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now, this place was much better than that wretched orchard. it had warm, relaxing rays of sun casting down onto his back. white puffs roiled across the azure sky, and finally, there was a large relaxing lake in the center with a rock surprisingly shaped into the figure of a pad. it was strange, but nice. and that day the man thought he'd go swimming. maybe. yes. after all, it was pretty hot. nobody else was lingering within the area anyhow. it was also a very nice lake...blue from the reflection of the sky...with that golden shine radiating off the sun and onto the water...the masculine behemoth released a relaxed huff as options flickered through his mind.
slowly sitting up, the man would press on through the light vegetation, ears pushed forward as his magenta eyes drifted down to the blue water. finally, he extended his limbs and threw himself into the water, plummeting at the surface with a massive splash and flailing around in the water fleetingly. it only took him a few seconds to burst out of the water to catch his breath. after doing so, he continued to swim around and splash within the water aimlessly.

((so fawking short I'm sorry.))

Lysis Armada had never been so far south. The northern lands were her realm, her home the snow-capped pines and the icy fields; it was all she had ever known. Only briefly had she ventured away, exploring the world with her siblings, but never had she embarked on such a long trip. The talk of war seemed to travel in hushed whispers, and she found her curiosity piqued. Perhaps she ought to find this pack they were speaking of, to understand why precisely her kin felt so compelled to fight, to bleed -- she had never experienced such a raw need. Yet she yearned to know it, to understand it. Her paws carried her a great distance, guided by the spring sun. Slowly the sun made its retreat below the horizon, casting a darkness over the land. The feeling of being alone was something that she was unfamiliar with, and she could not shake the feeling of solitude as she made her way across the lands. It was both comforting and alienating at the same time. A strange feeling, for a strange land. These western lands were significantly warmer than where she was from, even in the darkness of night, and she found herself growing tired. She would retreat for the evening, finding safety in the crook of a fallen tree, slipping her lithe frame beneath it and quickly falling asleep. The morning came far too quickly, the warm rays of the sun tickling her eyelids, rousing her from slumber. Once again she would begin her journey, her paws carrying her effortlessly further south. It wasn't long before the scent of moisture grew heavy in the air, the faint outline of a lake appearing on the horizon. A drink sounded like a fine idea. The babe loped forward, increasing her pace at the prospect of hydration, though the air was laden with the scent of a stranger. Silently she crept forward, coming to rest by the shores, watching him splash through the waters with her inquisitive gaze. "Playing with yourself?" her voice would call out with amusement, eyes sparkling as she leaned to lap at the cool water.

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it had only been a few silent minutes, and by then, the mocha-hued behemoth had relaxed himself within the coolness of the azure water. he was turned over onto his back, the atmosphere keeping him up as he gazed into the clouds that drifted by casually. he was finally at peace- not tripping over roots and highfiving spiked vines with his face. finally. but just as his eyelids fluttered softly over his magenta gems- a smooth voice hummed out behind him. one that sounded very feminine and silky, like honey or milk. but even with her rather sweet tone the man fleetingly toppled over and splashed into the water. "well shit." he waited beneath the surface for a moment, before paddling up and poking his head up from the water to look at her. like a crocodile. then, he spoke, "who else would i play with, princess?"
the large man slowly drifted to the earth and climbed out of the cold water, widening his legs and shaking out his long, chocolate fur. starting head to his long feathery tail. after, he would twist his body around and flop back on his torso. water dripped off his shoulders and face, clicking against the vegetation softly. but in stead of worrying about how wet he was anymore- he casted his gaze over to the drinking woman with an amused expression glued straight upon face. "ya'know, your too pretty to be going around and talking to strangers like me. i mean your even lucky i'm not some perverted creep."
zozton snorted softly after he had spoken, before elongating his right hind leg upward and scratching frantically at his neck. something was making his neck itch and it had better not be any pests. but right now was not the time to find out. the man lowered his limb and set it back where it belonged. then, sat up and pulled his shoulders back for a moment, while continuing to glance toward the femora casually. after staring at her for a while- he realized that she was quite pretty. and feminine. the tips of her small little ears were tinted in a fine chocolate brown, while beneath her olive eyes also remain a bit of mocha brown. she was pretty, he had to admit. but he didn't know who she was. why she was here, and what pack she was loyal to. after all, she did smell of many others.

