WARNING: This thread contains material exceeding the general board rating of PG-13. It may contain very strong language, drug usage, graphic violence, or graphic sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.
[/html]
[html]
Shandom Qi’Vaex-Nightslayer
Word Count → 389 :: m to be safe, yeah?
There was absolutely no use in denying it anymore, Shandom concluded as he walked the now familiar path to Anathema. He couldn't get Naniko D'Angelo out of his head. The Anatheman Angela was perhaps his closest friend and confidant, and was among the elite few that he could realistically see himself trusting. She was a lovely woman, vibrant and self assured - but that was, after all, what came with being the leader of such a ... large pack. Relations between Anathema and New Dawn were still rather non-existant, much to Shandom's trepidation, but the Gamma was glad his duties to the pack often gave him an excuse to see the woman.
Plus, he was a man. And men had certain needs, needs that, for him, had not been satiated in what felt like too long. Shandom was already out of New Dawn, and getting closer and closer to Anathema - why not, then, come and see his dear and beautiful friend Naniko? He was sure she was aware of the tension that existed between the two. When she'd visited New Dawn when the winter was still strong, Shandom could easily sense the palpable electricity that radiated between the two. Of course, it was possible that Shandom was completely manufacturing this in his own, sex-deprived brain, but regardless - the Gamma wanted to see her, not only for her friendship, but for her lovely body as well.
He'd shifted once he was mere footsteps from the Anatheman border, falling upon hands and knees when the transition was finished. Pale, alabaster hair fell in a shaggy curtain around his eyes, and the handsomely scarred man irritably shook it away from his face. It was one of his least favorite things about the Optime form he naturally avoided, and yet he was remiss to do anything about it for fear of what it would do to his actual body. He saw many canines, male and female alike, altering the strange thing, but Shandom couldn't see himself ever doing it. He'd simply have to get accustomed to hair in his eyes.
Tilting his head back, Shandom called for Naniko, naming himself and asking for her. The last time he'd been here, they'd talked and laughed in her den for a while. He was eager to do that again - and perhaps more.
It was a wonder what one plant could do; the properties of this one were unknown to her for the most part, but she appreciated it all nonetheless. That she could smoke a plant that grew from the ground and receive so many various benefits. It was getting to the point where she didn't want to function without it, though she still could if she ran out or had to get by. It cured her insomnia, making her able to sleep at night...and it brought her a hearty appetite that supported the daily exercise that she got from trekking around the borders. It also took away a bit of the normal social anxiety that she felt, and put her into a bright and cheerful mood most of the time. She could do without the stuff, but more and more she found herself falling into small bouts of depression or anxiety if she didn't have at least a little bit to smoke. It was a natural cure to her various ailments.
The Angela hadn't left her territory in a long while, having settled into the day-to-day that came with being a leader of a pack. She no longer had pups to care for, her children grown and into the adult ranks of the pack, and had less responsibility than ever before with the addition of Aeron as a pack leader. The tan hybrid had proven herself to be loyal to Anathema and her cause time and time again, and such a thing was rewarded in Anathema. She wanted the rest of the pack to emulate that behavior, to do as much as they could to help the pack and support one another through good times and bad.
She had one joint finished, the other half-way gone by the time she managed to track Shandom down after hearing his call. Her heart felt light, and there was a peculiar bounce to her step as she pranced through the woods toward the scarred male. The effects of the plant were strong on her today, and she nearly got distracted down two different paths before she could remember why she'd gone the direction that she'd been heading. Shandom! Shandom was at the border, and he was calling for her. She could almost hear her name on his lips, entwined into the song that he'd sung to announce his arrival at her border. She felt like a fairy as she twirled around in circles through the woods, going a little off-path a couple of times as she leaped and bounded through clearings, over logs and around trees. "Shaaaaandooooooom!" She called out gleefully, shoving her way through brambles to burst out of the woods toward him.
