Returning Home [Journey]

[Journey]

In the few tense seconds before Veles turned around, Journey's body was taut with anger and pain, but her heart was not in it. This wolf, truly, was not as bad as some; in fact, he was being better to her as a stranger than some of her close acquaintances had been in the past. But she could not shake the feeling of wrongness that came with her traveling alongside him, nor did she think it would ever go away. Even as she knew he was her only hope for relief, she detested his attitude and his very appearance, perhaps only because she needed an outlet for her misplaced aggression. "If you help," she said quietly, having to keep her voice down to mask the mix of emotion behind her words.

As the male approached, Journey could not prevent the hair along her back from rising up, causing her stocky frame to look even larger. Her lips twitched once, twice, but did not raise up in the silent snarl she knew was coming; over and over she reminded herself that he was going to help her, and while her left eye was closed, the other green beauty was laid upon him intently, watching his slow approach. A slim muzzle rose past hers and the feel of his tongue grated against her tender eyelid, paining her as it moved around the bits of sand that were her biggest problem. Silently she endured what was, to her, torture, allowing Veles to touch her while suppressing her desire to remove the tongue that he was using. No one had placed their tongue on her since Jo and Sunny used to groom each other's fur, and she could not pretend that this wolf or any other were her.

Seconds later, and the wolf was finished; Journey felt her entire body relax as the grooming ended, not realizing just how tense she had been during the ordeal. Slowly she flipped her ears forward again, and the hair along her shoulders fell back to its proper place. Veles asked her to open the eye, and she felt the sting again of sand, but less now. Gingerly, tenderly, she lifted her lid, revealing a reddened, irritated eye with only the barest hint of sand left. It still hurt, but Journey was able to blink several times in succession and moisten her eyeball again, blissfully free of the little grains that were destined to ruin her.

Silently she stared at Veles, both eyes fully open, posture still slightly hostile. But in the blink of an eye she softened, her lids falling slightly, tail swishing back and forth--though only once. A small, very small, nearly invisible smile crossed her lips, and Journey nodded her head to her new acquaintance. "Much better," she breathed, looking past his shoulder in case he began to assume she would, someday, not mind his presence. "Thank you." Without pausing, the she-wolf stepped forward and began again, as though there had been no interruption to their trek toward Aveline. "We had better keep going. Sundown isn't far off," she said brusquely as she passed him, shoving aside the experience so she did not dwell on it.
 
Words || 546
Tags || Veles
Notes || Awww

[Veles]

Veles could feel Journey tense as he worked at her eye, but she visibly relaxed when he pulled back.

Much better. Thank you.

Her sincere thanks touched some part of Veles that he preferred to avoid. He nodded curtly and inwardly shook his head to clear it. The careful barrier he created around his emotions to keep them in check, both from others and from himself had had a temporary lapse, and it was upsetting to him. He did not become attached. He would not let himself become attached. Friendships were useless things – temporary at best. What was he supposed to do with the knowledge that he found her interesting along with infuriating? Suppress it. That would work.

“Don’t mention it.” The brief softness he was sure had been evident to the perceptive female was gone, carefully concealed by a mask of indifference again. But the anger and frustration with her were gone and impossible to hold onto anymore. He was almost disappointed that they had gotten off on the wrong foot. She was the type of wolf he might have liked to call a “good acquaintance.” At least a positive connection.

Noticing the disappointment, Veles shook his again, this time physically, however. No. He would not allow it. There was only one other wolf he had ever allowed himself to become attached to, and he had even realized that had been a bad idea and left her. Still, there was no harm in following along for now. Journey was right, it would be getting dark soon. He wondered what they would do when night fell and planned to leave at the first opportunity when she was not paying attention. It was best they parted ways again.

“It’s Veles, by the way.” Too late to take the words back now that they had been said. “But stranger works if you’ve become attached to it,” he added on, his tone slightly mocking. He sighed giving up. Might as well break the awkward silence. “I grew up here in the desert. Been all around the island, seen almost every part, excepting the smaller islands around it. Not a fan of swimming. But I’ve become bored with it.” No need to add that he felt like he knew it well enough that it was no longer of interest to him. It might sound too arrogant. It was her turn to continue the conversation, if she wished. He had never considered himself a great conversationalist and found he did not know what to say next.

Words: 412
Muse: good
Tags: Journey
Notes: Nah. Can’t do it. He likes her. Oh well. It was fun. =)

[Journey]

Journey had very carefully pushed the experience from her mind almost as soon as it was over; having been close only to her family, then Sunny, the female was in no way eager to share such an intimate moment with anyone, even out of necessity. She would not forget how Veles had helped her, but she would not look back fondly upon the memory, even if the two were to somehow cross paths again after their trek through the desert. So it was with quick and purposeful steps that she continued forward, though she trod more carefully now that she knew the danger that lurked in the sand.

