He sat against the fence with the cold metal against his back. There were pages of charcoal drawings beside him, of his ideas. Since he had seen Jazper and the tattoo he had made for him, the man had suddenly wanted his own. His wrists were creamy and it would be painfully easy to get marks on them. But he was stuck on what to do. Originally, he wanted notes, for when he played music. That part of his life was gone and he could barely remember half the songs he used to know. Perhaps it was time to forget that he had ever wanted to play music seriously. His life was the needle and the kingdom.
The bottle of rum pressed against his lips as he downed a good swig of it. It was hardly the time to be drinking, considering the sun was still shining and he could be needed somewhere. But his moods were gone and he was terribly lonely. Noss leaving was more than a little bit terrible, though it had been so long ago. Five years old and he was feeling as though he'd been drowning for the past eight. He picked up the pad of sketches and flipped through them. Some were scribbled out and crossed out; he did not like much of what he attempted, but he was no artist with a drawing pad. He was a tailor at the end of the day.
The rum tingled down his throat. Dauphin of a kingdom and he was finding that he did nothing at all. The drink helped to numb him, and it was beautiful when he looked at the Hotel with a lens of blur over his eyes. It was wonderful. Wonderfully lonely.
Word Count → 000 :: as a warning, terra is pregnant and moody
Terra's off mood didn't seem to be fading. It wasn't like being in heat, receiving cravings for food only to find herself unable to eat without being hit by a wave of nausea. Unsatisfied with this Terra moved through the pack lands, hoping that staying in the security it offered would help abate the weird mood. Perhaps it was because she was tired of traveling. Or needed a rest. Or any number of other things.
Seeing the beta up ahead Terra wagged her tail. She began to morph into optime to match him, only to find something slam into her mind. It was the same as what had stopped her mating so many times. A huge instinct telling her to stop what she was doing. Why couldn't she shift? It wasn't like her leg was broken. Besides the odd mood, she felt fine. Worried now she rushed to Strel's side. Strel...
that'll be fun lol. On a side note, shifting is possible in the early weeks, though more dangerous in the later months, and fatal at the end.
His drinking for the day had not progressed as far as he had wanted, but he had the entire day to keep it going. He stared at the wall of the hotel, covered with ivy and cracked from the weather. There was no Leroy there to maintain things, and no new carpenters had stepped up to the plate of keeping their home in good repair. Perhaps they ought to consider another summer project, considering how well the Amphitheater had turned out. Strel sipped at his rum again, eying some of the dusty and smudged windows, stained from dirty rain and debris. A few were cleaned, but they were also likely inhabited by clean people. Even the Dauphin had kept his window's cleaned as best as he could, all things considering.
Someone approached, and in his only slightly buzzed state, the man saw it was Terra. Carefully, and on his guard, Strel set his bottle down and straightened himself. Her features were worried and she was on all fours. "Yes, Terra?" he asked, raising brows at the young woman. Something was.. off about her, that he could not quite place. What was it?
Word Count → 000 :: checked several times, said to stop shifting second week. second week, decided her instincts kick in then
Strel turned his head at Terra's approach. Seeing the beta immediately calmed Terra's worries. Being with her leaders always made her feel safer. Even if she wasn't too sure what was up with herself recently, it tended to fade around them. A bottle of something Terra didn't recognize was placed down. The coyote sniffed at it curiously, pulling away at the disgusting smell. Whatever that was, it certainly wasn't something she wanted anything to do with. If the beta enjoyed it, fine. He could keep it.
Her tail wagged at his words, settling down near his feet. She looked over at the hotel, deciding that talking about the hotel was better than trying to figure out what was driving her odd moods. It was driving her up the wall, craving doing something without being sure what it was she was looking for. The mood passed in fits, luckily, giving Terra time to recuperate from it. It looks like the hotel could use some work. Not that she knew anything about human buildings, but it did look like it was going to be swallowed by plants.
huh, I swear it was different. Guess it was updated recently.
