More and more recently, Rogue had been deliberately avoiding being around Ashen. Ever since his mother had abdicated her throne to his uncle and his title of prince had become more of a ceremonial ranking than a true status, the young brute had been sullen and ill-tempered whenever he was home. He hated being reminded of his family's fall from grace. He hated seeing this new cluster of Kleins relishing in the luxuries of royalty that he and his family had lost due to no fault of his own. He hated Chimera and his harem of whores begging to suck his dick and his horde of children. He hated everything about what had happened to Ashen. Now his home no longer truly felt like a home to him. With no reason to stick around, Rogue had spent most of his days out wandering the wild lands, trying to live the debonair playboy lifestyle his father had done back in his youth. It certainly beat sticking around in this cesspool of a degenerate family mess...

But despite all his objections and loathing for the Chimera sect of Kleins, the young prince had to return to Ashen from time to time to show his face, if for no other reason than to let his parents know he was still alive and well. That was why the midnight sky wolf was back in Ashen now, milling about just to make his presence... well, present. He'd be back out in the wilds once more soon enough, but for now he sulked about the Empire, lounging out on the southern coast of their lands and listening to the calming waves of the ocean and the cries of the gulls in the skies. Giant paws crunched through the soft golden sands between his toes, feeling the occasional cool lap of the water as it ran up to touch him before retreating back once more. Even in early autumn, the days still felt like summer, with bright sunshine warming the land and his coat and a gentle coastal breeze keeping him refreshed as it tousled his fur. Rogue was headed nowhere in particular, just meandering down the beach, not really paying attention to where he was going nor caring where he ended up, his mind a million miles away and lost in the memories and fantasies of beautiful young faes he could be losing himself in.

"Rogue Klein"

At the edges of the avian estuary, the marsh landscape morphed into a dense, woodland forest.  And somehow, after filling her belly with a goose she’d hunted, she ended up right at the entrance of it. Chimera had mentioned this place to her - along with the island he called his family’s ‘stronghold’, as part of his kingdom. Oh, and of course, the estuary where he’d found her ‘trespassing’. Tsk. These damn kings who thought they are entitled to thrones- it irked the hell out of her, because she technically belonged to him now. Like a fucking toy. And that left a nasty, bitter taste in her mouth. Someday, she would grow strong enough to beat the pervert in a battle, win her freedom back, and go out to explore the rest of the world as a free girl. But hey, for now, she might as well piss all over his ravines, marshlands, and that island. After navigating through the grassy, wooded landscape, Nimue emerged from the treeline where the forest transitioned into the coast side. The intensity of the midday sun made her eyes squint, given it was amplified against the surface of the ocean. So it took a few moments for her sight to adjust- and for her to notice the huge guy sauntering along the shore. Reflexively her pelt bristled, ears flattening out to the sides as she hung back in the shadows to watch him. Wanting to observe his meandering, to decide if she was going to approach him or not. He seemed roughly around her age, or maybe a bit older- and his pelt was… different in comparison to the monochrome palettes she’d seen from Chimera and his snot-nosed kids. Extending her neck out she sniffed the salty air and yep, he smelt like Ashen. So if he wasn’t one of Chimera’s kids, who was he? Assessing him, evaluating the data, and contemplating if she should approach him. Nimue concludes that hey, why not go and stir up some trouble? And so, she emerges from the shadows of the forest, walking directly up to the boy who was a freaking giant compared to her. At first, she said nothing- only attempted to approach him from behind, before slinking up beside him, matching his pace until he noticed her and then attempting to pivot out in front of him - to cut him off. Staring up at him, her eyes narrow slightly- studying him further, forming assumptions in her head, and lingering uncomfortably close in his personal space. “Who the hell are you?” She finally says, tilting her head slightly- the expression on her face contemplative and curious, but also guarded. ”Speech”

Rogue was not an imperceptive wolf by any means. He didn't meander about through life carelessly like some idiot savant, getting by on pure luck and happenstance. While no master hunter, the prince's senses were at the very least as finely tuned as any wolf around his age. Which was what made the sudden appearance of another at his side so alarming. Rogue had zero inclination to the stranger's presence while lost in his own loathing thoughts, until he heard the soft crunch of sand at his side that didn't quite line up with his own steps. An ear swiveled toward the sound, then his head turned, and before he knew it a blur of earthen hues bolted in front of his path. "Whoa! What the hell?!" Rogue stumbled to a stop, a forepaw frozen in midair and amethyst eyes wide in shock as his mind raced to process what he was looking at. A canine. A wolf. A very tiny wolf. Holy shit how did she get that small?! Was this someone's pup? No, her features looked far too mature to be a child. Adolescent, maybe, but no child. She was just that freaking small!

