Qanik

in defense of the innocent

Bitterness and hurt gnawed at the pale woman in a way it never had before. She had suffered loss before, terrible loss when her family pack had been destroyed. She'd thought she'd lost Flamesong too, to the earthquake perhaps, but then she'd learned otherwise. She had not lost him. Her grieving had been meaningless. He had simply abandoned her, left her without a word. For all his gentle manner, for all the way he'd treated her, the whole time he had not truly loved her. Then he had returned and thought to take up where he had left off, as though she would have just been waiting with bated breath like a silly girl for his return and nothing had changed. She felt used, betrayed, and she knew whose fault that was.

Hers.

She'd been a fool to think that anyone could feel deeply about her. To think anyone could want her as a mate. To think... well, it didn't matter anyway. But she had come down here to get away from the pack for a little while, to not be reminded of her own stupidity for a little while.

And it wasn't terrible. Spring would be here soon, she could smell it even here in the north. It was something to look forward to. Still as she reclined on the shore with her muzzle on her paws, she stared into the frozen water broodingly. It didn't seem like it would come fast enough.



speech.

cowardice is the only sin

His mild absences was probably noted by none, and he couldn't help but feel that perhaps he should return. After all, he did do a deed that would finish his rouge days and begin his guardian ones. Children, they did that too a man. Now instead of turning that rapid fire aggression towards anyone in his path, he would have to choose who he picked his fights with wisely, his words would have to be choice, and he would have to eliminate any who even breathed a word about the female that bared his babes or the names of the babes themselves. But like any horrible father, he has yet to see these babes of his, yet to breath in their scents, yet to find out their names, yet to ascend their mother and tell them of their Godly lineage.

This would haunt the man for a while. So when he finally returned to Alacritis his first task was not to slink back to the Lifeless Caverns to reset scent markers. Nay, but like any roving male his first task was to slither back to the Submerged Forest and search for the last remaining traces of her. The mans paws where set upon the ground, his toes twinkling along the edges of the water of the slow moving pond that gave nutriment to the trees that called this place home. The memory of that ghost of a woman sent the male marking, his hind legs pumping against the ground as his claws gorged marks into the ground.

Imonde wanted nothing to do with this patch of land, he had no need to claim it, no need to secure the prey that flourished here, but he did want to stake a claim on the area, the memory and one day that pale woman that made his blood boil. But her scent, that scent of the female that was just out of his reach...but it was strong, as if she was here.

Paws where set in motion as he blasted forward, his body surging forward and upward as his claws found purchase on the trees as he scrambled toward the scent. Ears where perked upon his head, attentive and curious as the God made his way toward the female that stole his attention a few months earlier. Legs stretched under him, his muscles tightening before he paused at the edge of a tree, gauging the distance to the other side before pushing off of the tree, forelimbs stretching forward as his paws slapped soundly against the ground.

A grunt escaped the mans maw as he eagerly trotted forward, his head lowering to the ground as his nose flinched upon his features. She was here. The man continues to pad forward, his ears attentive to the movement that was around him as his gaze finally falls upon the outline of the phantom lady. His brows drew together as he studied her form for a moment before padding closer to her, his tail dropped low below his haunches and fell between his legs in a neutral manner. His shoulders rotated under his flesh as he slides his paws out in front of him, trying to place his right side somewhere along her left side, hopefully shoulder to shoulder as he too drops his heads down upon his paws.

Vibrant eyes would then try to study her features, his nose tilted toward her muzzle, his ears angled toward the female as no words where spoken. Instead, the man remained quiet, allowing the female to speak if she wished, or they could just sit here in silence, allowing him to enjoy breathing in her scent and re-familiarizing himself with her feminine lines.


"Speech"
'thoughts'

Qanik

in defense of the innocent

The approach of another twitched her ears, but Qanik remained otherwise still. Her dark eyes continued to dully drink in the sight of the icy water, the trees trapped beneath it's frozen surface in a parody of life. She paid little heed to the sound of pawsteps until a body slipped down beside hers, stretched out shoulder to shoulder, the familiarity making Qanik assume it was a member of her pack until her head turned to take in the sight of a stranger and the numbed words of greeting faded unspoken from her muzzle. Her brow furrowed in puzzlement, and her body tensed. Scent and sight finally combined to flip a switch of recognition in her mind. Not truly a stranger, though little more than an acquaintance who had never given her his name.

"Hello...?" she greeted in a questioning murmur, her brow raised expectantly. She hadn't really thought to be anything but alone here, but she should have known better than to expect such thoughtfulness from a universe that clearly cared nothing for the beings within it.

cowardice is the only sin

The man looked at her for a few moments, his eyes sparking a curious fire that burned in his belly and circled through his thoughts. For now though he would be able to temper off his aggressive nature for a moment to linger along the side of the phantom lady. But her expression told him of the confusion that she was harboring based on him being here.

Imonde chuckled under his breath his ears still attentive as he caught the greeting that seemed to be more of a question than an actual greeting. The man moved his head attempting to press the moisture surface of his nose against the woman's cheek. "Why so serious? It was a light question that he poses towards her.


"Speech"
'thoughts'

Ooc: mobile post op

Qanik

in defense of the innocent

The male pressed his nose against her cheek as he spoke, causing Qanik to pull back disconcertedly at the unexpected contact. "Wh- what?" was the only thing she could manage at first, her ears flattening back in confusion. But... it was kind of nice. The seemingly playful contact, the question, the very lack of seriousness... it was a nice change. There was no love here, no responsibility, no rank. Just a stranger who didn't even know her but deigned to stop and talk. On a purely whimsical impulse, she returned the gesture, poking her muzzle at his cheek as well. "You never did tell me your name, stranger. Maybe I was trying to decide what to call you."

cowardice is the only sin