Don't Let Me Know

This is for @Sloane and @Hotei only. Sorry for surprising you guys like this, but I thought about something and I suddenly had muse. First Sloane and Jessie for a few rounds and then Hotei. This can only spell DRAMA. ;)

It did not matter what anyone else within her makeshift family thought anymore. Ever since her encounter with a few new wolves and a little alone time, she started to realize something. She was getting better, things were starting to clear up for her, and though the man that she wanted to be with her, by her side, she knew that could never be and she knew she had made that clear him the other day when they had met. For once, she had actually feared him and submitted; something she knew she should not have done and fully regretted it now that it was over and done with. She should not have let the man she had fallen for get the best of her, just as she had promised herself when she had become of age. No man had dared push her limits of closeness until now…and when she thought about it hard enough, sometimes she knew that she had enjoyed it. Reveled even, in the proximity of Hotei and wanting him to be closer. She knew that it was never meant to be though, and now she did not know what she was going to do. She definitely knew she was going to stick close to Ice and Corinna’s side – she would never betray her alphas.

Today was another day of her own alone time, just wanting to get away from the pack once more, and hoping that she would not run into Brenton. Now a day, she never knew where the pair stood; she was always trying to avoid him, not wanting to yell at him anymore. She had completely snapped at him and lost her mind. The worst part being….she still did not even care that she had completely lost her mind on him. Actually, she found the scene quite funny when she thought about it sometimes. It made her neutral. She didn’t even regret what she had said, no emotions tied to what she had done, besides amusement. Was she going completely cold hearted on everyone around her? She knew that she would not lose it on Ice, she never had, for she had always felt calm around the other man, a feeling that she could still feel apparently. She just wished someone could help clear some things up with her and not talk to her like she had just completely gone insane. Jessie needed a friend.

The salt-and-pepper colored female strode towards the marshes, liking how the area made her feel secluded from the rest of the world and like it was only her and the water. It would be hard for her though, to hunt and fish. The waters were so murky, it was hard to see through it and it would be a constant game of guessing to try and find a catch, along with scrambling around to kill the fish before it flopped right back into the water if she managed to throw one out. Flattening her ears on her head, she squinted as she looked upon the water, trying to find her own reflection in the midst of the debris within the liquid. With an unhappy sigh, she shook her head and stared across the marsh, the croaking frogs easing her tension and letting her shoulders relax and drop from their uptight position. This was the true meaning of peace; it was always such a shame to remember that everything is not peaceful.

(This post was last modified: Apr 27, 2013, 05:03 PM by Jessie.)

Sloane was out stretching his legs and trying not to hover over Narime'. She hadn't said anything, but he worried that he might be annoying her with his constant presence and fretting. He figured that he'd try and find something for her to eat and mark the borders as he went. The huge wolf had been following the borders for about half an hour when the scent of fox came to him. The trail told the story of two of his members chasing the creatures out of the area. Curiosity caused him to change course. The trails were perhaps a day or two old, but he followed them anyways. Simeae and their newest female addition Minka's trail faded away and the fox trail veered northward into the marshes. With a shrug he decided to follow and see if they had kept going. He didn't want a family of foxes to intrude on his pack's security.

As he went deeper into the marsh the fox trail disappeared due to time and dilution from the murky water. He stopped and looked around, head lifted to survey the soggy wet area, black nose twitching to sort the scents in the chilly air. As varios odors of water, mud, grass, trees and a sundry of small unseen animals came to him, he couldn't help thinking that he wished the warmer weather would move in and stay. This cold had dragged on into the early part of spring and it was honestly getting old. Just as he was getting ready to turn back home, another faint scent caught his attention. Another wolf, female. Curios to see if he might add another member to his growing pack he slowly followed the faint trail, sloshing through soggy muck, until it grew strong enough to follow easily.

Now he increased his speed a bit and soon came upon a small black and white fae that seemed a bit lost in thought as she stared down at the shallow murky water before her. Now that he was closer he could easily smell pack on her. The same pack as the large white male, Ice, that had led them against the enemy over a month ago. So, she belonged to a pack. A small bit of disappointment went through him when he realized that he wouldn't likely be adding a new member. But he stayed put anyways. The small woman seemed almost perplexed and he wonder if she was all right. With a laugh at himself he knew that there was only one way to find out. Clearing his throat softly he asked, "Is everything all right, miss?" While his posture showed plenty of confidence, he did not display any signs of dominance as they were on neutral ground. In fact, he let his thick red hued tail wave slowly behind him as he awaited her answer, golden amber eyes showing only friendliness.

