Hi hi hi! +521
Once again, the Captain had found himself with new unexpected responsibility in the Court. However, rather than a new set of duties or a horse to feed and exercise, he was stuck with another Luperci to take care of. Since bringing the girl into the pack, he’d had to hunt for her while she recovered from her assault and otherwise support her in those first few days she remained curled in a ball and trembling in the hotel room adjacent to his. Eventually Keziah had gotten well enough to walk out and about, but the black-and-tan dog was timid around the rest of the pack and tended to shadow him like a duckling. It was very strange, but Skoll couldn’t honestly say he minded; he was only glad that he’d finally managed to sort of help someone out of the darkness, and he had faith that she’d fully recover and either become a full part of the pack or leave eventually.
Darkness had fallen over the Kingdom, bringing with it a bitter chill that tasted of the first frosts of an upcoming winter. Leaves rustled like ghosts in the shadows, and the blond man’s ears swiveled as he jogged on two legs through the territory. His realm was that of sunlight, but with his brother withdrawn after their mother’s death Skoll found himself pacing through the night, too. He thought it was more dangerous, more deserving of scrutiny, and he didn’t want to miss a thing no matter what hour of the day it was.
He heard footsteps behind him and slowed, glancing over his shoulder to the woman following him. Keziah’s shoulders were hunched, her hands rubbing up and down her arms to warm herself as the wind cut through her short fur. She looked miserable, her blue eyes squinted against the wind, and Skoll frowned as he stopped and turned to her. “You can go back to the hotel, you know,” he said wearily, but she only shook her head.
“Your fur’s a glowstick in the dark, y’know what I’m sayin’?” Keziah quipped, her voice full of false bravado. “Gotta be your shadow; bears ’re gonna see ya, but they ain’t gonna see me.”
Skoll offered her a courteous grin, knowing full well she was cold and scared and probably just didn’t want to walk back to the hotel all by herself. He appreciated her good humor, however, and so continued to walk though at a pace she could manage too. He kept his eye out for anything interesting along the way as he walked toward the borders, believing that this night would be uneventful, until a dark shape looming at the edge of the territory startled him. His ears snapped back against his mane, and Keziah froze, her chest heaving with shallow breaths as she followed his green gaze.
“Hail,” Skoll called in as impressive a voice he could muster, changing direction to approach the shadow. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” His nostrils flared to take in the stranger’s scent, catching a familiar tinge to it but nothing that smoothed his hackles just yet.
Image manipulated by Cait; table code by the Mentors!
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