Before he could give any sort of reaction, the girl was demanding to know who he was, studying him like a scientist might study an unknown species just discovered. What the fuck? Rogue blinked, twilight eyes staring dumbfounded at the diminutive fae like he was hallucinating her very existence. She was clad in earthy brown fur that clung to her lithe body, and her eyes were almost a mirror image of his own. Mouth opened, but no words came out. His mouth closed again—opened once more, then he cocked his head to the side, studying her back just as quizzically. "I could ask you the same thing, since you're in my home," he retorted. The dire brute took a moment to sample her scent, which was easy to do given how right freaking up close she was to him gods damn did she not know about personal space?

She smelled faintly of Ashen, definitely a pack wolf, though the scent not clinging to her the way it did to himself. She must have been new. Another downside to no longer being an alpha's child: you weren't kept abreast of all the goings-on in the pack. "I'm Rogue. And you must be one of my uncle's newest fuck toys, right? So did he buy you or kidnap you?" The words he spat out were growled with disdain as he considered the small fae. She was tiny, much more so than any of Chimera's other wives, but maybe his perverse kinks had just evolved. What number would that make this one? Five? Six? Lecherous old bastard... He was turning Ashen into a joke, a shadow of its former glory while he lusted and glutted himself in it like a brothel.

"Rogue Klein"

Man, catching this dude by surprise made Nimue feel good- she’d always been a stealthy creature, being so tiny and all. Oh, and her brown coat helped her blend into a lot of sceneries. But something about being stealthy in someone else’s home was euphoric. What else could she get away with? A haughty expression almost cracked her features, but she fought it off- remaining guarded, and hard to read. He seemed just as interested, based on how he sniffed at her and started analyzing her with his eyes. Oh, they looked like hers. Amethyst eyes weren’t rare or anything- but it was an interesting observation to be made. And the way his mouth dropped open- repeatedly at that - as if he was struggling to find the words to say to her. It sent a tingle down her spine. Lost for words pretty boy? Until finally, he snapped back at her- declaring this was ‘his home’ which made her right brow raise. Still, she’d let him have another word if he wanted to- deciding to give him the floor, if he chose to make this encounter more interesting. And if he turned out to be dull, she’d keep questioning him. Good plan. But what he said next, completely turned the tides of their introduction- giving her his name, before calling her a damn fuck toy. Her expression suddenly fell flat, but her eyes never left his. Rage filled her, and out of reflex she flattened her ears and bristled her pelt. The growl rising up in her throat tasting like venom, until it bubbled out of gaping jaws. She wasn’t a fucking toy- never mind a fuck toy for that old pervert. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t even contemplate her actions. Like a coiled spring, Nimue shot up from the ground, leaping up at the male. Her jaws splayed open, snapping at his face while her front paws tried to wrap around his neck.   ”Speech”

Nimue vs Rogue for Dominance
Round 1/2
Age: >1 year
Size: Extra small
Build: Light
Skills: Novice Fighter & Novice Intellectual

The little fae remained impassive as ever while he studied her and spoke, her expression ever so carefully guarded. Whoever the hell she was, she was damned good at maintaining a poker face. But when he asked if she was Chimera's newest whore, the whole game changed. Her expression shifted, something switching on in her eyes and her smile falling. Oh, had he struck a nerve? The corner of Rogue's lips curled upward in the trademark Klein smirk, celebrating his little victory—though perhaps too soon. With ears flattened and fur bristled, the strange girl launched herself at him, all teeth and claws and violence. The instant shift in tone once again caught Rogue off guard, and despite their impressive size difference, the fae's fangs did manage to find purchase at his fur and skin, though closer to around his collarbone than reaching his face.

Rogue cried out in surprise and recoiled, stumbling backward away from the savage assault as he took the brunt of the stings from her bites, but when she tried to grapple him he flexed the diamond quills hidden in his scruff to prick at her paws as they went for his neck. Thanks, Mom! "The fuck is wrong with you?!" he snapped back at the feral fae, sunset eyes narrowing to points as he backpedaled away to put some space between them before he lunged forward, aiming to use his larger size and broader body to slam into hers and throw her off her paws. While he did, he couldn't resist getting one more verbal jab in at her, all wicked grins as he taunted her, "Oh, you were kidnapped for sure! What'd he do, just scruff you like a pup and carry you away to his sex dungeon or something?" Yeah, he was asking for it, but he enjoyed riling up the stranger. If she was one of Chimera's floozies, then it was exactly what she deserved.

