Leigh Glen everybody sees you're blown apart

Sorry for the wait, took a self-appointed mini-vacation last week. <3

As he pulled his heavy pelt out from the cool water, he almost immediately regretted it. It had been quite relieving to his muscles and mind, and stepping out of it was almost like stepping back into reality: much less stimulating and lonely. Gormless and mundane. Before he shook his pelt, he turned back and saw her laugh and she gazed into the water once more. Water dripped from his chin and he smiled again, turning to shake the remaining water from his body as best he could. He was sure his spiky appearance was one to behold, she was a lucky girl.

It doesn’t matter, anyway. I’m just nobody.

This made Merys look to her then; really look at her. She was nobody. She was a figment of imagination that this glen had opened up to him in a time of need. In a time when he needed to remember that there was more depth to his person than what he had been allowing to surface with his packmates. While it probably should have, this likely wouldn’t have much of an effect on Merys’ conduct once he returned back to the Notch. It should remind him to be more happy and patient and lively. To not take himself so seriously. The only one who could pull any sort of laughter from his was @Sylva, and it was simply due to her character, not their personalities aligning. Where did this wolf come from? He wondered who she was outside of this place, too. Surely this is not who they were; it certainly who he was. In an ideal world, sure, but then nothing would ever get done. He would simply be twitter-pated all the time, willing to be lost in this haze of stupor.

He smiled kindly again, certain that his thoughts had been on his face that time. “You are, and so am I. Perhaps it is best to be nobody,” he offered, optimistically, then eyed their surroundings before looking back to her golden eyes. “Being nobody is actually quite freeing. I wish 'nothing' could last a lot longer,” he admitted honestly, but he felt like there was something else starting to prick in his brain. How did something like this end? How did you walk away from happiness like this? Not without grieving its loss or harbouring bitterness towards what you left it for. "I mean, one could ask for better company, I suppose, but I don't want to be greedy," he said, looking off into the distance thoughtfully, as though truly considering his sacrifice.

founding member | 2016

-squeals-
Hope you had a good holiday! <3

His rich eyes turned towards her, and there they stayed. The million thoughts which danced behind those eyes were almost visible to her, and she so sorely wanted to be able to know them, to understand the motivations and desires of this enigmatic man. He looked almost wistful, and when he spoke, each and every word only enhanced it, as he embraced nothingness, lamenting that it would be so brief. That prickled at her heart. What was he so reluctant to go back to, to leave this ethereal cave with its delicate waterfall and the silly story the two strangers had built here, in private? She couldn't answer the question herself - indeed, it made her feel a terrible guilt to entertain it, for she had everything to be thankful for and little to regret. Not anymore. So why did she, too, wish that this moment would last, to put off her return to the thicket?

The playful bite at the end of his little otherwise-genuine(-seeming) speech brought her back down to reality a bit, back down into this game construct, and she grinned again. Gently kicking off from the bottom of the pool, she pushed herself forwards, half-paddling back to the shore until it was too shallow, and then she pulled her own soaked, heavy body onto the pebbles and rock and mud again, feeling the weight of gravity press her down almost unbearably.

But she would not let it. "You are right," she said as she moved towards him, bottom lip jutting out morosely, hanging her head in shame. She took a step to the side, angling her side-on with the wolf whose spark she was desperate to keep alight, and could no longer fight back the smirk as it forced its way onto her way. "I am awful."

And then she shook her sodden pelt all over him, utterly shameless.

You're too fast! xD

She came to his side, and momentarily he felt connected to her. He liked being near her, it was beginning to grow on him. There was something about someone who could make you laugh and play that automatically made them seem like better wolves. Merys, for example, could be a comic, but that did not mean he always made the best moral decisions in others' eyes. However, that thought seemed to float past without a second thought in regards to this nobody in front of him. That was before her jutted lip gave warning for more jokes in the future. He was right? Last time he heard that he got himself into trouble. He narrowed his eyes at her through his smile, but it was too soon that she drew him in through her tricks again; and, he loved it all. She sprayed him with her pelt just after he had dried off, and he shied away with a playful growl.

