Curiosity. [Rust]

[Tessa]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][bg=ded2f7] As Cassandra made her way though the Zenica territory, she worried slightly about she impression she had made for herself by leaving the other wolves in such a hurry. Moments ago, she had made only a brief statement of thanks and farewell before leaving the group to follow Rust. He had left just as abruptly, obviously in a state of sadness. He had said that he wanted time to himself- but Cassie, who was sometimes rather tactless, was so curious that she followed him anyway. Out of all the wolves she had met in Zenica so far, the large multicolored male had to be the one Cassie showed the most interest in. Sure, she had nothing but good thoughts about the others; Wyren and Roslyn seemed welcoming enough, if a little intimidating because of their rank. And Valentine, though mysterious, seemed to pose no threat. But Rust incited her curiosity, and for Cassandra, curiosity was a powerful thing. Being accepted into a new pack in a territory as gorgeous as this should be cause for celebration, but for some reason the male had seemed, to her, rather depressed. As Cassie walked, she wondered what the cause of his bleak mood was. His scent was fresh and easy to follow. She stepped silently through the grass into an area where the trees were closer together and the brush denser. She grew slightly apprehensive about what his reaction to her having followed him would be, but continued, her intrusiveness being paramount in her mind at the moment. The smell of him was strengthening, and the arctic hybrid knew she was getting closer. Cass took quiet steps as she rounded a tree and suddenly spotted him. He was halfway inside a den of some sort, obviously too big to completely crawl inside. She hoped he wouldn't be angry with her for following him, though knew instinctively that he wasn't the type whose anger she had to fear. He hadn't yet spotted her, but was looking up at the sky, and she knew not what to say to reveal her presence. So, instead of speaking, she stepped deliberately on a twig, just as he had when he approached her earlier that day.

[DingoMutt]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=FEF0DB] It didn't take long for Rust to grow comfortable in his den. While he didn't exactly fit, his hips and hind legs and belly were very comfortable and warm, surrounded by the warm soil. At first it had stolen his body heat and he'd been chilled, but he had soon made a comfortable climate within the hole. The hole wasn't deep enough for him to scoot back any more, but on each side there were several inches of space. With each breath that he took, vapor escaped from his nostrils and twisted towards the sky. He was mostly unamused; if he were in a better mood, he'd be huffing and puffing with his huge lungs so that he'd be breathing smoke and wreaking havoc on imaginary deer herds and prairie dog towns. But instead he licked his nose and shifted his weight, pressing his rump a little harder against the back of the den, begging the earth to swallow him up with it's several sizes too small den mouth. But that was the story of his life, so he just frowned and pinned his ears and made ugly faces at the sky. Why was he here? Life as a hermit hadn't been too terrible, he thought, but he instantly knew that was a lie. It had been a struggle to maintain his big body when he was the only one providing for it, a struggle to live when illness gripped him, and a struggle to remain going through days like this when his memories took control. He grumbled a bit and dropped his head to his paws, continuing to stare at the sky. He let his eyes fall shut, and he slipped into a train of thought that ran across his mind often. His life if his mate had not died; he sighed at the thought, and a pained look shot across his face and his frown deepened. He could see his mate's pretty face, lit up like the moon. Her pretty sable fur, much like his but several shades lighter, glimmered in the dim light of their den. He crept closer, letting a whimper of greeting, and she glanced up with those golden eyes of hers that instantly calmed his fears and insecurities. His eyes traveled to her suddenly slim belly, and there lay his - SNAP! Rust was jerked from his thoughts by the sound of a twig, and he rapidly pulled his body from his den and took a defensive pose. A loud snarl ripped from his throat, and his lips pulled back to reveal his very large and pretty teeth. He advanced a few steps forward, his body on auto-pilot, filled to the brim with adrenaline and fear. It took him an instant to seep back into his own eyes and ears and legs and body, and when he did, he looked at the wolf that had approached him. It was Cassandra, the little white female that he had left behind just a moment before. His lips fell back to cover his teeth, rampant anger left his eyes, his mane flattened on his back and his tail sank back down to a submissive position. He dropped to his rump and his head sank; he had almost attacked Cassandra. He had almost mauled his pack. These important words danced around in his thread, and guilt gripped his heart and made it flutter. "I'm sorry, Cassandra. So sorry. I didn't mean- I was- I was lost in my thoughts and not ready to be found. I'm sorry. Terribly sorry." he said, his voice cracking and deep and weak all at the same time. He had long since passed sexual maturity, so his crackling voice made him feel suddenly small and as if he had no business here. He shook his muzzle and dropped to his belly with a whimper. Before today he had been a great, powerful beast, the earth had shook beneath him, his mere presence made the forest quiet, but today he had grovelled and whimpered too many times for him to care to recall. Then he had nearly assaulted a pack mate, however short their relationship was, and that was the worst of all. Staring hard at his paws, he dug his claws into the cold, solid dirt. He hung his head, feeling useless and hoping he hadn't scared Cassandra. His bulk had scared off other wolves in the past, so he couldn't imagine what his all out attack mode would bring out. "Didn't your ma ever teach you not to sneak up on big, emotionally compromised males?" he said, smiling weakly. He hadn't looked back up at her, so he wasn't sure if she had turned tail and ran, or if she had remained with him. He certainly hoped for the latter, but he wouldn't be surprised if she had taken off to tattle to Roslyn and Wyren. She didn't seem like the one that would do that, but he had only known her for a handful of moments, not enough to judge her. His entire body grew hot with a mixture of embarrassment for his situation and rage at himself for being so simple that he retaliated at her the way he had, tense and ready to rip her throat out. The thought of that made him shiver. word count: eight hundred and eighty one status: complete tag: Rust for Cassandra notes: ;w;