He should have been more tense than he was, standing on foreign borders of a pack that sometimes whispered of darkness, but Shandom was oddly comfortable here; perhaps it was the confident knowledge that its leader cared about him, and would not want to see something awful come to pass for him. Naniko D'Angelo was a good woman, if not in the possession of several secrets of her own, and she brought a smile to the scarred man's face. The trip between New Dawn and Anathema was not a short one, and it was a testament to Shandom's affection for the female that he made it for her. Despite his flaws, Shandom remained a caring and loving man, and those he counted as friends were often friends for life. The Gamma could not say that about many wolves; in the insecure places of his heart, he was concerned Naniko did not count him dear to her. As a leader, she likely had many who she considered close. Such was the way of things.
Still, he stood with his head held high and arms crossed casually over his chest. He would not readily admit it, but Shandom enjoyed this pose because it highlighted the excellent strength of his upper body. In his Optime form, the scarred man had finally concluded that his arms were the most attractive part, and he had decided to flaunt them accordingly. Certainly, he tried not to be over the top about it (and he wasn't at the present moment), but he had to do something to compensate for the jagged flaw that practically ruined him. He had been truly handsome once. It was strange that the years of being a Nightslayer now outnumbered his years as a Qi'Vaex.
That was not a particular thought he wished to dwell upon, and instead he let himself concentrate on the crashing through the woods he assumed would be Naniko. The scent itself was enough to indicate the Angela's arrival, and a wide grin spread over Shandom's scarred face. She soon burst from the woods, his name on her lips, and the smile grew larger - he loved the way his friend spoke about him. Hey, pretty lady. How's my favorite Angela? The Gamma laughed, and spread his arms widely - it was something he'd learned not too long ago, and it was something he liked to call a hug. The beautiful woman was even more striking than normal, with her cares erased by whatever means she'd done it, and Shandom remembered exactly why he'd traveled so far to see her. She looks great, he thought to himself, dark eyes subtly taking in her body. Perhaps it was the lack of sex, or perhaps it was a true connection - regardless, the Gamma would have to force himself to keep the hug platonic.
She didn't know if it was just the drug or if she actually genuinely felt this happy that he had come to visit her. At least, that's what she hoped he was there for after a call like that! Naniko considered marijuana to be a mood enhancer, if anything. It never forced her to feel any certain way...it just put her in a happy mood and let her choose from there. She still had good and bad days, they just didn't get as bad as they could have been. She and a few other pack members had recently brought down a trespasser who had crossed into Anathema's lands after ignoring their borders...that hadn't been a great day.
The last visit that they'd made to one another had gone pretty well, she thought. They'd gone to her den and had conversed for a while before he'd eventually left to go back to New Dawn. She wondered about his position there, at times; there were days that she wished that there wasn't so much land in between them, days where she wanted nothing less but to close her eyes and reopen them to find him standing there. They saw each other fairly often, but she couldn't help but want more than that. "You came to see me?" She'd mentioned her birthday on his last visit, but hadn't thought that he would remember it as she hadn't made a very big deal about the day. Naniko rushed into his arms with ease, hugging onto him tightly and giving a great sigh. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." It had definitely been too long.
Of course I came to see you. Had to see if you still looked the same or if you'd gotten crusty like me after your birthday, Shandom grinned at his friend, winking cheekily as his alabaster tail waving eagerly behind him as he looked at her. He seemed the picture of ease and unabashed joy, and the New Dawn Gamma could only idly wonder why he could not find someone like Naniko in his own pack. So many of his pack-mates were mated - in fact, he was in the distinct minority as a bachelor. It made for some uncomfortable nights in the communal den, knowing that he was one of so very few sleeping alone. Nights like those made him miss the Angela and wish that he could wake up, curled around her protectively, and always have her. Shandom kept these tender thoughts to himself for the most part, knowing the danger of his possible feelings. He couldn't leave New Dawn. He'd helped to found the now strong pack, and was a cornerstone of its success (in his opinion, of course). But he couldn't deny that he spent most of his time in New Dawn alone, lonely and slightly sad. Seeing Naniko was a wonderful remedy for that.