“Do you mind!? You are awful!” He agreed through chuckles, and he set to push her away with his forepaws playfully. He attempted to shake now her mess off of him as well. The humanity. The uproar. The gall.  “Ugh, you scoundrel, how do you live with yourself?” He asked through feigned disgust, but his smile broke through like it always did. He turned back to her, opening his maw playfully, ready for any counter measures she was going to send his way next.

founding member | 2016

I'm totally not sorry, this thread just makes me so happy c:

The sound of his indignant laughter was intoxicating, her own light giggles escaping as she struggled to contain them. It would have been naive not to expect retaliation, and so she was ready when he reared up to shove her away. She staggered back a few feet, still laughing, her tail making wide, unstoppable motions behind her, ears up and eyes wide as she drank it all in. When he went to shake his coat off a second time, she did the same, just getting the rest of what she could out since her first attempt had been so rudely interrupted. This time, though, she was polite enough not to spray everything in his direction.

He had more antagonism on his tongue once he was done, and she slipped down onto her elbows slightly, her own jaws slightly parted, feeling the need to play hardly fading - but as she gazed at him, all damp-spiky fur and joyful face, she found that she had no quick retort this time, and instead something else bubbled up.

Her jaws slowly closed, and she stood upright again, a soft hum in her throat as a rather more sedate expression of amusement, and with ears folded back to match her faint feeling of vulnerability, she took a few steps towards him, head lower but nose reaching for his. Once more she didn't fully close the gap.

"Do you have anywhere you need to be?" she whispered, feeling inexplicably electric, marvelling at how this was the last thing she had expected to find in curling up in this damp little cave. She had had  no idea this was what she needed. Maybe something was looking out for her after all.

A wolf has no name. A wolf has nowhere to be. Valar Morghulis. – Merys of Braavos

There was something to be said for ignorant bliss. Had it been his reputation or actions that had kept interest at bay all these years? He had had interesting females as friends, ones that were sure to be good-looking and funny or whatever it was that made a good ‘mate’. Merys had just never seen them this way. Had they seen him that way? He couldn’t possibly imagine it. Maybe as yearlings, but nothing past silly crushes. How had he gotten to this place? This mysterious caved glen that smelled rich of crab apple, with a personal waterfall that even came equipped with a foolish friend as a bonus. He just looked down at her, his playfulness fading with her changing hypnagogic expression.

She looked at him with that look from earlier, but he found himself too far melted into the moment to find himself frozen again. Her breath and scent filled his nostrils, though she stopped  short of his touch like before; thankfully, he needed room to make sure he was still composed. Did he have anywhere to be? Of course he did. He had a pack to help feed, three new puppies to protect, a yearling to watch over, a weirdo to protect against, and two polar opposite alphas to appease. He would not be able to do any of those jobs from inside this cave. He didn’t trust himself to say anything in response to her request; so, instead he just dropped his nose the slightest so he could grab the ground’s view for balance, then shook his head and smiled up at her. He wasn’t going to be Merys right now, he already hadn’t been this whole time anyway. His muscles were tingling with interest, pushing himself towards this unknown; the unknown that felt more intimate to him than anything he had found in Relic Lore yet. His emotions were fluttered, not making sense, and he made no attempt to untangle them. What a sickness love would be, he thought; worse even, than this. He made a mental note that he would not lose himself here, not permanently. This wasn’t real life, after all anyway.

founding member | 2016

And now I see his human AU as Tom Wlaschiha and I have no complaints about this.

For several eternally long seconds, he said nothing, and she watched all the thoughts flicker through his eyes and across his face and just waited with bated breath. When his gaze dipped, and he shook his head, a warm bliss spread over her expression, mouth splitting into yet another beaming smile. Her tail wagged rhythmically behind her, and she just enjoyed it for a moment, enjoyed the confirmation that he wanted to be here as much as she did, despite all the things which the both of them undoubtedly had waiting outside of this cave.

But right now, none of it mattered. After all, they were nobody, and nobody had no responsibilities.

"Good," she breathed, and then promptly dropped to her elbows, her tail's beat picking up pace as she hummed a high, satisfied tone. Snapping her jaws at his ankles, only to provoke, never to harm, she sprang away, made of cloud stuff and joy.

He knew he had done the right thing when a smile thread through her features like wildfire. There was something about it that brought him more joy than he would be willing to admit anywhere else outside of this tiny glen. His tail began wagging, matching her energy subconsciously and without effort. He enjoyed being on the same page as this wolf; it was part of what made this interaction so lively and easy.

