Stonewatch Timbers all fifty-two cards in a row

This was entirely the opposite of what she's expected. There was no yelling, no stubborn defenses, no telling her she was wrong. What was he... The man's ears were back, and just a moment later his eyes joined them. Raela's face softened; Gent was crumbling like dry summer dirt under her paws. She'd never seen him so... unsure. He was shifting, considering. Concern swam through her eyes, gently lifting the woman's pale eyebrows. Her tail fell limp between her hocks at she looked on, taking in his broken whimper. The Crest subordinate couldn't quite figure out what on her face was so interesting. Then it hit her. He was looking at her cut. The old cut she'd almost forgotten; it was well sealed now. Clean. Because of him. Raela opened her mouth to comfort him, but his words came first. It seemed Gent had composed himself somehow. Slowly, the woman's breath turned shallow. ”I would never hurt you.” Aeus' face appeared in her mind. He had said the same just weeks before. Her head spun, causing the girl to freeze. Her eyes moved away, both because she didn't want to stare at him, and because she didn't want him to see the tears welling up so fiercely in her eyes. Many thoughts and realizations smashed together in mere seconds. First, it was only the second time anyone had ever promised not to hurt her. Last time it had come from a wolf she truly had been safe with, but that she still hadn't trusted until he promised. Now it came from a wolf she was sure she wasn't safe with, but wanted to trust. If he could be...  Raela's head lifted, casting her pained golden orbs over his form. What was this place she had found? It felt like she was staring down her past, her family, a combination of everything they really were contrasted with what she always wanted them to be. An oath of safety on the mouth of a monster. A great vacuum opened in her chest, threatening to rip her whole self apart. The core of her identity screamed for her to accept him, console him, and yet everything that had happened to that identity was now grappling with suspicion, disbelief. She wanted to believe Gent, but what if he really was the type to loose it?  Barely managing to claw her way out of this pit, Raela finally made eye contact; streams of water gliding slowly down her face. ”Never?” Her voice was barely above a trembling whisper. She was a wounded child, trembling before the great black beast.  Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

            

Raela's reaction came as a surprise to Gent as well. While it was clear she was strongly opposed to volatile actions, he couldn't know why. Even with clues dropped here and there, the possibilities were so many that he wouldn't attempt to just grasp at them until he found the truth. He couldn't know the small cracks in the mask that his words would deepen and push past the breaking point. The man expected her to respond with further scolding, as if firmly leading a child toward proper mannerisms. Instead, she seemed to be just as shaken to the core as he was.

She looked at him then, with those wet honeyed eyes, rivers of grief he couldn't name soaking her cream cheeks. His blue eyes widened in surprise at this. As an arrogant and bullying whelp, he'd made other children cry often, but never as an adult and in such a somber situation had he pushed another to tears. Something pulled at the pit of his chest, urging him to take action to remedy what ever terrible mistake he'd made to cause such a thing. Yet another, nearly stronger force urged him to stop everything and run.

He already couldn't stand feeling as though he was slipping, and now Raela was dissolving in front of his very eyes into a puddle of emotions he'd rather not soak his paws in. Gent wanted immediately to escape, regretting his words and his momentary weakness both. Yet he knew that her distress only showed how crucial this moment was. If he wanted her to truly trust him, this was the moment to seal the bond. So why did her tears scare him so thoroughly, why did he want nothing but to turn tail and never see her again?

Because he was still thinking like a child, his mind suddenly concluded, loud and clear as though another's voice had entered his head. Swallowing both his pride and phobia of compassion, Gent stepped forward.

He came to stand immediately before her, and pressed his forehead to her's, pale royal blue locking with deep magnificent gold.

"Ever," he whispered his confirmation.

(This post was last modified: May 05, 2015, 06:25 AM by Gent.)

