Larkcall Lowlands I just want you to save me while there's still something left

“Apologize? For what? That lil’ nip? Want me to apologize for the stick up your ass, too? Maybe the wind blowin’ your fur the wrong way? Should I apologize for the blue sky, too?”

Somewhere among the litany of questions, the words lost their playful edge, the sparkled disappeared from moonstone eyes and left only a cold, steely gaze in their wake. His tail stopped its slow wag, ears falling against the side of his head and pinning there slowly. It was not a toothy smile his lips revealed, but rows of ivory daggers. And to think, he actually thought Askan wasn’t that bad, that he could be decent company, an improvement to the monotony, but in all reality, he was a juggernaut of malcontent and anger.

Unfortunately, the demand came with a bit more anger than Reyes was actually bargaining for. He was looking to rile Askan up, maybe scuffle, but the one-hundred and thirty pounds of enraged wolf slamming into him? That was not foreseen. Maybe he needed to work on his fortunate telling abilities.

Reyes, solid as he was, was slammed backwards into the snow, red splattering against the white canvas. Legs flailed wildly, but he was not about to be cowed so easily. As soon as Askan released his grip, Reyes was on his feet, throwing his weight right back into the pack animal. “You’re a piece of work, you know that, asshole?”

Askan gritted his teeth at the wave of pain that erupted along his right side. So that's what it felt like? Askan often used his weight as a weapon and barrelled into his opponent with a great big thud. It seemed as though Reyes did the same and shit it hurt. He'd be sore the next day, for sure. But as surprising as that had been, it wasn't the time to get distracted. Shaking his head, Askan reaffirmed his footing and cast an icy glower in the loner's direction. The blood from his neck landed onto the snow with a soft plip plip plip, but despite the wound Reyes didn't seem to care or notice. He was more interested in spitting more vile words Askan's way. How typical.

"The same can be said for you." Askan shot back, licking the blood from his lips. "Let's try again. Apologise and we're done. You can't afford to get hurt and I don't want do that anyway. You were out of line, I just want you to accept it. Is that so fucking wrong?"

Askan took a heavy step forward, his right shoulder protested as he did so but he ignored it with a grimace, then took another step and then another. As much as he was the aggressor, he wasn't looking for conflict. His desire was simple and he'd made it plain and clear to Reyes what it was. It was simply a matter of seeing whether he would comply or continue to resist. Either way, Askan wouldn't go out of his way to seriously hurt him. The bite to his scruff whilst bloody wouldn't do any long term harm. It was just loose skin, he'd be fine. His fierce eyes scanned Reyes as he observed his gait and stance. He was good, but as things stood between them Askan was better. If they ever truly came to blows Askan wasn't sure who would be the victor.

Frustrated with his lack of compliance, Askan let out another deep, thunderous growl and rushed forward, kicking up a haze of snow behind him. Leading with his left shoulder, Askan grunted as he tackled Reyes' , sending him tumbling to the ground. Before the loner had the chance to scramble to his feet, he pressed his nose to the vulnerable expanse of his throat and let out a low growl in warning. His sides heaved with exertion and the thundering heart on his chest began to beat slower, now that he stood still. With the fading of his rapid heartbeat, his anger and frustration too began to dwindle, like a fire running out of kindling.

Yes, he was frustrated beyond measure. Yes, his sister was upsetting him, trying to take everything he had worked so hard to build away from him, but was it Reyes' fault? Did he really deserve this? Yes, his words were biting and cruel and he was an ass but... Was this regret? If it was then Askan didn't like it. He would never attack his sister, the idea never even occurred to him. So what was Reyes? A punchbag? Someone to take his anger out on? The Rye wolf could imagine it now, his Mother yanking at his tail and pulling him back to the den for a deserved lecture. Was this the sort of man he wanted to be? The sort who flipped out because he was a little upset?  It wasn't as if this was entirely his fault though, Reyes had been asking for it. More or less.

Askan frowned and pressed his nose into the soft fur of Reyes' throat. When he spoke his voice was unusually quiet, almost rueful.

"Just apologise."

(This post was last modified: Feb 06, 2017, 12:57 AM by Askan.)

“Don’t remember taking a chunk out of your neck when you took the piss outta me for speaking more than one language.”

