Heavy paws struck the terra in rapid succession, each blow landing with a rage usually reserved for an opponent. This time he had no one to fight. Far behind him somewhere was his family. He didn't know what they were doing, where they were going or what they were up to--and he didn't care. All that mattered at this moment was the powder keg of aggression that sat in his stomach. He needed something, anything to unwind him or he just might give in and bathe the grass around him in teeny tiny Thor pieces. His stroll turned into a jog. Why couldn't they all just get along? Oh, that's right, because they were all fucked up in the head. Every last one of them had daddy issues, Thor included. Thank you daddy deary. May future generations shit upon your grave and all that meaningless jazz. Dead things didn't care. They didn't care if they left behind a legacy of pain and suffering. If they were loathed or if their death was quietly celebrated. Why? Because they were dead, duh. So why did he care so much? Why did it feel so right to picture his father getting eaten by worms? Finally he hit an all out run and the brute threw every bit of rage he felt into pushing himself faster. The strength of the loathing was enough to tint his vision red and Thor found himself reaching deep within himself for all the things that had ever ticked him off. Feelings of helpless and of anxiety, barely concealed hatred for the one that struck terror into his heart as a child. The one who'd humiliated him and pitted him against his siblings; who frightened him into submission, terrified him into cruel acts against others until that's all he knew. Terrified him into numbness and apathy. Thor ran through every shaming, every beating and every act of cruelty, ran through every negative situation he'd ever found himself in. All of this and more fueled the fire that burned in him. He found himself hating his family so deeply that he couldn't think clearly and was consumed by the act of running and the feelings coursing through him. The brute crested a hill and began shoving his way through the thick foliage that grew atop it like an unruly mane. Branches scratched and clawed at him, raking through his fur and stabbing at his skin. More than once he was struck in the face but he was immune to the pain; an angry god far above the physical discomfort. When at last something--vines, maybe--reached out and wrapped around him, Thor devolved further. A howl of rage escaped his maw and he mindlessly thrashed at his restraints, biting and kicking at the vegetation that clung to him. It was then that he sensed the presence of another and was instantly thrown into wary silence. The brute stilled, eyes peering into the darkness for whatever lurked far too close for his liking, never mind that it was he who had made it that way. "Speak, phantom, or flee." Speech

Hidden in the shadows of vegetation, the petite lady watched the rage force a man to attack everything that touched him. He struggled against vines as they attempted to cool him, to help him stand still and calm down. Instead he mauled them, ravaging them in pure hatred. Suddenly the man stopped, probably sensing the presence of the pale dame. His commanding tone bade her leave the shadows and reveal herself. "Good night to you, sir. Do you want some help?" She would inquire calmly, thick accent coating her words and making them much more alluring. Twilight eyes flickered over his frame, taking in his sweat soaked fur and heaving flanks. There was obviously something wrong, but it was not her place to pry, she had just met him. Tea cupped paws of creamy ivory took another step forward, blue-purple optics remaining on the earthen features of the male.

Gold dipped plume would sweep across her heels hesitantly as she looked at the stranger, a soft smile finding it's way onto her features in hopes of quelling his anger. She definitely did not want that rage turned against her, she would stand no chance against this brute. His bright green optics near glowed in the darkness, and the English dame was slightly uneasy in his presence. What if he took the opportunity of her proximity to attack? With that thought in her mind, her usual eagerness to be around others was driven back as she retraced her previous step forward and watched the stranger curiously.

