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

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[In the back of her mind, she's aware of the other wolves behind her. By now, others have finished their change, and others still continue. She's still not entirely used to the sound of it, the feeling, but with Asil kneeling in front of her she can push it away and focus on him.

He lifts her by the muzzle to look her in the eyes. There is no challenge there, and so Eun allows herself to look back. Her eyes are a brown, shades lighter than her eyes in human form, and her mouth opens into the wolf's approximation of a smile. Mirroring his. Her eyes close then, not in deference to a dominant werewolf, but in pleasure at the sound of his voice, his praise, and the touch of his hand. She leans into the scratching of her ears, giving a brief, quiet noise of enjoyment.

The wolf cares little for matters of gossip or image, and Eun finds it hard to care if others are watching her or Asil, and seeing them interacting. Eun stretches a little in place before putting her paws into motion. She walks a circle around Asil, bumping him lightly, playfully, before standing a couple feet away.

Her attention moves to the rest of the pack only then, and she realizes she doesn't immediately know which of them are her friends and acquaintances. Lifting her nose to the air, she tries to pick out familiar scents from the unfamiliar, and takes a few tentative steps toward where she thinks Kara is--

--before stopping and looking over her shoulder. Her body language then is clear, indicating with a look that she is waiting for him, expecting him, to follow her.]

Yes, go on. I am right behind you.

[ There are a few stragglers, but outside of himself, only Charles remains fully human as the pole barn fills with wolves. He nods once to the younger man, and trails Eun as the familiar lupine form of Kara comes to roll belly up at his feet, tongue lolling.

Not too far, Leah snorts - less at him than in reaction to the pack's child. Beyond a lifted brow at the Marrok's mate, he keeps his attention on the two female wolves in front of him. ]

I expect you to show Eun the ropes, princesita.

[ When Kara has her feet under her again, she snuffles close to Eun, and yips playfully at the older wolf. ]

Go, children. The Marrok is waiting.

[ Charles is opening the pole barn doors where a smallish wolf thumps his tail once. The splash of white that makes it appear as though it had been dipped in a paint bucket reminding Asil of the tools that air marshals use to signal planes to take off.

The room reverberates with the howls of about 20 werewolves then, and the hunt is on. ]

[Assured that Asil will not be left behind, she turns to Kara who has joined them playfully. Pleased, she nudges at the younger wolf with her nose, almost hopping to one side when Kara attempts to nudge her back. Her growing excitement is evident as she allows Kara to get her feet under her again, but as he includes her among the children yips once at him in protest before turning her back on him.

She knows she is much, much younger than him, but she will never not show her disapproval of him calling her as such. Especially when he did not treat her that way in his kitchen or the couch of his living room.

It is the last thought she spares for him in that regard, however. Bran draws her attention, it must be him with the tail like that and the way everyone focuses on him, and with genuine pleasure she raises her voice to the rest, howling at the start of the hunt. Leah seems to lead Kara, and Eun follows right behind, eager to stretch her legs under her and see what there may be to hunt in the woods around them.

She trusts that Asil will follow behind her as she heads up the hill, claws digging into cold earth as she swiftly runs along the outside of the pack with joy.

Already it is freeing to lose herself in the hunt with no worries for others with ulterior motives.]

[ Trusting that Charles will catch up with thw rest, Asil breaks off into a run, instinctively reaching through the pack bonds to follow their progress. The night is alive, the moon overhead lending her power to her children.

He knows the route that Bran is taking them on. They will hunt elk and moose, and do their beat to steer clear of the bears who are wandering through the forest.

Asil is never far from the pack, though he chooses higher elevation to keep them within his line of sight. There's no small amount of pride when he sights the way Kara stays close to the silver wolf, intent on protecting their newest member, if not in truth, then in name.