 His ears flicked back slightly when she dropped to her elbows, and he shied his paws away when she went to snap for them. Not.. where he thought she was going with this. But nevertheless, he enjoyed chasing her and seemingly, she enjoyed being chased, and so they were off. He smiled mischievously as he opened his maw in play, though she was much too quick for his jaws to grab anything when he reached out to return the play-bite. She was gone, and within a heartbeat he had bolted after her. On ground this time, perhaps he would have more luck with snaring his prey. Her flanks were his targets, the occasional growl slipping from his maw as the chase heightened his sense of drive. Contentment was the foundation of this whole encounter, and he knew he would be more than pleased to chase her -- and that contentment -- long into the night.

founding member | 2016

It had been necessary to resume the game, because in that brief moment of rawness, of stillness, she'd stared into a void that would have been all too easy to fall into. The sensible part of her knew that she would have to leave eventually, that she couldn't hide in this cave forever with this man, so it was wisest to snip off the more dangerous parts as they bloomed. To frolic and play was nothing more than childish fun, far easier to attribute to innocent desires than the barest glimpse of roaring heat which had passed through her as they'd stared at one another. It was alien and intoxicating and overwhelming, just brushing at the furthest edges of it, and she knew that she had to keep it at arms' length.

So enforcing that this was all a game, all make-believe, made it easier. She could wake up tomorrow and even tell herself it was a pleasant dream. Her laughter echoed faintly in the cavern as she fled from him, narrowly avoiding his snapping jaws, legs kicking up as she bounced and skipped and hopped across the ground, now firmly playing the part of prey.

And this cave was definitely shaped to work in the favour of predators. With the only exits somewhere beyond her enigmatic companion, Bella was forced into a corner, the rocky walls sloping around to create a shallow dead end which she found herself dashing at, and had to make the split decision of whether or not she would turn to the water once more as her escape route. But they'd already finished that story. Instead, she had to accept defeat, and came right up to the vaguely damp, dark wall, her forepaws jumping up to press against it in order to push off and reverse her momentum. Dropping back to all fours, she turned to face her pursuer, rear pushing into the rock behind her as her tail wagged with jittery, nervous excitement, shying away from his advance but doing nothing to stop it (or discourage it).

*swoon*

His ears had pricked forward in anticipation for a grab at her flank, but he never came up with anything but a few tufts of fur in his front teeth. She played the part so well, rearing and squealing at him, amping up the worth of the end prize, if - and when - he caught her. The cave that she had skittered into was darker, challenging his dark vision and pulling at his other senses. Though there was no mistaking the lapse in judgement she had made once they both realized that the end was coming. Figuratively and literally. His menacing laughter echoed. She swooped around, accepting her defeat, and his champion eyes caught hers only fleetingly before he raised his paws and jaws to meet her body and tumble her to the ground. No, the game would not end there, but he had won, and his tackle would show that. He did not aim to hurt her, simply turn their chase into wrestling. She accepted his tackle strongly and they both tumbled to the ground in a fit of playful growls and nips. Merys was grateful that their encounter had stayed simple; there had been no mistaking where it could have hinted at. This was simpler, and it would be easier to let go of tomorrow. His mind and body were alive and electric, and he pulled his friend's scruff into him, knowing and feeling the same energy emanating from her as well.

-----------

Merys curled his tail around hers, the woman whose name he still did not know. Their bodies were tired, their minds satiated. The light in the sky was gone, the cave darkened almost completely except for the reflection of the moon off the water, lighting the entrance with a soft glow. Their night vision had long adjusted, but he did not need it anymore. He felt her body curled against his, her scent filling his nostrils, her occasional humming entering his ears. Sleep was taking Merys by a strong hold, and he was comfortable to let it. He had fully accepted and integrated into this other world that he had fallen into, their afternoon of play and banter filling him with a new vigour for life. His eyes closed, and he tucked his nose into her fur, her slightly smaller frame fitting against his comfortably. He wondered what you dreamed of when you were already in a dream, though all that came was more peaceful darkness. 

founding member | 2016

this has been the best. let's do it again sometime, call me~

Not one more word had been spoken. None were necessary; the evening transformed into exactly what it needed to be, as the chase gave way to a tussle which made every nerve ending in her body prickle. It was the escape she needed, the isolation of one beautiful moment in time when she was nothing more than her flesh and bones, a nobody, with no inspirations or failures or responsibilities. It wasn't that Belladonna Calor abhorred her role in life, needed freedom and whimsy, but damn it had been bogging her down, accumulating into that one silly existential question when peering at her own appearance in the water - and now, curled up here next to the man who had called her out on it, she couldn't regret a moment for it. It had resulted in this perfect moment.

