Fascination lit up the bored boy's features as he gazed upon the spectacle jutting out of the tar pit. A large corpse of some kind, too charred and decayed to be readily identified, lay partially submerged. Atop it, gazing forlornly at him, was a young wolverine. "You got greedy, didn't you?" he rumbled, a faint smirk pulling up his features. Valentine circled to the left of the pit, eying the distance between the little weasel and stable ground. "How did you get over there, anyway? Hell of a jump." Well, a hell of a jump for one so small. For Valentine the move would have been effortless. As he drew closer, the stranded creature bared its teeth at him in silent warning and Valentine, held firmly by an amicable mood, would settle upon his haunches in an effort to keep the peace. "Relax, little man, I'm just curious." He didn't wish the young predator any harm, in fact he was quite taken with his efforts. Of course, the wolverine had bitten off more than it could chew, but the brute couldn't find it in himself to fault the creature for it. In response to Valentine's show of peace, the wolverine sat slowly, never taking his gaze from the much larger predator. A wolverine-sized hole below the carcass's ribs caught the yearling's attention and Valentine's face lit up in amusement. "Have you," a sly grin weaseled its way onto his features, "made yourself comfortable?" Had he been there awhile? Stuffed himself to the gills and been unable to make the jump back? "Gluttony is a sin, you know." In response the wolverine's ears flicked back and Val grinned. "I mean no disrespect, but uh, you're stuck aren't you?" The wolverine, in response, flipped his shit, hissing and spitting out what the boy could only assume were foreign curses while stomping around the rumpside of his decaying island. "Speaking" Thinking

This place, it freaked the girl out and it smelled horrible, like nothing she had ever smelled before. Koi made sure to move very carefully around these pools of darkness, waiting for the right moment to grab hold of unsuspecting animals before slowly pulling them to their death. She grimaced just walking near it, hoping, praying that she would misstep and end up like the other decaying carcasses sticking out of the surface.

She jumped, nothing huge or anything, just to get over a pool of tar that horseshoed in front of her. But when she landed it Koi yelped, miscalculating how much force she put into the jump and ended up having her back paw sucked into the darkness. "No no!" She whined quietly, shaking her head as she tried to look around to see how much of it had gotten on her. "I'm fine, perfectly fine." She tried to tell herself, moving her back legs carefully and slowly, almost kneading the ground she couldn't see beneath the sticky substance.

After a few short minutes she would have gotten out of the nasty stuff, but unfortunately her back legs would have a layer of tar that went up to her knees. A pain to clean off later once she found some clean water.

Off she went, continuing in her exploration of these strange pools. It wouldn't take long for her to spot something, movement that wasn't constricted or trapped with the tar. Eyes narrowed while she moved closer, amber gaze locking onto the figure, a wolf. This would make the girl curious, head tilting, wondering what the person was doing, talking to something?

Koi would close the distance, coming up a few fete behind the blue hued stranger. "Hey mister." She would bark, letting him know she was there and also coming off as friendly. "What're you doing? Talking to something in the dark stuff?" She asked curiously, her head craning, trying to look around the very large man to see what he was looking at.

"
speech,
thought,
you"

The wolverine would bitch something in the common tongue and a booming laugh from Valentine would fill the air. He rarely took things personally, although the creature's choice of words was certainly new to him. "I can't say I've been called that before." The wolverine paused to fix its beady eyes on him. It gave him a good, hard look before spitting out another explicit phrase that sent Val's brow-spots shooting skyward. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?" The only response he got was sour expression and a half-hearted grunt. A voice from behind would draw the boy's attention away from the wolverine. Amusement still brightening his features, Valentine turned to look over his shoulder. He regarded the girl with interest, soaking up her appearance like a sponge. Seeing that she was trying to look around him, the brute would scoot over to accommodate her gaze. He'd jerk his head in the direction of the stranded creature. "This cub," The wolverine would hiss at the word 'cub' and Val rolled his eyes in response. It looked like a cub and it acted like a cub. It was cub. "Had the bright idea to camp out on a meat island and stuff himself silly. Now he's too fat to jump back." The wolverine erupted, lacing the air with indignant squeals. This, of course, pulled a huge grin from Valentine, who directed the expression to the fae. "Speaking" Thinking

