loccent | run with wolves

Entry tags:

verse: run with wolves

run with wolves | open post.

Characters

Asil, The Moor
A very, very old wolf and a member of the Marrok's pack.

Jang Eun
Previously of Carmel Valley, sent to Aspen Creek by her former Alpha.

Jesse Hauptman
Daughter of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack

Joshua Brennan
Burden-bound. A Sin-Eater paired with the ghost of a long-dead soldier.

PREMISE

All the stories are true. Years ago, the Fae came out because technology was making it harder and harder for them to hide, and it's been a couple of years since the werewolves did the same. The world is changing day by day. Humans and the paranormal live side by side, but it's not easy nor is it simple. While the Marrok has taken great lengths and care to preserve the werewolves' PR front, everyone - wolf, fae, vampire and other - know that it's only a matter of time before the humans start thinking that perhaps the other stories meant to warn of the dark are true.

This is an open post set in the universe of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series. The books are amazing and you should definitely check them out. More information via this Wiki link. The rules are simple: Drop a prompt, leave a tag, and let's play!

THREAD TRACKING

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The questions comes as expected - turnabout is fair play, after all.

He leans his forehead to Eun's, happy to learn a little more about her like this. When she tells him that her poetic preferences run deeper than mere odes to love, he is unsurprised. ]

I am afraid I have not read books in a while, [ he brushes an errant strand from her forehead, using it as an excuse to also stroke her cheer. ] I do not like smudging dirt onto pages, so when I do not have company, I listen to podcasts instead.

[ Before the advent of the internet, it had been the radio and records. But Kara had seized his laptop and phone and insisted that he sign up for a Spotify account. When the advertisements kept on interrupting perfectly good playlists, he could not help but pay for the service in earnest. ]

[In light of the fact that Asil uses a computer, and many other modern conveniences, she isn't terribly surprised that he goes for a more audio approach rather than books. But podcasts do surprise her, perhaps because even people of this era do not usually enjoy them unless they have a commute to endure.

Still, only part of her wishes to ask about the podcasts he listens to, because the other half is taken by all of his idle touches. They make her wonder if it has been so very long for him as well. If he touches her for her, or if he half does it for his own pleasure of having another person to touch this way. Or, perhaps, it is neither of these things, and as before he seeks to explore her in quieter ways.]

I've only listened to a couple myself, but they didn't really hook me the way that music does. But maybe if I gardened as much as you obviously do, I might change my mind. What do you usually follow?

Odds and ends. Largely educational discussions that I can do running commentary on as I tend to my blooms.

[ He sounds amused. The historical ones, he listens to for the sheer pleasure of soapboxing at inaccuracies. He gets bored and often has to find means of entertaining himself. ]

But there is this one that I have been listening to on and off, done in a manner similar to the radio dramas of old. It is narrated by a man presumably managing communications on a space ship.

[ He had not thought that a science fiction piece might bring to mind the arrangement of Aspen Creek, where a mix of interesting individuals have all but cut them off from civilization. ]

Edited 2020-04-19 05:43 (UTC)

[Eun can guess at what his running commentary might be, as old as he is. No doubt many of the older wolves either are amused or aggravated by what people think they know of history. Times that the werewolves themselves had lived through.]

That sounds like it could be interesting. A little like Star Trek captain's logs maybe?

[Someone may have watched Voyager when she was younger, and gone back to The Next Generation when she had gotten older.]

Or does it cut in with actual scenes involving the crew? People voicing different parts?

Something like. [ He grins at her. ] And yes. Eiffel - the communications officer, is the primary narrator. But they are a motley skeleton crew made up of explorers, soldiers, and one reclusive scientist obsessed with microbes.

[ A thoughtful look crosses his features. ] I should check how many episodes I need to catch up on. The last time I listened to it specifically was before the renovations.

[ He slides a look in her direction. ] The title might amuse you.

[She lifts a brow, clearly curious.]

And what title would that be?

[ Ah yes, a perfect excuse to kiss her again. ]

Wolf 359.

[She laughs, because of the kiss, because of the title.]

How appropriate. Perhaps I'll give it a listen myself.

[No doubt she'll need a distraction this evening when she is back to her cabin and thinking of him.]

What else do you enjoy doing? How do you spend your days here?

I do very little outside of my gardening, I'm afraid.

[ His voice has gone soft. He will not pretend that there is much that he does outside of the work that offers him a semblance of control. ] Occasionally, when I must shop, I drive down into Missoula to pick up supplies. But for the most part it is just I, my roses and the occasional guest.

