The beginnings of spring were bringing all new life into the island of Anikira. Snow was melting and flowers were beginning to bloom. Mother deer took their spotted foals out for grazing in the dew-filled morning, no longer pregnant and no longer eating tree bark. She was feeling like a weight had been lifted, and the hooves on her legs felt like petals on a flower reaching toward the heavens. Beautiful red poppies spanned the entire field, turning their tiny, hungry faces toward the sun. The lightness in their souls was a great awakening from a winter filled with sleepy dreams. Their drowsiness would be short-lived, they knew, as they turned their petals to the Warm Mother and stretched their stems upwards into the crisp spring air. The entire field was alive, from the worms down underneath the soil to the fat mother robins floating through the clouds to build their nest for their unborn chicks. The Shydar was the place to be for the forthcoming of spring.
Ryker wouldn’t have known, though, that the land was called Shydar. He wouldn’t have known that many bodies before him had fought here and died here, and the red poppies were a horrible reminder of sorrow and mourning to some. The Timber male would have never known that the grass under his feet was centuries old, and that the flowers before him had life in themselves that could tell stories of the decades. And he surely wouldn’t have known that he was on unclaimed territory, for he hadn’t bothered to seriously check for scents since he arrived on the rocky shore of the island just days earlier. The male had found himself in a kind of apathetic struggle since his arrival, both from tending to his own cuts from bashing up against stones on the coastline and from leaving his brother, Gallagher. He knew their parting would always be for the better, but he couldn’t help but miss his twin.
What a force to be reckoned with, they’d been. The two could take down any prey, beat any foe, and turn any female to goop with their sensual charm. Ryker chuckled to himself softly with the remembrance of the fond memories. As he approached a field of red, though, his thoughts stopped with his paws as he halted in his tracks and raised his head in awe.
Before him was a field of red; a field of beautiful wild red poppy, seemingly untouched by wolf-kind. On the edge of the meadow he saw a deer and her fawn, both with wide eyes and upright ears, staring with frightened optics in his direction.
Ryker’s first, instinctive thought was to crouch. He would stalk slowly and wait for the deer to go back to her grazing to strike. He would lock his jaws around her throat, and then tackle the fawn to end its life in a similar way. Something stopped him, though. The poppies seemed to look at him with despair, screaming their tiny protests. Ryker almost laughed to himself, but he couldn’t. His somber realization was heartbreaking. These poppies were willing to protect the fragile family of two, and the mother deer was willing to lose her own life to him in order to save her fawn. Now, that was something Ryker wished he could have experienced; a mother that cared for him, wanted him, loved him.
The wolf shook away the feelings and smirked in disgust. “Stupid bitch,” he mumbled with a chuckle. That was all she was to Ryker. “A stupid bitch, who belonged to a stupid bastard, who was the alpha’s playtoy.” The only bright side in Ryker’s thinking was that he got out of the situation before he became just as weak as they were. They were robotic, following their alpha’s ass during thick and thin. “They can eat his shit all they want.” He would never do the same, and he regretted nothing.
Ryker began his forward trot again, being careful to mind stepping on the poppies, with their sad faces calling him a liar.
With her peppered coat glittering gently against the sun's rays, Akihra bounded through Caurus, eager to explore the continent in the brief period of freedom she still had. Soon, it would be back to Tehrin and they would find Torrah, and the three of them would be back to their gruesome little band of terrorizing the unsuspecting. As much as she was amused by their antics, she was growing tired of her sister's bossiness, particularly on matters that did not concern her in the least. She will likely die alone, she thought with a snort, her mind wandering carelessly.
Big mistake.
"Ahh!" The femme yelled helplessly as she slammed into the figure of another wolf, the impact nearly knocking her off her paws. As her mind scrambled to decide between fight or flight, she glanced sheepishly at the lone wolf she had so rudely impacted. Wow. What a looker, she mused with a slight smirk, her mismatched orbs twinkling in amusement. As unconventional as her collision had been, she was no longer sorry. Why apologize for something she did not feel the need to apologize over?
Nevertheless, Akihra had been raised better than that; why Tehrin had bothered to teach her manners, she had never quite figured out, because they never seemed to use them. Maybe for moments like these, she thought with a grin, dipping her head apologetically to the other wolf. "I am so sorry, sir. I do believe my body has caused a bit of a collision here," she stated with a smirk. Here she was, making jokes with a complete stranger. What if he turned on her and attacked?
The femme's mind flashed back to the mexican brute who had not seemed dangerous at first. Intimidating, sure. But dangerous? She would have bolted at the sight of him if she knew what he was capable of. With that thought fresh in her mind, she took a few hasty steps back, suddenly aware of her close proximity to the other wolf. There was a time and a place for jokes, and this may well not be one of them. Shit, shit, shit, she thought frantically, realizing that she may have found herself in yet another bind. Why was it that whenever Tehrin was not around, she got herself in trouble? Maybe her sister was right. Maybe she was doomed to spend all of eternity living as her sister's right wing, to do her bidding and continue hating it because she simply could not function without her siblings. It was a horrid thought, but all Akihra managed to do was get herself into trouble.
