She backed away from Itzal, remembering she did have a mate back home, but also because she wanted a bath. ”Yeah, let’s go.” So, Itzal led them out of Halifax towards this lake he spoke of. It wasn’t too far out of Halifax and it didn’t take them that long to get there. When the lake came into view, Axelle rushed before Itzal. She shuffled faster than he did and into the shallow depths of the lake. The cool waters rushed her feet, but she didn’t care. Then she just face-flopped into the deeper part of the small lake.
Her whole body submerged, and only bubbles signaled her existence. Her wounds stung, and she couldn’t see a thing in the murky waters. All she knew is that she was grateful that she could swim because she could no longer feel the bottom. (Though, unaware of where she actually acquired the skill. Maybe it just came natural.) She spread her arms and propelled herself through the middle of the lake, and emerged on the other side. Her usually fluffy fur clung to her head and body, and made her look like a wet rat. Her wounds stung, but in a good way, and the blood smeared away from them due to the water.
She continued to dive down again and pop up in other places of the small lake. She didn’t exactly want to scrub at them yet, and really would rather not. They hurt still, and if the water could just rinse away all the dried blood – she would be okay. The last time she popped up, she flopped her drenched hair out of her face and smiled back at Itzal. ”Can you swim?” She called back to him and continued to swim around the deeper parts – hoping to clean whatever blood was on her back. She could feel the newest wound on her neck burning, but she liked it. The water was cleaning it for her, and she didn’t mind.
Itzal walked a long with Axelle as they headed to the lake. The two walked silently together to the lake. Itzal didn't care, he just was happy that Axelle had missed him as well. If it wasn't for his own happiness he might have picked up on Axelle's inner conflict. But the black hybrid remained oblivious. He watched as Axelle rushed ahead of him and into the water. She kept going until she was completely submerged. Itzal walked, laughing softly to himself as Axelle moved through the water. He walked up to the bank of the lank and watched Axelle, content to know that she was close by.
Itzal felt a pang of guilt as he saw the dried blood being washed away one of the times she surfaced. He had caused her pain, maybe even given her scars. Itzal knew that Axelle liked the danger that came with him but Itzal didn't like to know he, or Eztli more specifically, could cause her that kind of harm. Yet he liked being around her enough that he was willing to risk it this time. He didn't plan on leaving Nova Scotia this time, no matter who he felt he needed to protect from himself.
Itzal was pulled out of his thoughts as she called out to him. Seeing her drenched and her hair wet and floppy made him smile. He could deal with his internal conflicts later. "Yeah I can." He said as he walked into the water, going until he was completely submerged. His own wounds burned but it didn't bother him. He just wanted to get Axelle's own blood off of him. His blood didn't matter to him, though there was no way to wash out one without the other as well. He swam in her direction, coming up for air at random intervals. When he was closer to the deeper parts where she was swimming he grinned, watching her swim. "Are you okay?" He asked, wanting to make sure none of her wounds were too serious. If one of them was bad enough, she could bleed out in the water without realizing it. The chances of that happening were slim, since Eztli hadn't inflicted any severed wounds, but Itzal was still paranoid that something would happen to Axelle.
Itzal turned over on his back and floated on the water, listening to Axelle swim and splash around. He turned his head to follow her, smiling. He could feel the blood uncaking from his fur and dissolving into the murky water. It felt good to rid himself of it and Itzal was sure Axelle felt the same. He wondered how often it happened that she ended up bathing in a lake with someone she had set out to kill earlier that day. Not often he decided.
The female continued to float around in the water, even when Itzal joined her. She watched him do the same as she had done, and pop up to float on his back. He kept a close watch on her, but she did her own thing. She dunked herself and swam below the surface, underneath him – sending small currents toward his body – and popping up on the other side. She caught his question and replied with a smile, ”I think so…” Despite her muscles being sore from getting cut into, she didn’t feel any of them hurt more than the others. Her neck stung – probably only because she kept moving her head around – but nothing else really burned more or felt more sore.