There were strange sounds coming from in front of the stranger, nothing like she had ever heard before in her life. Koi had to admit, it kind of frightened her a bit, unearthly. Oddly enough, it seemed like the wolf was communicating with whatever the thing was, could they understand each other? The bit of fear she had felt moments ago was beginning to be replaced by curiosity, taking a small step forward.

Finally the wolf seemedto notice her, glancing over his shoulder and noticing her curious gaze he had scooted over to give her a view of what he was dealing with. With a smile Koi moved forward a couple steps, stopping at the strangers side when he motioned towards the strange looking creature sitting onwhat looked like a carcass.

The strange spoke, calling the creaturea cub which it seemedto be displeased with. He explained that it had managed to get on a meat island and with stuffing its face ended up unable to get off. The girl chuckled at this, plopping herself down and observing the creature with bright amber eyes. "You silly guy, why would you do that?" She spoke to it, tail lightly wagging behind her in slight amusement.

Turning her attention back to the stranger Koi would tilt her head, amber orbs meeting blue. "Are you going to help him?" She wondered curiously. Would the man help it out or just sit by and watch? It didnt seem too nice to do, but of course koi liked helping people out.

"You silly guy, why would you do that?" Made further indignant by the fae's use of the title "silly guy" the wolverine's gaze swung from Valentine to the other wolf. His expression was sour; his lips wrinkled to expose little white teeth on one side and his brow furrowed over glittery eyes. All in all he did not look like a happy camper. The expression was comical enough to draw another chuckle from Valentine...which of course earned him a venomous glance from the wolverine cub. "Are you going to help him?" Her next statement made the brow-spots of both the brute and the cub go up. The pair eyeballed each other for a moment before Valentine's gaze moved back to the fae. His tone mildly sarcastic, he said, "He's fine. Look at him, doesn't he look like he wants to be there?" The wolverine, his expression baleful, looked, for all the world to see, as if someone had just eaten his best friend. He looked like a lot of things, but he definitely didn't look like he wanted to be on a rotting island of meat in the middle of a boiling hot, bubbly tar pit. "Speaking" Thinking

Nope, the creature did not look pleased at all when Koi called it a silly guy and asked why it would do such a thing. Amber eyes watched as it s lips wrinkled, exposing its fangs and furrowed his brows in what she would consider a scowl. Thankfully she wasn't anywhere near it, and it couldn't get off its little meat island to reach her or else she felt like it would try to sink those teeth right into her leg. When the boy beside her chuckled, it made the girl smirk and held her head a bit higher than before, as if happy that she got a reaction out of the creature and one out of the man as a result. It was always nice to see somebody in a somewhat good mood, whether she caused it or not.

When it came to her question, the girl waited patiently for an answer, gaze going back and forth between the two people. She was confused however when both their brows raised at it. Was it ridiculous of her to ask, feeling bad that a creature was stuck and surrounded by a dangerous environment while two people stood nearby doing nothing to help?

When the wolf finally spoke she would perk up her ears, though she would have a little trouble figuring out if he was serious about the creature being happy where he was. Koi wasn't exactly the brightest, but for now she would go with the idea that the stranger was indeed being sarcastic.

"I think..." She began softly, head turning away from the two, gaze sweeping over the multiple pools of tar as if searching for something. "We should help." She finished off, suddenly grinning out of nowhere and standing up. With a flick of her tail the girl went bounding off from the direction she had come from, eyes set on a piece of bark that she thought would be perfect to use. Just a few hops and she was there, head moving down and grabbing it firmly yet gently in her jaws before turning and making her way back.

