Kettle Pot Pond The salt wound routine

Any and all welcome!

Lenae wasn't sure what had made her want to leave the safety of the monadnock's heights. She'd never really been a wanderer before, home was where her heart was, and in her eyes it was where she was meant to be. But even now, after all this time-which wasn't very long in the grand scheme of things- she still wasn't sure if she saw the big rock as home. It certainly was better than before, better than being alone in the wide open space of the tundra. So vulnerable and scared.

But this place was pretty and as much as that overly cautious voice in her mind told her to run, to not expose herself like this, she couldn't resist having a quick dip in the pond she'd found. It was warm out and she'd been on her feet for hours. From what she could see and smell, she was all alone, so what harm would it do if she took the time to have a little fun?

A smile tugged at her lips as she took a tentative step forward, then another and another till she stood at the pond's shore. She'd never seen water that was so blue and calm, with not even a ripple disturbing its surface. She almost felt bad, to ruin the serenity of it all but instead of backing down like the coward she was, she dipped her paw in and giggled at her little rebellion.

Screw the status quo! She was her own woman and could do whatever she wanted! Ha!

With that, she dropped down into a bow and wiggled her butt in preparation to pounce into the water. It had been so long she'd done anything like this, let herself go but damn it she wasn't going to let this chance pass her by. She was going to live, even if it was only for a little while.

-finally throws Ayti in-

Ayti had been taking a few more trips away from the River wolves' territory. Not because he wanted to leave them, or anything. It was more because he just wanted a little bit of quiet time. And damn if he hadn't earned it in the past few months - he'd absolutely worked his ass off. Literally. He'd lost several pounds since his joining the pack, but... he had to admit... he looked better than he had when he joined. He'd been a little chunky.

The pond was absolutely beautiful in the sunlight, backed by the golden fields and tundra. It held a different sort of beauty than Turtleback Lake, though it, too, had its charm. But neither of the bodies of water could compare to the beauty of the petite woman who was wiggling her rump in the air, obviously about to jump into the water.

Well, that certainly was a sight, wasn't it?

And it was definitely a sight that Ayti wanted in on. Not in the pervy way.

Playing in the beautiful, calm blue water sounded like absolute heaven. And, well, to share it with a beautiful wolf was even better. The chocolate-furred man hurried down to the water, a few wolf-lengths away from the female, and dropped to his stomach in a play bow. She was tiny, he realized as he got closer. A mere fraction of his own size - and he didn't want to scare her away.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, hazel eyes alight with mirth.

For the first time in a very long time Lenae was actually enjoying herself. The water was so cool and refreshing, she couldn't help but splash and thrash about in absolute delight. Oh how she missed this, the sense of freedom, like she was weightless and ready to soar. This was how it used to be, how she used to be. Elated and enjoying every moment of her cheery life. But even now she knew that it would be fleeting, that this feeling wouldn't last forever because nothing ever did. The darkness would come once again and little Lenny wouldn't be so sunny anymore.

But that was okay, she supposed. She would just have to hold her head high and enjoy these moments when she could.

So that's what she did. She splished, splashed and laughed till she couldn't anymore. It was so silly,but fun and invigorating. And even as she panted from the exertion she grinned from ear to ear, like she'd never been happier.

But then the pin dropped and her ears flattened to her head as a smooth voice crooned at her.

"Oh."

Was all she could say as she stared at him. He was huge, as tall and as imposing as monadnock itself. Or so he seemed to Little Lenae. Did she mind? Yes she did. For all his evident charm and suave that only made him seem all the more dangerous to her. A handsome smile could hide so much and if she fell for it, for him, she'd be nothing more than a fly caught in a spiders web.

"It's not my pond. I can't stop you." She murmured, so quiet that she even struggled to hear her own words. She hunched her shoulders and averted her gaze, trying to make herself as plain and boring as she could.

This wasn't any fun anymore, she didn't feel safe and more than anything she wanted to go home.

