Post by Therdde on Oct 22, 2009 21:00:28 GMT -5
This scene is backdated by a couple of weeks, and not for the faint of heart. Violence and implied sex.
Characters:
Skelaghe - Female Wolf
Vincent - Male Dog
- Crabapple Tree -
Though there are few trees here to guard the ground, the snow exists only in thin patches. It has been a trying winter so far, with four little mouths to feed. The thaw has lifted Skelaghe's spirits, though, even though she knows that it probably won't last. Winter has not yet left them, but at least she can comfort herself with the knowledge that it will not go on forever. Here, well north of the den that is home to Skelaghe's children, the shewolf is traveling in silence, searching for any food that she might bring back to her children. The strong sun on her back threatens to distract her, but one practical thing that motherhood has done for Skelaghe is strengthen her hunting skills. Hunting is so much more important to Skelaghe when her little ones depend on it.
Grief is a strong emotion. There are five stages; denial and isolation have been well covered by Vincent. Practically nobody has seen him in... weeks, at least. Sketch's death was some time ago, but it obviously affected him greatly, but time heals all things- eventually. But before that can happen, there's several more stages one needs to work through, most notably... anger. Why why why! Why did this happen to him!? Vincent stomps about the snow-covered ground, angrily kicking up the occasional puff of snow, or snapping at a low lying branch. Right- because that'll solve all the problems. His meandering, erratic path leads him vaguely in the direction where Skelaghe is practicing.
Unfortunately for Skelaghe, today, the environment is not in her favor. For a long time, she faces into the wind as she travels. Then the wind shifts directions abruptly, sending a scent towards any prey she might have been after. The scent about her would have scared most prey off under the best of circumstances, and now, with breeding season upon them,. her scent is only that much stronger. Mrf. Skelaghe stops moving forward, but just before she could bring herself to look elsewhere, a figure before her catches her attention, giving her pause.
Vincent's nose twitches. Ahh... a familiar scent. Well, at least, somewhat familiar- smells... different. He spends a moment examining it, like it was bringing back some kind of memory... Sketch once smelled like that. Well, similar at least- the scent is a blur between her and... Skelaghe. He looks to her, scowling slightly. "Oh, you," he offers, grunting quietly. There's not much else he can say, although he'd love to say a great deal. The scent seems to taunt him- stirring up memories he would rather remained buried. Hnnr!
Skelaghe is not ignorant of her condition. Neither is her mate. They have spent a lot of time together these past few days, talking, grooming each other... And the knowledge that Helaku might grow touchy about Vincent's scent on her, however faint, causes her to keep her distance from the dog, even as her compassion drives her to see to his well-being. She stays where she is, letting Vincent come as close as he will. With no residual anger in her voice, she says to him, softly, "Vincent. Are you well?"
Vincent snorts, glancing away. "Sure," he says with a tone edged in malice. "Just fine- fine and dandy. Why wouldn't I be?" He edges closer. That smell is good... and triggers more memories. Him and Sketch, right before she die-... was killed. By Skelaghe, too! It was *her* fault. "How about you, mmm? You seem great. Just great. Greater than great, really." Envy, anger, all these things... closer, closer. "You feeling okay about that? You feel good?"
Skelaghe can't smile. Not under these circumstances. She does lift her head, though, implying not so much pride as a staunch refusal of guilt. "I accept that you're hurting, Vincent, and I don't want to punish you for that pain. So you would do well to remember that Sketch was like a daughter to me." There may not share genetics, but Skelaghe had hoped long before she ever met Vincent that Sketch was pregnant, that they might have pups around them. "I've made my peace with what happened. I wish you could do the same."
Oooh, that touched a nerve or two. "Peace? There's no peace to be earned here!" He snarls, hackles raised now. "You killed her- you killed her, my, pups- and you're happy about it?" Well, that's not at all what she said, but reason and logic tend so often to be left out in times such as these. Vincent just kind of says whatever jumps into his mind first. "You're terrible! You- you should pay for this! Not even... feeling anything at all! You're a monster!"
Skelaghe is not violent. She is probably the least violent predator there is. That does n't stop her from growling now. It's an odd sound, coming from the normally calm wolfess, but no mother who loves her children as thoroughly as Skelaghe does, even the ones she did not birth, like Sketch and Ashen, could take the accusation of harming her children well. Her tail raises as she is driven to behave more dominantly than she has in ages. "You would have never known her if it weren't for me. Remember to whom you're speaking, and take solace in the time you did have with her, as I have."