Cold, stony eyes narrowed as the loner adjusted his stance, shoulder throbbing from its brief experience as a battering ram. Oh, sure, he hadn’t exactly been kind – but since when had their friendship acquaintance been founded on anything even remotely pleasant? Hell, Askan never even thanked him for pulling his sorry, stupid ass out of the freezing river, never mind finding him somewhere dry to wait out the night, nor warming him up (despite the massive amounts of bitching that had followed).

Why the hell was he wasting his time on this guy, anyways?

The thought was cut short as Askan barreled at him again; Reyes barely had enough time to brace himself before he was plowed back into the snow, his bloody ruff smearing across the white landscape. Even as the weight above him shifted, a cold nose was pressed against one of the many scars across his throat, and the man froze. His ears were held against his head so fiercely they began to quiver with the effort, teeth grinding together as a lifetime of fights flashed behind his eyes. Those scars didn’t materialize out of no where, after all.

“I’m sorry,” he hissed between clenched teeth, pointedly staring straight up, anywhere, anywhere that wasn’t the handsome wolf strong enough to pin him against the ground. Deep breath. A second. He was not going to let himself be ruled like Askan was. Winter’s chill slowly settled over his body. “Now get off of me.”

Reyes' apology wasn't heartfelt or earnest by any meaning of those words, but Askan sensed it was the best he was going to get. With a sigh, he pulled away, his gaze lingering on the scars that crisscrossed the loner's face and neck. He'd noticed them before of course, but after getting up close and personal with them, after leaving his mark on Reyes' it was... Askan couldn't help but wonder how many scraps he had gotten into before and why. Askan on the other hand had no scars, that he was aware of at least. His pack life had been sheltered and he'd been trained well, so these days he'd yet to earn a scar. He was sure it would happen one day or another and when it did, he would be sure to wear it like a badge of honour.

The Yukon stepped out of Reyes' personal space and rolled his shoulders with a wince. Ouch. He supposed that he deserved it, so he wouldn't kick up too much of a fuss. Not now anyway.

It occurred to him that he should help Reyes to his feet, but before he could even step forward to do so he realised that would't go down well. Reyes probably didn't even want to be touched by him now. He didn't know why, but that thought was almost disappointing. Askan tried to swallow down the lump that had formed in his throat, he felt antsy. Nervous almost. It was funny how two words could be so hard to even... Shifting nervously, Askan stared down at his muddy black paws. Why was this so hard, why couldn't he do this.

"I- you caught me at a bad time. Maybe I over did it a bit. It won't happen again, I swear it."

It wasn't much of an apology but it was the best he could do. For now at least, maybe one day he'd muster the courage to utter that dreaded word. The one he forced Reyes' to say.

Clearing his throat, Askan peered out across the snowy tundra, his brow furrowed. His attempt to distract himself from-how did he still manage to look so... when he was busted up?- Reyes proved fruitless, so Askan quickly gave up and looked back at the loner.

"Want me to look at your neck? I'm no medic but it's better than nothing."

Damn straight it won’t, cabrón, Reyes’ brain whispered traitorously, even as the wolf remained perfectly still, allowing the pack animal to extract himself from the tangle of limbs. Only once he was certain the other male was a good length or two away did he roll to his feet, shaking the snow and blood from his pelt in a vicious spray. His ears remained against his crown, eyes like the dark side of the moon as Askan stumbled over his words. Dios mio, this guy never knew when to shut up, did he?

The loner glanced up towards the sky, taking a moment to reorient himself – probably should consider getting back to his makeshift den, his sorta, kinda, not really a home. Teeth continued to grind somewhere inside his skull, and the offer was met only with a blank look. Really? Really?

“You just threw me down over a play fight, and you wanna come near my neck? Tcccht! You’re barking up the wrong tree, pendejo. No confiaría en ti hasta donde pudiera lanzarte.” He shook his head, well aware, and willfully ignoring the warmth seeping from the open wound and leeching into the cold sky. The loner turned, beginning a slow march in the direction from which he’d come. “You know I was offering a tussle, yeah? Maybe next time someone offers, you take it up instead of blindsiding.”

Stupid, handsome, no good piece of pack wolf shit. Shit, did he hate pack wolves.

Askan blinked, his surprise evident. Play fight? As in...? He blinked rapidly, as though that would clear up the situation. Nope, that didn't work. So he shook his head, his ears flapping from side to side. Nope, that didn't work either. A tussle. Oh Gods. That was rather surprising wasn't it? Reyes had been so aggressive, his words were so pointed. How was Askan supposed to know he was hankering for a game? And what on Earth led him to assume that Askan was the sort to play? Well okay, he did but it was only because Percy made him do it. He did not enjoy tussling and rolling around on the floor like an undignified pup. Not at all. Askan was proud, mature he did not do that sort of thing. Damn it. Who was he kidding? Certainly not himself.