Strelein nodded at the woman, looking melancholy. He remembered when Leroy had been fixing up the hotel years ago. Was he really getting quite so old? Five years old, maybe but was that oh so old? His parents had been just the same age, right? Or were they younger? He was starting to feel more tired, but he doubted that it was as bad as some. Vigilante was older than he was, and yet seemed to have more vitality than him. Or perhaps Strel had been too far in the dark.
"Yes, it really does. But we don't have a carpenter, nor do we have anyone to maintain the gardens." He gestured at the walls, covered with ivy. He pointed to the dirty windows and the shingles on the roof falling off. Some of the wall was peeling, paint long overdue. But it was still a beautiful building. "It really could. But, I don't know who could possibly do it." Strel took the bottle and took a small sip of it, furrowing his brows. He turned to the woman, confused. He was not around women often, but something was striking him. He cocked his head at her, wondering what was different. "There's something different about you."
Terra's ears flattened, noticing the expression on Strel's face. Why did he look so upset? Terra's mind raced through the court's happenings. There were no deaths. In fact, the pack had grown in size. There was no reason for him to be so sad. Unless there was something going on that she didn't know about. Perhaps a disease was ravaging the pack. Ears flattened Terra whined, wondering what had happened that had resulted in the beta being so worried. Was the pack going to be alright?
She listened as he spoke about the hotel. Was the state of the hotel really that bad? Should she move out of it? If she asked Ayita, would she let Terra move permanently into the house? Sounded safer than the hotel. She didn't have much in the room, and they might let her claim a room to make her own. Terra met Strel's confused look, green eyes still slightly fearful from his words. There was so much worrying her recently! It was insane. I do feel different. Terra couldn't place it either though.
There was something fearful in her eyes as the woman met his gaze. Green eyes met lavender, and Strel kept his brows furrowed as he inspected the woman. Different, she says? It was highly confusing for the man, who had never experienced a pregnant woman near him. The only women he had really encountered had both been drunk, and he didn't remember the events. He wasn't aware of the children one of those unions had brought about, but regardless, he had no idea what a woman in heat or that was pregnant was like.
Still, confused, Strel leaned toward her to see if that would make it easier. Lately, his eyesight was a grab bag. It was either decent, blurry, or even spinning. Still, it didn't help at all. "It's so strange. There's something about you. Do you feel ill?" he asked, really stumped. Something in the back of his brain was tingling, making him wonder where the scent was familiar from. He knew it! His finger was right on it but it was just passing by him in a stupid blur. Maybe if he had not drunk a bit moments before, it would be clearer. "What kind of different is it?"
The beta leaned down towards her, a slight frown on his face. He wasn't acting reassuring at all. Terra was already anxious and more high strung than she normally was. Her playful attitude was gone now, replaced by an edginess that kept her moving around. Her leaders, the ones she looked to to care and protect for her, weren't acting very assuring. As Terra wasn't aware what was wrong, this just shot her anxiety even higher.
Ill? Was she sick? Some strange disease she'd never heard of infecting her body? Whimpering Terra crouched down. She didn't feel safe at all. She wished Kit was there. He'd make it better. Edgy. I can't rest. I'm hungry, but I feel nauseous to see food. I can't relax. It feels like there's something dangerous out there. The world was out to get her, and she had to work to defend herself against something that she didn't even understand.
Clearly his concern for his subordinate's well being was misplaced, as Terra seemed to fall in on herself with worry. Whatever this was, it had been working a number on the young woman's mind and body. Hopefully it was nothing terrible, but the way she cowered worried even him, jaded as he was. Panicking, Strel fought to contain his fear. Whatever it was, he was not qualified to help nor offer a fix of a potion of herbs. He could, at best, be a quack surgeon with nothing but thread, needle, and alcohol to burn the disease away.
The Dauphin bit at his lip, wondering how to comfort the poor girl. He scampered to sit beside her shifted form and wrapped an arm carefully around her. The drink was in his blood and it made his hands a little more shaky than his usual stillness. "You didn't eat anything bad, did you?" he said, pondering. Thinking hard was keeping him from panicking the girl more, and himself as well. "Nauseous..," he mumbled, and then it clicked. He remember the women in the Court who had the same things. He remembered well. "Have you.. been in heat recently? Did you mate with anyone?"