"I apologize. I was not watching where I was going... If you would like, I will leave..." she trailed off, her voice suddenly soft and timid. Akihra would be scarred from her encounter with that wretched loner for quite some time. What if the same thing happened again, but this time worse? She could wind up dead. Then, she started to think.
Before she had so rudely slammed into this brute, he had been standing alone in a meadow full of gorgeous flowers. Even now in her current situation, Akihra marvelled at the beauty of the place. It was a remarkable sight, indeed, and she had never wandered here in her years of life. Perhaps under different circumstances, this would have been one of the most stunning introductions on the records. "I-I really didn't mean anything by it," she reassured the brute hastily, her eyes obviously showing her panic. Why could she not just be normal again?
In a flash of fur, Ryker went from trotting forward to skidding across the grass with only a tiny grunt from the impact. With a startled, wide-eyed face, he turned his head slowly to look at the wolf who had just slammed into him.
“I am so sorry, sir. I do believe my body has caused a bit of a collision here,” the dark female said with a smirk.
Ryker, being himself, was thrown into an immediate fit of laughter. Though she scurried up, he just stayed on the ground in his humorous stupor, his tail taking up a gentle wag. He took the opportunity of her silence to let his chuckles subside into a throaty giggle, and looked up at her. She was adorable, he had to give her that. Her white chin and neck gave her a softer appearance than if she had just been pure black, and the dapples in her coat were unique. Her awkward, somewhat timid nature and immediate humor mixed with her looks made her adorable, Ryker decided. And she wasn’t puny, he could tell that. Though he could see she was still young like he was, she was muscular and fit in a similar way that he was.
As her demeanor turned from casual to nervous, Ryker stood up slowly and gently. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart,” he said softly, his voice warm velvet in the crisp spring air. The female’s eyes glistened with panic and anxiety, and Ryker’s heart went out to her for a moment. “It’s really okay. I’m the new kid here, I have no right to tell you to leave,” he joked, smiling. Her voice shook as she hastily apologized for the hundredth time that minute. The brute chuckled softly. How frickin’ cute.
Giving his fur a shake and stretching out, he pretended to wince, limped a step, and then threw her a glance to show he was only kidding. He squinted and laughed again, tossing his head down and shaking it a moment. “I’m Ryker,” he told her, bowing on his front paws as if to royalty. “It’s a pleasure to be tackled by you. I’m truly knocked off my feet,” the male said with a playful wink.
When the Eastern Timber brute erupted with laughter, Akihra was not sure whether to be amused or offended. It was almost as if he took pleasure in her suffering! "Hey!" she protested bitterly. "Next time you-" She stopped talking abruptly. What had she planned on saying, "next time you get raped, then you can talk?" or some bullshit like that? She was not exactly good at filtering her speech sometimes, but she still was not stupid. The wounds were too fresh in her mind, and she was not about to start joking about it at this point. She brainstormed another retort, but her thoughts were cut off by the brute's words.
"The new kid, huh?" she questioned with an inquisitive look. "You're looking at a proud Anikira native, born and raised." She puffed out her chest. That's right, bitches, don't mess with me! she thought arrogantly, a quirky smile spread across her muzzle. "So, if you're the new kid, that means I'm in charge, huh?" she commently slyly, then laughed once again. It was good to have a nice giggle once in a while. She did not get to feel such airiness and freedom around her brother and sister. Tehrin was always too busy bossing her around, and Torrah would not stand up to either of them if his life depended on it. Their little family... Family, she snorted. They contained every extreme possible in one lineage. Ironic.
Akihra's guard went back up as the brute feigned a limp, then growled softly as he walked perfectly fine. She was not amused. What if he had actually been hurt? She would have felt terrible, and it would be another thing to add to her list of stupid deeds. In fact, she was surprised that her bad karma had not shoved the poor brute over a fault line that would just so happen to erupt into a volcano at this very second. She was paranoid to that extreme right now.
Calm down. Laugh it off, keep your composure. It's just a brute, nothing you haven't seen before, she thought with a smirk. As the brute bowed to her, she could not contain her laughter. "Well, Sir Ryker, you sure know how to make a first impression," she snickered. He was painfully corny, but it was endearing. Akihra had never met a wolf like him. In fact, outside of her family and the wolves she had met briefly from Zethrox's pack, she had never met another wolf that she had not fought or chased off. Why was that?
All this time, maybe I could have had some friends outside of my brother and sister, and I have been too stupid to see it until now, she reprimanded herself. Akihra's internal dilemmas were starting to come into conflict with her current external one as a scowl spread across her face. Realizing it, she quickly masked the emotion and dipped her head to the brute. "My name is Akihra, though I occasionally go by Kira. Anything else, and you might die," she warned jokingly. Well, half-jokingly. She did not like most of the nicknames wolves decided to bestow upon her, mostly because they tended to be foul names. These rude terms varied from minor to major, and they had even been spewed at her in different languages... Oh yeah, I'm just that good, she thought.
