So you want to start a war with a loaded gun?

The way the weather began to warm made her fur uncomfortable, heavy and weighing her down as she dredged her way through the Pass. Even in the higher altitudes, she felt uncomfortable. It was a shame, knowing the further she travelled down the side would simply add to her discomfort, lest it begin to rain soon or perhaps even if she found a lake to dip her fur in. Even then, she knew it would only provide her with a frustratingly temporary relief.

Her shoulders rolled back, an uncomfortable itching she didn’t understand crawling down her spine. She’d felt restless and on edge for a day or so now, but without formal instruction as to what was happening, she would not understand what her body was aching for. It was the downside, having mute parents… her father had never uttered a word, her mother seldom with words… a habit she had picked up from both. How long had it been since she had last felt comfortable around another to use her voice?

It seldom happened.

Her green eyes focused on the path in front of her, trying to ignore the crawling in her spine, the almost painful nature that came with it all the same.

Vili hadn't made any formal plans as to where he'd go next, somewhere far from his sister's home for sure, but nothing more than that. He thought he might go north, much, much further than he needed to, just to be safe, and then perhaps he would go east, but he was taking it one step at a time.

The day was young, the sun still rising in the sky when something rather unexpected happened. Vili's paws stilled almost subconsciously as he crossed over her path. It hadn't been long since she'd been there, maybe an hour or so, but there was no mistaking her presence. The rogue hadn't planned on scaling the mountain further, but her scent called to him, pulled him in like a sailor to a siren song, and so further up he went.

His heart thrummed as he altered his course, a prickle of interest burning in his chest. It did not take Vili long to catch up to her, to chuff a greeting once he'd deemed their proximity acceptable enough. "Morning." His head tilted ever so slightly as he waited for a response, for some sort of acknowledgement.

So you want to start a war with a loaded gun?

She hadn’t been aware that she was being followed. She’d been too focused on the distracting discomfort she felt inside when she heard the voice, causing her head to snap behind her to the man in her direction, her nose twitching lightly before drawing in his scent, analyzing it for any scent of pack or another… she found no traces of either. His distance was respectable, his scent… enticing… no. What? She did not understand. Her head tilted ever so slightly in response to his greeting to her, her head craning forward lightly as she looked at him, her tail wagging slowly from side to side which simply spread her scent further.

There was a strange desire to move forward, her paws dragging but not out of sluggishness towards him, almost as if it was a bit of a dance. She blinked a few times at him, her chin lifting lightly. He was… interesting. Perhaps it was simply because it had been so long since she had heard the voice of another? Surely, that had to be it. There would be no noise, no sound… merely these actions, the slight sway of her hips as she moved forward in her slower drags.

But it spoke volumes.

The woman's tail swept broadly behind her, and his fell to match it. Vili would not submit, but he wouldn't ask her to either. He would continue to follow her lead, continue to let her drive this interaction in whatever direction she chose, so long as they remained equals.

The stranger mirrored his greeting, her head tilting as his had just moments before. He expected her voice to come, imagined it being light and playful, but it never did. That was fine, he didn't need it to understand what she was saying, what game she was playing. A smirk touched the corner of Vili's lips as he joined in her dance, rounding her, slowly, sluggishly, his head lifting with hers. She was much smaller than he, her coat a rich tawny, but it was her gaze that truly drew him in. Her eyes were brilliant, the color of leaves in the midst of summer. They stood in stark contrast to everything else, to the grey of the mountain, to the browns of her coat, to the grey tufts of cloud in the sky. He found them alluring, inviting.

He closed the distance ever so slightly, still moving with her, still rounding her, as his heart beat rhythms into his eardrums.

SO YOU WANT TO START A WAR WITH A LOADED GUN?

Soph’s gaze leveled with him, finding his approach intriguing as instinct took over. Her tail once more swayed from side to side as she analyzed his movements silently. He was much larger than her, but he found no issues falling into step with her. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was doing, what they were doing, but she found that she enjoyed it quite a bit. Something about it simply felt right and gave into the internal itch that had gnawing at her for the past few days… the itch that hadn’t been able to go away no matter what she did.

He closed the distance some, and she danced backwards in a skip, mischief in her eyes before she moved forward, grazing her side against his as she passed to move behind him. She took that opportunity to get another whiff of his scent, finding the scent of fresh snow mixed with the rugged mountain soil alluring all the same. She’d lower her front half, not quite ready for what was to come next but certainly more playful as to give him hope of what was to come.

The tawny fae skipped backward, eliciting a smirk to form on Vili's maw. He wasn't sure what they were doing, but he couldn't stop it. She piqued his curiosity, made him wonder. His limbs ached to take another step forward, to close the distance between them for good, but the game they were playing had rules, and it wasn't his turn yet.

So he waited for her to come to him, and when she did, her sides dragging along his, Vili simply dipped his muzzle so that it might run along her spine as she passed. 'That felt fair,' he thought. A loophole in the rules, perhaps, but definitely not a violation.

Her scent was intoxicating now, filling the air and his nose in such a way that he thought he might suffocate, thought he might be okay with that if it meant remaining here with this strange woman, doing this dance, playing his part.

He turned to meet her, to continue this game that they had created. She bowed and it was his turn to hop back, offering a soft bark as he shifted his weight from one paw to the other. How would she answer? The question and anticipation left him nearly frozen there, his head tilted ever so slightly as his tail swung out behind him.

So you want to start a war with a loaded gun?

Despite not really knowing what was going on with her, or the drive she had, some instinctual part of her knew the rules to the game they were playing. She knew that she would move first, and he would follow her lead rather than him taking control of the situation. Whatever the situation turned into. There was a devious glimmer in her eye now, knowing the power and how she might use it.

As muzzle ran along her spine, she couldn’t help the way that heat rose to her cheeks in the form of a blush, or how she turned, remaining closer to him now after such a contact. Her emerald gaze turned from devious to a more controlled curiosity, though there was just enough of a flare to them to know that they were still in the game.

He offered a soft bark and he bounced back and forth and she would move closer, running her maw along the side of his neck and down his spine if he would allow it, not quite ready to fully give in, but warming up to the idea as they continued to dance around each other in her silence.

He watched her carefully, tuned in to every single movement, every flick of her tail, twitch of a muscle. They were on the precipice of something, though he wasn't entirely sure what it was.

She felt powerful, somehow, though the Archer couldn't place exactly how or why. He had relinquished his own control to her, something he would be hard-pressed to do in any other situation. What gave her that right? Who gave her that right?

The nameless woman came forward, a move Vili had not anticipated, and ran her muzzle down his neck, along his spine. His fur bristled, his skin burned. He bent down to nip at the spot between her shoulders, if she would allow it.

So you want to start a war with a loaded gun?

He would nip at the space between her shoulders and she felt a shiver run down her spine, her eyes burning for a moment as she pressed her side against his. Her head tilted lightly to the side. Her tail waved from side to side, a smirk on her features as her banner raised, her body lowering lightly as her gaze remained fixed on him. Submitting, giving into the game they were playing.

With it, her dance in the game would conclude, leaving the ball instead in his court, maintaining the cloak of silence she had carried the whole time in part out of necessity and in part out of amusement.

Their game was coming to a close, their actions smaller, the proximity more intimate. She pressed her side to his, and he leaned into the touch. The woman gave up a little bit of the power she had taken, relinquished it back to him. The rules were changing, the roles were changing. He did not speak, would not speak. There was no need.

He felt the burn, the ache as he rounded on her, planting little nips here and there. If the ball was truly in his court he was going to take his time, savor it. He was not yet ready to end his turn.

fade.