[ And the rare instance when Bran calls upon him to put the fear of the Marrok in recalcitrant young werewolves. ]

My life is not exciting, Eun. [ He holds his tongue, not quite looking to repeat what he'd confessed at their first meeting: that he had come here to die, because there is no other wolf stronger than his or stauncher of stomach than Bran Cornick. ]

[Reaching up, Eun brushes her fingertips across his brow and down the side of his face, cupping his cheek once more. His life does not sound exciting in the least, and she can feel that he is not saying everything.

She has not forgotten what he told her. Why he is in Aspen Creek to begin with.]

I did not ask in hopes that it was exciting, Asil. [Her life, in its own way, had not been exciting. The bouts of adrenaline rushes she's had for one reason or another have not made her life exciting. The consistency and stability of it was something she took for granted, if anything.] I asked because I wanted to know what your days and evenings are like. What you enjoy spending your time on. Do you think I'll judge you for that?

[ He leans into her touch, a little guilty that so sweet a gesture is something that he takes so much pleasure and comfort from.

Lifting a hand to cover hers, he presses a chaste kiss to the heel of her palm. ] No. I did not think you would.

[ When he looks at her, he allows himself the indulgence of caressing her chin. ] I only wished to be honest. I am a bit of a hermit and tend towards isolation. My garden is my most constant companion - offering me peace, quiet, and a means by which to keep the ennui at bay.

Your honesty just had a tone of...expecting me to find it a bad thing. A warning to me.

[And perhaps that's what she took exception to. It felt pitying somehow. Pitying himself or...well, she doesn't know. And maybe, for a werewolf who came here to die, he is entitled to talk about his life as he pleases. Say that it is lackluster. But it doesn't mean that she has to like it.]

Are you doing that thing I mentioned earlier? Worrying about complications that haven't even come to pass?

Edited 2020-04-19 08:01 (UTC)

[ For a moment, he finds himself studying her face and the look in her eyes. How strange is it that she should come to their neck of the woods and pose him questions his wolf might otherwise react badly to - and yet the beast is still and patient even if it noses around her words, curious if she's contradicting them. ]

I was merely being pragmatic and honest, niña. [ He gently brushes the backs of his fingers against the apple of her cheek.

He could spare her - but he doubts she would appreciate vagaries now that they have found a comfortable place to explore possibilities between them. ]

If you must, ask. No sense ignoring the elephant in the room.

Edited 2020-04-19 08:09 (UTC)

[To her way of thinking, she is not contradicting him, because she doesn't think that he's lied to her about what he's said. His waking hours seem occupied by simple, quiet things. There is peace and quiet here, which is no doubt good for him and his wolf.

But she does also think that there are things he is leaving unsaid, or lightly implied. She pursues this not because she wishes to cause problems, but because it's her hope to reassure, or at the very least address it.]

I feel a very strong connection to you. I don't see that feeling fading quickly or easily. [It feels like a stronger confession than the one she gave the night before, but if he's said not to ignore the elephants in the room then she won't.] What I'm asking is if you were not just answering my question, but also trying to set my expectations in advance. With the likelihood that what is between us will continue over time. [Her hand draws down from his cheek to his shoulder, leaning into his touches still.] What I'm wondering is if you are already worried that I'll become restless with your quieter, more isolated lifestyle. Am I wrong? Am I reading too much into your words?

[ He cannot help the way his fingers curl against her bare skin. While he had no illusions of this discussion coming to pass, he supposes he should not be entirely too surprised that she calls him out so directly.

He can feel the wolf stir, but it's attention is not on Eun. His wolf is there, at the back of his mind, staring at him patiently, but no less interested in his response. ]

Yes. [ The confession is dragged out of him, urged on by his wolf. ] Yes, I am... hoping to set your expectations. You are young and the world is constantly changing at a pace that someone like myself is unable to... keep up.

[ The wolf is pacing again and there is a slight tremor when he idly toys with a strand of her hair, his gaze dropping because he does not wish to frighten her and he's admitted unsure of what it is the beast wants of him. ]

I am drawn to you... more than I would normally care to admit. [ Mierda. He had hoped they might get to know each other better before his baggage caught up with him. The next words come out fast, as if he cannot breathe quickly enough to slow them down. ] My wolf is impatient. It enjoyed - enjoys, our play. You could be standing in a city as dense as New York and it would be able to track you and find you.