Word Count → 000 :: lol they're both whipping each other into a frenzy XD
The fear scent rising off Strel's body was not helping Terra's state in mind. Something was deeply wrong with her from the beta's reaction. Her tail tucked under, even more worried than before. Terra didn't know how to deal with it, her instincts screaming at her that she had to stay away from everything remotely dangerous. It had been silent before the worry had been awakened by Strel's words. The only thing worrying her had been the slight warning to not shift in her mind. Not exactly normal, but nothing much. The edginess Terra hadn't considered much.
An arm wrapped around her body, Terra immediately pushing and nuzzling into his form, gathering what comfort she could from him. Her body stilled, tail wrapped tightly around her paws. Shaking her head Terra thought about what she ate. Eating corpses that had been lying around for a couple days was normal for her, and had never affected her this way. Strel's question promptly eanred him a strange look from Terra. Yes. I mated with Kit. Several times. She loved him. What does that have to do with me being sick? Did he have a disease that he'd given her?
The young woman leaned into him, and the redheaded tailor found himself uncomfortable with a female presence so close to him, especially with such a strange scent about her. He did not fidget though, keeping his body as soft as he could. It wasn't hard, even with the drink fading from his blood moment by moment. He leaned against her, and patted her shoulder as amicably as he could. Normally, he was a much more gentle guy and more easy to comfort others. But something had snapped a while ago that left him a little less caring and a little more focused on his misery. Like some old dodger. Oh, god, he was getting old.
"Terra.. were you in heat?" he asked cautiously, not very sure how to deal with a pregnant woman, especially when he had never had to deal with a woman's lower bits ever - in waking memory, anyway. "I think you're pregnant. You smell off and it doesn't stink like disease." His head was clearing a little more the harder he thought, keeping his arm tight around the young woman's shoulders. Of all the people in the pack, he was probably one of the last to go to when confused about pregnancy. But, Terra was stuck with him for now, especially since Strel was the first that had noticed her new state.
Strel patted Terra comfortingly, managing to impart a relative amount of piece to her. She wasn't sure she was so comfortable with the beta's stance in the pack anymore with the fear that had been provoked, but her nerves were shot. She was seeing bad things everywhere at this point. Terra was convinced that what she had passed off as nothing more than moodiness was going to prove to be some life threatening disease. She didn't want to die. She wanted to live, with every fiber of her being.
She nodded her head, practically rolling her eyes at Strel. Her scent had been left all across the court's borders when she'd been in heat, courtesy to the strange drive that always came with it. He must not have gone down there recently. Terra paused as he spoke. The words settled in the air for a moment before Terra started laughing. No way! I would have noticed if I was pregnant. It wasn't very likely. My scent's fine. Terra hadn't noticed anything different about it at all.
Strel noticed the young woman roll her eyes. It seemed that though he was older and a much more experienced - that was a joke - adult. But it was really her choice to ignore his advice and his ideas. She could pretend she wasn't pregnant, but she would figure it out soon enough. Hell, one of the women of the pack might notice, and let her know. If none did, she certainly would when her belly swelled and her body heaved. If she still didn't know, then she would certainly understand when the labor pains began and she pushed out little monsters. At least, that was what he was sure it was like. But he had never been near a woman birthing so he had only vague notions.
The Dauphin pulled his arm away from the woman's shoulders and put them into his lap. A frown decorated his face, as he shook his head at Terra. "Alright. Don't listen to me." He rubbed at his arm, looking away. When he glanced back at her, his gaze was stern. "Talk to another woman. Talk to Ayita, or her daughter. Talk to any woman here who has had pups and she'll set you straight. You're pregnant and you'll have to deal with it."
As soon as the arm pulled away Terra realized that she'd probably hurt him. She just couldn't take it seriously though. Her, pregnant? Looking over at Strel Terra studied him. He seemed offended by her laughter. He had to admit it was ridiculous though. She wasn't exactly someone to view as one to settle down. She was always off and traveling. Sure, her loyalties to the pack were clear, but she still spent plenty of time outside of it. She held tons of knowledge about the packs beyond the court, and held friends clear across the area from her travels.