Once again, Vincent just barks whatever comes first into his mind; never a great speaker at the best of times, Vincent seems quite out of his mind at the moment. The fact that he wouldn't have known Sketch at all without Skelaghe, of course, doesn't even register- despite being true. "Right, right- all the time I had with her and my pups. Oh wait! They're *dead*, and never even got born." His nose twitches again; he can obviously smell her.. condition. "And now- and now you're gunna go have some of your own with... uhh- that... name... never mind!" Anger flares up again. "Pups that should have been mine!" It doesn't really make sense, but...
Truthfully, Skelaghe and Helaku have not decided whether to have a second litter. They are both getting old, and they have trouble enough with their first. Her condition aside, she may not be having any more pups, so far as she is concerned. Growling still, she says, "I've given you every opportunity I can, Vincent. You are not willing to meet me half-way, and so I must tell you to leave. I'll not let you poison this land." Does it hurt to be expelling Sketch's mate like this? Absolutely, it does... But she does have children to think about.
Vincent's tail lashes angrily. "I'm not going to leave!" he replies, growling angrily. Baseless and pointless, but it just leaps right into his head. "Besides- I couldn't just accept you having those pups- my pups, mine!- that'd be wrong. Wrong! Can't you see the wrongness in it all?!" His voice suddenly switches to pleading now, rather than angry. A somewhat rapid and disturbing change, and one not indicative of a firm grasp on one's sanity. "You'd do that to me?!"
Skelaghe bares her teeth as Vincent makes it quite clear that he won't back down as easily as he did last time. Before responding, she takes a menacing step towards him. "Your condition is your fault, and yours only. Until you take responsibility for that, you will not be allowed on Ute lands. Go, Vincent. Mourn on your own, and do not return until you can be civil."
And a sudden change to wild again. "Never! Never!" he bares his teeth again. "You don't understand what I've been through- you don't! How would you like it if I just... just came back and killed them all! All your little puplings. And your stupid mate too- and your other pups! Then you'd know! Then you'd know! Then you'd know! Then you could be angry like me, and you could feel what I feel right now!"
Skelaghe was driven to anger just by the insinuation that she would hurt someone for whom she cared. An actual threat, though? Without a word, Skelaghe leaps forward, growling with genuine viciousness as she does. She doesn't intend to really hurt Vincent, but she does intend to make it perfectly clear that she /could/. No one threatens her family. /Sketch/ could have threatened her family, and would have fared no better than Skelaghe intends Vincent to.
Vincent's surprised- he wasn't actually expecting that. Still, he has anger-a-plenty of his own, and after a brief jump back- snarls and holds his ground, hackles raised, tail lashing menacingly. Oh, it's on now! The male snaps his jaws, rage flaring up within him. Time to make her pay for what she's done! He bites and snaps, occasionally hopping back and forth, maneuvering. "It's your fault! Yours!" Another series of angry growls.
Skelaghe does not like even the idea of fighting, but as Vincent again refuses to accept correction, Skelaghe continues to advance, not willing to back down when the safety of her family is at stake. In doing so, she prevents herself from being able to react to Vincent's attack, and she can feel his jaws clamp on her leg. She lets out a howl and responds by snapping at his ears and the top of his nose, rather than fighting against the burning pain in her leg.
Vincent's attacks are wild and ill thought through, but mostly ineffective. Although he gets in a good bite on Skel's leg, the limb quickly slips from his jaws- the injury somewhat painful, but not serious. The tips of his ears occasionally come into contact with her teeth, getting cut and scraped- tearing the tip of his left one slightly. Blood. Anger! He presses on the offensive, snarling and snapping, aiming low- pinning his ears back to avoid further damage. The pain for him seems dull and distant, covered by anger.
The puncture marks on her leg seep blood and leave a burning pain long after Vincent releases her leg. Motivated only by the maternal instinct to protect her pups, it is enough to keep her on her feet, but not enough to give her a definite edge, even against the smaller male. She retreats, which saves a snap from the male from closing on anything vital, but the teeth that cut through the skin of her throat add tot he pain and desperation she feels. Snarling openly, Skelaghe fights to find any opening she can to turn this decidedly in her favor, biting at any available flesh.
Vincent attacks with a growing frenzy, he follows Skelaghe as she retreats, leaving plenty of openings for Skel' to attack from- focused entirely on offence, a plan of attack which seems to be working so far. The male pushes his advantage, growling and snarling, tail lashing behind him. Now, the first hints of what his final plan may be begin to sneak into his head... he can beat her, he's sure of it, at least... at least knock her down. Then, well- he might be able to get those pups he wanted with Sketch. It won't be the same- it can't be! But it might... it might help. "I'll get you! ARRRGH!"