image by Luisiana

Out of the shadows stepped a fair white wolf. She was smaller than him by a great deal with huge dark eyes, a slender figure and a far too courteous way of speaking. Damn. He'd been hoping a giant ass would step out of the weeds and try to maul him over his ultimatum. Perhaps her query was an attempt to get closer so she could chew off his face. What? He could hope. Not easily swayed, Thor's ears flicked back and he met her smile with a venomous glare. "It most certainly isn't a good night and I require help from no one." To emphasize his point, the brute shrugged his shoulders hoping to snap the remaining vines...and all he succeeded in doing was stretching them a bit. Thor took his eyes off the fae just long enough to glare pointedly at the vines and then his gaze returned to her face. Damn it all. He tipped his head back to glare at the sun. Whether or not he realized it, the stranger's presence had begun to make him think again. He wouldn't fly into a rage and chew the flora to pieces. However, if he was going to free himself he needed to focus less on what would look best and more on what would actually get the weeds off. None of this, unfortunately, crossed his mind because he was too set on being pissy. The brute set about clipping the vines across his chest, occasionally glancing up at the fae who was still there. Now that he actually looked at what was wrapped around him instead of mindlessly tearing at them, Thor realized just how much of a mess he'd gotten himself into. Tendrils of brown wove their way across his chest and sides, some even cutting into his armpits after he'd stepped through the tangle. More than a few green shoots curved over his back almost like they were growing on him. He was not amused. It didn't take more than a few bites to realize he actually did need help. There was no way he could tell which vines held the key to his release and he'd waste all night breaking them all. The brute snorted, grudgingly accepting defeat although he wouldn't say it out loud. He then turned baleful eyes on the intruder. "Lordy, there's no need to nag; if you must help me then help me already!" Speech

The male watched her with a malicious stare, growling out a retort with clipped speech and an overall grumpy demeanor. She raised a paw, holding it up to signal the she meant no harm to him, and took a step backwards to allow him more space. He glared at the vines, and occasionally his gaze would flick irritatedly up to her face as if she were doing something wrong by existing. He glanced up at her, exasperated, and groaned out an admition that he did indeed require her help in his escape. She chuckled, smiling sweetly at him as she slowly stepped forward, still wary that he might attempt to harm her. "I wasn't nagging, but I couldn't just leave you here because you're too stubborn to accept help from a lady." She softly told him, her soft smile toying at her doll like features sweetly as she came closer to him.
Her tiny frame allowed her to get closer to some of the vines tangled about his underside, and she gently gripped them with her teeth, biting down until they snapped audibly. Within a few moments, one of his shoulders was free, and she set to working at the vines cutting into his armpit. Eventually she got one of his limbs free, and smiled up at him in triumph. Then she padded around his chest until she could reach one of the vines wrapped about his shoulder. Following it with twilight optics, she let a small frown crease her brow, and smiled sheepishly up at the male before sticking her tiara beneath his chest and crouching down, rotating her skull awkwardly to get a hold of one that crossed his ribs. Sliding her fangs beneath it, she tugged at it to loosen it slightly, and then bit down as hard as her jaw muscles would allow. When it snapped, she could tell his weight shifted to a more natural balance. Easing herself out from underneath him, she blushed a little as she flicked her blue purple gaze up to his emerald one. "Sorry about that, do you think you can get the rest of these? I'll try and get your back legs free..." She tentatively offered, waiting a moment before trotting around his immense frame once more and tackling the vines wrapped about his hindquarters.
Around his ankles were a multitude of vines, and she broke their hold as much as she could, effectively freeing much of the movement in his rear end before sitting back for a small break. She didn't think he would enjoy her biting at vines so close to his private parts, so she left those for him to decide on. If he really wanted her teeth so close to that area, she would attempt to do it without blushing profusely through her pale coat. Gold dipped banner would rest itself flush with her haunch as she turned her dark indigo pools towards the features of the stranger in waiting.

