Why was it that whenever Shayde found herself thinking of Vorilye, she found herself swarming with irritation? What was with the undertoned comment he’d given her? Take a bath. Well how was that her fault? She had just finished burying his son when he summoned the pack meeting. Was she supposed to arrive late drenched to the bone? Wouldn’t that have drawn more attention than merely being covered in his scent? And it wasn’t like there were guidelines to this sort of thing. They’d both had a moment of weakness. She succumbed to the hormones raging war in her body, and he had been unsated by his deeds with the peppered femme. It was simply a means to an end. Nothing more.
So why was she so pissed off? Because of the tone he’d used to address her? Hardly. Shayde was more than used to his brash behavior, and she was definitely not the only recipient to such talk. Or was it because he obviously cared what the others thought? She was his toy, was she not? Were the others not the same? Was he afraid she would think herself to be his mate, his alphess? The red beta snorted, shaking her head. Though she still didn’t know the entire story, she refused to end up like the pretty femme who had launched herself from the ridge. Shayde was already at his side. She didn’t need any more power than she already had.
A cool wind whipped the fur on her cheeks back and forth. It was cooler now. Winter had fallen upon the land already, though it still hadn’t snowed yet. Had it really been a year since she joined the Descai pack? It hardly felt like it. One moment she was creeping through the Lleingas Woods, and the next she became the beta. One moment she is watching over the pack while Vorilye is out, and the next she is being claimed by said brute. Time had gone by so quickly, yet it still felt like a lifetime.
But now wasn’t the time to reminisce about silly things. Now was the time to rid herself of Vorilye’s scent. There was a small part of her that longed to remain wrapped in his scent. It was one of security and warmth, despite the fact that the brute himself was nothing of the sort. Not in the same sense at his scent was. He was aloof, twisted even. She had to admit, however, that there was a part of him that was actually normal. Fatherly, loving. The kind of brute that females searched their entire lives for. And she had gotten a taste of that brute, fleetingly.
Shaking her head rigorously, Shayde stepped to the shore. The waves of the ocean were steely grey, but smooth as glass before breaking on the sand. She put her paw in the water, tentatively, before withdrawing it with a light gasp. Cold. Very cold. Maybe she should have done this at the lake, though she doubted that water would be any warmer. And she wasn’t entirely sure the water there was clean enough for a bath. No, it was better to bathe in the ocean. The salt would be good for her. It was getting in, however, that was the kicker. She didn’t want to be cold, but Vorilye had made it clear that she had to get rid of the scent. Shayde gritted her teeth. Damn. The red femme fought with her willpower before leaping as far out into the icy water as she possibly could, diving beneath the smooth surface.
words:: Six-Hundred and Eleven muse:: Good tags::Tike ooc:: I saw your message on the OOC board, Scout, so please don't feel rushed to reply to this. Take as long as you need, love *huggles*
Tike had once again decided to leave the dens. But this time he thought that he might actually obey the rule a little. He decided to go out after Shayde. He had smelled her nearby before he had left the dens which was quite some time ago and he thought it would be fun to follow her around and see what she does in her spare time. Besides, getting some stealth practice in wouldn’t hurt.
To be honest, Shayde wasn’t all that interesting. She didn’t really do anything other than walk around and look all angry. But what was she angry about? She couldn’t have possibly been angry that Amyntas had left. She hated him almost as much as he did. That bastard better not show his face around here ever again or he would do more than just send him on his way.
The air was cool around his thickening black coat. There was one thing that really benefitted him by being black. It was that he could hide and hardly be seen as long as his ears and mouth didn’t give him away. This was Tike’s first real winter. He had been born in the colder months but he had been too young to leave the dens at that time. This was the first time that he really consciously felt the winter coming. A cool breeze was hindering his stalking game. If Shayde smelled him, game over. He wanted to stay hidden from her as long as possible. Now what was it that she had told him about hunting? It seemed that the hunt they had together was long ago. It was a weak point in Tike’s life and he didn’t want to think about it. How could he have come to such a low level to cry on the ground like a weeping child? It was embarrassing to even think about it or know that someone else knew about it. But he was sure that Shayde had been down-wind during their hunt together so that the prey couldn’t smell them. Well, that would mean completely going in a circle. He didn’t want to lose her and make a massive circle and he didn’t want to stumble in front of her by making a small circle. He would have to guess. He started his circle around her so that he could be more down-wind. He would have to move faster so that he could actually get where he wanted to go. The farther she moved forward, the faster he would have to run to stay the same distance away from her and yet get behind her. Tike was a very intelligent pup. Some might even say intelligent beyond his years. Other would say that his intelligence was wasted on childish games. All statements would be true.
By the time that Tike had gotten around to the back of Shayde, they were near the water. Yuck. She was taking a bath. The last thing he wanted to see was Shayde taking a bath. He shuttered to himself. Shayde was a cool wolf but he didn’t think of her in a romantic way. She was like a mother to him of sorts. The kind of mother he needed from the beginning. A mother that had time for him. A mother that actually payed attention to what he was doing and actually had the guts to correct him when he was wrong. If he had been born to Shayde, there was a large chance he wouldn’t be in the situation he was in now.
Coupled with the fact that he didn’t want to watch her bathe, he also didn’t really like being alone. He was still certain that someone was out to kill him. He continuously was looking over his shoulder and making sure that no one was following him as he was following Shayde. Every time a twig broke, he turned to look. Every time a bird made a noise, he looked. He feared that someone was out there for his life. So, Tike stepped out into the open, giving up his game, to speak with her.
