Cut me loose My parachute won't let me fall Don't be afraid of a chance for a miracle ~*~ She was an inexperienced story teller at best, but she had enjoyed this, and was curious to think what the male would have to say. Would he be impressed by what her family could do? Would he be happy to hear about the happy ending? Perhaps Demyan here wasn't the best trial audience she could ask for, but he was all she had at the moment and she wanted him to have enjoyed the hearing as much as she did the telling. But she made her bow and no response came. "Demyan?" Orica cocked her head to the side, the peace in her eyes slowly fading to curiosity and then to worry. He hadn't said anything. She'd expected something - a comment or a smile or a thoughtful look as he tried to find some moral or come up with a story on his own. But he didn't do any of those. He just lay there, unreadable thoughts buzzing behind the windows to his soul as he kept looking at her. She shifted a little, rolling over part way to bring those little white forepaws against his shoulder, still tucked. She lifted her head a bit, searching his features for some kind of answer. For some reason her mind went back to the last pack meeting they'd had at Mt. Volkan, back when they'd still been a real pack. Gargoyle had spoken of volcanos and poor Cifer, usually the impassive, silent strong one, had torn out of there like a bat out of - oh wait... that was a bad word. She shouldn't think that. But anyway - he'd gone fast! Bad memories and experiences like that could leave scars on the mind - it was her first lesson about such things. And now she wondered, at first idly, and then troubled, if perhaps something similar went on with Demyans and bears. Had one of them hurt him? The little healer girl had never seen one for herself save from a peaceable, far off distance, but she knew enough tales to know they were nasty. All the same it was hard imagining Demyan to be scared of anything. She voiced a concerned whine, and then added a few words, "What's wrong?" ~*~

He didn't know what the customs were when it came to story telling, so he wasn't aware that after she was done telling her story, that he was supposed to make some kind of remark. Had he been another wolf, he would've praised her on her amazing story-telling ability. But since he wasn't, no praising comments left the man's lips. Although, if he could admit it to himself, her story was far better than any he could ever come up with or could ever tell her. None of the stories he had stored up, if one could call them stories, would be anything he would ever want to share with Orica. She was still rather innocent to the world and he didn't need to taint that with his horrific (to her) experiences.


Clearly there was something he was supposed to say because suddenly Orica was calling his name, her smaller head cocked to the side, worry overtaking her mesmerizing sapphires. He pushed his morbid thoughts aside, allowing whatever emotions were leaking into his eyes to fade away as he lifted his head, keeping his eyes on hers, ear perking forward at her question. What's wrong? Her concerned whine tore into him, making his ears fold flat against his head. What was wrong? Everything. This. Him and Her. Together, talking, her still breathing, him wanting to protect her, her giving up her family to be with him. This entire situation was completely wrong and yet the man was doing nothing to try and correct it. He simply lied there, unmoving, looking down at Orica, feeling his once dormant heart (metaphorically speaking) thudding unevenly in his chest. Nothing's wrong... He rumbled quietly, unable to share his thoughts with the little medic.


OOC: sorry for shitty post clashy, today isn't a good day for me




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Cut me loose My parachute won't let me fall Don't be afraid of a chance for a miracle ~*~ Orica heard his two little words. But she didn't believe him. He had that same look back neath the willows. The guilt. The folded ears. What was going on in that head of his? It hadn't been something she'd said, had it? What had triggered this? There might as well have been steel wall between Demyan's thoughts and Orica's, for all that the girl could understand. And then he went and said such a blatant lie. Orica understood not telling the truth. She understood glossing over things. But she couldn't stand for outright denial like that. "Please," she murmured. "Do what you must, but don't lie to me." Though her expression remained calm and observing, H=her narrow chest rose and fell softly with increased emotion. "Demyan," she said in as gentle matter-of-fact as she could. "In order to make this work, you have to talk to me. I understand that there are things you won't want to tell me - ever. And that's fine. Most of them, I don't want to hear. But here and now is what I'm focusing on, and I can only help you if you let me know where your head is at." She shifted a little, more, so that she was more on her belly, able to support her front weight with her furry whit elbows. As she brought her head close to his, she found herself wanting to kiss him again. It had worked so well last time, to erase the monsters from his mind - and yet somehow she knew that wasn't the only reason she wanted to. She liked him. But she couldn't think about that right now. This wasn't something that anyone else could do for him - he had to want to change himself. And for that he had to learn to be just a tad more honest - with her, and perhaps also with himself. ~*~

