Heartleaf Creek I got my red dress on tonight

@Chulyin
Feel it in your bones - post prompt challenge, 2014

Ever since Maksim had found her, she had not left the lands of Cut Rock River. The injury sustained to her limb was slowly healing, and while she could walk normally, the cold of the winter would still stir an ache, causing the she-wolf to limp from time to time, if not encouraging her to pull the appendage up to cradle against her chest.

She had taken her time as she traveled – her eyes had strayed to the mountain, her true intent – she knew better than to believe it travelable yet, and yet she still could not keep away. Even so, her eyes would drift back to the direction of the River, feeling the flutter of desperation pull at her. She could not forsake her family for a man who looked to her as no more than a friend and a subordinate within his pack. It still did not ease the pain any more, and with a heavy heart, the Tainn continued on her way, escaping reality for a brief moment.

Evening had begun to fall, and she was still a long distance from the mountain side. Her paws trailed along the edge of the creek, feeling the snow shift beneath her nimble paws. The sun cast a brilliant horizon of pink and orange – inhaling sharply, the she-wolf allowed herself to settle in a recline, her green eyes casting their way to the sunset. She had witnessed such a spectacle many times throughout her young life, each time with her family. Now, it seemed strange how there was only one other soul she wished to share this moment with; especially when there was nothing about her that would give him a draw to her.

sparking up my heart

With the borders properly marked, the man set off for the umpteenth time to find food. For the amount of times he found himself away from home, he could hardly recall bringing back much food. But such setbacks did not discourage him. There would always be something hidden under some snow drift, just waiting for the winds to change and reveal them. Change. Chulyin thought about that a lot lately. What would happen when the snow melted, throwing winter to the wayside as though it never existed. And him? Another year gone by, uneventful, the man robotic and loyal. What was he but an automaton of sooth? He traveled far from home towards the Creek, hoping that, maybe, the possibility of water might draw whatever prey there was left out.

His legs were sore and the sun was falling as he came upon the Creek, nose to the snow. It wasn't until then that he realized that he was in the presence of another, a Creek wolf. He took a few steps back, eying her quietly for a moment, before lifting his eyes to the sky, where the sun had painted lovely colors. Nostrils flaring, he took a few steps forward, "Lovely sunset." He said, voice low and rumbling. He was cautious, uncertain of how far discontent reached. He knew of the unpleasantries between his home and this woman's home. He moved beside her, though left a few feet between them, and sat, giving her an uncertain sideways look. From this angle, he could tell that she had green eyes. They were rather lovely, he noted bluntly in his mind.

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She felt his presence before he spoke, but she remained still. The scent that came to her caused her to stiffen – it was traceable as she recalled the blood that had been spilt on Cut Rock River lands.. on the muzzle of her leader. Apparently it had been warranted; trespassers were not taken lightly, and the simple fact they had attempted to hunt on their land during such a time.. Kisla had been surprised Maksim had allowed them to escape with all of their appendages intact.

But her new found companion did not seem to want to continue the bad blood between the packs, and for the moment, the honeyed female allowed herself to relax, though she would tuck her muzzle slightly, protecting her neck should he strike as a viper would. “It is,” she complied, her voice soft, though not necessarily welcome. Her peridot eyes would sweep over to the obsidian wolf, noting the muscles that coursed throughout his large figure. She would turn her eyes then, feeling it inappropriate to stare. Shifting her weight then, a barely audible sigh pressed to her creamy lips at that point, though the Tainn woman managed to withhold a small smirk at the uncertainty of the situation that began to unfold before her. If Maksim had seen her with a wolf of their rivalling pack, would he scorn her? The idea itself made her breath hitch in her chest. “Are you sure it is wise to sit down, given our packs growing history?” It was a simple question – but perhaps he had not heard of the events that had transpired between the two packs.

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2014, 07:05 PM by Kisla.)

sparking up my heart

In times of trouble, Chulyin would certainly defend his family. Certainly. But this was not a time of trouble, and as far as he was aware, this female had done him no wrongs. Neither was a trespasser, there was no food to be fought over...He found himself, for perhaps the first time, pushing aside chaos to try and embrace peace in this time of disaster. The dark male exhaled evenly, eying the sunset further, trying not to focus too heartily upon the female at his side. Awareness settled, nonetheless, and from the corner of his eye, he watched her tuck her chin. He couldn't help but chuckle lightly.

"Do you intend to attack me?" His head turned, the sunset mattered little at this point. There was a hint of humor in his voice, though his expression did not betray it. In fact, the man seemed to frown, split between peace and somehow restoring the honor of his packmates. He was not them, but in fact he was. Was that not what family was? Somehow redeeming your blood. He wasn't sure, and wasn't sure if he wanted to be. Eyes trailed down towards her leg and the odd way she held it. But he held his tongue, copper eyes finding her face again. "I don't think anyone wishes more blood to be spilled this winter." Packs found themselves so self-centered in this season. But he could only imagine what might be conspiring on the other side of the mountain, or even just south of where they stood. How many lives had the season claimed? How many had been forced to kill because of the snow? Chulyin was not above violence, he wouldn't lie, but it couldn't stop him from wondering.

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Her lime yes blinked as the male uttered a noise – was that a laugh? Canting her creamy muzzle, the she-wolf cast a look in his direction, studying him as she did note he was indeed laughing at her. A quiet chuff escaped her just as he spoke, his question stirring a flicker of her own bemusement across her features. “Not unless you do something stupid,” she returned, the tone holding a lilt of coy within it, yet her words entirely serious all the same. Kisla had been known to throw a foolish punch before, and the fact that the dark man was over half her size did not deter this.

