Grooooowl...! Alastor was hungry. His stomach wrenched in on itself, voicing its displeasure at being empty for... how many days had it been now? Gods, he'd lost track of time. Not that it had much meaning when you had nothing good to spent it on. Ever since Lurid's disappearance, the massive dire wolf had felt adrift and directionless, like a dingy set loose on the open sea. Every day was spent wandering from place to place in search of any hints for where his leader had gone to. As the weeks had ticked into months, his drive grew weaker and weaker until his resolve finally broke. She was gone and he was alone. No... he was free. Alastor was once again in control of his own destiny. But how would he spend his newfound independence...?

Well, for starters, food sounded pretty damn good right now. Scrambling his way down from the caves in the Dreamer's Col where he had spend the last few days, the black-furred man trudged through the labyrinth of mighty tree trunks of the ageless evergreens. The scent of pine sap and chilled earth filled the air, but there was one scent that clung faintly to the breeze, and that one made his mouth water. Elk. Swallowing the mouthful of saliva he'd unintentionally collected, Alastor affixed obsidian eyes to the horizon, peering through the trees while he crept through the underbrush, following the scent of his next meal with a small grin on his lips.

Although his red and black fur made him stand out amongst the white, green, and brown, he still moved as silently as he could, big paws crunching through the snow while he walked. The scent of the elk was still distant and he had a bit of a walk to go before he found them. So long as he stayed downwind, he didn't mind how much noise he made or how obvious his fur made him stand out.

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

Fireside was a pretty new thing for her. The smell of sheep was becoming familiar faster than living in a pack. Tyrian, her new leader, had given her the rank of Commoner. He had made it clear she would have to work her way free of the bottom tier and make something of herself. That was why she stood half-frozen in the woods just North of her pack. She had ignored the elk when she had scented them. She didn’t want to go for something quite so big just yet. Baby steps, work her way up.

She had never been taught to hunt before, but she was patient. She stood in the snow, half buried, chilled, and biding her time. When the little rabbit had hopped by she had held herself still, holding her breath. It hopped closer, then looked behind, ears pricked and startled. It started to hop faster, going right by Sera and - crunch her teeth were around its neck. She almost shook with excitement at having made the kill. So much so, that she had forgotten something had startled it. It took her a moment to consider, to look upwards, and to see the eyes of the demon as he looked directly at her. She froze, the rabbit falling from her maw.

"Speech"

His heavy footsteps through the snow were by no means quiet in the otherwise still winter woods, but that was fine. Alastor wasn't trying to be stealthy right now—not yet, at least. That would come later. For now, he was trying to close as much distance between himself and the herd of elk as he could before they decided to move on. Following the scent, the large male came across a gap in the trees—a clearing of sorts—with a lone wolf sitting as still as a statue amongst the snow. Now that wasn't something he had expected to see today. Alastor's pace slowed to a stop, pausing to watch the woman for a moment. What on earth was she doing...? Was she even still alive? That question became even more valid when he saw a rabbit hop freely up beside her. Browns knitted together in confusion while he watched her, taking a step closer and crunching a patch of ice underfoot.

The sound startled the rabbit, but had no reaction on the unusual wolf. What did bring her back to life was the rabbit bounding past her. Alastor watched with humored clarity as she snapped the rabbit's neck in one clean bite. Ah, so she was hunting! Quite an unorthodox method, but he couldn't doubt its effectiveness! The proof was hanging from her jaws, after all! But then she looked up, and ocean blue met inky black. He held her gaze while he studied her, considered her, and then he smiled. A flash of white amongst black. It would almost have been considered purely sinister were it not for the jovial voice that immediately followed.

"That was quite an effective kill! Bravo! I can't say I've ever seen hunting tactics like that before, but clearly they work," he said while holding his position just at the edge of the clearing. He could see the fear in her eyes, and were he in the market to intimidate or torture her, then maybe he would have enjoyed it more. No, not today. Today, Alastor might actually have some use for this little wolf—a mutually beneficial proposition of sorts. "Oh, there's no need to look so afraid, my dear! If I wanted to hurt you, I'd have done so already." Although he ended his statement with an airy chuckle and a smile, there was a dark hint of truth to his words.

"The name's Alastor! How do you do?" Introductions out of the way, he risked taking a single step closer, just to bring himself out of the trees some more. He was significantly larger than she was and he was acutely aware of that. He didn't need to startle her more than she already was.

