He still wasn't sure why she hadn't left. Why he hadn't left her. For her safety, of course. But Angeal didn't want to leave, not if he was totally honest with himself. He had been more happy in the past few days than he had been in a very long time. Which meant that Angeal had felt the need to repay that. He wasn't sure how to do that, but Angeal figured that maybe he could begin to do so in the form of the young doe that he had managed to separate from her herd and capture. The young creature was barely more than a fawn, and had been recently injured, allowing him to easily separate her from the herd and bring her down. Of course, then he had found himself trying to figure out how to bring her back. Well, this was going to take a while. By the time he got back to his den, Angeal had dragged the doe for a long while, and his neck was aching. Dropping the corpse with an exhalation of relief, Angeal took a moment to shake the kinks out of his neck before he summoned the female that had spent the past few days with him. "Miss Liste!" Angeal called out lightly, "I have brought lunch." And perhaps he would tell Liste a more interesting, more insightful story of his past. He had mentioned at least one of the more boring tales. the ones about the beginnings of the world, and nothing too particular. Nothing about humans. Nothing about the structure of his pack. And while he didn't intend to tell anything too incriminating, Angeal figured he could tell her something a little bit more interesting than 'this wolf howled and created the world.' Ears flicking, Angeal rocked back in his haunches and settled in contentedly to wait for Liste to appear. Speech

Liste

and i ran, i ran so far away

These past few days had been nothing short of wonderful. Liste hadn't expected for things to be going so well, let alone for Angeal to even want her around this long. She was surprised he hadn't kicked her out or left her there yet, and she was happy to stay there as long as she was welcome. She didn't really understand it, but the feelings she had been developing during their first conversation had only grown since then and she was beginning to feel a sort of attachment to the male against her better judgment. Liste had tried to fight herself over it, but to no avail.



Today, she lay quietly alone in the den they had been staying in, basking in the glory of feeling safe and secure. It was nice to be able to just lay with her eyes closed, daydreaming, without the fear of someone hunting her down. Angeal had been out of the den for a while and she expected him back soon, so for now she was relaxing without worry. Images danced in her head of the creation of the world that he had told her about. He hadn't thought it was a very interesting story, but she had found it fascinating.



His call roused her from her daydreaming. She raised her head slowly from the den floor, her body following slowly behind. Liste loved the way that her name sounded when he said it. She padded out at a brisk pace to find that he had returned with a small doe for them to share. Her stomach rumbled in approval. She quickened her pace and met him with a grin. You look exhausted! How did you manage to get this here? She settled back on her haunches and eyed the kill hungrily. Please, eat first. It's your kill, you worked hard for it. He had clearly strained himself taking the doe down and bringing it back. The least she could do was to let him have the first bite. She just hoped that his manners wouldn't get the better of him and delay lunch any longer.



Perhaps after lunch you could share another story with me?

Tagged: Angeal | Word Count: 362

i don't know why she's with me; if i were her by now i would've left me At the appearance of Liste, Angeal found his tail flicking and a still foreign smile stretching across his features. He wasn't sure what this was, but he enjoyed her company. Wanted to make sure that she was happy and content for the rest of her life. It was a strange emotion for Angeal. Okay, so he did tend to take younger wolves in, yes, and he did try to ensure that they didn't end up like him, but this was . . . different. She was beautiful as well, something that Angeal rarely noticed in other wolves. Females had not really ever been on his radar before Liste had come along. And yet now here he was, willing to drag a doe for as long as he had so that he could see her smile. His tail's wagging picked up slightly as Angeal turned towards the female, a smile still stretched across his features. "Well... I did have to take a couple of breaks," Angeal admitted with a snort, shaking his head slightly in a vague attempt to get the kinks out of his neck. It had been difficult, but that smile. It made it all worth it, in Angeal's mind. In a logic that he could not have explained to anyone, seeing this female that he hardly knew happy made the pain of dragging the doe all the way back to his den suddenly unimportant. It hadn't made the pain vanish or anything, it just didn't matter anymore. Snorting, Angeal shook his head as he examined Liste. She was definitely hungry; he could tell that much from the way that she was examining the kill. And she was probably going to be stubborn. It was nice to realize that she had thought of him, however, in a manner that he couldn't really describe. "I am not particularly hungry, Miss Liste." Angeal responded lightly, gesturing vaguely at the doe, "But if you insist..." Snorting, Angeal managed to take one large bite of the doe, tearing at the soft flesh of the doe's side. Hopefully, by starting the kill, he would make it easier for her to dine from it. And besides, his stomach did appreciate having a little bit of sustenance. "Actually," Angeal began to speak as soon as he'd managed to take care of that large bite, "I figured I could tell you something a little more interesting while you ate than that silly creation myth . . . thing." Shrugging slightly, Angeal settled back on his haunches. His tail thumped contentedly against the earth and the male grinned lazily, truly content for the first time in a long time. Speech