She came into his arms and Shandom's smile softened and became slightly more tender as the Gamma held the lovely woman to him. Naniko was only slightly smaller, not quite delicate like so many of the girls he knew, but she fit well in his arms, and he liked her there. His hand came up briefly to brush the back of her hair, and for a moment his head rested on her shoulder and the Gamma allowed himself to shut his eyes for a moment. This woman made him forget about Linquilea - but, then again, that could just be the hormones speaking. I know, he murmured softly, picking his head up after a second and stepping away from the hug before he turned it into something entirely different. The distance between New Dawn and Anathema is too large. I'm not a fan - I miss you, Shandom spoke candidly, the same shy smile curled around his dark lips. How have you been? How was your birthday? I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner - I'm the worst kind of friend! His tone was light, and slightly self deprecating, but the Gamma wasn't entirely serious. He'd hoped that Naniko would understand.
Word Count: Yaaaay! Your posts inspire me to write so much <3 Feel free to PP them getting there, if you want to! Hope the weather change is OK >
He smelled just as she remembered, and she breathed in deeply as they joined together to hug. Anathema had its own peculiar scent, an earthy smell with overtones of must and fish...and so did New Dawn in its own way. That was especially apparent now; she was so used to the smell of her own lands that his scent stuck out sharply to her sensitive nose. This was not a bad thing, however...she liked the scent and the memories that came with it of their time together in the past. She continued to breathe him in quietly, wanting to take in as much as she could in case he was on some sort of shorter mission and needed to leave.
He confirmed that he was here to stay for at least a little with his first words, and a smile stretched eagerly across her muzzle. When he released her from the hug she had a better chance to really look him over. He looked no worse for the wear since the last time she'd laid eyes on him, and just as handsome as she had remembered. Her heart thudded uncomfortably in her chest for a few moments before she managed to get her emotions back under control. She hadn't been focusing on his words in those moments, her eyes having been traveling every fur-covered contour of his form. Naniko snapped out of her reverie when she realized that he had stopped speaking, and that he'd in fact been asking her a question and saying that he missed her.
It was then that she realized how she must look, without her mane brushed and having just tromped through the woods toward him. She hadn't avoided the bad patches of brambles and seemed to be covered in them now, as well as a bit of dirt. Her fingers went to grasp one as she opened her muzzle to respond to him, tugging it free of her alabaster pelt and tossing it aside. "I missed your company as well. In a pack full of canines I often feel a bit alone...there isn't anyone like you in these lands" He was the one and only Shandom. "My birthday passed without much fuss...Severus figured out when it was and the three youngest had a small party for me. Each one gave me a small gift that they crafted...I've got them back in my den."
At that word, the heavens above lit up with streaks of white arcing over the two canine's heads. She'd been so distracted by the sight of the other that she hadn't noticed the darkening in the clouds overhead. She looked up with surprise for a split second before the rain started, misting her muzzle before she put up her arm to shield herself from it. "I know of a side tunnel we can use to get in! An emergency exit. We'll have to get there fast!" She shivered as a gust of wind swept over the lands, whipping her hair back and forth.
The prideful Gamma nearly chuckled to himself as he continued to take stock of Naniko: in his excitement to see the lovely Angela, he hadn't noticed the dirt and bristles that covered her alabaster body. In normal times, he would have been slightly put off by her rough and tumble appearance, but these were not normal times. Naniko, for one thing, had seen him in all sorts of states of filth. The first time they'd met, so many moons ago, Shandom had been covered in dirt and disgrace because he'd gotten himself stuck in a goddamned root. A ghost of a smile threatened to curl around his lips, but Shandom Qi'Vaex wasn't in the business of looking like a crazy person; he resisted the urge well, and kept his scarred features wholly trained on the woman before him. Gods above, she was lovely in a way he hadn't noticed since he lost his beloved Linquilea. Naniko D'Angelo made his blood rush in much the same fashion Lea did. The thought was frightening.
But her words were enough to make a tender smile curl across his lips. Secretly, Shandom wished he could spend more time in Anathema, if only to be with the woman. He was relieved to hear that her birthday was acknowledged by her three youngest children - the Dawn man would not have been able to forgive himself if the day went unnoticed. For some reason, Naniko's happiness was dear to him; he chalked it up to her simply being a good friend, and nothing more. The reality of anything else terrified the Gamma - he had never particularly cared for someone, especially a female, in such a way. He had felt tenderness towards Keli, and loved the way she smiled, but the arrogant man's heart was never warm towards her the way it'd been warm to Lea - and now, it seemed, his friend Naniko. I wish you didn't have to feel alone, the white man began, his baritone voice soft and slightly sad. If I were closer, I could -
His words were interrupted by a flash of lightening and the sudden opening of the sky, and Shandom whined and nearly flattened his ears against his head before he realized that he had to be less of a child and more of a wolf about this whole experience if he wanted to impress Naniko at all. Lead the way, he practically shouted over the sudden howling of the wind. She wordlessly nodded and ran off, Shandom following with nervous footsteps and near blindness. He quite disliked storms, and he found himself blinking rather rapidly as he tried to keep the falling water out of his eyes. He hated situations like this, when he was rendered even more sightless by nature's cruel shifts of temperament.