"I...That was playing? But you were so... I didn't." A frown formed on his face. "How was I supposed to know? You were being so rude! And I... Have you never seen a play bow? You have to make things clear, I told you I'm not good with this sorta stuff, you should have known!"

Of course the Selwyn found a way to turn it on Reyes, to blame him for something that wasn't entirely his fault. But still, Askan sort of did have a point. Sort of. A little. Huffing, Askan couldn't help but wonder how he'd managed to get himself into this mess. Because that was what it was. First his sister and now this, how could his day get any worse. Asking that was tempting fate though, like he was just begging the universe to make things for him twenty times worse.

"I mean it's surprising. I didn't think that a guy like you would want... to play with me." Whatever that was supposed to mean. It seemed as though when he was around Reyes he always had a bad case of word vomit. Whatever happened to keeping things short and curt? Who was he? What had Reyes done to him? "I dunno, I didn't see that coming."

Usually he would have kicked up a fuss about Reyes speaking his weird language, but for now ,seeing as he'd royally screwed up, he was willing to let it slide. It wasn't too bad anyway, it made his voice sound fancy, in a deep, intriguing sorta way.

“You were waddling around with a stick jammed so far up your ass your eyes were turning brown,” Reyes grumbled in response, eyes narrowed as he studied the other wolf. The sudden turnabout had at least stopped his slow retreat back west; curiosity was a curse on the best of days. In all reality, he should leave this punk ass ingrate behind and go find Cotton. The kid was a pain, sure, but at least he knew how to, you know, exist with another wolf. Or say thanks when he got some help. Or fucking apologize when he was being a little shit head. (Which was rare, but Reyes could still imagine the scenario just fine.)

That last part, though, had him turning, ears swiveling as he stared. A guy like you… What the fuck was that supposed to mean? He’d assume it had something to do with his mother’s language, but it held none of the acid usually dripping from Askan’s voice like venom from the rattlesnake’s fangs. “Yeah, I picked up on that part,” he snorted softly, one brow finally raising.

Memo to Reyes: stop surprising Askan. He’s a straight-laced hard ass.

Memo to Reyes: scratch that first one. Habituate Askan to surprises. No need to baby his stupid face.

“You looked like you needed to burn off some steam, so, yeah. I wanted to play. I thought a nip would get the point across, but.” Reyes shrugged a shoulder and immediately winced, blood flow returning as he disturbed the laceration. Damnit. He wasn’t even going to be able to clean that himself. Did he trust Cottongrass to-- No. Nope. No, he did not. Cute kid, but a damn moron. “How good are you at checkin’ on wounds anyway?”

Reyes was resorting to that line again? Askan rolled his eyes but made a pointed effort to smother the contempt that bubbled to the surface. He wasn't going to get annoyed again, he wasn't going to lash out like he always did. Still, when the loner talked like that it was as though he was asking for trouble, like he was going out of his way to provoke him. That said, he also had a feeling that perhaps this was what Reyes was like. Like Askan, the scarred loner simply was a little-very- rough around the edges and at times his words were snappish and cruel. Not because he meant to be, but because it was his nature. Thinking of it that way helped a little, but even so being the hypocrite he was, Askan still couldn't help but think that he wasn't so bad. That Reyes was far more intolerable than he was.

For all his snark and witty quips, it was clear that Reyes was observant, that those dark eyes of his didn't miss a thing. Not that Askan's frustration had been easy to miss, he might as well have strapped a sign to his forehead that read 'I AM MAD.'

"Well my sisters used to ask...Or at least I told them to. They didn't listen though, I should be used to it." He grumbled, his eyes narrowed as he recalled those not so good old days. "Like I said, I didn't expect it from you. Didn't think you'd be interested or whatever, so you caught me off guard."

Honestly, the Selwyn was surprised that Reyes was even considering his offer. If the roles were reversed he most certainly wouldn't have. Perhaps it was because he had no one else to check, or at the very least his companion wasn't around at this moment so his options were pretty damn limited. Askan had offered so he had to follow through, backing out would make him seem like a pussy. Besides touching him wasn't so bad, it wasn't the worst thing in the world.