"
speech,
thought,
you"

"I think..." Valentine would turn his head to look at the fae as she gathered her thoughts. "We should help." Suddenly the little wolf turned and was off, moving in the direction she had come. The brute's eyes widened as he settled on the belief that she was getting ready to jump in after the wolverine. It was entirely possible for her to make it--hell, the cub had--but there was no way she could make it to the other side with the creature's heavy rump swinging from her jaws. Determined not to have to rescue both cub and girl, Valentine decided to beat her to the punch. He leapt towards the wolverine, who, upon seeing the giant wolf sailing towards him, squealed. Had it not been for the limited size of his island, the cub would have been scrabbling out of the brute's way as if his tail were on fire. Instead, he froze, head jerking to the left and to the right in the hopes that an option would suddenly become available to him. In a heartbeat, Valentine had the wolverine by the scruff and was lifting him off the carcass. His paws hit the bloated flesh in pairs, first the front and then the back as he pushed himself off the body. Under his weight, the carcass sank and cracked, spewing fetid air into the atmosphere. In seconds Valentine was on the other side and turning to gaze triumphantly across the tar pit. Proudly, and perhaps a bit saucily, he sought the attention of the little she-wolf. His charm was quickly shattered as the indignant squalling of the wolverine split the air. The little monster turned, and, in a feat of strength Val was completely unprepared for, twisted itself up and into his face. Its loose hide aided it in its endeavors, and in a flash it was tearing at his nose. Quite justified in his reaction, Valentine flung the creature away as if it were a venomous serpent. Not to be so easily disposed off, the wolverine rolled and was on his pudgy little paws, ripping across the terra in a mad dash to reach the wolf who had repeatedly mocked him. It lunged at his paws, seeking to dig needle sharp teeth into the brute's toes. Understandably, Valentine, who wished not to have his toes chewed upon, began to lift them in quick succession as the wolverine dove at them. In a last ditch effort to avoid its teeth, Valentine jumped away from the cub, allowing it to chase him around the tar pits until he'd had enough of its shenanigans. Once he was thoroughly done with the whole thing, he turned to give chase. The wolverine, sensing the change in the yearling, had the sense to flee and Valentine was left without a single shred of dignity before the pretty little she-wolf. For many long moments he was at a lose at how to salvage his ruined pride, and in the end he decided there was nothing to be done about it so he made his way towards the girl. Draped in a sullen demeanor with blood dripping off his chin he seated himself before the fae. His tone sardonic, he said, "Told you he was happy." "Speaking" Thinking

Koi, upon turning back towards the two, was completely shocked at the sight she was witnessing. The male wolf had leapt towards the wolverine, trying to land on the submerged carcass! Her jaw dropped, the bark slipping from between her jaws and hitting the ground with a thump, trying to help the wolverine get off safely now wiped out of her head. Was he out of his mind?! Leaving the bark behind, the girl charged forward, ears pinning back against her skull, scared out of her mind for both the wolf and the wolverine. By time she was back near the two the wolf was leaping away. Koi skid to a stop as they both landed in front of her, while the carcass left behind split and sent a foul scent into the air. It was almost enough to make her gag.

Much to her relief the two were perfectly fine, bringing a heavy sigh and faint smile to her lips. Good, if the wolf had fallen in and dragged the smaller wolverine in with him, Koi was sure that she would be unable to rescue either, no matter how hard she tried. Hell, she would probably end up falling into the sticky goo.

Koi's smile grew as she stepped towards the male, her little silver tail wagging calmly behind her slender frame, ears moving forward. She was, and wouldn't deny it, impressed by his sudden actions. Quickly though the good mood, the pride that the male probably felt from successfully grabbing the creature and landed on actual land, was shattered. Koi jumped at the wolverine's squeal, the smile vanishing and concern replacing it. When the boy had flung the animal away the girl wanted to help in some way, but not knowing what to do she was pretty much frozen in place. All of a sudden it was chasing after the wolf, not long before the tables turned and the wolf was going after the wolverine.