Lysis knew that she had sneaked up on him. How deeply focused he had been on the water, engrossed in the simply act of swimming, seemingly oblivious of everything around him. Amusement danced in those hazel eyes of hers, a smirk dancing on her lips as he spun around to face her. "You seemed pretty content playing by yourself, to be honest," she noted quickly, her lyrics sweet and brimming with laughter. At the very least, he was momentarily entertaining, and she lowered herself to her stomach as she gazed at him. The Armada girl was happy to keep her distance as he pulled himself from the lake, watching as he shook the water from her pelt. His coloration was strange, nothing like she'd ever seen before, and she found herself staring for a moment before speaking. "And maybe you're too ugly to talk to pretty girls like me," she suggested in saccharine tones. The girl's voice was full of jest, but something else too - a misplaced tone, guarded and wary. "But what's stopping us?" The beauty of being free to do as she pleased was that she could talk to whoever she wanted, whether they be ugly or otherwise; though she didn't consider this brute terribly unattractive. The frail girl hardly moved as she sat and watched, curious about this stranger. It was rare she interacted with wolves outside of Glaciem, and outside of her family, and felt a sudden need to know more about him. "What's your name?"

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"You seemed pretty content playing by yourself, to be honest." Pft. The 'playing by yourself' thing was beginning to sound ridiculous. Zozton was simply relaxing within the water. Relaxing and playing are a pair of completely different things...a soft, inaudible growl emitted casually from the depths of his throat, his fur sticking into the air and trembling softly. Once more he would roll his shoulders before continuing to listen to the young Armada. "Maybe you're too ugly to talk to pretty girls like me," Maybe the man was ugly. He didn't have any fancy markings or pretty rainbow eyes or anything. But honestly, the man didn't care what others thought about his appearance. May it be a pretty girl or not.
"Maybe I'm not the cutest bird in the flock...but like you said- I speak to everyone anyways." Zozton lifted his shoulders and dropped them quickly as a shrug, his ears moving forward slowly. His amused look twisted smoothly into a weak smile while he stand and stride over to the edge of the lake, a little closer to the woman. Then he would sit and glance down at his reflection through the water. "What's your name?" The beast huffed and dropped down onto his belly, his forepaws hanging over the side of the edge and touching the very surface of the water gently. "Zozton Lazfac. Who's asking?" Muzzle would turn and point to the pretty woman, his eyes lighting up as they scanned and studied the femora's bodice.

The babe laughed at his starkness, a delightful sound that bubbled from her throat with minimal effort. Her gaze followed him as he rolled his shoulders, watching as something akin to irritation manifested itself on his masculine features, before fading away once again. He crept closer to the water then, eying his reflection. She couldn't read the emotion on his face, though her gaze searched him silently. Wolves without a pack intrigued her, and this one had no scent on him other than his own. She had never known anything but being amongst others, but this journey had made her realize how thrilling being alone could be. "Lysis Armada," she introduced herself with a smile. "It's a pleasure, Zozton Lazfac." Once again she would dip her maw to the water, lapping at the cool liquid gladly. (Sorry for short, 'just-woke-up' post <3.)

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A feminine laugh bubbled softly at his large ears, with her soft, honey-like vocals following behind. "Lysis Armada," Little did the massive beast know that those who held the last name 'Armada' was represented as loyalty. He had just arrived at Alacritia a few weeks ago. So at that moment he didn't think too much of the word. Instead, he focused his mind onto that first name. Lysis. It sounded like the name of a true goddess...and with that opinion it fit her. The man could see that princess-like attitude in the way she spoke and moved. All of this made him wonder how she would react to being shoved into the water...squeal and run off? Or laugh it out with him?
It honestly wouldn't hurt to find out. No harm no foul. Unless, of course, the girl would of liked to kiss him with her claws before leaving. Still...it wasn't too bad of a consequence. ---Seconds became minutes since the woman had offered him her name. It was silence the whole time...but not in his head. He was thinking over his options and the risks he may be taking by pushing her. Or even touching her for that matter. What if she was some queen of the whole land? What if she had a whole pack waiting to tear him apart? But there was something wrong with all of this...why would anyone get so flustered over water?
Finally, after about five minutes of complete agonizing silence, the man's lips parted ever so slightly to a single word. A repeat of the woman's name. "Lysis," The warrior's head slowly turned back to his reflection. He stared into those magenta eyes that swayed ever so calmly with the rhythm of the lake. At that moment, he noticed how much his eyes stuck out of his mocha coat. It was strange...but a relief to know he had something different about him. The sight made his lips curve into a weak smile, before he continued his compliment. "I like that. It fits you..." Zozton turned his head back to the woman and nearly smirked. Instead, kept his fake smile. Now was the time to push her in.
The man's fur was practically dry by the time he began to stand. A few droplets lingered in there somewhere...but they'd vanish within seconds. It didn't matter though. If the girl decided to accept his joke- he might just jump in with her. A playful gesture of course! Nothing beyond. The mocha behemoth stepped back and craned his neck to the side, before creeping up beside the ivory woman who currently was getting a drink. He smiled and lowered his head down beside hers. "Do you mind if I join you here?" His soft voice was but a friendly whisper then. But evil thoughts filtered through his head. "Push her. Push her now."
Finally, the man twisted his hindquarters to the left, swinging his hip out toward her and attempting to shove her whole body forward. In other words, into the water. If her were to be successful, he would release a loud, victorious chuckle. But would stand dangerously over the edge...perfectly capable of being pulled in as well...