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

Despite the black gaze of the dark, monstrous sized wolf before her his words made her feel…. Almost disgruntled. Well how was she supposed to know if she was doing it right? It wasn’t like anybody had ever bothered to full her in. She glanced down at the rabbit, and then back towards him, sucking in a breath. Not a victim, dammit. Not a victim. She shook snow from her coat, though her eyes didn’t leave him.

Somehow his words did not seem a comfort. The laughter - well perhaps intending to be airy, struck her more as eerie. Alone in the woods as she was with this demon-eyed giant. He stepped closer, and it sent her heart rate spiking. It was that, more than anything else that did it. She pulled herself to her paws and stared him down. Smart perhaps didn’t describe her, but stubborn certainly did. She did it to prove to herself that she could.

“Alastor. You can call me Sera. I’ve been working on my... stealth” she added dryly to explain her strange hunting style. “And i’m not afraid.” Not that she would ever admit to, anyway.

"Speech"

Her body language shifted in a way Alastor hadn't expected. Instead of caution she now showed irritation, and when she spring back to her feet to stare him down he couldn't help but give an impressed raise of a brow. Ooooh, she was feisty! Dialing it back, Alastor retracted the step he took. He didn't need to be starting a fight with a potential business partner, after all. Something in the way she was looking at him didn't strike him as hostile though. It almost looked as if the fae was squaring up because she was making herself do it, like she were expected to. Hmm, curious... It made no difference one way or the other, but it did intrigue him. What was she trying to prove to herself? Or what was she trying to prove to someone else?

Her explanation drew a more genuine laugh from the dark brute, not out of condescension, but out of realization from what she had been doing. "Ah, so that's what the statue routine was! Now that makes much more sense than thinking you just enjoyed standing out in the snow all day." He placed a big paw to his chest and dipped his head in a greeting bow. "A pleasure, Sera, and I'm glad to hear that. You'd be surprised how many are outright afraid of me for how I look. It's quite disheartening, really You'd never believe some wolves could be so narrow-minded. They see the black eyes and assume I'm possessed!" He ended his sentence with another light laugh and a roll of his eyes.

Pleasantries aside, Alastor led directly into his intentions with the girl. "Well, if you'd like to continue working on your stealth and earn a bigger meal than what you've got there, I could use some help on a hunt of my own. You've probably smelled them by now, but there's some elk nearby, and I'd love to not be hungry anymore." He cocked his head with an inquisitive tilt, the corners of his mouth still curled up in his permanent smirk. "They're a little tricky to take down solo though. If you'd lend me a paw, I'd be happy to show you some pointers on stealth and hunting tricks." There was the offer, a mutual tit for tat. He got his meal, she got a meal and some hunting lessons. But would she take the deal with a stranger she clearly did not trust?

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

She wrinkled her nose at him. How could anybody enjoy standing out in the cold all day? “There's method to my madness” though she wasn’t entirely sure if that was true. She was making it up as she went. Teaching herself to hunt, teaching herself not to cower under the gaze of a stranger.

He bowed over a paw to her, not a gesture anybody had ever made to the once slave-daughter. She found herself enamoured by the act. Not that she would be foolish enough to let it get to her head. Just because she refused to be afraid, didn’t mean she didn’t think he meant her ill.

Her eyebrows twitched at his words on his looks and eyes. It seemed she wasn’t the only one to see him and think Tall. Powerful. Demonic. Of course… wasn’t that exactly what a demon would say?

She forgot everything else when he handed her an olive branch. Hope rising in her eyes, though she liked to think her emotions weren’t so obvious. He was offering to show her how to hunt, to learn on the go. To take down an elk. It was a pretty good offer, heavily in her favour, but she didn’t want him to know that. “I might be interested. What's the cut percentage each of the Elk?” if he was out here solo, he wouldn’t need all the kill anyway. Pride was in her eyes as she thought of bringing home a decent portion of an elk to her new pack.

"Speech"

It pleased the dark man to see the gamut of reactions cross over her features, the light shifting to and fro in those rich blue eyes. Alastor had often been envious of wolves who had such vibrant eyes when his simply seemed as if they didn't exist. Of course, the melanism in his genes had also opened several doors for him in his past, so he couldn't curse his black irises too heavily. While she considered his offer, he continued to study the petite woman, taking in her form, memorizing her striking facial markings. Despite her appearance, she carried herself with the mannerisms of one who was acting above who she truly was. So who was the real Sera? It was an intriguing question to be sure.