Then she swam over to him, and rested her floating head lightly on his stomach. ”Well, I finally met your other half…” Though, it was nothing like she imagined – she was happy she got that out of the way. She had never met anyone who wanted to kill her so much – oh no, wait, scratch that – she did. The Halifax wolf who Kai tore apart and she ate. Her fingers trailed along his abdominal muscles naughtily – she shouldn’t be touching him like this. But she didn’t care. She had him back, and she wouldn’t let him slip out of her grasp this time like he had done before.
Her two-toned eyes studied him for any differences. He seemed to be the same old Itzal, aside from a few new scars. There was a silence between them for a few moments as she explored his body. Maybe a bit more muscular. The wheels were turning in her mind – what did he do to require more cracks in his body? Her eyes searched him for anything else that might lead to an answer, but she found none. ”Where did you go?” Her voice was quiet as he fingers traced his muscles – she kept her gaze on that while her ears listened for his answer.
Itzal watched as she swam around some more and then dove down and under him. He was smiling, looking around for her. Then she popped up on his other side and he shook his head but in a good way. "Good." He said before laying his head back on the water lightly and closing his eyes. He thought about how different this was from an hour ago. Itzal had been struggling for control and Axelle had been struggling to survive. Now they were floating together in a lake and everything seemed like it was okay. It made Itzal's head spin some, like he had just been thrown through a loop.
He opened his eyes and looked down at his stomach as he felt Axelle's head land on it lightly. He looked at her face, looking into her bi-colored eyes to see what he could find there. He wasn't sure what he saw though. He couldn't tell if Axelle was happy to be there with him or troubled. His brows had just begun to furrow with wondering when she brought up what had happened. Itzal's face immediately changed to one of remorse. But then he smiled, and nodded, his head splashing back on the water as he did so. "Yeah you did.....I think he liked you." Itzal said with a devilish grin at her. He watched her as she traced the contours of his muscles on his abdomen. He liked how it felt, having her touching him as she traced over his fur.
He was content to let her sit there and trace. After a few seconds he saw her eyes move over his body. He wasn't sure what she was looking for but he saw her eyes land on his new scar. It was his worse, stretching from the top of his left shoulder to the left part of his neck. Then she looked back down to her abdomen. Then she asked him where he had gone.
If there was any example of how much Itzal trusted and cared for Axelle, it was that he didn't even think about lying to her. He just told her the truth, "Me and Eztli hunted down my uncle and his pack. And when we found them, we killed them all. Most of the pack members were just business, nothing to personal. There were one or two I remembered. But it was my uncle that truly mattered to us. He was personal. When I found him, he fought me. After I beat him, I kept him alive for two days, torturing him until he begged us to kill him." Itzal looked away from her, across the lake. He couldn't help letting a cruel grin spread over his face as he remembered it all. "I finally gave him what he wanted." Itzal looked back at her, the smile fading from his face. He reached down and brushed some wet hair out of her eyes. "Then I just kind of wandered again. Eventually I realized I was heading back in this direction. So I came back." He finished his brief story and then waited for her to say something. He could still feel her tracing his skin and he had to resist the urge to shiver from both the cold and her light touch.
She dropped her hand back into the water, and laughed loudly. ”That’s his definition of ‘like’?” She supposed it was in a sickening way – everything about Itzal’s other half was sickening. He liked her, and so wanted to kill her – probably because he never wanted to see Itzal happy. They should treat each other with some sort of kindness, since they were stuck together for eternity.
She had the urge to touch the scar she saw before, but didn’t. She kept her eyes on his abdomen, but didn’t touch anything. ”Sounds fun.” She said it with a weak smile as she looked up at him – she didn’t like the scar on his neck. It bothered her and it looked life threatening. Though, so were all the scars around her neck. She looked to the cut that she had made on his arm. The dried blood has dissipated, but it was still bleeding in the water. There was a small cloud of red smoke in the water around his arm. She touched the wound, raising his arm out of the water a bit. She had the urge to say sorry, but she wasn’t. Unfortunately, he shared his body with a monster – and she wasn’t sorry that she cut Eztli – and so, she couldn’t say she was sorry to Itzal. If only she could find him a new body to be in.