Liste

and i ran, i ran so far away

It made her glad to see that he seemed as happy to see her as she was him. She thought for a moment that maybe, just maybe, he was having feelings similar to hers. No way! Her feelings were crazy enough, and he definitely had the self control to keep those feelings at bay, didn't he? Liste scolded herself again for being so weak and stupid. She never let anyone get close enough for her to have any feelings at all toward them, not even friendship, and this felt like so much more than that. Oh, it didn't matter anyway. It was too late to change how she was feeling. She needed to accept it, and be happy with the fact that he was fond enough of her to bring her a nice fresh meal.



He did look excited to see her though. She shook her head at him. You should have invited me to go with you, I could've helped! Liste was scolding, but he deserved it. Males always had to be so tough on their own, even when it wasn't in their best interest. She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, as if to emphasize her point, then gave a slight chuckle and plastered a smile back on her maw. Thank you so much though. I really was starving. She didn't need him thinking she was ungrateful! Mr. Manners would kick her out in no time if he got that in his head.



Before digging in, Liste waited patiently for him to take the first bite that he thankfully hadn't argued over. Once he was done, she began tearing small bits of flesh from the doe to avoid overwhelming her empty stomach with a bite too large. She also didn't want Angeal to think she was a sloppy eater - for some reason, that concerned her.



So he was planning on telling her another story. She almost started to replying while still chewing her food, then thought better of herself. She took a moment to swallow the food she had chewed. There was nothing wrong with that story! However, if there is something more interesting I am more than thrilled to hear it. She glanced around briefly, then grinned. Perhaps we should move away from the corpse, though?