The exit wasn't far, and soon Naniko was slipping into a tunnel. Shandom followed soon after, and stopped after several yards in. The rain was no longer whipping at his head, and he could grin at the whole situation. Naturally, he was entirely soaked. Well, that was unexpected, the Gamma laughed, rubbing himself a bit to warm up. It was cooler underground, and it made him slightly uncomfortable to be so chilly. Where to now, Miss D'Angelo?
She did have a few friends in the pack, but Naniko was as much of a loner-type as she was a pack wolf. Some days she wanted to be social and go around to the other dens to visit members of the pack...and other days she wanted nothing but to lay in her bed all day and sleep the day away with no interaction. Her pack duties were what drove her out of bed most of the time, though; she was quite obsessed with the border in particular, after the recent trespassers that they'd dealt with. The pack had ripped them apart, of course...but it didn't help her paranoia.
She wondered for a moment if she smelled of the plant that she had smoked that morning, but shook that thought away. Shandom probably wouldn't care..and he knew she smoked it anyway and didn't seem to really mind. "Not your fault, friend. We see each other when we can." She was in no way pressuring or demanding; it wasn't her style. Naniko knew that friends came and left, that canines came and left. It was a part of life, and there was no use fighting it. It was best to just enjoy the time that she had with Shandom when she had him.
They reached the mouth of the tunnel and climbed inside. She headed straight for her den, stopping to test the air with her nose on occasion. "Not too far". The caves were surprisingly easy to access, for one who knew the tunnels and the paths that they ought to take. To an outsider, though, it could easily seem like they were just walking around in circles. She approached her den and moved the hanging fur aside to allow him entrance. It was not quite as chilly in here as it had been out in the tunnels, her fire flickering in the center of the room. She picked up a few logs from a pile in the corner, adding them to the fire pit and warming her hands up next to it before taking a seat on the bed.
Nani smoothed out a few wrinkles in the furs that layered her mattress in a slightly embarrassed way. Her den definitely wasn't as tidy as it could be, but it was too late for that now. "Sorry it's so messy." She managed to get out, swallowing. Now that she had him here, what would they talk about or do? There wasn't much to do other than talk. She patted a spot on the bed next to her, picking up a large deerskin from the shelf and offering it to him to wrap up in. She wasn't as soaked as he was, it seemed. "I'm glad we managed to avoid the worst of that storm"
Shandom stepped back and let Naniko lead, eagerly following her knowledgeable footsteps. He couldn't imagine living in a place like this and knowing where everything was. It wasn't unpleasant to the white male - he actually thought it was quite nice, the privacy. The sureness of her paws brought a small, private smile to the Gamma's ruined face; Shandom loved a woman who could take charge and live a life independent of others. The Qi'Vaex man thought respect to be a very important quality in any relationship, and he knew he couldn't respect someone if she wasn't comfortable taking care of herself on her own.
Wait, what was he thinking? The Gamma shook his head slightly, clearing away the strange thoughts and instead allowing his chocolate eyes to wander, rather unabashedly, over Naniko's quickly moving form. She kept herself in shape, and the curves of her body told that wonderful story; Shandom found himself having to focus on other, significantly more repulsive things, in order to suppress any physical signs of arousal. Sometimes, he hated the fact that he'd given up his sexual and womanizing ways. The life of a bachelor, at least the style he was living, definitely wasn't one that he wanted. Apparently, it lessened him to leering at pretty women; Shandom preferred to think himself above such things.