You should join us. Bran has taken to watching, trotting to hop above a downed tree at the edge of a clearing where the wolves break to nose along a trail, or dart off to hunt within the specified perimeter. Asil shakes his head at his alpha, but the temptation is great, so he makes his way down the slopes to stand among them, still clothed in his human skin. ]

I am content to watch [ his wolf snarls at him from the back of his head, so he completes the statement ] because I might end up spoiling everyone's fun. You know how competitive I can be with a kill.

[ As the small wolf that is also the Marrok regards him with yellow eyes, he can almost swear that he hears Bran's laughter. ]

[It's beautiful there, and Eun can't help but feel the moon's song so much stronger in Aspen Creek. Perhaps without the crash of waves against cliffs, she can hear it better.

With Kara and Leah, Eun explores the woods, nose dipped to the ground as she searches for the scent of prey. This is not her first time in these woods, and Anna and Charles both have helpfully identified the animals not native to California for her. She knows there is big game for them to catch, if they can just find the right trail.

She almost misses it when her nose catches a whiff of something. Intent, persistent sniffing brings her to a stronger scent trail, and she lifts her head to look for Kara and Leah, to urge them to follow her. When she has their attention she begins following the trail, mind entirely on the hunt and what she hopes to be an elk at the end of it. The three wolves go, and she hears others behind her. Tag. Juste. Glad for familiar wolves beside her, she follows the trail through the woods, mind entirely off of Asil for once. There's something exhilarating about this, and Eun bounds forward with intent, the wolf urging her onward.

They find the elk before too long, and Eun sinks into a crouch at once. She is eye-catching when there is no snow to camouflage her, and she looks to the others to initiate some sort of tactics. It's Leah who moves forward first, with Kara trailing after her. Eun almost follows, then decides on a whim instead to join Juste and Tag who have begun circling around in the other direction. Leah and Kara lead the charge first, with Kara leaping for the elk's muzzle as Leah goes for its neck. The elk dodges, darts away, right toward where Tag, Juste, and Eun have spread out. It charges Juste, who leaps at their prey, but is flung away--and back hard against a tree. Tag goes after it next, with Leah and Kara hot on its heels. Eun moves swiftly to Juste, standing between it and the elk should it find its way toward the wolf again. He's not up to his feet right away, and Eun has taken it to heart that she protects, even as she is protected.

The three wolves circle the elk, jaws snapping at the enraged and panicked animal. Eun stays back, only until Juste manages to rise and stand by her side once more. With no reason to stand guard any longer, she joins the fray, learning how each of the wolves hunts and works together and seeking openings to help without getting in their way. It's Kara and Tag who ultimately fell the elk, and Eun who grants it a swift death with her teeth at its throat.

Within moments, the wolves have a feast at their paws, and the satisfaction of triumph.]

[ It's the sound of a cornered elk that draws their attention, and Asil is hot on Bran's tail as they sprint through the woods. Somewhere east, the ring of howls sends birds fleeing from their perches until they break past the shrubbery to a sight that takes his breath away.

Juste is mid-flight, having been thrown by the wolves' prey. The crunch of wood against flesh makes Asil wince, and for a moment his wolf rises, drawn by the hunt and the sight of a less dominant wolf downed. He can feel his beast pushing beneath his skin, urging them to change, to join in the fray - but the weight of Bran's paw on his toes draws him back. Asil's attention snaps to the Marrok, whose gold eyes are intent on the scene before them.

How is it that pride lodges in his throat when he sights the silver wolf with soft charcoal ears crouched in front of his packmate.

Maybe Mason wasn't so negligent after all.

The words bring a snarl to Asil's lips, but he cannot ignore the possibility. Juste is old. Old enough to be dominant and trusted to handle wildlings. Old enough that he would not need a wolf barely a year old to watch over him - but there is his Eun, protecting one of her own as surely as if she were already one of them. ]

I will beg to disagree.

[ The wolf beside him snorts, shaking himself in amusement.

Girl's got teeth, Asil. You forget. I know you. You admire fire in a woman.

He waves a hand impatiently, his own beast settled back in his skin as he sits down in a huff. ]

He could have taught her better. Or put his pups in line.

[ Bran, infuriatingly enough, simply levels him with a look.

