Post by Kvatch on Mar 6, 2013 5:07:37 GMT -5
| Althaea, a female wolf (Ute) |
| Brutal, a male wolf (Ute Guest) |
Creek Overhang
================================================================================
As the season turns so does the ever cooling wind it carries making it all the harder to conceal ones self from the outside world. However, inspite of Natures choice to shed its leaves and wither its grasses, Althaea has found a place to hold up in beyond that which was now called home yet still in fairly familiar territory. It had been ages since she last stepped foot here, but the overhang that hung over the creek still held strong providing the perfect cover to gather thoughts or just simply relax. Watching the waters, the young she-wolf found herself content even with the dangers that may indeed still lurk just over the neighboring hillside. Tail bouncing just outside the overhand, thirst begins to creep up bringing Althaea to her paws and
recklessly out of the shadows to the creeks bank. Dipping her head to its cool waters she laps at the surface, gaze up and scanning its opposite shores.
Since that day amidst the deep woods, Brutal has been mindful of the distance kept between himself and Althaea, but even more cautious of any circumstances that bring them together. And despite his devotion of staying away, neither has the massive male let her stray from his sights. In many respects, the ever ominous and indomitable Brutal has become a willing slave, abandoning all his usual habits of a reclusive nature and adopting a rather continual presence in Althaea's life. The massive wolf has even forgone hunting, if it risk loosing sight of the wandering female, while he himself might not always have been a visible figure to her own eyes. In order to secure her safety and save his sanity, Brutal may have returned to playing the role of a distant shadow, but in the last few days his mood has become more stable and his mind clear. In fact, the afore mentioned behavior has allowed the dark male to adjust to the allure of the she-wolf scent, so that now, after watching her relax upon the overhang with more than a smile of adoration fixed upon his maw, Althaea's movement down toward the creek's edge brings Brutal out of the forest on the opposite bank. The return to old Ute territory is plenty enough to stir up not so distant memories of lost intentions and feral dogs, but with them, unanswered questions too.
A pup would have plenty to ask of her former home, but then again the memory of it lay thin much like that of its attacks ever arriving. Quickly rushed to safer ground, it is here that Althaea remembers most, the hillside a close second. It was where the best of times took place, why should it be any different now? Dropping her gaze from the distance shores, Althaea peers into the waters as ripples reach out from each lap of her tongue. As the last are taken, droplets falling from her muzzle, the she-wolf lifts her head high and drops to her haunches licking her lips clean. Rolling her shoulders in stretch, a distant sound pivots her sight across the plain, cupping her ears forward with hopes of a none lethal surprise. Of course the sound turns out not to be much of a surprise at all, but rather a cautious one. Since that day in the woods she's taken to heart his words of 'distance between' which is why she's come here. Not to say she didn't expect him to not follow, his lingering presence a welcoming one so longer as it simply watched, but she kind of figured him to stay that way till she came seeking him out. That no longer being the case, she watches him offering the most gentle of smiles.
It is with a renewed confidence in his resolve that Brutal approaches Althaea, his steps undaunted, such is his bet on abstaining from those primordial urges that got the best of him not but days ago. To that point, the dark male even seems a bit uppity as he encroaches upon the watery barrier between himself and the she-wolf, who's smile gains a mischievously crooked smirk. His motive? A bold endeavor to wipe a few remaining water droplets from her whiskery muzzle, a intended act that has him ostentatiously traipsing through the shallow creek bed, sending out a rush of splashing water before his thick paws. Once the other side of the bank is obtained, it is straight to Althaea that he marches with his bushy tail wagging with ridiculous enthusiasm, "You missed some..." This is his immediate and rather sly observation, to which the male is eager to lend his service without prompt, stepping in close to draw his tongue tenderly across one side of her muzzle and then the other. With very little hurry does Brutal rein in his affection, his damp nose rooting and snuffling along her cheek and neck as a soft croon sings of his pleasure. "And here I thought you smelled good from a distance." he teases, finally lifting his head away and taking a step back so that he might set mirthfully squinted eyes upon her face.
It is with great mirth that she finds the massive male giving way to clear her muzzle of its remaining water droplets. Her first reaction to the wake of all his splashing is laughter, stepping back from the bank only to reapproach it once the burly wolf had made it across. Shaking her head at the very sight of his dampened coat she smirks. Showing a certain amount of self control to the removal of said earlier droplets around her muzzle, she tenses just a tad to his touch. "So it seems I did." Unsure if she should really be grateful to have them removed or not, she forgets the whole thing upon taking in his scent during their moment of closeness. Relaxing she could of just simply melted right there in front of him if it wasn't for his sudden departure, stepping back and giving watch. Looking disappointed for a quick moment, she smirks to the comment on her smell. Honestly, she couldn't tell the difference. Now if he were to speak about feelings- that was a topic she could express.
