[S] And I am the beautiful Princess Of procrastination

The speed in which Ruka traveled had slowed once the landscape around her began to transform from the bleak tundra of the highlands to a new yet familiar scenery filled with more readily available trees and shrubs despite the heavy dusting of snow still ensnaring the world around her. Her tawny silhouette still stuck out like a sore paw, but the vast whiteness here was at least broken up with sparse bits of greenery giving an attempt to fight the good fight against the last firm stronghold of winter and offer the woman some form of coverage if needed. Alas, no amount of snow on the ground this time of year could deny the changes that were starting stir.

The changes, starting to slowly awaken within herself.

A pause in her steps and glance above through a large gap in the forest canopy allowed the woman to spot just how far the sun had managed to arch itself into the sky since venturing into this cedar wood domain, finding that traveling amongst the towering pillars was rather easy. How much further would it be now until she reached her destination if the road ahead remained this easy? For a moment the muscles of her stomach tightened at the thought of facing those she had abandoned so soon, threatening to purge the remaining bits of a chatty squirrel that had served as her meager breakfast.

Perhaps the woman could afford to slow it down a smidge, give herself an extra day to recoup. Besides there was still the matter of groveling for forgiveness once she reached the willows and hopefully proclaim a non-piss poor excuse as to why she had disappeared on them when they frankly needed her most. Yes, selfishly allowing herself to take another day to recoup and avoid the inevitable sounded rather nice in that moment.

(This post was last modified: Mar 25, 2023, 06:01 AM by Loach. Edit Reason: adding swear tag <3 )

He had been here once before.

He had found Llinnea here before they found the split. Now he itched to strike out from the split more often, probably brought on by the absence of a lover.

Was that why he had headed this way? Thinking that he might find Clouse out here already ready to come home? He groaned softly at himself and the sappy thing he had become. It would be fine. Their goodbye had not felt like a forever, even if any time apart tried to make him feel that way.

Although as soon as he had turned around to round back home, a scent wafted around. Familiar as it struck at him that antsy itch of agitation. Frustration bloomed around his thinking and without a second guess, he stormed after the trail. More inclined to become a grumpy old man in those moments than a daring courter.

What are ya doing?! He barked from some yards away with a scowl etched hard into salt and pepper features.

What had not sounded rather nice in that moment, though, was to suddenly be scolded by some stranger.

Trapped within the anxiety ridden walls of her mind and the conundrum the woman would eventually find herself facing the far from silent crash of determined paws through the brush had gone amiss until suddenly her ears were forced to twist backward against her skull in response to the harsh tone of a stranger's voice. What the?!

Confusion etched itself upon her facial features as her pear like gaze rapidly scoured her surroundings to seek out the owner of the voice that had the audacity to bark at her, a stark silhouette against the otherwise monochrome world a few yards off immediately catching her attention. She took another quick glance around to either side of herself, unsure if this stranger had directed their question at her or some other wolf that she hadn't noticed in the area. A simple misunderstanding...hopefully. Alas, she saw no others in the vicinity. "Excuse me!?" Ruka responded with the full dose of confusion that mirrored itself on her maw, her lush tail giving a swift whip at her rump which served to only waft her feminine scent thicker about the area. "You talking to me?"

Only one way to find out.

S for swears oops

She had the audacity to continue to waft that goddamn scent about!

His features scrunched with full force now. An ugly sight upon his face surely. Who else is stinkin' up the whole forest?! He expressed with all the garbled frustration of a yearling. Sure, sure she had no control over it. Yada yada. Loach was not a stupid man, just a frustrated one. Like somehow she had done wrong by being here on his way back. As if either one of them had expected it.

Ya smell. We both know it.

Now he stood rigid and entirely uncertain what he would gain from any of this. How fucking stupid he felt now.

Lololol not how I expected her to react, but rolling with it xD

The time it took for her facial features to morph from a look of confusion to bewilderment was so swift it was astounding, record breaking even. Of course Ruka was far from oblivious to what time of year it was and the perfume that came with it for most females of age, but there was absolutely no way this guy was seriously getting frustrated with her right now about it. Didn't guys typically fall to their knees in the presence of a female in heat, especially younger ones such as himself from what she could gather despite the grey hairs that gave him a more aged appearance. This was definitely a first for the woman.