Axelle thought back on one of their few first meetings – the one in Halifax where she tested him and the first ever where she was slightly afraid of him. They clicked both times, even when she pissed him off when she almost shot him in the head - haha, good times, she thought to herself with a big smile. She was no longer looking at him, but in her cloudy reflection in the water. Her beautiful two-toned face, well she thought she was beautiful anyway.
Word Count :: 000 || Points: 0 And Itzal is just such a flirt.
Itzal was happy when she laughed, even if it was in response to something he said about Eztli. "Yes well that maybe be his definition of like, but it isn't mine. Mine is very different." Itzal said looking at her. Itzal gently ran his thumb from her temple to her cheek and then took his hand away, smiling at her. It was true Eztli loved to cause Itzal suffering, and Eztli knew the best way to do that was through the few Itzal cared about. But sometimes they managed to work together, like when they were killing his uncle.
He looked back across the lake again and nodded, "It was. Seeing him get what he deserved. He kill my mother and siblings. And left my father, his own brother, for dead. It was only right that I be the one to end his life." And Itzal had. He had also had his uncle skinned. When Itzal decided to head to a pack, he would grab it from where he had stashed it.
Itzal looked back towards Axelle when she lifted his arm. He looked at the wound she had touched and then at her. He put the hand of the arm she wasn't holding on her cheek, "I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt. And it is good that you fought him. Bastard didn't know what hit him. " Itzal said, moving his hand under her chin so he could look her in her different colored eyes, "Hell, even I didn't know what hit him." He smiled, moving his hand out from under her chin. He could feel Eztli, somewhere in his subconcious, but it was still to soon after getting control back that Itzal would be able to hear him. It would be a tiny bit longer before Eztli could try and take control again. But he would have to soon, so that he could kill. If not, he would be restless from a failed hunt, something that had never happened before.
Itzal noticed her smile and followed her gaze to her reflection. Itzal's thoughts followed hers because he believed she was beautiful. In a way that other wolves wouldn't understand. Except maybe the one whole he didn't know about. But in his mind he believe no one would understand how the scarred up, female warrior could appear to be so beautiful in his eyes. It was just the way she held herself, the way he could throw anything at her, and she just seemed to want more. He smiled down at her reflection, "You are the most beautiful wolf I know." He said, though he didn't know he was echoing her own thoughts. He smiled though and decided to ask a question, "So how have you been? How is the pack?"
She continued to look at her reflection in the water, feeling his gentle fingers touch her face. She peered up at him with an eye and smiled at his compliment. This is so wrong, but it felt so right. She thought quietly to herself. She loved Kai, but the love she had for him was different from the kind she had for Itzal. The kind she had originally for Itzal was a lot more real, and more original. Kai seemed to throw her back into the stereotype – and he made it seem like she couldn’t take care of herself, while Itzal challenged that every second – just by being with him. If his ‘Mr. Hyde’, she smiled to herself thinking that’s what she used to called Eztli, were to pop out- she would be ready and willing – pregnant or not. Then she remembered – the pain went away.
She swam away from him, and his hand, and attempted to float the opposite way. She kept her ears away from the water because she hated it getting in there – plus, whatever Itzal would tell her would be mumbled. She smiled at his words, but said nothing, as she looked up at the darkening sky. She didn’t care about swimming around in a strange lake at night – especially with Itzal. Others would probably find it frightening – but with all the things she had been through, she was brave enough to risk it.
Finally, she spoke after a long while, ”I’m good. Pack’s good. I’ve been ranking up – I’m at the second tier of the warrior rank now. I’m hoping to get some recognition for my skill at the crossbow.” She eyed the area on the shore where she put it down before flopping into the lake. Then she eyed his floating leg – the one that had an arrow through it. ”Maybe you shouldn’t be floating here like this – what about your leg?” That made more sense since all of her wounds were just slices – his was a hole.
Word Count :: 000 || Points: 0 Most of this is just Itzal in his head. The italics in the first paragraph are a memory.