However, Jo did not miss the very light, very sincere response to her own heartfelt thanks, and she wondered briefly if the two wolves truly had just encountered each other at the wrong time. Would they have been friends, had they met under different circumstances? If she and Sunny had encountered Veles together, would they have tricked him or simply used him as a companion for a time? Either way, it didn't truly matter, for she had met him at a time when she did not want to meet anyone, and so the thought of friendship was far from them both for now.

His name came to her ears, then, as the male began to trot along after her as before, and she tested it on her tongue. "Veles, hmm... it's shorter, at least. But perhaps a little personal," she replied coolly, though there was no snark or snap in her tone; truly she was beginning to tolerate him, though it might had been that she simply felt grateful enough still for his helping her that she could not bring it upon herself to continue treating him in a second-class sort of way. It didn't change how she felt about him, but it would keep her civil enough as long as he was as well.

Veles went on to speak of his birthplace--the very desert they were currently walking--and his exploration of the island, and Journey felt herself flicking an ear in his direction to better hear him. She had seen only a small portion of the south, and only the middle stretch of land from her travels from the north, but her homeland she knew extremely well. "Swimming is such fun, Veles, but I can see why a desert native would avoid water. I, on the other hand, would gladly swim the entirety of this trek as opposed to travelling this sand any longer," she replied, the hint of a laugh in her tone. "I come from a land where the ground is dirt and grass, and doesn't burn your eyes if you stumble in it. I'm hoping the place I end up has a similar terrain, or I may be forced to keep going."

Words || 488
Tags || Veles

Notes || SORRY SORRY SORRY

[Veles]

Veles noticed an interesting tension, given that she did not directly address him again after he gave his name. Was she going to use it or continue calling him stranger? He waited to hear and listened intently for any sign of mocking tone speaking either his name or the nickname she had given him earlier, but it was not to be had. Well then, perhaps he would just have to wait and see.

Afterwards, however, the mood lightened significantly. Journey seemed to enjoy being given the chance for honest conversation and playful banter ensued, with her even laughing a bit. Veles had not thought he would see that. He had to admit that his original assessment of her was off. He would need to gather more data to build a better picture. He had only seen one side, of course. This was a completely different and unexpected side of her.

I, on the other hand, would gladly swim the entirety of this trek as opposed to travelling this sand any longer

“Oh really? But you don’t know what kind of trouble you could get into swimming. If you can’t even handle walking on sand, I would love to see how you fare taking on a predator in the water where you have nothing to stand on.” While it had been a statement meant to tease her, Veles could not help but feel there was some validity to it. Not having hardly any experience with swimming at all, he could not imagine that a wolf might find it easier to function in than sand. He could be mistaken however. He was interested to see how she would respond.

I come from a land where the ground is dirt and grass, and doesn't burn your eyes if you stumble in it. I'm hoping the place I end up has a similar terrain, or I may be forced to keep going.

“Have you ever thought that maybe the problem is not the terrain but your inability to remain upright?” Veles watched her carefully, a playful glow in his eyes, wanting to make sure he did not take it too far. Given their rough beginning, he was unsure how she would take his words. If taken literally and not as the sarcastic banter he intended, he could see how they would easily be offensive.

---

Words: 394
Muse: surprisingly ok
Tags: Journey
Notes: Don’t apologize! I loved it! And the lack of plots and ideas for what to do with Veles is slightly killing my muse for him anyway. It’s been really difficult getting out posts for him…

[Journey]

Journey laughed out loud at Veles' statement about predators in the water; it was so humorous to her that she could not even pretend to dislike him anymore in that moment, as though he had broken a hole in her protective shell and gotten down to the true personality beneath. She would, by no means, let him think that they were friends, for there was a long road to travel before she could befriend anyone so, but there was no sense in letting him assume she was a bitter young wolf with no sense of fun. "Veles, have you ever gone swimming in a river or lake? There are not many predators to worry about, unless you think the fish are scarier than the water itself," she chuckled, looking over at him for a moment only to shake her head. What a silly statement. There were almost no water predators, let alone ones that would attack a wolf. "It's true that there are swamps with crocodiles and carnivorous fish, but really, there is almost no danger in most fresh water. Perhaps the ocean would be a little more frightening, but I don't swim there."