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Short post sorry ;.;

If there was anything Aytigin hated, it was when his imposing size scared or intimidated someone else. And clearly that was what had happened here. The little wolf stopped playing as soon as he spoke and sent him a look as though he'd just ruined her entire day. Which he was particularly good at, apparently, but he hadn't even been trying to go out of his way to make a flirtatious remark or comment. He'd just wanted to play, as well. The fact that the woman was easy on the eyes was just a bonus - he hardly flirted like he used to since he'd met Askan and talked to Lachesis.

Confused, the large man tipped his head to the side and regarded the wolf in the water. He wasn't able to pick apart her scent from this distance, so he wasn't sure if she was a loner or a pack wolf. He just didn't have much to go off of to start a conversation - as much as he wanted to. So, he deliberated a moment or two, trying to figure out what he could say that wouldn't completely muck up the situation.

"Uh, I didn't mean to, uh..." he stuttered awkwardly, ears pinning back a little. "Would you rather if I left? Because I don't mind. I'm not here to bother you." And he wasn't. It would hardly be fun if the other wolf in the equation was hating it the entire time. So, if she wanted him to, Aytigin had absolutely no problem with turning around and heading right back to Hearthwood River.

(This post was last modified: Jul 11, 2017, 03:08 AM by Aytigin.)

Oh he certainly was dangerous. Not because he was baring his teeth or snarling at her, no he was doing something far worse than that. She grimaced as a rush of guilt washed over her, his words yanking at her heart strings. It just wasn't fair. She wished that she was hollow, that she didn't care about anyone or anything, but oh she did. In fact, her problem was that she cared too much. She loved too much and in the end she always got burnt.

Being an airhead was hardly anything to be proud of, but she missed those carefree days. When she could say whatever popped into her mind without worrying about the repercussions. She longed to joke and flirt and smile, but she couldn't. She wasn't strong enough and more pressingly the past just wouldn't let her go. This was who she was now. A sad and scared mess of a woman.

If he was bad, then Lenae had fallen right into his trap. She thought she was better than this, that she had learned but apparently not. Maybe she hadn't changed as much as she'd thought.

"No...I'm so sorry. Please." She whined as her bottom lip trembled."Didn't mean to make you sad.Don't feel bad...Just don't."

So pathetic. Where had her charms gone? Her honeyed words and eyes that glinted with mirth? Oh that's right, they had been stolen from her and for the life of her, she didn't know how to get it back. How to be whole once more. Was that too much to ask? Probably, but it was what she wanted and what she hoped for someday.

Over the past few months, Ayti had become just about the least dangerous thing in the entire north. But that was not apparent, because he was way too freaking big. Oh, and he usually still kind of started conversations with a flirty remark... but he hadn't this time, because he was now even more hyperaware of his intimidating appearance, and this girl was just too small for it. He certainly hadn't meant to guilt trip her like he (apparently) had!

Her lips trembled and a whine punctuated her words, and she apologized. It felt like someone had sent a stake through Ayti's soul. He couldn't stand seeing others in distress. "No, no!" he was quick to reply, golden-hazel eyes round and kind of frantic. He almost moved toward her, but instead took to crouching, trying to make himself as low as possible in an apology. "That's not what I meant at all!" the younger wolf insisted, ears pressing back to his skull. "Please don't apologize - I'm the one who ruined your good time."

The man looked up at her, trying to think of some way to remedy the situation. "Look, I really... uh, I really will not hurt you," the wolf emphasized, hoping she could see how genuine he was truly being. "It's just that what you were doing seemed like it would be a lot of fun, and I figured there wasn't any harm in asking..." He took a deep breath and stopped rambling, instead offering her a sheepish smile.

"Er, my name's Ayti. Aytigin Delaney, but just Ayti."

“You get a kick out of forcing your presence onto uncomfortable people?” Aleksei had wandered in at a terrible time, it seemed, and let his mouth run. He had been looking to quench his thirst, and the sight that had met him was enough to make his jaw clench; there was Everly, looking particularly distressed, in the presence of one large male. Had Alek been closer, he might have been able to identify the scent of Hearthwood, or even recognise the swarthy male, but protectiveness had swooped over him the moment he laid eyes on the frightened bird that was the dandelion eyed female. There was no way he was going to let her be intimidated by this lug. No way in hell.