She didn't bother to hide her staring -- but neither did he. Zozton was a large brute, a good few inches taller and significantly heavier, his limbs lined with thick muscle, a testament to his certain strength. Lysis was not afraid of him, even if she ought to be. She was a slender thing, and could run faster than most, if need be. The girl didn't feel threatened, but was comfortable with the distance they kept between them. She could tell from his stare that he was thinking, and so she let him. What could he possibly be thinking so deeply about? He slowly rose to join her, and she felt her fur bristle at his unwarranted closeness. Never had she been an overly affectionate thing, reserving her touch for her kin alone. "If you insist," she remarked in haughty tones. Lysis had yet to form a true opinion on this male, though he seemed decent enough. Gently the babe would twist her head to turn away from him, content to stare across the wide lake and into the horizon for a moment. But it seemed that she'd turned at the wrong moment, and in a flash she saw creamy brown fur impinging on her peripheral vision, quickly coming in contact with her lower half and sending her sprawling toward the water. Though she had been tensed and alert, she hadn't expected him to do something so brash. Immediate panic flooded through her, though it faded quickly as she went crashing into the cool lake and pulled herself to the surface. For a moment she looked quite distraught, her limbs paddling rapidly to keep her from falling beneath the water, her breath coming in heavy bursts. If only her father had been here -- how dare he. "Zozton Lazfac," she sputtered with a mouth full of water, paddling to the surface where he stood, eyes alight with fire. "Do you always treat girls so well?" The sweet lyrics that had once spilled from her mouth were now bitter and laden with audible sarcasm. He was not a gentleman by any means, and his sudden desire to push her into the water had not been pleasant. Using her forepaws she would pull herself up slightly toward Zozton, aiming to grasp at the scruff of his neck toward his throat and pull him in as well. "Idiot."

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The woman had sure seemed mad-...but in a way, her anger was cute. Those little eyes of hers lighting up with tiny embers of fury. Her neat bodice of beautiful fur soaked and wet. Heh, it was cute. The way she reacted was also pretty adorable. "Do you always treat girls so well?" The beast was no gentlemen, he knew that for a straight up fact. So she was obviously being sarcastic of his rather inappropriate behavior. The man would care less of his manners anyhow. Besides- she didn't climb out and run off, squealing for her daddy!
Instead, of course, she reached up and grabbed his scruff. He wasn't really focused or balanced at the moment, so it was easy for the girl to yank him down into the cool water. And on the way down, he could hear her insult to him, before he landed into the water with a loud splash. Immediately the man had paddled up to the surface- and once he did, he glanced over at the woman and smirked. "Lysis Armada." He paused for a moment just like she did, and swam over to her. "Do you always treat men so well?"
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Lysis was thoroughly unused to strange men shoving her into lakes, and she found the reality of how powerless she was against him quite unnerving. It only further cemented the fact that she needed to continue training whenever possible, to grow even stronger than any of her family could've possibly guessed. She felt her fur bristle as he spoke, her insides writhing with irritation. She was happy to drag him down into the water with her, feeling very much like she was giving him a taste of his own medicine. His voice was alight with amusement, despite her own annoyance at his sudden need to push her into the lake. "Only men who ask to be treated like that," she remarked sharply as she watched him paddle toward her. With a swift motion she pushed herself toward the shore, leaping to the safety of the earth with graceful fluidity. She would shake the water from her fur, a sneer playing at her lips. "Do you pride yourself in tormenting women half your size?" In reality, he was not exactly twice her size -- not in height, but he was significantly bulkier... not to mention a full year older than herself. Her tail whipped behind her, her features twisted in slight irritation, but something else lingered behind her green-brown gaze; if he had truly upset her, she wouldn't still be here talking to him. "You are quite the man, Zozton." It seemed he was playing a game, though the way he eyed her was not lost to the Armada girl, despite her relative naivety; how much longer might he continue? "I'm sure your parents would be proud of you."

