A light breeze flowed outward from the woods, chilling my face and the tips of my ears. I simply stared at the giant.
“Killed your father?” I repeated, feeling odd. “Why? Who was your father?”
But even as I said those words a little voice arose in my mind and replied 'I think you already know the answer'.
I looked at him. I really looked. And there was no question about it: that form in itself was familiar enough, but there were other similarities as well. His face, specifically the shape of the cheekbones; the narrow tilt of his eyes; and even his overall posture and muscle mass, they all bore a striking resemblance…
But that was impossible. Tando HAD no other son than Julius, and though I certainly never put it past him to betray his mate and sleep around with different women (his advances toward me were partic
I stared at Cillium, keenly aware of the how the others did the same. “What do you mean?” I demanded perhaps a bit more roughly than was necessary. He shrugged. “When I grabbed him… I don't know how to put it. I went looking for things. I've never done that before, I've… never had anybody to do it with.” He shrugged again, clearly uncomfortable. “I don't know. But I learned some things about him, about his past.” Surry and Rufias looked up at me questioningly, still in their wolf forms. I mulled over what he had said. “So, you're telling us that you… read his mind? I didn't think that was possible, Cil, even for you.” “Neither did I” he replied. “But it made some sort of sense the moment I tried it. Think about it like…” Cillium paused and rubbed his scalp. “Like, rather than showing him things, I tried asking him for them instead. It didn't f
The sky's needy openness possessed a gravity that urged me on. Stepping closing to Cillium I reached out a hand to touch him - there wasn't much in this moment that I demanded or even expected, but it was impossible to think I would turn away with nothing. That was something I could not do, refused to do. "I do not ask for much"the she-wolf within me spoke, dulling my senses. "But I do ask for this." And it was not a demand, true - but it was just as irrefusable. Glowing with anticipation, Cil's eyes took in my stare, my hand, my body… he seemed to sway closer to me as heat filled my vision, collapsing me within a parcel of this moment... And then… the vision broke. I found myself standing there upon the snow, hand outstretched towards Cillium's face in what was probably the very picture of awkwardness. While he… he just stared at me, w
“I don't know what you mean by that, Alpha.” I studied Soiya's profile as she turned her face away from me. “Oh come on. You don't have to hide it - I'm not upset! I was never upset… I just want to know if you're
~*There wasn't much to say: There he was, there I was, there they were. My father…-* Luna, his scent was SO familiar - *...My father wasn't very nice. He was scary. But he TAUGHT me how to be scary, so I knew that he loved me.The others weren't like me and father; they were timid, weak. They were really nice to me, though, so sometimes I let them - but father didn't usually like that, so he would have to teach me how to be Strong that evening.He was really happy with how large I was growing, though. I was happy, too, that he was finally proud of me for something. He never said that, but I could tell. If he thought I was Weak we probably wouldn't fight so much.
Upon a grassy steppe and beneath the clear gray sky, there sat a small community. In fact, it could hardly still be called a 'community' at all; for all of three tiny houses now sat entirely unoccupied, save for the fourth, which hardly saw use anymore. The grassy terrain bordered along a shelf of gravel which led to sand, which led to a large reservoir of fresh water that had yet to turn fully into ice, though nearly all of the ground now lay covered in a fine sheet of snow. The small hut still housed an occupant during most nights; but save for a few candles burning in the window and by the bedside, one might never know that. Its owner was rarely at home anymore, preferring the lonely company of evergreen trees and an empty shore to the confines which had once housed so many memories, and which his body had long since outgrown. Nothing tied him to thi
The trees this morning seemed to house their own plenitude of secrets... A brisk wind ruffled my black gown, sending shards of snow adrift in a sea of white. I sat upon a solitary stump on the northern edge of camp and gazed out at the woods: what other secrets did they hold? What other specters of the past might still be out there, unbeknownst to us - haunting and gathering, waiting to make an appearance? Ever since learning about Tiefing's existence it felt like everything else was up for grabs. Most of the Pack were still asleep. It wasn't terribly early, but a sudden drop in temperature coupled with the lack of sunlight meant that fewer wolves were interested in getting an early start today. I hadn't planned on it either, but my mind was too preoccupied with upcoming decisions to get more than a few hours' rest. That likely wasn't changing any time soon; I resolved to force myself into bed at an earlier hour in the coming nights.
A great many years ago, Luna's children began to define exactly Who and What they Are. Following this spiritual awakening a tradition was born: the Wolf-willing. A fire-lit dance of moonlight and flame during which we celebrate all that we Are, and all that we wish to Be. To many this involves the taking of a mate, or the re-invigoration of a partnership past or present. It should come as no surprise then that mating is common during these celebrations - whether it be for love, for lust, or for both. To the wild beat of drums do Shifters dance and toss-about, uttering shouts of ecstasy and liberation. Other times the beat draws upon only silence: perhaps the Pack (or some of it) mourns for the loss of a loved one. All of these things are a part of the Wolf-willing, for all of them are a part of who we Are as Shifters. The 'Wolf-willing' gets its name due to the nature of the tradition: the children of Luna (the moon, the great Tr
Surry tossed her hands. "Rayla, I'm barely half his age!! I was a child when his mate passed away, we both were! And he loved her so, Rayla. He still does. They were so deeply in love that I... I felt jealous, even then." She blinked. "N-not jealous of her, I mean, obviously not that!! I just... I wanted that sort of thing for myself, you know?" I gave her a hug, feeling warm. "And now you're worried about what stepping into the firelight with him might mean, is that it?" She nodded. "I've decided what I feel for him. It took me a little while, but I figured it out: I... I want him. I want to be... his. I want him to be mine. But how can I ask such a thing of him?" I chuckled. "Probably by getting your ass up to that fire and ASKING him, Surry, how else?" She sighed angrily. "You know that's not it, Rayla. How can I ask him t