"I suppose it's a pleasure to tackle you," Akihra grinned. "What's a brute like you doing wandering around the continent all alone?" she asked, probing for more information about him. She was curious, to say the least. So far, she was intrigued. But would this just be another wolf in her life bent on manipulating her to do his will? It would not happen again; she had enough of those types in her world already, and they were becoming extremely difficult to shake. Probably will never rid of them, she thought, sighing gently. She was in a precarious situation. There was nowhere she could run that her siblings could not find her, and even now, if she spent too much time away from them, they would come searching for her. Tehrin was keeping her on a short leash after the mexican brute fiasco. The last thing she needed was her sister impeding her friendship. Did she honestly think she had the right to rule every aspect of Akihra's life? It was growing tiresome, and fast.
Ryker was listening to the female, that was true, but he also would have been lying if he said he had heard every word.
He was a male, for God’s sake. In human terms, he’d be the twenty-one year old hotshot athlete that just realized he could visit the liquor store and not be carded. The brute was thrilled to have the first taste of company in days, and he liked this Timber female. She puffed out her chest (adorable!) as she said something about being raised on the island, Anikira it was called, or something like that. Ryker was really too busy checking out the female’s form. Tall, he could see, but not quite as tall as him. Beautifully crafted face, and her eyes, oh God, her eyes! They sparkled with gold and silver, the most precious metals in the world. They glittered like diamond rings, and Ryker could get lost in them without even trying.
The humor in the white-flecked female’s voice turned the crème brute’s attention back from her physique to her voice. “I guess you are, princess,” he said coyly, rocking back to sit on his haunches. She was, in reality. He had no idea where he was, and it might be wise of him to stick with another wolf for hunting purposes. Not that hunting was his rational for sticking around. The brute wasn’t after sex, that wasn’t it at all. Ryker had become aware of his loneliness only at meeting this charming female. Living without his brother, the only family he had ever known, had proved to be more disheartening than he thought. He needed some companionship in this new place, at the very least until he figured out where, exactly, he was. And on the brightest side of things, he really did have a good feeling about this femme. He hadn’t wiped the small smile off his face since he’d been pummeled.
The flick of a scowl on the female’s face made Ryker tilt his head and raise an eyebrow. “The pleasure’s all mine, Akihra. No promises on the nickname thing, though. Calling you ‘princess’ is all too tempting.” He could only wonder the thoughts that went on behind her shining eyes. Ryker’s flattery had been not only a charming technique, but an attempt to loosen the pretty femme up. He knew those scowls of disdain and discontent. Had he not been genuinely pleased to have been in Kira’s presence, he might be wearing a scowl on his own maw.
In an odd way, Ryker wanted to prod, to push, to make her tell him what, or who, it was that was making her unhappy. In an even odder way, he wanted to make them suffer. Here was this beautiful creature, just as pure as the wild red poppies below his paw-pads, hurting on the inside. He knew not of what it was, but he wished inwardly that she would be free of it. The one thing Ryker hated more than anything was seeing others in pain.
The burnt-coated brute was forced to come back to reality again with the female’s question. "What's a brute like you doing wandering around the continent all alone?" He smiled as she laughed, and let out a chuckle of his own. “I’m no brute, I’m very pretty!” Ryker batted his eyelashes girlishly and pouted for a moment before laughing again. It felt so good to laugh freely, after his heart had been so heavy for the past week or so. “Just roaming,” he answered finally. A smile of chagrin washed over his features. “Waiting around to be saved by ‘a proud Anikira native,’ I guess,” the male said, quoting her speech. His tail wagged a bit, his chocolate eyes beaming.
Akihra may have been intrigued by her company, but she was not completely won over by his charms. As much as he may have been oblivious to his own ogling, the femme let out a warn growl. "Watch those eyes, feisty," she warned with a bit of an edge. She was attracted to the brute, but he had a long ways to go before she could even remotely trust him. All she ever knew was her family; why would she automatically accept this stranger just because he had a cute face and could spit out some damn good compliments? She sighed. Life was getting complicated, and fast.
And so the femme put on a smile for this brute. Akihra was genuinely comforted by his company, but it was not something she could get used to. At his mention of her earlier statement, she nearly whined in dismay. There was no way she could bring with wolf with her. Tehrin and Torrah would tear him to bits at the sight of him; well, Tehrin would, always. She could not possibly risk putting him in harm's way because of her selfish desire for a friend. It would be beyond cruel to lead him on and make him think she was interested, as much as she quite possibly was, when there was no possible way for them to have a future together. She was stuck in a twisted family situation that Ryker would not fit in. No one joined their family, and no one left. That was the way the game was played.
But Akihra could not help but be charmed by Ryker's adorable smile. He was great company, and she could not help but get wrapped up in her conversation with him. It was as if the twins could not catch up to her in this little bubble of a conversation, and she wanted to keep it that way as long as possible. "Well, I suppose I'm your girl, then," she smirked once again. It was not as if she was oblivious to her words. In fact, she was trying her hardest to make this brute squirm. The last thing she wanted was him to get too comfortable around her! Maybe if I keep badgering him, he will not want to follow me back, she thought vacantly, though she knew she would never be able to follow through with the idea. As much as she acted that way, Akihra was not a mean-spirited femme. She was very level headed; her sister just had a way of "persuading" that could not be easily ignored. The bruises from where the mexican brute had grasped her neck coupled with the extra force from Tehrin throwing her to the ground...
