my carnal desires upon women." I do not need to. wanting to correct her obvious implements, his ears flattened for a moment. "You mistake my interest. While you are fuck worthy, you are also worthy of dignity, are you not?" his tone was daemonic. she expected lowly of him; judged him too quickly and named him hastily. oh, what dangers she seemingly begged for. patient with her for now, erebos did his best to understand her at the expense of his mild temper.


"talk" 'think'

table by scarlet, art by ashon

She paced slowly, the training she had been undergoing ensured her motions were lithe and supple. He hated competition? to what, attackers she had met? She frowned, the motion pulling at the pattern of flaming petals around her eyes. She felt as if she was waking after sleeping for so long. The adrenaline flooding her veins was an old friend, and her attention was only for the wolf in front of her.

“Am I wrong?” She asked softly. He hadn’t attacked her yet, but she was sure she had read the signs. The lust, the possessiveness. He moved, turning himself to her path, forcing her to a halt. She did so, stopping too close to him. She fought the urge to back up, and stared up at the giant wolf instead. “There are few wolves who deny themselves. If I’ve misread you, I apologise.” She said, but she wouldn’t believe it until she saw it with her own eyes.


"Lia"

É R E B O S


♆

he could smell it on her. the stench of pending aggression sensitive to his snout. her prefume changed, becoming sour to the brute that watched with quiet discernment. she's officially left a distaste in his mouth; an unfortunate turn of events, really. falling shorter of her initial impression. his dual toned gaze squeezed then released her, watching as she frowned. perhaps he was her disappointment, too. 'Am I wrong?' "Terribly." he spat with clear disdain, maybe even disgust. yet the male's visage remained smooth & stoic of emotional expression. all she had was the disapproval of his stare and gruff voice.

they are face to face now and he decides she is brave-, & perhaps dumb as well. but he spares her of his insults. one might say erebos was in a good mood today as he gave the woman the benefit of many doubts. not too much longer though.. "I forgive you." he lied. holding it against her in secret as he planned how their next visit would go. she disgraced him, humiliated him, and shorted him. he was offended. all in due time, erebos thought; everyone had a time. "Not all men are dirty monsters." "no.. some are respectable monsters.." his voice rumbled with a deep baritone purr as he looked at her with the superficial softness of a pardon. his tail lashed to the left, fanning off the tension between them, still holding her down with his calculative gaze.

"talk" 'think'

table by scarlet, art by ashon

Hmmm. She did not trust him. Trust was not something she gave easily, and very few wolves earned it in a first meeting. There were some that shone like beacons to her sensors. Wolves such as Vanta, that had earned her trust at the barest look. Wolves like this one - whose name was still unknown to her - left a sour taste in her mouth. No, she did not trust him. But she could play his game.

She leaned back, sitting on her haunches, and offered him a smile. “It seems we’ve gotten off on the wrong paw. I’m Adalia” She introduced herself. “Perhaps my experiences have blinded me. You said you were new here, would you like some direction as to what’s around you?”

"Lia"

É R E B O S


♆

the still air of tension seemingly dissipates between them. she wisely defuses the situation at hand and seats herself; another bold move to make given their circumstances. she aimed to make up for it maybe-, delivering to a him a smile he doubted was authentic. he takes it in, binary eyes scanning her face as if to note down her every feature. she finally did respond to his prior question.. and here he assumed she was just not a good neighbor. he disregards her name as it felt unimportant to know; in fact, he does not offer his own in clear efforts to keep then unacquainted for now. "What packs are here in this land?" he had to speak wisely as she seemed to get ahead of herself. indirectly seizing information from her & in other words, hoping to identify where she came from. for his own reason of course.

he would await her answer as he towered over her still. his ears cupping forward to catch her speech as he contemplated leaving soon- no longer wishing to keep her or himself here any much longer. this meet was not one short of interesting.. but all the same, it was wasteful.


"talk" 'think'

table by scarlet, art by ashon