They had walked a long way in the sand, and Journey found that she was becoming better with each step. The sand still slowed her, and made her movements seem awkward and sluggish, but she had very little trouble going forward now, and if she simply avoided the dunes, she might do okay for the rest of the trip through. Just then, however, Veles chose to insult her, and before she realized that he was joking, her response was a sharp, irritated growl. When she flashed her gaze to him, however, and saw the playful but careful face he had on, she faltered and shifted her bared teeth to a frown.

"I wonder if my default will always be to assume you to be a brute, and stumble through an apology when I realize you're joking," she muttered softly, turning away from him to focus on the ground beneath her--or rather, the ground immediately in front of her paws so she could see what was coming. "It has been a long time since I have spent this many minutes with someone I didn't like at first. Not that I do now," she added, glancing over at him with a fairly neutral expression. It was true; she did not neccessarily like him, but neither did she dislike him. Veles was simply another wolf she had met on her travels, and one she likely would depart from just as quickly as all the others.

Words || 449
Tags || Veles
Notes || We can end it if you don't have the muse for him.< 3 We should talk about plots for our Ananke babies!

[Veles]

Veles was a bit taken aback by her laughter over his comment about water predators. What had he said that was funny? Surely it was not unreasonable. Her answer, however, made it obvious how little he knew about this particular kind of terrain in comparison. Hopefully she would feel a little more at ease now, however, on even footing again having proved how unknowledgeable he was about other subjects.

He smiled slightly and recovered by offering the defense, “You never know.” Fish were not frightening, no, but what wolf would want to be in water? Water was cold and difficult to get rid of once it had soaked through a pelt, not to mention slower to move around in, putting wolves at a disadvantage. “No, I am completely content with my paws on the dry ground. The drier, the better, in my opinion. But by all means, have your fun with the fish.”

He continued in silence for a while, not responding to her comments about assumptions and companionship immediately. Yes, it was probably better they remain general acquaintances, at best. No reason to go and develop attachment with no way of knowing where each of them would end up. Of course, Veles was not a fan of any form of attachment to begin with. It was a useless notion to develop dependency on another when the future was always uncertain. Best case, they returned the affection and you ended up together until one of you died. And that was the best case. Did not sound very appealing at all.

“Well, you can assume what you would like.” It was not said in a combative manner, or even a jesting one, simply as a statement of fact, as if he were accepting her ability to decide however she might choose about where they stood in relation to one another now. “But I’m going to head that way now,” he nodded North. “I suppose I might see you around at another time, if you should be lucky enough.” He could not suppress the parting grin he shot her before turning. It was a good note to end on.

Words: 357
Muse: pretty good. =)
Tags: Journey
Notes: I did recently have muse come back for him, but I still think it might be a good idea to end here. We can thread them again later, if we have a good idea. =) I am always game for plots! If you ever need his spy-ness for anything pack related or whatever, I’m available! <3

[Journey]

Though their initial confrontation had been tense and sharp, Journey found that the more time she spent with Veles, the less obnoxious he became. Perhaps he was the type of wolf who took the energy around him and shot it right back to wherever it came from--when met with hostility, hostility tended to be returned. Jo was like that, in a sense, but at her core she truly was just a lonely wolf looking for her home with no way to expressing it, and no desire to. The stress simply built up behind her eyes and exited her mouth.

Despite it having turned much lighter, the female sensed an end to their trek together. It was inevitable, she supposed, and though it might have made her somewhat sad, there was a familiarity to it that kept her face from showing anything else. Sunny and herself had spent much of their time getting to know wolves and abandoning them just as quickly, and the only difference here was that Journey, perhaps, was not ready to let go of the first wolf she had connected with at all since losing her mate. Fleeting though it was, the thought was there, and she fought simultaneously to keep her mouth shut and prevent a scowl from forming.

As he spoke his parting words, the masked female dipped her head in response, sneering slightly at his sarcastic comment. "Lucky must mean something different to me than it does to you," she shot back, sticking out her tongue at his retreating backside. The expression shocked her, and with a small start she began to walk a slightly different path than the male, frowning at the sand as she watched where her feet were landing, being careful to avoid the numerous small pits and holes that would be sure to trip her up.

Looking back, it was clear that the two would not have continued on as they had, but a part of Journey wished they would have. There was not a soul in this world that could ever fill the hole that Sunny had left in her heart, but Veles had gotten her to forget about the female, though it was only for a span of seconds and minutes. The fact that she could forget the female was a revelation in itself, and spoke volumes about Jo's ability to recover. She was a strong creature, and she could move on from the tragedies she suffered; it would just take time.

Words || 424
Tags || Veles
Notes || Well that was utter POOP goodbye thread