The man could tell clearly that every minute the man spoke and interacted with her, the more irritated she got. But it seemed that if she was really that annoyed, she'd already be gone. After all...he could see that very, very slight interest in her pretty green eyes. He knew it. And he also knew that she wouldn't be leaving any time soon. The brute wouldn't let her slip away so easily...--- He couldn't help but spot the bristling of the woman's wet fur after he spoke. Those little embers continuing to burn in her eyes, and that irritated look. So cute. Slightly concerning, but cute. "Only men who ask to be treated like that," With that, the girl immediately retreated from his approach and flailed back up upon the earth. Zozton refused to climb out after her...he didn't want to seem awkward. Even though, as awkward as the situation was already, it counted. Instead, he slowly flipped back onto his torso and played on a cute little smirk that the beast had been holding for a while now. One that represented the amusement and fun he was having while tormenting- or evilly flirting- with the dame. Only would he grow serious if she tried to stomp off with her head on fire. Or...maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he'd just laugh at her to make her even more irritated. Maybe he'll even continue to follow her around and annoy her until she agrees to stay with him for awhile. Mmm. Legit. The behemoth rose his four muscular limbs to the air and drifted around calmly, while listening to the woman go on about how disgraceful he is. Eh. The man's heard worse. After all the brute found this all a playful little game. "I'm sure your parents would be proud of you," His parents died when he was just a yearling. They had suffered from a fatal disease, but they were said to be very good citizens. A very nice little pair. They sent their pups off before the sickness began spreading, and gave them to an old wolf. But since he never really had the tight memory as most did...the comment didn't matter to him. It only made his smirk grow. "I appreciate the comment, baby...but I gotta tell you a little secret." Zozton immediately twisted over and sunk into the water, but paddled his way back up until his head was on the surface. "My parents are dead. But, if they were alive-...I bet they would be proud of me!" His smirk twisted into a thorough grin, before he made the final decision to get out of the water. The beast's brown fur was soaked and heavy...it made him a lot slower than usual. But eh. Eh to everything. A hottie was here! Why be a looser when he could show her he was a bad ass to begin with. It wasn't too long that he crawled his way back onto the grass. But once he did, he crept over to the woman and flopped down onto his back near her. Then he rolled over and flattened the lingering grass beneath his massive body. "So, who's your lucky man? I'll probably need to know him eventually...considering I'd like to avoid getting beat up for flirting with his honey." Again, his grin changed up into a weak smirk that was twisted in slightly with a smile. Honestly, if anyone tried to beat him, he'd return the favor ten times worse. But just to get a conversation started... "Speech"

It seemed her slight dislike him only fueled the interest that shimmered behind her hazel gaze. She had never met anyone so bold and so fearless -- she was royalty, and yet he had thrown her into the lake without even a hint of hesitation. Still she bristled as she once again moved to shake the moisture from her creamy pelt, her slender body shaking a few times, aiming the redirected water toward him despite the fact that he remained in the lake. The slight sneer still lingered on her lips, a snarl threatening to spill over -- but she grew silent instead, watching him in careful consideration. His face was decorated with undeniable amusement, his own eyes bright as he watched her, seemingly waiting for another negative response. He admitted that his parents had died, seemingly unaffected by her retort. Curiously the babe's head would tilt, wondering how he could seem so uncaring. Had he not know them well? Even she would mourn for the loss of her mother, the woman she had hardly met -- and she couldn't bear to imagine her father's death and the amount of sorrow that would someday fill her heart upon his passing. "If you say so," she replied simply. Lysis would not stoop low enough to insult his deceased parents, even if the thought did cross her mind. A slight scoff left her lips as she watched him finally slip from the water. He seemed so pleased with himself that it made her smirk with vague amusement. "Why do you assume I have a man?" she probed him inquisitively. Honestly, she hadn't spent much time considering such things. She hadn't ever imagined herself with anyone but Kyarst, but his disappearance had rattled her deeply. "Perhaps I prefer the company of women." A childish giggle fell from her parted lips, masking the slight bit of honesty that her words held.