Of course she would smell that blatant lie to her marbled face. It was pretty hard not to notice it when he wasn't trying to cover it up. He knew he was lying to her and he did it anyways. Why? Because he didn't want to tell her what was really going on his head. What would she think if he told her that he was thinking about how her family would tear him limb from limb if they ever found out what he truly was and that he had been spending time with their innocent daughter? No one would take kindly to knowing that a murderer was skipping through the meadows with their darling daughter. And especially her family which had a legacy for eradicating those who lived to make the rest of the world suffer. Sure, he was a big strapping beast, but even the biggest trees fall. If her father and the rest of the pack set their mind to eliminating him, he would stand no chance. Not only that, but he would not retaliate. For as much as every instinct in his body would scream at him to spill their blood, he would raise no tooth or claw against them for the simple fact that they were Orica's family. If he were to hurt one of them, she would hate him for the rest of his pathetic life, however long it lasted, and he wasn't sure that he would be able to live with that knowledge, even though her hating him would be the right thing.


Please. Do what you must, but don't lie to me. Demyan, in order to make this work, you have to talk to me. I understand that there are things you won't want to tell me - ever. And that's fine. Most of them, I don't want to hear. But here and now is what I'm focusing on, and I can only help you if you let me know where your head is at. How could he deny her when she was talking to him like that, leaning up on her elbows as she closed the gap between their skulls just a teensy bit more. He looked down into her sapphires, seeing his own reflection in them. A monster in the presence of a beauty. Why didn't you tell your family about who I was and what I was when you had the chance? It was a simple question, rather evading having to spill his thoughts, but he knew she would catch on immediately without him having to reveal everything at once. He would've kept everything sealed away behind his solid steel wall that surrounded his mind, but he couldn't deny the little medic anything. There was just that something about her that spoke to a part of him he was never aware he had.




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Cut me loose My parachute won't let me fall Don't be afraid of a chance for a miracle ~*~ Orica heard his question, and cocked her head like a bird's. That's what was bothering him? Was it just pure curiosity? Or-or was he feeling too touched and unworthy that she'd held their meeting a secret? Or was Orica about to get in trouble for not being completely truthful to her parents? She blinked, thoughtfully. "You mean - back when we first met? Well because you saved my life." Wasn't it obvious? Her voice was quiet, hushed, but insistent. How could she turn over the whole story when she knew what would happen. Whatever she might say to her father, he would've at least gathered a party to track down Demyan and question things for himself. And Orica knew what he would find - what anyone would've found. It was only she who had glimpsed the hope of something more. "And for another thing," she added, "I thought... I thought that was probably the last time I'd ever see you." A thread of saddness wormed it's way into that statement, despite her best efforts. There was a bitter-sweetness to this meeting - with the way it had began, there could be no other way - but Orica, with the decisions she'd made now and the conviction she had that she could help Demyan change for the better, wouldn't have had it any other way. She was glad their paths had crossed again - otherwise... otherwise his soul would've been lost to the darkness. "And-" she wanted to voice these thoughts, but knowing how hard it would be slowed her tongue. "-back then I thought it was going to be easier. I thought- after what you did- I thought maybe you would come out a better person..." Of course she'd been wrong there. And it wasn't that she meant to point it out. She was just explaining. She'd been naive. And she'd allowed herself to think like that because of the faith she held in wolves. She didn't think it was wrong of her - not really, but she knew she would've gotten in trouble for keeping it a secret. Still might if everything were to unravel, espically if Demyan was unready. "I get it though now, I do.-" Her voice softened to little more than a whisper: "You're different around me." She'd been quite sober faced and serious this whole time, but there, she couldn't help to let glow a soft hint of smile. "You've let me help you before - even though you bawled like a baby-" Yes, she felt confident enough to taunt him gently like that. He had been all snarls and growl s and yowls of pain when she'd pulled those wood splinters out of his back. "- and since you'll let me, I don't intend to give up on you now." ~*~

