His hands were warm with blood.


The manchild had changed back into his Optime form naught moments before, and stained paws had become stained palms with the ease of practice. Sitting cross legged, now, the giant of a fellow turned them over slowly, observing the way that the beads of ruby dribbling from his large, wickedly-curved claws.


Caillen had hunted before. He'd needed to, being a loner and a wanderer, and hunting had never been a bad thing; Prey fed predator. It was the circle of life that he'd been taught to respect from his very first lesson. Prey was not a toy, it was a living animal just like himself, and it deserved as much respect as any canine and high-speaker.


The body of the stag steamed in the cool morning, a meter from where he sat. Caillen imagined it's souls twining in confusion in the air around him, and his nape prickled uneasily. The rage had bubbled down now, right down, till all he had left was a strange and aching numbness, and a mutilated corpse before him. The creature's throat had been crushed, slit side to side and nearly severed from muscular withers. The slate and ivory giant shuddered, suddenly repulsed with himself. He had taken down prey much larger than he needed - That went against everything his mother had ever taught him. Hunt only the weak, the old, the young, she said. That was the way of the carnivore. But in his estranged and unleashed anger, Caillen had hunted the proudest of prey - The antlered one, the stag. Protector of the harem.


It was wrong, wrong, wrong. But it had been done, and the most sacrilegious thing he could have done now was to waste the kill. Besides, his stomach gurgled and contracted painfully in hunger, and the youth didn't want to think about why he'd done what he had. The methodical curing of the carcass would clear his mind of such things.


Withdrawing his primitive dagger, the adolescent male began to skin the stag, peeling back the precious hide. Nothing would be wasted from the kill; that would be the only way to appease the stag's spirits. As he worked, the tall male muttered apologies beneath his breath, and little rites his mother had taught him to ward the prey's souls on their was to the other side. Once the hide had been removed, he began to scrape the fat from it. The succulent scent of the meat permeated the heavy, misty air, but the boy was not wary of other predators. His immense size offered a shield that his inability to fight could not, and it was a bluff that had worked almost his whole life. At 8"0, Caillen was a mammoth hybrid, but the intimidating appearance was only the husk of a gentle and passive giant.


Well, that had been before... Before the knowing. And now he was on his way home to set right the evils that had been done.


The thoughts made his large hands shake, and he did a poor job of cleaning the hide. Setting is aside, the young male began to strip long slices of meat. They would have to be dried or cooked if they were to last, which would delay his progress a whole day. To sustain himself while he worked, Caillen ate some of the still-warm strips raw, occasionally cleansing his bloody chops with a lick and a glint of huge ivory incisors.


The stag was a good kill, still strong from autumn feed, but he would never be able to make use of the entire thing on his own. Perhaps he would leave the bones and scraps to the ravens and the smaller predators of the forest, but he would keep the hide and the antlers and possibly the stronger thigh-bones, as well as the largest amount of meat he could carry.

Speak think walk

As he continued to carve into the stag, the young male got progressively covered in the thick ruby of it's blood. It was gruesome business, but necessary - If he was to do the stag justice, then he would need to use as much of it's body as possible, so that it would not have died in vain. However, after a while of stripping, the lean muscles in his arm had gotten tense and sore, and his emotions bubbled close to the surface. For a moment, he rocked back on his heels and remained crouched, arms resting on knees as curved claws dripped with blood. The crude bone dagger in his hand glistened with the stuff, and as Caillen watched it, he was aware of the slick feeling of tears welling in his sky-blue eyes and sliding down his cheeks. For all his immense size, the youth was merely a boy trapped in the body of a man. He didn't know how to deal with his emotions, and he wished, more than anything, to wake up from them as if from a bad dream.


However, crying was something that puppies did. He wasn't a puppy. With a petulant and somewhat aggrieved sniff, Caillen rubbed at his eyes with the clean back of his arm, swiping away the beads of moisture. There was hard work to be done, and sitting about blubbering wasn't going to finish it.


Once he'd sliced up the best portions of meat from the flanks and haunches, the wolfdog hybrid laid them out on some nearby rocks. Light filtered through the trees and flies, drawn by the smell, began to buzz in the air. He wasn't doing it quickly enough - Soon, the meat would be contaminated. With a sharp snarl of frustration, the manchild set about digging out the tendons of the beast. They were long and sinuous, and would be handy as ropes. However, once he'd worked his way up to the head of the animal, Caillen stopped again. It's great glassy brown eye stared into the abysmal world of death. The stag had been a formidable foe in life - A great hunter would relish that he had made such a kill. But Caillen was simply sad, sad that he had felled such a magnificent creature in his anger.