They reached her den rather quickly, and though she claimed it was cluttered the Gamma simply shook his head and smiled. It's fine. It's cozy.It's much different from mine, he added internally, still rather confused by the human accouterments that Naniko used to create her home. But it could not be denied that it created a warm and pleasant environment, and the white male gratefully accepted the deerskin she extended to him after she created the fire and promptly sank down next to her. He had not realized exactly how wet he'd gotten waiting for his favorite Angela... But it did not matter.
Me too, Shandom laughed, brushing his dripping hair out of his eyes as he strained to get a better look at her. He wondered how much lovelier she would be to a male with the ability to see out of both eyes. The idea made him nervous; he could not palate the notion of some other male staking his claim to her. Indeed, it made him perhaps a bit more reckless than normal. He laughed suddenly, and spread his arm to her in a gesture he might not have if he were not in such a frisky mood. I'm being impolite. Come, Naniko, you're wet too. Let me share this skin with you - it is yours, after all. His smile was kind and broad, but his eyes twinkled almost mischievously. He wanted to touch her, wrap his arm around her and feel her in ways he hadn't yet before.
B'AWWWW. This is so cute ;_; and inspiring to my muse!
Naniko watched the flames as they flickered in the fire pit, the oranges and yellows reflecting against the jade of her eyes. She had been in many stressful situations in the past, but nothing had ever made hear heart beat as quickly as it was now. Even defending the borders or fighting loners out in neutral territory did not bring her this same kind of rush. She put her hand up to her chest for a moment in thought, wishing to feel the quick beat and verify its strength and tempo. Her heart responded, thudding in her chest...quickening and seeming to skip a beat with every movement that he made. Her mind whirled a thousand miles an hour as she sat completely still, eyes leaving the fire to flicker over his form every couple of seconds as she waited to see what he would do next.
She needed something to do with her hands. White fingers came up to reach for her braid, quickly undoing the tie. Her claws moved easily through the well-brushed mass, separating the braid and allowing it to fall around her shoulders in sharp waves. She ran her fingers through the entirety of it, combing through the soft tresses as he spoke once more. It was cozy, here. She liked to think so as well, with all of the amenities that she'd brought in to spruce the place up. She had not been expecting company or it would have been much neater, though. Her fingers itched to tidy the place up a bit, but she managed to get rid of the urge rather quickly as Shandom's voice reached her ears once more.
Eyes turned to focus on the male in surprise, and she considered the offer for a moment as she looked up to the shelf. Naniko was fixed on a few different "pack traditions" that had come about in the last year or so. She now gave each new member a "starter kit" of sorts when they joined, a bundle that included a nice fur for their den, a few smaller ones, a fire-starting kit, and a pack of meat. They'd had a recent influx of new members, which meant that there weren't very many nice furs sitting up on her shelf. She wouldn't really have a way to warm up unless she accepted the offer.
What were the motives behind it, though? Did he really just mean for them to sit together as friends, wrapped up together in a fur? Or was this something else? He'd never said anything about his true intentions with her, if he had any at all. Her heart beat even more erratically as she found herself moving closer to him. Shandom was a large male, one of the few out there who stood taller than she did. Because of this, she seemed to fit well against him. Naniko moved one arm so that it wrapped around his side, lowering her muzzle so that it might fit in the crook beneath his chin. She held completely still after that, unsure of whether this was what he had truly meant to happen or if she had somehow misconstrued his intentions.
She moved towards him, obliging to his request. A grin spread across Shandom's face, and then promptly disappeared; of course, he choice that moment to think of Linquilea.
They'd never done anything like this. They would never be able to do anything like this. She was gone, like some magical winter melted by the cruel realities of Spring - he had ruined her. He had ruined the black woman, who haunted some land like a brutal wraith, and Shandom could not feel more disgust for himself in that moment even if he wanted to. The Gamma wanted to recoil, to curl into himself and live with the guilt that promised to consume him, one way or another. Naniko was lovely, beautiful even; but right now she could not be who he wanted her to be. She would never be ink velvet; she would never be a quiet mass along a star studded night; she would never be his Linquilea Yae.
Then again, never would Linquilea, either. He'd seen to that.
