grasping at straws [private]

Tommy Santillian · 02-02-2011, 03:20 PM

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The copper wolf averted his single visible eye from her, and she tensed when his hand reached into the bag he wore. However, he did not draw any weapon, instead laughing softly to himself. He tilted his head to her in a warm gesture, and it was then that the fish made its presence known. She was glad when she had finally had it on the ground, and her pride for finally catching the damn thing let him get off easy for commenting on her fur not working so well. It was true, she was cold, but had she been more talkative she might have given any number of smartass retorts. If she hadn’t been laying prone on the ice, her arm plunged into freezing water, she might have been able to keep warm. Then again, she wasn’t used to winters this far north…

Fallen seemed to have the nervous tic of messing with his bangs and hat, and Tommy wondered what he was hiding. Was there a defect with his eye, an odd color perhaps, or did he have a scar or other imperfection? While curious and interested, as could be told from her posture and alert ears, the teenager would not be rude enough to ask. Other luperci had their secrets, and she completely respected that. She wouldn’t want people asking her nosy questions, even if she didn’t really have dark secrets of her own that she would want to hide.

The young man returned the handshake with a hint of hesitance, which she almost smiled at. Her paw was almost engulfed by his, and as soon as he released it, she withdrew it underneath the blanket. He said that she could keep it and that he wasn’t leaving; rather than saying thank you, she nodded and pulled it even tighter around her shoulders.

“Why are you going to stay?” the wolfdog asked instead. She had assumed that he was on the move and that he wouldn’t hang around with a loner for long; he smelled like other wolves, like someone in a pack.

The brownish wolf laughed at her question and claimed to be a healer; that answered her question and satisfied her. She blinked at mention of smoking drugs and tilted her head in confusion. “I understand that you’re a healer; we had shamans in our own pack that healed with plants. I’m not sure what else you’re talking about.” By the moon god, she sounded so damn naïve! He was indeed older than her, but not by a large amount. Perhaps it was because she had been born elsewhere that she didn’t understand? Or was it her youth? She was frustrated by the fact that she didn’t know something, but she reminded herself that she should only be humbled by it.

His laugh was nice, and she enjoyed listening to it. However, this time he chuckled because he had noticed her staring at the hat, and she blinked sheepishly when he pushed it down. She looked at the ground, hands clasped behind her back, as she responded. “I know. And I might find one on my own; there’s no reason for you to go around finding things for strangers.” It was odd that she’d noticed it and been charmed by it at all. She knew that she wanted to do something with herself rather than wearing simple jeans everywhere. The only reason she hadn’t was the suggestion of her mother, who told her that her fur was so pretty she didn’t need decoration. A hat would only get in the way of her fighting, but… Still, she liked the idea of having one.

The fish that had lay forgotten at her feet was suddenly remembered, and Tommy bent to pick it up and brush some of the snow off it. “Do you want half?” she asked the man, thinking it was only polite. Her stomach growled quietly, and she set to work attempting to rip it into two pieces.

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