Knight of Honor

She had not expected her feelings to dull her senses as much as they had. The wind had even been blown in her direction every now and then, giving her the advantage, and she had still missed the scent being blown right into her face. When a familiar voice called out to her, she froze slightly, before turning her emerald eyes towards the man that was not much of a stranger to her. Eyes lighting up, she tested the scent on him, noting that it was much different than the scent that he had held when the two of them had first met. A small smile twitched at the edge of her lips and her tail thudded heavily against the ground once. Opening her mouth, she spoke to the male quickly, "Sloane! Are you saying you don’t remember your hunting buddy?" Her voice was laced with amusement, and her head was tilted slightly to the side, as if in disbelief. Had she changed so much, that her old friend would not have even noticed her?

The last time she had had any scent of Sloane had been at the borders of Copper Rock Creek, when she had gone with….Hotei…to go see Ruiko. Though, Sloane’s scent did not smell like them anymore, and Jess briefly remembered Sloane’s sister, Tempest, showing up near the lagoon and asking about the male. Perhaps she had found him. With a small smile, she spoke to him once again, "Where at you located at now a days?" She wagged her tail behind her, comfortable knowing the wolf in front of her. It had been almost a year since they had first met one another and the two had hunted. She remembered clearly how Sloane had almost gotten himself majorly hurt with the way he had attempting killing their prey. Now he was here again, though in a different area than they had first met, and she found herself being happy that she had run into him again.

The wheels turned in the large mans head as the she-wolf turned and greeted him with great familiarity. Her looks and voice rang a bell softly, but her beautiful emerald gaze meeting his brought his memory back with full force. It had been so long, but this had to be the same spirited fae he'd met nearly a year ago and hunted with. Her words confirmed it and a smile lit his face. "Jessie! How have you been?" He took a few steps closer and breathed in her much changed scent. She was older now and seemed to have filled out, although she was still quite petite, especially next to his own hulking form. She wasn't the only one that had filled out with the seasons! She was a loner no more and now carried the scent of pack upon her salt and pepper coat. The same pack as Ice and Cal... Cali. Wasn't that the name of the sister that she had searched for? Yes! It was!

With a huge grin at the realization of her success in finding both a home and her sister he said, "I see that you have found a home and your sister, Cali, at Swift River. Congratulations on your success, Jessie. I did not put the connection together the last time that I saw Ice and Cali... at the battle." His voice had lost a bit of it's cheerfulness at the reminder of the horrid puppy killing wolves and all the sorrow that they had brought to the Lore.

Shaking his head to free himself of the dark memories, he answered her final question with a satisfied smile. "Well, I guess that you could say that I've gotten around the Lore. I landed in Copper Rock Creek until they disbanded and then led for a time with my good friend Nina in the Thickets. Now her mate leads by her side and surely they are expecting young any time now." With more than a hint of pride, he raised his head with a grin and said, "As am I!"

Knight of Honor

@Hotei can now join the thread. :) Before or after @Sloane. It doesn't matter. On the side note, sorry Jen for taking so long to get this up.

It relieved some of her spirits to see that Sloane had not completely forgotten about her. His memory had just needed the slightest bit of jogging. A small smile was then painted on the woman’s lips, glad to see that her friend had remembered her after all the time that they had not seen one another. Right now, it was merrily coincidence that Sloane had stumbled upon her. Looking at him now, she could definitely see the change in him. If it was even possible, it seemed as though the red hued man had gotten even bigger, something that she had not thought possible when she had first met him. The man easily towered over her and whenever she looked up to see him, sometimes she had to strain her neck to get a good glimpse at him. She did not mind this though, for she was already quite use to having to strain her neck to look at someone. Within the pack, all she did was look up to try and find something, for she was so tiny.

She let her tail wave behind her, listening to what the male had to say and tilting her head slightly in confusion. Cali…? Oh, Cali…her sister, why had she forgotten that? Nodding her head, she smiled at the large male in front of her, "Oh uh...yes, of course. It took me awhile." Upon his next words, Jessie flinched away, the topic of the pups a sour spot for her. She had been on the team sent out to look for Rissa’s body and whenever someone mentioned the pups to her, the horrifying image of the small Tainn’s body frozen into the snow and her clouded eyes open, staring at them would be clear in her head. The way the moonlight hit her and the way her skill would glimmer in the light. It caused a disgusting shiver to run through her whole body. Clenching her jaw, she shut her eyes tight before concentrating back on the man in front of her, listening to what he had to say.