“ That looks really cold.” He told her. Hoping that maybe she would be a little surprised. If she wasn’t, that would mean that she would have known he was behind her and then his game would have been for nothing. He truly hoped that she was at least a little surprised.
There was a lingering feeling in the back of Shayde’s mind that she was overlooking something. She surfaced from the frigid water, taking a deep breath. Perhaps it was the icy temperature of the water? No, she had put that into account the moment her paws came upon the waves. Then her surroundings? But what did she have to fear? It wasn’t like the pack members would tail her just to watch her bathe. It was neither interesting nor appropriate. And if she happened to catch them doing so, she would give them a piece of her mind. And her fangs.
The beta sighed deeply as she shook the excess water from her fur. She’d been awful moody lately, more so than usual. And she would get these unusual chills whenever Vorilye looked at her. It was as if she was smitten with the brute! How dreadful! They had one rendezvous in the forest, once. It would never happen again, if she could manage it. But hormones tended to cloud over the judgmental side of any, and she was likely to succumb to their effects again and again. Maybe she would just avoid the black and gold brute when she felt those strange urges. It would be a difficult feat, as he was everywhere always, but she fooled herself into believing she could do it. For the time being.
As Shayde trudged to the shore, she heard someone speak to her. Alarmed, she fell into a defensive pose, hackles rising, lips curled, and a fierce growl ripping from her throat. The idea of being so far into her thoughts that she missed another approaching was embarrassing. Then again, the salty scent of the ocean overwhelmed any other scents to her nose at the moment. And when she finally took in Tike’s form, she thought, however briefly, that it was actually Vorilye. Her stance immediately altered, fur smoothing as she cleared her throat. “Think of him, and he shall come,” she muttered to herself as she crashed through the remaining waves.
It wasn’t until she got closer to the brute that she realized that it was actually Tike. Shayde let out a deep, relieved sigh as she shook once again. The water had been cold, but the air was even colder. She shuddered a bit before putting on a brave face before the pup. What was it he had said to her? Something about the cold? “Quite,” she replied curtly, glancing back at the ocean. She then turned to Tike with a teasing smile. “Would you like me to do you next?” It should have embarrassed her to say such motherly things to the pup, but she felt as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Perhaps it was his youth, and the fact that he could still be tempered into becoming a great wolf that drew her to him. She wasn’t going to be the sole trainer in this pup’s life, but she could still ensure he turned out the way she desired.
But that didn’t mean Shayde couldn’t be soft with him on occasion. His mother clearly hadn’t cared enough about him, if his forest sob-fest hadn’t been proof of that.
words:: Five-Hundred and Forty-Seven muse:: Good tags::Tike ooc:: I don't like the way this post ended -.-
Tike didn’t realize how surprised that Shayde would be. She immediately went into a defensive position with hackles raised, curled lips and a fierce growl coming from her throat. Tike thought that she was going to fight him, for a moment. He was prepared to fight her back if he needed to. He had been working with Sarin and his fighting skills had been getting better. But as quickly as the defensive position came, it went. She was now back to her normal self, whatever that may be. Her fur relaxed and so did Tike. He hadn’t had the time to go into battle mode in the time that Shayde’s mood switched so, he had just been standing there, watching her. He was becoming a decent fighter but body language was a mystery to him. He could of course tell the difference between a happy wolf and an angry wolf but he was still bad at reading what specific things meant and making his own body language say anything. He could imitate a certain aura or behaviors that he had seen over and over again. Take his brother Taqqiq, for example. But other than that, he was slow in that sense. Perhaps actually being born into a pack would have helped.
Shayde walked towards him and shook her fur once again, spewing cold water everywhere. It wasn’t a pleasing feeling to have cold water hitting one’s face and body. Shayde responded to his statement about the water being cold curtly as he had expected her to and then asked him if he would like a turn next.
“Uh..no thanks.” He responded her. Her tone told him that she was joking but he was not kidding about going in the water. There was no way that anyone was going to get him to take a bath in that ocean at this time of year. If he needed a bath, he would go to the hot springs in Kamari like he had for most of his life. Besides, Shayde wasn’t big enough to push him in and he was smart enough to not let her chase him in. He had learned that from Sarin.
He wasn’t exactly sure why Shayde was different for him than anyone else. She wasn’t his blood but it felt as though she was. He had seen him at a point in his life where he wished he could forget, a time where he wished that no one would have found him. But she had found him and helped him. She had brought him out of his..episode of insanity. There was still a part of Tike that made him believe that he was insane. Perhaps it would leave. He hoped it would leave. He didn’t want to be the crazy wolf that everyone wanted to get rid of. He had already played that part with his last family and he wanted a different role in this one. Alas, whatever his reasoning was for wanting to stick around Shayde, he had a feeling that it was not going to go away.
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If it had been any other wolf that had interrupted her bathing time, Shayde would have expected an equally defensive reaction from the intruder. But seeing as it was merely Tike, she was hardly surprised that he simply stood there staring. Perhaps his reaction time wasn’t quite as quick, or maybe he knew she wouldn’t remain startled for long. Either way, he remained mostly passive, though she spied his raised hackles. It bothered her a little that she was not in charge of Tike’s main training. He was to accompany her on some patrols now and again, but his warrior training was mostly upon Vorilye’s shoulders, though she had a feeling it would be placed on another’s shoulders in due time. She could only hope those shoulders were her own.
