And it had in most all aspects of her life, silence again became her companion as she followed her dark guide through the fields. The maslin of natural scents offered a pleasant tickle to her nostrils, bidding her tail sway in mild contentment in lieu of the smile failing to reached her weathered maw. It was not hard for the female to smile, only consuming, for it took much of herself to let the muscle release their tension and rise. As any creature, she had the capacity to find pleasure in the aspects of life and nature, it was simply difficult to do so when her days were burdened by the struggle and disappointment. But perhaps something as ordain as a tree would bring that fragile glimmer to her lips. Stepping in time with her company, she kept her paws relatively light upon the earth to attempt some manner of finesse. Too used to the stamp of her presence in the wild, it took time before her pressed receded in sound to naught but a whisper. Occasionally she would glance to a coal ear, watching it swivel or twitch to the time of her step until it moved out of sync and heeded to the medley of sound that surrounded them instead. Distantly, she wondered if such a tactic had been used by the Thicket male from days before, or if there was more to his stealth than just a lighter manner of step. Her attention shifted from thought to the present as the ground began to shift underfoot. Flat plains gave way to the subtle slope of a hill, and too true to the male’s word a lone tree stood at is cusp with leaves beckoning gently by the softness of the dawn breeze. And its roots were quite impressive. Large tangled things that burst from the earth with little regard for its form. Gaps swelled beneath the hardly wood and splintered bark, offering an ideal hole to keep her warm and dry should a passing rain suddenly fall. It was ideal, truly. Immediately she turned to her company in gratitude, with not a smile but a noticeable light to her dulling bi-colored eyes and an appreciate tip of her muzzle. “…no intention of crossing the pack wolves,” she crooned. “-not unless I need something… I cannot get on my own. I will not bother.” |
His bright amber eyes on the tri-coloured female as she gazed at the lone tree, he watched her turn to him, a spark in her different-shade-of-amber eyes. Dark ears twitching at her crooning voice, telling him that she would take heed of his warning. That was good, it proved she had an able mind and would know when to draw the line during a conversation with another, or the powerful wolves themselves. He would have to test her to find out if she truly had it, but from their brief encounter, he could sense at least a part of the power within her. That pleased him immensely.
Dipping his head an inch at an angle, to show he heard her words and respected them, he turned his large bulk around and began to pad towards the Secret Woodlands borders, before he paused, his tail tip twitching, and turned his dark head around, his eyes catching hers one last time. “I do hope to see you in Secret Woodlands soon,” he said delicately, the corners of his lips threatening to twitch up, in possibly the beginnings of a smile.
With that, the Young Hellion dismissed the female and padded back to the borders, in the direction of the den site. He had achieved something useful, and would now allow himself a break from all other wolves, and just take time to think alone, where others couldn’t find him, nor would they dare to bother him. He was the King after all, but he just didn’t show it to anyone, not yet.
I can because I want to,
I want to because you made me.
{Exit Anouke}
The wanderer maintained her silence as her company began his return. His silent disposition had earned her favor, seeing it was not with a loose tongue that he chose to spend their encounter, however brief. Undeniably their kind were more sociable than most by nature and practice, though the woman never saw the reason to speak idly to fill the void. Was the presence of another not enough? At least this ebone male understood, and she was appreciative of that. He did however spare a parting word in his turn to leave. Her ears perked attentively at the delicate play of his voice, offering his expectations of seeing her likeness again… but in the Thicket of his pack. Her brows raised, receding into the unruly crown of umber forelocks, and tail too gave a slight tremble of shock well-restrained. The female did not know what to make of it, and thus settled into the silence the followed the wake of his departure. Even after his pale paws were gone from sight and all the lingered of him was a fading musk, she still stared in his direction with a perplexed knit of her brows. No one had ever shared a thought like that… or even expressed wanting to see her- other than her known family, of course. Had she been of better mind and more amiable spirit, she might have taken his words as flattery and been inclined to see this a reality if only for the shared companionship. But the woman was of priority, however kindly his parting words may have been. Yet they stuck with her none the less, echoing softly in her ears even as the rise of the afternoon chorus threatened to overtake it. Eventually, she did turn her muzzle toward the tree again, looking to its roots with the relief for shelter. Never-minding the hour, she slipped under a large swell to make her bed and let her head rest as thoughts of camaraderie came surging forward. [Fin!] |