These emotions, these tumultuous feelings that could not decide which direction they wanted to go in, made the Gamma draw Naniko closer and bury his face briefly in her alabaster mane, inhaling deeply and relishing in her sweet, intoxicating, beautifully feminine scent. He growled slightly, a possessive and desirous noise, and the arm wrapped around the Angela flexed so as to draw her closer to his slightly larger body. Shandom was not himself - then again, when was the last time he had been? When Xyvi and Kora died? When Lea left? The day before, at the river, before his Lea-Belle told him she could never love him as he did? He wasn't sure - but he knew that Naniko, in this moment, was the one thing anchoring him to reality. Shandom wanted her.
You are.... But Shandom could not find the words to describe what she was, without sounding desperate and revealing the deep emotional battle that raged within the pearly man. She was, he supposed, his anchor; unlike New Dawn, the pack he'd suddenly found he could not understand, Naniko gave him a reason to smile again. He wanted her, and his wandering paw - the one that moved from her shoulder slightly lower - made his desires very clear.
Her heart pulsed and she nearly pulled away from him to regain some semblance of control, but something made her stay. The rugged male frightened her to her core; she had been considering something like this for weeks now, maybe even months..of the two of them together. That he would even want to touch her scared her and the fact that he had tightened his arm around her stole words from her lips and transformed her into a blabbering, stammering idiot. It had been a very long time since she had felt this way about anyone, and months since she had found out about her ex-lover's death. She'd had more than a friendship with Ravesque, more than a relationship...they had cared about each other without having to label it as anything. But that had been the thing to bite her in the ass...he'd left without word and now she would never see him again. She would still see the peacekeeper's crimson gaze every time that she looked at Scorpius, but dulled. He was not his father, despite their identical appearance.
Her fingers played against the fur of his side, rubbing lightly as if to tickle him a bit before settling back down. She moved her digits more slowly now with the texture of his pelt, and she reveled in the softness of the fur that she could feel. A small movement by the male made small bolts of electricity travel over her, and she nearly jumped in shock. In that moment she had a sudden realization. He wished to be more than just the friends that they had been these last few months. They'd never spoken of any of it, but it was now stunningly apparent to the Angela. She looked at him sharply, trying to discern whether the movement had been intentional. His hand had not moved, and so she assumed that it was. "What are you doing?" She questioned, ears going back in confusion. She pulled herself away from the safety of his arms, turning to half-stumble toward the other side of room and ending up standing next to the fire pit. "W-Why did you do that?"
Word Count → xxx :: perhaps only a few more posts after this one, and then we can have a more recent thread? c: sorry for the delay.
Naturally, of course, things didn't go as planned. Perhaps it was his lack of sex lately, but Shandom couldn't quite recall ever being so stunningly rejected. Naniko's voice, when it came to him, was frightened and filled with confusion; being out of the proverbial game for so long, it seemed, had diminished his skills with women. His rugged face was a caricature of the seduction he'd hoped to layer upon the dazzling Angela, and in his confusion he could not quite bring himself to think long enough to change it. Mismatched eyes flitted around the room momentarily, as if searching for some sort of external cause that might explain Naniko's incredibly averse reaction to his advances. Had he been misinterpreting her cues? Did she not find him as attractive as he found her? Or perhaps she had someone that she'd never mentioned to him, and thought of the Qi'Vaex man as merely a friend. There had to be some reason for this unexpected turn of events.
She'd been touching him too. And, gods above, there had been electricity. He knew that there were feelings between them. He knew the way he felt for her wasn't unrequited, and in a burst of knowledge born from silence, Shandom Qi'Vaex realized he wanted Naniko for more than her body. In this moment of vulnerability, he could not keep up a mask of indifference; his face shifted into a comical sort of astonished realization as his chocolate eyes widened to take her in - truly take her in - for the first time.
I... Naniko, I didn't... I thought you might... He stammered over his words, rising from the bed and taking a few tentative steps towards her. The Gamma swallowed almost noisily and his chocolate eyes fell to her jade ones, white ears pinning against his head in a quiet look of almost frightened supplication. Whether this was to his feelings or the woman herself, he wasn't sure; all he knew was this beautiful creature suddenly terrified him more than he ever anticipated. I thought... I thought that might have been what you wanted, he whispered finally, voice barely audible over the crackling of fire. I... I don't understand.
