WC:800
Even with the events that had happened recently, even with his mate having returned, and even with the realization that he hadn’t actually be demoted it still ate at him. Saluce wasn’t terrible and looking at this one sided anymore. He had known that his mate had only been trying to cement her leadership, but he had never guessed his own part to play in this would have brought so much hardship to him and then by proxy to her. He still didn’t understand why she had chosen to act as she had. Saluce himself had had some of his own ideas but what had been disheartening to him were her actions after he had left. To have come off her stance and given in.
It was his fault he assumed, if he hadn’t had stormed off, his presence remaining would have helped her. But he had left her, and had even told her to take off the gift that had meant so much to their relationship. As far as talking to her since she had returned he had not, only enough to tell her about the raid on their stables. Saluce hadn’t been surprised, unsure of if anyone had been checking the borders. Without him being able to, he didn’t know for sure, didn’t know if any in Ichika had or if any trespassers had come along. But he assumed the borders had been really left to themselves, not sure if even Jace had been lurking along them. It was a tight line to walk, being a warrior, one who protected those he wished to keep from harm or for those whom he wanted to keep from being stained. But today he was for the first time in two weeks feeling slightly better physically.
The shoulder he had been nursing lately had made some improvements, although the sling still adorned his right side. Walking had become easier and his headaches had lessoned as the stress of everything seemed to slowly wilt away into a forlorn sense of loss. He loved her that much was for sure, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for the dominant personality he was to come to terms with it. Or was he really enjoying the separation, the feeling of being in some wall culturally distant from her. It was during his thinking though that an owl decided to show up, one he loathed at times and one he still had to put up with. With it the owl brought its smaller companion the owl X’y had given him in return for the collar. The little owl had stayed away from him, probably because of X’y’s damn beast telling her to stay away. Blues looked up at the big male and a seething look was given in return when the owls seemed to burn right back.
The damn thing knew more of what was going on than most anyone and yet he had always hated him for stealing away the golden woman. No amount of Saluce’s good will or his behavior toward her whether bad or even good had never so much as procured any favor from the owl. He dismissed the damned thing with a wave of his good hand as he started to walk on toward the den site. But it wasn’t enough the owl fluttered it’s wings and took flight.
Saluce ignored the sounds until the sharp stinging pain of talons sinking into flesh snapped his attention back to his shoulder and the bird whom had decided to perch himself almost purposefully on his bad shoulder. It’s eyes bore back to him, even as his good arm tried to reach up to swipe it away only to be rewarded by the tightening of his claws. Obviously he was stuck trying to figure out what this damn thing wanted. When his arm fell back down to his side the claws retreated back to a dull ache upon his shoulder, and another flutter of wings and his bird swooped down and landed harshly on his opposite shoulder.
Saluce shook his head, growling agitated now, as both birds stared at him. He turned to move away from the den then but was rewarded yet again with the tightening of talons and the big male owls wings unfurling and batting him in the face. The behemoth had never considered trying the meat of an owl but today sounded as good a day as any to snap his fangs around the birds neck, but he turned back toward the den, knowing the grip would be lessoned. He was learning, even if he couldn’t communicate with these birds like X’y could what they wanted him to do. And yet he stopped and glared yet again, the owl simply increased the pressure once again, its eyes looking curiously back, wondering if Saluce would test his patience again.
Image courtesy of Frau Böb@Flickr; table by the Mentors!
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