He might have said more, the hairs on the back of his neck bristling at the unspoken implication. But the other wolves have arrived to howl their approval at the kill, some of them dragging their own prey with them.

It is one of the younger wolves that catches his eye. The whelp has the remains of deer in it's mouth and Asil has to refrain from sneering as the pup lays it's kill at Eun's feet.

Oh, look. And they say romance is dead.

He has to resist the urge to smack Bran upside on the head. ]

Edited 2020-04-23 03:17 (UTC)

[Eun is all but preening as the rest of the pack arrives. They may carry some of their own kills, but she worked with the Aspen Creek pack to take down this elk and yes, she is pleased. While Kara has been a werewolf longer than Eun, Eun is still older by several years, enough that she watches to make sure the other wolf is getting her fill, as she has surely earned it.

Having fed quite a bit already, she steps back a moment to survey their prey, wanting to remember her first elk kill. She is about to go back in for more when the scent of something else catches her attention. Turning, she finds herself faced with another member of the pack, a wolf she does not know, dropping a choice piece of deer at her paws.

It had begun like this.

The first hunt, they had given her pieces of meat, and she thought they were making sure she fed. White-tail deer are plentiful in that part of California, and common prey for the Carmel Valley pack. She has to remind herself that this pack is not Mason's pack, that Bran would not bring her here if he let his wolves get away with the same behavior that Mason had. She does not wish to encourage them, but neither does she want to turn her nose away from the gesture. Eun turns away, digging into the elk to find some of the soft underbelly that still remains, and she turns back to drop it next to the offering.

An exchange. A trade. Not a show of interest, however, for Eun picks up that bit of deer between her teeth and carries it away. It takes her little effort to locate Asil, and she trots over full of confidence and at her kill. As she reaches him, she turns into a half circle, putting her back to the werewolf still in human form, and faces the rest of the pack to sit and enjoy what she's been given.]

[ He should not have preened so visibly, because he got lost in the swell of pride and the shared satisfaction of him and his wolf that Eun had sufficiently put the pup in his place. Bran is laughing in his head, going on about comparisons between Anna and Mercy and Eun and how they have a shared quality of arranging all the men as it suits them.

So when his nose finally picks up that Eun is close and has settled on the ground to enjoy her meal, he is dumbstruck.

To his left, there is a sound - the short pants that indicate the equivalent of chuckling from a wolf. He snaps his attention to the offending party and locks gazes with Tag who holds his gaze briefly and huffs, before trotting over to groom Kara in approval.

Why is he not angry? He knows he is the butt of a joke that is lost on the rest, but though his wolf rises again and howls, it cannot be bothered with pitiful dominance games because Eun had all but outright declared her preference for him.

Join the hunt, old man. Even if you don't join the kills, the run would do you good.

And with that, the small wolf that is lord of them all leaps off in the direction of the pack, white-tipped tail swishing behind him in satisfaction.

For once, Asil does not have an appropriate comeback. ]

Edited 2020-04-23 03:41 (UTC)

[The elk was good, but the deer is more familiar and Eun is pleased to enjoy it now. She cannot communicate with Asil in this form, and as they are not pack there are no ties between them, but she is glad simply to have him there. She does not look up once she is settled and biting off pieces of her prize and swallowing them down.

It occurs to her, and to her wolf, that this is the way it should be. Hunting with a pack, enjoying the kills together under the moonlight, and not worrying about fending off half a dozen wolves who cannot give up the hunt of prey who will not be felled by them. She feels safe and comfortable here, and more than that, Eun can picture many hunts with these wolves in the future. Perhaps Asil does not join in wolf form, but he is there which pleases her all the same. Finishing her meet, she rises to her paws once more, long tongue licking her chops of some of the blood left behind. She is satisfied by the hunt, but there is a part of her that still wishes to run...

She rises to her feet once more, turning to glance up at Asil who has said nothing to her since she moved toward him. With one last look, she turns away once more, the tip of her tail hitting his leg mid-turn as she walks away toward Kara and Tag, who have since been joined by Juste as well.]