He was long asleep, this mysterious, intoxicating stranger, just as she had been not moments ago. It was only by chance that the woman had awoken, a phantom sound which had pricked at her ears but, clearly, not his; the light was dim but she could just about see his peaceful outline, could hear his rhythmic breathing, could feel his serenity. Her addicted state urged her to tuck her nose back into that warm spot next to his cheek and join him, but the longer she was awake, the more the outside world crept into her thoughts. It was a fanciful but ignorant to think she could hide away in here forever, because they both had lives beyond this glen and the soft background music of the waterfall, they both had identities which were wrapped up in the needs of others. She recognised none of the wolves who had their scents laced in his pelt, but knew what it meant, for it was the exact same way her own fur came mingled with that of all the wolves from the Woodlands. And, that besides, she couldn't bear to consider what saying goodbye to this would be like, come the morning, when they would both have to acknowledge those outside lives and drop the masks they'd put on for each other.

Or was it more that they would have to put the masks back on?

But if she did not stay, what was the other option? To creep out while he slept, to leave him to awaken by himself, alone? Struck by indecision, she was now quite awake, and glanced towards where the entrance to this cave lay, the crabapple trees a permanent perfume in this place. Her consciousness caught onto that scent for a moment, as a wandering mind was wont to do, and followed a winding, arbitrary train of thought until suddenly it struck her.

Her breath caught, and she knew, if she could pull it off, if she could find it, it would be perfect. Gently, with excruciating patience she extracted herself from his warmth, taking every care not to disrupt his peace. Once free, she moved out towards that entrance, feeling almost as though she were floating, and reassured herself of the decision by snuffling her nose into the nearest bunch of crab apple leaves and inhaling, and the memory confirmed her knowledge. Bella was no botanist, and had once tried to learn the art of herbalism by means of expanding her usefulness, but she had had no interest in the plants with interesting medicinal effects. She only remembered the beautiful ones, the striking ones, the ones with no use other than to look splendid to the world, and had been forced to accept defeat in her training. It hadn't lasted long, and it had never bothered her.

There was one plant, however, that Bella had made sure to learn, and which she had found crawling in the dark spaces of the expansive grove which had laid at the bottom of the mountain upon which her children had been born. That grove, lined with ash trees, had been full of hawthorn and mulberry and, much like this place, trees upon trees of flourishing crab apple. She couldn't remember why, exactly, but it was usual to see these kinds of plants together, almost like it was something in the ground or the air in these regions which caused these particular trees and bushes and berries to thrive. As she stepped out into the night, her eyes lifting to dance over the tops of the trees with a contented hum, she hoped that she remembered right.

Then her eyes dropped, searching for the areas which would be most shaded at midday, the more damp and dark crevices of the forest, and began her search. It was too early in the year for the flowers to have bloomed, but no matter, she would recognise it by its leaves and scent. Patient and diligent, she searched in increasing spirals in the dim moonlight, and was rewarded with the discovery of a low but thriving bush of her exact goal.

Carefully she put her teeth around a delicate stem and severed it cleanly, leaving her with half a foot of the lush green sprig in her mouth. She took it to where the moonlight was strongest and placed it down, almost affectionately, and could just about make out the buds which would have bloomed into flower in the coming weeks, and hoped that they would be distinct enough, that he would recognise the plant's shape and smell and taste - or, more likely, would know someone who did, back at this pack of his. They must have a herbalist who would know all the common names for plants, right? If he even chose to take it with him - she would not be able to know, but it didn't matter; in the world she had built for them in her head, he did. That was enough.

Before she left for the thicket, she brushed her nose against the fur in his neck, committing him to memory, and made sure to place the sprig of deadly nightshade in the empty space beside him.