Gent's great bulk seemed to hesitate much like she had only moments before. She kept up her sad, silent stare, just waiting for him to either confirm her suspicions or shrug her off altogether. In truth she wasn't sure which was more likely. His frigid eyes spoke only of turbulence. This time when the male drew near, Raela felt no urge to run. She didn't lock up, didn't stop breathing, she just watched his face get closer and closer to hers until they touched. Not a hint of bitterness or malice so much as glinted in his muted eyes. The tawny woman's orange ears settled back, drooping down the sides of her head while the rest of her being stayed firm.  His sweet comforting whisper set the windows to her soul ablaze. They burned with tears now, searching back and forth over his own. She sniffed once, closing her eyes in an attempt to flush out the last of the moisture. Then the girl fell silent, her breath coming in steady streams. Her pale lids cracked open again; the pools beneath now directed down. ”I'm sorry,” she offered in a low tone, mournfully beginning to pick up the pieces of herself that she'd scattered all over the forest floor. She didn't want to burden the man with her problems. Pulling back an inch, Rae's posture seemed to return to normal. ”Thanks Gent.” Only a moment passed before she thought to add more. ”And I promise I won't hurt you either.” A soft smile crossed her face now, bringing a glimmer of light back to her eyes. There was an air of humor to her words as she locked in her end of the bargain; it wasn't really fair if it only went one way now was it? She briefly remembered Astraeus, and thought immediately that she should tell him the same. In her emotional state Rae had completely forgotten to before. Not wanting to dwell too hard on what had just happened, as she guessed her dark companion wouldn't want to either, Rae offered one last thing. ”Gent, would you just try not to charge in like that every time?” The Crest girl started to grin jokingly as she continued, the lines on her face and the hint of distortion in her voice now the only indications that she had just broken down. ”You don't even have to be friendly. I promise I won't get in your way if you just try talking to people first. ...Even if that talking is actually yelling.” She laughed a little, hoping the man was in a bit of a better mood. She wasn't trying to offend him, just get him to understand her terms. If all this went well, they could get back to patrol in no time, and Gent could chew the ears off any loner he wanted. Figuratively of course. Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

            

Through it all, he remained immovable, the gravity of their conversation staying with him as his features continued to be solemn. Even as she apologized, took a step back, and began to joke about something of a compromise. While her sense of humor did not go over his head, the man didn't partake nor even crack a smirk. What had just happened between still remained his focus, for now he fully knew how utterly important it was to him to keep Raela's trust and build upon the repaired bond between them. He'd taken a big step today in the direction of becoming a different man, something his father would have scoffed at but that Gent himself could now see would ultimately be the better choice, for himself, the future he and wanted, and for others. For the ones like Raela, his pack mates whom he wanted not only to be able to rely on, but to be able to take care of. He wanted them to rely on him.

"I won't charge in again," he gave her his word, dismissing the 'try' she had offered. This was an absolute promise; he would not let outrage or anger dictate his actions in a similar situation again. "Not unless they're a threat."

He was of course relieved that the tears had stopped and that she had believed him, chasing away the negative fog that had so quickly gathered between them. Still, he gave a moments pause, blues darting over her dial to be sure that she was indeed alright. A part of him now wanted to know why she was so easily threatened, why such a simple promise had moved her to tears, but he would leave that conversation for another day, if she ever felt comfortable enough to share with him.

Finally, a very small smile shifted onto his muzzle, before he nodded and turned back toward the path they had been on. For a moment he glanced over his shoulder, to be sure she was indeed finished with the conversation and ready to move on.

While Gent didn't seem to be in the laughing mood, it was clear her words hadn't offended him, and for that she was grateful. Still, his lack of reaction made the subordinate feel uneasy. The words he spoke, however, revealed that the dark man had taken her request much more seriously than she had ever thought he would. Another promise followed, nearly made of her own words from before. She smiled, flattening her ears slightly in a gesture of appreciation and contentment. Gent was truly something. How happy Rae was that she'd been wrong about him. The stood there a moment, his concerned eyes wandering over her face as if to assure himself that she was indeed done, and in no further need of him. The tawny woman took a deep breath, grinning wider at his own soft expression. She followed his nod eagerly, her muscles now beginning to unwind their tense coils. Now they could have a pleasant walk, without fear of meeting strangers. As they walked, Raela's mind continued to process their interaction. He'd gone further than she ever expected. He didn't just agree to her terms, he made sure she felt better, that she didn't feel alone when she became weak, much less let her feel bad for letting it happen. They'd been weak together. One had nothing to fear from the other; there was no need to pretend that 'bears' had caused this weakness as opposed to groundhogs. She would keep this moment to herself for the sake of his trust, and she was sure Gent would too. If only her old pack had been able to grasp the concept of emotion.  {Exit} Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra