Pookastone Scowle what a wicked thing to do

On either side of his muzzle, his whiskers quivered as he kept the coyote corpse mostly off the ground. Seeing as his mouth was full, he didn't dare to speak. Not only was there much else to be exchanged with his sister and the ward, but he very much wanted to give Celandine his grotesque gift - which essentially spoke volumes compared to his tokens of half-dead mice and dead birds with plucked feathers. This... This was the body of his prey, his target annihilated. Destroyed. Eliminated. Brought back as proof of some unspoken gallantry and cunning.

As Morganna nudged the girl's shoulder and swept her away from the scene, Skoll slowly turned to where his beloved stood. He watched as she and his sister shared a word but he did not move until she beckoned for him.

"Come."

He didn't even hesitate. Whether or not Morganna had gone or remained to spy, he trusted that she wouldn't linger for long. It was only fair; he never eavesdropped when Morganna and Renier were having a moment alone. As he saw her tail arch upward, he responded in kind with lowering his head and relaxing his tall stature enough so that when he did draw close enough to her, his head was low enough to lick her chin after dropping the coyote at her feet.

A puff of air hissing from his mouth was the only sound he made while he licked the sides of his muzzle and tenderly grazed his teeth over her chin. She smelled like home and it immediately reminded him of the moss-covered boulders, low-hanging tree branches, and the cozy nook that served as Anduin and Vaeda's rendezvous site. For a moment, part of him thought to affectionately tease her, but he decided against it. A proper gentleman wouldn't do that to the spouse he had left behind while on a coyote hunt. Had they been human, he might have outright expected a slap square on the side of his face.

He slowly sat down, slouched as his tail laid flat out behind him. "There were three of them hanging around our den," he murmured to her, his eyes flickering up to hold her gaze for a mere second. "I took them out and brought the last one back for you."

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

The woman flashed SeeJay a nod as she passed, acknowledging the crooked grin that was so very different from her own, and then they were alone. Morganna might think to hang around for a bit, just to ensure that everything went over smoothly, but Celandine trusted that she wouldn't stay long. Not that it mattered either way.

Skoll came as she called, responding to her posture by dipping his head, and leaning in to nibble on her chin. She never had to wonder whether he'd approach like this, or whether he'd forego the formalities in favor of something else, for she knew him well enough to know that's not who he was.  It was always formalities, and courtesies with him. The perfect gentleman, regardless of the circumstance. Maybe she had hoped for something else this time. Maybe this was exactly what she had wanted. 

Her lip curled in response to his touch, though she still took the opportunity to breathe him in. His musk was largely his own, garnished simply with hints of Earth, coyote, and death. He no longer smelled like her, or Morganna, or their children. There was no dampness to him, no white pine, none of the things that read home, but she had known that there wouldn't be. He'd been gone too long. 

Celandine remained upright as Skoll moved to sit, though her lip came back down to sheath her canines. He'd be too comfortable if she sat. Instead, the woman's eyes swept over Skoll's face as he spoke, tracing the lines she'd learned so well, and searching for the hint of a lie tugging at the corner of his graying maw.

"I took them out and brought the last one back for you."

Her gaze traveled down as he spoke, flickering over the mangled carcass at her paws. It was a foul smelling thing, grotesque in appearance, but he had brought it back for her. Celandine could imagine him trailing it for days, shadowing it's movements until it knew nothing but fear. She could almost hear the sound it made as his teeth broke through it's skin, the wild look in his silver eyes as he ripped it apart. The corner of her maw pulled upwards at the thought, though she was quick to force it back down. How lucky for him that he thought to bring it back. 

Celandine's eyes flashed back up to his, dissolving any vulnerability that might be hidden within their depths. He wasn't allowed to see it. Not now. "Too long, Skoll. You know it was too long."

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"Too long, Skoll. You know it was too long."

He could swear that he could feel her gaze pressing into him, as if she was scrutinizing every fiber of his being. Judgement. A plea for acceptance. A hope for a better tomorrow. Skoll's ears fell back in staggered movements; almost as if he hesitated in believing he was wrong. His pride was getting in the way again. His brows knit together but he did not meet her eyes. As her subordinate, yes, he should have known better. In his head he debated with himself over if he should meet her, word for word. He could not tell anymore where the line was between his Leader and his mate, after having believed for so long that they were one in the same.

They weren't.

There was a subtle difference and he commonly toed the line, playing to the side of her he wanted. At the moment, he wanted both. It was complicated to say the least. He wanted the acceptance of his superior and the love of his partner. If his gift of a den adornment or territory marker was not enough, there were only so many words he could piece together to make it all alright again; and, to appeal to the two Celandines, he had to convince her that after all he had done, he was still here.

"I know," he spoke to the ground. Inside, he half-cringed. "I'm s-sorry." The words were tart on his tongue, having never really uttered them before. Standing at the side of his high horse instead of being perched atop its even taller saddle was uncomfortable.