image by Luisiana

Her charms rained down upon his shield of anger, poking little holes in it. The brute's sour expression twisted as he fought the urge to smile back. It was hard to resist, but no amount of sweet smiles would break through; tonight Thor was firmly set on venting and he would not give up the grump so easily. As much as it pained him, he'd accept her help, but nothing more. The light side would have to work to win him back. "How kind of you." His words said one thing and his tone said another. His problem wasn't with her gender but with her in general. He didn't want to be helped, smiled at or shown kindness, period. He wanted the world to prove him right; to attack him and berate him. Her presence only served to undermine his current convictions. Thor stood still while she worked, his ears pressed flat against his skull in a show of displeasure. He tilted his head back, ignoring each triumphant smile. More holes were poked in his shield but he continued to resist. If anything, the more she smiled the deeper his frown got. It wasn't until she crept under his chest and he felt her teeth graze his skin that she got a reaction from him. Surprised, his ears flicked around before one settled down and the other stayed up; their state betraying his bewilderment. She scooted away and his eyes followed her, their gaze locking as she spoke. Now she had his undivided attention. He was confounded by her willingness to invade his space and her eagerness to trust him. He nodded in answer to her question and set about clearing away the rest as she worked on the restraints around his back legs. By now he was more focused on what she was doing than on how he was feeling. He remained mystified by her actions while they worked, completely puzzled by her kindness and the situation in general. She paused when all but the tangle around his rump remained and for this he was grateful; there were some forms of help he was dead set against. He stayed silent while he worked, carefully removing the remaining vines until none clung to him any longer. Once they were gone and he could move freely, Thor stretched a bit, tentatively testing himself. He was no longer angry, this he knew for sure, but he wasn't in a particularly good mood either. Turning to face her head on, Thor studied her, trying to pin down her motives. What could possibly have compelled her to help him? If he'd come across a wolf like himself the last thing he'd have thought to do was help them. "Why would you help me? I could be anyone." He could be anyone; a murderer, even a rapist, and she just set him free. Speech

His snappish attitude would make any normal woman snap right back, but the cream coated femme was far from your normal woman. Politeness was ingrained in her head, strong as her accent and just as endearing. The brute seemed hell-bent on ignoring her and his acceptance of her help was quite grudging. Usually, she would just continue on working, but something tugged at her tongue, making her want to ask why he was so upset. Instead of invading his privacy, she held her tongue and simply watched him work at the vines wrapped about his rump. It made her want to giggle, how he was trying to keep a hold on the scraps of dignity he still had while he went about biting busily at his bum. An amused flick of her golden tail tip was all she gave, and the corners of her dark lips curved upwards in the faintest of grins.
When he whirled to face her head on, she was faced with the fleeting realization of just how big he was compared to her. If he truly desired it, he could simply punt her into a tree and let that be the end of it. Instead, he demanded to know why she had insisted on helping him. She laughed, despite her sticky situation. Twilight optics glittered with mirth as she held his emerald gaze, fear did not show in any way about her, not the way she held herself, not in the nonexistent tension of her muscles. She wasn't afraid of very much, she did her best to see reasons not to be afraid of others. "Well, I guess I just try to help everyone. If you couldn't get out of those vines, you could have starved, or been eaten yourself, or any number of bad things. No sane lady could let that happen to anyone." Bubbly lyrics would reply kindly, an obliging smile playing at her lips as thickly accented vocals flowed forward.
Now the urge to ask him why he had been so grumpy struck her, begging to be released into the cool evening air. She would regard him quietly, assessing his features for the better part of five seconds while she contemplated how smart this might be. Deciding she would get nowhere if she didn't start putting herself out on limbs and getting a little closer into someone's private life, she went for it. "Pardon me if this is rude, but what had your knickers in such a knot?" She asked hesitantly, cocking her delicate cranium to one side and holding his emerald gaze with one the colour of late twilight. Tea cupped forepaws would shift her meager weight as she scanned his face, curiosity twinkling in her gaze.


OOC: I still ship Thor and Alice so hard it hurts xD

image by Luisiana

Her laughter confused him. What was so funny about his question? She wouldn't be laughing if he were some chirpy fae eating heathen. Honestly, she was lucky he wasn't. How she'd made it to adulthood with that mentality was beyond him. For several heartbeats he just stared at her, dumbfounded by her convictions. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. If he'd come across her behaving the way he had the brute would have left her to her fate and felt no guilt for it. They were quiet for several seconds before the stranger took it upon herself to break the silence with a question. A question that immediately drew a snort from him. Why were his knickers in a knot? Well, that was easy. He'd been raised by a bully in a family of bullies. He raided and killed and torn apart lives for a cause he'd never believed in. He'd witnessed and taken part in atrocities that would haunt him for eternity. Some nights he couldn't sleep because he was tormented by the faces of the defeated. His ears rang with their useless, heartbroken cries. He'd made his heart hard and watched while they suffered under the bodies of their new masters. No one was immune to his pack's hungry ways. He'd killed more children than he could count, herded their mothers away from their corpses and towards their new husbands. That was what had his knickers in a knot. A lifetime of sin and malice. He was filthy, rotten to the core, a monster. And it ate at him. It finally dawned on him that he was pacing and Thor screeched to a halt, turning tortured eyes on the fae. He'd begun to run because he couldn't sleep. He couldn't sleep because he was terrified of his dreams. Breathing hard, Thor sat down with enough force to make his teeth rattle. "You really don't want to know." The desire to confess was there and if she pressured him he'd spill sins like a pinata, but it would leave him empty. He wouldn't be able to stand under the weight of his transgressions once they were out in the open. His eyes closed, then opened after a few deep breaths. When he spoke his voice was soft. "I'm so sorry, Miss, for my behavior. I've been a monster." In more ways than one, but he was going to try to move them away from that topic. Perhaps they could start over. Speech