"Rogue Klein"

Rogue vs Nimue for Dominance
Round 1/2
Age: 1+ years
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Balanced
Offensive Battle Accessory: Obsidian Dagger
Defensive Battle Accessory: Bracers
Companion 1: Sparrowhawk, Male - Perception
Companion 2: Jackal, Female - Battle
Mutation 1: Black diamond scruff quills - Defensive
Mutation 2: Black diamond retractable claws - Offensive
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Intermediate Intellectual
Specialty:

Sure, trying to reach his face had been a long shot- but in her assault, Nimue hadn’t thought too hard on the logistics. In fact, she hadn’t thought at all before she leaped up at him, hell-bent on grabbing his skin between her teeth. And boy, did she bite him- the second her jaws grabbed a chunk of his body, she bit down, hard. Wanting pain to ignite across his body, even if it was short-lived. Because it served him right. She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck- wanted to pull him in close and choke the fucking life out of him. And she might have done it too, it something didn’t poke her paws when they touched his nape. A yelp escaped her, and she fumbled from the unexpected pain. What the hell was that! And it forced her to release her bite and fall back to the ground. While Rouge stumbled back, Nimue picked herself back up- growling at his next round of insults, and coiling her strength into her back legs to lunge forward again. But this time, the man beat her to the punch- his massive body barreling towards her, giving her but a split second to react. She tried to leap out to the side, and out of his way, but she couldn’t avoid him completely- their shoulders colliding, which caused her to stumble back several feet. It took a lot of dexterity to keep herself from completely stumbling over- and she didn’t look pretty trying to keep herself upright. “You’re sick in the damn head!” She almost screamed at him, pivoting to bring them perpendicular before lunging again. The pain in her shoulder was throbbing, so she fell a little short- but she planned to jump onto him from the side, like a vicious velociraptor jumping on its prey. This time, she’d avoid whatever the hell those spiky things were- jaws snapping at anything and everything, trying to bite him.   ”Speech”

Nimue vs Rogue for Dominance
Round 2/2
Age: >1 year
Size: Extra small
Build: Light
Skills: Novice Fighter & Novice Intellectual

The yelp his quills elicited from her was delightful! Rogue was no sadist, but he couldn't deny how pleasant it was to see the little heathen's brute tactics come back to bite her in the ass. Still, he didn't want permanent injury to be caused; they'd have to check to make sure she hadn't skewered her paw too severely afterwards. The tiny fae tried to recover and dodge him, but Rogue was like a boulder compared to her. Knocking into her and sending her tumbling had felt good, a proud princely smirk on the dire brute's muzzle as he turned to face his opponent once more. But she was quick—far quicker than he expected as she shouted at him and then Rogue felt a weight land on his side and stick. Claws and jaws biting hard down into skin and muscle, hard enough to draw blood as he yelped in pain and surprise. What the fuck was this little demon?! Part wolverine or something, or was she just rabid?

Rogue stumbled a bit as her weight hit him, but instead of taking the brunt of her assault this time, Rogue decided to go for broke and leaned into the momentum, toppling himself over and attempting to use the movement to roll them both across the sand. Hopefully he would be able to pin her beneath his much larger body in the process. He didn't want to smother her or anything, but hey, she chose to cling onto him like a spider monkey!

"Rogue Klein"

Rogue vs Nimue for Dominance
Round 2/2
Age: 1+ years
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Balanced
Offensive Battle Accessory: Obsidian Dagger
Defensive Battle Accessory: Bracers
Companion 1: Sparrowhawk, Male - Perception
Companion 2: Jackal, Female - Battle
Mutation 1: Black diamond scruff quills - Defensive
Mutation 2: Black diamond retractable claws - Offensive
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Intermediate Intellectual
Specialty:

And the winner is...