[ He wonders how she might react if she'd caught the look he is sure crossed his face as she bounded off. His heart is in his throat. It is not an altogether uncomfortable feeling, but it is not easy either.

Rising to his feet, he brushes off his pants and stills when he scents gasoline fumes and picks up the sound of an ATV approaching. He lingers a bit to wait for the human who he surmises has been sent and is not just wandering too close to where the pack is hunting.

"Peggy said that Bran needed a pair of human hands to carry clothes back to the house. Wasn't sure what she meant but I gather that's 'cause of you?"

Carrie Troussard is not what anyone might expect of a woman who drives trucks for a living. She is about Leah' s height and built more like a gazelle. He decides that he likes her, not only because she is Peggy's and therefore by extension, pack - but because she stops a careful distance away to toss him an empty backpack.

"I can wait by the trees if you need privacy. Peg told me to treat your wolf respectfully since it's common knowledge that you like to be left alone."

She does not drop her gaze, instead choosing to angle her head in acknowledgement of his dominance while focusing on the remains of the kill. At her low and appreciative whistle, she smiles, impressed. "Good on your girl to show the boys that she can hold her own."

Telepathy between mates is a given among the wolves. But telepathy over great distances, as he gleaned from conversations with Bran, is a particular gift between the two mated women. The way Carrie pauses with an expression that indicates that she is half-here and half speaking with another, makes him snort. ]

Eun is her own woman. She is not mine.

[ The soft sound she makes might be an indication that she doubts him. But there is no challenge. He only half-believes it himself.

Asil begins to strip, a show of faith before he packs up his garments in the bag that he leaves for her to pick up. He can change some distance from here. He would prefer not to subject Carrie to the violence of the shift.

With a deep breath to locate the pack, he runs. ]

[Bellies full enough for the moment, Eun and Kara run through the woods. She follows the younger wolf, powerful enough to dig into the ground as her paws hit soft dirt, but light enough on her feet to spring forward with seeming ease. As a werewolf, Eun knows she is larger than normal wolves, but less so than most werewolves. Her build is best for quick strikes while heavier hitters land harder blows. Her build is perfect for running, and she bounds after Kara with pleasure, secure in knowing that Tag and Juste run behind them. Leah did not follow after the kill, joining Peggy instead, at least as far as Eun could tell.

They do not stray far from the pack, not when it weaves between brush and trees under a starlit sky, but their cluster seems to stay closer together, giving her the freedom to stretch her legs for distances she has never enjoyed before.

It's magnificent, and she begins to understand why she's heard stories of city-born humans preferring packs settled in less urban areas upon their first Change. Playfully, she bumps her shoulder against Kara's, before taking a running leap over a fallen tree before them. She clears it easily, and skids to a stop on the other side, tongue lolling out with a wide, wolfy smile.

She should consider changing more often between pack runs. This is wonderful.]

[ He stalks, deliberately slow, because it has been a while since he last wandered about in his wolf's skin. Nose to the ground, he notes the trail left behind by Eun and Kara, Tag and Juste following to keep an eye on them.

It is night, so the shadows play to his advantage, allowing him to track them with the wind in his favor. In the before times, lesser wolves whispered amongst themselves and called him Death. He had killed many, and later, had laid waste to black witches after Sarai's death.

Here, in Aspen Creek, he is gratefully, a shadow of the wolf he once was. Though his darker half might long for blood and gore, there is something else that pulls at them now - light and silver under the song of the moon.

It is Juste who freezes first, pausing just long enough to give off the impression of a deer alert to the creeping presence of danger. Tag growls low at first, but it dies to a whine as he backs up and shifts to dart and nip at Kara's tail.

For Eun: she will notice that they are all staring at the shadowed edge behind a felled tree stopped only by a boulder. There will appear to be nothing of concern beyond the thick dark of night accentuated by the shade of trees.