Tagged: Angeal | Word Count: 382

Angeal grinned at Liste's protests, shaking his head slightly as she spoke. "Now, now, Miss Liste, it would be rather rude of me to make you work to receive a gift. A gift should not cause trouble to the receiving wolf." Angeal twitched his tail all the same, that light grin still stretched across his face. It was a strange sensation, but he liked it all the same. He liked seeing her. Liked seeing her happy, to be more precise. They hardly knew each other, but he cared for her, and he didn't know how to explain why. Not that he really cared to. Angeal had learned long ago to question his feelings, his emotions, to ensure that he didn't end up on his old paths once more, but this? It was different. Happier. Purer. Still, it wouldn't do to dwell on his thoughts and ignore this female. "You are quite welcome, Liste. Enjoy!" There was a hint of happiness to his polite tone as Angeal settled back, content to wait until the female was finished eating. Despite having taken the first bite, he was not particularly hungry, willing to let her finish in silence. Meanwhile, he could figure out how much he would tell her. How much he was willing to let her potentially figure out. Angeal wanted to trust her. But he still felt just enough caution that he settled on something that wouldn't be too incriminating. He wouldn't have to mention anything specific about his past. But he could talk about their tales of the creatures that had walked the earth before them; things better than wolves, and significantly less understood. The Ancients. And their last living relatives, perhaps. Liste's words were what returned him to the present, and Angeal nodded slightly, distantly as he rose to his paws and padded carefully away, finding himself settling near the pool that formed at the base of the waterfall. "Well, Miss Liste, I promise that this is more interesting." Tail wagging slightly, Angeal settled back on his haunches again, tail wrapping easily around his black paws. "It's a tale of the Ancients, creatures who ruled the lands long before wolves did." These were his favorites. There had been a few descendants of these Ancients still wandering his pack when he had been born. One had been his birth mother mother, and the other, a young female that Angeal's trainee had taken an interest in. "The Ancients were also called the Cetra," Angeal began softly, though his voice would grow strongly as he continued. "They were a race of things much like us. They were wolves, they lived with wolves, but they were larger, and their mentalities were different. These Ancients were spiritual things. They believed in gods, in life after death, and they lived in lands far from here in their earliest days. But those days were boring. The Ancients didn't do much but pray and live happily. Their lives were peaceful and they did nothing out of the ordinary. There was no war. These wolves took care of the lands, and they prayed, and that was all. Until the day that something fell from sky. They weren't sure what it was, but this thing, well, those that came into contact with it were changed. The ones that were close enough that they were near the impact died. And those that saw all the death went insane. They became something other than the peaceful, loving creatures that had been known as Ancients. They say that another creature escaped from the rubble of this event, and that the last remaining Ancients gave their lives trapping this creature in the ice of the far north. It took them years, and it took the lives of almost all those who remained to lock that creature away, but eventually they managed it. And ever since then, this creature, known only as Jenova, has been locked away in those frozen lands. The last descendants of these Ancients lived amongst my pack when I left. Well, descendant." Pausing, Angeal turned a curious blue gaze at Liste, wondering what she had taken from that tale. What she would think was interesting, and what she would think of as boring. There was actually a good deal more fighting involved in the true legend; it involved explaining how the militant nature of his pack had begun; to fight the monster known as Jenova. His birth mother had been named after Jenova, interestingly enough. It was said that in her massive size and strange appearance, she had resembled the creature of legend. And she was crazy enough to have been related to that creature. But that wasn't very interesting, was it? Angeal figured she would have rather heard the more peaceful parts than the tale of the fight that had erupted between Jenova and the Ancients. Still, he was curious to see if she would think that that was more interesting than the creation myth that she had been told before. Hmm. Speech

Liste

and i ran, i ran so far away

With each bite, Liste savored the "gamey" flavor of the doe. What a delicious gift! She was so glad that he had thought of her, that he had worked so hard to bring something back to make her happy. She couldn't stop the grin that had spread across her maw. She was finally content.



Thank you so much, Angeal. It was delicious. He really didn't know how grateful she was. It hadn't been often that she had a decent meal in her life, usually surviving on the scraps left behind by others or small game. She never had the time to hunt down larger prey when she was on the run. I will take care of getting rid of it later on. She felt like she hadn't done enough to help him, to thank him for giving her shelter and food. There was no way she'd let him take care of the disposal too. And while she was out, she could figure out another way to repay him for his kindness.



She rose and followed him to the edge of the pool, stopping for a quick drink before settling close to him. Well, get on with it already! Her voice was teasing and she batted playfully at him with her paw, excited to hear this next tale. Liste was very attentive, listening closely and drinking in every word. Her imagination went wild, creating pictures of his words in her head. She wondered idly what life would be like if the peaceful Ancients were still around today. Would she have grown up in a happy, loving family? Would she be a coward? Would she have traveled, and ever met Angeal? Maybe things would have been better, but there was obviously a silver lining to the loss of such a wonderful race of wolves.



The myth was fascinating. It was more exciting by far than the story of the creation of the world, but she still held that one up highly as the first exciting story Angeal had told her. Wow... I guess the world must have been pretty amazing back then. Do you know what the Jenova looked like? She was curious about this creature from the moment he mentioned it. There weren't many creatures she knew of that could fight off a wolf, let alone an army of wolves. Part of her wanted him to take her wherever it was frozen to see it, but that was a little crazy.