With Skelaghe on the retreat, things seem dim. Of course, should she be forced to run, and were she to find her mate, the two of them could easily beat Vincent, but if she is forced to find Helaku, things will not be good for Vincent, as Skelaghe's mate is far less compassionate than Skelaghe is. That's what keeps her here, for now, and gives her a renewed strength to leap forward, to try to take the offensive with a vicious snap at Vincent's legs.
Stalemate- Skel's attack catches Vincent offguard, bloodying his own limb. But his rage gives him a somewhat... detached view of pain, almost like watching it happen to someone else. The injury, although serious, is ignored as he presses on the offense- teeth snapping and snarling, making a lunge at her upper foreleg, pushing off with his back legs (causing extra tearing on his own foreleg) to get a little extra momentum. It's a risky, all-out-attack move, but that does seem to be his current style...
Size and strength, and even maternal instinct, are not everything. At some point, any fight requires a knowledge of how to fight, how to take blows as well as give them, and this is where Skelaghe fails. As Vincent's teeth close on her leg again, exacerbating the pain from the previous bite, Skelaghe attempts to retreat, and in doing so succeeds in nothing more than falling to the groound with a pained yelp. Her attempt to retreat led to a tearing of the flesh in her leg, and her lessened strength from the scarce winter prey simply couldn't take it. Of course, she attempts immediately to right herself, but the stumble still leaves her vulnerable for a time that seems to stretch on entirely too long.
Vincent presses his advantage, leaping into the air, paws outstretched, trying to bear Skelaghe to the ground. His attack is not perfectly timed, but it's forceful and aggressive, despite his injuries. "Give up- just give up!" he screams, snarling angrily. At least in his mind, he seems to be winning- and now he can get whatever he wants. Whatever that is, of course, even he's not sure. Although several plans run through his mind, his mental state seems to be in flux- just doing and saying whatever he feels is right. Then again, Skel sure smells *good*...
Perhaps if she had some idea of what may be coming, Skelaghe would fight harder. She is perfectly loyal to her mate, and would never betray him. She can't imagine that Vincent would ever betray her so thoroughly, though, and so when an attmept to stand results in a bright flare of pain through her leg, she collaspes again,a nd this time does not fight as viciously to stand. That doesn't mean, though, that she simply gives up. "Think, Vincent! I often risked my life for Sketch. What would she think of you, if she saw this?!"
Skeleghe's words seem to reach Vincent on some level. Well... Sketch would probably be quite disappointed in him; his behaviour is quite inexcusable and his inability to find peace with her loss, instead choosing to childishly blame someone who actually loved her a great deal, would almost certainly bring a tear to Sketch's eye. Alas, while these thoughts do bring a sliver of sanity to him, he slowly begins stalking around her- convinced that he has her beaten, limping only slightly. His eyes roam over her form, nose twitching... my, she *does* smell good. "She's dead- the dead don't have any opinions," he offers, somewhat nonsensicly since Sketch has the habit of 'appearing' every now and then to those who knew her well.
He backs off. It's no where near so innocent a move as the optimistic Skelaghe thinks, but the movement gives her hope. "Have you learned nothing from me? Death is not the end, Vincent. You'll see her again, and you do not want to have to skulk when you do. Think." Skelaghe couldn't win the physical fight. With luck, though, she may be able to win the verbal part of it, yet.
Vincent shifts a little closer, slightly, in his circling- his attraction slowly getting more obvious. "Hmmph... hmm," he says with a slight growl, although it's a less... aggressive... one and more interested. "I... guess that's at least a little bit true," he offers, breathing in through his nose. Ahh... mmm. Mmm! "Hmmrph... still..."
Skelaghe is not dense. She chooses to ignore a lot of inappropriate behaviour because she doesn't believe in reinforcing it, rewarding it. She recognizes it, though, and as Vincent's carnal interest in her becomes a little more obvious, she attempts once more to rise to her feet. "It's true. Keep your honor, Vincent, and do as I said. Go. Now."
Vincent growls again as Skelaghe starts to rise, his hackles rising again, obviously discouraging her getting up. He continues striding around her, tail swishing, shaking his head. "Nah, I don't think so," he says with a snicker, continuing to eye her off. "I don't have any of that left, I'm afraid. Only thing I can really do is... well, whatever the hell I like, right?" he says with a grin. "And you know what..."