Brutal's a guy. He doesn't think about girly feelings, at least not admittedly and it will be a cold day in hell before the burly wolf ever expresses that much vulnerability of his emotions. No, regardless of how much time passes and second chances and new found love mends old wounds, Brutal will probably always be something of a closed book -always the misunderstood monster with the horrid and unfathomable past. But, this does not keep the hulking wolf from seeking out the mysteries of others, even if some answers seem the obvious ones. With the gap of space established between him and the enticing she-wolf, Brutal shares in Althaea's remorseful longing for continued touch, but the male is able to subdue the temptation by turning his curiosity and the subsequent thoughts that follow to the surrounding area. More precisely, it is with the knowledge of the former ownership of the ground in mind that the dark male raises a voice of inquiry, "Why doesn't Ikuna return the pack to it's homeland?" There is a minor pause to Brutal's question, but nothing more than a breath and a shrug of shameless wondering as the wolf inclines himself back to his haunches. "No that the new territory is bad, but it just seems that by not returning, it makes everything for naught." he continues, his voice gentle but set in a perplexed tone, "Wouldn't returning help erase some of the hurt? From my understanding, the heart of Ute has long sat atop the hill and I'm sure it's ghost beneath it. I mean, if you have to leave your home behind because defeat, that is one thing. But this..this just seems like giving it over -giving up." Though as if realizing he has wandered from the true question in his mind, he smiles to Althaea, a tender expression that always seems wrong for his battle scarred face, "What brings you out this way, anyhow?"
Althaea never expected to find a question about her former home to come falling from Brutal's lips. It was part of the past, something she'd been trying to get the wolf to forget since she was old enough to do so. Yet it seems not matter how hard you try the past always catches up with you at some point. Ears splayed, she looks at the wolf with a sudden wonder for such things, like why he thought she'd know the reasoning for her uncles choices. Taking her gaze from the male and to the ground, the she-wolf takes in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "It is with many sorrows that we dont return." Her tone quiet and suddenly saddened. A long pause draws over her words, looking up then saying, "I can not speak for my uncle when I say this but over the years many changes have come to Ute; ones that have brought my father to pass what was once dear to him down to his brother. Ones that made two young pups experience death long before they were ready." Turning away once more, this time to the hill that loomed in the dist*distance, she watches it as if expecting to see what once was break from its summit. Yet such a thing was never to happen and the pain it caused was as clear as any other emotion yearning to escape. "I believe Ikuna encourages change. That in hope makes us stronger." To the dimming sky she looks next before eventually turning back to the wolf in front of her. "It is with your presence here now that I am glad we have not returned to our former. Had things not happened as they did we likely never would of met. I'd never of developed such strong feelings for one I struggle not to touch. It is why you find me here, to ease my mind and find distraction. Yet even when I thought to be alone... I couldn't help but think of you."
Even before Althaea proceeds to satisfy Brutal's quest of curiosity with explanation, the dark wolf isn't sure why he doesn't raise these questions to the one wolf who could answer them. But then, the circumstances that surrounded him and his brother's integration into the Ute pack back then, still makes it difficult to speak on those things now. In part, because Brutal suffers no small amount of shame for his own arrogance. And even as Althaea speaks on behalf of her uncle's desire for change, it doesn't require much guessing on Brutal's part to surmise that his continued presence -and particularly the disdain that resonates from a majority of the others because of it- is what perhaps has brought about the recent and peculiar decision to split the pack. And while Brutal can accept the reasons that the Ute does not reclaim their homeland, there is no part of himself that he can convince that such a split will not be devastating; especially after so much turmoil, where camaraderie is so important. But who is he to say otherwise? Ute's future was passed over to Ikuna, therefore is it not his responsibility? If his habit wasn't such a meddlesome one, Brutal would laugh at his perpetual desire to 'fix' things and not just leave when faced with so much adversity. As it is, the massive male can only accept things as they are and be satisfied they are no worse; something that Althaea's momentary lament for the past reminds him of. Brutal doesn't know if life is based on chance or ordained by fate anymore, but concludes that all things considered, he has been fortunate. Althaea has been fortunate. And together, they have been blessed. Of course, Brutal is far too jaded to believe that it will last, but perhaps some of Althaea's teachings have managed to get through to him, because as he turns his gaze affectionately upon her, he decides that until that day, he'll make the most of it. This brings a private smile to the wolf's grizzled muzzle and he shifts to settle in next to her, offering a reassuring lick to her cheek. "I guess there will always be 'would be's' and 'what if's' in our lives, Althaea. But come what may, I think you're stuck with me." He smirks a bit, leaning a shoulder in against her before falling into a quiet, but thoughtful contentment while watching the light fade on the distant rise where he would spend days secretly watching five young wolves stand fast against the world as if to say 'Do your worst'. Where were those young wolves now? Gone, he supposes -like the sun behind the hill.