The enthusiasm in her eyes couldn't be masked, and Alastor picked up on it immediately. She asked about the cut percentage of their kill. Ah, so she wasn't alone after all... A loner looking at a free meal wouldn't be concerned about dividing up what would certainly be more meat than either wolf could eat. But a wolf with other mouths to feed would... Was she a pack bitch? She did have the faintest scent of other wolves about her, though just barely noticeable over her own perfume. The possibility was fascinating, though Al didn't dwell on it for long. If she did belong to a pack, she definitely wasn't high on the totem pole to be out here in the winter tundra all on her own. Either way, Alastor could use that as a bargaining chip to get her to agree to join him. He just wanted an easy meal, after all. Every other detail was fine print.

"How about this deal, Sera: whatever we kill, I eat my fill, the rest can be all yours to do with as you please." It was an extremely generous offer, but again, he just wanted his stomach to shut up and to have enough energy to continue his venture south. Alastor wasn't desperate—yet—but if he could work smarter than harder, he would. "Call it an incentive to help me out. What do you say? Shall we get going?" He motioned with a flick of his head in the direction the elks' scents came from.

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

She looked the dark giant up and down for a moment. Okay, so likely he would need more then most wolves, but even he couldn’t devour a whole Elk. Sheesh. She hoped not. Hoping she wasn’t being punked she grinned and gave him a brisk nod. “Alright, deal.” pretend confidence even when you did not feel it. That was the key, right?

“Lets'' she agreed, pulling herself fully free of the snow she had been partly buried in. she looked at the hole she left behind, and then grabbed the rabbit off the ground. Shoving it in the ground, she threw some snow over it. Hopefully it would still be there when she got back. It was her first kill, and she was rather proud of it.

She glanced towards the black-eyed demon.
Even if some wolves judged her methods.

She looked in the direction his head had indicated, and started walking. Keeping a distance between herself and Alastor. They weren’t friends, and she wouldn’t be walking at his side. Not where she would be easier prey if the man turned on her. "Are you from around here?" Who was Alastor, and what made him tick? The more she knew, the less a threat he would be.

"Speech"

Alastor didn't bother to hide the pleased beaming smile from his face when Sera agreed to his deal. "Excellent!" he remarked, waiting long enough for her to free herself from her snowy imprisonment and hide her kill. He snickered a little when he saw the hole she had left behind too and led the way through the trees toward the scent of elk. He wasn't afraid of hunting the elk; he'd brought down the massive beasts before on his own when one had threatened Kichi, but having the help of someone else to herd them into a trap would be far easier than hunting all alone.

He had been expecting a mostly silent trip from his companion given the safe distance she kept between them. He didn't blame her, again he realized the size difference between them played a big factor in that. He probably wouldn't have trusted himself in that situation either, especially not if he were a foot shorter and probably half the weight. It did come as a surprise when she started talking to him however. A black ear flicked in her direction though his eyes stayed focused on their path.

"No, I'm not. I'm from beyond Boreas. I only recently came here to try and find someone, but I'm thinking it may be a permanent change of residence," he said, his tone still upbeat despite his neutral response. A slight tilt of his head turned a black eye towards her with a crooked smile. "And yourself? Boreas native, or wayward soul too?" They had a little bit of a trek ahead of them, might as well make use of the time and get to know one another.

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

They crunched through the snowy forest towards the direction of elk. She ensured she was taking in the scent, familiarising herself with it. What other factors were important about hunting the creatures? Likely being quiet, though Alastor seemed happy enough for the moment with speaking.

He explained that he had travelled recently to Boreas in search of someone. That was… the exact opposite of her story, who had come here to get away. To run, flee, escape. She swallowed the thought before her heart rate could pick up again. That was in the past, and every day free proved she had left that behind.

“Was it a girl?” she asked with more genuine curiosity. In stories, it was always about a girl. “I’m pretty new to this place as well. I needed… a change” she wasn’t going to tell him that there was someone out there that would reward him handsomely for her return. Some foolishness was even beyond her.

"Speech"

And there it was. There was the question that somehow seemed to darken even his midnight oil eyes. Was it a girl? Oh, but it was so much more than a girl. It was a story of violence, loyalty, oaths sworn and oaths broken—and hearts... hearts broken... Alastor's smile dropped from his face for the first time in days. How could he even begin to put what his life had been centered around for the last four years into words? They all seemed so inadequate to describe how enraptured he'd been and how foolishly he'd squandered his youth. "Yes..." he answered plainly, the mirth fading from his voice leaving no question to the outcome of that story.