Akihra yelped as she rocked her weight too far to one side, causing her to nearly topple over but brushing against her bruised shoulder. The sore there was still very prominent, and she figured it would take quite some time before it would be back to normal. It had not been bothering her, but it was extremely sensitive to contact, especially because it was such a fresh injury. That bastard... she thought darkly, the thoughts creeping back into her mind as she wore a fake smile once again. "Sorry about that," she crooned endearingly, "I got into a bit of a toussle a little bit back." She laughed, but it sounded oddly hollow to her. Hopefully, the brute would not notice; after all, he could not possibly notice such a minute detail, could he? But she could see it in his eyes that he had picked up on some of her distress. She would need to work harder to keep it from showing.
What would Tehrin say if she knew that Akihra was showing weakness, to a stranger nonetheless? She was not even comfortable sharing her pain with her own sibling. There was an understanding between them. Basically, Tehin said and did what she wanted. Akihra said and did what Tehrin told her. That would be how things would stay... She needed to get away from this brute before she dug the hole to deep to emerge without evidence. She could not let her sister know about her encounter, or she would be searching for Ryker. For some reason, that struck terror in the femme's heart. She did not want this wolf harmed; he had been nothing but nice to her, except for the snarky glances, but she would let those pass by... Somewhat.
Tehrin may have been heartless, but Akihra had enough heart for the both of them. She felt her eyes wandering, searching for some excuse to leave without offending the brute and without him following her. What to do, what to do? she thought in distress.
"Well, I suppose I'm your girl, then.” Ryker raised an eyebrow at Akihra’s words and smiled with her. “Be careful what you wish for,” he said with a playful wink. “You just might get it.”
What happened next was enough to make Ryker let his guard down completely. Akihra yelped as she brushed her shoulder, wincing in obvious pain. Upon closer examination, the female’s shoulder was a bit swollen. As if he felt it, Ryker shrunk back in his own skin a bit, vicariously feeling the beautiful female’s sore. As she spoke again, Ryker didn’t smile or laugh. Though he was a bit brutish sometimes, he was very smart, and intuitive to boot. The real story was not ‘a bit of a tousle,’ Ryker knew, and he could hear right past her forced laughter.
This made Ryker angry, if anything. Not at her, but at whomever the ‘tousle’ had been with. She was a loner, he guessed, but how would he know if she was in a pack? The male was struck with confusion and worry. Despite his sarcasm, he was never mean, nor apathetic. Not even when it came to his parents. He sometimes wished that maybe, just maybe, they would find him, come running to him, and apologize for their wrongs. Maybe they would tell him they missed him, they were so lonely, what a mistake they made! And maybe they’ll put roses in my fur and sing me a lullaby!
he thought to himself, scoffing at the ridiculous notion. They’d never come back, and they’d never apologize. It was all wishful thinking.
”I’m not fooled easily, you know,” Ryker started in a soft, gentle voice. ”You’ve been thinking about it, whatever it is, this whole time.” His eyes showing worry, he shifted his weight forward and laid down, purposely trying to be the least threatening he could be. Rolling slightly onto his side, the brute didn’t press her any further. If she wanted to tell him, she would. He knew how aggravating it was to be nagged about something, and the crème male knew better than to pressure Akihra.
His tail curled up around his side, Ryker felt vulnerable, but it wasn’t a problem for him. He didn’t believe he was in any danger, and if he was, the male was confident they’d both make it out of the spat intact. A soft tongue ran over his paws, and as the male looked evidently busy, he kept one eye focused on Akihra. Maybe if he opened up a little, she would feel compelled to do the same. In an offhand way, Ryker decided to mention Gallagher. ”I had a brother, you know. I ended up here because he wouldn’t come with me.” Ryker had been trying to rationalize his leaving in his head, but the truth was out. ”He was all too ready to leave, though, you know? Thought he’d have it better somewhere else, without me there.” Watching her expression as he spoke, he finished with only a few words. ”So if you’re lonely, I know how that feels.”
This was not going to end well. At first, the peppered femme had merely been looking to clear her head. At least, that was what she had told Tehrin. But she should have known better than to wander off again. Akihra's mind raced helplessly as she nearly turned on her paws to run. But then, Ryker spoke once again, and she froze in her spot.
”I’m not fooled easily, you know.You’ve been thinking about it, whatever it is, this whole time.” Akihra gaped at him in shock. He could think whatever he wanted, but that did not mean she was going to spill her guts out to him and run off to a new life without a care in the world. She was logical, and the last thing she needed was this brute showing up and ruining her relationship with her siblings. She needed them, and they needed her! How could she possibly have escape that dreaded mexican brute without Tehrin? She would have been in a much worse position had her sister not shown up when she did. And what had this wolf ever done for her other than cause emotional distress? She growled lowly, her ears falling back in distrust.
As Ryker spoke of his brother, Akihra's expression changed to one of confusion. Why is he telling me this? Does he think that if he lets me into his head, then I will do the same? she thought with a shake of her head. His next words nearly made her laugh out loud. At the moment, she was slightly delirious, whether from fear of her sister's reaction or from the foreigness of the given situation, she was not sure. "Lonely? I'm not lonely!" she laughed her hollow laugh once more. "I have my brother and sister. They're all I've ever needed," she confirmed to the brute, though her words did not meet her eyes.