The growling is not enough to keep her down, and as Vincent circles her, Skelaghe spins in an effort to keep them face to face. Her own teeth bared once more, she says, "You're not in your right mind. GO!" The final word is shouted, as she once more makes it clear that, whether the fight seems to be over or not, Vincent is no longer welcome here in Ute. She doesn't like it, but she will stick by her decision. Much as she hates it, Vincent is not to be trusted, clearly.
"SHUT UP!" he replies, shouting as well, snarling angrily. "Look- look!" he says, tail lashing furiously. "Chase me out, and I'll come back- I'll come back and you won't like what I do when I do..." he says with a menacing drip to his tone, "So just... just, well, hmmph!" he closes his eyes for a moment, shaking his head as though clearing out a bad thought, then opens again. Mrrmph... "Okay, you get it? Mmmm?"
Skelaghe keeps her teeth bared. Does she get it? Apparently not, as she doesn't back down. "Come back, and you will be hurt. You ARE NOT welcome here. Not like this." So help her, she could condone Vincent's death right now. She would not find herself too upset, should one of her companions kill him.
Vincent reaches out and gives her rump a firm swat with a paw, making his intentions somehow even more clear. "You're willing to take that risk?" he says with a smirk, tail lashing eagerly behind him. "After all, after what you did to Sketch- you pretty much owe me at this point." He grows a little more serious suddenly. "Yeah. You owe me good."
Skelaghe has never considered herself better than anyone, but after feeling the swat to her backside, the look she gives Vincent has nothing but disgust in it. "I owe you nothing, and I'm inclined to see that you get it." There's a hidden plea for Vincent to realize what he is doing, but the disgust is very genuine. Maybe had Sketch told her, all those months ago, that Vincent's interest in meeting her was carnal in nature, Skelaghe would not feel so betrayed as she does now, but that isn't the case.
Vincent just shifts a little closer, leering in an interested, somewhat vengeful fashion. "WRONG!" he says with a growl, shaking his head. "You got Sketch killed- along with my pups- deliberately, maybe, I dunno. I don't know. But if it wasn't forh er, she'd still be alive- you may not have directly killed her, but you might as well have! You DO owe me! You owe me big!"
Skelaghe takes a step backwards, even as she growls warningly. "I've given you a pass once, Vincent. I've never taken a life, outside of the hunt. Do NOT make me start with you." Vincent had her on her back once. It could happen again, but almost nothing could get Skelaghe to actually submit to the lechery that Vincent has in mind. It would take... Well, she hardly wants to think about it.
Vincent growls and leaps- paws outstretched, his body trying to pin you down. Obviously it's a somewhat... rash attack, but it wasn't thought through very well- indicating that it might not be telegraphed or expected. Angry! Vincent is used to not getting what he wants, but *this*... this is just injust. He deserves this!
If only her mate were here. She simply does not have the fighting mindset, and the sudden rush forward catches her entirely off guard, resulting in her, once more, having her feet knocked out from under her. She immediately struggles against him, as she would sooner die than allow herself to be sullied in this manner.
Vincent snarls and thrashes about; he's smaller and so it's practically impossible for him to maintain a physical pin like this, but he plays his other card. "So, you reckon you can protect them at all hours of the day! Every day! Nfffh- you know it's impossible! You know that if you don't give me what I want, then- arrg- then you'll suffer for it!"
The struggling stops immediately. The thought had occurred to her, but she had hoped... She stares at the smaller male for a moment, then, with teeth barecd, says, "You are vile." Her expression and tone are both a combination of fear, anger, and disgust. That Vincent would stoop this low... Skelaghe should have seen it, long ago. Seen it, and kept this dog from Sketch.
Vincent takes that as a yes. The male shifts himself over you, laying his chest down over your back, tail swishing around eagerly behind him. The male is obviously out of his rational frame of mind, but that doesn't quite excuse him. "Mmmrph! I thought you'd agree!" he says with a chortle, positioning his body over yours, puffing out his chest triumphantly. "Mmm... you smell *great!*"
She can't protect them as well as she would like, and still under him, though she does not move to make it easier for the male above her, Skelaghe closes her eyes. She should do everything she could to kill him. Try right now, and not stop until his motionless corpse lay below her. It's a more vicious thought than she has ever had, which sickens her, and that besides... What if she failed? Would he go on to kill her children? "And you are foul."
Vincent suddenly becomes angry again, snarling. "You made me do this! You did this to me! You CAUSED this, it's not even really me doing it!" He grinds his groin up against your backside, not quite... doing it... yet, just teasing, getting himself ready- he sniffs down between your ears, taking in the scent, his nose twitching eagerly. "Mmm, Sketch; mmm..." Oh dear.