At least, until Asil opens his yellow eyes and yawns to show sharp, bright white teeth. ]

[These woods are not without predators, of course, but Eun is used to the predators being smaller than her. Coyotes and mountain lions are common in California, and while there are bears she hasn't yet encountered one yet. They are not so far from the pack to be without support if something should arise, but their small group is certainly separated enough to make her somewhat anxious as Juste stops abruptly.

His body language is easy to interpret, as is Tag's, but what alarms Eun is how that sound dies to something plaintive. How he backs away, heading for Kara.

The moment she saw Juste stop, she turned to follow his gaze, to stare into the darkness and whatever was lurking there. Alert and tense, she knows that she can get to the pack quickly if need be, to get more help, but she would not leave Juste and Tag alone with Kara to protect as well. She would not leave them alone, period.

As a wolf, her night vision is excellent, but how can one pick out shadows from shadows in the middle of the night?

It is only when a pair of eyes open in that moonlight, and she sees a flash of teeth that she realizes they are not alone. The other wolf is downwind of them, and she cannot tell who it is that lies in wait near them. More than that, she cannot yet interpret their body language or intentions. If they are pack, why are they not joining in the open? Could it be one of the wildlings has joined after all? Are they in danger?

A faint whine rises to her throat as she looks to Tag and Juste, uncertain of what is happening here and what they should do. She does not recognize this wolf--she does not recognize most of the wolves of the pack in these forms yet. Only some by scent and even less by sight.

Carefully, she steps forward, in a diagonal line. She does not stand between Kara and Tag, and Juste, but instead somewhat in front of Kara now, waiting to see who this other wolf turns out to be, and what they want.]

[ He scents their fear and his wolf basks in it, but he stays still where he's resting atop yet another boulder to watch the way Tag prioritizes Kara. The way Juste, for all that the large deep gray wolf has lowered his body against the ground, that deathly silence tells precisely why, when all of France but murdered their native cousins to extinction, Juste survived.

Kara sniffs around, confused by the sudden ramp in tension among her betters. When she turns her attention to his direction, he might have snorted - since she leaps past Eun and away from Tag to lunge at him playfully.

He rolls, letting her nose at his belly, and indulges in a half-huff, half-bark that translates to: oh, woe, I am found. It is Tag who snorts, swinging his head in a gesture leading into a full body shake, a gesture of "all clear" as he trots back to nudge Juste back up.

When Kara is done, Asil nips her muzzle affectionately. And then he rolls back onto his feet to cross the open space between himself and Eun, walking past her to the men with an almost flirtatious smack of the tail to her flank.

Perhaps Bran was right. He needed the run. ]

[Kara rushes past her fearlessly, and even Eun can tell that her movements are geared toward play rather than attack. It takes her only moments to realize that at some point after leaving Asil behind with the kill, he ended up shifting forms and joining the pack.

She watches, still tensed, as he and Kara play, glancing over at Tag only at his snort and clear sign that all is well.

This is a moment she would have liked to have enjoyed, seeing Asil in his wolf form for the first time, for he is magnificent in a way that she appreciates is dangerous and menacing. However she cannot so easily shake off the way that he stalked his way to their group. Eun is still as he walks toward her--and past her, and she wonders if he can sense the anger she holds back as he passes. His tail smacks her on his way toward the other wolves, and she barely holds back the urge to bite his tail.

Eun waits until there is some distance between them before she turns and follows. Follows and then speeds up, passing the group and heading toward the sounds of howling from members of the pack. There is no fear in her now, but she means to recapture the joy she felt only moments ago, and feels there's a better chance of that away from the small group she'd been with before.

She goes in search of Leah and Peggy.]

[ It's Kara who nips at his leg, having picked up on precisely what his nose did after he realized that it was anger that he'd sensed from Eun. He snaps back playfully and noses the little wolf's butt towards the rest of the pack before he changes his trajectory to follow the wolf who has stolen his heart.

He makes it a point to move where the wind can bring her his scent, and deliberately runs across well-lit patches of forest.