But I refuse to have it's urges dictate my every waking moment.

[ He sounds more helpless than he is comfortable with, so he takes solace in the hope that she will not suddenly bolt from this couch - or from him.

His eyes are still lowered. He knows that they have turned gold. ]

[It could be considered rude, the way that Eun confronts him as directly as she has. It came as questions, of course, but she pursued the answers he had clearly hoped to avoid volunteering. She is patient in waiting for his answer, but what tension and stillness had grown in her while asking her questions eases slowly with his answer. Because he does answer her. Because she was right. Because he didn't try to lie to her to avoid a harder discussion.

Eun does not rush him, does not interject, or do anything other than listen while he speaks. She welcomes his touches, thinking that in this case he finds it calming on top of everything else. While not being as observant as he is of the smaller details, they are so close to one another, wrapped up in each other that she notices most of his reactions.

It is not lost on her that he, the dominant werewolf, has lowered his eyes in front of her. And while she does not consider it anything close to admitting her dominance, it seems significant to her still. Just as the rest of his explanation is. If not for his last confession, she might have closed the distance between them for a kiss, something to try and settle him and reassure him that she is not going anywhere. But if the wolf enjoys their play, it seems the wrong signal to give at that moment. Her hand smooths over his shoulder slowly, as much to comfort as it is to enjoy the feel of him close to her.]

I won't do anything to challenge you when it comes to how you decide to deal with your wolf. And while I'm pretty sure it's obvious, it doesn't hurt to make it clear that earlier the enjoyment was completely mutual. [She breathes in deeply, sighing out a breath as her eyes close briefly. This is not a track she wants to get lost on right now, no matter how tempting.]

I like that I'm not the only one thinking ahead when it comes to the possibilities for us, because otherwise I might feel very foolish considering some of the directions my thoughts have gone since last night. And I like that you are trying to be forthcoming about your life so that I'm fully informed. It's part of us getting to know each other, which we both want. But my youth does not automatically mean that I believe a faster, more packed lifestyle is better than anything else. What my youth means is that I'm still figuring it all out for myself. And if I'm being perfectly honest, being here in Aspen Creek may end up being more exciting for me than all of my time in California. Because of you.

[She kisses him then, briefly, chastely, but with feeling.]

Your years of experience are a strength to make up for my lack. Just like my ability to keep up with the world could be a strength for you.

[ She kisses him, and he shuts his eyes, letting the truth and sincerity of her statements move over him like a balm. His beast is a dangerous and ravenous thing that longs for violence as surely as bees are drawn to flowers. It often paces inside of him, apalled by the necessity of hiding behind a veneer of civilization because it is used to dealing death and relishing the fear of his chosen victims. Perhaps one day, someone will tell her about the acts of violence attributed to his name, the horrors that accompanied them. But today he can hold her, just as she asks to be held. Today, he and the beast are in agreement:

Eun is precious to them. She could have challenged, could have thrown them sass, at their first meeting. She could have marched over angry at them for their absence and instead delivered a swift and impersonal note - with a gift made with care.

She is not afraid of them, even if she should be - but neither of he nor his wolf want her to be.

She meant the kiss to be chaste and brief; but he tasted the emotions that she then expressed into words. So he bridges the space between them, slants his mouth over hers, using the arm she's taken as a pillow to bear his weight.

This kiss is not chaste nor brief, and it is possibly entirely too full of feeling. He does not think of before, of the grief he's tried to process, or of the heaviness of despair that set to seduce him into madness these last few centuries. Instead, he thinks of the softness of her skin, the yield of her mouth beneath his, and the promise of possibility. ]

[This must be how it happens for other people, she thinks.

This must be what it's like when they finally meet someone they could see themselves with for more than an evening or a week. Everything she's said feels like she's pushing herself off of one cliff after another, getting further away from a place where she can turn back and all before if she's certain she wants what's at the bottom. But the connection, the rightness takes away the fear that would normally have her holding back. Waiting to see how things progress. What few stipulations they cling to are still there, but only by threads.

Eun surrenders to his kisses, feeling the emotional weight of them and returning it with her own. This is what it feels like to fall, she thinks. This is what it's like to dive headlong into another person.

The way it shakes her might leave her unsettled if he weren't becoming the foundation beneath her feet.

They lay there together a while longer, quietly in the moment of those stronger emotions. Eun wants to give him time to settle, and does not mind having the opportunity to examine how she feels about what he's said. What she's said. None of it has accelerated their timeline, but they do at least move forward with eyes a little more open to what this could become.

