Heartleaf Creek Bad things

Takes place sometime after this thread

Savion was in no rush. Sure, lover boy wanted him in no uncertain terms to 'fuck off', but that didn't mean he was gonna run off with his tail tucked between his legs. What bullshit. Like he'd do that. Sure Mr Snarly had done the whole song and dance, but the way Savion saw it, he had no reason to fear him. Who was he? A kid too big for his boots? Fucking pathetic. And that girl? She'd been an amusing little doll until he'd come along. So pliant and gullible, they were all the same.

Treading through the snow, Savion's ears tilted at the sound of flowing water. A river? Or at the very least a creek was up ahead. He had no idea where he was heading, he'd simply picked a random direction and headed off in it, but surely a water source was a good sign. As there would no doubt be wolves nearby who used it from time to time. Besides, he could use a bit of a drink. Wooin' ladies was thirsty work after all.

Chuckling to himself, Savion pushed through the brush till trickling creek came into sight. Though at this time of year there was more ice than there was water. Ah well, it couldn't be helped now, could it? Coming to a stop, The Comedian placed a paw on a slab of ice and pressed down ,hard, and grinned in satisfaction at the sound of cracking that soon followed. At least he could take pleasure from the small things, because surely if he didn't he'd be just as miserable as his dear older brother had once been. Sure, his pretence was damn good and it'd taken years for Savion to suss him out. But now that he knew, in hindsight it was all unmistakable.

What was the use of living if you couldn't smile, or better yet laugh from time to time? The way Savion saw it, you might as well be dead if you couldn't do that.

Oula felt like a little leaf caught in a current, sometimes lurching forward at breakneck speeds and at other times spiraling hopelessly in circles. Turned around, hungry, disoriented, scared, alone, lost. None of it felt good, and most of all she wanted to be home, with the safety and comfort of her family, where she could properly protect them from the deranged wolf who got his sick kicks out of playing games with innocent strangers. Part of her wished she would run into 'Azar' again, give him what he deserved in exchange for her torment, but the other part of her knew she was in no state for picking fights, her body too thin under her thick winter coat. She wasn't familiar with the part of the forest he had dumped her in, and had no idea what route they'd taken to get there. It was hard to go back home when she didn't even know what direction home was in anymore.

Oula finally had the feeling she was on the right track, or at least in the right neighborhood. The heavy snowfall did nothing to help, covering everything in a monotonous layer of white and slowing her travel. The days had slipped by without clear distinction from one and the next, and weeks quickly peeled away, but her body had taken notice of the steady march of time and the approaching season. Oula felt she had good reason to feel irritable and frustrated, given her circumstances, but was starting to realize there was another cause for her growing agitation. That morning she felt hot and flushed, hungry in a way that went beyond her empty stomach. 

Oula had sought out the trickling sound of water to cool her palate, though she knew sating her thirst would do little to quench other fires. Her stout legs moved briskly through the brush between her and the stream, burs sticking to her coat as she emerged on the other side. The wind had not been on her side, and it was then she locked her sage green eyes on the dark coated male standing on the opposite bank, his paws on the ice. She froze, her fur bristling over her nape. Just how badly did she need a drink?

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

It seemed as though Lady-Luck was showin' Savion some kindness today, cause only just a few minutes later another pretty face showed up on the scene. Unlike the previous two, it was clear that she had more experience. That she wasn't going to fall for his pretty words or vague promises of assistance. Despite the sense of need and want flowing through her veins, her head was still firmly screwed on. She knew what was what and made it adamantly clear that she was not impressed by his presence, despite the fact he hadn't even said anything yet.

His bright Selwyn eyes roamed her form and took note of her stocky, compact build, as well as the plushness of her coat and those greyish-green ghost like eyes. She was striking, he'd give her that. And combined with the raised hackles along her spine she had well 'n truly caught his attention.

"No need to fret." He assured her, his voice a slow, soothing drawl as he took a step back to prove his point. His paws his the shore and he spoke again. "Ain't here lookin' for trouble. The name's Savion, or Savvy. Take your pick. So what'ta 'bout you? You got a name?"

At that point, Savion wasn't quite sure how to go about this. He was still getting a feel for her, seeing how she'd react to his response and whether she'd take his words at face value. He suspected that she was the suspicious sort, that she'd be slow to trust and equally as slow to open up. But it was worth a try, right? The only losers in this world were those who didn't even try at all. And after being snubbed earlier he couldn't see the harm at another go of round three.

Oula felt his unwelcome gaze rake across her form, the skin under the pale fur of her face warmed at the attention. She watched him carefully like a hawk. His assurances did little to assure her, after all, that was exactly what someone who was up to something would say. "Good, I'm not looking for trouble, either." She growled with a lofty flick of her tail.

Savion, or Savvy, if she preferred. As if either option would make her more comfortable with the unknown male. Oh, she'd learned her lesson after the last time. Her name was for family and close friends only. She wasn't getting kidnapped over it again. "Lyonesse," She ground out, lifting her lips slightly in warning. Hopefully her epithet would give him pause about messing with her.

As long as she kept a cool head, things would go alright. She sure as hell wasn't going to follow him anywhere. Oula's compact paws tread down the frozen riverbank, her toes bracing the crust of the ice. This close, she could smell his musk now, but tried to keep her focus on the water. Slowly she dipped her head down, pink tongue flicking out to draw the icy water up into her mouth as she kept her eyes on Savion in case he tried anything funny.