Characters:
Skelaghe - Female Wolf
Vincent - Male Dog
- Crabapple Tree -
Though there are few trees here to guard the ground, the snow exists only in thin patches. It has been a trying winter so far, with four little mouths to feed. The thaw has lifted Skelaghe's spirits, though, even though she knows that it probably won't last. Winter has not yet left them, but at least she can comfort herself with the knowledge that it will not go on forever. Here, well north of the den that is home to Skelaghe's children, the shewolf is traveling in silence, searching for any food that she might bring back to her children. The strong sun on her back threatens to distract her, but one practical thing that motherhood has done for Skelaghe is strengthen her hunting skills. Hunting is so much more important to Skelaghe when her little ones depend on it.
Grief is a strong emotion. There are five stages; denial and isolation have been well covered by Vincent. Practically nobody has seen him in... weeks, at least. Sketch's death was some time ago, but it obviously affected him greatly, but time heals all things- eventually. But before that can happen, there's several more stages one needs to work through, most notably... anger. Why why why! Why did this happen to him!? Vincent stomps about the snow-covered ground, angrily kicking up the occasional puff of snow, or snapping at a low lying branch. Right- because that'll solve all the problems. His meandering, erratic path leads him vaguely in the direction where Skelaghe is practicing.
Unfortunately for Skelaghe, today, the environment is not in her favor. For a long time, she faces into the wind as she travels. Then the wind shifts directions abruptly, sending a scent towards any prey she might have been after. The scent about her would have scared most prey off under the best of circumstances, and now, with breeding season upon them,. her scent is only that much stronger. Mrf. Skelaghe stops moving forward, but just before she could bring herself to look elsewhere, a figure before her catches her attention, giving her pause.
Vincent's nose twitches. Ahh... a familiar scent. Well, at least, somewhat familiar- smells... different. He spends a moment examining it, like it was bringing back some kind of memory... Sketch once smelled like that. Well, similar at least- the scent is a blur between her and... Skelaghe. He looks to her, scowling slightly. "Oh, you," he offers, grunting quietly. There's not much else he can say, although he'd love to say a great deal. The scent seems to taunt him- stirring up memories he would rather remained buried. Hnnr!
Skelaghe is not ignorant of her condition. Neither is her mate. They have spent a lot of time together these past few days, talking, grooming each other... And the knowledge that Helaku might grow touchy about Vincent's scent on her, however faint, causes her to keep her distance from the dog, even as her compassion drives her to see to his well-being. She stays where she is, letting Vincent come as close as he will. With no residual anger in her voice, she says to him, softly, "Vincent. Are you well?"
Vincent snorts, glancing away. "Sure," he says with a tone edged in malice. "Just fine- fine and dandy. Why wouldn't I be?" He edges closer. That smell is good... and triggers more memories. Him and Sketch, right before she die-... was killed. By Skelaghe, too! It was *her* fault. "How about you, mmm? You seem great. Just great. Greater than great, really." Envy, anger, all these things... closer, closer. "You feeling okay about that? You feel good?"
Skelaghe can't smile. Not under these circumstances. She does lift her head, though, implying not so much pride as a staunch refusal of guilt. "I accept that you're hurting, Vincent, and I don't want to punish you for that pain. So you would do well to remember that Sketch was like a daughter to me." There may not share genetics, but Skelaghe had hoped long before she ever met Vincent that Sketch was pregnant, that they might have pups around them. "I've made my peace with what happened. I wish you could do the same."
Oooh, that touched a nerve or two. "Peace? There's no peace to be earned here!" He snarls, hackles raised now. "You killed her- you killed her, my, pups- and you're happy about it?" Well, that's not at all what she said, but reason and logic tend so often to be left out in times such as these. Vincent just kind of says whatever jumps into his mind first. "You're terrible! You- you should pay for this! Not even... feeling anything at all! You're a monster!"
Skelaghe is not violent. She is probably the least violent predator there is. That does n't stop her from growling now. It's an odd sound, coming from the normally calm wolfess, but no mother who loves her children as thoroughly as Skelaghe does, even the ones she did not birth, like Sketch and Ashen, could take the accusation of harming her children well. Her tail raises as she is driven to behave more dominantly than she has in ages. "You would have never known her if it weren't for me. Remember to whom you're speaking, and take solace in the time you did have with her, as I have."