Silence would finally fall upon the tar pits, the wolverine gone and the blue tinted wolf walking back over with cuts along his chin. Koi's ears folded back, taking a hesitant step forward, unsure what to say to the man. In a sardonic tone he would speak, saying exactly what he had told her before she thought it was necessary to help the animal and cause this to happen. "He..." Koi stopped, gaze softening. "He was just scared." She finished in a soft voice, attempting a friendly smile for him, perhaps help heal the shattered pride and make him forget the embarrassment.

Clearing her throat Koi would move up to the man, amber gaze looking over the cuts on his chin, seeing how made the little wolverine had got him. "That was very brave." She began, neck craning to move her face close to his own. She would stop though, pulling back the slightest. "Even if he got your chin, I think it was impressive." She suddenly grinned before gently lapping at the dripping blood. Three licks to clear the blood and she would finally pull away and flash a smile.

"
speech,
thought,
you"

"He was just scared." Browspots would rise but he'd remain silent; too busy with feeling out the extent of the damage to bother with words. The tiny, inexperienced jaws of the wolverine were greatly improved by its needle sharp teeth and while not too terribly troublesome, the bites inflicted by them ached all the same. He'd survive. The fae would smile at him and the boy, while extremely unhappy with how the situation had turned out, would return the gesture in ghost form, the edges of his small smile taking a wry upward twist. The fae would move towards him all the while offering what he assumed was an attempt to help him salvage his pride. He felt like resisting the easy way out and would have done so had the femme not stepped through the social barrier that marked his personal space. Valentine stilled, going ridged in awareness as she stepped close to cleanse his face of blood. As he was too caught up in the closeness of another, his breathing would momentarily hush. Glacier blue eyes would remain fixed on her face and in the few heartbeats that passed while she worked, the intricacies of her features jumped out at him in vivid detail. All too soon she would pull back and Valentine, caught up in the moment, would move to close the distance between them once more. He aimed to steal a kiss. Whether or not it was her intention to draw out the affections of the boy, he didn't know, and presently, couldn't decipher as he was too preoccupied to bother with a tactful way of finding out. "Speaking" Thinking

Seeing the large male smile made Koi feel good, almost proud that she was able to get him to after that little scene the wolverine had caused from getting some help. Even though it didn't seem like a genuine, friendly one. That was alright though, it was still some sort of a smile, probably the most she would get from him till the male put this behind him. With that she would simply give a small, approving nod, feeling that she cleaned the cuts good enough to where they could find something to put over it to prevent any dirt from getting in or infections to form.

Compared to him, Koi was like a mouser, at least that was how she felt standing in front of him. Head lowered then tilted upward to get a better look at his chin, trying to determine how deep and big they were so she could figure out what plant would be good to spread over them. And then it happened, right when the girl had pulled away.

Copper colored orbs looked into glacier blues, and following right after the boy had moved forward, stealing the young female's first kiss. Out of surprise the girl had stepped back suddenly by the intimate gesture, ears folded against skull, and tail tucking between her legs. She stumbled, once then twice before finally falling to her rump with a thump, confusion so clear on her face. Jaws parted as though she was going to say something but her throat would tighten, not sure what to say. It was just so... sudden, unexpected.

So she sat there in shock, confused as to what just happened yet her features almost gave away that she wasn't upset about it.