After shaking off her coat, Shayde realized that Tike had been in firing range. She laughed slightly, a warmness filling her expression. Tike was the only one who could pull this side of her out. “Sorry about that, Tike,” she laughed, stepping forward. She reached up to her best ability to lick his face, trying to get any of the droplets that rested there. Salt water tasted awful, but Shayde imagined that being sprayed with it was no romp in the snow either. She honestly hadn’t meant to spray him at all. She thought she was further away. Oh well.
Despite her joking tone about him taking a bath, Tike answered her question both quickly and bluntly. Shayde laughed more, peering at him endearingly. “I was only teasing, Tike. You prefer tongue baths, no?” It was probably wrong to continue teasing him as she was, but he was the only one she could behave as such with. Vorilye was too guarded, and he didn’t care much for touchy-feely crap. And the others of the pack simply irritated Shayde to no end. Noe, the drowned femme, and her lack of talking. And Angel with her incessant talking. If the two were combined, they would probably create the perfect wolf, one Shayde would be the best of friends with. For now, the only wolf she was truly comfortable around was Tike.
And she didn’t give a damn that he was the alpha’s son.
Which, given the dirty things she’d done with his father, ought to make her a little uncomfortable. Shayde eyed the pup slightly before trekking further inland. The air was chilly, due to the seasonal change and the proximity of the ocean, but the sun was beating down relentlessly, as if it was trying to prevent winter’s breath from reaching the dark lands. It was the only reason Shayde had decided today was bath day. The day of the meeting had been too cloudy, and the days that followed were simply cold. She needed a day where she could lay in the sun so as not to catch cold. The pack had no shaman, and she was fairly certain none of the wolves present knew much about herbs. And she didn’t want to spend the first weeks of winter stuck in the den because she couldn’t breathe. No thank you.
Upon finding a warm, grassy spot, Shayde collapsed onto the ground, rolling a bit before falling still. There was patrolling that needed to be done—so she believed anyway. While she was certain the borders could go a day without patrol, she didn’t want to have some loner waltz in unannounced. Especially if she was here sunbathing all the while. Vorilye would tear her a new one. As her mind wandered, so did her eyes. They fell upon Tike, sweeping slowly over his body. He was so much younger than she was, yet he was far larger than she was. It was a given, seeing as they weren’t of the same breed, but it made her curious. What was he like as a pup? What about his mother? Was she as pathetic then as she was when Shayde met her? For a length of time, Shayde simply stared at him from the ground, eyes locked onto his.
“Hey,” she finally murmured. She rose to a reclining position, head titlted to one side. “Can I tell you a secret?”
words:: Seven-Hundred and Fourteen muse:: Alright tags::Tike ooc::
Last Edit: Dec 11, 2012 10:22:20 GMT -5 by Deleted
Tike lowered his face to let Shayde reach him better. He surprised himself with how large he was getting. Of course, Shayde wasn't his actual mother so he couldn't compare his size with hers. Both of his parents were larger wolves so it wasn't surprising that he was bigger. He was also growing to like tounge baths. He hadn't gotten many of them growing up so now he supposed he was getting caught up on them. It was shocking how much more motherly Shayde was, a wolf that he had only known exsisted for a short time, compared with his own mother who decided it was better to kill herself than ot live for her remaining children. Tike couldn't barely think of his mother. It would ruin his good mood. As much as he would have liked to say that he loved his mother, he really didn't. How could he love someone who couldn't so much as look him?
That's alright. He said to her in response. He didn't mean to be unfriendly sounding. Normally he did mean to be unfriendly but this time he wasn't. Maybe it was a lack of practice in being nice. When one was the butt of most jokes the least favorite child and sibling, one learned to have a thick skin and to be coarse with those around him. That, coupled with the fact that he wasn't socialized well as a young pup.
I knew that, He laughed a little, trying his very hardest to not be so awkward. He tried his hardest with everything that he did even though many wolves around him didn't see it or appreciate it. But they didn't understand what he had gone through so as far as he was concerned, they were just a waste of fur taking up air and space where a more fit wolf should go. and yeah I do. Tike said a little sheepishly. He looked at his paws before looking at Shayde again. It was difficult for him to admit that he enjoyed something that appealed to young wolves.
Shyade looked at him for a moment before going further inland without saying a word. Where does she think she's going? She certainly wasn't going to leave him there all alone without an explanation. Tike was giving himself whiplash lately with his changes of mood. Sometimes he wanted to be around others, and sometimes he didn't. Sometimes he wanted to be out on his own and sometimes he wished he could go back to being a few months old and sleeping all day in the dens. He didn't know if this was normal or not. He had never met another pup beside his siblings before and he didn't dare tell anyone about this happening inside of him. They might shun him like his first family had. He had promised himself that he would not ruin this family like his other one had been.
He went after Shayde, following close behind her. The air was cold, winter was coming but the sun kept on shining. His coat was beginning to thicken and get more plush. More things that were new for the young wolf. Winter was a new season that he hadn't really experienced it and this fir growing all over his body was odd. Did that happen to everyone? He assumed it was nothing. He didn't want to bring attention to it and make himself look foolish.