Once again, Vincent just barks whatever comes first into his mind; never a great speaker at the best of times, Vincent seems quite out of his mind at the moment. The fact that he wouldn't have known Sketch at all without Skelaghe, of course, doesn't even register- despite being true. "Right, right- all the time I had with her and my pups. Oh wait! They're *dead*, and never even got born." His nose twitches again; he can obviously smell her.. condition. "And now- and now you're gunna go have some of your own with... uhh- that... name... never mind!" Anger flares up again. "Pups that should have been mine!" It doesn't really make sense, but...
Truthfully, Skelaghe and Helaku have not decided whether to have a second litter. They are both getting old, and they have trouble enough with their first. Her condition aside, she may not be having any more pups, so far as she is concerned. Growling still, she says, "I've given you every opportunity I can, Vincent. You are not willing to meet me half-way, and so I must tell you to leave. I'll not let you poison this land." Does it hurt to be expelling Sketch's mate like this? Absolutely, it does... But she does have children to think about.
Vincent's tail lashes angrily. "I'm not going to leave!" he replies, growling angrily. Baseless and pointless, but it just leaps right into his head. "Besides- I couldn't just accept you having those pups- my pups, mine!- that'd be wrong. Wrong! Can't you see the wrongness in it all?!" His voice suddenly switches to pleading now, rather than angry. A somewhat rapid and disturbing change, and one not indicative of a firm grasp on one's sanity. "You'd do that to me?!"
Skelaghe bares her teeth as Vincent makes it quite clear that he won't back down as easily as he did last time. Before responding, she takes a menacing step towards him. "Your condition is your fault, and yours only. Until you take responsibility for that, you will not be allowed on Ute lands. Go, Vincent. Mourn on your own, and do not return until you can be civil."
And a sudden change to wild again. "Never! Never!" he bares his teeth again. "You don't understand what I've been through- you don't! How would you like it if I just... just came back and killed them all! All your little puplings. And your stupid mate too- and your other pups! Then you'd know! Then you'd know! Then you'd know! Then you could be angry like me, and you could feel what I feel right now!"
Skelaghe was driven to anger just by the insinuation that she would hurt someone for whom she cared. An actual threat, though? Without a word, Skelaghe leaps forward, growling with genuine viciousness as she does. She doesn't intend to really hurt Vincent, but she does intend to make it perfectly clear that she /could/. No one threatens her family. /Sketch/ could have threatened her family, and would have fared no better than Skelaghe intends Vincent to.
Vincent's surprised- he wasn't actually expecting that. Still, he has anger-a-plenty of his own, and after a brief jump back- snarls and holds his ground, hackles raised, tail lashing menacingly. Oh, it's on now! The male snaps his jaws, rage flaring up within him. Time to make her pay for what she's done! He bites and snaps, occasionally hopping back and forth, maneuvering. "It's your fault! Yours!" Another series of angry growls.
Skelaghe does not like even the idea of fighting, but as Vincent again refuses to accept correction, Skelaghe continues to advance, not willing to back down when the safety of her family is at stake. In doing so, she prevents herself from being able to react to Vincent's attack, and she can feel his jaws clamp on her leg. She lets out a howl and responds by snapping at his ears and the top of his nose, rather than fighting against the burning pain in her leg.
Vincent's attacks are wild and ill thought through, but mostly ineffective. Although he gets in a good bite on Skel's leg, the limb quickly slips from his jaws- the injury somewhat painful, but not serious. The tips of his ears occasionally come into contact with her teeth, getting cut and scraped- tearing the tip of his left one slightly. Blood. Anger! He presses on the offensive, snarling and snapping, aiming low- pinning his ears back to avoid further damage. The pain for him seems dull and distant, covered by anger.
The puncture marks on her leg seep blood and leave a burning pain long after Vincent releases her leg. Motivated only by the maternal instinct to protect her pups, it is enough to keep her on her feet, but not enough to give her a definite edge, even against the smaller male. She retreats, which saves a snap from the male from closing on anything vital, but the teeth that cut through the skin of her throat add tot he pain and desperation she feels. Snarling openly, Skelaghe fights to find any opening she can to turn this decidedly in her favor, biting at any available flesh.
Vincent attacks with a growing frenzy, he follows Skelaghe as she retreats, leaving plenty of openings for Skel' to attack from- focused entirely on offence, a plan of attack which seems to be working so far. The male pushes his advantage, growling and snarling, tail lashing behind him. Now, the first hints of what his final plan may be begin to sneak into his head... he can beat her, he's sure of it, at least... at least knock her down. Then, well- he might be able to get those pups he wanted with Sketch. It won't be the same- it can't be! But it might... it might help. "I'll get you! ARRRGH!"