He upset her. He had not thought that he might scare her - too reassured in the games and play of hide and seek that he had used to teach Kara to better be comfortable with her other self.

Asil wishes he could talk now. That they, like Carrie and Peggy, like Bran and Leah or Charles and Anna, had the secure connection of a bond to pass thoughts and images through. But since they cannot, he lets himself linger on her periphery, an offer of peace and no harm. ]

[Eun can't say that she is surprised that Asil follows her. It does not seem arrogance to think that despite the fact that he does not join the pack on nights like this, he has today for her, and while he was perhaps unaware of her reaction to his games before, no doubt he has an idea now.

It isn't lost on her that when he stays running in the same direction as her, he positions himself so she can catch his scent and know that it is him. She can see him and sense him nearby, and know where he is. He does not hide or try to play games, he offers her no threat.

Eun can't find it in herself to relax, which makes her all the more miserable. She hadn't realized she'd had high hopes for this run, for the first meeting between herself and Asil wolf-to-wolf, until it had started so poorly. But she had wanted to play too. She had wanted to indulge the way Kara had. The wolf, at least, is more practical than she. There's no reason to let what happened ruin the rest of the evening for her.

So she runs, hard and fast, pushing herself more than necessary to settle this worked-up feeling she has, to get the pent up energy out before it is time to return to the barn.

Eun heads in at once upon arrival, directly moving toward her clothes where she left them. She begins changing back, despite the petty temptation to stay in wolf form and avoid everyone altogether. It smacks too much of being a drama queen, and if cornered she'd rather have the opportunity to speak her mind than simply have someone talk at her. With her belly full, it is no more difficult to return to her human form than before, but changing twice in one night leaves her even crankier, hands and feet tingling with painful pins and needles sensations. Ignoring it as best she can, she dresses once more.]

[ She is, he thinks mournfully, upset with him. And rightly so.

He lingers outside opposite Charles, as Leah and Juste take it upon themselves to herd all the wolves back indoors. Kara takes her place at his side, ears drooping and distress a faint perfume before he nips one ear and flicks his own to prompt her to go in.

His wolf urges him to pace and if he could, he would roll his eyes at the beast. They are both old and too often given to thinking themselves omniscient only to prove spectacularly that they are not. Nothing has made it clearer to him tonight than Eun's lingering upset and avoidance.

He doesn't change, even if the others have begun their own transformations. Instead, he pads over to scoop up her belt, moving gently and carefully as not to startle her.

For the moment, even with his human half ascendant, he does not care if talk will begin anew. He understands the joke now, as he did Bran's level look from atop higher elevation while he was running alongside Eun hoping to woo back her attention to play.

He settles down fully on the ground, the leather of her belt caught between his teeth as he sets his muzzle atop his paws. Her distress and annoyance is wafting towards him in waves, and he is perfectly aware that he deserves it.

"Someone's in the dog house."

There is a subvocal growl rising in his throat - but he stops himself. The whelps do not matter. The pack learning a vulnerability, for the moment, matters even less.

His love is upset at him. Perhaps once he is changed, he will ask Bran to borrow--

My office? Better there than anywhere else, in spite of the gossip mongers. You know where I keep the keys, Asil. ]

Edited 2020-04-23 06:46 (UTC)

[It's warm enough that Eun hadn't worn that many layers. Her underwear goes on first, the bra after that. Socks, followed by jeans, and shoes after that. As she reaches for her shirt she notices that Asil is there, with her belt in his mouth. She looks away, sharp movements getting her shirt back on, and the jacket after that.

By the time she turns back to ask--no, demand that he give her her belt back, she finds him laying on the floor, looking thoroughly contrite.

In front of the entire pack.

It is a show of remorse, one that others have noticed, that gives her pause. Eun has not seen him around others of the pack much, but she's gleaned enough to know that this is not something he has likely done often, perhaps ever. It is not something that he does lightly, especially to a wolf who is not as dominant as he is. She had fully intended to walk out of there, to situate herself among the rest of the pack or slip out to give herself time and space to get over things. She knew she had a hot temper, hotter since becoming a werewolf, and it would be better for them both, perhaps, if she gave herself time to cool down. But his gesture has cooled enough of the heat that she cannot find herself being churlish in the face of it.

