Last kiss
#1
He had been walking the borders again and again. In theory it was to protect them. In reality, what could one angry and depressed scholar do? Hell, he hadn't even realized what a danger Liam would grow to he for the pack, for Tameri. He let out a bitter sigh as he paused by the grave of the tiny girl he'd adopted. Hope it's nice where you are, baby girl. Sorry I didn't protect you better. I wanted to. I was looking forward to you being a big sister. I know you were too.. He touched the overturned dirt gently, closing his eyes.

After a while kneeling, he stood. With lowered head and slumped shoulders, he made his way back to the now cold house he once shared with his family and now only shared with his pregnant mate and her pets. He paused on the steps looking at her collection of skulls. For a moment, a sweet scent ticked his nostrils. Tameri? But there was no way. It was then he noted the blue painted skull. His hackles raised. Sky wouldn't have, would she?

He barged in the house, the door slamming shut behind him. He roared his mates name, his hands clenched to tight fists at his side. SKY! GET OVER HERE!. Fury made him quiver all over, his tail raised high as if she were omega and he alpha.
#2
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The Witch Doctor
If you tip me my tank is on empty
no patience is in me and if you abide me?
I'm liftin' you ten feet, in the air.


The problem with Taliesin's reaction was mostly the tail. The moment the sleepy mother-to-be heard the roar of her mate, she stood to hobble downstairs, grouchy at the time. Her eyes were half-lidded, tail lazily dragged behind her as she came down the steps one and a time. "Tal, I swear. I was just about to go down for a nap, so this better be--"

She stopped when she saw his posture. At first, she wanted to back down, tail tucked and whimpering. Then she realized something; they'd stayed in d'Arte. There was no right to be had for him to try that one on her.

Her teeth flashed and hackles lifted in a well-trained flash of dominance, her tail flagging up and claws digging into the banister. "I don't know what's gotten your balls twisted, Taliesin, but you'd better take a second to remember your fucking rank." Mate or not, Sky would always, ALWAYS, hold her rank above all else. It was the only thing that really kept her there, anymore.

"Don't fucking test me, Tal. I love you but you can live without an ear." And the scary part was, she'd actually go that far. If he ignored her warnings, she'd rip his damn ear off for it; maybe next time, he'd learn to listen. Hopefully, though, it wouldn't come to that.
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WORD COUNT :: 000 || HERE COMES THE DRAMA LLAMA! Big Grin

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#3
She came down the stairs, and all he'll broke loose between the mates. She snarled at him, and rather than backing down he took a step closer, his fury driving him to be incautious. This was a side only Shaw had seen, the day the two had fought. Common sense and reason were both on vacation as the scholar reacted on grief driven emotions. He growled in his throat. Mother had taught him to never hit a woman, to treat them with care and caution. Both Makea and Kira had taught him that women were all insane in their own ways.

Tal glared at Sky, his claws digging into his palms. What did you do, Sky? What gives you the right to mount my daughters skull on the porch like some trophy in Inferni?. He was furious, angry beyond measure. The display of tameris skull, to the Rhiannon male, was as horrifying as the manner in which the child had died.

He had been warned time after time by his mother to watch his temper, to watch his anger. She had warned him he had anger from both sides of his parentage, that it would be hard but that he could and needed to do it. This here was another of the rare occasions where he didn't care what his mother had to say about a situation. He reacted with his emotions first, rather than his thoughts and reason.
#4
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The Witch Doctor
If you tip me my tank is on empty
no patience is in me and if you abide me?
I'm liftin' you ten feet, in the air.


His snarled words stung for a moment. Tammy's skull? Sanja rumbled in sick amusement behind her thoughts and she remembered. Her eyes went blank for a moment before she flagged her tail yet again and snarled back at her mate. "If she were worn there as a trophy, then I'd have painted her black or red like the others." No denial, simply a refusal to back down.

"Tameri was taken from us, Tal. By a cold-blooded murderer. It would've been cruel to just bury her and forget her, like everyone else." Her voice steadied a bit. "It's a tradition you wouldn't understand. Just leave it alone."