On a whim, the youth struggled to break off the antlers. They were one of the most prized pieces of the stag - Symbolic to the hunter, a trophy of his prowess. The wolfdog did not deserve them, not really; It had only been luck, fury, and size that had allowed him to kill the fleet-footed forest guardian, and he did not deceive himself by thinking otherwise. Caillen had no real fighting skills, and would have been an easy match for even a half-trained fighter.


After much effort, he managed to remove the top portion of the skull, with he antlers attached. Panting from the exertion, it was only now that Caillen experienced the peculiar sensation of being watched.


Immediately, he froze. One erect ear and one floppy ear, both an exotic mottled navy in color, flitted forward and back, scanning for the slightest sound. Sky-blue eyes, surprisingly innocent and naive looking in comparison to the body they belonged to, scanned the shadows and trees nervously.


"Who... Who's there?" Because his voice trembled slightly, the youth rose to a stand. If anything, perhaps his unlikely size would frighten off the watcher. "Show yourself! I know you are there!" Bolder, this time. His bloodied hand slipped on the bone dagger clumsily. If whoever it was wanted his kill, Caillen would not be able to put up much opposition. He was exhausted from the hunt, and from skinning and carving the carcass. The skull, topped with antlers, was held in his other hand, still steadily dripping with blood.

Speak think walk

Sepirah continued to watch the male as he went to work at the carcass. She was interested in him and just why he was even doing this. If it were the dark princess and this was her kill, she would have dragged it back to Mudbloods to share it before eating it herself. She would not take too much time worrying about taking it in pieces back home. Perhaps he was doing this because he didn’t have a pack to go back to. From where the jackal was standing, she couldn’t smell any pack that she had visited before. Was it possible that this male was a loner? Seeing as he was alone it was quite possible. She paused as she noticed the tears sliding down his face. Her smirk turned into a frown as she thought about going over to comfort him. The jackal figured it would be alright seeing as the male didn’t look like a wolf and more like a cat.

Sepirah looked to the sky and noticed that the clouds were getting a bit darker as if reflecting on the male’s inner sadness. She looked back to him as he was swatting away some of the annoying bugs from his meat. With rain on the way, she was sure his meal would be fine. The dark princess inched closer but remained hidden. She was unsure what to do and didn’t want to frighten him, so she wanted to let her scent drift towards him. She could feel her mask coming loose and moved her arms up quietly to make it tighter. Her ears folded down as she continued to watch him. The jackal noticed him removing the antlers as well. Why on earth would he want to keep those? She gave a small sigh before moving her golden gaze back to him.

Sepirah was finally caught and the male knew she was nearby. She gave a soft sigh as she listened to him speak. He seemed a bit timid at first, but then tried to act bolder. The dark princess stepped out of the shadows and moved over to the navy and white cat. She kept her distance just in case he didn’t trust her and she rested her tail as well as her stance. She didn’t want to scare him anymore than she may have already. ”Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.” The jackal looked over his huge body and had to admit that he was pretty good looking for a male. Her ears moved back up as she fixed the placement of her braids. ”So… what’s your name?”

Speak think walk

It seemed that he stood still for an eternity, till he saw her. At first, she was nothing more than a shadow, melting away between the dark silhouettes of gnarled tower-trunks. Then, she became a figure, materializing from the gloom initially as two glinting gold and yellow eyes. And finally she became a figure, unmistakably feminine, shadows still clinging to her inky fur as though reluctant to untangle their tentative fingers from the lady's midnight pelt. She truly appeared, in that moment, to be a princess of darkness.


Caillen's stomach flipped anxiously, his wide blue eyes growing more-so as blood-greased fingers scrambled in the leaf-litter for his dropped dagger. The blade was crude and dull, and it felt useless in his large clawed palm, but he held it forward in warning anyway. His other hand clutched at the ruby-spattered antlers of the stag, still ribboned with strips of it's fur. One lip lifted in a snarl, but his blue eyes were afraid, not bold or aggressive as he wished them to appear. Perhaps the woman could tell that, because she didn't seem afraid of him, merely curious and slightly wary.


Her voice, soft and lustrous, made his one floppy and one erect ear flip forward. The snarl on his maw faltered, but still the manchild held his warning stance, mirroring her forward steps with backward ones of his own. It appeared foolish - His bulk was much more than her own. In fact, she was as nothing he had seen before (for the slate wolfdog had never known a jackal), with elegantly long ears but a taller, leaner frame than those of the wraith-like coyote. Caillen himself was a strange mixture of collie-cat and wolf; He must have looked very alien to one who had never before seen a domestic cat.


