It's a Seeker's Game

Caedes's gaze softened at Mariah's words, a flicker of vulnerability showing beneath his hard surface, before it was crushed as he pushed it down. A line of thought to follow at a different time. He was a brutal creature, capable of great cruelty and wickedness, but in her presence, he felt a yearning for something more – something he couldn't quite name. He did not know what to do with the sensation. He let her statement die with a subtle nod, unwilling to further delve into what he did and did not deserve.

And when his jealousy came just shy of a boiling point, her gentle touch against his chest sent a jolt of electricity through him, stirring his longing up anew – which he struggled to contain as his breath came unsteadily. He was thinking of hunting down that soul mate of her’s, killing the swine before she could ever meet him – an impossible desire that he fully planned on enacting, until her words soothed his agitation. He was not a mere exception. She was letting him decide what he wanted to be to her, and where he fit in her life. Caedes’ gaze bore into her own, disarmed by her immediately as she calmed his insecurity as if she had done it thousands of times before. Insanity. He chose not to speak, but to push forward into her space. His snout finding a resting point against the back of her neck, his skull craned over her smaller one as he settled into the scent of her. Grounding himself. Actions speak louder than words, don't they? This is where he belonged.

As Mariah continued to explain the ways of her family, the complicated expectations they sought. The notion of a matriarchal society intrigued him, almost an exact opposite of his own family. "A matriarchy," He mused aloud, wondering of the implications, wondering how much different that must have been. A leader that didn’t think with their dick? Sounded too good to be true. No offense to his dear cousin, of course. He wanted to laugh at the appeal. Caedes was finding the worship of a woman quite compelling at the moment. "Show me?" He breathed into her fur, the rumble of his voice strong and steady. If her task was to bring back her soulmate… he wanted to be the one she brought back. Greedy beast that he was. What it meant for him as a Saxe? He was much too inebriated by her presence to really give a damn at the moment. He chose his wicked delights; desire burning in his abdomen yet sorely neglected in favor of intelligent conversation. But when she offered him the opportunity to ask questions, a chance to understand the complexities of her upbringing, he snapped himself out of his intoxication. "Tell me," He began, begrudgingly breaking off his embrace to meet her silver orbs, half beckoning her to give him command. "What would your family expect of me? Blind follower or not, What would you have me do?" He had his own purposes, his loyalty to his kin. Though he had told her, she would find no fear in him. Not of consequence, Not of tribulation. His gaze said as much, more than words ever could.