Shallows Edge Kerosene

Lyanna listened intently, envisioning for herself the scene he'd described. She'd never been south of even Relic Lore itself, and could hardly imagine a place hotter than Shallows Edge in the dead of summer, really. Was it desert-like terrain that took weeks to travel through? He and his mother and sisters must have been a hardy bunch to live there if it was. And then came his mention of the two-legs and the fire-sticks, and she came up totally blank there. Even if she didn't know it, she had been fortunate enough to have never encountered man or his fire, and the only fire she'd actually seen had been the result of a strike of lightning preceding a nasty thunderstorm, put out by the rain that followed. Either way, her inexperience with some of the things Reyes spoke about made her feel like more of a rookie than anything. And it was in that moment that she saw him for something more than what met the eyes - saw something more of him behind his battle scars, striking, smoky brown fur and monotone stare. There was a wisdom in him, stories untold and an air of mystery. It just added to the intrigue.

And then - the way he's talked about Askan was with such timeless regard, like being with him was just an integral part of who he was. Maybe it was because she only ever dealt with Askan - with his course (which was putting it so lightly) demeanor and all the eye rolling - but she realized that it hadn't crossed her mind until now that maybe she didn't believe he knew how to love. To really love, because he had such a hard shell. Yet, it was becoming clearer to her by the moment in her time with Askan's mate that Reyes must truly love the Selwyn. And that kind of love never went unreturned.

Was she having an epiphany? She felt like she'd been blind to them, or the two of them as one, for weeks. Her golden eyes roved over Reyes' thoughtfully as he dunked his wide face below the water. Maybe she'd never put a lot of thought into the concept of the two men being mates and leaders of their own successful pack, but it really was special wasn't it?...Keeping that entire train of thought to herself, the tawny girl followed suit and submerged her face, wiping at her cheek with her paw below the water before coming up to blink the wet from her eyes. Content to enjoy the quiet for a moment while the two of them got their bath on, she paddled out into the deeper part of the pool and back as the sunshine beamed down on her face.

When she circled back to the shore, she carried their casual conversation along. "It sounds like Askan is a lucky guy to have a man in his life who would give up warmer weather to stick it out with such a grump," she remarked with all due respect, looking over his fur to see if he'd done a sufficient job at soaking the blood matts out. She spied a chunk just past his cheek, tilting her head to get a better look. "Mmm - you missed a spot, right there under your ear." Swishing her muzzle in the waves, she breathed in the air that felt lighter when you'd cleaned up good. "Well, who knows - maybe he'd take a vacation down there when it freezes over up here," she smiled, her words meant to be uplifting. "...Do you ever see them? Your family, I mean."

While Lyanna was busy having a little epiphany about just how gay the alphas were the depth of the relationship between the pair of males, Reyes was enjoying himself a pleasant little bath. Despite the summer heat, the lake remained pleasantly cool and refreshing. The constant run of the waterfall meant the blood he rinsed off wouldn’t linger to foul up his precious pond, and he continued to use teeth and tongue, alternating between nattering and vigorous grooming to remove evidence of his hunt with the woman spoke back up.

Reyes glanced back up, blinking his bright, moonlit eyes. “Lucky? Hm. It’s sure some kind of luck, I’ll give ya that.” The idea made him snort, ears flicking forward and backwards at the thought. Was it luck? Was it fortune, or the opposite? The alpha didn’t really like putting that many words to it. It was good. It worked, and when it wasn’t working, they put their heads together, and made it work.

But then Lyanna leant forward and he paused, a bit-- Taken aback, perhaps. Askan had no limits on his affection, but the other members of their pack treated Reyes more distantly. He made no effort to change it. Why would he? If they wanted an alpha above and away, that’s what he would be. He might have let it pass, but then she asked. After them.

It made him sigh. “My Mama is probably gone, now. She’d be a real old woman, if not. You just missed Marisol, she’s gone back south lookin’ for our nephew, and ah-- Posie is gone. Why she’s lookin’ for the nephew, I guess.”

He exhaled sharply through his nose. “I dunno if that’s a usual thing for you, askin’ after family, but do us both a favor – don’t ask after Askan’s. They’re gone. Recently. Brutally. And he’s not even close to over it.”

you deserve better than this shit post

Where the rest of the pair's interaction had been effortless - from her perspective, at least - it seemed as though she'd pushed a bit too far in asking about his family. Had she been rude? She surely hadn't meant to be. She was just making polite conversation, trying to get to know Reyes better. The man went on to share what he felt inclined to with a sigh before informing her of something that had happened to Askan's family. A loss. Her russet ears flicked sideways, embarrassed and humbled.

"...I wont." Lyanna relinquished, sure that she didn't want to cross a line here, given how well she'd gotten along with him to this point - and how well she'd gotten along with Askan. Her toes dug in to the silty muck of the lake bed beneath the water. "I didn't know, Reyes. I'm sorry, if I went too far," she offered sincerely to his remark about Askan's family, attempting to smooth it over. She couldn't have known about Reyes' mother either, but when he mentioned she was probably gone by now, she felt a pang of guilt and foolishness for asking without considering the possibility that his loved ones may not be around, or alive. Her features softened with thoughtfulness when she pondered about having just missed his sister, thought about what she may have been like and her stay at the Edge.

"For what it's worth, I think your mother must have been quite a woman to have raised a son like you," Lyanna complimented, her intentions innocent; she didn't know him but for their encounter, but for all intents and purposes, he'd exuded nothing but excellent qualities today. Kind, to her. Regal. Reserved. Thoughtful. It put her at ease, reinforced her will to surrender her loyalty. Having cleaned up to her liking and finding some peace of mind in her time with Reyes, the pale-coated girl left the water of the shallows, shedding the excess water from her paws one by one before planting her feet in the sandy bank and proceeding to shake her coat drier - without splattering the dark furred man unnecessarily, of course.

Turning to face him, Lyanna didn't want to overstay her welcome, and she considered that perhaps it would suit him to spend the remainder of his time relaxing with some privacy. If he wanted her to stick around, of course she would. If not, she was conducive to the prospect of spending the remainder of the day filling the caches and securing the borders. "...There's enough daylight to do some hunting before nightfall- if you'd like, I wouldn't mind leaving you to enjoy your bath with some solitude?" The words didn't sound questioning, open-ended, rather.

(This post was last modified: Oct 10, 2018, 06:33 PM by Lyanna.)

“You didn’t. But his losses ‘er more recent than mine, an’ some days he don’t handle it so well.” Some days were fine – but Reyes reckoned the man would bring the departed family members up if he wanted to talk about them. And, frankly, if Lyanna lifted a rock she shouldn’t, she wasn’t the one who’d have to deal with the fallout. It had been one hell of a monumental effort to haul Askan out of the self-dug hole the first time, and Reyes wasn’t sure how successful he’d be if there was a second time.

His mouth twitched, and he decided not to dwell on it any longer. Thankfully, Lyanna didn’t seem to have much desire too, either.

Though the prospect of a hunt made his ears twitch, he’d only just finished one himself before coming down to the water’s edge. He gave a small nod. “Mm. Should probably see to the borders myself. Maybe next time I’ll catch before I go hunting instead of after.”

Two wolves were better than one, and all that.

Fade.

Oops I'm the slowest...