She wasn't offended by his desires, more upset at herself at this moment than she could be with him. He was a male, and she should have expected something like this. Maybe two canines of opposite gender couldn't be hanging out so much together without one expecting something like this out of the other. She didn't have that many male friends, and not any that she spent a lot of time with on a regular basis. All that she knew was that if they started with sex, that's all that it would be. That was how it had been with Ravesque...she had tried to give him her heart, but he'd slept with her and then had disappeared into the night just as swiftly as he had come into her life.
For once in her life she was able to describe her thoughts exactly, the words forming in her brain miliseconds before they spilled out of her mouth. "I'm not some toy for you to use and throw away" She blurted in an angry tone, uncrossing her arms for a moment to throw them into the air emphatically. "I think you need to leave." There was no getting around what had happened, and it was obvious now that it had been intended and not just some mistake. There were times that she would have gone with it and allowed it to happen...but not with Shandom, and not when she felt so fiercely about him.
She exited the den, padding down the hall to rap on the wood outside of her son's cave. Severus emerged, yawning a bit and looking up at her in puzzlement from his four-legged form. "What is it, Mother?" The youth asked, head tilted to one side. "Please escort Shandom to the borders" She said quickly and authoritatively. Her son looked back behind her, trying to spot the other male as he lifted a paw to try and rub at his eyes. "Yes Ma'am" Her quiet son responded, waiting for the other to emerge so that he could be escorted to the border.
Word Count → xxx :: I can either have this archived or you can post again (: aaaaand then we can have a new nani/shandom thread when you're ready! i never tire of them XD
He was frozen, terrified that something he said was entirely wrong and he'd supremely offended the one person he actually could stand. It was unfortunate, Shandom knew, that they lived so far apart from each other. But who were they to abandon their packs? Naniko, he was certain, would not leave Anathema. It was her home, and her family; the way she spoke of it belied the love she had for the canines who lived in the caves. So much would make it hard for Shandom to love her in a way that was fair to them both; if he were being truthful with his chaotic mind, he wasn't sure if there was a way. Honestly, after this, he doubted Naniko would want to see him again. He was angry at himself, as he always was, for fucking up in such a drastic and embarrassing manner. Goddamn her.
Shandom's confused expression twisted lightly into one of brief anger, and then it slipped into the passive mask he wore everyday. You think too little of me, the Gamma said cooly, mismatched eyes narrowed in lightly feigned disgust. If he were being truthful, he knew it was his own fault for behaving in such a presumptuous manner; Naniko was a leader, and a classy sort of Queen - in what universe would she have merely slept with him for his hormones? That had, after all, been the reason behind his visit, though he would not give her the satisfaction of admitting it aloud. Truthfully, the Gamma was hurting; the slight change in body posture reflected that, though he quickly gathered himself to follow Severus out of the caves.
He would be back for Naniko. Shandom's quickly beating heart begged to be left with the alabaster woman, but he knew he had responsibilities and could not spend his time grovelling at her feet for forgiveness. Days, weeks, months, or otherwise; the time didn't matter. He would be back for her, and he would tell her how he felt.
He was escorted from the caves by her son, and she watched him go with eyes hardened from years of experience. Perhaps she was thinking too little of him, and he was right. She wouldn't know for a long time whether she had acted brashly or had been correct in her assumptions that all that he was after was physical contact. Shandom was a gorgeous male, quite handsome in her eyes...but her feelings for him overrode her own physical desires. She did want him, but not in this way and she could not morally sleep with him with her heart so conflicted. It would take time, but she did hope to see him and get more closure on this event...or even just remain friends, if it was possible. But she would definitely need some time to cool down first.
Naniko went back into her den, where the fur they had shared lay rumpled on the bed. She picked it up, breathing in his scent as she sat back on the bed. Her eyes stared into the fire in the center of the room, and she breathed in and out for a few minutes as she tried to compose herself. He was just like every other male, he wanted one thing and that was that. She didn't want to give him the benefit of the doubt; she had put faith in other canines too many times in the past and didn't know if she could trust him to do right by her. She didn't know if she could ever trust her heart with anyone after what had happened with Conri, Anu, and then Ravesque. Only time would tell.
<3
