Poison Path A small bit of peace

@Woya round three! RE: This is Woya and Kajika's blind date thread.

Kajika liked kids but lately there had been far too many on the mountain for him. He of course did his duty keeping an eye on them and making himself available if they needed anything but he wasn't as young as he used to be. The dark man needed a few moments to himself every now and then.

This was one of those moments were he sought out a place he hoped he wouldn't be disturbed. He found that place along the trail to poison path. It was much quieter as it had always been. One of the places the older man used to venture to when he needed to get away from the hustle and bustle of pack life.

His large paws carried him across the familiar ground. Though it was a little more over grown than it used to be he knew it well. Soon enough he reached the place where the nightshade grew. There wasn't any there at that moment due to the season but he remembered. Kajika found a nice place to sit back on his haunches and take a deep breath…finally.

Woya had wanted a breather as well, used to far more time alone in the Chasm than what was being granted to her here. The secluded territory was teeming with other wolves, most of which were exuberantly friendly and social. It was far more exhausting than living with those she did, and while she enjoyed seeing the children so happy and spending time with family, Woya was developing a new found appreciation for those who shared her home down in the ferns.

The sound of breathing caught her attention as she walked, and she stopped, taken off guard as the wind had been working against her. She turned her eyes and saw him, but still didn't smell Kajika's presence. Her honeyed gaze narrowed, and she scoffed audibly.

"You just like creepin' around like an old 'yote, don't ya?"

Sitting in the area he knew the nightshade would grow into once spring came the older man took a deep breath. Finally a little time to himself to think and the quiet would allow him to actually hear his thoughts. Which of course drifted to the many moments he'd spent in that very place over the years. It seemed there weren't too many places that he could go that didn't have a memory attached to it.

Some were good and some were bad. He often didn't like to think of the bad ones. One thing that age had taught him was to alleviate all of the memories because they had led him to where he was. Those moments had formed him into the man that he was. Now he knew that when his day came he could greet it without any regrets.

An ear turned as he heard the familiar voice. He didn't bother turning to look at her. "I think you've got it wrong this time."[/b[ He stated before finally raising to his full height and facing her. {B}"If you recall I was here first. How do you even know of this place?"

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To his credit, he'd yet to let himself ever be cowed by her attitude. While it more often grated on her nerves, Woya could respect another wolf being so intent on standing their ground. Still, she gave him a curt snort to let him know what she thought of his words all the same, her gaze decidedly unimpressed.

"I picked a direction and started walking, this ain't on purpose so y'c'n stop flattering yerself."

If she bugged him so much though, maybe she'd loiter a minute or two to further assert her low opinion of him. It was fun, in a way.

He would only ever admit it to her upon pain of death but she was starting to grow on him. Bantering with her was a nice change of pace for the elder man. It kept things interesting in a different way than Moonshadow but oddly enjoyable all the same.

"You picked a good direction if it's quiet your looking for," he said kindly before walking toward her, "But I think you are flattering yourself." He said a smirk crossing his features. "It occurs to me as we throw barbs at each other you've never exactly said what about me repulses you so much?"

It honestly didn't bother him if she didn't like him. He wasn't even really that curious but he thought it would be fun to put the overly confident woman on the spot. Make her squirm a bit if it were possible. That would certainly make for a good time.

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Woya cocked an eyebrow as if to say ya sure about that? as Kajika voiced she'd made a choice that would lead her to quiet.

But I think you are flattering yourself.

Her features flatlined again, only the slightest of furrows in her brow hinting at her disapproval. He wanted to know why, did he? What particular facet of his was a thorn in her paw? She gave him an appraising look, letting a beat of silence pass before giving her answer.

"It's 'n accumulation. So let's call it, everything about you n' yer snide ass."

After their last few interactions it was quite clear to the older man that he and Woya just didn't mix. Although in some strange way he actually liked her whether she felt the same or not didn't matter much.

He hadn't missed some of the expressions she'd made at the words he'd spoken. Inside he was smiling but it was the last on he figured she wouldn't answer. The dark man had already learned that Woya only answered what she wanted to which was fine with him.

It was the last thing she said that had him chuckling, "I see, well then there's no worries about you suddenly liking me or anything," he jested.

He let a moment pass allowing the silence pass between them before his gaze rested on her once more, "You don't mind sharing a little space with me do you?"

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Woya was suspicious of his amusement, though she tried not to display anything other than mild irritation and an overall sense of being thoroughly unimpressed. Was this a new tactic, had he figured it out that she fed off of stirring up ill feelings in her verbal sparring partners? Pity. For her, that meant it was time to disengage.

You don't mind sharing a little space with me do you?

This time, she scowled. They weren't going to be pals and she didn't need his company, but now he could shift the blame fully onto her, couldn't he? Whatever.

"It ain't obvious?" she asked derisively, and began to take steps that would carry her past him.

(This post was last modified: May 30, 2022, 06:01 AM by Woya.)

Despite their clear dislike of each other he rather liked the banter between them. It kept his old mind sharp, the last thing Kajika wanted at the end of his life was to lose his mind. He'd seen it happen to other old wolves and he didn't want it to happen to him.

For a moment he let the quiet of the pass swirl around them. He took a deep breath of the mountain air. Then he turned ack to her. "I suppose it is rather obvious since you haven't run screaming from me," he stated internally chuckling.

Being the curious man that he was Kajika couldn't help himself. He'd learned that Woya was related to Aleister but he didn't know how. So it was time he found out. "I've been wondering how are you related to Aleister."

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His returns were increasingly casual, the older wolf clearly sinking back into a feeling of comfort despite the venomous thorns his company threatened him with. She would have left him, but he managed to keep her on the hook still by asking after her family. It would only help her position to tell him, and so she did, reasserting her blood ties to the mountain and its inhabitants.

"Cousins. Aunt Namid had plenty of stories 'bout the Cove each time she visited us, but I gotta say I still don't get what the charm is."

The altitude and its associated terrain were awful, end of story. It would be better if Aleister moved his family down into the forests, closer to the Chasm, but she would never ask such a thing. She knew and understood the importance of carrying on his parents' legacy.

(This post was last modified: May 30, 2022, 06:06 AM by Woya.)