Still so suspicious. Savion liked that. There was something so enticing about the prospect of a challenge, of a hard fought battle. He wasn't looking to brawl with her, he had no interest in beaten' a lady like that, he simply wanted her to lower her guard, allow him in so he could have his way. That's all, he wasn't asking for much, now was he? It wasn't like he was demanding nothin', he knew how to play nice, and ask nice too. He just had to work himself up to that.

Watching the flick of her tail, Savion did nothing to suppress the smile that pulled at his lips. If she was gonna be aggressive and cagey then he was just gonna go ahead and be friendly. There was nothing wrong with havin' manners after all. Sure, he noticed her being all growly and flashing him her teeth, but he weren't too worried about that. In fact, he made an effort to ignore it and went on pretending this was a nice, civil conversation.

"Well, it's a real pleasure Lyonesse."

He waited for her to finish her drink-as that's what she no doubt came here for- before speaking again.

"I'm actually pretty damn glad you came across me. You see I'm in a bit of a pickle, I'm lost. No idea where I am, I'm supposed to be looking for my niece and nephew, but I ain't exactly sure where they are either you see." He shrugged, looking rather meek. "Not expecting directions or nothin' doubt you know of them, it's just nice to see another person. Been wandering around on my own for weeks now. How 'bout you?"

Oula sighed as she lifted her head, her shoulders slumping slightly. It was hard to keep up such a defensive front when she was just so damned tired. All she really wanted was to sleep in the nice warm den, curled close with her packmates. The only problem with that, was she had yet to get there.

Oh he was a chatterbox, then. At least he seemed to not be the typical lusty brute one tended to run into this time of year. If she was the first wolf he'd seen in a while, she felt bad for him. She wasn't in the best mood for small talk, and she probably wasn't much help in finding any lost relatives, as much as his relatable problem tugged at her hearstrings. She couldn't even find her own daughter. It was a damned miracle she could find the nose on the front of her face.

"I came out here looking for my missing daughter and some nutjob trapped me in a pit for a week." Oula said bluntly. "I'm lost, I'm hungry, I'm tired, and honestly really short on patience." And her current state only aggravated her further. It was like there was a wildcat trying to claw its way out of her skin and having a male so close by did not help matters in the least. "I'm sorry about your niece and nephew, but I couldn't tell you the first place to look." She added, making an attempt to be marginally civil.

Savion weren't sure what he expected, but it wasn't a tall tale like that. She'd been kidnapped? If she was tellin' the truth then yeah, he could see why she was being on ornery, so on edge. But the fact she was willing to talk to him about it was pretty tellin' as well. By no means did he think she trusted him wholeheartedly, but at the very least she felt safe enough to spill a little truth.He didn't expect or even want an apology, but again the fact that she offered one was more than enough to raise his brows. Weren't she bein' all civil now? See, she could play nice she just needed a little pushin' to do so.

That's all that Savion wanted to do, give her a bit of encouragement and push some buttons. And if one thing led to another, then so be it. You wouldn't hear any complaints from him.

"Naw, no need to apologise. Feel like I should be the one doin' that considering what you've been through. Sounds like hell. You know the bastard that did this? 'N is there anything I can do to help?"

Anything at all?

He almost chuckled at that, but managed to restrain himself. He doubted Lyonesse would appreciate that, considering how serious she was and all. Maybe just maybe he'd be able to get her to smile, that in itself would be a small victory.

"And don't worry 'bout me, I'm sure I'll find them eventually." When he actually got round to looking properly that is. "In all honesty I'm more worried 'bout you 'nd that nutjob. Could still be about here, maybe its not such a good idea to wander about on your own. Least till you find home."

Oula raised a single pale brow as he asked if there was anything he could do to help. Why did she have the impression that question implied more than what was said? She could almost see a glint of mirth in his canary yellow eyes. She decided to take the comment at face value and pretend she'd missed the innuendo, and shook her head. She couldn't think of anything Mr. Savvy could do that would erase what had happened, and the worst of it was over now. "Said his name was Azar, but I'd be surprised if that's actually what it was." She said. The auburn man shown himself to be a dishonest wolf, and so she figured lying about his name wasn't beyond the pale for him. "Can't think of what I did to piss him off so badly." She huffed. As far as she could tell, it had been completely unprovoked and unwarranted. 

He did have a point, Azar could be anywhere out there. The thought made her already uneasy stomach clench. Maybe... Maybe she could do with an escort. "If it'll make you feel better, you walk with me a bit?" She offered. At least a male's presence should ward off the more determined sort that were likely skulking around out there, looking for vulnerable females.

Planting that seed of doubt in her mind was easy. All it took was a little suggestion, a prod and he could see her mind whirring behind those  grey-green eyes. No doubt imagining worst case scenarios by the bucket load. And maybe she had every reason to, Savion knew full well that not every man was a gentleman. That some had a whole lotta' fun stringin' ladies along and doing bad things to them. Now Savion weren't no saint, he wasn't gonna win any prizes anytime soon but he easily not the worst of the worst. He'd done some bad things in his time, mistreated a few women here and there, but was he a real bad sinner? Nah, he didn't think so.

In fact he was willin' to do Lyonesse a favour here.

"Yeah, not gonna lie, it would." He smiled, as though relieved.

Stepping across the ice, Savion walked through the shallow-if not freezing- creek and joined Lyonesse on her side. If his tail just so happened to brush against her side, then so be it. If she called him out, it was just an accident. No harm done.

"So where to Miss Lyonesse? Wherever you go, I'll follow 'n be your ward. No creep'll get to you when I'm here." He grinned and puffed up his chest a little, as his tail swayed behind him, confident and happy. "So come on Miss, lead the way."