|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:55 am
Not always was it clear as to what she felt, however, so many times Marley went off guesses. Her company was a lot like being locked in a room with co-workers you neither were familiar with nor liked, but couldn't help wanting to know more about. She wouldn't talk to him like a friend would, barely even spoke really, but left him wanting more. Outside of stating the obvious, she never said anything aloud that bad mouthed him...It was sort of unnerving how hard she was to crack. He was lured by her uneasy stare and stiff exterior that meant no man shall pass into her inner sanctum, but turned off by the way she disregarded his attempts at breaking down that emotional wall...
But she was obviously a virgin to men like Marley. Clearly she had never been faced with a more indirect wolf in all her life who, in many ways spoke the truth and avoided it all the same. If it weren't for his ego, Marley might say she wasn't as attracted to his mind as he was to hers...but that'd be a joke.
What was she up to today, anyways? Not wanting to move his head too much, the male shifted slightly so he could see what was inside the den.
"Mmm." he groaned, green eyes still searching in the midst of a stretch.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 5:18 pm
Pumpkin had lain quietly observing her new alpha, she had opened her home to him grudgingly but slowly come to appreciate his company. Still she was careful to keep her pleasure to herself, she still disliked the way he spoke to her, too casual. Her ears flickered with the constant concern that he was smooth talking, lying like so many males. At night she slept stiffly her front paws tucked close and her hind legs ready to spring her up upon waking.
Yellow eyes narrowed on the male as he woke before she closed them and feigned sleep. The dark markings on her face still made it appear as if a dark face watched him, but not her bright yellow eyes. It would be foolish for anyone to mistake the wide smiling marking on her maw for a true smile. Pumpkin had not smiled in a long time, perhaps in her dreams, or long ago, but too long ago to remember.
She waited a few moments before slowly sliding on eye back open to peer at him. "Morning..." She muttered. It was hard to be cheerful when you were too preoccupied being suspicious. Still she couldn't really say anything bad about the male, infact his presence made her life a bit easier, he helped hunt, he kept the den warm, and he was company. Ugh, who would have imagined she would appreciate company?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 8:43 am
Through whatever facade she held, Marley hoped there was some happiness in seeing him still here. Banking, against her own knowing of its falseness, that the black smudge curving up toward her cheeks resembled (and was) a grin, Marley rolled onto his stomach and gave a mirroring gesture.
"Good morning, sweetie Pie." He cooed. His eyes kept to her features, low to the earth and suggesting uncertainty; in his stare there were no emotions, no comfort or anger, just a look worth being registered precariously by the female. He wasn't exactly sure what she had planned for today, for herself, but whatever deeds Pumpkin needed to be done would be saved for another day.
For now, Marley prepared to draw her deeper into his snares. "Sweetie Pie." he regarded her though the blank stare. "Would you mind taking a walk before breakfast? I know the perfect little plot of land we could visit; it is lovely. You'd like it."
Then, that same smile he had given her grew wider and bared the pointy, tinged yellow fangs that were capable of so much damage...and so much delight!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:06 pm
Pumpkin gave a snort at his morning greeting and term for her, sweetie pie, he turned her name into something so soft and mushy sounding. It sounded weak, and she despised weakness, but still she hadn't made any move to correct him. Strangely she didn't mind it SO much, it brought a strange warmth to her chest, the name was one of familiarity. She couldn't fault him for using it when they had come to be partners in their hunts and daily lives.
She had to keep from actually grinning and slowly stretched yawning to hide her amusement as he repeated the name. Her eyes narrowed on him at the question, a walk? What did he want to go on a walk for? Was he planning something? No...no there went her paranoid mind again. Still it was hard to trust this large male, he radiated danger and confidence, he could overpower her if he wished. Pumpkin just wished she knew his wishes.
"Verywell, a walk might be nice..." She gave no comment about liking his choice of land or not, she would reserve judgment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:29 am
He seemed thrilled, bounding up off the soil at a refreshing pace and padding out into the sunlight. "Excellent!"
Between the two of them, Marley was more of the romantic type. Perhaps hopeless, and not sincerely a 'romantic' beast, he did play off the testosterone better than most males his age, and that much he was certain of. Though he had no way of knowing how Pumpkin COULD be outside of that tough exterior, he figured it would help coax the sweetness out if he offered her the first sign of affection. There was a risk of losing Pumpkin's attention that seemed too great of a risk to take, so, this option seemed like the only way to keep her hooked.
His sides grew in a sigh, followed by shallow breaths of contentment. He was sure of where to go and what to do, but worried Pumpkin would resist his 'desires'. If he could persuade her one way, his way, maybe this wouldn't be as difficult as one might think...
And Marley was sure of his ability to convince. Why even bother fretting? With his tail flagged and teeth showing in a grin, the male turned his head back and chortled through soft words, "Shall we then?" Moving down a slope headed east of their Den.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:43 am
He was so damn happy, it was hard to keep up her more reserved mood but she was making a valiant effort. She had to keep reminding herself how dangerous males could be, stronger, and bullheaded with no qualms about using force to get their desires fullfilled. Yet Pumpkin hadn't seen any of the nastier traits in Marley, he was helpful, funny (even if she tried hard never to smile or laugh at his wit), and it was incredibly hard to tell when he was being manipulative.
Maybe he's NOT being manipulative? She thought with a slight frown, her desire to connect with a friend was so strong that it had weakened her paranoia. She had shared her den with him, hunted with him, and now they were going on a stroll, he could have hurt her or killed her weeks ago. Maybe he's toying with you? Maybe he's not?