Normally Kaeruka was a gentle soul of sorts, but something about this whole surprise encounter was rubbing her wrong. Perhaps it was the agitation that radiated off the peppered gentleman mixed with the raging hormones of her cycle yet somewhere deep down the tawny woman was finding herself wanting to smear her scent all over him just to spite him. See who he'd call stinky after that. "Oh yeah?" She began, a brow quirking skyward while purposely taking a couple steps closer knowing it would cause her perfume to invade his personal space that much more. "You don't like my smell?" Faux vexation lacing each syllable she spoke.

She hoped he knew what he started.

His lips pulled back in an ugly sneer at her defiance.

"O' course I don't!" He snapped back harsh. Orange eyes narrowed into a hard squint at her. He felt far from the season of love that might have gripped others. He wanted nothing more than to ship all the women off for the spring and he could see them in the summer.

"It ain't safe anyway! Walking 'round, not lookin' out. Whatcha gonna do when someone worse comes around, hm? Or worse o' all, when you're pregnant?"

He had already collected two wayward children. Would this woman pop out more that he'd eventually find as well?

Creamy lined lids couldn't help themselves from narrowing in the man's direction as he tried to preach to her of all wolves about keeping her guard up, especially during this time of year. Ruka could have laughed in his face, opting instead to utter a hefty scoff while rolling her pear like eyes feeling her own agitation levels rise listening to such talk. She had survived heats before without getting knocked up and she had little to no qualms that she would survive this one just the same. Womb void of life. Who did this guy think she was some floozy? The thought was comical.

"Last I checked I've managed to evade getting pregnant just fine, thank you." Ruka retorted just as harshly as he had, teeth snapping together after her latest statement. "I'd love to see some guy try to have their way with me and find out just how sharp these teeth can be." In truth there was probably only one individual that could manage to succeed in causing the woman to succumb to her seasonal desires, but the chances of that happening were easily at a slim to none.

But that was neither here nor there.

He was sure everybody said that right up until they popped out a baby and forgot about it.

Yet his postured dipped some, anger turned more inward than outward now. It was her business if she wanted to pop out a million cubbin' and think nothing of it, or if she wanted to become a mother as a loner.

Yer right.

Deflated as easily as he had puffed up.

Ain't right o' me. And if she wanted to give him those razor teeth now, he would have accepted them in full. A physical lashing to express his pain would have made it easier to ignore the emotional turmoil that spring had, well, sprung upon him.

Gradually the puffed up porcupine of a wolf that stood before her began to deflate, the roaring flames of anger that once heated his words now simmering down to a mere kindle of embers. In response her own postured silhouette began to settle back into a neutral place, raised guard hairs she hadn't noticed standing on end now smoothing themselves. Even her narrowed gaze began to soften witnessing the man all but shrink before her.

Yer right.

Damn right she was, but that unbreakable bit of knowledge couldn't sway the nagging question in the back of Ruka's mind as to why he had reacted so intensely to her scent. There would be no gnashing of teeth against his skin, but there would be questions she would ask. Answers he owed her at least for his rather odd behavior. "Let me ask you something." She began, urging the ire in her tone to soothe itself now that some of the agitation in the air had dissipated.

"Why do you care so much?" There obviously had to be an underlying reason for his lashing.

Yer gonna laugh at me and call me a stupid old man. I'll deserve it too.

His grin spread in self deprecated humor. It would always be easier to tell a stranger the odd things he carried in his heart rather than someone familiar. He had always been that way. He would likely always be that way.

He knew that when he dropped it on a stranger with no ties, it would not crawl back home with him later.

My, uh, well, my lover I suppose. He had to go away for a while and now the season feels like a fucking nuisance than any kind of pleasure. Ain't right o' me to be rainin' on you for it, though.

Not that @Clouse would have wafted this kind of perfume, but it all would have felt far more enchanting with his companion present, rather than absent.