Seemingly randomly, Shayde stopped and rolled around on the grass. Hey, that looked fun! Tike copied her and scratched his back along the ground, maybe some of this new hair would come off. He felt as though it was suffocating and overheating him. He soon rolled back over on his stomach and looked at Shayde who was also laying on the ground. She looked quite relaxed. It was nice to be able to be relaxed like this around another wolf. It reminded him of how he was with Taq but Shayde wasn't nearly as annoying. She didn't blabber on and on.
She finally addressed him after the two had had eyes locked for what seemed like forever. His greens in her orangeish-brown ones. She asked him if she could tell him a secret. He wondered what she had to tell him. The curiosity was pulling at him and he was very interested in what she had to say. Was she going to let him in a big top secret pack secret? That would be so cool if she did. Yeah, go ahead. He told her, trying to keep his cool. He didn't want to look overly excited but he did look interested.
Compared to the other members of the pack, Tike seemed to be the most cooperating of Shayde. Maybe it was because she was the beta, but she didn’t like to believe that. She had power over the others, and yet they seemed content to ignore said fact. Angel did as she asked, though sometimes it was difficult to get through to the bubbly femme. Noe seemed absolutely terrified of her, though the drowned femme seemed terrified of anything that moved. And Vorilye...
Psh. The alpha brute merely tolerated her. She was just one of his toys, required to succumb to his many pleasures while under his command. As much as it drove her mad to think of the unrelenting brute, she was quite pleased his son wasn’t following too closely in his paw prints. Tike had some dark moments, but with the many tradgedies in his life, she really couldn’t blame him. If he didn’t have mournful, depressive moments, Shayde would be quite worried about him. And she didn’t like to worry about anyone other than herself. Tike seemed to be the exception to just about every rule in her book.
The beta didn’t have pups of her own, nor did she ever plan on having any. She was quite worried about her encounter with Vorilye in the woods that day, but... It was nothing to fret over now. Shayde was somewhat surprised to see Tike follow her example of rolling around on the ground. She had been expecting him to question her. Or to head back to the dens, or wherever it was he wanted to be. Despite what Vorilye believed, Shayde knew that Tike was more than safe within the boundaries of the pack’s territory. He may have been inexperienced when it came to fighting, but he was a very large pup. Most enemies wouldn’t attempt to take him on. Not to mention he was the spitting image of Vorilye. There was little doubt in the beta femme’s mind that nearly every wolf on the continent knew of Vorilye and his wrath. All Tike would have to say is that his father is the notorious Descai pack’s alpha. Any opponent would freeze in place before fleeing.
All the more reason for Shayde to be slightly annoyed that she no longer had her paws in Tike’s training. She was no warriror, of course, but there was much she could teach him. With Vorilye’s permission, she would have taken him from the territory to teach him of the continent. It was the world he was born into, and given that Vorilye was a possessive alpha, she doubted he would let his son go easily. Shayde snorted lightly. Vorilye didn’t let any wolf go. Not alive anyway.
When Shayde finally broke the easy silence, Tike’s eagerness was hard to miss. A secret? Oh yes. Most pups would get all excited about being a secret. She was almost reluctant to tell him her secret. He would want to know something amazing, something none of the others of the pack knew. Well... Her secret was only known by herself and Vorilye. It was dirty, and despite having just taken a bath, she felt grimy. She could only hope that by telling Tike she would relieve herself of that feeling. Still. The words came difficult for the normally fluent femme. “Your father and I...” There really was no easy way to put this, was there? She and Vorilye were, by no stretch, mates, but that is how it would be seen, wouldn’t it?
A wave of nausea slammed full force into the red femme, something she’d grown oddly accustomed to recently. Ever since that day in the woods, she’d been feeling quite ill. It wasn’t enough to bring up to anyone—she would heal with time—but there was something strange about it. It was almost on a schedule, when she felt nauseous. It was...bizarre...wasn’t it?
And then there was movement in her gut.
Movement? What? The femme sprang to her feet, staring, puzzled, at her stomach. She hadn’t eaten anything alive, so there shouldn’t be any moving around in her gut. At least...not like that. Could she be... “Pregnant?” No, that was just silly. Or...was it? She thought back on the days preceeding the day in the woods. She’d been awfully moody and hormonal. Almost as if she’d been in heat. And with Vorilye’s proximity... The red femme let out a low growl, forgetting completely about her audience. “What did he do to me?” She turned her fierce glare towards Tike, meaning to look over him. When it finally registered that the pup was there, the anger ebbed from her in an instant. “Tike...” This was a far bigger secret than she had intended him to know.
So how would he react?
words:: Eight-Hundred and Twenty-Seven muse:: God awful D: tags::Tike ooc:: Urgh x.x
Tike hadn't really spent much time conversing with the other pack members aside from Shayde. Noe hardly spoke a word and with Angel, she basically steam-rolled over any conversation they may have had with her constant talking. He had short little conversations with some different members but they usually didn't want to talk to him after they figured out how socially awkward he was and how difficult for him it was to actually speak to other wolves. His mother had told him when he was very young that she had gone through a "mute" stage in her life but she didn't tell him why. He wondered if that was happening to him. How did one just go mute? He knew how to speak he just didn't know how to put the thoughts that were swarming his head into sentences that others would understand. He often had to think for at least thirty seconds before responding to another's words. Shayde didn't seem to mind this about him so, he enjoyed talking with her the most.
