With dejection the red-marked wolf turned to the girl and listened to her speak, terrified at what would happen when inevitably she would execute her relentless inquisition into his behavior, but to his amazement she didn?t so much as try. What she did say may have been even worse - a bona fide heavyweight class one-two punch of an attack on the already beaten Frayer! First she would go so low as to ?admit? that she never tried to stand up for the unfortunate pup as he was exiled from his home, which of course was a lie - she couldn?t let her greatest reusable excuse and scapegoat be forced away! What?s worse, after saying that, she rubbed salt on the wound with another helping of the fraudulent altruism with an ?apology?! The heartless shrew - the scheming hellion! The -
?What if she is being genuine?? interrupted once more the trickster?s conscience, ?What if, ever since the beginning, she had honestly been nice, every word of sympathy and call to friendship a true one? Then the story of the poor pup named Frayer would have meant nothing... all of the evil and loneliness of our past and all of the wicked ways of our present would be your own fault! Your entire life changed in just a single moment the first time your mind said ?be skeptical?!?
These thoughts couldn?t belong to him, surely! It wasn?t like old Frayer at all to believe anyone could be telling the truth, let alone his oldest rival. It had to be some demon possessing him who had first pushed his suggestions, then altered his actions, and now even poisoned his very thoughts directly! Of course Sheylie was lying - there was no other way it could be.
?The evidence stands against your position, spiteful one. Just use those masterfully honed senses you are so proud of and you could see how true she is!? He snarled and snapped at his other mind - not out loud, but where only he could hear, ?They cannot be trusted! Obviously they had let me astray so far, and left me unaware of the damage that the treacherous girl could do. She is a great actor, and has led the both of us into this trap that I cannot free us from!?
His red eyes lit up in delight as his thoughts came to a realization, "But wait, if she is being genuine, and she really does care, that means I have her on a string! It would be so easy to just -" - "Don't you even think about it, you devil!" - "Oh, now you're making demands of me?! You can make me do nothing, and you will convince me of nothing, you alien manipulator. I wish you had a physical throat so I could rip it out and no longer hear you!"
"I cannot be silenced any longer. You cannot remove me; I am a part of you - the good and honorable mind of the wolf you could have been - or still can be! Can't you just imagine it - oh of course you can, I can for you! You would be the much praised and more loved hero, protector of your pack. Never again would you spend a night wallowing in miserable solitude as your loyal companion lay beside you, keeping you always warm. And you wouldn't need that old tigerseye gemstone anymore; you'd have these two perfect, bright sapphires to admire every night..."
In that moment the black beast realized he had been staring into the deep blue eyes of Sheylie for quite a time during his internal arguments. In embarrassment and anger, he turned away sharply, forcing a grunt of feigned displeasure as his cheeks burned red-hot. ?I don?t love her...? he thought, and thought responded, ?Your lies become more transparent with each one that you tell. Just let me save us, please...? Seconds continued to pass while the two sides of Frayer were at a stalemate for control over the body, so no words - good or bad - were said, and neither could he keep his gaze away as his eyes occasionally wandered back shyly to look upon the divine she-wolf that he could not confess himself to. What a mess the once so sly Frayer had become, stunned in a wordless, dumbfounded stasis that only she could break.
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