To tell the truth, she was completely confused right now. Everything that had been mulling around in her head for the past few months was starting to press out on her, and she was not handling the pressure well. Akihra wanted to be a free soul and live how she wanted, but her wants and needs always came second to Tehrin's. Right now, she wanted to get to know this male. But what was she too busy thinking about? How her sister would react. Tehrin would have a fit if she saw the way Akihra had been interacting with this male. She would see him as a threat to her, and she would want him gone, just like everyone else.
"He's no good for you. Get rid of him, or I'll do it for you..."
The words rung through her mind as if Tehrin had actually just spoken them. Even imagining the situation gave Kira the chills... "Ryker... W-we can't be friends," she stammered, though there was a hint of firmness in her voice. "It's... It's just not safe." She averted her eyes, unwilling to look at him as she said it. She was starting to feel as if his words were important to her, and now she needed to walk away. She could not form any sort of relationship, friendship or otherwise, with Ryker without putting him at risk. She was not sure what Tehrin was up to, but she did not want the poor brute to be dragged into their wretched schemes. It simply would not be fair to him.
Akihra sighed, unable to look him in the eyes anymore as she slowly turned away, her steps almost painful as she wandered toward Kamari once more. How would she ever be able to explain this to her siblings? She had been a fool and wandered off again, yet she was sure Ryker would not be so easily left behind. He did not seem like the kind of wolf that would take her words at face value. If he had been able to detect her falsities after such a short time around her, then he would be wondering exactly what was going through her head.
Ryker’s initial reaction was worry, her laugh and failure to convince him with her eyes a confirmation for him. ”Oh yeah, brother and sister. All you ever needed,” the crème male said, emphasizing the past tense suffix. He let his head hang and laughed a sarcastic, ironic laugh. His mood of affection was quickly turning to disappointment. Whatever she wanted to talk about was her problem, but all of this talk of brothers and sisters and needing one another made him want to vomit at his paws. It was all bullshit.
The male’s mind put him back at an earlier time, when he and his brothers, Gallagher and Jilic, were planning to leave the pack. “We could go, you know,” Ryker had suggested one night while the three were in their den. “It’s worthless here now. They never gave a shit about us, and they won’t now, it doesn’t matter what shit we’re facing.”
[/i] Gallagher nodded somberly, licking his chops with a pink tongue. The brother male shook his head. “He’s right, Jil. We’re fuckin’ done for. I’m with you, Ry.”[/i]
Jilic, the most timid of the three, shied backwards inwardly. In a soft, choked voice, he finally spoke. “We can’t go.”
Both Ryker and Gallagher stared at him with disbelief. “What, you want to get killed, Jil? You want to live a life eating the shit of everyone that’s before you in line? You’re last. You’re no better than either of us. Is that what you want? You want to get shoved on your ass every day?”[/i] “You’re not serious, Jil. You see the way they look at us. You’ll get eaten alive if you stay by yourself.”[/i]
The third brother simply pinned his ears back and growled at his kin. “Then stay with me!” When Ryker and Gallagher both scoffed and rolled their eyes, Jilic continued with a sharp bark. “You don’t know how to live on your own. We need them, Ryker. You don’t get it.”
“We don’t need them. What have they ever done for us?”[/i] Ryker returned with a ripping snarl. “You stay here, Jil, you die. Make a fucking choice. I’m out of this place.”[/i] With Gallagher leading the way, Ryker left with his younger brother’s words ringing in his ears. “We need them, Ryker. We need them…”
Who did he really need? Not his parents, not ever. And definitely not Jilic. Ryker scowled inwardly at his brother’s stupid decision to stay. He decided that the only one he really needed was Gallagher. His heart hurt at the realization that his closest friend didn’t need him.
Akihra’s words brought him back to reality, and what she said snapped a piece of him. "Ryker... we can't be friends. It's just not safe." What the hell was she saying? As she began to walk away, he pinned his ears and growled deeply as the hair rose on the back of his neck. ”Don’t take a risk, princess. It’s bad for you. Gonna go running off to mommy and daddy?” Ryker faked a laugh and smiled, this time not in good nature. ”Not safe for you to be around somebody that isn’t in the family.”
Ryker’s true emotions were coming out now, his voice cracking slightly and his spiteful smile turning into a broken one. “You might need them, but they don’t need you.” His voice broke, and he coughed away a sob. As the first tear ran down his cheek, Ryker turned his own back on the female and walked in the opposite direction she came from, back into the poppies. Their petals reached up to comfort him, but he trudged on, ripping through their roots with legs gone numb.[/justify][/color][/size][/blockquote][/td][/tr][tr][td][/td][/tr][/table][/center]
Akihra had not expected Ryker to give in without a fight, but what she did not expect was how he responded. She stopped dead in her tracks, startled by the fact that he was... growling at her? This simply would not do. She swirl around, growling back. Quite frankly, she was pissed off, and she did not need to be treated this way. She would let this asshole have a piece of her mind. Then he would see just who he was dealing with.