"
speech,
thought,
you"

It took the boy no more than a heartbeat to realize that his affection was misplaced. The femme backpedaled, staring at him like he'd grown a third eye, before falling to her rump. Valentine's ears would pin, his expression somewhat mirroring the fae's. Startled by her reaction, he was at a loss for an appropriate response, so instead he just stood there staring at her. When at last it occurred to him that a response from him was not only appropriate, but deserved, the boy's statuesque stance broke and he took a deep breath. For a moment his eyelids would flutter as he tried and failed to find words."I'm..." No, that was wrong. A simple 'sorry' wouldn't cut it. He'd fatally misread the situation and now, more than ever, looked like a fool. On top of that, he'd put her in an awkward position. Finally, with all the solemnity it was due, Valentine would fix his gaze upon the femme and swallow his pride. "Forgive me," The words tightened around his throat like a coiling snake. "I don't know what possessed me to do that." A lie, to be sure, but it would do him no good to admit that he had desired much more than a kiss. "Speaking" Thinking

It felt as though the world had froze, or at least slowed down dramatically to the little female. Copper eyes stared up at the male, ears pinned back against her skull and body sitting awkwardly from when she had fell back. What could she say to him, even if her throat untightened to allow words to form? And then he spoke, breaking the silence and her need to do it, world going back to normal around her. Koi blinked, ears slowly swiveling around to face Valentine, to catch what he said. He apologized, explaining that he didn't know what had possessed him to do such a thing.

All she could do at the moment was take in a shaky breath, the corners of her lips tilting upwards in a small, embarrassed smile. "I-... it's okay." Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. So she cleared her throat, lifting her body from the ground and giving a small shake of herself before looking back up to the male. "At least I got my first kiss." She chuckled lightly but obviously is shy about it, trying to lighten the mood. Head head would tilt down, a forepaw kind of skimming over the ground, not quite sure what to do or say.

"We should probably clean those cuts, don't know what that animal was carrying." She spoke up in a calmer tone, head lifting and body moving to the male's left side. She wasn't the best healer out there but the small female knew quite a bit on various things, and loved being able to exercise her skills.

"
speech,
thought,
you"

Wait, what? Her first kiss? He eyed her, in his incredulity forgetting that he should be embarrassed for his actions, and tried to guess her age. She didn't appear to be a youngling, so how on earth had she made it so far without being kissed? "Your first kiss?" His tone matched his expression, which was totally flabbergasted. He allowed her to approach him once more, this time keeping himself in check. "Alright," he murmured, "And I promise not to shower you in any more shows of unwanted affection." There was a pause, the words sounding lame even to his ears, and then he pushed through it and spoke again. "My name is Valentine, by the way, and I think we should talk about how you've never been kissed before." Really. How was that even possible? "Speaking" Thinking

Her head had been turned away, copper toned eyes narrowed as she tried to scope out any plants around the edge of these strange pits. It was almost, pretty much barren, as though these pits of black goo had destroyed anything that indicated life. His question and surprised tone would make her quickly turn to him, ear pulling back and tail lowering. ?Well... yes...? She answered quietly, unsure why he thought it was such a surprise she hadn't kissed anyone yet despite her pretty much being a young adult. She didn't think it was weird, you give your first kiss to someone your dating and plan on becoming mates with... right?

When it came to cleaning his cuts, the large male was okay with that, promising that he wouldn't shower in any more shows of unwanted affection. Now that she was good with, maybe if they had been friends for some time and one of them had feelings for the other then it would be okay, but that wasn't the case. At least it was an isolated occurrence, happening only once during the three years she walked this planet. Hopefully it would stay that way till she found the guy she wanted to start a family with.

Finally he would tell her his name, Valentine. Koi tilted her head, ears perking up at hearing this. It was interesting, but she had to admit that it sort of sounded like it could fit a girl, and a smaller wolf at that. That is where judging a book by its cover popped into her head, she had thought h would be a tough guy with a masculine name but ended up getting something else instead. That was alright though, she saw no problems with it. But then he thought they should talk about how she had never been kissed before, oh how embarrassing it was, especially when it seemed like this guy was younger than her. ?Um...? She took a small step away from him with a nervous laugh, averting his gaze. ?Well... I just never... ya know.? She looked down to her paws, gently kneading the ground. ?Found a guy interested enough to do it.? Was it sad that she had never encountered a male attracted enough to her to wanna give her a kiss, even if it was on the cheek?

"
speech,
thought,
you"