Somehow her demeanor confused him, and he gave her a look that clearly stated that he found her to be possibly mad. He began to pace as she broached the query, and for a moment the lass wondered if maybe she had struck a nerve. Her grin faltered, expression slowly becoming confused as she watched him. His muscles rippled under his thick fur, and he looked to be wound up like a top, so high strung at the moment he might burst. As he careened across the dirt, his emerald orbs were distant and haunted. She knew that look all too well, her father had days when he looked like that, and he disappeared for a while afterwards. Was his brute like her father, or worse? The idea was not something she feared, for she had been told she was much like her mother as well, who had cracked open the steel shell around her fathers heart within weeks of meeting him. Sure, it had been under different circumstances, but the golden and cream coated lady had never been one to turn away someone in need.
When her parents had met, William Buxton had been on the run, fleeing a past that had been quite full of darkness and cruelty. He had spent much of his life being what one might call a marauder. He had destroyed families, killed fathers when they had fought to protect their beloveds and young ones. One day, it seemed to have caused a snap in his head somewhere. While running through her family's territory, Peggy had found him and stopped him. One could say it had been love at first sight, if they were deluded somehow. It had taken a long time for her to break through his thick headed, self loathing demeanor, but when she had... It hadn't been long before they were wed, and then Alice had ben born a few months later.
He skittered to a halt, turning to face the petite British dame and slumping down. His reply was short, almost like a surrender. The twilight eyed woman would get to her tea cupped paws, slowly padding over to him, feeling horribly dwarfed as she came closer. A soft, gentle smile would curve her dark lips as she sat down beside him, her shoulder barely reaching his elbow. Golden audits would perk to his apology, and a soft giggle would escape her maw, completely unbidden. "It's okay, sometimes the thickest of heads can only be penetrated with a little bit of kindness." She assured him with honey coated, thickly accented lyrics, bumping her petite shoulder against his foreleg and smiling kindly. "In all honesty, I've had to put up with worse. I was once thrown into a river for trying to help a trio of men get their brother out of a bear trap." She murmured with a gentle laugh, her dark blue-purple gaze holding steadily on his features.
Once more she would fall silent, simply watching his face for signs that he might need someone to talk to. So far, everything he did screamed in need of such. Hesitantly, her voice would escape her creamy maw once more, heavy accent wrapped tightly about her words. "You can tell me what's bothering you, if you'd like. Maybe I could help you? I seem to have a knack for it, ask anyone I've met." She murmured, her tones gentle and reassuring. She knew more than anyone how talking about one's problems can help, and others sometimes provided the best solutions. She scanned his chocolate and caramel pigmented features, waiting for him to respond with a presence similar to a fairy, small and helpful.