ROGUE

NIMUE must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: ROGUE: Attack Roll: 54 Defense Roll: 66 Agility Roll: 49 Perception Roll: 64 Total: 233 Attack[54] + 45% Bonus[24.30]: 78.30 Defense[66] + 20% Bonus[13.20]: 79.20 Agility[49] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 49.00 Perception[64] + 20% Bonus[12.80]: 76.80 Total[283.30] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 283.30 NIMUE: Attack Roll: 50 Defense Roll: 57 Agility Roll: 95 Perception Roll: 37 Total: 239 Attack[50] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 50.00 Defense[57] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 57.00 Agility[95] + 15% Bonus[14.25]: 109.25 Perception[37] + 5% Bonus[1.85]: 38.85 Total[255.10] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 255.10

Sinking her teeth into his skin, Nimue felt the pop of it breaking against her lips- blood slowly weeping from the wound, which brought on a wave of satisfaction. Served him right. And then, Nimue tried to anchor herself against him - a basically impossible feat, given he was so much larger - trying to wrap her paws over him while avoiding those prickly things. But of course, Rogue wasn’t going to lay down and take her assault. He’d stumbled back at first, but now he was following the momentum, toppling himself over which made her land on top of him in those initial moments. Ha! She won! But then, he kept rolling- using his weight and the momentum to aid him, as he pulled her with him and almost squished her beneath his massive body. Oof! A growl rumbled inside of her, the gritty feel of the sand pressing against her back as she ended up pinned beneath him once they stopped rolling. (Insert Nala and Simba roll here.) Squirming and throwing her paws up at his chest, she tried to dislodge him and worm her way out from under him. But he was too damn strong and heavy. Fatass! “Get off me!” She hissed, gritting her teeth and glaring up at him, disdain painting every inch of her facial features. ”Speech”

There was a piercing pain that popped through Rogue’s side as Nimue’s fangs sunk a vicious bite into him, earning a teeth gritted growl from the dire brute. Fuck, that hurt! The pain only made the Klein prince want sweet, sweet victory all the more voraciously though, and his efforts were rewarded when his rolling maneuver that he definitely meant to do and wasn’t just going with the flow wound up with him on top of the scrappy little heathen. Unfortunately for the earth-hued fae, Rogue could not feel the love tonight, just the stinging pain of her bite, and with bared fangs and narrowed eyes, he slammed animus to the soft sands, pinning her body beneath him with one giant paw pressing down on her sternum.

Even in victory, the battle wasn’t over yet. Rogue was panting, breathing hard to catch his breath while taut muscles rippled and flexed as he fought against the fae’s struggling and thrashing, blood dripping down his leg as they wrestled against one another’s strength. Try as she might (and oh boy, did she try!), her short legs couldn’t reach up to him when he towered over her at his full height, using his greater size and weight to hold her down on the ground. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Stop fighting, it’s over!" he growled down at her, flexing his paw over her chest to press those deadly diamond claws into her skin, not enough to pierce her flesh, but enough to threaten that he could. "If I let you up, are you gonna chill the fuck out?" Rogue didn’t relish the idea of letting go of the psychotic little rage weasel just to wind up getting bit again.

"Rogue Klein"

Despite all her squirming and writhing, Nimue wasn’t remotely strong enough to dislodge him- in fact, she didn’t budge him at all. He just kept shoving his weight against her, that massive paw on her chest pushing the air out of her lungs. She couldn’t get any relief even if she took a bigger breath, and something sharp was pressing into her skin, sorta like claws but worse. What this guy a mutant or something? And his panting, yuck, she could smell his freaking breath with how hard he was gasping. Blood trucking down from his wound and onto her body, which grossed her out even more. “Yeah yeah whatever!” She hissed, slowly stopping her squirming. She was gasping for air too, because his paw was so damn heavy. “Just stop bleeding on me already!” The wetness of the blood matting her fur made her skin crawl, making her angrier than losing the fight did. And if he did let her up, Nimue would take a sudden gasp of air- filling her lungs, panting to catch her breath now the weight of his paw wasn’t holding her down. Flipping off her back and onto her side, she kept glaring up at him- staring daggers into that muscular, handsome body. Yuck yuck yuck. “Don’t ever call me a whore again.” She warned, making it known his comment had been the catalyst to her rage. “I’ve been with no one! And certainly not that old pervert.” Obviously referring to Chimera. She wanted his misconception correctly immediately. She was no ones whore. ”Speech”

Rogue was immediately suspicious of the scrappy little wolf when she so quickly agreed to simmer down if he let her up. She had attacked him, after all. Could he really trust that she wouldn’t try something dumb a second time? Sunset eyes narrowed to suspicious squints as he scrutinized the diminutive fae’s words. He didn’t care if he was bleeding on her; it was her own damn fault for assaulting him so savagely. Eventually her squirming and thrashing did die down enough for him to suspect she wasn’t going to be a threat, and the Klein prince released his hold on her, removing his paw and weight from her chest. Rogue took a couple steps back to give her space to get up and breathe, but his eyes remained trained on her all the while—just in case. Fool me once, and all that…