Dark clouds broiled overhead, the beginnings of a frothy storm-cauldron bruising the sky. It was almost as if the weather was responding to his emotional turmoil.


At her question, the manchild faced a peculiar indecision. Even in this moment of stress, Caillen's manner surged to the fore. He had always been taught the value of politeness, and to leave her inquiry unanswered would be uncharacteristically rude. Besides, the youth argued with himself, she doesn't look threatening. See how her tail is lowered? See how her body is casual, unconcerned? The hand holding the dagger in her direction lowered to his side, and the gentle giant straightened from his aggressive stance.


"I am... I am Caillen Winters, m-miss." Sky-blue eyes, deep pools of hurt and confusion and fear, gazed naively across at her. He wondered whether she would show him kindness, of whether she would punish him for hunting in this place. He had thought it to be unclaimed, but had not really checked for markings or borders. Perhaps she lived here. The thought made his nerves quail, and his thick plumed tail hung low in weary submission. If she wanted his kill, he would not defend it. His legs were longer than hers - If she made to attack, he would probably be able to outrun her.

Speak think walk

Sepirah could tell from the moment she stepped out of the shadows that the male was afraid of her. She had no intentions of scaring the navy male, but it was obvious that something was hitting his nerves. She paused and watched his tail fold in between his legs submissively. The dark princess was sure it was her dark appreance that was scaring the cat so much. She couldn’t help that her hue was the color of darkness and shadows. She thought the orange muzzle and lighter shades of gray would help to put him at ease but not even that was working. Perhaps it had something to do with the dark clouds looming over them. For whatever the reason, she wanted to make sure that she was not feared by him. Perhaps it maybe was her mask but why would it be that? It wasn’t like she was hiding anything underneath it and her face was just as white as the mask. The jackal gave a soft sigh and moved her hands to her side before looking to the sky.

Sepirah’s ears moved as she ventured closer to the frightened male. She could see the weapon in his hand but ignored it. If he decided to use it against her, perhaps it would show that she was not a threat by not attacking him back. There was no use in hurting someone who was just defending themselves and attacked on reflex. She stood in front of him and had to back up a bit just so she could look up and see him. She looked into his baby blue eyes and watched as he dropped the dagger. Was he warming up to her? Probably not but she was trying to make it to where he was more comfortable with her being around.

Sepirah listened carefully as the male introduced himself as Caillen Winters. She had to admit that she liked his name and more so his looks. She smiled and gave a small bow. ”It’s a pleasure to meet you Caillen. My name is Sepirah Jendayi Lykoi.” The dark princess’ golden eyes looked up to the sky as they seemed to be getting darker. She shifted her gaze back down to the male and nodded to him. ”It looks like it’s going to rain soon. Perhaps you’d like some help find a dry place for you meal?” She flicked her hair to fix it before smiling to the male and wagging the tip of her tail.

Speak think walk

She kept approaching, but this time the much larger male stood his ground, sky-blue eyes watching her with the wary look of a child who know he is about to be punished for getting caught with one hand in the cookie jar. It was a rather gruesome appearance, spattered as he was with deer-blood, but the midnight lady didn't seem to mind. When she bowed, he stiffened at the unexpected movement, eyeing her nervously. She was very pretty, pretty enough to make him uncomfortable, but if there was one thing that Caillen had learned about pretty ladies it was that they were the most dangerous.


Her name sounded exotic. He tried to pronounce it in his head, but the slate hybrid's mental accent kept muffing it up. Sepirah. More so, her last name sounded familiar... Hadn't he met another Lykoi, not too long ago? Clover had been her name, and she'd been very sweet and kind to him. The memory of the female coyote brought the male a quick flush of courage. Maybe this Sepirah would be as kind as her kindred, no matter how eerily beautiful she appeared.


At the lady's suggestion, Caillen's sky-blue gaze traveled to the heavens above. Thunder rumbled warningly, and the youth's ears flattened meekly to his skull. He didn't mind storms, providing he could find a way out of their direct malice - Being big and bulky was not a good idea when lots of rain was about, especially with the luxuriously thick pelt he had. The boy had retained enough of his father's genes to have cold-resistant fur, but his collie mother's side (that which had given him such strange markings) meant that when wet, it became sodden and heavy.


Sky blue eyes returned to the Lykoi woman. He had a decision to make - To trust her, or not to trust her. Perhaps it was the boy's innate sense of goodness, that which made him fatally believe in the redeeming qualities of all individuals, that made him finally nod his head numbly in acceptance to her. It was a quality that had been starved, especially with recent betrayals, but old habits died hard. Besides, he was physically exhausted - Now that all his untamable fury had extinguished itself, all that remained was the weariness of his long limbs, and the weariness of his young spirit. He had to go home, but with this storm on the way, it would be stupid to continue traveling.