Vorilye tried his best to be a good dad to Tike but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to be as free and open with his father as he could with Shayde. There was always a part of Tike that made him keep his mouth shut whenever he was around his father and not tell him how he was feeling on the inside.....and all the questions he had. Maybe it was a fear of rejection. Maybe it was just the "male" part of his brain that didn't want to admit to weakness. Was fear a weakness? Were feelings weaknesses? Tike had never gotten to observe grown males in his younger puppy days, he only got to watch his mother. She had a lot of emotions which she had shared with himself as well as his siblings but something inside him told him that it wasn't okay to do the same thing but what did adult males act like? He watched his father as much as he could but acting completely like Vorilye didn't seem right either. Tike wanted to tell someone what was going on with him but he didn't know who to talk to or if it were even okay to talk about things like emotions. Vorilye hardly seemed to show many of them. There were different sides of his father but he never saw him expressing real emotions.
Tike also had no experience with other pups. He only had himself and his siblings but when they were pups, he never considered himself one. It was natural to play with his siblings but he didn't know how to behave around other pups that were younger than himself. He didn't know if he exactly wanted to either. He was in the process of getting over everything that had happened to his family and the idea of watching other family grow seemed terrifying. He didn't want other pups around. He didn't want the same thing that happened to him to happen to anyone. He of course wished that other wolves could understand what he had been through but he didn't want them to experience it. But he didn't have anything to worry about, his father was the only male here other than himself and of course Vorilye wouldn't want any other pups but him, right? Right.
Tike was also trying to get used to his ever growing body. It kept getting bigger and bigger what seemed like every day. He didn't like to admit it but he was a bit clumsy and fell off of things with his super long, uncoordinated legs. He was happy though that his frame was filling out nicely. He was still very tall and skinny but he was putting on enough weight that he would be as big as Vorilye, or maybe even bigger.
Shayde then broke the easy silence. Tike actually liked silence but conversation was good too. She started off with she and his father but then she trailed off and seemed to forget that he was even there. This would be a good secret and Tike knew it. It must be! It must be even bigger than he had originally thought! Some may forget that Tike was still a puppy and not a young adult despite his size and he still got excited over things like this. Tike waited not-so-patiently. His green eyes were wide with excitement of what Shayde was going to tell him. He was even fidgeting on the ground.
Shayde then sprung up to her feet. What was going on? Shayde, what's going on? Tike asked her with a concerned tone in his voice. He honestly had no idea what was going on. Did she see something? Was there something that he didn't hear or smell somewhere? Tike tensed his body, ready to run for his life. He hadn't trained much in his fighting and was much more comfortable running away than standing and fighting at this point in his life. Before the deaths of basically his entire family, that would have been a different story.
Shayde said "pregnant." What did she mean pregnant? Tike's body relaxed as he focused back on Shayde and less on the possible looming danger. Tike was stunned. Shayde's fierce gaze and low growl turned to him. What had he done? Was she going to kill him now to make room for the new pups? Tike was afraid in that half of a second before Shayde's anger dissipated. Tike got up and backed up a few steps away from Shayde... just in case she decided to kill him. What..do you mean..p-p-pregnant? Like..your going to have...p-puppies? Tike asked cautiously. He wasn't sure what to think at this point. He was still processing what he had just heard. He never imagined in a million years that Shayde would be pregnant.
Silence was never a good thing. Never. Especially not after dropping such a hefty bomb as the one Shayde had just done. How could she have been so foolish? Forgetting the presence of one as close as Tike had been... It was something a novice did. No. Something a pup did. Of course, given the subject, it was somewhat reasonable for her to have lost herself in her mind. Pregnant... Even the word sounded awful. And they were to be Vorilye’s pups. Did that mean they would have a claim over the pack someday? No. That would fall upon Tike, as the eldest son. Besides. How was she to know if she was going to birth any males?
It wasn’t the time to think of such things, however, as Tike began to react to her words. He was on his feet, backing from her with pure terror in his eyes. The last thing she’d meant to do was frighten the poor pup. His stammered words pierced through her heart, and she took a cautious step forward. “Tike...” she murmured softly, coaxingly, to let him know she meant no harm. “I didn’t mean to...” To what? Forget about him? Blurt out something so obviously dreadful? Shayde could hardly wrap her mind around the idea herself. How could she expect a pup like him to be able to?
For a few brief moments, it almost appeared that Tike was going to flee. The terror in his eyes had yet to ebb away, despite the coaxing tone behind her words. Shayde let out a deep sigh, dropping her gaze to the ground at her feet. Inadvertently, she had pushed him away, even if it was only a few steps. The scent of fear pouring from him was strong, causing her heart to ache painfully. This wasn’t what she wanted. Despite the large age difference between the two, Shayde felt a strong sense of companionship in Tike, something she had only ever felt with Amos, and that had been a bare minimum feeling. What she felt for Tike... It was what she believed she could have felt for her siblings, had they been given the same chance at life that she had. Tike was as close to family as she felt she would ever get.
Until now, that is.
These pups were hers. She would become a mother, and Vorilye a father once again. With a deep sigh, Shayde lifted her brown gaze to meet Tike’s. “Yes, Tike... I believe I might be pregnant.” As hard as it was for her to speak at that moment, she pressed on, swallowing the heavy lump in her throat. “Your father... Your father is the father... Of these pups as well...” She cast her gaze down once again, acting both rather shy and submissive towards Tike. “That was what I wanted to tell you before... Your father and I submitted to instinct.” Shayde wouldn’t dare call it ‘mating’ as that would require her to be his only lover. She didn’t want that, and she highly doubted he wanted it either.