As the girl rose, Rogue would simply scoff and roll his eyes at her. Why were the pretty ones such idiots sometimes? "Yeah yeah, whatever…" he muttered as he trudged his way down towards the water to wash off his wound. It wasn’t anything serious, just a surface level bite, and would clot on its own with time. She demanded he never call her a whore again and once more Rogue rolled his eyes as he waded into the shallow surf. "You reek of my uncle, which means you’re either one of his bedmates or one of his children, and you don’t exactly look like the rest of his thousand little bastards. So forgive my natural assumption that you were one of his trophies." There was a bit of an edge in Rogue’s voice when he spoke of Chimera, the disdain for Ashen’s alpha clear in his tone. A shared opinion between the two, evident in how they both spoke of him.

Once he’d reached a deep enough point of the surf, Rogue flopped his body down in the water, soaking himself thoroughly and rinsing his wound out with the saltwater. It stung like a bitch, but it sure as hell beat leaving whatever germs she had in her mouth fester on his skin. She could’ve been rabid for all he knew! After a couple splashing rolls, Rogue rose to his paws and returned to the beach, his drenched coat clinging to his body, shifting subtly with every movement and ripple of muscle. Was he trying to show off to her? Hell no, absolutely not! She just tried to maul him for gods’ sakes! "Here, let me see your paw. My quills might’ve cut you." He offered his paw out to hers, asking her permission to inspect her pads for wounds. He hadn’t intended to hurt her, she had just happened to provoke his natural defense mechanisms.

"Rogue Klein"

Huffing and puffing, she’d slowly catch her breath- though, the way her sides rose and fell, creating outward retractions of her subcostal muscles, made it seem like she was gasping. His damn heavy paw. Sometimes Nimue wondered how different it would be, if she’d been born a giant- to have the power and strength to hold someone down, to watch them squirm in anguish beneath her paw. Maybe she would have stood a chance against this dude. But alas, fantasies were just that- fantasies. Fleeting thoughts that came and went on a whim. And boy, they went. Her mind momentarily went blank as he strolled away from her, mumbling under his breath and entering the shallows of the tide. He’d talk about Chimera while he flopped around. Drenching his midnight coat, washing away the blood on his chest, taking his time. And when he was finished, he emerged from the water like a model on baywatch- his fur clinging to his body like a second skin, outlining every nook and cranny of his youthful musculature- leaving nothing to the imagination. Admittedly, Nimue was captivated- she hadn’t seen anything like that before. A foreign wave of emotion washed over her- igniting a tickle in her gut, one that rose into her back and crawled down her spine. What the hell? Still, she’d keep glaring at him, revisiting his statement about Chimera in her head as he approached. He asked for her paw, wanting to inspect it, talking about quills. Quills? Like, porcupine quills? Now she was confused as hell. “What do you mean quills?” She blurted out, looking him up and down, suspicion contorting her features. ”What are you, a mutant?” Why the hell did he have quills? There’s no way that was natural- he had to be a science experiment or something. Although she wanted to resist his help, and she did for a few moments- keeping her bleeding paw close to her chest, glaring daggers- but eventually, she gave in. Slowly, she’d extend her paw out to him, allowing him to inspect it. And while he did, her mind revisited his statement about Chimera again. “Sounds like he’s your favorite uncle.” She’d say, sarcastic and a little bitter. “He caught me in the estuary, killing a bird. I hadn’t eaten in days.” She’d stop there, reluctant to tell him the whole story. ”Speech”

Rogue shot Nimue a questioning look when she continued to glare at him and asked if he was some sort of mutant. She must have been new around these lands, otherwise she surely would've met other wolves with mutations before, right? It seemed like everyone and their mother had some sort of genetic variance these days that made them... special. The way she looked him up and down, studying his body made him feel... strange. Ordinarily he quite liked when faes ogled him, but in this case, it felt more like Nimue was trying to find something wrong with him. She asked if he was a mutant, probably more in ridicule than in true curiosity, but Rogue just shrugged it off.

"Uh, yeah, I guess...? They are mutations technically. My mother has quills too, which is where I got them from." Rogue slid his body down to the sand with a languid stretch of taut muscles, letting his belly rest on the warm sands and bringing himself down to Nimue's level. He gestured with a tip of his muzzle to his back, namely his scruff, inviting her to take a look if she wanted. With his fur wet, the glisten of his black diamond quills was much more noticeable in the sunlight, each long spine of smooth, sharp gemstone resting against the back of his neck, relaxed and disarmed. "My claws are the same way, but I don't know where they came from. Neither of my parents have special claws." To showcase his point, Rogue lifted a giant paw and flexed his digits, exposing the retractable black diamond claws that were hidden away, matching his quills perfectly.