With Skelaghe on the retreat, things seem dim. Of course, should she be forced to run, and were she to find her mate, the two of them could easily beat Vincent, but if she is forced to find Helaku, things will not be good for Vincent, as Skelaghe's mate is far less compassionate than Skelaghe is. That's what keeps her here, for now, and gives her a renewed strength to leap forward, to try to take the offensive with a vicious snap at Vincent's legs.
Stalemate- Skel's attack catches Vincent offguard, bloodying his own limb. But his rage gives him a somewhat... detached view of pain, almost like watching it happen to someone else. The injury, although serious, is ignored as he presses on the offense- teeth snapping and snarling, making a lunge at her upper foreleg, pushing off with his back legs (causing extra tearing on his own foreleg) to get a little extra momentum. It's a risky, all-out-attack move, but that does seem to be his current style...
Size and strength, and even maternal instinct, are not everything. At some point, any fight requires a knowledge of how to fight, how to take blows as well as give them, and this is where Skelaghe fails. As Vincent's teeth close on her leg again, exacerbating the pain from the previous bite, Skelaghe attempts to retreat, and in doing so succeeds in nothing more than falling to the groound with a pained yelp. Her attempt to retreat led to a tearing of the flesh in her leg, and her lessened strength from the scarce winter prey simply couldn't take it. Of course, she attempts immediately to right herself, but the stumble still leaves her vulnerable for a time that seems to stretch on entirely too long.
Vincent presses his advantage, leaping into the air, paws outstretched, trying to bear Skelaghe to the ground. His attack is not perfectly timed, but it's forceful and aggressive, despite his injuries. "Give up- just give up!" he screams, snarling angrily. At least in his mind, he seems to be winning- and now he can get whatever he wants. Whatever that is, of course, even he's not sure. Although several plans run through his mind, his mental state seems to be in flux- just doing and saying whatever he feels is right. Then again, Skel sure smells *good*...
Perhaps if she had some idea of what may be coming, Skelaghe would fight harder. She is perfectly loyal to her mate, and would never betray him. She can't imagine that Vincent would ever betray her so thoroughly, though, and so when an attmept to stand results in a bright flare of pain through her leg, she collaspes again,a nd this time does not fight as viciously to stand. That doesn't mean, though, that she simply gives up. "Think, Vincent! I often risked my life for Sketch. What would she think of you, if she saw this?!"
Skeleghe's words seem to reach Vincent on some level. Well... Sketch would probably be quite disappointed in him; his behaviour is quite inexcusable and his inability to find peace with her loss, instead choosing to childishly blame someone who actually loved her a great deal, would almost certainly bring a tear to Sketch's eye. Alas, while these thoughts do bring a sliver of sanity to him, he slowly begins stalking around her- convinced that he has her beaten, limping only slightly. His eyes roam over her form, nose twitching... my, she *does* smell good. "She's dead- the dead don't have any opinions," he offers, somewhat nonsensicly since Sketch has the habit of 'appearing' every now and then to those who knew her well.
He backs off. It's no where near so innocent a move as the optimistic Skelaghe thinks, but the movement gives her hope. "Have you learned nothing from me? Death is not the end, Vincent. You'll see her again, and you do not want to have to skulk when you do. Think." Skelaghe couldn't win the physical fight. With luck, though, she may be able to win the verbal part of it, yet.
Vincent shifts a little closer, slightly, in his circling- his attraction slowly getting more obvious. "Hmmph... hmm," he says with a slight growl, although it's a less... aggressive... one and more interested. "I... guess that's at least a little bit true," he offers, breathing in through his nose. Ahh... mmm. Mmm! "Hmmrph... still..."
Skelaghe is not dense. She chooses to ignore a lot of inappropriate behaviour because she doesn't believe in reinforcing it, rewarding it. She recognizes it, though, and as Vincent's carnal interest in her becomes a little more obvious, she attempts once more to rise to her feet. "It's true. Keep your honor, Vincent, and do as I said. Go. Now."
Vincent growls again as Skelaghe starts to rise, his hackles rising again, obviously discouraging her getting up. He continues striding around her, tail swishing, shaking his head. "Nah, I don't think so," he says with a snicker, continuing to eye her off. "I don't have any of that left, I'm afraid. Only thing I can really do is... well, whatever the hell I like, right?" he says with a grin. "And you know what..."