Just so you know I still think the other story was interesting, but this one definitely came out on top. She smiled, her golden orbs focused carefully on his. She couldn't get enough of spending this time with him, being close and hearing stories. She never wanted it to end, and she hoped that he would feel the same but had no idea how to find out. She moved slightly closer to him, adjusting her position so that she wouldn't look too suspicious. Liste didn't want him getting freaked out thinking she was too forward and running away, especially with all of these questions about his story racing through her mind.

Tagged: Angeal | Word Count: 521

When he fell silent, Angeal turned his attention towards Liste with a thoughtful expression. Her question was more difficult to answer than Angeal was willing to admit. Like my mother, He knew that much but there was more to it than that. Because Jenova had been something other than wolf, it these legends were to be believed. If these legends were even true, which Angeal doubted now that he wasn't listening to these legends with the mentality of a six month old pup. He would like to think that he was no longer as gullible as he had been before. "Well, they said that she was a wolf, but with the strength of many. The stories vary a lot, but they all come down the same basic appearance." He should know. His mother had looked like the embodiment of these tails. No one knew why. "She had a base coat of white, with strange contraptions on her body that were not natural in their origin. She was not natural in origin, or so they say. But she had black markings on her paws and legs. They were sort of . . . swirling, I guess. They went up to about her knees, and her tail was tipped in black. And depending on what version you're listening to, she was the size of ten wolves, or had strange third appendages that could bend and twist every which way. A lot of it has clearly been elaborated on. She's the monster of the bedtime stories that we were told as pups, so she had to be made scary. Though that's not to say that she wasn't scary in her own right." His mother, at least, had been a scary wolf. There was a reason that he had been raised by the more . . . normal Gillian. Grinning lightly at Liste as she spoke, Angeal chuckled softly. "It was one of my favorites when I was younger," Angeal commented absently, so distracted by his thoughts that he hardly noticed her movements. "And then I grw up and it seemed less magical. But it was one of my favorites when I was young." Nodding absently, Angeal wagged his tail slightly. The story had lost a lot of its charm when Angeal had realized that the mythical monster Jenova was what his mother was named after. And she had been more similar to her namesake than ought to be right in any normal wolf. Then again, you could not get much further from normal than Angeal's mother. Maybe that was why he was so fucked up. Angeal snorted softly, twitching his ears as he glanced at Liste again. "I'm not sure how I'm going to top that." Angeal chuckled softly, shaking his head as he examined the female, shifting his weight slightly as he glanced thoughtfully at the deer carcass. Hmm. Perhaps he would top this by showing her the dancing lights that could be found only in the coldest reaches or the North. Or maybe he would just tell her the stories of the world that his pack believed they had been a gate to. His pack had had far too many stories for his tastes, honestly. Speech

Liste

and i ran, i ran so far away

Awe-struck was the best way to describe how the story had left her once the description of the Jenova was added. She found herself unable to create an image in her head without being frightened by it. Angeal, you do a wonderful job of telling stories. They're so vivid and descriptive, it's like I'm in them. Her eyes shone with satisfaction as she turned her head to smile at him. The things he was telling her were like nothing she could've ever imagined. We can wait a little while for more stories, I imagine it's exhausting for you. She grinned, not wanting to overwhelm him with her desire to learn more about him and his history.



Gradually Liste had been inching closer without fully realizing that her body was moving. She found herself within inches of him now. Though he hadn't noticed before, there was no way not to now. She flushed, worrying momentarily that he might become uncomfortable. The feeling was pushed to the back of her mind quickly as she realized she had yet to tell him her most important piece of news.



A couple of days ago, while they were away from the den doing their own things, Liste had paid a visit to a nearby pack. She had intended nothing of the visit, but came out with an invitation to join and a deep desire to accept. Something had held her back at the time of the immediate offer though. She knew that she would join but she was reluctant to do so without speaking to Angeal first. After such a short time she had grown so unbelievably fond of him. She hoped that he would want to come with her, and at the very least that he would still want to be a part of her life if he did not join. She knew that now was the time for her to address her thoughts. If anything, it could also provide insight into her questions about his feelings for her.