She holds out her hand for her belt, looking at him directly, unwavering. She does not blink, she does not avert her eyes.]

I'll wait.

[Two words given, with no inflection. She'll wait for him to change back, implying that they will talk.

But not with an audience. Surely this is enough of a show for them for one night.]

[ He folds his legs under him, eyes fixed on hers as he gently moves close to drop her belt directly into her hand. His wolf wanted to nuzzle the soft flesh, but instead, he glances over his shoulder in search of Bran who claps his hands together with a sharp: "Out. All of you. Now. Leah has prepared food, I will not have it go cold because your curiosity outweighs your common sense."

You owe me for this. And then with a single nod, the Marrok offers his arm to his wife to lead the whole pack away and offer them privacy. Good luck, old man.

When the last of them have gone and Anna secures the lock from the inside, he pads back and calls the change to him.

It hurts. It always hurts. But he has centuries of practice in front of pack members and foes alike to hide just how much it does.

It takes him longer this time, his wolf warring with his control, whispering all the reasons that they should not have abased themselves in front of the younger ones. He is done with it. And as the last bit of magic settles to turn his face back into his own, he has satisfactorily - if metaphorically - smacked his darker half into submission.

His breaths are hot over the floor. His feet are cold. But he chooses to focus on willing the hammering of his heart to return to a beat that is more acceptable. ]

Te debo una explicación, querida. [ The words are hoarse, brought on by the change. He has not looked up at her yet. He has not felt this vulnerable in a long, long time. ] I owe you an apology, Eun.

[Eun had meant to lead him out, away from the pack. It feels like more of a to-do to have Bran drag everyone out of there, to make them all leave instead of she and Asil. Sighing, she avoids their looks and waits. She promised she would, and so she does. The sounds of the change are not unfamiliar to her, but it is hard not to be sympathetic to them having changed twice in one evening herself. As she waits, she slips her belt back into place, through the loops and buckled low on her hips.

It's when he speaks that she knows he is done, and when he offers her apologies at once, Eun shakes her head.]

Yes, you do, but not yet. You don't get to pull the rug out from under my anger with an apology before I've had my say, Asil, because I'm not just mad about what happened with your wolf in the woods.

[Last time she was angry with him, she sent him back a note that had made her displeasure clear, but he has not seen or heard her angry yet and god help her, she can only hold so much of it back.]

But we can start there. My first run with a new pack. My first opportunity to meet everyone, and to learn what most of them look like in their wolf forms. My first opportunity to run with a pack freely, without having to deal with half-brained assholes who think the key to "winning" me is to wear me down with their persistence. I wanted you with us tonight. I wanted to see your other form and run with you, Asil. Hunt with you. I wanted to feel what it was like to run with a better pack. And it was incredible, and everything it should have been in California. I would have handled you surprising us midway if you had just come upon us and joined us. If you had let me catch scent of you to know who you were. Instead you stalked us and stayed downwind so that I didn't even know you were there, or who you were. Juste and Tag went on alert, reacting to you like you were a threat waiting to happen, and nothing you did disabused me of that notion. I didn't know who you were and I didn't know that you weren't going to try to hurt them or me.

[Eun reaches up, scrubbing her face with both hands and running them over her head in agitation.]

Are you with me so far? Yes or no, Asil--and just yes or no, because I'm not done.

[ He is not used to being lectured. For that matter, he has never been lectured while his skin still stings from the change, nor so quickly after he'd all but bared his throat to her in front of the pack.

But he cannot miss her distress. Or the lingering scent of her fear - fear he had instigated.

So all he does is nod, stiffly, chin bowed and eyes fixed on her. ]

[Having vented some of her anger, the worst of it, she feels a little less agitated than she was. She's said her piece so far and he hasn't interrupted, hasn't stopped her, hasn't told her to stop in any way. Perhaps she should be remembering that Juste and Tag had reacted to Asil with fear, that he is a werewolf to be intimidated of and careful around, but she is beyond remembering such things.