Itzal watched as she swam away and he let her. He close his eyes and felt the scar on his neck. It had been a bad wound. It had been a bad fight, he thought, remembering the end of it. Itzal had thought the cut was going to kill him. His uncle had pulled out a knife. Itzal thought that was funny. As he uncle slashed at him, he moved to the side, slashing up his uncle arm with his dagger then ducking away. It wasn't a bad wound but it was enough to make his uncle hesitate. Then Itzal moved in, feigning a slash to his uncles throat, to bring it down across his ribs. His uncle had made a pained snarl and lashed out at him, catching Itzal's hand. Itzal pulled back and winced. But his uncle had followed up perfectly. By the time Itzal brought his hand up to stop the paw he saw coming at him, he realized it wasn't the one holding the knife. The knife had slid from his left should to his neck. If Itzal had hesitated for even a second longer before grabbing his uncle's wrist and slamming his palm into the elbow from behind, he would have died from a severed throat. But he managed to snap his uncle's arm and stop the cut. Then he had slammed the pommel of his dagger into his uncle's jaw, knocking him out cold. It took Itzal a while to stop the bleeding. And when he finally did, and his uncle woke up, the fun began... Itzal came out of the memory as he remembered the screams his uncle had made.
Itzal opened his eyes when he heard Axelle. He was glad the pack was okay. And was thrilled to hear she was moving up as a warrior. He laughed when she mentioned being recognized for her skill with the crossbow. He was sure she would be recognized. He remembered the wound in his leg as soon as she mentioned it and the crossbow. He hadn't really thought about the wound, since it kind of got lost with all his others. But the second he remembered it he sucked in sharply, feeling pain coming from his leg. He groaned but managed to laugh, thought it wasn't his normal laugh. "Yeah, I'll be fine. The water is probably good for it. And it is better than standing on it. I'll probably have to have it looked at. What do you think?" He hoped he wouldn't have to, because that would require letting someone he didn't know very well know he was injured. That went against everything Itzal did.
As he thought about the wound, and Axelle's skill with the crossbow he remembered something from their previous meetings that made him smile. "I guess I was kind of right." He said, smiling at her as he answered the confused look on her face as to what he meant, "Last time we were in Halifax together, and you shot at me the first time with that crossbow, I told you the next time you did it, you might get more than you bargained for. Well I guess I kept my word." He said, with an evil grin. His grin was cold, but not threatening. Eztli might be Itzal's evil side, but Itzal himself was bad enough. He could kill just as easily as Eztli and sometimes he enjoyed it just as much. And though he would never admit it, he liked to blame everything on Eztli. But sometimes it was just him. Times like his uncle and even a few other people, he had enjoyed the killing himself. And, even though he loved and cared about Axelle, he still had to control his urge to show her just how dangerous it was to be around him. It was almost as if they were made to fit each others' needs. He could fill her craving for danger and he would never try and keep her close to him, and except for the one time he made the mistake of trying to leave to protect her from him, he trusted her to protect and look after herself. And for him, she was someone who could understand his craziness and she could also understand just how truly evil or cruel he could be.
He smiled at that thought, though it wasn't a warm smile. It was a hungry smile, a smile that showed part of who he truly was. He wasn't hungry for sex or blood, he was just hungry for who he was. He enjoyed it and he enjoyed that Axelle could be part of who he was. Maybe she was the only person who could ever truly be part of who he was. He glanced at her and his smile changed to a smug one, but that hunger still laid close to the surface, showing in his eyes and the slight curve of his lips. It wasn't Eztli this time, it was just him. "What would you think if I came back. To Anathema I mean? I fit in there better than anywhere else. And I can't stay as a loner forever. He said, smiling at her. His leg hurt and he would probably have to get out soon and take a look at it, but he wanted to put that off for a few more minutes. Long enough for him to hear the answer to his question.
