Iridescent Lagoon On A Night Like This

i don't want this. i don't need this. i don't feel this.

She had no idea anyone else was around. Her attention was solely focused on Valiant, aware he may want nothing more than friendly chatter. (Or she'd try to believe) He had a lazy grin lighting up his features, making him appear much less like a threat. It would take more than that to take her guard down, if she ever actually did. Her gray stroked ears cupped forward she caught his words, and temporarily glanced at the night sky before her mismatched gaze fell to his bright orange eyes. He was sitting now, but it didn't make him appear any smaller.

She shifted her weight between her forearms, his answer a bit of a surprise to her. She'd never hear any wolf talk like that. She had often felt the feeling, often questioning if it was her own. "So I'm not the only one compelled by the earth, and sky..." She answered, more of a statement than a question. A change in her voice. A gentle sweep of her tail, her nostrils twitched only catching the fresh breeze, the scent of the lagoon. She had avoided the large body of water, not wanting to be reminded of home. Now she let her gaze fall upon it, wishing it was summer and not winter.

A soft blink, she cast her sight back in his direction."I didn't interrupt you did I?" Maybe it was a silly question, but it was compulsive slipping from her tongue before she could retract it. She liked to sing, and had not for some time. She was trying to decide if he was a good kind of fellow or not. "I heard you, and couldn't resist. I'm a sucker for music." A weary sigh, she at last slipped to her rump atop the crisp snow. She was more mentally tired, than physical. Being reminded of her good memories made her want to crumple. She ignored the feeling. "I'm Jayse by the way." She offered.

	She looked as if the weight of the world was bearing down on her as she finally relaxed enough to sit with him, and he finally had a name. "No bother at all... I prefer company when I sing anyway. Theres always something missing when you sing alone." he added the end as an afterthought. No point playing games tonight. If she was a pack wolf, and he was being watched, he may as well rip his own hide off now. He was brave, brazen even, but he wasn't foolish. "You look like something is getting you down... Pack not playing nice?" he asked with a wry smile. Pack was not something he had to worry about, but he remembered what a drag it had been. Her scent told him more than she had herself and he suddenly realised he may have put her on the back foot with his off-handed comment. "I can smell them..." he added quietly as an afterthought.

i don't want this. i don't need this. i don't feel this.

Maybe her judgment had been miscalculated, but it was in her nature to be cautious. His attitude seemed to have shifted, in turn hers had too. She could never fully relax, she could let her tense muscles loosen, her mind calm, listening to to his reply. "I agree. My home pack use to rally together through good, and bad," she said with a shrug of her shoulders, uncertain why she felt inclined to share this small bit of information of herself to a complete stranger.A charmed smile flashed on her lips, and a quiet laugh peeled from her throat. She was clearly amused by his choice of words. "You could say that." She didn't think it odd he knew she was part of a pack. She had quite a number of scents on her with the growing numbers of Grizzly Hollow, and was sure they were quite evident with how much closer she was. "Figured you might," she stated, letting it be known she was neither offended nor surprised. Laugh had long quieted, and her small faded."But I'm not merely in the pack, I'm the only leader," she confessed, thinking it might hint at why she might look as ragged, and weighed down as she did. "As for my pack mates, well I wish I could make them all happy. It is no breeze."

Why was she confiding in a stranger once more? It seemed a lot easier, as who did she talk to back home? Everything was a tangled mess, her true feelings, her thoughts, her troubles, and anxieties. Little by little she was trying to get them out in small ways. There was a lot she kept trapped. She had to be the strong one, the one who kept it all together.

OOC: It's looking more and more likely Val is going to join a pack, at least for a little while, and with Kano at CRC and Naira at SR expect him to come back a-knockin' sometime shortly, before that last spot gets filled hopefully!