Nimue remained defensive around him, initially showing little acknowledgement to his offer to aid her. Rogue had half expected this—but he hadn't expected her to eventually relent and let him help her. With her paw offered, Rogue reached forward to gently take her injured paw in his own. He inspected her paw; so small, so dainty, yet so dangerous. Sure enough, his quills had broken the skin on her paw pads. It didn't look too bad on initial triage, but she'd definitely want to clean it up and get some salve on it. While he inspected her wound, Nimue made a snarky remark about Chimera, one that earned her a sardonic laugh from the dire brute. "Oh yes, I'm thrilled to have the borderline rapist with a superiority complex and six wives in my family tree," he remarked with a lopsided grin, amethyst eyes gleaming mischievously. Her explanation for how she wound up in Ashen caught his attention, eyes lifting from her paw as he leaned in closer with the intent to lick the blood from her wounds. "Pretty ballsy move trying to hunt on another pack's lands. Did you at least get to eat?" Rogue chuckled and had his tongue half out his mouth to clean her wound on reflex, but paused when he realized how that might be perceived and pulled back. "Oh, sorry. You uh, probably want to keep that clean and get one of the healers to patch it. They're not bad cuts, but my quills are sharp, so they tend to bleed a bit."

"Rogue Klein"

So he was a mutant. Nimue couldn’t hide the little scoff that slipped through her lips, her eyes narrowing slightly, as she continued to inspect him. There was a palpable tension building in the space between them; he felt scrutinized beneath her unwavering gaze, and she was wondering what he could use those mutations for. He’d already poked her with his ‘quills,’ he called them, cutting her paw wide open which was irritating. How could she combat something like that? And what if she came across something more dangerous. Shit. Could wolves here spit venom or something? Make lightning bolts come out of their eyes?

She shakes the thoughts from her head, focusing her attention back on Rogue who was giving some long explanation about his mom, his quills, his claws… whatever. She bit back the impulse to roll her eyes when he laid down near her, bringing himself to her level as if he was some giant and she was a tiny, helpless thing. I mean, he was a giant, but still. It did present a better opportunity for her to check out his quills, which she took without hesitation; leaning forward in her seat, carefully assessing them with a keen eye. They were diamonds alright; they shimmered in the sunlight, almost blinding her at first, with pointed edges that were sharp as hell. His claws were interesting too; his digits flexing with ease, as he unsheathed a row of razor-sharp, black diamond claws. They reminded her of a tiger’s claws; long, curved, exceptionally sharp. They were even retractable. “Weird. So, your moms a mutant too then." She’d say, acting uninterested; but the look on her face said otherwise. Her gaze was fixated on his paw, eyes widened slightly in wonder. How come she couldn’t have claws and quills? At the thought, a tinge of jealousy surges through her.

Now she was regretting offering her paw to him, but it was too late to retract it. He was already reaching forward and grabbing it, gently maneuvering it around to complete a thorough assessment. She watched him intently, apprehension mixing into her expression. Did he know what he was doing? Oh, he was talking about Chimera again. Calling him a borderline rapist with six wives and a superiority complex. Nimue felt a shiver run down her spine; was that really who Chimera was? She’d tuck the information away for later, so she could ask him about it. She’d be blunt as hell too.

“Well, he sat on me that day, so,” She’d begin, insinuating that she thought it was a pretty pervy thing to do. “Squished me beneath all that freaking-“ Her voice drops off, eyes widening as Rogue starts to lean in towards her. He was talking, and his tongue was coming out of his mouth and his lips were going straight for her paw and- “H-hey! Wait!”  She’d say, ripping her paw out of his, defensively pulling it into her chest. He was pulling back too, probably realizing how weird that was, and apologizing soon after. “I can deal with it myself,” She’d almost hiss, that labile mood of hers erring on the side of anger now. In reality, she was just embarrassed, and her face was flushed with heat. Some dude was about to lick her paw! Of course she was going to be embarrassed!

Standing up, she keeps her injured paw close to her chest, starting to limp away from Rogue and toward the treeline. “Keep your quills to yourself next time.” She’d say, looking over her shoulder at him. She can’t help but notice how his midnight fur is draped across his musculature, revealing every ridge and valley because it was slicked down. Hmpf. She needed to stay away from pretty boy.

-exit-  

"Speech"