Ears flattening Terra looked down. If she was pregnant, what did it mean? What was going to happen to her? Terra barely managed to get through being in heat, and she'd had that explained to her. Pregnancy was completely foreign to the young female, yet another subject she'd missed out on from leaving her pack too early. The only thing she had to rely on were instincts that were telling her she was in danger and had to protect herself. Terra didn't know what the danger was though. Am I really...?
Strelein nodded at the young woman, though he was sure it was not going to hit home anytime soon. She still seemed so shell shocked to find out that she was pregnant. Did she even know who the father was, if she said her scent had been all over the border? If she was not careful, she was going to get herself raped and left to die. A gruesome thought, but his mind was not exactly filtering out every single thought anymore. "I'm pretty sure you are, dear," he said gently, patting her on the shoulder as he moved to lean back against the same tree as he had been before.
He rubbed his neck and ran fingers through his wavy hair, wondering where his tie went for it. It probably fell out sometime. "You really should talk to Ayita. She's had a few litters and should be able to help you." He gestured to the general area where Ayita lived with her mate. She would know more about this than Strel ever would. She had two litters with Vigilante, and she had one before them with Leroy. But Leroy had been an interesting character. It was terrible, though Strel had enjoyed the liaison, even if he disappeared. "I know nothing about pregnancy."
Alright, that was odd. Her eyes focused on Strel, realizing that there was something ever so slightly off about his behavior. She didn't have a clue what it was, but she was fairly certain that he was not normally this touchy feely. Not even when he'd been letting her play in his clothes. It had been a lot of fun, but he hadn't been as touchy towards her as he was now. Either he felt really bad for her, or there was something changed in his behavior. Or she just didn't know him very well, a thought that sent a slight chill through her. She needed to know her beta.
Nodding her head Terra noted to seek out Ayita as soon as she could. Talking with her was her utmost priority at the moment. She wasn't entirely sure he was being true though. You know lots. You figured out that I was pregnant, and I didn't know. Terra wasn't sure whether she was trying to assure herself or Strel with that sentence. The nervousness running through her had been redirected towards herself, but some still lingered over enough to be panicked about the hotel and Strel.
Strel waved his hand absently at her, shaking her off. What he knew he had learned from simple common knowledge and deductive reasoning. "Sure, but you forget. I'm a good deal older than you. I'm probably dripping with experience." Strelein made a face at the bizarre metaphor, unable to imagine himself saying it again with a straight face. Experience? Sure, if that meant sewing himself stupid and fooling around with multiple men was anything to be proud of when he sat around mateless and useless. His closest friend left for Italy with her mate and the mate's family. And he was left here without the friends he had made years ago.
He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "But seriously, you really ought to go see her to make sure everything's okay. Gotta protect those young'uns you've got cooking in your belly." Groaning slightly, the man rose to his feet as his joints cracked. Was he oh so old already? Cripes, he had to work more on his health if his joints were creaking when he rose. "I'm sure everything is fine though, you seem pretty healthy and kind of glowy. But I guess that's what happens when you get knocked up." Strel shrugged, unsure of how the process went down after the sex she must have had.
Terra watched a strange expression cross his face. Strel was upset about something, even if she wasn't sure what it was. It wasn't her place to question the beta though. Especially considering how the question would most likely end up in a full fledged panic session again. Silently she noted to herself to keep her eyes on Strel, making sure that the beta was up to the job. Terra didn't follow those that were weak. Strel had proven himself strong in the past, but something had changed that she wasn't aware of.
Cooking? Wasn't that heating food up to eat? Terra stared in confusion, wondering why he would want to cook her puppies. Was he going to eat them? There was no way she was going to let the beta near her pups if they were on the menu. I'll do that. Nodding her head as politely as she could Terra managed not to stare at the groan that escaped, keeping her fangs covered. Retreating Terra turned to head for the Catori house, eager to move out of the hotel.