Her eyes flicked to his posture, the clenched fists, the angry expression and she flashed him those teeth again, split tongue lashing out to wet them. "And lower your fucking tail, Taliesin, before I remove it completely. Rank before words!" In other words, 'know your fucking place'. Sky was anything but impressed.
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WORD COUNT :: 000 || Rawr.

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#5
She didn't deny it, and he felt a wave of disbelief intermingled with his fury. A tradition? I never agreed to this,Sky. My traditions are that you bury the body intact so the spirit can join Rhiannon. You have damned Tameri to wander as a ghost. When she snarled at him, screaming at him to remember his rank, he snarled back. Until the capitana announces otherwise we are both masters in our rank. Equals. Threaten me again and you will be sorry.

Would he actually hurt his mate? No. Some things were ingrained too deeply to be ignored. He wouldnt hurt her.

He growled deeply in his throat as he pivoted on his toes, marching out the door. He picked up the blue painted skull, cradling it to his chest. He would make this right. He would bury Tameri's skull with the remainder of her body. As he held the skull, he could have sworn he heard her sweet voice whimper his name.

Don't worry baby, I'll make this right. I'll put you to rest baby girl.
#6
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The Witch Doctor
If you tip me my tank is on empty
no patience is in me and if you abide me?
I'm liftin' you ten feet, in the air.


Oh, hells no! She watched him pivot and leave, grabbing the blue painted skull on the way out and murmuring about putting her to rest.

To rest? NO! Sky, despite being pregnant, rushed after him and, unlike her mate, she had no qualms with knocking some sense into him.

As soon as she'd caught up to him, she'd strike out with a firm fist to his side, a snarl echoing the action. If fist connected or not, she'd circle around to block his path, livid and baring her teeth.

"Put her back." She demanded, voice dripping venom. "Put her back or so help me, I will lock you out of the house until our pups are grown and old!" It was a dangerous game they seemed to be playing...

Sanja, in the meanwhile, was screeching. That skull was important and having Taliesin remove it from it's place on the post was a tragedy in itself. The reason Sky had even bothered to put it there was because of the dark voice in her head, screaming and yelling for her to make things right.

The skulls had to be kept. If not, the souls would never rest. The body was a chain and the soul's casing, the skull, had to be seperate for them to rest in peace...

...at least, that's what Sanja told her. And that's what she was forced to believe with every fiber of her being.
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WORD COUNT :: 000 || Yup.

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#7
(This is what happens when two wolves of different beliefs become mates. Lol)

The fist to the side was a shock, and the male snapped at the sir between his mate and himself. Her threat made his eyes narrow, his ears pinning back in anger. You will not keep me from our pups, Sky. . He held the skull to his chest protectively. He squared his shoulders, staring at his mate. He refused to back down. He would lay the child to rest.

Fury raged unchecked as his mate stood in his way. A hand reached out, pushing her out of his way. Whether he succeeded in pushing her or not, he would try to get around her, the tiny skull clutched closely. You expect me to believe this is some kind of tradition? Where are your sons, then? Why didn't you keep them as trophies too?

I will rebury her. And so help me if you dig her up again, I will never forgive you. He could deal with her hitting him. He could dal with pretty much anything else she would do to him. But desecrating the child's skull was nearly unforgivable to him.
#8
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The Witch Doctor
I'll drown their children
in their own blood.


The push triggered something. Sanja's screaming silenced and it took a lot of Sky's own concentration not to give into the urge to shift into secui; she'd not kill her unborns over this.

Then he said something unforgivable.

It wasn't a punch this time. She darted to block his path again, her eyes having a slight glimmer to them, rage, silence. She swung at him, aiming to connect claws with his face, and if hand connected, she'd stand there, teeth no longer showing... but a mixture of anger and hurt showing in her eyes.

"How dare you." Her voice was flatter than it'd ever been. "Luke and Haiden were born too early for me to protect them. They died inside of me." She stated, almost factually.

Then she snapped. "IF YOU WOULD JUST LISTEN TO ME, I'D TELL YOU WHY I DID IT!" Her hackles were flat, her tail limp, teeth no longer bared... but she was in the same amount of emotional pain that she'd been in during her time in AniWaya.