image by Luisiana

A what? "A bear trap?" He rumbled, doubting the authenticity of her story, but letting it slide anyway. He didn't care--a fact he had to keep reminding himself. She was wearing him down and he knew it. He wanted to remain the way he was and she, tiny as she was, was threatening him. It was like all of his mistakes were piled behind a rock wall and she was beginning to pull stones from it, weakening the one thing that kept him safe. His circle of of protection was eroding and her presence was only speeding up the process. They momentarily lapsed into silence and Thor was grateful, but it didn't last long. She wasn't going to let it go, he realized as she spoke, and the brute found himself regretting saying anything. He should have just said he had a crappy family and moved on. Asked her name or something. "I'd rather not." Explaining what he kept replaying would only give it life again. This time, without a critical gaze bearing down on him, the brute wasn't sure he could simply grit his teeth and carry on. "Maybe I can help you?" A fit of explosive, bitter laughter shook him. "No one can help me and unless you can scrounge up a witness, I'm inclined to not believe you." He was beginning to get annoyed with her for reasons he didn't fully understand. They hadn't said more than a fistful of meaningful words to one another and yet she was challenging him, presenting herself as an emotional obstacle. Really, she was beginning to push his buttons and if she wasn't careful, the whole of his anger would come down on her simply because she didn't understand what she was doing. At what point would she realize that it wasn't wise to keep poking this particular bear? She'd done her good deed for the day and it now time to walk away. "Please, if we're going to talk, let us talk about something else." He defaulted to the most basic conversational starter. "What's your name?" Speech

You thought, by now

He immediately questioned her story about being thrown into a river, skeptical about the problem the men had faced. She gave a little chuckle, nodding in affirmation. Her tail gave a light thump against the dusty terra, a winning grin playing upon her sweet creamy features. She didn't exactly blame him for his skeptics, she would be slow to believe something like that if she were him too. If she hadn't partaken in the event, she would be the last to believe such a thing. Human traps and things had all but disappeared, except the few that had become consumed partially by the earth and sometimes took strange opportunities to attack creatures. It happened more than anyone in her homeland would like, and had been getting on everyone's nerves just before she left.
Twilight eyes watched his expression as it took a distant, grumpy look. What was getting the man so down in the dumps? Most would accept her help, and here he was continuing to shut her out. A small frown would crease her brow, turn down the corners of her dark lips. A shrug of her petite shoulders and her gaze wandering to the scenery would signal her acceptance, until he dared to challenge her authenticity. It plucked on her nerves like the chords of a harp, and her cranium would snap to face him as a sharp glare would be fixed upon his caramel features. "Now, just because someone pissed in your tea doesn't mean you have a right to accuse me of deceit." Would come a snappish retort, full of thickly accented British irritation and insult. "All I wanted to do was help you, you foolish man." She continued, brows lowering to prove her displeasure at his attitude. Looking away, she let out a huff, regaining control of her unruly emotions.
For the little English dame, that was the biggest outburst she'd had for a large portion of her life. She'd been raised to be polite and take insults with a grain of salt, instead of rising to the challenge and getting into a fight. Almost never in her life had she said anything worse than 'Shut up' or 'Twat' and other assorted jabs, at least, that was the worst she'd said on purpose. When she'd fallen into a ravine and been bitten by a particularly angry beaver after disturbing his dam, she'd shouted curses with such bitterness and anger it would make a sailor tear up.
They were silent, and she finally pulled herself together again. A blush was rising in her cheeks at having been so rude to the stranger. His deep, undoubtedly masculine tones met her golden audits with a note of defeat. He was changing the subject, clearly not in the right mind to speak of what was bothering him so greatly. Too bad, he seemed like he would need it. His inquiry came next, asking for her name. Horror struck the lady as she realized how terribly rude she'd been, how terribly she had acted, not introducing herself earlier. "Oh! How terribly awful of me, I never told you my name!" She exclaimed, her voice rising in shock and what could only be described as horror for having broken a rule in the British Person's Guide to Proper Life. "My name is Alicia Buxton, but I go by Alice." She continued with a soft smile and a dip of her tiara to the giant at her side. Flashing a thousand watt smile to him, she beat her gold dipped plume upon the earth a few times. "What may I call you, good sir?" She would inquire with a soft smile, tilting her delicate cranium to the side slightly inquisitively. Her accent laced her words so thickly it was impossible to doubt her heritage, and her demeanor screamed of where she came from so strongly only someone who lived under a rock could miss it. Her deep blue-purple gaze fixated on his face, holding his emerald gaze as she awaited a title.




"Speech"

You'd have it figured out.

