I am filled with muse right now; don't feel obligated to respond as quickly as I just did. xD Tortoise paced is fine!
He could not stop the frantic beating of his wild heart, though Shandom maintained a neutral face. For a moment, he had been so certain it was Lea before him in the gentle light of dawn. Despite the danger of seeing her again it would have taken every fragment of his self-control to not run to her. He hadn’t even considered that Lea would not have been turned Luperci – Shandom knew that if she were aware of the disease, the female would have immediately demanded to be turned to the advantageous being. She would resemble this – admittedly, lovely – female before him, and he would not be shocked to find her building a tree house. Then again, his assumptions were entirely based on the female he once knew, not the monster Shandom was sure she had become. Some of the last words she ever spoke to him rang in his head... “You killed me when you killed them! You destroyed me! I have spent weeks, months, I don’t even know how long anymore – trying to find myself again and I can’t find her! This is your fault, Shandom! Remember that! When people speak of the great and terrible Linquilea – because yes, that is what they will call me – remember this: every drop of blood I spill, every family and pack I ruin – this is your fault. If you had just left them alone…”
The words were horrible to recall, and Shandom shook himself out of his reverie. What was with him lately? “It is a lovely memory, Caprica, reminiscent of my youth in my homeland. I find it wonderful to come across someone who reminds me of such a pleasant time in my life.” Shandom lied easily, a confident smile pulled across his ruined face. Though, he could not say it was entirely a lie. Many nights were spent dreaming about the life he once lived, about the life he could have had. It was incredibly difficult for him to move on from a life Shandom thought he deserved.
Shandom moved slightly closer to her to get a better look, not only at the structure, but the female as well. She was shapely and beautiful, larger than what was conventionally considered ideal but what he found to be perfect. Her fur was lovely and sable and her eyes were a startling shade of green he had not seen before in his wolven brethren. Caprica appeared strong and healthy; his assumptions were mostly founded on her ability to create such an intricate structure. In her Optime form, she was, of course, much larger than his current four legged stature, though he assumed she would probably be shorter if he were to shift. He shifted his attention to the structure built in the trees, and it made him smile a bit wider. “You’ve done a great job,” Shandom said after his several moments of assessing silence. “It is nice – a little home in the trees.”
He wanted to ask more questions, get to know her better. There was something about this Caprica woman that enchanted him. Perhaps it was the magic of the early morning, but Shandom felt more at ease than he had since he arrived in Nova Scotia. Yet he remained quiet, his expression gentle as he examined the little structure.