"You don't know me, and you don't know anything about me," Akihra hissed, fury radiating from her body. "So you best not go around acting like you do. My father was a f***ing murderer, and my mother was a coward. They abandoned me and left me with my siblings. THEY raised me, and that's why I stay with them. They do need me, or they would not keep me around," she nearly yelled in his face. "It's me that doesn't need them!" she snarled. It hit her what she had just said; she had finally spoken the truth, outloud, for the first time in a long time... Then she cooled off a bit.
"I never said it wasn't safe for me to be around someone who wasn't family. I meant that it wasn't safe for someone who wasn't family to be around me," she whispered softly. She knew it sounded confusing, but the consequences of spending too much time with her did not outweigh the benefits. She could be a truly wonderful conversationalist, but that did not mean anything if the person wound up being run off by her sister. It was better not to form the friendships, and then she could not be hurt by them falling apart.
Akihra stared down Ryker; she knew that something must be bothering him to get this sort of reaction. After all, they had just met. He could not seriously have this magnitude of emotions simply from her not wanting to be friends. No, that could not be phrased right. She wanted to be friends. She needed to be friends with someone, but she could not bring herself to stand up to her sister for once in her life. Tehrin was bigger, older, and stronger. She could not take her on, and she definitely could not win. Her logical thinking was doing all the talking.
This was all nonsense. Why did she not just walk away back to her brother and sister, like Ryker had said. Pride. Akihra refused to be spoken to like she was second-class. She knew she was something special, and she was not afraid to prove it. However, growing up in the shadow of her sister had dampened her fiery personality some, and it was only when she was away from Tehrin that anyone actually got to see the real her. So many thoughts remained bottled up in her head that gestated there for months without the slightest ability to put them into action. Everything was always what Tehrin wanted. Torrah would go along with whatever his twin said, and Kira always got dragged in, though she sometimes went willingly.
"And why do you keep calling me princess? I'm not a princess, that's for sure..." she mumbled.
As the female timber snarled in his face, Ryker’s eyebrows raised and a genuine smile began to flutter at his lips. She wasn’t going to let him go. After she had spoken all her fire, neither the male nor female moved a muscle. Her silver and gold irises were drilled into his eyes, and the longer she held his gaze, the higher a respect he gained for her. Truth be told, Ryker was impressed, and very impressed at that. He’d never been stood up to by anyone, really; only Gallagher. His parents tried, but they failed, just like at everything else they did. The alphas of his former pack demanded respect too, but they were scum, and he’d never given into them. All his life, he’d never been really put in his place, except by his brother. The more he was around this female, the more influenced he was, and that was definitely not a bad thing.
In true respect, Ryker dipped his head at Akihra, breaking their eye contact first. After a moment to let his submissive action sink in, he rose to look at her straight on, his eyes sparkling and his tail with a slight wag. “I’m truly sorry, Akihra. You…” he trailed off, shaking his head. If wolves could blush, he’d be blushing furiously. “You’re really something, do you know that?” Ryker’s voice was gentle and soft, and his genuine emotions shone through his chocolate eyes.
With respect and tenderness in his motion, he walked past her and touched his tail with hers in a comforting way. He stopped for a moment, pondering his answer to her ‘princess’ question, before looking up and answering. “I didn’t mean any disrespect by it. Promise,” Ryker said with a smile. “It doesn’t matter where you came from. You don’t have to be a princess to deserve to be treated like royalty.” The male wagged his tail and began walking, motioning with a tilt of his head for her to follow.
She really was great, he knew. If she really had stopped to defend herself and not just to get him back, then the timber brute was doubly impressed. He almost laughed out loud at the notion of HER trying to get HIM back. Hadn’t he just done the same thing? He had bad-mouthed her specifically so that she might come back; that, and he was genuinely upset at her words. At least he understood now. "I never said it wasn't safe for me to be around someone who wasn't family. I meant that it wasn't safe for someone who wasn't family to be around me," she had said. But what was that supposed to mean?
Ryker thought on it, feeling his feet pressing into the ground and listening steadily to the breathing of he and his companion. His parents had been shitbags too; he and his brothers had raised each other. The way Akihra had said that she didn’t need them was said with such conviction, that Ryker was fairly sure she meant it. With a cocked head and a creased brow, he gently decided to speak. “Why is it not safe for me? What could they do?” the male inquired genuinely. He wasn’t asking out of spite or anything other than true care.
Reaching out on a limb, he added one last question in a quiet mumble. “What if I want to take the risk?”
He winced inwardly almost immediately after he’d said it. What the hell was he thinking? This same wolf had just verbally spat in his face, and here he was making gestures of affection? Ryker almost chuckled. She stands up to you one time, and you start falling. You’re an idiot, Ryker, he thought to himself. Downright ridiculous.
The more he thought about it, though, the more it made sense. The male species always wanted exactly what they couldn’t have. They wanted the challenge and the chase. But the more Ryker thought about it, the less he felt like this fit the bill. He didn’t like Akihra because she was denying him, or because she was gorgeous, though that was a definite plus. He liked her because she was the first female he'd ever met who seemed out of his league.