OOC: So, so sorry this is scattered. I'm not sure where he and I are going with this...blame our combined lack of sleep. >< His question was, as he was beginning to expect, met with a pep he couldn't begin to fathom. Had she not just snapped at him so many seconds ago? Where did her anger go? The brute wanted to mutter something about how terrible indeed her lack of introduction was so he could see if he could get a rise from her, but he didn't. Why exactly was beyond him because he didn't believe in censoring himself. It made life so much more interesting and simple. If someone didn't like what he had to say they could brawl over it and if they felt like just taking it for what it was, perfect. At least his thoughts were known. The same couldn't be said for others. Alice. He rolled the name over in his mind before deciding that it fit her. "Thor." He made a soft 'h' sound before retracting the word, the singular sound dying on his lips like a light cough. If she weren't paying close attention, the hesitation would go unnoticed. He couldn't pin down the reason for leaving out his last name (which only added to the growing list of things he didn't know). Perhaps he wanted to distance himself from it. The brute wasn't one for analysis, so the exact reason would likely remain unknown to him. Either that or it would be buried because he didn't want to think about it. Thor sighed, fighting fatigue. How long had he been without sleep now? Had it really been three days? He was beginning to have a hard time holding on to things. His anger was slipping away from him and so was his already diminished ability to reason. All he wanted was to sleep in peace. Wasn't it enough that he was sorry? "I'd like to say it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Alice, but it really hasn't. Under better circumstances I'm sure it would have been." Thor stood, unseeing eyes fixed on the horizon. In this final stage of restlessness, the brute would wander until he was too tired to continue; finding sleep through exhaustion. "Perhaps I should be going." Speech

You thought, by now

The glitter of confusion in his emerald optics was almost amusing, for some odd reason. Clearly her mercurial shift from grumpy to cheerful had stumped him momentarily, as it seemed to do with most. However, he was not slow to introduce himself in return. Thor, what a strange name. He started to say something else, but stopped himself. It could have been a last name, or something else entirely. As it seemed, she would never find out. He was a strange brute, for sure. However, it was not in her nature to judge, nor to make a point of his behaviour.

Suddenly, he let out a huff of breath. He spoke gruffly, exhaustion rearing it's grumpy head in a manner that was entirely obvious. He spoke as he hauled himself to his feet, seeming entirely too eager to try and anger her again. Or was he? An internal shrug was all the reasoning she could muster as to his acts as of late. A small, polite grin would creep onto her features, and she would get to her tea cupped paws as well. "I am sad to hear that you found our meeting to be that way, but don't let me stop you." Her heavily accented tones would reply calmly as her tiara would dip towards him in farewell. "Good night, Thor." She would add, twilight pools glimmering in the faint light.

Turning, she would trot off in search of somewhere to rest. Her gold tipped plume would swing jovially at her heels as she meandered along, not quite ready to sleep yet. Though there was no smile on her face, it would be impossible to say she was anything other than content. Slowly, a tuneless hum would permeate the air around her as she walked, taking in the shadowed landscape with a curious purple-blue gaze.

.:Exit Alice:.




"Speech"

You'd have it figured out.

He watched her go, alarmed at how close he came to asking her to stay. Of course that was silly. He was behaving ghastly and brutish, and was undeserving of her company. So instead of doing as he wished, Thor simply watched as Alice departed. Once she was out of sight he let the guilt consume him. All she'd done was help him and he'd treated her terribly. He deserved the silence that settled on him now. And the darkness. Both pressed upon him, closed in around him until he was aware of little else. Really, it suited him. Some part of him had hoped she would stay; that she would take his latest musing as an act of desperation and try once more, just once more, to help him. Perhaps he would have let her. Sighing, the brute wandered a few steps away before looking back. Of course there was nothing there. Why should there be? She was gone. Turning to face the way he'd originally come, Thor stared out over the darkened land. This time he would avoid the thicket as he headed back to his family. Maybe he should have turned the other way and kept going?there had to be more beyond the circle of his family?but he couldn't just leave them. As crazy and awful as they could be, they were his. Once more he turned to look the way Alice had gone and this time a bit of craziness possessed him. ?Good night, Alice.? It was silly and stupid and beyond pointless, but he said it anyway. With his good-bye said Thor padded away. -exit Thor- Speech