Shayde dragged her gaze back to meet Tike’s emerald orbs, searching desperately for some sign of forgiveness. While he had no real say in what had happened between herself and his father—they were adults, after all—she felt as if she had somehow betrayed him. It could have just been her imagination, but she felt that perhaps he saw her as a mother-figure. His own mother had clearly not cared for him in a motherly sort of way, and though Shayde knew she could never truly be his mother, she could at least be there for him when he needed her. But this just felt wrong... Like she had done something sketchy, and that only in telling Tike would she be able to redeem herself. “Oh Tike...” For the first time since entering Acerbus, Shayde’s voice was full of pure emotion. Her eyes welled up with tears as she waited for the pup to freak out or run away from her. To push her away as she felt she deserved. It would be the icing on the cake of a perfect day gone horribly wrong.
words:: Seven-Hundred and Ten muse:: Captured~ tags::Tike ooc:: What is with all my characters suddenly breaking down? ;-;
It appeared that Shayde wasn't going to hurt him. She cooed to him and made him feel more relaxed. Shayde wouldn't hurt him, right? But that word.."pregnant." It stung Tike's ears. He wasn't ready for more siblings. His only brother, his twin, had just been murdered in cold blood. His two other sisters have been gone for a while now but he still didn't want any more. He wasn't ready. He needed more time. More pups meant more competition. They would take all of the attention that he was finally getting that he had been striving for for so long. Vorilye would forget about him, Shayde would be too occupied with the new pups. Tike didn't want to be forgotten again. Shayde was already forgetting about him! and what about Vorilye? Had they planned this? This wasn't fair. Sure, he wanted to have a new family but not like this. He didn't want to be shoved to the side again, he didn't want to be compared to anyone else, again. He wanted his mother back, he wanted his brother back, he wanted his sisters back. They weren't the perfect family, wait..no, they were probably the worst family he could have asked for but they were his family. But they were never coming back. They were gone forever. In a year from now, they would still be dead. Two years from now, they will still be dead. They were never, ever coming back no matter now much he wanted them to. He mine as well accept that fact and that he had gotten what he wanted. He had gotten a new family, not how he wanted, but he got a new family. Tike took a deep breath before relaxing again. His body language softened and he was no longer going to run away. He looked at Shayde before speaking to her.
If he doesn't already know you're pregnant, we can't tell him....he'll kick you out or...demote you..or something...and the pups will all......die. Tike said to her as he struggled with his words. He couldn't believe he was helping her even though she was possibly going to ruin the rest of his life with these new pups. It wasn't their fault that they were conceived. He had to make sure that their lives were better than his had been. As their older brother..it was his duty.
Silence. Still silence. With each passing second, Tike seemed to grow more frightened. He wasn’t physically backing away, but the terror in his eyes was close enough. Shayde couldn’t quite understand his fear. Was it really that awful for her to be pregnant? Was he afraid of something happening to his new siblings? If that were the case, she would understand completely. He had lost his own sisters in a cougar attack, and then his brother to that peppered femme. But these pups wouldn’t fall to the same circumstances. Once she told Vorilye of her...predicament, the pups would be completely safe. They would be born within the most powerful of packs on all of Anikira. They would be protected by the fiercest of fighters, not to mention the strongest wolf of them all.
Vorilye.
And, of course, Shayde would never let anything happen to her pups. She’d never been a motherly creature—not until she met Tike, anyway—but the idea of raising pups was actually...exciting. A moment ago she was angered by what Vorilye had done to her... But now... She could do this. She could be a mother. A better mother than her own, and better than Tike’s. Her pups would grow to be powerful. Feared. Worshiped. Every wolf on Anikira would know their names. They would reign under Tike’s rule—because, of course, he was the heir to Descai—and together, Vorilye’s pups would keep his legacy going strong for...well, forever.
Shayde smiled at her own thoughts, turning that warm gaze to Tike. She saw now that his body language had calmed exponentially. There was still a bit of fear in his eyes, but he no longer appeared as if he was going to take off suddenly. He did, however, blurt out something about not telling Vorilye. Shayde began to laugh, but as she listened to Tike’s words... He sounded panicked. “Tike, I don’t understand.” She stepped closer, no longer worried that he would flee. “I have to tell him, Tike. He deserves to know.” Shayde mulled over the last words Tike had said. Demoted? Kicked out? Her mind slowly put the pieces together. Tike was worried for her. Worried about getting kicked out. Hadn’t his mother been a former member of the pack? Had she been kicked out for some reason? “Tike.” Her tone was no longer soft and squishy. It was now hard, her role as beta coming to the surface. “Is there something I need to know?” While she tried not to intimidate the pup, she kept her tone hard, hoping he would tell her whatever she wanted. She wouldn’t force it out of him, per se, but she wasn’t about to drop the subject easily. He had a secret too, and it was something that directly seemed to affect her.
