The Silence is Deafening

She quickly used her tongue to pick the ice from her pelt. She froze when her dark companion wrapped his body around hers. The warmth seeped into her seizing muscles, causing her to melt against him. He was only trying to help after all. She brought her tongue back to her fur and he did the same. She tried to ignore the feeling of his body pressed against hers as she focused on the task at hand. She was glad she wasn't alone in this. She wouldn't have realized just he extent of the danger until it had been too late to do anything. She almost felt safe with him looking after her, which was strange considering she had only just met him. He seemed to completely ignore her apology, but it didn't really matter anyway. It wouldn't change anything.

It took awhile but she could start to feel her body warm up again. The harsh spasms had faded to small tremors and her fur had been almost completely cleared of the ice shards. She was still shivering but she didn't think that she was in any real danger anymore. God, she had been stupid. She should have watched where she was going. That rabbit wasn't worth her life. Sure, it would be food for the pack, but she had be alive in order to find more. She was slightly disappointed when he moved away but she hid it. They didn't know each other that well, so there was no reason for him to stay close. She wasn't going to die, she was fine.

He stood, motioned for her to follow, then took off down the river. She quickly snatched up the troublesome hare and loped after him. She wondered where he could possibly be going. They were leaving their catch behind. At first she thought he might just be looping back around in order to get them, but the thought quickly vanished. It wasn't until they reached the den that she knew. He was still looking after her. While she was glad, she was also frustrated. They had gone to all the trouble of finding and catching the things, they were not going to leave then for something else to eat. She had almost frozen to death for them. Dropping the hare in her jaws, she spoke. "Thank you, but I'm fine now. We need to get the catch. I wont leave them out there." Her voice was unwavering now, hardly any shiver to it at all. She really was going to be okay thanks to him, but the pack wouldn't be if they didn't bring back the prey. Her eyes were warm, but hard. She was thankful for what he had done, but she was determined. They needed to go back. If he wouldn't go with her, then she'd end up going alone. "We worked for those. I'm not going to let the effort be wasted." Surely he could understand why they needed to go back?

Heaven's golden gates would not creak open this day for Lalani Callahan. Even though this fact was certain by now, Hati found himself glancing over his shoulder often to check on the dark female who had come so near to dying. The journey to the Cut Rock River dens was further than he would have liked but the girl seemed to have no trouble keeping up. Undoubtedly she would be content to rest in the comfortable den, regaining strength after the struggle against the bitter cold. Surprisingly, however, this was not the case, as he discovered once they both stood inside the den.

Hati frowned, very displeased at Lalani's determination to go back for the rabbits. Why hadn't she said something in the first place if she was so worried about some bloody varmints? he growled to himself, staring her down with a cold eye. His answer was an obvious no as he stepped in between the woman and the door and shook his head. To make his message more clear, Hati took several steps forward, asking her to move back. She would stay here and rest; the last thing they needed was for Lani to become sick in this weather. Couldn't she understand that?

It was one of those moments where, if the man could speak, he would have thrown back his head and groaned in exasperation.

Hati took a step back, closed his eye determinedly, and shook his head. He would go and acquire the creatures if that would make the girl happy. All that was important was that she stayed warm right here. So, after tossing one more hard look in Lalani's direction, he stepped back out into the bitter cold. The trip back down the river took nearly twice as long as it had the opposite direction without the rush of getting his friend to the den. Once he arrived on the scene, finding the pile of mangled rabbits undisturbed, he snatched them up and headed back. If Lalani wasn't where he had left her, Hati would show her how big of a mistake that was.

When he poked his ebony head through the entrance, the black female lay there waiting for him. Hati breathed a sigh of relief that she had obeyed his order. To be truthful he had not fully expected her to stay; the look of dogged determination in her eyes had not been missed, but apparently she had understood what he meant to do. A smile flashed across his face as he dropped the rabbits at his pack-mate's feet. She was now perfectly safe in the heart of the territory, close to water and provided with plenty of food. All that remained for total recovery was sleep, Hati was sure. And for that Lalani would obviously want to be alone. His presence was no longer required. Besides, the entire thing had been harder on the scarred brute than he let on, and some space, some time alone, appealed to him more than ever. With one last fleeting glance as goodbye, Hati left the den.

Hati's exit!

(This post was last modified: Feb 26, 2014, 04:29 AM by Hati.)

As Lani stood there and stared down the dark male with determination, she could see the frustration in his gaze. While her stare wasn't challenging, she wouldn't leave them behind and she begged him to understand. They had spent the energy catching those rabbits and they were needed. She didn't see the point in catching them to just hand them over to any animal that happened to wander by. He seemed to know that she would leave if he refused to, and stepped between her and the entrance, effectively blocking her path. She wrinkled her brow, frustrated. What was he doing? She was fine! She didn't need to be locked in a damn den like a pup. He took several steps in her direction, but she didn't move, until they were almost nose to nose. He took a step back and shook his head, exasperated. He headed out of the den, throwing one last look back at Lani that ordered her to stay where she was.

She hesitated. She wasn't sure whether she should go after him or whether to stay. Was he going back for the rabbits? Was he leaving to go about other business? She wasn't entirely sure. She was highly tempted to wait a few minutes before leaving and going after the catch. If he was going somewhere else, she could wait until he was gone and then run back to the place where they had left them. In the end, she laid down, resting her chin on her paws. She trusted her dark companion. If he cared about her, which it seemed he did considering all that he had gone through with her, she didn't doubt that he would go back if it would keep her where he wanted her. So she would wait. She stared at the opening for a long time, expecting him to walk in at any second. She began to wonder if he had gone back for the catch at all.

The dark male peeked his head into the den, before continuing in. It had taken him nearly twice as long as it had for the first trip here. Although, it would make sense considering he wasn't in as much of a hurry. Watching him as he came in, he seemed relieved and almost surprised. A grin spread across her face and she resisted the urge to laugh. He didn't expect me to stay. For that matter, neither had Lani. He smiled as he laid the rabbits at he feet. She opened her mouth, ready to thank him. She felt bad for making him go back out there alone. She would have gone too, except he hadn't let her. He seemed antsy and gave her a quick glance before leaving. She hadn't even gotten the chance to thank him. For his company, for the catch, for her life.

Sighing, Lani let her head fall back to her paws. She was alone again. Usually she preferred to be alone. She didn't like others most of the time, but strangely enough, she found herself lonely. In the back of her mind, she knew it wasn't the fact that she wanted company, it was the lack of a certain someone's company she was feeling the effects of. She decided she would rest. She had burned a lot of energy with the hunt, fighting the water and ice, and shivering in the cold. Black fur danced behind her eyelids as she let them droop shut and she drifted to sleep.

{Fade}