	The ONLY leader? Now how does something like that happen? he wondered to himself. He was not an overly curious wolf but it did pique his curiousity. Suddenly realising his lack of manners he quickly dropped his head with a smile, a flash of cheek shining in his eyes, "Sorry lady Jayse, I wasn't aware/" He raised his head to its previous height and looked out over the lake, the night sky reflected perfectly on its mirror flat surface. "You shouldn't have to make them happy, You're the leader, they should be trying to make you happy?" he stated but finished with a question. That was always the way his pack had functioned, and so he assumed that was how they all functioned. "If you didn't look so exhausted I might ask if you would like to run, always makes me feel better. Although to be honest, I'm not the fastest..." It was more the rhythm of it, the way he could lose himself and send all his worries back into his surroundings. After all, he wasn't one to allow himself to be dragged down by others.

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2012, 11:54 PM by Valiant.)

<i>Lol, I see you did send him over. Works for me ;) Seriously I think Valiant is growing on me xD</i>

i don't want this. i don't need this. i don't feel this.

She didn't think her words would matter, or least not very much. Sure, she was at the head of a pack. She never let the fact go to her head, nor did she think that made her better than anyone else. It was just a part of who she was now. Clearly, they did affect him he ,though not a wolf of her pack, and he gave a token of his respect. The words lady Jayse were very noble of him, and she could not erase the smile that steadied her lips."Thanks for that, but it's not necessary," she said hoping to discourage it. If it didn't she wouldn't press the issue. Respect for her position was a positive thing, she didn't want to turn negative as it showed points of decency.

When he raised his head upward, she felt relieved he didn't feel pressured to remain lower than she. At the same time he appeared slightly bemused by her stated problem. The question linger in his statement. She was aware other packs functioned differently, but hers was nothing quite regular as she was not. She may have been born to a leader, and may have been raised for such purpose. The moment her mother died her life had changed, and she had been at the bottom, and middle of packs before.

She wasn't sure how to explain herself to him, and she too looked to the lagoon's calm surface. She did not look at him, as she spoke. "To me it doesn't. I'm a leader, not master. I like to think of my pack as family, I respect them as much as they respect me." She met his gaze, a softness to her unmatched eyes thinking she had summed it up for the most part. She could carry on, but rather not.

With an invitation to run, her white banner curled tightly around her haunches, the tip resting on her front paws. Running for no reason was a pure rush, something she had not done in a long time. But he took the words right out of her mouth, she was too tired. "Maybe some other time," she offered with a mere shrug of her shoulders. She agreed he didn't look built for speed, he was pretty brawny. She could run fairly fast with her long limbs, usually to get from one place to another."I use to suck at running, my long legs often got the best of me so believe me sometimes I wish I was built different."

	He nodded in understanding. She did look exhausted. The moon was high and he began to feel he had best take his leave before he screwed up such a beautiful night. He had to appreciate her explaination of how she ruled her pack. It was an idea that sat well with him. Part of the reason he was so glad to be free of it was the rigid structure his family maintained, but things would be different once he tracked down the young black male. "Well, I should probably take my leave and let you get home so you can get some rest..." he said quietly with a small smile. Deep down something pulled at him, was he feeling sad about leaving his new aquaintance? It wasn't something he had experienced before and it left him feeling confused. Yes, he had to leave and soon. He still had a lot to do.

i don't want this. i don't need this. i don't feel this.

He silently replied, and she was grateful for that. She wasn't sure if she was up to an intelligent conversation, she had a hard time expressing herself when she was awake. She let out an almost silent sigh trying to withhold a yawn. She was ready to curl up, and pass out. It seemed more a possibility since her nerves were not on edge, and the night hadn't ended in disaster.

Ears flicked attentively to his statement, and she rose upward, gently pulling her stiff muscles. "Probably, be the best idea," she replied, unsure if there was more reason or not he was leaving. It didn't matter, her bed was calling her name, and she needed to check that not had happened in her absence. A dip of her muzzle of unspoken goodbye she pulled herself into the shadows, and picked up a fast pace to make the rest of her journey to the cedar woods.