She needed to know.
words:: Four-Hundred and Eighty-Six muse:: Good~ tags::Tike ooc:: The Return of Beta Shayde XD
What was Shayde confused about? Hadn't Vorilye told her the story? Apparently not. Shyade's mood changed again, not to the point where he was afraid of her again but she wasn't soft and squishy. She wanted to know the story and he would tell her as much as he could remember. Recently he had been having horrible reoccurring dreams of everyone dying around him. He had been having trouble sleeping at all and whenever he could sleep, it wasn't a very peaceful rest. Yes. There is something that you need to know because apparently Vorilye hasn't told you. He took a deep breath before beginning his story. Vorilye and Kallik had also succumbed to instinct and she became pregnant. Obviously. He wasn't sure where to start with this story so he decided to start from the beginning and hopefully she would know everything she wanted to know.
She then told him about her pregnancy and he didn't believe her. He was convinced that she was either pregnant with another's pups or she was making it up to gain power and over throw him. Despite his father's immense power, he seemed to have some insecurities about it.
He then demoted her to omega. But she refused to be put to such a low rank for doing nothing wrong. His parents were messed up. That was the part of his story that had given him doubt about his father. Why would he have taken that risk? Why wouldn't he have just left her be until they were born? Then he would have seen that his siblings did indeed belong to him. If he had, they might still all be alive.
Kallik then ran to Kamari and took refuge with Haishin to hide us from Vorilye because she feared that he would kill us if he ever found us. Tike looked at Shayde to see if she was still following him and to see if she believed him. He continued.
We were born and we lived in Kamari, never having met our father or even knowing if he existed. We never heard a sour word about him. Kallik kept telling my brother and I how handsome we were and how much we looked like our father. How he remembered wondering who his father was and if he would ever meet him.
Then one day, a cougar came to our dens. It had me in it's mouth. I almost died but....either Kallik or Vorilye..I don't remember..knocked it in the side and it dropped me. This was where his mind went blank. He didn't remember the middle part of that day. It was just..gone. He looked down at his feet trying to remember but it wouldn't come. The next thing I remember if the cougar being dead and my brother, Taqqiq, leaving with my sister Kyra. Good, now what was next? He had to think again. He took a good minute gathering what had happened. Kallik then told me to come here to Acerbus and wait for herself and Vorilye. Shayde knew the rest right? Right. I think you know the rest of this story. It was a painful story to tell and he wanted it to be over. Tike took a deep breath and waited for Shayde's reaction.
While she wasn’t entirely pleased her pressure had worked, Shayde was relieved she wouldn’t have to resort to any kind of drastic measures. Tike was going to cooperate with her. Shayde let out a deep sigh. Good. It would just be easier to get it all out in one go, instead of dragging it out for days. She wouldn’t have been able to sleep knowing that something might happen to her... Or her unborn pups. While she was normally level-headed about things, Shayde had a pretty intense imagination sometimes. And she didn’t want her nightmares to get the better of her.
As Tike began the story, from the very beginning no less, Shayde let out a short, amused laugh. “If Vorilye is you father, and Kallik is,” she caught herself, cleared her throat, and then corrected, “was your mother, then of course they succumbed to instinct at one point.” She know she oughtn’t tease him. It was probably mortifying for him to even think about it. Still. Shayde was pleased he’d used her terminology for the act. It was...cleaner, perhaps, to use those words over the more vulgar, obvious ones.
The story continued on, and Shayde immediately seated herself facing Tike, eyes locked onto his. She decided not to interrupt him at all while he spoke, collecting her thoughts as he struggled through the story. It couldn’t have been easy for him, going through all that had happened between his parents. Shayde had appropriate reactions at just about each juncture. Upon hearing Vorilye’s paranoia, her eyes went wide. The alpha brute didn’t seem the type to have insecurities like that, especially of a stupid femme like that. Though demoting her was definitely the right course of action. When the pups were born, he would have seen they were obviously his, and could have reacted appropriately. Clearly, from Tike’s words, anyway, Kallik was the one in the wrong, leaving like she did.
But... Could Shayde really blame her? To be demoted to omega... Shayde thought about it. She was in the same predicament, wasn’t she? Pregnant with Vorilye’s pups... And her standing power was higher than that of Kallik’s. To be taken from beta all the way down to omega... Shayde shuddered. No. Fucking. Way. That was not going to happen. Not to her. She may not have worked terribly hard to get her position, but she must have some of Vorilye’s respect, right? To lose that just because of poor judgment on both of their sides... She would now allow such a thing.
To keep herself from snarling angrily, Shayde focused on the second part of Tike’s story. She was aware that Kallik had been staying in Kamari from the brief encounter the two had had upon her return to Acerbus. So when Tike paused, looking at her, Shayde nodded, urging him to continue. He had no reason to lie to her, and even if he did, she was certain she would be able to pick up on it. He continued on, telling her how Kallik had never said a bad thing about Vorilye. Shayde snorted lightly. Out of fear, no doubt... Of course, there was always a chance Kallik had been in love with Vorilye. But really? That seemed to be stretching it, just a bit.
Hearing of the cougar attack was...painful. Shayde had heard from Taqqiq that day on the beach that his sisters had been killed. She and Amos had once taken on a cougar. It was the most terrifying fight she’d ever been a part of. To be a pup in the same situation? The thought gave Shayde goosebumps, and she shuddered involuntarily. A pup would stand no chance against a cougar. Tike was lucky he had been saved. What surprised her, however, was hearing that another of Tike’s siblings had made it out alive. “I thought your sisters all died?” Her curiosity had gotten the better of her, despite telling herself not to interrupt him. But to think that another of Vorilye’s pups might be running about... Why had Shayde not known this?
