Drooping Willows dynasty decapitated

<33

The hostility in her posture softened just a fraction, the white woman choosing to match his level of aggression. Where she kept her head low and throat tucked, however, Craw did not copy her defensive stature, deciding that she was unlikely to attack... for if she did, if he was guarded or not, she would lose. And he suspected she knew that, and wasn't about to do anything silly.

Her sass reminded him further of Morganna, but moreso of Capable, and the comparison was enough to further his curiosity. Having not yet figured out the red woman, why not add another feisty, untameable woman to his plate? His lips curled in a dark smirk at her sarcastic retort, but he said nothing in return, and she went on to answer his question with a dismissal of her own.

He considered that for a moment, and then snorted in amusement, nodding once to acquiesce to her comment. "That is fair," he rasped, and then brought his hindquarters forward and placed his rump neatly on the ground, bringing him to a position of weakness if she really were hostile - a display which said I'm not afraid of you. But he was curious, and decided that the toying was over; he could repay her with a little honesty, for she had proven a good diversion so far. "You've been lingering in this forest alone for some time," he rumbled, rolling his shoulders to ease them, eyes ever on her. He didn't know whether she'd deduced he was from the pack she kept skirting, but chose not to insult her intelligence. "Are you waiting for something? You've been keeping your distance nicely, but that's a dangerous game for a loner to play for long."

(This post was last modified: Apr 12, 2016, 07:55 AM by Craw.)

She was surprised when he moved to his haunches, sitting as though they were old friends catching up after years apart, only they weren't. Viewing his display of weakness more along the lines of condescension, and not an invitation to join him, the woman remained steady on all fours. She didn't plan on staying long, though it would seem that he had other ideas. "I have." Conceding that little bit of truth, Celandine figured, would get her farther than lying. He'd know if she did. Her scent was thick among the willows, and if he was any sort of subordinate, he had taken note of it days ago. "I'm looking for someone." The man wouldn't have seen Maeve, she knew. Her old pack mates did not pass the Ridge on their way to wherever it was that they went. Greer would have told her.

Still, she tried to dance around the subject, unwilling to offer up a name lest she needed to. The wheezy stranger was dangerous, and she could hardly expect the soon-to-be yearling to know how to handle him. It wasn't like the wolves of Silent Moon were jumping at the chance to take over her training. "She'd be near an adult now, and various shades of grey." The Argyris waited to see if any flicker of recognition passed over his features before continuing. "Green eyes. Likely with an older male—Erebos would be his name." Her distaste evident when his name passed over her soft peachy tongue.

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

Darkly satisfied by her decision to remain standing, in contrast to his own show of being so very at ease, the pale wolf watched her. She answered with simple truth, or at least he assumed it was truth - particularly when she went on to elaborate. She wasn't waiting for something, she was looking for something. Though he obviously didn't know her and seriously doubted that he would know whoever she was searching for, an ear twitched forward in curiosity anyway, finding the girl pleasing to listen to irrespective of the fact that she was a nobody. Idly he wondered if she was searching for love, duty or some darker intentions, and amused himself with those imaginings as he let her continue without interruption.

To his surprise, she actually went on to describe her target, and to his complete lack of surprise the description meant nothing to him. The fact that she'd shared it at all told him one thing, quite clearly; she was desperate for information. Clearly distrustful of him - and he had given her every cause to be - she had tried her luck nonetheless, perhaps hoping to be lucky enough to have stumbled across a stranger who knew something - and that he had the goodwill to help her if he did.

Craw was almost disappointed that he didn't have anything to tell her.

"I'm sorry," he said, with a note of sincerity (if she chose to hear and believe it). "I don't know anyone matching that criteria." His lips pressed together in a thin smile, and he lifted his head a fraction to gaze at her from down his long nose, as though to gain a fresh perspective on the woman. "Did she live around here?"