Axelle continued to look at his leg, lifting it the slightest bit out of the water, careful not to throw Itzal’s floating balance off. ”Um, didn’t you say not ten minutes ago that you could bleed to death in the water?” She let go of his leg and exhaled enough to sink into the murky waters. She swam back under him to the other side; her head was the only thing to pop up this time. ”I think you should get it checked out.” She couldn’t really tell him where to go. Halifax was the closest thing available and all she could think of was Rio. ”There’s a woman who lives here in Halifax, Rio. She’s not too skilled, but she could at least wrap it and give you some healing gel to help it.” Axelle was unaware that they had already met. Rio had healed her in her worst of states – and look at that, she was still alive. She must be a little bit better by now in her newfound skill.
Hearing Itzal’s second comment, she smirked. Their second meeting. Itzal came with her to buy weapons, and that’s where she fell in love with her crossbow - and almost shot him in the head, on purpose. It was also where she realized how dangerous he was, but how that much more she wanted him around her. It was one of the times she realized what she liked – danger. All the time. ”Hah. Yeah, I guess you did.” She made little splashes with one of her fingers and kept her eyes on that for a few seconds. She heard his question and thought about it for a few seconds. Then she looked up at him and into his eyes, ”Yes…” There was a small silent pause as she looked back down at the little ripples her fingers were making, ”I think you should come back. Anathema had always suited you the best. I think it’s either Anathema or Salsola for you, but I vote Anathema.” She was honest enough; plus, she wanted to keep him around for at least a little while.
There was another silent pause after that, a shorter one this time as she was reminded that her former lover might have been slowly bleeding to death. ”Come on. Let’s go sit on the bank – I’m clean enough. You?” She was as clean as she was going to get. She was in no way, shape, or form going to touch her wounds as they hurt too much. Plus, she hated leaving her crossbow so far away. It was an unspoken bond that they had – something like no other bond she had with anyone else – between item and owner.
Itzal gave her a sheepish grin as she turned what he had said to her about her wounds against him. He shrugged, "Yeah, I remember saying something like that." He watched her disappear under the water only to have her head pop up on his other side. He sighed in defeat as she told him to get it looked at. Itzal was just about to bring up the point of not having anyone he trusted near by who could patch him up. But that argument was squashed when she mention Rio of all people. Of course he would be living with the only person around who could look at it. And he supposed if he had to have it looked at, he would rather Rio do it than anyone else. At least she wouldn't see his injure as a chance to kill him. He smiled at Axelle, shaking his head in disbelief, "Yeah, I know about Rio. Probably more than you think." He laughed then, still grinning, "I'm living with her. Here in Halifax. Her and someone else who she is letting stay there as well. I hadn't realized you two knew each other." Itzal would never have guessed that Rio and Axelle knew anything about the other, even that the other existed. It's a small world, he thought with a smile.
Itzal was pleased that she remembered the encounter. He wasn't sure why, he just found it pleasing. He watched her as she played in the water with her fingers, waiting for her to answer him. When he heard her say yes he smiled, happy to know that she wanted him back in the pack, where he could be close to her. He knew she was right, that Anathema suited him and he didn't know a thing about the other pack she mentioned. So it was settled in his mind. He would return to Anathema where he could see Axelle more often.
He nodded when she asked if he was clean enough. Most of the blood was gone and the wounds that were still bleeding lightly, like his leg, weren't going to bother him. His blood on him was fine. He swam over to the bank, walking up the bank when his feet touched the bottom of the lake edge. He didn't put a lot of weight on his wounded leg but he managed to walked a few feet away from the water. Then he sat down in the grass and sighed, easing his leg down. It wasn't the worse wound he had ever had but he wouldn't be at his best for a while. That irritated him some though Axelle couldn't have known it was him she was shooting at. He would just have to try and stay out of trouble until it healed up. He looked at Axelle and smiled, "So, what now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew eventually she would have to leave and he would have to head back to Rio's. But he didn't want to be the one to bring up that goodbye. Not yet.