"I've got a bit of experience. At the very least I can check how deep it is, clean it up a bit." He shrugged. He was no medic, you wouldn't see him using herbs or fancy leaves any time soon.

Approaching his side, Askan positioned himself so that he could get a good look at the back of the loner's neck. It was a little bit too close for comfort, leaning in like this but it had to be done, he wouldn't be able to check otherwise.

"Let me know if I hurt you." Askan muttered, before he got to work.

Using his nose, Askan parted the fur on his neck as best as he could. It was sticky and stiffened by the blood, so Askan had to lick at it a little to make it a little more pliable, so he could brush it out of the way. The coppery taste of blood was bitter on his tongue, but he continued until he the fur was flattened enough for him to see it clearly. Askan remembered how hard he had clamped down, how his long canines had pierced the thin veil of skin. He'd bitten hard, but as he'd assumed before the wound wasn't too deep.

"Doesn't look too bad. I didn't rip anything, it was a clean bite." He paused for a moment and turned to look at the back of Reyes's head, the only part he could see. "I'm gonna clean it now, it'll sting."

“You know the world won’t always do what you want it to, yeah?” In fact, it seemed the ‘world’ at large rarely cooperated, much less its inhabitants. Just because you ask someone for something by no means meant they’d had it over – sisters especially. Reyes’ face twisted into a wry smile at the memory of the twins, often combining their powers for evil (and tackling him down a sandy slope when they thought they could get the upper paw). That said, he was not interested in continuing the argument – it was clear as day that Askan did not particularly find himself in the wrong, and the silver-eyed loner was not keenly interested in an attempt to change his mind. One solid bite was enough for one day, thank you.

It seemed, however, that the pack wolf was at least willing to inspect the injury, and Reyes would allow him this. Cotton was a good kid, but he was just that, and quite frankly, he wasn’t willing to risk infection (or death) just to give the other loner a chance to learn. So the dark wolf hunkered down, allowing Askan the upper hand so he might inspect his ruff – and fought the urge to hiss as the brute started nosing around, like it was some sort of goddamn party up there instead of sliced, sore skin. “You don’t gotta--”

But it was too late, and Askan was cleaning the wound. The loner flattened his ears against his skull but said nothing – he would not throw a temper tantrum like his counterpart had when he’d tried to dry the Rye wolf after his river adventure. “It ain’t so bad, is it, chaco?”

Askan knew that. The world in which they lived was a cold and unforgiving place, nothing was ever handed to him on a platter and for the most part things did not go his way. But even so, he supposed that he had things better than most. Or at least that was what he told himself when he had a hard time shifting through the thoughts in his head. But now, things were clear, he knew what he had to do. He had to make amends, he at least had to make an attempt to do right by Reyes. The Yukon wolf didn't know how he would take it, but he said he was going to sort this out so he damn well was going to get it done.

Grumbling at Reyes' protests, Askan simply continued his work, though he took extra care to be as gentle as he could. Funny that, how Askan could be violent and callous one moment but gentle and caring in the next. There was a lot more to the Selwyn than his steely, grumpy exterior. He simply did a good job of hiding it.Lapping away at the wound, Askan cleaned it up as best as he could. It was a little messy, he'd been anything but gentle but as he thought before it wasn't anything too bad. It certainly didn't warrant Askan booking it to White Fir Notch so he could have Emerys have a look at it. Reyes would be fine, as long as he looked after himself. Which Askan imagined he was rather good at, being a loner and all, in the middle of winter no less!

"You should be good." Askan told him as he pulled away. Prodding Reyes' side with his nose, he risked a quick smile. "Up you get."

Taking a step back, he watched as the loner clambered to his feet. It was a little weird, leaving his scent on Reyes like this but he supposed it was unavoidable. Now Askan had marked him in two ways. One with the bite and the other would his scent. His smell would fade in time, would probably be gone in a matter of days but what about the bite to his neck? Would it leave a scar? Had Askan left his own personal mark on Reyes for everyone to see? Now that was an odd train of thought and Askan felt his cheeks get a little warm. How weird. Where the hell had that come from?

Shaking his head, Askan licked his lips. What was he supposed to say now? He wasn't good with this sort of stuff. If that wasn't obvious enough already.

"So what now?" Askan asked, eyeing the bulky loner. "Are you going on your way?"Not that he wanted him to. For whatever reason.

(This post was last modified: Feb 07, 2017, 05:38 PM by Askan.)