Beautiful in every sense of the word. Mind, body and soul. Beautiful. He never thought he would be able to call another living creature beautiful but that's what Orica was. It would be completely unfair to her to think of her as otherwise. Even her mannerisms, the simple tilt of her head like she was doing now made the word beautiful flash again and again in his mind, almost like a neon sign. She screamed beauty to him; would he have ever known what beauty was if he had never met her? Most likely not. You mean - back when we first met? Well because you saved my life. He nodded gently, lowering his head just a tad more, leaving only inches between his nose and her muzzle, his now gentle gaze settled on her marbled features. Her answer was simple enough. Well because you saved my life. It had to be more complicated than that. She couldn't have not ratted him out to her family just because he'd saved her life. There had to be more.


And for another thing. I thought... I thought that was probably the last time I'd ever see you. He didn't understand the pang of sadness that coated her words, but then again, maybe he did. Because he too, or at least a part of him, had feared that he would never again be graced with the honor of seeing her beautiful little marbled self ever again. His jaws slackened, about to tell her that he had also been afraid that it would be the last time they would ever see each other when she piqued up again. And back then I thought it was going to be easier. I thought- after what you did- I thought maybe you would come out a better person... A bittersweet smirk tugged at the corner of his pale lips, his eyes clouding with mixed emotions. She truly was even more innocent than he'd given her credit for. Or at least, she used to be. I get it though now, I do. You're different around me. At least now it was out in the open between them. You've let me help you before - even though you bawled like a baby- He narrowed his eyes at her, closing the gap between their muzzles as he gently bumped hers with his nose, something close to a growl, though lacking very much in strength, rumbled in his massive chest. He didn't pull back as she continued, wondering if she would react to his touch and if she did what kind of reaction would it be. And since you'll let me, I don't intend to give up on you now. He met her gaze with his own unwavering cyan one. You really are something else.





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Cut me loose My parachute won't let me fall Don't be afraid of a chance for a miracle ~*~ His touch came as a bit of a surprise, and it caused her to hasten slightly through those last important words. The growl he'd given, though she knew it to be just pretend, sent her heart pounding a little... but... not with fear? Oh that didn't make any sense at all. She almost giggled at the end, when the moving of her own muzzle as she spoke, made him have to shift his nose slightly, but the giggle folded away when she saw how in earnest he was. She hoped he would give her some form of agreement. Though perhaps that was the point of his gesture. The words to come out of his mouth though, were as sincere and sober a complement as Orica had ever received. And yet, just like the rest of him ti was a riddle she'd have to unravel. 'Something else' he'd called her; Was it a jibe at how naive she'd been? No no, that didn't seem it. He meant it well, she could tell. Did it mean he was amazed by the decisions she'd made on her own? She grinned gently, her tail giving a wag or two. It was what she could herself surprised at sometimes. But then, she'd at least had that talk with her mother regarding the good and the bad and the endless grey in between. It helped. And it had told her that her instincts were in the right place. Now something new entered her mind though. The sparks that had come with his nose against her muzzle, were at first so sublte that she hadn't realized what they were. The longer Demyan lingered there, however, the bolder they grew, until Orica felt her cheeks burning again. After a few moments she had to pull away, but it wasn't a sharp, afronted movement, it was a comfortable, slow one, and then unconsciously, that white muzzle of hers opened up into a yawn, showing a light red tongue and rows of sharp little pearls. She as tired, and still too young to have any good reason to avoid sleep when she wanted it. The story she'd told had taken some time and yet the snow was still falling thickly outside. Looks like they'd be in for the long haul, but Orica didn't mind. The girl rose just enough to put weight on her fore paws, and turned in to Demyan, her head and shoulders brushing against him as she curled back on herself and into the little ball she preferred to sleep in. Her head now rested somewhere along the grey hunter's side, pillowed in her own tail fluff. She didn't mind that she'd left the conversation sort of hanging in a way, she'd figured that that was as good a place to end as any. He'd come out and asked what had been weighing on his mind, and she ended up saying more than she'd even meant. Seemed just about everything was in the open between them, and now Orica felt she could rest in peace. Whenever the snow settled, this meeting would have to be wrapped up. She'd go back to check on Bob and the wire haired creature, and then back to her family. Soon her parent's second litter would be being born and she'd want to be there for that, but then she'd get out of their way and come back to Demyan. It felt right with her. And perhaps a long line of young wanderers in her blood had something to do with it. They all left the nest at some point, and she at least planned on returning before too long. It was all decided on, and Orica was ready for the new stage of her life to start. .... right after... she had.... a nap.... She would stay conscious for just a little while, in case Demyan had something else to say, but if no words came to anchor her in the waking world, she'd soon be slipping off. Her breathing becoming deep and slow, her eyes fluttering gently amidst her dreams; totally at peace beside the belly of the beast. (ooc: unless there's something else you had hoped/planned for this thread, I'm ready to end it and start planning the next one. I think four pages is a respectable length xD ) ~*~