With the thought, Ryker smiled a child’s grin, and his tail began another slow wag as he waited for her response.
As tempting as it was to get angry when Ryker started to grin at her, Akihra simply could not manage any more anger. She had burned herself out screaming in his face, and now even she felt the need to release a soft chuckle. This brute was not like anyone she had ever met. He was sweet, kind, and friendly. He was not a threat to her in any way; it seemed that he geniunely wanted to make her feel better than she was right now. And, with all the pain that was constantly weighing on her mind, that could be quite a feat. He was something special, indeed.
So why was she so willing to walk away? I'm not. I don't care what they say; it isn't worth losing him, she thought almost desperately. Was she really willing to give up the relationship with her siblings for this brute that she had just met? Perhaps everything was starting to mess with her head and she was just imagining Ryker. He could be a projection of her inward desires for someone to care about her. That would make a lot more sense.
But no, he was the real deal. At least, that was what it seemed right now. Akihra marveled in the fact that he was so respectful and straightforward. His words were not meant to deceive, but to enlighten. All her life, she had been subject to the manipulations of her sister. Now, when someone came along and showed her a different side, she was starting to enjoy it. She would grow to used to being treated as an equal, and that would make Tehrin angry... She sighed.
"I'm not a princess because I don't always act like one," she admitted finally, not looking Ryker in the eye. "I've lied, killed, stolen, and done just about every dirty deed in the book." Now she could not look at him period. She turned her back to him and continued to speak. "I may act like I am independent and such, but that is not really the case. My sister is in control, and has been since I was but a pup. I never really have had the skill to challenge her in any way, and I have always taken the beating for her failures." She took the moment to look back at him, her eyes filled with sincerity and seriousness alike. He needed to understand what her lifestyle entailed if he wanted anything to do with her.
"Tehrin would see you as a threat, Ryker. She would see you as loosening her control on me, which, quite honestly, is a possibility. If she starts to lose control on me like she did last time, then I become a threat to her as well. I am the one who knows how she thinks and acts. You would be putting yourself in a very hostile environment that I do not want you to be in."
She felt it was a rather straightforward explanation. It was about time she started to be honest with this wolf. Akihra could not deceive him, nor did she want to anymore. She knew that his persistance could eventually wind him up in a place he would not want to be. I am not worth getting hurt over, no matter what he says, princess or not, she thought adamantly, and nothing he was going to say would change that opinion of herself. She was a nothing, a lacky to her sister. If anything, the world might be better off without her, but she would never go as far as to openly voice that opinion of herself. After all, without her around, Tehrin would have less grunt power, thus diminishing her potential threat.
It was not as easy as just quitting. Something made Akihra feel as if she was emotionally attached to their tyrades because, truthfully, she was. As much as she despised all of the actions of her sister, Tehrin was still her sister. She never really included Torrah in these thoughts because he was the sweet, quiet one. He would never do anything to hurt anyone unless herself or her sister were at risk. And even then, he was not exactly a talented fighter. Akihra was a different story. She had been conditioned to take on rough targets. Although that bastard of a mexican brute had been the exception, she rarely lost, and she was never in a position too threatening. Turning the tables on Tehrin might just put Ryker in a spot that could wind up getting him killed.
“What if I want to take the risk?”
The words were almost too soft for her to hear, but Akihra caught them. She sighed. He was not going to be deterred, was he? "Well, I would think you were bloody stupid," she stated bluntly. But then she paused.
"But I can't say it wouldn't make me like you even more."
As Akihra explained to Ryker why she wasn’t a princess, he couldn’t help but smile. He wanted to just bottle her up and keep her forever, she was so cute. He chuckled good-naturedly and rolled his eyes. “Welcome to the club,” he said. The brute leaned in comically and spoke directly into the female’s charcoal ear, pretending to be serious and discreet, as if he were a secret informant. “I pissed on my brother once while he was sleeping.” He immediately pulled away and laughed at himself, pleased with the ‘fond’ memory. Gallagher had flipped out on him, but it was worth it. It had been hilarious, and getting a giggle out of a girl wasn’t a bad effect of the memory either.
The crème timber male calmed down quickly and spoke in seriousness. “This isn’t about me, Kira, really. She can try and hurt me, but I’m a trooper. And it’s not like I’d let myself be alone with her.” He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. “I don’t want you to get hurt, so whatever you want me to do, I’m your guy.” He said the last words with a smile, playing off her words from the earlier conversation.
Ryker said his words with conviction, truly believing them to be true. It wasn’t about him. His health wasn’t the issue, and he was fairly certain he and this Tehrin would be a good match in a fight. He was bigger than Akihra in height and weight, and probably just as strong; assuming her sister was anything like her, he was mildly confident. The brute quickly rationalized his thinking, though. He’d be a fool to start a fight with a dominating bitch. Ryker chuckled out loud at his word choice in thought.