The Copper Rock Creek pack was a pack that Jessie had known about…as she had made a trip with Hotei to the place when he had still been with them. The name that Sloane muttered was foreign to her, for she had never heard of Nina before. She stored the name into the back of her mind, just in case she needed it for the future. Raising her eyebrows at Sloane’s claim on his own new land, she sniffed once more, begging her nose to get back to its normal self so that she could determine the familiar scent on him. The realization came to her quickly and she lifted her head, a small smile planted on her face as she spoke, "Narimé…right? I thought I recognized that scent on your pelt." Her jade eyes glimmered with amusement as she looked upon her friend, hoping that she was not wrong.

OOC: Are the three of them just going to be talking the whole time? Remind me the plot thing here? please <3

His scarred nose dipped to the ground for the hundredth time. The dark wolfs body slipping through the undergrowth at an easy pace. At first the male had no plans nor a place in mind to go. However as he padded along aimlessly Kasai began to pointedly walk towards the meadow. The birds sang all around him, meadowlarks cheering on the warm wind that sometimes blew against the chill in the landscape. The dark man had to duck his head as a song sparrow misjudged his height nearly flying into the wolfs ears. Stupid bird... Otherwise the black Tainn was feeling well about himself and the day.

As he continued northward Kasai spotted the tall dead snags that signaled he was reaching the marsh. It was the scent on the wind which quickened the males pace further into a slow lope. He scented his woman here. Jessie's warm scent lifted his fur into a bristling mess as he ran along towards her. The Kage simply wanted to spend time with the woman he missed the most from Swift River. However the burnt wolfs nose crinkled at another distinctly male scent that floated along with hers.

The other males scent was somewhat familiar. He had met the wolf before Kasai knew this. I must have met him while my mind was in a mess. The memories back then are so fuzzy... He growled to himself while loping towards the two wolves. His yellow eyes spied them in the distance, one gray shape and one rust, as the dark male rushed to them. He gave out a bark "Hello!" to Jessie as Kasai neared the pair. ,p.Slowing to a halt beside his small gray hunter the Kage shook his ruff and caught his breath while nodding his head in a silent hello to the rusty male. What are two wolves from different packs doing out here? A chance meeting perhaps? He mulled it over in his head realizing that counting himself there were three wolves from separate packs in close quarters.

"Jessie.. I've missed you..." He leaned towards her and touched his nose to her cheek clearing showing the other male that she was his.

Sloane saw the play of emotions over his friend's face at the mention of pups and wondered what could bring such a shadow to her bright mood. Not feeling that it was his place to press his her he merely took note for the moment. If she offered, then he would be an ear for her, if not perhaps something would come to light at a later date. She seemed to brush it off after a moment, gracing him with a smile as she scented his lovely mate on him. Apparently, the two knew each other for she named her correctly and Sloane beamed as he nodded in the affirmative. "Yes, she and I have started our own pack, Whisper Caverns, in the northern reaches of Hush Meadow. We have a few loyal followers and soon Narime' will give me the greatest gift of the first generation of lore Thorbens." He was sure that he looked like a besotted fool as he spoke of Narime' and their expected young, but when it came to them he wore his emotions on his sleeve.

He tipped his head to the side and wondered out loud, "And what about you? How has pack life treated you, my friend?" As he waited for her answer, Sloane heard the approach of another and he shifted his attention to include the newcomer. A black male with scars depicting a much-too-close call with a fire at some point in his life. The other male approached Jessie with great familiarity and made a show of letting Sloane know that she was his. A smile quirked the corner of his mouth at the male's tone as he addressed Jessie. There was definitely a story here, but he would let Jessie decide what to share if anything. It was certainly her business, after all. Giving the other male a respectful, if somewhat wary nod, Sloane introduced himself. "Hello, there. I see that you are a friend of Jessie's. I'm Sloane Thorben, of Whisper Caverns and mate of Narime'" He had scented Willow Ridge on him and knew that this wolf was a member of Narime's former pack.