The stranger offered his raspy condolences, dripping with what she could only assume was feigned sincerity. She'd used the same sweet tongue a time or two, playing on other people's emotions like she cared about their minuscule problems. It all made for a very touching moment, but the Argyris knew the lie. Mere minutes ago the man had hunted her down like an animal, trailing her until she grew too tired to continue. She wouldn't play into his paws like some dove searching for a perch to nest. Still, she made no motion to acknowledge the fact that she knew his little trick, instead offering up a nod in thanks. 

Celandine was not disappointed by his lack of knowledge, as she never truly expected him to have information on Maeve's whereabouts, and truth be told, she had grown tired of asking. "On the mountain." Her head moved towards it, as if he could look upon the heights through the blossoming trees. Disclosing that little bit of information wouldn't matter anymore. They weren't coming back, so if he chose to investigate the old territory himself, all he'd find would be the vacant den's, rotted caches, and the ruins of her former life. No. She couldn't do that again. She wouldn't. She was still Celandine Argyris, heir to the throne of somewhere. 

"Well it's truly been a pleasure." The accent on truly suggested it had been anything but. "I'm sure you've got someone else to chase?" She allowed the smile to grace her lips fully that time.

(This post was last modified: Apr 15, 2016, 06:43 AM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

The mountain? Well, if he might have felt any inkling of a temptation to locate this Erebos before, it was snuffed out at that; that was far too much effort for something so completely unimportant. Perhaps she assumed as much, for the white creature didn't waste her time offering anything more. Clearly Craw didn't give off all the friendly-local-superhero vibes he was working so hard to nurture.

No, instead the woman, perhaps wisely, decided that she was done with this game. Craw hoped she'd enjoyed herself as much as he; this encounter, while trivial, would hopefully provide him with some further measure of distraction as he planned to leisurely ponder it while returning back to the pack's territory, in the same way one might idly reflect upon seeing a strangely-shaped tree. His smile grew wider at her rhetoric, the invitation that clearly said you can fuck off, now, but that's not how this was going to work.

Slowly he stood again, which shifted his posture from relaxed and back to ready, and bared his smallteeth in a mock-sweet smile. "Run along, then," he hissed, licking his chops, "before I change my mind."

(This post was last modified: Apr 15, 2016, 09:28 AM by Craw.)

Feel free to write one more or archive <3

As if a coin had flipped, the man was back-the same that had chased her-the predator. All pearly teeth, and intimidating eyes peering out from the sooty black that adorned them. The rush of danger that swept over her skin, both hot and cold at the same time was thrilling. Once again, she held her stance, unwilling to shy away from the sudden show. It was likely a warning, but one that held no real significance. She was leaving the forest anyway. Still betting that he wouldn't change his mind, she let her eyes flash over his form once more. Celandine would remember him, for better or worse.

His words were meant to taunt, to intimidate her as if she were a cub, and he was telling some ghost story. Still, she would not provoke him further. Well, much further. The former heiress couldn't just let him get away with it unchallenged. "Maybe next time," She said, her lithe form turning away as a pink tongue rolled over his dark lips. "I'll be the one chasing you." And with that, she was off. Her alabaster fur kissing the breeze as pale paws gripped at the Earth. There was no sense in provoking him further, lest he decide to leave her with a little something to remember him by. The woman was certainly not fond of gifts.

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

It would have been a disappointment had the pretty white thing scampered off without any retaliation at all, and so while her flirty little retort was definitely skirting danger, it left him with a pleased smirk. She may as well have kissed the air before fleeing, the reaction in Craw was the same, left feeling teased and vaguely unsatisfied. A low growl in his throat as his eyes lingered over the area she had been, recalling her haughty gaze and sharp tongue, the way she'd toed the line between healthy fear and complete disrespect, Craw idly wondered if he'd ever see the woman again.

"Perhaps," he crooned to the empty space, after she was long gone, finding her playful threat quite appealing. A low, gravelly chuckle rolling over in his chest, Craw turned about and stalked back to the territory, pleased with his initial decision to follow her trail.

(This post was last modified: Apr 15, 2016, 12:28 PM by Craw.)