Sera explained that she had come to Boreas for a change. Al nodded his head and hummed thoughtfully. Yes, that seemed to be a common trend in Boreas. It offered change, rejuvenation, revival... Here, wolves were free to redefine themselves, free of the shackles and strangleholds of their past lives. Perhaps that was what he needed most of all right now. "Well, I hope you find what you're looking for," he said and cast a sideways glance at the smaller fae, a rawness of emotion in his eyes from the memories dredged up in his heart.

The scent of the elk was getting stronger as they got closer to their quarry. "Smell them? It's getting stronger, they're probably only a few meters ahead," he whispered to Sera. "Keep your voice down and stay low. Try not to step on anything loud." Practicing what he preached, Alastor dropped to a lower crawl until his belly almost touched the snow. His black fur prevented him from any type of camouflage, but it was still better than standing at his full height. Creeping through the snow as quietly as possible, Alastor led the way downwind of their prey until he peeked the herd through the trees up ahead. He paused, motioning with a paw to his lips for Sera to stay quiet, then motioning with a flick of his head towards some underbrush.

Once he had snuck up behind the brush, Alastor peered through the branches and brambles at the small herd. There were a few decent sized elk, a couple younger ones too. All of them were scrounging through the snow for a scrap of food and hadn't noticed the wolves yet. Good. "Lesson one: plan ahead," he spoke barely above a whisper, turning to meet Sera's gaze. "Pick out your target, then we have to get it in a trap. Find an elk you like, then one of us will sneak around to attack the herd from the far side and herd them toward the other for the takedown." This would be Sera's learning opportunity, so he left the choices to her. "Would you like to be the herder or the trapper?"

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

She blinked in surprise at the stark honesty she had received to a seemingly innocent question. She could see it in him, that he had had and lost someone. It made him seem a little more real, a little less a ghost or a demon for it. It humanised him. She felt the urge to reach over and pat his shoulder - but no way was she getting that close. Instead she scuffed up some snow in her pad and flicked it at him as they walked. Her lips twitched in an understanding smile. She had lost her whole world when she was kidnapped from her family. She barely remembered their faces.

“Thank you” she said, more genuine and honest then she had been before. Despite herself, she was starting to feel less afraid with him. Perhaps not the safest emotion to feel, but sometimes you couldn’t help yourself.

His demeanor changed, telling her they were closer to their prey. His voice was a soft whisper, giving her instruction. She obediently raised her head to the wind and sniffed softly, keeping herself low. Easier for her then for him. She was already small, and her whites and greys blended in better with the snow then his blacks.

His practiced, confident manner meant more than the color of his pelt, anyway. He looked like he knew what he was doing as he crouched in the snow. She followed him to the bush, having a little more trouble crawling through the snow then he was. It felt a little awkward, but watching him go, she slowly began to mimic him.

True to his word, he began to instruct her. She held his black gaze and listened to the words he spoke. She considered his question for a moment, and then decided. She was smaller, more subtle. It would be easier for her to move around the herd. He was bigger, stronger. The take down would go more smoothly in his paws. “I’ll herd” she whispered. Glancing at him once more in case he had any more instructions for her, before hse started to slip away.

"Speech"

Sera made her choice in role and Alastor nodded assent. It was a wise choice given their advantages between them. She would be less likely to be noticed sneaking around the herd, all the easier for her to spook them. His lips twitched upwards in a predatory smirk as he considered how the takedown would go. None of them seemed too sizable for him to manage, but he should probably walk her through all the steps just in case he needed a hand. He had no doubt she'd be a good enough herder to get them to him, he just had to do his part.

"Good call. As quietly as you can, go around to the other side of the herd. Stay low like you were doing, that was perfect. Once you're over there..." He pointed with a paw to another patch of brush on the other side of the clearing. "Count to ten, then jump out and snap and growl at the herd. Don't get too close, or you might get kicked. Just make enough ruckus to scare them. Try to move side to side so they're forced to run my way. If I get one down and can't finish it, you rush in and go for the throat." His instructions imparted, he nodded to Sera to dismiss her to her task. Once she would start moving, Alastor would wait patiently, keeping his eyes on the herd and on Sera to make sure he was ready to leap into action.

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

She was surprised at the compliment she paid him. He gave it so freely, as though he had no idea that it was her first. She was still blinking in surprise when she realised he had yet to finish speaking. She blinked again, trying to get her mind to catch up with what he had been saying.

Sneak, count to ten, jump, intimidate. Don’t get too close. Help with the kill if needed. She nodded briskly, blinking back some emotion in her eyes. The feeling of being included, and… welcome. No time for that, which was good, because she didn’t want to stand there all sappy eyed before the almost stranger.

She slunk away quickly before he could catch too much of the emotions in her eyes. She moved as carefully as she could, because it was important to learn and not because she wanted to do him proud.

She reached the other side, looking in the general direction of his bush, and then silently counted to ten. Once she hit the number, she launched herself forward in a flurry of movement. She almost tripped on her exit, but managed to regather her balance, yipping and snapping her paws. The deer just about screamed in fright, and ran blindly. Which, she supposed, was the point.

She leapt left, right, left, as she ran forward. Driving and directing the beast towards her waiting companion.


"Speech"

Fortunately for her, Alastor had been too focused on the herd's milling movements to notice the emotion she let slip. All the while he waited he kept his eyes on her progress, not because he cared how well she did, but because he was absolutely starving and wanted his meal. If she happened to learn a thing or two along the way, then ll the better for her, just so long as he ended their encounter with a full belly. The air was still and silent for some time, the elk minding their own business, the dire brute lying in wait... waiting... waiting...

Then the blur of Sera bursting from the underbrush exploded out into the clearing, almost eating snow on her way out. Alastor couldn't suppress the snicker while he watched her make a scene, snapping and snarling and yipping all over the clearing. Despite how ridiculous it had started off, it was very effective, as the elk bleated and bellowed in fright, trying to dart out of the clearing. Sera did her job well though and funneled them towards Al, who stayed low until he saw one of the larger elk bound towards his hiding spot. Just as the stag went to jump over the brush, Alastor lunged up with a snarl, snapping his jaws around the surprised elk's neck and using his weight to drag the creature back down to the snowy ground.

The two kicked and fought against one another for a while, each trying to overpower the other. Alastor managed to get his body on top of the elk's, using his weight to keep his prey from getting back up, but the elk was flailing too much for him to get a clean bite on its throat. He snapped and bit at the herbivore, biting its shoulder and the back of its neck a few times until he finally subdued it with a strong hold on the back of its neck. He kept the animal pinned down, glancing up and about for Sera, giving a muffled yell for her. This was her kill, he would let her have the glory of finishing it off.

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

There was something exhilarating about tearing across that clearing in the wake of the elk. She felt powerful, on top of the world. She was lost in that feeling, and almost didn’t clear Alastor’s hiding place. As the deer blindly tore through the spot he was hiding, Sera remembered. It was the last moment, and she threw herself to the side, hitting the snow hard, and knocking her noggin against the base of a bush. It was what she deserved for being an idiot.

As she rolled to her paws with a groan, she found Alastor and the elk locked into battle. The black wolf was clearly the stronger, but he struggled to get into the best position to end its life. When he was able to pin it down, he cried out for her. Oh yeah he did say finishing it off might be in her job listing.

She hopped forward and looked from Alastor to elk. She had to get close to him to do it. Closer then she had gotten to him at any other point in their little journey. Her heartbeat picked up and her breath quickened. She remembered the warm breath of the man who had stolen her to be his daughter. His slave. And later, to be his play thing. The catalyst of her escape. In her fear, a great deal of her whites showed, but she made herself step forward. Alaster was holding tightly to the elk as it bucked and fought. He couldn’t keep it up forever. She had to do something dammit. Her choices were to turn around and run away, to be a coward forever. Or, she could step forward and take control of her life, dammit.

She leaped almost before she thought about what she was doing, threw herself towards wolf and elk and grabbed the elk about the throat. her breaths were gasps, her skin felt clammy. She clenched her jaws about its neck, her eyes pinched closed, and ripped. The creature fell still and she backed up so fast she almost tripped again. Her breathing was ragged, and she couldn’t meet Alastor’s eyes. Coward. Coward. That's all she would ever be.