She'd never expected such cold words from the only wolf she trusted. She'd never expected to be shot down like that. "If you bury her now, she'll never find paradise." There wasn't a hint of dishonesty in her voice. To her, it was as true as the sun in the morning and the moon at night.

As long as she held onto the shell that held their soul, she'd be able to guide them to paradise. Too young. Tammy and Haiden and Luke... they were all too young to know the way. She was their mother. She had to be the one to show them how to get there. Deep down, this was what she believed. No one else knew these stories; they'd all come from Sanja... but to her, it was the only truth there was.
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WORD COUNT :: 000 || ...yup. xD

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#9
His face took on an expression of rage as she slapped him, her claws digging furrows into his flesh. And then his face went blank, his expression carved from cold marble. Mismatched eyes stared at her. The only thing soft about him was the tender way he held the skull. He stared at his mate, suddenly understanding the fury of his own parent's arguments. After she was done speaking he was silent a moment.

Finally, he spoke. You are wrong. If I leave her like this she will not be able to join the good spirits in Rhiannons light. She must be fully returned to the earth. He stared at Sky a moment longer, his expression cold and distant. Move. His voice remained cold and hard, lacking the warmth he usually felt towards her.

Tal really did live her, he just didn't understand how she could fail to see the rightness of what he spoke of. His beliefs had been handed down from generation to generation. He wouldn't budge an inch on this. He would rebury Tameri, and then he would build a cairn of stones over her body. He wouldn't see her dug up again. Not by scavengers and not by his own
Mate. It was wrong.
#10
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The Witch Doctor
God's not divine. He's sadistic.


And then it all came out.

"No, I'm not. There's no Rhiannon. There's no great diety. The spirits have only one thing to look forward to and that's paradise. If my Tammy doesn't have my help to find paradise, she won't make it. I need to guide her there. You can't put her into the ground again. She'll be lost forever. I'll never get to see my baby again, just like I'll never see my boys. Taliesin, you have to listen to me, please." Her words were a mile a minute. She'd given up arguing.

Now she was pleading.

"Where was your Rhiannon when your own son became a monster? Where was he when Tammy was murdered? If your Rhiannon exists, why do you even trust him!? He let our baby die!" Greif. Anger. Mourning.

"The others will protect her. Please, don't... don't cast her away.... don't..." A sharp kick from her belly told her she was done yelling, her hand moving to her stomach unconciously. Eyes closed and head lowered. "...don't abandon our baby, Tal...."
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WORD COUNT :: 000 || x:

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#11
((WC:3+ Sheesh. Drama queens, the both of them.))

Her words were a slap in the face. "There's no Rhiannon. There's no great deity." Granted, they had never discussed their personal beliefs. Still, that she would openly belittle his belief galled him. He stared at her, his eyes cold sharp points. He held the little skull tighter to him. His own hurt and rage poured out of him.

"For generations the Rhiannon family has honored the Goddess Rhiannon, Sky. Rhiannon took my mother from the clutch of death and returned her to Soran. Rhiannon only grants that which a wolf asks for. She does not give what is not earned. Tameri was never presented properly, never taught to honor her. Rhiannon protected Liam and myself from perishing in the blizzard along with Brighid. Rhiannon brought you and I together at a time we both needed someone to love. Rhiannon blessed us with the litter you are carrying. If you want to see Tameri again, you need to let me return her to the ground, to perform the rituals to ease her spirit along the way. The rituals will not work if she is not buried properly, you childish fool."

Yes, he had said it, he had called his mate a child and a fool. The open claw marks from her slap dripped blood onto the tiny skull, staining his fur in small patches.

His voice trembled with rage as he stepped towards his mate, his ears back as if he would physically snap at her any moment. "Liam is tainted. The insanity his mother carried was too strong. I failed him, just as I failed to protect Tameri. Let me do right by her now, Sky."