"Y-y-yes, please, ma'am." The accented baritone swell of his voice sounded quiet and submissive, as though the fear had leaked out of it and turned into a sort of resilience. His gaze turned back to the stag. In Optime form, he was by far larger than it - It was a relatively small species of deer, in any case. With a bit of a struggle, he managed to heft what was left of it up onto broad and muscular shoulders, before gesturing to the hide and the strips of meat he'd pulled off earlier. "If you wouldn't m-mind?" The exotic jackal-lady would be able to use the skin as a sack for the meat with little effort, if she chose. Other than that, he would allow himself to be led wherever she so desired.

Speak think walk

Sepirah could feel the clouds beginning to let out their tears as it began to rain. It was only a matter of time before the storm would be here and the heavens would rain down upon the land. The tip of her tail continued to wag as she looked over the male in more detail. He had bits of brown scattered along his face and a bit on his actually body, though they seemed to have been covered up by all the blood staining his handsome fur. The dark princess closed her eyes and took his arm, running her fingers gently along it. She opened her eyes to see some of the blood now staining her hands. She shook her head a bit before wiping it on her side. The rain would do the male some good. It would help to wash away the bright red and show his true colors. The jackal’s tail stopped as the rain began to pick up a bit.

Sepirah nodded to the male and went over the meat he had nicely cut for himself. She stacked them in her arms before leaning over them to keep them dry. The dark princess didn’t mind getting wet so long as they got somewhere warm afterwards. Her gaze moved up to Caillen as he grabbed whatever else he needed. ”There’s no need to stutter Caillen. I’m not dangerous.” She turned around and gazed around their area. She knew the area a bit and was sure it wouldn’t be hard to find a place to take shelter. The jackal lead the male into the woods and stopped when she saw an abandoned dungeon. She figured they could stay there until the storm passed. ”Here Caillen. We can stay in there until the storm passes.” She entered the dungeon and set the meat down on a rock in the back. Since the rain would block the scent of the meat, the flies would not be able to follow them inside. Once she was done, she looked to the blood on her body. The princess moved back out into the rain to let the blood wash off her body.

Sepirah moved to the back of the cave as soon as most of the blood was gone. She was soaking wet and seeked something to warm her back up. The dark princess leaned on the back wall of the dungeon and moved her eyes to the male. She offered him the spot next to her and waited to see if he would accept. If he did, the jackal would closed her eyes, acting as if she was tired from the chill of the storm and lean on Caillen’s side, a smile forming on her muzzle.

Speak think walk

It had begun to rain. At first fell great, fat droplets, the kind that made him flinch as they spattered on his head and broad shoulders. Next came the finer kind, tiny little crystals that began to fell steadily, drumming in a soft orchestra wherever they fell. Water gathered on his fur, and dribbled in little bloodied rivulets down his arms, which were bunched around the legs of the deer so as to keep it on his shoulders. The bit of skull and antlers were clutched tightly in one large, clawed hand.


The shadow lady was suddenly before him. Her eyes were closed, and her fingers brushed gently through the fur of his arm - He shivered to her touch, but Caillen no longer had the energy or the willpower to resist whatever strange curses she might put on him. She looked like a sorceress, with that strange mask and her inky fur. When her clawed fingertips finally left his skin, the boy's lean muscles trembled in relief.


Sepirah nodded to his request and gathered the sliced-off portions in her arms. Blood now stained her ebony pelt, but as with him, the rain would wash it clean. She spoke in a gentle, reassuring voice, but the youth did not reply. He merely fell into step behind her, his long pelt beginning to drip as the rain increased its pace. The storm was on its way. Suddenly, the woman stopped in front of him - Her keen eyes had picked up what his tired sky-blue ones had not, the dungeon hidden off to the side of the path. She entered first; It was large enough for her to do so comfortably, but such was not the case for Caillen. With a slight groan, he eased the deer carcass off of his shoulder-blades, and settled it on the ground. Because of the rain, he would be able to leave it outside the dungeon without fear of smaller predators or flies taking it. Dragging it beneath some ferns, he then proceeded to quickly cover it with large flat leaves, till the body was hidden from view.


The rain was now falling heavily, and by the time he returned to the front of the dungeon, it had washed his pelt clear. The strange mottled navy and slate were now starkly obvious, and would mark him for the foreigner that he was.


