so we can stand and face the fire
burning higher and higher
Word Count → 383
Despite his often gruff demeanor and the confident way he held himself, Wayne McCoy was still just a young man, a couple months shy of two years old. He knew his way around horses but not so much around other luperci, even if it was a skill he was slowly regaining during his time with the pack. Here, however—far from home, standing on this mountain before the strong Ichikan woman—he was aware of his shortcomings. He hated the stumble in his tongue and the uncertainty he was presenting to her, and so he stood just a little bit taller to make up for it as her watchful molten-gold eyes rose from the sun glyph to him.
Her laughter caught him off guard but also helped him to loosen up; the hard line of his mouth softened into a wary smile, which grew only stronger when her shoulder leaned into his leg. He lowered himself to a knee, resting his arm across the bent leg, to get closer to her level then. He might have shifted to match her four-legged shape, but it would be a hassle to remove his jeans, and so instead he made this compromise, his brown eyes seeking her smile.
Her question gave him pause, but the thoughtfulness of his gaze was not because of any particular doubts. Wayne reached back to scratch at his dirty blonde hair under the cowboy hat before answering: “Honestly, I don’t really wanna ever need to fight. I’m fine just tendin’ to horses and workin’ where I need to.” He straightened his posture again despite his lowered position, his voice growing stronger and more confident despite its low volume. “But… I have loved ones I want to be able to protect.” His mind flashed to his beloved Dixie-May, so strong for her petite size and girlish demeanor and yet someone he was driven to want to care for. “I wanna be ready to fight for the values of my pack and for those who can’t defend themselves. I don’t wanna be useless when the time comes.” He shrugged a muscular shoulder. “I wanna be more than I am, stronger.” He wanted to grow, to become the man he’d already thought he was, back even when he was pining after the Samoyed girl.
<style type="text/css">
.silhowayne b {font-weight:bold; color:#740d02; letter-spacing:1px;}
.silhowayne p.ooc {font-size: 11px; text-align:left; padding:0px 30px;}
.silhowayne p.ooc + p {padding:0px 5px;}
.silhowayne .wc {text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold; color:#740d02;}
.silhowayne .name {font-size:60px; font-family: 'Shadows Into Light'; text-align:right; text-shadow:#000000 1px 1px 1px; color:#740d02; margin:0px 50px 120px 0px;}
.silhowayne .words {font-size:30px; font-family: 'Shadows Into Light'; text-align:right; text-shadow:#000000 1px 1px 1px; color:#740d02; line-height:20px; padding:0px 15px 5px;}
.silhowayne p {text-indent:25px; padding:5px 20px; margin:0px;}
.silhowayne .text {font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size:12px; color:#3a1604; line-height:16px; letter-spacing:.5px; text-align:justify; text-shadow:#de8a16 0px 0px 3px; padding:5px 0px 80px 0px; }
.silhowayne {width:100%; margin:0px auto; max-width:730px; background-color:#de8a16; background-image:url(http://i.imgur.com/PUdGI.png); background-position:bottom left; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:1px solid #000000;}
</style>
[/html]