Her movement to hold her slightly swollen belly wasn't unnoticed. However it was misinterpreted. In Tal's grief stricken mind, he saw her movement as protecting the pups from him. His eyes narrowed, his face turning away from her, his form trembling with suppressed hurt and anger. And then he snapped, his head flying up, his eyes wild. "I am not like Lucifer, damnit! I will not harm you or our pups! Now, fucking move!"
#12
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The Witch Doctor
When the voice in your head is your only friend...
Shut out the world and let it all come to an end.


His speech about Rhiannon was heard but she didn't believe a word of it. She believed better of her mate. He was stronger than he thought he was and putting the survival of his mother, himself, even the monster before he'd turned dark, all on some unknown force... but she didn't believe it for a moment. Then, as she was about to correct him, to tell him he'd done all that, that Deuce had survived because she too was strong... he called her a fool and a child and it stung. Torn ears disappeared in tangled blond hair and she visably winced, eyes narrowing.

He went on. He spoke of Liam's insane mother, how he'd failed to protect Tammy and failed to keep Liam out of insanity's grasp. At first, she was going to cave, going to give in...

...and then he snapped at her. Lucifer. She knew that name. It had been mentioned once, but she couldn't for the life of her remember where and who by. Maybe just rumors or talk or--

"No." There it was. That stubborn attitude. "Rhiannon has nothing to do with this, Taliesin. What kind of GOD lets a child die just because she wasn't a follower!?" She was yelling again. "If there is a Rhiannon, then DAMN HER!" Ouch

"Damn her and damn them all! Fuck the gods! They've done nothing but shovel shit into my face my entire life, if they exist at all! Where was this great RHIANNON when my mother died!? When my own sister abandoned me!? When my sons died!?" Yelling? No, now she was screaming. "I've lost too many, TOO MANY, of my family to let myself believe in some fucking undead bitch ruling over us!"

And then it slipped. "Sanja's the proof I need for the spirits and he's the only god damn thing I've got left to protect this family! So help me, if you don't turn your ass around and put Tameri back on her resting spot, I will add your fucking skull to the post with the rest of red marked!"

And then, silence. She hadn't meant it and when she realized her words, she froze, anger vanishing from her face in place of terror. ...no. No, I didn't-

A hand reached out carefully and she let out a whine. "Tal... Tal, I didn't mean it..." More kicks. She backed away without trying to touch, stepping aside and lowering her head, holding back a shudder with both hands on her stomach. No more yelling. "...just... just go."

Sky flung her arm towards the way he'd been going and glared at him coldly, though the anger wasn't there. "I don't fucking care anymore. I'm done." And then she closed her eyes and turned her head away, not wanting to look anymore.

I'll wake up in the morning. It's all just a bad dream, right? Tammy's not dead. Tal's not angry at me. I'll wake up and it'll all be over... right?

"You have never been so wrong before in your life, my dear Sky..."

A whimper. "...just... leave me alone..."

WORD COUNT :: 000 || Sky wins at drama queen. x: Just sayin'. Also, Sanja finally says something for once, though not out loud. It's all in her head. ._.

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#13
Her temper, her attitude... he stared at her as if she were a stranger. And then the name. Sanja. The rest of her words tore his heart out. Who was this Sanja? Why was he the only one who could protect their family? And her threat... His head ached as he wordlessly stared at her. She demanded he leave? He bit his lip, watching his mate, his unfaithful mate, turn her back. Leave her alone? Anger and heartache filled him again, replacing the cold void. "Fine! I will leave."

He'd go stay with his mother and Soran. Maybe they could give some insight into what his mate was thinking, what his mate was doing. And yet, the name resounded in his head, the foreign name. Sanja. The mystery male who had come in and stolen his mate. He didn't know when she had done it, he didn't know how or why, but it was obvious. She had in fact, been unfaithful. He'd sworn eternal loyalty to her, and she had betrayed him.

As she closed her eyes and turned her head away, he stormed off the porch. Her grave wasn't far, and he hurried to it. He reverently set the tiny skull down, then began digging down, digging out a hole for Tameri's skull. He kissed the top of the skull and placed it in the hole, covering it tenderly, as if he were simply putting the pup in bed.