| Brutal, a male wolf (Ute Guest) |
Creek Overhang
================================================================================
As the season turns so does the ever cooling wind it carries making it all the harder to conceal ones self from the outside world. However, inspite of Natures choice to shed its leaves and wither its grasses, Althaea has found a place to hold up in beyond that which was now called home yet still in fairly familiar territory. It had been ages since she last stepped foot here, but the overhang that hung over the creek still held strong providing the perfect cover to gather thoughts or just simply relax. Watching the waters, the young she-wolf found herself content even with the dangers that may indeed still lurk just over the neighboring hillside. Tail bouncing just outside the overhand, thirst begins to creep up bringing Althaea to her paws and
recklessly out of the shadows to the creeks bank. Dipping her head to its cool waters she laps at the surface, gaze up and scanning its opposite shores.
Since that day amidst the deep woods, Brutal has been mindful of the distance kept between himself and Althaea, but even more cautious of any circumstances that bring them together. And despite his devotion of staying away, neither has the massive male let her stray from his sights. In many respects, the ever ominous and indomitable Brutal has become a willing slave, abandoning all his usual habits of a reclusive nature and adopting a rather continual presence in Althaea's life. The massive wolf has even forgone hunting, if it risk loosing sight of the wandering female, while he himself might not always have been a visible figure to her own eyes. In order to secure her safety and save his sanity, Brutal may have returned to playing the role of a distant shadow, but in the last few days his mood has become more stable and his mind clear. In fact, the afore mentioned behavior has allowed the dark male to adjust to the allure of the she-wolf scent, so that now, after watching her relax upon the overhang with more than a smile of adoration fixed upon his maw, Althaea's movement down toward the creek's edge brings Brutal out of the forest on the opposite bank. The return to old Ute territory is plenty enough to stir up not so distant memories of lost intentions and feral dogs, but with them, unanswered questions too.
A pup would have plenty to ask of her former home, but then again the memory of it lay thin much like that of its attacks ever arriving. Quickly rushed to safer ground, it is here that Althaea remembers most, the hillside a close second. It was where the best of times took place, why should it be any different now? Dropping her gaze from the distance shores, Althaea peers into the waters as ripples reach out from each lap of her tongue. As the last are taken, droplets falling from her muzzle, the she-wolf lifts her head high and drops to her haunches licking her lips clean. Rolling her shoulders in stretch, a distant sound pivots her sight across the plain, cupping her ears forward with hopes of a none lethal surprise. Of course the sound turns out not to be much of a surprise at all, but rather a cautious one. Since that day in the woods she's taken to heart his words of 'distance between' which is why she's come here. Not to say she didn't expect him to not follow, his lingering presence a welcoming one so longer as it simply watched, but she kind of figured him to stay that way till she came seeking him out. That no longer being the case, she watches him offering the most gentle of smiles.
It is with a renewed confidence in his resolve that Brutal approaches Althaea, his steps undaunted, such is his bet on abstaining from those primordial urges that got the best of him not but days ago. To that point, the dark male even seems a bit uppity as he encroaches upon the watery barrier between himself and the she-wolf, who's smile gains a mischievously crooked smirk. His motive? A bold endeavor to wipe a few remaining water droplets from her whiskery muzzle, a intended act that has him ostentatiously traipsing through the shallow creek bed, sending out a rush of splashing water before his thick paws. Once the other side of the bank is obtained, it is straight to Althaea that he marches with his bushy tail wagging with ridiculous enthusiasm, "You missed some..." This is his immediate and rather sly observation, to which the male is eager to lend his service without prompt, stepping in close to draw his tongue tenderly across one side of her muzzle and then the other. With very little hurry does Brutal rein in his affection, his damp nose rooting and snuffling along her cheek and neck as a soft croon sings of his pleasure. "And here I thought you smelled good from a distance." he teases, finally lifting his head away and taking a step back so that he might set mirthfully squinted eyes upon her face.
It is with great mirth that she finds the massive male giving way to clear her muzzle of its remaining water droplets. Her first reaction to the wake of all his splashing is laughter, stepping back from the bank only to reapproach it once the burly wolf had made it across. Shaking her head at the very sight of his dampened coat she smirks. Showing a certain amount of self control to the removal of said earlier droplets around her muzzle, she tenses just a tad to his touch. "So it seems I did." Unsure if she should really be grateful to have them removed or not, she forgets the whole thing upon taking in his scent during their moment of closeness. Relaxing she could of just simply melted right there in front of him if it wasn't for his sudden departure, stepping back and giving watch. Looking disappointed for a quick moment, she smirks to the comment on her smell. Honestly, she couldn't tell the difference. Now if he were to speak about feelings- that was a topic she could express.