Eventually, Eun suggests that they get on with their morning, stating that she's not about to let it slip by without getting her time in his greenhouse. It's with reluctance that she shifts her limbs to free him, to allow him to rise and and then help her to her feet, but rationally Eun thinks that it's good for them to have a breather from everything. Carefully, she bends to retrieve her discarded clothing, slipping her bra back on, then the tank top. She hesitates a moment, considering the warmth of the greenhouse, and sits to slip her leggings off, then heads back to the kitchen to retrieve her button-down shirt. It's large enough to tie around her waist, leaving enough of her skin uncovered to be comfortable among the roses.

This is how Eun comes to be lounging on the cushions of Asil's wicker loveseat, thumbing through her book of poetry in an absent-minded sort of way, and distracted by watching the other werewolf move through his domain. She likes seeing him like this, she decides, drawing her legs up onto the cushions so her weight rests on her hip. Not just the part where he is shirtless and glorious to behold, but how he moves. There is purpose and familiarity, comfort and ease among his roses, but he still exudes such power to her that it's all very, very attractive. She's taken with it enough that she doesn't even realize that she's looking at him with the faint glow of gold to her eyes, lips curved up slightly with her enjoyment.]

So what do you plan on doing first?

[ He has his back to her, so he is thankful that she cannot see the smile playing on his lips. Just because she is behind him does not make him any less aware of her presence, nor his nose less attentive to the rise of her wolf. If he poses - casually - in such a way that displays his fine and handsome form, then it is entirely for her benefit.

Hands on hips he surveys the ground, taking stock of the state of his plants' roots. ]

I completed deadheading before you arrived, but I may do a sweep after I ensure that I have rid my children of pesky weeds.

[ He would also need to clean. There are leaves strewn about, not enough to suffocate the earth, but enough that a bit of maintenance would be prudent. ]

[They will get along very well for a long while if this is how he plans to be around her. Asil has been very clear in his admiration for her form, and she is happy to do the same, especially as he is taking the care to show himself to advantage. It's only a shame that she doesn't have paper and a pen. She might offer him a judge's score for amusement's sake.]

Another time I'll offer to help, but today I hope you don't mind if I plan on being entirely lazy over here. [To enjoy the show, of course.] But I'll read from my poems or my novel unless you'd like to put one of your podcasts on.

[She has a fresh cup of tea, she is comfortably dressed and warm without being overheated, and content to laze where she is while he works.]

[ He sends her a look over his shoulder amd if he pauses for a fraction of a second at the sight of the wolf in her gaze, then it is only to express his approval. She looks comfortable on the wicker loveseat, looking (to his eyes) as comfortable as a cat in her immediate domain. ]

I would be so poor company to prefer the tones of another man to yours, querida. [ He croons the words, just a little, letting his gaze linger on her bare flesh.

Eun, his wolf decides, has such lovely legs. ]

[After all they have done that morning, and all they have spoken of, is it any wonder that she feels quite at home in his garden? She has no doubt that he wants her there, after all, and enjoys the way he returns her gaze.

Her smile deepens at his endearment, her favorite perhaps, tied with mi amor, and she too adjusts as his eyes linger on her. Letting her book hang loosely in her grasp, she raises both arms to stretch out, legs rubbing together somewhat as she readjusts her positioning. Perhaps she is on the petite side, but she's confident in her legs and happy to have him admire them.]

Novels or poetry then, cariño?

Poetry.

[ He is very interested in this poet that she is so fond of.

With one last lingering look, he makes his way to the table and shelves that house his tools. He will clean first and sweep the leaves and petals that have fallen so he can move them all to the compost bin he maintains off to the far end. ]

[Eun begins thumbing through her book anew, casting a casual glance over to Asil as he prepares and works, while she tries to find a poem. Eventually, she settles on a page and speaks. Her tone is quiet and even, and she reads the poem with the barest of pauses between lines so that they flow as true sentences.]

"there's a universe
swirling inside you.

you have to learn to be
your own earth,
wind, fire,
and water.

you are a natural
phenomenon--
not a natural disaster."

[ He's smoothing down some soil as he listens to her, content to listen to the lift and dips of her voice. It is a beautiful poem - a little different from the ones he is used to, but beautiful nevertheless.

The last verse is the one he likes best, in spite of himself, and he cannot help but think how apt it is for wolves such as he who are given to moods. Natural phenomenon indeed. ]

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