She became instantly stiff when he mentioned that he had a relationship with Rio, and she became even more uneasy when he mentioned he was living with that close-minded bitch. Though, she was grateful that she healed her wounds and she would never confront the female about how much she despised her, but she just couldn’t stand her. She remembered back when Rio came to heal her and saw Axelle eating her victim – and thought ignorantly that Axelle would eat her too. She would never forget that – though, she would never tell anyone that either. ”Briefly.” Her tone was acrid and she kept her eyes away from Itzal as he made his way to shore.
She followed closely behind him, and shook what she could of the water off of her fur. Most of it puffed out now, but at least she no longer looked like a wet rat. And she forgot about the Rio thing as quickly as it reminded her of the conservative bitch. She snorted one last time before setting herself in the grass as well, next to Itzal. She gently touched his leg and looked at the wound. ”You know, I think you should get that checked out soon.” It didn’t look too good, and she didn’t want to wind up seeing Itzal lose a leg. She let go from holding his muscle gently and leaned back to lay in the damp grass.
Looking up at the sky, she wondered what would become of her in a month. She would have pups! Kai’s pups. The thought was both exciting and terrifying – terrifying because she had been putting it off for so long, and exciting because she did want to make more little wolves that were just like her, and Kai, of course. She smiled, but looked away from the sky and let her eyes fall on Itzal. ”How are you feeling?” There wasn’t much to do now – Axelle could either shoo him away to Rio’s to get his leg checked out or she could make conversation with him. Either way, sooner or later, she was going to shoo him back to Rio.
Itzal didn't notice Axelle's reaction to finding out he knew Rio. Mainly because he was busy making his way to shore and secondly because now that he was thinking about his leg, he realized just how badly it hurt. The would was through and through for the most part but since Eztli had pulled the arrow out, it had been allowed to bleed. He didn't think she hit anything major, like an artery, if she had he would have bleed out by now. But there could very well be damage to the muscle. Itzal had no way of telling since he didn't know what to look for. But he favored his other leg, careful not to put to much weight on the leg with a hole in it.
Itzal could hear the note of acid in Axelle's tone when she mentioned that she had only met Rio briefly but he thought it best to ignore that. So instead he watched Axelle as she shook herself off, smirking when he fur seemed to puff out more. His eyes followed her as she walked over and sat next to him. He sucked in a breath when she touched the leg. She hadn't intentionally hurt him but the leg was still sore sensitive. Which was why he was grateful when she gently let go of it. He sighed and nodded in agreement "I know. I'll get it looked at the second I can." So the second he got back to Rio's and talked to her, if she was there. It would be a pain in the ass going all the way back their on an injured leg but he would have to manage. He slowly laid down next to Axelle, careful not to jar his leg in any way.
Itzal looked at Axelle, taking this chance to look her over more thoroughly since she was looking at the sky. Itzal and the black and white female had so much history. Itzal could see himself by her side forever. And with his return to Anathema, he fully intended on making that happen. Itzal was smiling at that thought when her eyes dropped to him. He thought about her question and shrugged. "My leg hurts, but other than that I'm good. I'm happy to see you again." He said, smiling at her then looking up at the sky like she had, "And at the same time I'm kind of anxious about eventually going home. I'll probably have to give my leg time to heal first though." Itzal sighed and looked back down at her. He wrapped an arm under her waist and smiled at her before laying his head back down. He close his eyes and breathed in. Then he opened his eyes and breathed out, laughing to himself, "What about you? How are you feeling?" He asked with a smirk.
Axelle felt as Itzal’s arm slid underneath her waist, and she adjusted her weight so that she could be comfortable in that position. She glanced over at him and smiled, but returned her gaze back up to the setting sky. It would be dark soon, and she should be going back to Anathema to get her wounds taken care of. ”I’m happy to see you too. I can’t wait for you to come back to Anathema.” Though, she knew that it would be awkward having Itzal there along with Kai. She would have to find some sort of medium between them. She had to think of a plan, and quick.
Axelle watched a few birds fly across the sky. They were white and small, and flew with such ease. There were a few of them – maybe four. Her eyes followed the birds until they were out of her sight. Then she returned her concentration back onto Itzal’s question. ”I’m a little sore, but I’ll be alright. This isn’t anything I haven’t survived before.” She had survived worse throughout her early life; she would be fine with recovering from this.