It was then she noted the way his eyes trailed down to her limb, and with a flood of self-conscious uncertainty that he was so easily able to detect the injury she had sustained earlier in the winter, she withheld her breath for a moment, her eyes turning colder once more. “I think you give too many the benefit of the doubt,” she returned back, knowing very well just how malicious a stranger could be on any given day, let alone when desperation sunk in. She allowed a pause between these words, stubbornly shifting her gaze back to the creek now and away from him – as if reiterating that she did not fear his presence. “Do you come to the creek often?” The winter landscape blanketed the land before her, yet it remained very familiar to her. The low ache she felt at being on the western side of the mountains once more clung to her, but not as much as the pain she felt at being separated from her loved ones.

sparking up my heart

"Duly noted," the man rumbled, and gave the woman a high-browed blink and nod. And so it was. As long as both of them remained cordial, then nothing could possibly go wrong. And the man had no intentions of making a mockery of what he'd said. So if she felt the sudden urge to draw blood, then perhaps it would be wise of him to go home. Chulyin gave the slightest of shoulder rolls. Perhaps he did. Though he did not consider himself naive, he would have hope that their species had some level of self-preservation. Why waste energy fighting amongst yourselves? Unless food was involved, though that was almost a laughable concept. Why waste energy doing anything but trying to find food? But maybe that was just his one-track mind.

Recalling this, his nose twitched and his dark eyes drew away from the woman for a moment. Ears lifted as if he'd just heard something, although, in reality, he'd simply been caught up in conversation. It was strange that he would feel the slightest pangs of guilt for speaking to another when he ought to have been hunting. But as he looked back to her, it seemed as though he'd wondered "Hunt what?"

"I don't. I believe I've wandered past it a few times, but I can't recall ever hanging around for too long." There was a thoughtfulness to his words and he eyed the water. He wasn't much of an admirer of scenery, so that was probably the reason he had never really stopped. "And you?" He asked, thinking it to be a polite response. "I would believe that you have watched every sunset."

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Her companion was dark -- not just the fur that lined the entirety of his very large being, but the depth of his rumble and the very essence that emanated from him all hinted to tall, dark and brooding. Had her mind not been preoccupied with a certain handsome silver face, she might have been dangerously allured to the very being that currently sat at her side.

Of course, the illusion have this darkness seemingly fizzled the moment he mentioned sunsets, and the honeyed female could not help but blink as amusement washed over her. Why would you assume that? While she did not necessarily disagree with what he said, her mind did reel as she considered her days at Swift River and then later at Oak Tree Bend -- none of her memories seemed to hold a formidable sunset of any kind, or the reveling of watching the globe settle upon the horizon. No, very little did it seem that she pulled upon the good memories. somehow, only the bad ones seemed to surface.

Am I to assume that sunsets are your 'thing,' then? After all, he had been the one to bring them up. Her gaze would drift from the stranger's cheek then, following the moving waters as they pulsed along the creek edges. Heartleaf Creek had never been a usual stop for her -- even now, with a home once more upon a winding territory of water, she found it unlikely she would visit often. Yet even as the scent of Hollowheart Keep and the tensions that were beginning to spiral between their packs, Kisla could not say she regretted the decision to visit this very moment.

sparking up my heart

He relived his words as she pondered aloud. Maybe it sounded a tad silly, the assumption he'd made, but it had not sprung up from nowhere. "You seem like the pretty and thoughtful sort. Maybe one that appreciates the scenery more than most." Chulyin gave a slight shrug of a shoulder and looked over at her. The pretty sort, indeed. Her eyes that lovely green shade, so complemented by the hues of her fur. If it had been his place, he might have deemed her gorgeous aloud, but they were strangers and so he kept his mouth shut, allowing his tail a few cordial wags at his backside.

"I cannot say that I've ever bothered to look at a sunset," Chulyin admitted with notes of humor in his voice. He pulled his eyes from her to looked towards the sky. It could not hold his attention very long, however, and the corners of his copper eyes crinkled as he struggled. Inevitably, he let his gaze drop and crawl along the edge of the creek then back up to his company. "I could never challenge its loveliness, but I find pleasure in other things." It seemed as though he'd dug himself into a hole devoid of light and he found it humorous. All this talk about sunsets and he could safely say that this was the first that he'd ever bothered to witness. What use did a sunset have to a guardian? Especially when there was no one to watch it with.

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The compliment was so indifferent it almost made her question whether it was meant as such – pretty, indeed. She had never been complimented on her appearance before, let alone by a man of his age. Swift River and Oak Tree Bend had served as nothing but family, rather than prospects of love, and while her attention had solely been focused upon a certain pale male, his own intent had instead been placed upon her mother. Fitting enough, given their age difference, and yet Kisla would still feel the sting of that for many months. She would rue the day Ice could possibly ever walk back in to her life.

Yes, she murmured, her tone dry and yet teasing. Hollowheart Keep was no friend of the River’s and as the moment’s stretched between them, she became increasingly aware of how inappropriate it was for her to be coercing with this stranger. Pretty girls like pretty things. There was amusement in her tone – and perhaps even the slightest hint of sarcasm to his assumption.

Standing then, the Tainn lady knew the time to leave had surpassed. Giving her pelt a brief shake, her eyes scanned over the swarthy male, pointedly hiding the thoughts of how particularly handsome he was.. especially from herself. I’m almost afraid to ask what those pleasures would be, she smirked, canting her muzzle slightly. But I dare say I will be taking my leave now. It was a pleasure to meet you…? Pausing, she realized then she had not caught his name.

But the male did not give it, and with a smirk, the tawny she-wolf swept away, back to the lands she now called home.

(This post was last modified: Aug 13, 2014, 04:02 PM by Kisla.)

sparking up my heart