Sepirah was already waiting for him inside. The large male had to duck and crawl his way through the entrance, but he was too tired to shift back into Lupus form. Shivering slightly, though more from her presence than from the cold, the boy meekly submitted to her gesture, and sat beside the soaking princess, his back to the wall. The muscles in his arms ached from carving and carrying the stag, but he was not hungry enough to start munching on the strips of meat that the lady had brought in with her. When she moved to lean against him, Caillen did not resist. His immense size meant that his body had stored a lot more warmth than hers, and already his heavy and wet pelt was beginning to dry. Outside, a flash of lightning illuminated the world in a spooky white light.


"Thank you." He said softly, sky blue eyes gazing out into the storm. She had shown him kindness, and if it hadn't been for her, he would probably still be out in the rain with nowhere to go.

Speak think walk

Sepirah watched as the male began to drag himself and the carcass towards the dungeon. She wanted to help him, but she was sure that he knew what he was doing with it. She didn’t want to make it look like she wanted some of his meal. She respected him and his things. She watched as he began to cover it up with the leaves and then move back inside. This gave the dark princess to watch to see what he would do. She noticed him take her offer and took to her side. She didn’t think he’d have enough courage to do this. She was so sure that he was going to sit somewhere away from her because he still didn’t trust her. Her smile only increased as the more innocent and loving Sepirah began to break through.

Sepirah was glad to see that the male allowed her to lean on him. She could feel the warmth coming from this thick fur and it helped to warm her up as well. Perhaps bumping into this male wasn’t so bad after all. She was actually enjoying herself and this was really only the second time she felt something when she was in the presence of a male. Perhaps it was because a lot of the males back home in Mudbloods had no interest in her. This was a nice feeling to have with someone around of the opposite naked time. She opened her eyes after a while and looked outside with him. The dark princess’ ears moved when she heard him thank her. She rubbed her head gently to warm him. ”No problem.” She watched the flash of lightning and wagged her tail again. She was happy and now she watched the storm from the safety of the dungeon. ”The storm looks nice when you’re not stuck in it doesn’t it?”

Speak think walk

She felt oddly comfortable, leaning against his side. It was strange, because Caillen had always had a certain problem with women; They made him uncomfortable and clumsy, especially when they were as pretty as the jackal. It was a boy thing, a Romeo thing, which made him do and say stupid things. Maybe it was because he was so tired, that Sepirah wasn't sending him into his usual embarrassing antics, or maybe it was because he'd just learned a horrible truth from the man he'd considered to be his father. In either case, it was actually rather soothing to be able to sit in the dark with a complete stranger, and gaze out at the storm.


When she moved against his arm, Caillen smiled slightly. It was the first time he'd smiled since his meeting with Daisuke, and it felt strange on his face. However, Sepirah felt nice against his side, and the youth continued to allow her to snuggle into him. He question broke the silence of the dungeon, and Caillen was quiet for a moment before replying. "Yeah... It does."


Outside, the storm thrashed about, throwing lightning and grumbling thunder. But inside, they were safe and warm. He knew the feeling wouldn't last - Come tomorrow morning he would have to leave this place, and go back to the territory he used to think of as home, to confront his mother. The thought made him solemn, and the manchild unwittingly shifted closer to the ebony lady.


"Sepirah..." Her name was very pretty, but it sounded strange in his gaelic accent, "Why did you help me? You dinnae even know who I am. Why did you nae chase me away?" He wanted desperately to know why she'd shown him this kindness, when the rest of the world had suddenly seemed to turn it's back on the vagabond boy.

Speak think walk

ooc: Aww do you have to go lol? Jk. Have fun Alaine . WC: 330 {3 points}

Sepirah smiled as she opened eyes and saw the smile on his face. She was so glad that she was able to calm him down and make sure that he was comfortable with her being around. Her entire tail began to wag now as she listened to the crashing of the storm outside. She could see more flashes and even sometime the pink of the lightning shining in the sky. She paused and folded her ears down to create a more relaxed mood for the male. She didn’t want him getting the idea that she wanted anything from him, but judging on how she was acting, she wouldn’t be surprised if she gave that image to him. Never had she acted so loving and caring to anyone and she found it odd how one cat could pull it out of her so quickly. The dark princess’ arms rested at her side before she closed her eyes to listen to the rain. It was a nice calm thing to listen to as well as the slight noise of Caillen’s heart beat.