At least now she knew Eztli’s style of fighting. Next time, she would be able to fight him off more efficiently and hopefully not obtain so many wounds. Maybe even next time she will be able to disarm and capture the man until he changed back. She never wanted to imagine what would happen if she wound up hurting Eztli bad enough. She knew she didn’t mean to hurt Itzal, but Eztli was a totally different personality, and it made her think in a totally different way than she did with Itzal.
The thought about injuring him beyond what she meant to worried her a lot. She knew she was capable of killing him if given enough chances, but she didn't want to kill Itzal. If only there was a way of separating them. A thought came to her mind about the Wiccan book she was studying at a time, and she wondered if there was a spell to alter split personalities. The hope for this interesting spell took over her mind and had her staring up at the darkening sky in silence.
Itzal felt her shift her weight to adjust to his arm and met her smile with his own. He waited until she looked away to look away himself. He looked up at the sky as well. He could feel that their time together was drawing closer. But he didn't want it to be. He wasn't sure when he would be able to return to Anathema on his leg. So he would have to settle with this little time he had left. It wasn't that Itzal wanted Axelle to be by his side every minute. Neither of them wanted something like that. But Itzal still wanted to be close enough to her if she needed him. He sighed softly to himself but let the thoughts in his head trail off.
He smiled when she mentioned him returning, "Why is that? So we can spend more nights in your room, drinking and talking about how crazy we are." He asked, talking about the last time they had been in her room together. They had drank some of her alcohol and then they had spent the night in her den. Nothing had happened between the two but it was still one of his favorite nights. He had felt that their relationship, whatever it was, had grown stronger that night. He knew she would know what he was talking about.
He looked her over. Eztli hadn't done as much damage as he could have. Most of it was Axelle fighting him off but Itzal believed that some of it was the fact that Eztli enjoyed Itzal's suffering as much as her's. So Eztli had planned on making her death slow for both of them. It was good that Eztli had felt like playing games. Or else he might have tried to finish her off faster. He chuckled when she mentioned being a little sore, "I believe that." He knew that Axelle had survived some hard things. They both had. And she was strong, strong enough to fight off Eztli, and strong enough to survive a lot.
Itzal glanced at her and pressed his nose against her shoulder. He waited until she looked at him and smirked, pressing his muzzle into her neck and nuzzling her. His smirked spread further across his face, "So when I get back to Anathema what do you think the first thing I should do is?" He asked. He had felt their talks dying, so he decided to try and slip in one last question. And it had been a good excuse to nuzzle her. He grinned at that thought.
She was lost in thought, but not deeply. Her ears picked up on what he said and she smiled. The memory took her back to that night in her den when she still had homemade alcohol left on her shelves and when times between them were good. Their feelings were developing- well, she could say hers were, but from what he seemed like now – his probably were too. The mere memory of it gave her butterflies in her stomach. She remembered talking with Itzal about pups and her future, but look where she was now – in bigger trouble than before. Her father had returned with murderous tendencies – well, maybe not so much his murderous tendencies. She didn’t understand his personality disorder; all she knew was that she wanted him dead. Dead and gone, and then she would live in peace.
Axelle sighed and kept her eyes fixed on the sky. Her smile fell once she began thinking about her disowned father. She didn’t consider him a father anymore, and even though seeing him made her feel different – she wasn’t going to break down. She needed to punish him for killing her mother, and she would do it no matter what bullshit he tried to sell her. Even though, he hadn’t tried to sell her any bullshit so far.
The thought of him made her angry, and she just wanted to explode and find him. But she needed to explode somewhere else, and not in Itzal’s presence. He didn’t know about what was going on with her, and she wasn’t too sure she wanted to tell him yet. She shoved all her thoughts aside and returned that smile back on her lips – but it suddenly looked a lot more phonier. ”I think you should worry about getting your life together before you worry about what you’re going to do with me.” Even though he didn’t say it in as many words, she had a feeling he was already planning their next encounter. She had to remember that back in Anathema, she had Kai, and Itzal didn’t know about Kai, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him about her future mate. She would have to make up some kind of lie that was buyable. She had to be careful between the two because they couldn’t know about each other, not yet anyway. She needed to figure out what she wanted first – and then she’d let one go.