He had no idea what love was, what these feelings were that she causing, the ones that seemed to have taken permanent residence within his chest. But he didn't care. They all came with Orica, so he would gladly accept them. But as the time between them lengthened, he could only feel those feelings growing in size, gaining strength with each passing day. Were he another wolf, he would've realized that perhaps he was falling in love with the tiny marbled healer, but a monster who knew nothing of love could not detect such developing feelings. He only knew that he liked her and that each day, or actually, each moment that passed only made him like her more. And he knew for a fact that these feelings would not go away. She had told him that she was going to stay with him from now on, which meant that he would have her with him every single day, at all hours of the day. She was going to stay with him to help him, to hopefully try and change the monster he'd made himself into. To maybe bring out the better side of him that had laid dormant in the shadows of its darker side. He had never been one to see things in a good light, but this little healer was beginning to open his eyes to many new things.


He didn't pull away to widen the gap between their muzzles again, but instead remained where he was, his nose still gently pressed against her muzzle, his cyan eyes intent on her face, trying to read her reaction. At first it seemed like his touch didn't affect her any, but then slowly, he could see a rosy tint peek out from beneath her pale cheeks. He had no idea what the color was, so it was natural for him to be confused about it, especially when she pulled away. Had she not liked it? He couldn't tell and he wasn't about to start asking her, not when her jaws were splitting apart in a yawn. She was tired. That much he could understand. And how could she not. She'd done so much this day, it was only right for her to take a rest. She deserved it. Only then did the gargantuan pull him muzzle away, watching as she lifted herself to where her forepaws were back under her, curling her body into the same fluff ball like she had that first night, leaning her shoulder against his belly, her tail acting like a pillow for her head. He could sense that their meeting was slowly coming to a close and he didn't like it. He didn't want to part from the little healer again, but all good things had to come to an end. But this wouldn't be the end. She told him she was going to stay with him, and she was going to stay true to her word, wasn't she?


Demyan stretched out a bit more, extending his forepaws out and around, curling his larger mass around Orica's smaller frame, allowing his massive head to come down and rest against his legs, ears gently tucking against his head. The storm was still raging outside their shelter, but he didn't care. It wasn't affecting them any; they were more than safe in their cavern shelter. Onyx tipped plume was thrown over her smaller frame, nearly hiding her from view. She had enough warmth between her own and his to be comfortable, but he still covered her with her tail, in case any rogue breezes decided to slink their way into the cavern. There was no use for anymore words; everything that needed to be said had been said. Now it was simply time to rest. Tomorrow, if the storm calmed, it would be a new day. Grey lids slowly slid down over his eyes, hiding them from the world as his mind drifted off, his breathing becoming steady. The leopard at the corner of the cavern was well into his sleep, his lengthy tail curled around himself to keep warm. And so the trio drifted off to sleep, the oddest bunch anyone would ever lay eyes on.


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