He moved forward, the scowl on his face squarely aimed at Aytigin. Closer he moved, as if planning on planting himself between the two wolves. Instead, he opted to stand off to Everely side, close enough that she could see him but not too close that he might startle her. When his gaze shifted to her, he offered a soft smile. “Hey … are you okay?” His voice was soft, gentle, a hushed whisper that was desperate to reassure her that he wasn’t here to upset her, that he wanted to help. After all, the last time they had spoken—which had also been the first—she had left quickly, excused herself in a panic that left him feeling guilt ridden and worried.

He was only trying to make up for it now by letting her feel some comfort in knowing she had a distraction, in case she wanted to excuse herself quickly.

“Is this guy bothering you?” Aleksei shot the “stranger” a scowl, chartreuse eyes narrowed in irritation.

Let the roots & soil drink of me
Whispering leaves & pointing branches will tell them where I'm lying

This was all getting out of hand, or rather paw. She had only come out for a quick dip and a little bit of fun, but no, it was clear that once again her desires meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. She couldn't help but wonder why did her life was so dramatic. Why did trouble hound her at every turn? Didn't she deserve some respite, some time to just be herself? One large wolf apparently wasn't enough, fate saw it fit to throw another at her. However, to her relief it was one she knew, or at the very least was familiar with. It wasn't so bad, Aleksei wasn't so bad nor was he as scary.

Not that Mr Delaney seemed to be trying to intimidate her, but whether he intended to or not that was how she felt.

He might have chosen to join her in the water but it wasn't as though Aytigin had forced himself upon her. She already had experience with that-awful, disgusting, painful- sort of thing and this was nothing like that. But Aleksei was half right, she was uncomfortable and in a sense he was bothering her.

Not in a bad way. Or at least not in a way that was entirely his fault, rather it was his bulking form and his vague resemblance to one of Savion's many lackeys that bothered her the most. Almost like he was going to break out into a grin and call her Princess at any moment.

She shuddered and her tiny frame shook as though the pond water was ice cold.

"I don't..." She shook her head. How was she supposed to say how she felt, whether she was okay when she didn't even know herself anymore?

These reactions, all of the cowering and the whining she had done these past few months, this wasn't wasn't her. Not the real Lenae. Even the name she bore was a weak pretence, an attempt to be someone stronger than she was. But it wasn't working, she couldn't hold a candle to the bravery, strength and charm her sister once had.

This was all getting out of hand. She had to do something, try to make amends and smooth things out between them.She didn't mind that Aleksei was close, in fact at the time she didn't even notice nor think of it. He was trying to help and for that she was thankful, more than she could say really.

"It's not his fault." She admitted with a mumble, her head held low."I'm a coward."

(This post was last modified: Jul 19, 2017, 10:57 PM by Lenae.)

Aleksei might not have recognized Aytigin, but the dark-pelted male certainly recognized him. Ayti certainly wasn't the deserter's biggest fan - far from it, in fact - and then the tawny-pelted man looked right at him and had the nerve to judge him on his actions in neutral territory when he had no idea what was going on. It was rare that the dark wolf ever even got angry, but his temper flared instantly upon the man's arrival and judgmental question.

Because this was the man who'd left Hearthwood River. His family. His pack. His duty.

"That wasn't my intention, no. Why? You get a kick out of deserting your pack and abandoning your family?" he growled in return, uncaring of how vicious his tone turned when he addressed Aleksei. His tail curled over his spine, and his temper brought a Phlegethon to his gaze. He wasn't really thinking about controlling his tongue or the repercussions of his actions. If he were being honest, he didn't quite mind tearing this wolf a new one.

But then the little lady in the water started to shake, and Aytigin's features softened when he heard her mention that she was a coward. He shook his head quickly, plastering a smile onto his face. "No, sweetheart, you're not a coward," he tried to amend, brows creasing with worry. "I didn't think before I acted. I'm sorry I scared you."

He shot his gaze back to Aleksei, hazel eyes hardening once more. "Him, on the other hand. I bet coward would be fitting." Not that he knew anything of the circumstances of his departure. But he'd left his mother - kind and gentle, unlike Ayti's own - and all of his siblings behind when they needed him so badly. The thought caused Aytigin's fur to rise a bit.