In all of his optimistic thinking, he was wondering what he was getting himself into. See him as a threat? Ryker understood where she was coming from, but it seemed like a hard concept. This female was hardly two years old, and her sister probably not many years older. How could a wolf so young be so serious, so domineering? He tried to imagine himself being a conquest-hungry demon, and the image simply never appeared. Sure, someday he could see himself as successful, but never a crazy tyrant like this bitch seemed to be. The Tehrin he was picturing in his head was two-hundred feet tall with a voice lower than thunder; nothing like his Ryker-conquest-demon image which simply made him look like a tourist posing in front of the Arch of Constantine. His Tehrin was frickin’ crazy looking; like a bodybuilder on steroids who had implant surgery to look more buff. Ryker wished he could let Akihra see into his mind and show her the image; he was sure she’d laugh. Somewhere inside, though, the male wasn’t laughing. He was scared, yes. But it was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make for the sake of Akihra.
The roan male shook out his fur and smiled at her last comment. “Whatever you want to do. Just know… I’ll be following you.” Ryker said the last sentence in a creepy, stalker voice, though a laugh perked up just under it and he chuckled at his own jokes.
That was Ryker’s way, though. If no other soul on the face of this earth found his humor amusing, at least he did.
Even after what she had told him, Ryker still wanted to be around her? The concept was foreign to Akihra, especially since no one had ever really cared to pay attention to her when she was near Tehrin and Torrah. To be honest with herself, she defined herself with them, not as an individual. It would be interesting to see just what she would become if she could break away from them. But after Tehrin rescuing her from that bloody mexican brute, would she ever be able to escape the guilt trip that her sister would use to keep her around?
All she wanted to do was join her grandfather's pack and possibly start a family. She needed to settle down, and she could not see her brother and sister doing that any time soon. We may have the same father, but we are nothing alike, she thought with a grunt. There was never a clearer line between her and her siblings than right now. It was eye opening, that was for sure. "If that is the case, then I know where I want to be," Akihra responded with a smile.
She looked over the brute once more. Akihra was fairly certain that Zethrox would approve of him. The alpha male had a level head on his shoulders, and he could not possibly see Ryker as a threat when just about anyone setting foot on his territory was a threat at this point. Hopefully her position as his granddaughter would grant them some leniency, and they would both be allowed to stay. Wait, since when did I start thinking of Ryker and I as a "we?" she wondered aimlessly.
"My grandfather, Zethrox, is the alpha of Haishin, the pack in Kamari. I don't know if you've heard of it?" she inquired. Some of the natives knew of the packs, but it seemed as if more and more foreigners were washing up on the coast of Anikira every day. "I was hoping to join his pack and maybe stick around for a while." She paused and said softly, "I've never been in a pack before. It would be nice to feel like I belong."
Akihra did not know what made her say it, but it was how she felt. Being around this brute brought out an honest side of her that she never knew existed. It was going to get her in trouble soon if it kept happening, especially if the effect carried over to others around her. She would wind up with a bloodied nose and a broken paw if she let her thoughts fly around Tehrin. She chuckled softly. "If you really mean it, then maybe we can head that way?"
She paused and stated softly, "But if you didn't, I don't blame you."
Ryker nodded slowly as Akihra explained that the alpha of another land, the land of Kamari, was actually her grandfather. “Never heard of it, no,” the male said sheepishly. “I’ve probably still got too much water in my ears.” Ever the jester.
The next thing she said touched Ryker’s heart. “I've never been in a pack before. It would be nice to feel like I belong.” Truthfully, he thought to himself, he wanted the same thing. He’d been in a pack, sure, but he’d been treated like dirt. He’d never belonged anywhere, really. Except maybe here. The brute’s realization was slightly startling, but definitely comforting for the male. If he left with this female, he’d have a pack. A family. That was something he’d dreamed about for both of the two years of his life.
Ryker reached out with his neck and pressed the side of his face into her fur. He uttered a low, purring growl to reassure her. “You’ll love it. It’s great, as long as you don’t have my parents,” he said with a chuckle. Pulling away, he gave her a swift lick on the cheek and batted his eyelashes once, almost in awe of his momentary courage.
Drastic, maybe. Foolish, oh yes. But he had to. With a shy grin and a good-natured laugh in her direction, he shook his red-roaned coat, too nervous to wait for a response. On the inside, he would be blushing—but never outside. That wouldn’t be manly in the least bit.
Ryker pointed his muzzle to the south, the way Akihra had indicated they go. Of course he was nervous, but he was also happy. He knew this was a step forward into uncharted territory, figuratively and literally. And no doubt, he’d be okay, as long as he had his Timber partner by his side. The roan brute wagged his tail slowly, only imagining the times they’d share that were yet to come. And who knew? Maybe this fae was destined to smash into him.
With a smile and a tilt of his head, he slowly began walking in the direction of this new Kamari land. He’d be sad to see the flowers go, admittedly—he made a mental vow to come back one day. But though he was regretful to leave them, the flowers would beam in their direction, whisking them home with thoughts of joy and promise. Even if Ryker and Akihra didn’t know it, Mother Nature smiled on the pair and opened the skies, letting the warm light of spring fall on their backs as they left.
Yes, the wild poppies were beautiful. Their red faces smiled at all who passed, a promise of life from the deaths that had brought them into the world. The field was mesmerizingly beautiful—and yet, they’d never witnessed such a beautiful picture as the two walking away together, their peppered coats complementing one another.