Sepirah’s ears moved back up to the male’s question about why she helped him. She didn’t understand. Was it because she was Mudbloods that it was foreign to most people that she’d actually help someone who was not a coyote or coyote hybrid? She shook her head and gave a soft sigh. ”You looked like you needed some help. I couldn’t just ignore you. She let out a soft snicker before looking into his sky blue eyes. ”Besides, I don’t think I could chase you away even if I wanted to. You’re too big and handsome for me to do that.” The jackal couldn’t help but let those words slip out. She didn’t mean for them to and didn’t understand herself why they did. A small hit of red appeared on her face before trying to shake the thought that she even said those words from her head.

Speak think walk

He was growing more and more aware of how warm Sepirah felt against his side, and how he could feel her breath - The soft inhale and exhale, the rising of ribcage against him, her soft and silky ebony fur brushing against his own. But concentrating on that made the old feelings swell up, the feelings he didn't trust and couldn't name - The building of a fire in one's belly, the thick tar-oozing of heated blood in his veins. Caillen had no name for desire, but he had abandoned all joy in it a fair while ago. Desire led only to pain, nothing more, just as pretty ladies led only to wickedness.


But Sepirah didn't seem wicked. She truly didn't. Confused by these mixed messages in his brain, the slate wolfdog was jolted back to attention at her sigh and shake of pretty head. When sitting, her long ears reached his jaw, and so the youth had to peer down at her so that sky-blue eyes could evaluate her response. In fact, her reply was so seemingly honest that the boy could find no fault with it. He blinked, but Sepirah had not finished talking, and the optical movement was the only chance he got to reply before she continued.


He smiled quickly at the first part of her statement about not being able to chase him away. It was a reaction the boy had hoped to perfect, relying on his intimidating size as he did, but little did she know of his utter lack of fighting skills. If she'd attempted to, Sepirah would have been able to chase off the confused and exhausted wreck of a creature he'd been with very little effort at all on her behalf. This thought, though, was quickly chased away by the latter of her statement, which took his weary mind a little longer to process. However, it was aided by her apparent embarrassment, into comprehension.


Girls seemed to like calling him handsome. Caillen had no idea why - He'd seen his spattered reflection in the water a hundred times, and never seen anything to admire. He was just... Caillen. Floppy-eared, goofy-smiling, too-tall Caillen. But that word 'handsome', it seemed to be something the female-types used when they wanted something, or when they could think of nothing else to say. The boy stared at Sepirah in bafflement, watching as she shook her head. Girls were so confusing! He had no idea what to make of this, but the silence was getting awkward, so he cleared his throat and attempted what he hoped would be a suitable reply. "Erm... T-thank you, you know, for... For not. Chasing me away, that is." A pause, in which a slight blush colored the exposed skin around his nose and inner ears. "You are very... Very p-pretty." And she was, by golly. He'd never seen such exotic and delightful features before.

Speak think walk

Sepirah continued to keep her eyes outside the whole time she spoke. She didn’t want to move things too quickly should something happen here. She loved continuing to watch the storm and watching the rain fall from the heavens. The dark princess felt this was a special moment, even though not much was happening. There didn’t have to be anything going on between them for it to count as a special moment. The jackal closed her eyes and just listened to the sounds of nature. There was only one other time she did this with a male and it brought her nothing but anger. She didn’t want to feel that anger again with such a lovely male, even if he was a dog. She actually admired his floppy ears and the coloration he bore. He was truly handsome, even if Caillen didn’t think he was.

Sepirah paused as she could have sworn that she could hear the male’s heart beat racing a bit more. She stopped leaning on Caillen and leaned her back on the den wall. She didn’t want the male to feel uncomfortable or awkward, so she thought she should back off for now. The dark princess would only lean back on him if he wanted her to. While she admitted that she liked him, she didn’t want to push him into an uncomfortable situation. The jackal gently moved her tail to her side and laid her hands gently in her lap. She was feeling a bit tired, but she forced herself to stay awake. It would be rude to fall asleep on a guest.

Sepirah moved her golden orbs to Caillen and opened them as he spoke. She could hear the nervousness of his voice and smiled. Typical Caillen, well at least as she knew him. ”It’s no problem Caillen.” She stopped when she heard that comment. She wasn’t speechless like before seeing as Caillen was not the first one to tell her that she was pretty. The dark princess saw the bit of red in his face as she felt her head becoming hot. Oh god it was happening to her too. She grabbed her pony tail and rubbed her hands on it nervously. ”Oh.. umm… thank you Caillen… you look so cute with those floppy ears…”

Speak think walk

She seemed to take his compliment well, which was as hoped. Caillen watched the lady anxiously with his peripherals, just checking to make sure that it had not been taken in the wrong way. That was another strange aspect of her gender - The ability to make even the most well-meant statements into a blaspheming travesty. Sepirah seemed slightly surprised that he'd gone so far as to call her pretty. The slate wolfdog found that odd, as surely every male in her pack called her such? If not, then they were clearly a blind lot.