She took a deep breath and focused her gaze on him. I've been meaning to tell you something. Recently when we were both out of your den, I ended up on some pack lands by mistake. I met with the alphess and I was given an offer to join. She paused, hoping to catch some hint of how he was feeling in his reaction. The pack is so diverse and accepting of everyone and the lands are beautiful, it seemed so perfect. I want to join, but... I would love it if you would come with me. Her gaze fell to the ground at her feet and she pawed nervously at it. I know that you said you might like to join a pack some day, and I think it would be worth it for you to come see the lands and meet the members. If it isn't for you, I still want to spend time with you. I love spending time with you...



Her skin had grown hotter and hotter with every word. She worried that if she continued speaking her words would no longer make sense, so she just trailed off and hoped beyond hope that she would get a positive answer.

Tagged: Angeal | Word Count: 539

The male found his tail wagging slightly as Liste praised him, a smile flickering across his face as he examined her. "Well, thank you." Angeal responded with a slight nod, "But I enjoy telling stories." He liked seeing the way that her gaze seemed to light up when she listened, and though Angeal wasn't sure why, he liked seeing how happy she was when she listened to him. Her approach had largely gone unnoticed, but Angeal noticed absently that she was closer to him now than she had been before. The thought was almost a pleasant one, and against his will, he found himself drifting over slightly as well. They were close enough now that the ends of their fur brushed, and though Angeal hardly reacted, his thoughts were a jumble inside. What was he going to do? There was no denying that he felt strong emotions for her. But how could he hope that she would return them? And even if she did, would she still do so if she knew everything about him? Angeal rather doubted that. He had been a killer in days past, and how could any wolf care about a monster such as himself? A blessed distraction came in the form of Liste's voice in the air, reaching his ears from what sounded like a vast distance. The male shook his head slightly as he glanced towards her, ears pricking in the female's direction. A pack? And one that she liked. Hmm. Could he form a new life with her? One far away from old ghosts of his past? Angeal though that perhaps, perhaps, he might be able to. "Liste..." Angeal hesitated, then changed tactics swiftly. "I would follow you wherever you wish to go," The wolf lowered his head slightly in her direction, a smile flickering across his features. "I may not be fit to be a member of any pack, but I could try to be." And for her, he would try. He would try to be better. Speech

Liste

and i ran, i ran so far away

ooc;; This shall be short, just closing it up! I will start a thread in Ludicael after!





She felt the heat of him as he moved closer to her as well, and flushed even more. She couldn't explain why she felt so energized and so nervous around him. It was an unfirmiliar feeling, but one she very much enjoyed. She never wanted it to end.



Liste had done this impossible and shown her feelings just a little bit. As she waited for his response, her body was tense and she felt as though she was quivering with worry. Of course, his words put her at rest. Angeal would come. A wide smile spread across her maw before he had even finished speaking, and without thinking she let her body fall against his, softly nuzzling the side of his neck. She was on a high of pure joy. The thought came to her that perhaps this was too much, but she pushed it away. If today was the day to by daring, she wasn't stopping now.



Come then! she said excitedly as she rose to her feet, tail wagging. It's still early. I'll drag this deer away, and then I can bring you there! She didn't even bother waiting for a response. She just took up the deer in her mouth, with ease from the adrenaline coursing through her veins, and pranced off in the direction of the Ludicael mangrove.




-exit Liste-

Tagged: Angeal | Word Count: no idea

Standing stock still as Liste pressed herself against him, Angeal remained frozen for a long moment as she pulled away from him and spoke enthusiastically about heading immediately off to the interesting pack of which she spoke. "Here goes nothing," Angeal muttered, half to himself as he rose to his paws, inhaling the comforting scent of Liste as he tried to gather his strength and not worry about this too much. He would not let her down. With that, the male rose to his paws and shook himself vigorously before turning to pad after Liste, setting off in the direction of this pack that she spoke so highly of. Hopefully, hopefully, they would accept him and welcome him, as they would surely welcome her. [exit angeal!] Speech