Tike’s story finished, and he appeared pained. A story like that couldn’t have been easy to tell. Shayde smiled, standing to lick his cheek. “Thank you, Tike,” she murmured. “It must have been difficult for you...” Add onto all that sorrow the fact that Kallik had always preferred Taqqiq... Tike had been through so much hell in his life already. And he wasn’t even a year old yet.
Shayde took a few moments to gather her thoughts. She then turned a serious gaze on Tike. “Do you think your father will want to dispose of these pups as he had intended with your litter?” She herself doubted he would, given her status, but a nagging feeling at the back of her mind told her to hear Tike out. Vorilye had never made it clear that he trusted her. So if she did bring up the pups... She didn’t want to end up following Kallik’s footsteps. She did not want to become omega. “I should keep this to myself,” she decided, staring straight into Tike’s eyes. “This will have to remain a secret.”
And to keep a secret from Vorilye... It was a terrifying notion.
words:: Eight-Hundred and Ninety-Nine muse:: Good~ tags::Tike ooc::
Shayde listened to his story without too much interruption which he appreciated. This wasn't an easy story to tell and if he hadn't known that Shayde was pregnant with his half-siblings, he wouldn't have told her. He guessed that he trusted Shayde. He trusted her more than any other wolf in the pack at this point. She did make an amused laugh that he had started too early. But where else was he supposed to start? Her laugh didn't hurt his feelings. He was stronger than that.
When his story got the the cougar attack, Shayde spoke up and said that she thought that all of his sisters had died. No, my sister is still alive as far as I know. She came here briefly and I played a nasty trick on her and then Vorilye showed up. They talked for a little bit and then she said that she wanted to go back to the dens. Vorilye misunderstood her and thought that we were both going to leave so he freaked out and screamed at her so she left. Tike wouldn't normally have given that much explination but he figured that if he had just said "she came and Vorilye yelled at her so she left" like normal, more questions would arise. So, he thought it would be better just to tell her the majority of what happened so she would be satisfied.
She then asked him if he thought that Vorilye would want to dispose of this new litter like he had with himself and his siblings. Tike thought for a moment. The situation here and the situation then was similar but there were differences. Shayde was a beta and his mother was a subordinate. Shayde had been here longer than Kallik had been. Yes, I do. He can't know until they are born. If any of them look anything like him, he'll know they are his and accept them. Tike was being very serious. He didn't want to take any chances with Vorilye knowing. His father was a good wolf but he wasn't the most level headed at times. He didn't want Vorilye to freak out again and demote Shayde to omega. But what if it was better to tell him? What was Tike even worrying about? This wasn't his issue. This was between Shayde and Vorilye. Tike wouldn't tell his father if Shayde asked him not to but he didn't want to be involved in this drama. His father and Shayde would need to figure this out. They were the adults. Not him.
A light laugh lit up Shayde’s face as Tike explained the incident involving his sister. She assumed he added all the extra detail to avoid more questions, but he hadn’t needed to. Just saying that Vorilye scared her off would have given Shayde the gist of the incident. While Vorilye didn’t seem the insecure type, he definitely seemed the time to accidentally push away those that he loved. And even if he himself refused to admit he loved his children, Shayde knew he did. She had seen him that day with Tike, though she never brought it up again. He, like herself, had a sensitive side beneath all that rugged power.
So hearing that he frightened off his daughter didn’t really surprise Shayde in the least. Vorilye had been a little depressed recently. Perhaps that was why. The idea made Shayde laugh. For such a tough, intimidating alpha, he made such silly mistakes, didn’t he? First was the whole mess with Kallik. Then running off his daughter. And then... messing around with Shayde herself. The beta let out a low growl. Was that what he thought it was? A mistake? No, no, no. Shayde shook her head rigorously. That was my opinion. Don’t assume, Shayde. Don’t do it...
Tike’s response to her question caused Shayde to fall into thought again. He almost seemed to hesitate at first, as if actually considering his father’s potential reaction. Shayde smiled. She was right in asking the pup’s opinion. He may not have known his father for as long as she had (as pathetic as that was), but he certainly knew Vorilye better than she did. Shayde was Vorilye’s beta. Tike was his son. Family trumps followers. Always.
“That is a valid point,” she mused, turning her gaze to the sky. A light, chilly breeze flitted across the territory, brushing through the grass and Shayde’s fur. Her coat wasn’t quite dry, but it was certainly not as drenched as it had been. It would soon be so much thicker. And she would eventually gain crazy amounts of weight while growing the little lifeforms within her stomach. The beta sighed deeply. This was just a big mess... “Tike,” she addressed him, back into the role of beta, “I would like to ask that you keep my condition a secret from your father. In return, I will act as if I know nothing of what happened between your mother and father.” She turned her gaze to him, locking eyes with his. “I will also ensure that your knowledge of this mess is kept under wraps. Your father will not know until he needs to, and he will never have to know that you were even mixed up in this.” Her lips pulled back into one of her rare, warm smiles as her tail swayed gently behind her. “Deal?”
This would be their dirty little secret.
words:: Four-Hundred and Ninety-Two muse:: Pretty good~ tags::Tike ooc:: Co-Conspirators XD Vorilye would be suspicious if he knew of this...