Cautiously, he angled his head upward to brush the bridge of his muzzle across the bottom of her chin and throat, all too aware that he was vulnerable to her jowls... that at any moment he could find himself in her grasp, inferior and required to yield. "But... I'm here now." Then, more fancy and articulate words to wrap her up in his apology, "I didn't mean to cause you such undue stress. I had to let them know what they had done."

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

It was a delicate game they played, dancing between the lines of alpha and subordinate, of dominance and submission, lest one party risk the other's pride. The lines were still blurry for her, and maybe they always would be because she'd never known it any other way, but she found entertainment in pushing these invisible boundaries, of giving and taking, and she liked it when he pushed back. Sometimes she wondered what they'd be without status in the way, what he'd be like if they stood as equals in rank, and looked at her only as his mate. Curiosity begged the question be answered, but Celandine knew that she couldn't have it both ways. She couldn't be one, and not the other, because that's not how it worked. So she would be both, just as she always had, and they would continue to do this dance.

"I'm s-sorry." 

The woman knew how bitter those words probably tasted on his tongue, how awful they would have felt lingering on her own. Maybe it meant more because of that, or maybe she just didn't have the willpower to deny him any longer. 

"But... I'm here now."

Maybe these sorts of things were as much a part of him, as leading was a part of her, and if they were then she'd have to accept that. Angling her crown downwards around Skoll's head, the fae nipped at the fur behind his ear. "I know." Bright eyes fell once more upon the mangled carcass as she spoke. "We'll put it on the overhang above the den." Where she could see it, this prize he had brought her, and be reminded that he had done it for her.

As possessive as Skoll was, so too was Celandine. She would lay her claim on him as his leader, and his mate, perhaps just a bit more gently than he had imagined. Until all the traces of coyote and death were gone, and all that remained was the scent of him, and her, and Pookastone. Until there would be no doubt that he belonged to her, and she to him. "You did well."

 

(This post was last modified: Oct 20, 2018, 04:50 AM by Celandine.)

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"I know," she echoed back to him. Now, all that was left was to take it all in. First, he comprehended her appreciation; Celandine was going to show off her gift. She wanted to showcase it above their den, a subtle warning for any other predator who dare approach a place that wasn't theirs.

His eyes remained averted as she loomed over him, and when she was through, he let out a soft whine in relief. She rewarded him; even if just with words, it was more than enough. He had done well. He scooted closer to her, nuzzling his face into her shoulder and side. His ears cautiously came up and his tail gave a slow sway from one side to the other.

There was a subtle shake to his limbs as he stood back up, whether it was possible nerve damage from the seasons before (in his time in the Dell) or downright nerves, he couldn't be sure. Either way, he was glad that he could finally rest. Tomorrow, even with the coyote pelt above their den, everything would be back to normal.

"So, I can come home?" he glanced up to the side of her face, almost afraid he would be turned away. He had learned too well from Elettra that even he was subject to rules - and, this time around, when he broke them, the consequences were bound to be different than what they were in Willow Ridge (where his mother basically tolerated him after demoting him to the lowest rank in the pack). The plume at his back gave an uncertain wag. While he desperately wanted the answer to be yes, he understood that any proper mate would take measures to mend the distance that had separated him from the snow white Leader.

(This post was last modified: Oct 22, 2018, 03:52 AM by Skoll.)

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Skoll moved closer, pressing his greying muzzle into her shoulder, and causing her nose to slide from his ear to the thicker fur of his nape. It still felt so right being there, wrapped up in his scent as if there had never been any time or distance between them, because he had returned to her. Because he loved her and she loved him, and in that moment nothing else mattered. 

Whether or not the woman noticed the barely-there shake of her lover's limbs as he came to stand, she gave no indication. Celandine was far too focused on the warmth fading from her shoulder as Skoll pulled away. Pale brows knit themselves together as she searched his face for an answer, only smoothing over once he asked for her permission to return. The smile that crept across her maw wasn't the forced, or sarcastic type that she usually wore, but soft, and warm, and real. Had she not been so encompassed in the moment she might have hated how vulnerable it left her, but as it stood, she didn't care. 

"Yes Skoll. Come home."

(This post was last modified: Oct 22, 2018, 03:25 AM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

At long last, the wag in his banner of a tail turned from uncertain to genial and, ultimately, reassured. She smiled at him and he easily returned it, poking his tongue out from behind his sealed lips to drag it down the front of his leathery nose. Everything was all right again. It was all he could have ever asked for. Without needing to hear anything else (for they would have other times to talk and catch up with one another), he bowed down to snatch up the bedraggled coyote torso again and looked to his mate, ears forward and open and eyes twinkling bright in what little moonlight managed to filter through the storm.

He beamed at her, head low and tail set in a low rhythmic wave, eager to let her lead him back to the place they called theirs.

(Fade.)

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away