ooc: ahh, get offa mah woman! :<
I've got soul but I'm not a soldier
It was barely morning, and yet, Slay was wide awake. He huffed impatiently, pale eyes watching the pallid light filter through the stained windows of the church. Cercelee was out. She was often out and about at odd hours, knowing that he slept at odd hours anyway, and rarely noticed her absence. But tonight, he couldn't sleep a wink, and here it was, dawn. With a discontent grumble, he rose to his wide paws, and padded along the cool stone floor, nosing his way out the door.
It was a bit of a relief to be on all fours again, after having spent so much time trying to master the balance required to walk as a werewolf. The price for the exchange, though, was the constant aching tiredness; he was already yawning thinking about it. Little wonder his packmates thought him lazy, those who knew he existed at all. He could take naps anywhere, really -- whether he wanted to or not. Shaking vigorously to clear his thoughts, the piebald wolf took off, loping at an easy pace into the heart of his packlands. Maybe he could catch his mate on her way home, and surprise her. She never knew when to expect him up. Although she seemed a bit moody lately, a little more unpredictable... Hopefully nothing had incurred her ire this morning.
The sun was just coming over the horizon, washing the land in warm orange and red hues, when he rounded a crest and saw them. Cercelee and Haku, leaders of Dahlia de Mai, his superiors. Slay immediately drew to a halt, certain that they had not seen him yet. They were too far away for him to hear their words, but neither of them looked pleased. Had something happened? He shouldn't be here, lest it upset the Lilium. He could never trust Haku -- not for all the rumors and horror stories, but simply because of Slay's natural mistrust of men. The chauvinism, the brutality, he couldn't stand his own gender. The Tilia hesitated, lingering on the outskirts of the scene. They were getting riled up. Haku bullied forward, aggression in his looming stance, and immediately Slay remembered the night of the fight, Cercelee's pelt matted and pink with blood. He couldn't let that happen again.
"Hey, Cercelee, there you are!" he barked, false cheer brightening his voice. He bounded noisily onto the scene, deliberately pretending not to notice Haku until the last moment. He would rather be seen as a clumsy idiot as long as it diffused the tension. It was fairly obvious that he knew what was going on, though, as he drew warily against his mate's side. He was bigger than Haku, but Corvus's talons had taught him the cruel lesson that he was anything but a fighter. The black and white male swallowed, straining to smile harmlessly as he nudged Cer, urging her to stand down. "Am I interrupting something?"