[Tessa]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][bg=ded2f7] She was watching his expressions before she made her presence known. The big male's face was distorted with a look of pain, and though Cass didn't know what he was thinking of, she was overwhelmed with a sense that she was looking in on something private, and felt that if he knew she was there he would be guarding his facial expressions more thoroughly. Wolves so rarely made their innermost feelings known, and it had been a long time since she heard a confession; Or made one, for that matter. Seeing someone else so engrossed in their own problems helped Cassie not to focus so much on her own. For all she knew, what plagued him could be ten times worse than what plagued her. Nothing could have prepared her for his reaction when the twig snapped. The small female could only stand petrified as he swiftly leapt from his half-den, emitting a furious snarl and advancing toward her. Cassie backed up several steps, staring with wide fearful eyes at this new, strange version of Rust that towered over her. But just as quickly as the reaction had come, his aggression dissipated. His eyes cleared, sharp fangs once again hidden, bristling fur laying back down. He visibly seemed to shrink as he sank toward the ground into a submissive stance. "I'm sorry, Cassandra. So sorry. I didn't mean- I was- I was lost in my thoughts and not ready to be found. I'm sorry. Terribly sorry." he said with a whimper. Cassie's elevated heart rate gradually slowed. She imitated his submission, lowering her tiny body until she was lying on the ground, her head coming to rest on her paws. "Didn't your ma ever teach you not to sneak up on big, emotionally compromised males?" He said, that weak, guarded smile once again returning to his maw. She shook her little head, brown eyes fixed on the ground. "I'm sorry." she said in a tentative voice. "I shouldn't have followed you. I just..." She hesitated, glancing at his face. "Wanted to know why you left so suddenly." She felt out of place now, rudely delving into the personal business of a near-stranger. Ashamed at her recent actions, Cassandra returned her gaze to the forest floor. She hoped he wasn't about to hold this infraction against her. It definitely wasn't in her best interest to go about alienating all of her new packmates. In particular, this large male, who, prior to moments ago, had been the one she was least intimidated by. ooc; Sorry, I can't really keep up with you in terms of length. ;_;

[DingoMutt]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=FEF0DB] Rust trembled with rage and sadness and emotions he didn't know he had. Shame was one of them, but he forced himself to calm before he looked up at Cassandra. Her eyes were trained on the ground, and he still looked down upon her as both of them had sank to submissive positions. Her voice rang out, tentative, and he glanced away, ashamed that he had made her scared. Even being so big, the fear he had instilled in others had always disappeared once he began to speak, but now it was the opposite. Cassandra hadn't appeared to fear him before, but now she did. He felt the strong desire to bash his skull into one of these pretty trees and paint it with his blood, but her delicate words drew his attention. She apologized, and she met his eyes. He smiled weakly, a delicate, genuine, warm smile. She had worried for him, and that made his heart sing. "I'm the one that should be sorry, dear Cassandra. Please, don't apologize to me," he said, and he crept a little closer. He remained on his belly, pulling himself towards her. He kept his eyes averted, and when he was close, he tentatively licked her chin, wanting to express his regret for his actions and to show that he meant no genuine harm. "I am the one at fault, not you. Don't be sorry for caring." he said, pushing his nose to hers. He enjoyed the cool feeling and sensation of closeness, then backing up a few inches to give her some space. In both his birth pack and then with his mate, he had been accustomed to being close at all times. He had grown to love casual contact; the brushing of shoulders, the touching of noses or paws when sleeping side by side. He wasn't sure if Cassandra would accept more than his apology, so he gave her some space but he silently wished she'd come closer. But he knew it wouldn't happen, especially not after nearly attacking her. He was still waiting for her to run, but his eyes never caught the blur of white that meant she was leaving, running, fleeing from him and his wicked emotions. "I often get absorbed in could-have-beens, you see. So I was... thinking, dreaming, and... I got lost." He said, letting his eyes drift once more towards the sky. The same sky that he could have lived beneath with a happy family, but instead the sky that he was alone underneath. Even with Cassandra here, just a few inches away, he felt alone in this world. He was four years old now, and he had nothing to show aside from a superficial rank in this pretty place. He was sure things could be worse, but he didn't feel right in this forest... he hadn't felt right in a long time. He frowned a bit at that thought before he glanced back at the white she-wolf. He was sure that she had her own problems, judging by the anger and choice words she had used when he'd first stumbled upon her. He smiled, remembering that when he had approached, he'd stepped upon an unfortunate twig, and Cassandra had done the same just a moment ago. His reaction had been volumes more violent than hers, but the concept had been the same. Clever girl, he wanted to say, but the time had passed for his oh so clever remark. He'd save it for later. "Thank you, for your concern. I appreciate it; I haven't had someone care in so long," He said, wiggling his toes and giving his tail a friendly wag. "Oh, that was terribly sorry sounding." He added, tilting his head and chuckling lightly. He hoped he hadn't completely destroyed his chances for friendship, yes, friendship and not love or lust or anything, he thought quite weakly to himself, with the female. He knew that if he wanted to move on, not that he ever would, he'd need to start from the ground up. He had a pack now, a family to help him live, and perhaps a companion in Cassandra. That was a good start, he thought. word count: six hundred and ninety four status: complete tag: Rust for Cassandra notes: No worries. Your posts are good. <3 Quality over quantity.