Brutal's a guy. He doesn't think about girly feelings, at least not admittedly and it will be a cold day in hell before the burly wolf ever expresses that much vulnerability of his emotions. No, regardless of how much time passes and second chances and new found love mends old wounds, Brutal will probably always be something of a closed book -always the misunderstood monster with the horrid and unfathomable past. But, this does not keep the hulking wolf from seeking out the mysteries of others, even if some answers seem the obvious ones. With the gap of space established between him and the enticing she-wolf, Brutal shares in Althaea's remorseful longing for continued touch, but the male is able to subdue the temptation by turning his curiosity and the subsequent thoughts that follow to the surrounding area. More precisely, it is with the knowledge of the former ownership of the ground in mind that the dark male raises a voice of inquiry, "Why doesn't Ikuna return the pack to it's homeland?" There is a minor pause to Brutal's question, but nothing more than a breath and a shrug of shameless wondering as the wolf inclines himself back to his haunches. "No that the new territory is bad, but it just seems that by not returning, it makes everything for naught." he continues, his voice gentle but set in a perplexed tone, "Wouldn't returning help erase some of the hurt? From my understanding, the heart of Ute has long sat atop the hill and I'm sure it's ghost beneath it. I mean, if you have to leave your home behind because defeat, that is one thing. But this..this just seems like giving it over -giving up." Though as if realizing he has wandered from the true question in his mind, he smiles to Althaea, a tender expression that always seems wrong for his battle scarred face, "What brings you out this way, anyhow?"
Althaea never expected to find a question about her former home to come falling from Brutal's lips. It was part of the past, something she'd been trying to get the wolf to forget since she was old enough to do so. Yet it seems not matter how hard you try the past always catches up with you at some point. Ears splayed, she looks at the wolf with a sudden wonder for such things, like why he thought she'd know the reasoning for her uncles choices. Taking her gaze from the male and to the ground, the she-wolf takes in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "It is with many sorrows that we dont return." Her tone quiet and suddenly saddened. A long pause draws over her words, looking up then saying, "I can not speak for my uncle when I say this but over the years many changes have come to Ute; ones that have brought my father to pass what was once dear to him down to his brother. Ones that made two young pups experience death long before they were ready." Turning away once more, this time to the hill that loomed in the dist*distance, she watches it as if expecting to see what once was break from its summit. Yet such a thing was never to happen and the pain it caused was as clear as any other emotion yearning to escape. "I believe Ikuna encourages change. That in hope makes us stronger." To the dimming sky she looks next before eventually turning back to the wolf in front of her. "It is with your presence here now that I am glad we have not returned to our former. Had things not happened as they did we likely never would of met. I'd never of developed such strong feelings for one I struggle not to touch. It is why you find me here, to ease my mind and find distraction. Yet even when I thought to be alone... I couldn't help but think of you."
Even before Althaea proceeds to satisfy Brutal's quest of curiosity with explanation, the dark wolf isn't sure why he doesn't raise these questions to the one wolf who could answer them. But then, the circumstances that surrounded him and his brother's integration into the Ute pack back then, still makes it difficult to speak on those things now. In part, because Brutal suffers no small amount of shame for his own arrogance. And even as Althaea speaks on behalf of her uncle's desire for change, it doesn't require much guessing on Brutal's part to surmise that his continued presence -and particularly the disdain that resonates from a majority of the others because of it- is what perhaps has brought about the recent and peculiar decision to split the pack. And while Brutal can accept the reasons that the Ute does not reclaim their homeland, there is no part of himself that he can convince that such a split will not be devastating; especially after so much turmoil, where camaraderie is so important. But who is he to say otherwise? Ute's future was passed over to Ikuna, therefore is it not his responsibility? If his habit wasn't such a meddlesome one, Brutal would laugh at his perpetual desire to 'fix' things and not just leave when faced with so much adversity. As it is, the massive male can only accept things as they are and be satisfied they are no worse; something that Althaea's momentary lament for the past reminds him of. Brutal doesn't know if life is based on chance or ordained by fate anymore, but concludes that all things considered, he has been fortunate. Althaea has been fortunate. And together, they have been blessed. Of course, Brutal is far too jaded to believe that it will last, but perhaps some of Althaea's teachings have managed to get through to him, because as he turns his gaze affectionately upon her, he decides that until that day, he'll make the most of it. This brings a private smile to the wolf's grizzled muzzle and he shifts to settle in next to her, offering a reassuring lick to her cheek. "I guess there will always be 'would be's' and 'what if's' in our lives, Althaea. But come what may, I think you're stuck with me." He smirks a bit, leaning a shoulder in against her before falling into a quiet, but thoughtful contentment while watching the light fade on the distant rise where he would spend days secretly watching five young wolves stand fast against the world as if to say 'Do your worst'. Where were those young wolves now? Gone, he supposes -like the sun behind the hill.