Mollified by his nod, Eun remains quiet a moment, holding his gaze. There is no challenge there, nothing in her that is meant to push his wolf, but she is not a pushover and will not avert her gaze at a time like this. Not until she chooses to, which she does a few moments later. His things are not far from where hers were (a fact that will catch up to her when she is not so angry) and she picks up the bag and slowly walks it over to him so he can dress.

She considers bringing up what happened in the woods after the kill, that he did not speak a word to her when she brought her deer meet over to eat at his feet, that she not only rejected the implied offer that came with it from another wolf, but showed he had her favor. But it seems a petty gripe to offer in light of the other. So she discards it, deciding that one she will swallow and get past on her own.]

I was going to talk to you about my next point later. I wasn't angry then, but I was going to pull you aside to make my feelings known because it is important to me that you understand where I am coming from. I am aware of our drastic age difference and your concerns with it, and I am not going to rehash that ground unnecessarily because I think we still understand the points we made then. But my being younger, in my twenties, does not make me a child. Not even by comparison. I am an adult woman, and have been for several years now. [Her voice drops just a little as she meets his eyes again to make her point.] I am sure that you meant it affectionately when you included me with Kara and called us children, but since I am grown enough to be half-naked in your arms and moaning your name, I am grown enough to not be called a child in any form by you.

[It was smart for her to get the worst of it out first. She feels even, in control, and in possession of her inner strength again. Taking a stand will do that, apparently. There are other layers she could add to her last point if necessary, regarding the history of men in America infantilizing women, but already she is tired of her anger and in no mood to take them too far astray from her original points.]

That's it, I've said what I wanted to.

[ He takes the bag from her, his gaze never straying once - not even when she decided to break eye contact. His wolf is behaving. If for nothing else, than because Asil has never felt more in control of his beast than this moment. It does not occur to him yet, because the relief of not fighting within himself is a heady feeling.

So he takes the bag and lets his arm drop so that it settles on the floor by his foot.

Modesty, is something he's not had to concern himself with for centuries. It is a small thing, when his attention is so thoroughly occupied with Eun and her words and being enlightened that yes, perhaps using his endearment for the entire pack - not just Kara - had raised her hackles.

It is the words since I am grown enough to be half-naked in your arms and moaning your name, I am grown enough to not be called a child in any form by you that stands out for him - so forgive him if his face softens around the eyes.

Yes. Yes, she has every right to be angry with him.

When he reaches out, it's to skim his fingers along the inside of her wrist. ]

Careful, querida. That last part skirts perilously close to a lie.

[ He steps closer, bridging the space between them, nevermind his current state of undress. It is more important that she understands that he will not take half-truths or lies of omission from her. Not if he is to tell her exactly what he has been occupied with since she started avoiding him out in the woods. ]

Tell me first, what is bothering you still.

[She can tell when her words get through to him, knows that by not holding back perhaps the more convincing point, he gets it. Even knowing that he hadn't meant it that way, she had tried to gently guide him away from the endearments that had made her uncomfortable by telling him the one she preferred. Hearing it in English had somehow been more jarring for her. But he seems to understand now how important it is to her, even if he hasn't said anything just yet.

So, when he touches the inside of her wrist feather light, perhaps testing her response, she does not flinch away. She doesn't reach for his hand to grasp it, but she does not pull away from him. Not when he steps in closer. His state of undress has no bearing on this moment, does not make her suddenly shy, though it does feel like another thing she would have liked to have enjoyed in better circumstances for the first time. Alas. Some things are not meant to be.

Her gaze slips from his when he prompts her to be careful with her words, encourages her to tell him all that is on her mind. Eun thinks back to the other point she considered bringing up, the one that feels entirely unimportant compared to the other things, and exhales heavily.]

I'm still trying to work out whether or not it's something that should have bothered me or not.

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