Knight of Honor

She could tell that Sloane had noticed her quick downfall, but she made no comment towards it, figuring that it would be better for her not to mention anything of Rissa’s death to Sloane. It was not her place and she was sure he would have known about what had happened if he had participated in the war. It was one of the reasons why they had gone…because the pups had been taken. Feeling much more comfortable now that she was sitting down, she listened to what the russet male was saying about his life. It seemed as though everything had treated him extremely well and for that Jessie was envious. She wished that she could have had pups with her love…hell…even been able to stay with him would have been enough for her. She still had her family though and her sister, so everything that was in her life at that moment was perfectly fine. When the alpha in front of her asked her a question, it was easy to answer with somewhat the truth, "It’s been good…but I can’t say the same about loyal members."

As soon as they finished talking another presence graced them. Tensing slightly upon the sight of him she was in a trance for several moments, her emerald eyes tracing every nook and cranny while letting her eyes flow over his scars. Quickly he made his way over to her and as he made a point clear to show Sloane that she was his, she felt herself growing warm underneath her fur. She was so embarrassed now. The young woman was never one for public affection when others were around her and self consciously, she stepped away from the man she loved, giving him a reassuring smile in the process, something that he probably hadn’t seen since the last time they had been together within Swift River territory. Sloane did not hesitate to introduce himself, and quickly, Jessie responded, "Sloane…this is Hotei Tainn…uhh. Sloane is a close friend of mine." She gave a relaxed smile to Hotei as she said this, her jade eyes swimming in anxiety.

His ears cocked forward as the dark wolf listened to the strange males name. Jessie's reassuring smile didn't help him relax too much. She had been a little too close to this wolf for him to be comfortable. His eyes narrowed as Sloane greeted him but Kasai kept himself tense and ready to protect Jessie. She might know this wolf as a friend but he didn't. Sloane would have to gain the Tainn's respect before he would ever fell comfortable around him. Especially with Jessie near.

"She may call me by Hotei, but you can call me Kasai Kage of Willow Ridge." He spoke flatly not showing any emotion on his scarred face. Only a huff came from his muzzle as he thought over Sloane's name to add it to his memory. Sloane Thorben, Whisper Caverns leader, mate of... Narimé? He tried to remember how that name had been so familiar to him. He'd heard it before, and Kasai was fairly sure that Jessie had been there with him at that time as well.

"Narimé..." He muttered under his breath then remembered the little silver gal he'd met about a year before. Jessie had been there too and the naive youngster had asked them if they were friends. "She used to be in Willow Ridge right? Gray yearling with the strangest blue eyes I've ever seen, and... You are her mate?" He was quite surprised. She had been young when Kasai had met her. Although it explained why she wasn't within Willow Ridge when he joined mid Spring. She must have left before I got there to go with him. He looked upon this Sloane measuring him a little more fairly now. He'd come across nice enough in his greeting, and if Jessie was a friend then Kasai trusted that he was a good enough wolf.

Doesn't mean I should trust him fully yet though... He told himself keeping quiet now. The dark wolf didn't have much else to say to this russet wolf. He only wanted to spend time with Jessie now that he'd found her.

He took note of Jessie's look upon the newcomer and he could see that there was indeed some history there. He also knew now that Jessie was of Swift River and Hotei, or Kasai as he introduced himself was of Willow Ridge. He knew all too well what it was like not to be around the one that you loved? Yes, he was fairly sure that was the emotion rolling around between these two. Jessie had been a quick friend with a strong personality. He wished her the best in everything, but he couldn't shake the feeling that their difficulties would not be so easy to resolve as his and Narime's and he felt a touch of sadness at the thought for Jessie certainly deserved love and happiness as much as any wolf did.

Kasai seemed to be evaluating him and appeared content with Jessie's summation of him being a friend. For her. The scarred male did not seem like the type to be effusive or overly friendly, at least initially. When he realized who Sloane's mate was, it seemed that he moved up another notch in the dark male's assessment and Sloane gave him a small smile and nod of affirmation. "Yes, I've just recently claimed her as my mate from Willow Ridge. She stole my heart nearly a year ago and it has taken much patience to wait for her, but she is a prize that was well worth the wait! Now, she will soon bless me with our first litter."

He suspected that the other male was also relieved to hear that he was mated and therefor was truly only a friend to Jessie and not some imagined competition. Sloane could easily understand that as he was particularly protective of Narime' even before he had claimed her. Memory of the small male that had dared to try and stake a claim on her came to mind. That little upstart would not make the same mistake twice!

Knight of Honor