These vague thoughts helped to clear away the sheepish blush that had momentarily colored his features, which was a good thing, because with Caillen's lighter coloring there was no doubt that Sepirah must have seen it. The boy looked down at his hands, embarrassed. He hoped she didn't think less of him for his reaction; He couldn't help it, it was just the effect that pretty ladies such as herself had on him! The youth cursed his stuttering idiocy. He must look like such a fool, and he was surely sick of feeling like one every time he opened his mouth.


A quick peek across at the ebony jackal-lady revealed that she now seemed distracted fiddling with her hair. It was in a sleek ponytail, that spilled through her fingers like liquid ink. Caillen watched her for a moment, until she replied, before quickly lowering his gaze back down to his hands.


His hands were big. As he watched, Caillen turned them over, palms up. The large pads on his palms were calloused and hard, due to all the adventuring he'd been doing. His fingers were tipped with large claws, wickedly curved, much like Sepirah's smaller ones, and in one he still held the antlers. Maybe she would know how to make some sort of head-dress out of them? At the thought of the lady, the boy risked another glance, and found that she was speaking to him - Something about his ears? The sound of her voice was very relaxing, much like the sound of the rain falling outside. He figured he must still have some of that rain in his ears, for he should have been listening to her... Had she just called him cute? An ever so slight frown darted over his ever-blue eyes. Cute was something that puppies were, or new-born whatevers. He didn't want to be cute, he wanted to be daring, bold! He wanted women to look at him and think, there is a man who knows the world! There is a man who can provide! But he was, after all, still just on the cusp of manly-ness; Still a boy, yet to be that hero he so wanted to be.


He sighed softly, missing the warmth of Sepirah against his side.

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Sepirah could see the uneasiness in his eyes and didn’t want him to feel weird. She was too nice of a jackal to go around hurting males and she wanted to make sure that if any male was in her presence and perhaps liked her, she wanted to make sure they were comfortable being around her. The only problem she saw here was that this male was a loner and she was a member of Inferni. She didn’t want to abandon her pack, but she liked Caillen as well as his looks and personality. The dark princess moved her gaze back to her hands. She was unsure what to do. She wanted to get to know the male more but she didn’t know how to speak to him without making the mood awkward. She just left her golden orbs on her hands and tightened her mask.

Speaking of the mask she was wearing, that was where most of her blushes were being hidden. Even though her skin was already dark to begin with, but she was still sure there was a bit peaking out from under that mask. The dark princess paused as she was typing it and decided to remove it from her face. She undid the knot in the back and let the mask slip off her face and onto her lap. Her face faced the male as she looked him in the eyes. ”You weren’t missing much you know…” The jackal then quickly moved her eyes back down. She had no idea what she was doing, but for some reason, she liked it and was feeling happy.

Sepirah heard him sigh as if he wanted her comfort again. She gently leaned back on his figure and closed her eyes. She wondered if he was enjoying her more now than he did before. The jackal’s hands slipped to her lap and then onto his hands. She gave a small smile. She was only trying to relax him and let him enjoy her company.

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There was just so much he had to think about, had to sort out in the chaotic mess that had quickly become his life. It was almost as if all this time he'd been standing on a tower of blocks, and someone had come along and kicked out the bottom one, and now he was simply surrounded by tiny little fragments of the view he'd once had. It was too much to bear thinking about, right at the moment. His brain was too fried to even try and put the pieces back together. All Caillen knew, for sure, was that he had to find his mother. That, and Sepirah smelt really nice.


He sniffed petulantly. Movement in the corner of his eye drew the youth's attention, and he turned his head to watch as she fiddled with that strange scrap of material she wore. When she removed it, Caillen noted that she was blushing slightly, and felt that strange warm color the insides of his ears again. He quickly averted his eyes back down to his hands, but felt her gaze, and obediently lifted sky-blue back to meet her startling gold. She gazed intently at him for a moment, before speaking.


Perhaps she thought she'd spoken too irrationally, for Sepirah quickly dropped her own gaze, but Caillen let his linger a moment longer. She sure was pretty, especially without that strange mask. As she re-settled against him, and put her much smaller hand into his own, the slate youth gazed down at the connection of their palms. He could almost feel her pulse through the warmth there. Her hand was so small compared to his, so dainty-looking. Trying to act as smoothly as possibly, Caillen lifted his other arm, placing it gently around her slender shoulders. A small smile quirked at his maw.