He sat there for a moment. Overhead, the stars glittered mockingly. He began speaking softly, "Grant, O Goddess thy protection, And in Protection, Strength; And in Strength, Understanding; And in Understanding, Knowledge; And in Knowledge, the Knowledge of ..." His voice broke, and he paused, his face buried in his hands. After a moment, he continued.

"The knowledge of Justice: And in the Knowledge of Justice, the Love of it; And in the Love of it, the Love of All Existences; And in the Love of All Existences, the Love of Goddess and Goodness. Rhiannon, take my Tameri into your arms. Keep her safe in your light. May I someday rejoin her in you light and your love."

He swallowed, then lifted his head and let an anguished and pained howl fall from his lips. He mourned his family, Tameri and Liam. He mourned the betrayal of Sky. He mourned the loss of trust, of hope. Tal mourned.

After his howls had subsided, he began piling rock upon rock over the grave. He had to travel further and further away to gather them, but he kept on trekking and placing the rocks. The sun was rising now, and he closed his eyes for a moment. His mate didn't want him. He would go stay with his mother. Let the bitch keep up on things around the house, let her see what he did for her. Let her see just how much this Sanja person does for her compared to what he does for her. Fuck it.

Tal turned and began the trek to Crimson Dreams. He'd come back in a little while, but he needed his own space for now.
#14
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The Witch Doctor
Burn like the fire that scorches me inside.
Burn like the devil that's hidden here beside.
Shut out the world and let it all come to an end.


She didn't watch him go. Stubborn pride kept her eyes on the ground, ears pinned. As his scent faded into lingering plumes, she knew he'd left. "...what have you done now, Sanja?" She murmured, turning to go back inside but pausing at the post. One less skull. No Tammy.

"She'll move on, Sky. What Taliesin's done has no change in what will come to be. Listen." Sanja whispered, keeping his dark voice soft in her ears. She turned her head to the sky and sure enough, her mate's anguished howl filled the air. She wanted to return the sound but no voice could be found. "Show no weakness. We're on our own now, Sky. He won't be back."

The thought made her stomach turn and she lurched over the side of the deck's railing, vomiting what was left of her dinner. After a few dry heaves, she whimpered and knelt there, hands gripping the railing above her tightly, claws digging into the worn wood.

"...why won't... why won't anyone ever stay..." She murmured, voice choked with tears.

"They're fools. They don't see the treasure they hold in you. Let them wander. You got what you wanted out of him, anyway."

"Shut up."

Silence. Only the sounds of the winter's night reached her now. If anyone were awake from the yelling, they were ignoring it. There was nothing anyone could do when two mates fought.

Sky was glad that, for once, no one would come to her rescue.

"Momma?" A tiny voice, tired and not quite canine. Fella. The little bobcat sat in the doorway, eyes gleaming in the starlit darkness.

She forced a smile. "What are you doing downstairs? It's too late. Go back to bed."

"Where's Taliesin?"

"He went to visit a friend in another pack. He'll be back in a few days. Go on, now. I'll be up in a moment."

"...kay." The kitten turned to hop up the stairs, too tired to bother asking anymore questions. He'd heard the yelling, the fighting, the wretching sound his 'mother' made. But her smile was reassuring. She'd been sick the first few days of her belly growing. Maybe that's all it was?

It left Sky alone on the porch, now turned to sit on the staircase. For hours she sat there, not daring to move, hoping he'd come back. Hoping that Sanja was wrong for once.

"...damn you, Rhiannon. If you exist... you've stolen away every piece of my family. My mates. My children." She growled, teeth flashing in the darkness. "Damn you, undead witch. If you ever take hold in my home again, I'll burn every last piece of your existance. You hear me!?"

"I'LL BURN YOU!" Enraged howl filled the early morning sky, signalling the end of her greiving. Tameri was dead. Taliesin was gone. Liam was a traitor, a demon. She still had her pups and her Fella to worry about, though. Her place in the pack. There would always be those in need of protection and she'd be the one to give it.

WORD COUNT :: 000 || Aaand a good place to end the thread. :3 Dramaomnom.

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