The growling is not enough to keep her down, and as Vincent circles her, Skelaghe spins in an effort to keep them face to face. Her own teeth bared once more, she says, "You're not in your right mind. GO!" The final word is shouted, as she once more makes it clear that, whether the fight seems to be over or not, Vincent is no longer welcome here in Ute. She doesn't like it, but she will stick by her decision. Much as she hates it, Vincent is not to be trusted, clearly.
"SHUT UP!" he replies, shouting as well, snarling angrily. "Look- look!" he says, tail lashing furiously. "Chase me out, and I'll come back- I'll come back and you won't like what I do when I do..." he says with a menacing drip to his tone, "So just... just, well, hmmph!" he closes his eyes for a moment, shaking his head as though clearing out a bad thought, then opens again. Mrrmph... "Okay, you get it? Mmmm?"
Skelaghe keeps her teeth bared. Does she get it? Apparently not, as she doesn't back down. "Come back, and you will be hurt. You ARE NOT welcome here. Not like this." So help her, she could condone Vincent's death right now. She would not find herself too upset, should one of her companions kill him.
Vincent reaches out and gives her rump a firm swat with a paw, making his intentions somehow even more clear. "You're willing to take that risk?" he says with a smirk, tail lashing eagerly behind him. "After all, after what you did to Sketch- you pretty much owe me at this point." He grows a little more serious suddenly. "Yeah. You owe me good."
Skelaghe has never considered herself better than anyone, but after feeling the swat to her backside, the look she gives Vincent has nothing but disgust in it. "I owe you nothing, and I'm inclined to see that you get it." There's a hidden plea for Vincent to realize what he is doing, but the disgust is very genuine. Maybe had Sketch told her, all those months ago, that Vincent's interest in meeting her was carnal in nature, Skelaghe would not feel so betrayed as she does now, but that isn't the case.
Vincent just shifts a little closer, leering in an interested, somewhat vengeful fashion. "WRONG!" he says with a growl, shaking his head. "You got Sketch killed- along with my pups- deliberately, maybe, I dunno. I don't know. But if it wasn't forh er, she'd still be alive- you may not have directly killed her, but you might as well have! You DO owe me! You owe me big!"
Skelaghe takes a step backwards, even as she growls warningly. "I've given you a pass once, Vincent. I've never taken a life, outside of the hunt. Do NOT make me start with you." Vincent had her on her back once. It could happen again, but almost nothing could get Skelaghe to actually submit to the lechery that Vincent has in mind. It would take... Well, she hardly wants to think about it.
Vincent growls and leaps- paws outstretched, his body trying to pin you down. Obviously it's a somewhat... rash attack, but it wasn't thought through very well- indicating that it might not be telegraphed or expected. Angry! Vincent is used to not getting what he wants, but *this*... this is just injust. He deserves this!
If only her mate were here. She simply does not have the fighting mindset, and the sudden rush forward catches her entirely off guard, resulting in her, once more, having her feet knocked out from under her. She immediately struggles against him, as she would sooner die than allow herself to be sullied in this manner.
Vincent snarls and thrashes about; he's smaller and so it's practically impossible for him to maintain a physical pin like this, but he plays his other card. "So, you reckon you can protect them at all hours of the day! Every day! Nfffh- you know it's impossible! You know that if you don't give me what I want, then- arrg- then you'll suffer for it!"
The struggling stops immediately. The thought had occurred to her, but she had hoped... She stares at the smaller male for a moment, then, with teeth barecd, says, "You are vile." Her expression and tone are both a combination of fear, anger, and disgust. That Vincent would stoop this low... Skelaghe should have seen it, long ago. Seen it, and kept this dog from Sketch.
Vincent takes that as a yes. The male shifts himself over you, laying his chest down over your back, tail swishing around eagerly behind him. The male is obviously out of his rational frame of mind, but that doesn't quite excuse him. "Mmmrph! I thought you'd agree!" he says with a chortle, positioning his body over yours, puffing out his chest triumphantly. "Mmm... you smell *great!*"
She can't protect them as well as she would like, and still under him, though she does not move to make it easier for the male above her, Skelaghe closes her eyes. She should do everything she could to kill him. Try right now, and not stop until his motionless corpse lay below her. It's a more vicious thought than she has ever had, which sickens her, and that besides... What if she failed? Would he go on to kill her children? "And you are foul."
Vincent suddenly becomes angry again, snarling. "You made me do this! You did this to me! You CAUSED this, it's not even really me doing it!" He grinds his groin up against your backside, not quite... doing it... yet, just teasing, getting himself ready- he sniffs down between your ears, taking in the scent, his nose twitching eagerly. "Mmm, Sketch; mmm..." Oh dear.