"Why do you wear it?" He tried to sound casual, but it was difficult, what with her being so close to him and all. With a shrug, the slat wolfdog gestured to the mask. "I mean... You shouldn't hide your face, miss. It's real pretty." Clearing his throat lightly, Caillen gazed pointedly out at the storm, still trying to sound normal.

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Sepirah had no idea what she was doing. She was a proud Inferni member and here she was spending the night with a loner and a dog loner at that. She couldn’t help that she was sort of falling for him and his looks. The dark princess closed her eyes and she basked in the warmth of his being. He just seemed so perfect, but the jackal knew their time together would soon come to an end. Once the rain was gone, she was sure the male would be on his way again. It was times like these that the dark woman wished it would never stop raining.

Sepirha then felt the male’s arm on her shoulder and she moved her golden gaze to Caillen’s. She folded her ears down a bit as she leaned her face in towards his chest. Her hands rested gently on his before she moved her gaze back down to their hands. The dark princess wasn’t sure if the dog had ever been happy to have a moment like this and hoped that she was at least making him happy until the storm let up. Speaking of the storm, it looked like the rain was beginning to stop and soon he would be able to leave. Seeing as the jackal was near home, there was no need for her to leave just yet.

Caillen spoke again and asked about her mask as well as complimenting her again. She looked to the mask laying in her lap and shook her head gently. ”I don’t know why… I just went out one day and found it… I thought it looked so cool so I kept it and decided to wear it.” The jackal moved the mask aside before moving her hands back. She paused before speaking again. ”Caillen, are you happy?”

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Her answer seemed fair enough. The mask was rather cool, but Caillen liked her face better without it - She had beautiful eyes, and such fair features. The youth didn't want to seem prudent, though, so he kept the thought to himself. If Sepirah liked her masquerade, then he did too. After she placed the mask aside and snuggled back into their strange half-embrace, however, the dark princess asked him a question that through the wandering prince offguard. Sky-blue eyes widened slightly, and he peered down at her quickly, as if to ask where such an inquiry had come from. But she was watching him with her pretty golden eyes, so the young male swallowed hesitantly, and thought about the question for a moment before replying.


"I dinnae... I dinnae know." He lifted one hand to rub pensively at his face, and for just a moment revealed how truly troubled and weary he was by recent events. There were dark shadows growing beneath his eyes, the sparkling blue depths of which were shadowed and disturbed. "I mean, yes, with you, but... But there is..." He sighed, not knowing how to explain to her when he couldn't understand it himself. After a moment, the wolfdog rested his chin on the top of her head, which was leaning against his shoulder. He took a deep breath.


"There is something I have tae do, Sepirah, and it's not a good thing. There is a mess I have tae clean up, and a wrong that I have tae put right." The arm wrapped about her tightened slightly, as if the thought of leaving this strange haven distressed him. His other hand, that which had rubbed his face, now toyed with the sharp antler-tips of the antlers that lay beside him in the dirt. "I dinnae know... If I'm strong enough tae do it." His accented voice was disconcerted, and it sounded sad. He paused for a moment, distractedly drawing imaginary patterns in the black fur of her arm with the hand wrapped about her. "D'you think, if I came back here... D'you think we could see each-other again?"

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Sepirah could see the uneasiness in his eyes as he tried to answer her question. She wondered why he was acting like this. Perhaps something happened in the past to the male that made him act this way. The dark princess smiled and dared to snuggle against him. He was too kind and soft to have something done to him. She wanted him to be happy, but not uncomfortable to be with her. Caillen was so kind to her and she felt so safe in his arms. The jackal closed her golden eyes before laying her head on the male’s chest fully. She could feel his head on top of her as they laid together. The dark woman wished the moment would never end.

Sepirah paused when she heard him speak again. She opened her eyes and looked up to him. There was something he had to do and she knew this was coming. She couldn’t keep him here in the den forever. He was still uneasy about what he had to do. The dark princess moved her ears back up a bit before holding his hands in hers. ”Don’t worry about it Caillen. Whatever it is you have to do, I’m sure you’ll be able to pull though. I believe in you and I’m sure you’re strong enough.” The jackal ventured to give him a lick on the cheek to boost his confidence. Perhaps she was being too affectionate. She pulled back a bit and just laid her head against him.

Caillen’s next statement surprised Sepirah. He wondered if he came back here that they’d be able to see each other. In reality, the dark princess wanted to see the male again. She nodded before she spoke. ”Of course you can. I’ll be here. This can be our special meeting place.” The jackal looked outside to see the rain stopping. She closed her eyes once more and folded her ears down. ”Looks like the rain has stopped… you’ll have to be on your way then huh…?”

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