Forbidden Love…
There were so many thoughts troubling the Marbas now, she wanted to leave. After feeling him nuzzle her, Axelle suddenly rose from the ground. She rolled to her feet and sat there in a squatting position for a few seconds before getting up with a groan. She turned to Itzal then, and held out her hand for him to help himself up as well. ”I should be going. Come find me when you come back to Anathema.” Hoisting him to his feet carefully, not trying to injure or hurt him further, she added, ”You need to get that leg checked out.” Even though she didn’t agree with who would be checking it out, it still needed care regardless. Axelle threw herself onto him in a tight hug, despite the cuts and bruises both of them had. ”I’ll see you soon?” Then she released him and looked at him with question in her facial expression.
Itzal noticed Axelle's silence. He looked at her and could tell from her face that she was busy thinking about something. He let her think, bidding his time. He looked at her face, watching it crease with more and more anger. If Itzal had known what she was thinking about, he would have understood. He had just conquered his own living demon. His uncle's death had brought him joy. And lots of it. People might say that revenge didn't end well or benefit anyone, but they obviously had never felt the satisfaction of watching someone you truly hated die by your own hands. It accomplished many things and benefited Itzal a lot.
Itzal saw Axelle finally find her way out of her thoughts back to the here and now. He saw her smile and saw it for what it was. His own smile lessened but he didn't comment. Instead he just listened to her and laughed. He grinned at her but nodded, "Okay. But when I'm back and settled in, we need to hang out again." The black male said, completely unaware of Axelle's inner conflict. If he had known that she was going to have to make a choice between him and some other male, he would be fighting harder. But he was oblivious, so instead he just sat there.
Itzal watched Axelle begin to stand up after he nuzzled her. She seemed to give her muscles time to adjust before standing all the way up. Itzal took her hand and stood up as well, groaning as his leg protested to the sudden weight on it. He nodded when she told him to find her when he returned and told him to get his leg looked at. He knew the wound was worse than he had wanted to admit. Itzal oofed when she threw herself at him and hugged him. He hugged her back, his arms going around her waist entirely. When he felt her pull back he released her. He grinned at her, "Yeah, you'll see me soon. Whether you want to or not" He said with a chuckle as his yellow eyes gleamed in the coming darkness.
Axelle gave him a playful smug look as she heard his last statement. "Hah, we'll see." She didn’t doubt it. With them being in the same pack, the same lands – Axelle would have to be extra careful. Kai was already very skeptical of everything she did, so it would be a couple times harder to hide her feelings for Itzal from him.
Axelle patted Itzal lightly on the shoulder and before she turned away from him, she added, "Be careful getting home." Then she headed in her own direction. She passed the shore and picked up her crossbow along with the dagger in its strap. She slung the crossbow over her shoulder so that it sat comfortably, even on her injured back, and strapped the dagger back on her thigh. Then she turned to face her trek towards home. Halfway away from Halifax, and halfway toward Sticks and Stones, she shifted to Secui. The weapons she carried on her back and had strapped to her leg held nicely due to her Halfling form, but maybe a little tighter than normal. She was able to pick up speed much more now and cut her travel time in half.
Most of the way back toward Anathema, she couldn’t get Itzal off of her mind. She was hoping that Rio was home and was treating him right at that moment, so that he didn’t have to suffer anymore. She felt bad that he was injured, but she didn’t feel bad that she inflicted it. It was because he deserved it, but Eztli did – and it was unfortunate that they were the same person. Still, she didn’t want her impulsiveness to permanently disable Itzal for the rest of his life – though, once again, that would be a good dent in Eztli’s defenses. Axelle smiled partially thinking of ways she could handicap Eztli, without hurting Itzal.