"Speech"

He was a little confused to find Sera popping back up from the other side of the brush when he shouted for her; how had she ended up on the ground over there? Did she get kicked during the herding? He'd have to make sure the elk paid dearly if that was the case. Despite his call for her help, Sera didn't immediately charge in. He wrestled with the stag for a moment longer, then glanced up to see why she was hesitating. It was only a second or two, but then Sera lunged forward and sunk her teeth into the elk's throat. Alastor heard the unmistakable sound of tearing flesh, felt the beast flail in his grasp as it choked out a dying bleat, and then fell still. It was done and their hunt had been successful.

Alastor only released the elk once he was sure all life had left the creature. He wriggled free of the carcass and got back to his paws, his black fur covered in snow from the snuffle, but was otherwise unharmed. He was breathing heavy, a light pant while he caught his breath, and examined the kill. It was clean and they hadn't done too much damage to the body beside the bites in the shoulder from when he took it down. It was a good kill land yielded a lot of meat for the two of them. He nodded with a slight smile between his panting; she had done well.

"Good work, Sera. That was a good kill," he said once he caught his breath enough to speak. Obsidian eyes moved from the carcass up to... He paused when he saw Sera barely standing on her own four feet a short distance away, staring away with a petrified look on her face. His brow knitted together and he took a couple steps closer to the shaken fae. "Sera, are you hurt? Did it hit you?" He couldn't see any signs of wounds on her from where he was standing, but something about the way she was suddenly so on edge told him that something was wrong and that he probably shouldn't get any closer to her. "Are you okay?" Fear wasn't a foreign concept to the dark man. He could recognize its telltale signs.

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

She felt the shame flush through her shaking limbs as she fought to get a steadying breath, deep and cleansing. Wash away the memories, concentrate on the here and now. Even if the here and now meant facing the disappointment that was surely to be in Alastor’s expression.

He took a step towards her and she gasped softly, ears folding to her head. She fought the urge to flee. She had to face up to who she was. She couldn’t run all the time. How would she ever get better if she gave in to that voice of cowardice?

“No… no. I’m fine” her voice was brisk and rough, and she swiped a paw across her brows like she had a headache. Actually, she did a little. She had a tougher head then most, courtesy of the scales, but she had hit it pretty hard against the bush. It seemed unimportant with everything else jumbling about her head. There had to be a way to salvage it. In an attempt to deflect his attention, she pointed towards the elk. “Lets see how much you can stuff your face, then” the joke was a little flat, even she could tell that.

"Speech"

Disappointment did not paint Alastor's visage, but concern definitely did. It was a shade not usually worn by the dire wolf who typically held little regard for the wellbeing of others. But there was something about young Sera that tweaked at something cold and dead inside him. The reactions, the expressions she wore, they all seemed so painfully familiar and yet so distant. He furrowed his brow when she insisted she was fine, despite still not making eye contact with him and looking like she was about to vomit at any second. Those reactions had only happened when he came closer to her, so as an experiment, Alastor took a few slow steps further away from her, back towards the elk carcass to see how she would react.

He followed her gesture to their kill when she teased him—weakly mind you—about how much he could eat. While his stomach growled for his attention, he had something else on his mind than the feast they'd just captured. "Are you sure you're okay?" he pressed ever so carefully, looking up to the unusual array of scales she wore on her crown. "That fall didn't look too pleasant. I'm no healer, but I can take a look at it for you." She would steadfastly refuse, of that he was certain. But something about this little fae stirred something in the back of his mind. It was that expression on her face. Where had he seen that before...?

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

She let out a soft, shaky breath as he took the bait and stepped further away from her. He hadn’t been close enough to touch, but it had been enough to make her claustrophobic. For that stupid fear to jump out of her throat and make it hard to breathe. She still felt terribly foolish, but it was easier to calm when he turned his attention to the dead elk.

She looked at that, it was easier than looking at him. And, looking at the carcass, she could remember that she did that. She’d made her second kill, and it was something vastly bigger than a rabbit. She just had to forget about the bits between in order to appreciate it.

Letting a little bit of the elation of her kill rise up in her, she found herself able to lift her head further. To look at Alastor again. She was almost on the verge of a half smile, though it was a little grim as he asked her once again if she was okay.

Then he asked his next question, and her face spasmed. It jolted through her skin and set a queasy feeling in her stomach. No, no having him that close would be unbearable. She was damaged. That’s what that asshole that made her call him father had done to her. He had broken her.

“N-n-n-no” she cleared her throat, stamping a paw a little in the earth with the strong feeling of frustration thrumming through her. “No, it’s fine.” she forced an awkward smile on her muzzle and tapped her scales. “I have a pretty hard noggin”

"Speech"