It was incredibly frustrating how constantly she was second guessing herself, hadn't she wanted to stop that? She wanted to trust Marley, to follow his lead...she would have to try then. With that thought in mind she followed him along wondering curiously where he was taking them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 10:00 am
"You know," he spoke shortly after their walk began. The steadiness he had in his gait helped keep the very close proximity between the two, bumping her side gently with his hip on more than one occasion. "I'm not such a bad guy."
Not so much that she even said anything about his character, but that she mentioned how males were not all too kind months ago that led him to the conclusion. It was now a matter of building trust, and if she felt the distant persona Marley sometimes tried to have then it may steer her away from the end results. For the brute, this was a pack of loyal, endearing, devilish wolves...for her, who knew? His pace was mingled some what in how fast she wanted to walk, and never went past that.
"What has been going on in your pretty little head, sweetie?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 10:44 am
"No, your really not I suppose...you seem an exemplary alpha." She tried to smile, but the muscles felt strange to her, she hadn't done it in so long. She managed a small smile and glanced at him.
She was used to his proximity now not minding the light bumps or brushes against her fur. It was strangely comforting knowing she had someone who would have her back incase of danger. At least she trusted him enough for that, probably...how hard for her now to let go of her preconceptions.
She grinned at the endearment at last and shook her head. "It's just strange...I haven't had a friend...in a long time. Maybe too long."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:57 am
The trail turned a bit, and with the right shoulder Marley tried to nudge Pumpkin toward that direction. "There you go!" he whispered in regards to her smile, sort of impressed with her attempt.
Marley was quick to pull back however and keep his touching to a minimal. The object was to sustain comfort, not weird the poor child out; sort of a hard concept for the male to grasp buuut, it was doable. Again in a straight line they walked and weaved between trees and shrubs, the destination still a bit of a walk.
"It's good to hear I haven't completely failed then." to this, and with some sincerity Marley let loose hardy laugh and looked over to Pumpkin with cheeks raised in delight. Far too easy. "My time for leading will come again. I look forward to that, it is how I've met so many of my friends in the past." he said, "To not have one for so long, and be approached by a stranger can certainly give you the right to be unsure. I don't blame you for that sweetie Pie, I am just hoping that in the future..."
"We will remain friends." His smile grew wider, and though the kindness resonated off his expression beneath it, and only noticeable if one were to have any insight on his plans at all, were the tinkering and workings of a brilliant, manipulating monster. "I do hope you'll be with me when that day comes." His feet stopped, head still facing Pumpkin while the rest of him followed slowly after.
"It's been a short time and I know it is forward of me to say, but I want you to be there for me when my day rises. You can do that for me, can't you?" then, as suddenly as it was said he reared back on his words, "Ahh, no. Excuse my pushy nature; I should know you are not yet prepared to take on something like that! With a stranger, to say the least!"
Tilting his head, he distanced himself mentally with her and frowned...or was that an upside-down smile?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:27 pm
Pumpkin let out a half snorting laugh at his encouragements and rolled her yellow eyes, he was so overeager. He reminded her of an overgrown puppy sometimes, but the wary side of her knew that this was no pup. This male had a plan and she had yet to choose if she was ready to be part of it.
She followed his nudged and moved with the trail enjoying the time spent with the large male. "No you haven't failed..." yet. Her mind added with a snarl, so unwilling to trust. "I am sure enough to know that I should like to see you rise to your full potential as an alpha, I have no doubt you would be an excellent leader."
But what will he do with his power? Her mind questioned, will he be a leader of the righteous? The wicked? Or simply a pack of family and friends. Power often led to strange corruptions, Pumpkin was most curious to see Marley in power, to see if she could trust him with power.
She almost stopped in her tracks at his words and looked at him intently for a long moment. Half of her felt flattered, the other half threw up red flags. This was it then, she could declare herself now either for or against him. She shrugged casually and continued at their casual pace with only a soft smile. "I will remain for you, for as long as you wish me to." There, she had thrown down the gauntlet, now she would see his true measure, his true desire.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 9:18 pm
Though she was nonchalant, and even as she marched off ahead of him, Marley was stuck in place with his teeth grit and lips parted pleasantly. This should not have been easy... Perhaps thinking over the situation the male might have pushed the topic a bit more, if only to solidify her answer, but in all honesty why? If an underlying reason for her kind and generous answer did exsist, well when it surfaced only then would he address it. As for now, her answer would suffice; it was a good answer after all.
Shaking his fur and trotting to catch up, Marley kept that wild and suggestive smile as he offered Pumpkin the same hip tap as before. "And we are here!"
There were plenty of creatures in this world who were drawn to colorful, shiny, and sometimes noisy objects. The twitchy squirrel attracted to the soft, royal blue of a birds fallen feather or the fish in a river who swims desperately against the current to take a bite of the suns reflection as it bounces off a rock momentarily. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and though Marley has a knack for collecting glitter and glam, this place did not depict such appreciations. Where roses and wild flowers once blossomed and flourished a waste of rotting plant life and the (not commonly seen here, but oddly appropriate) remains of what appeared to be a fox lay motionless in the center. Everything looked to have died, save the tree wall that closed in this area, so much so that even the winds vanished and refused to blow. It wasn't a very wide space, in fact more of a rounded and very tiny pasture and while Marley stood back to idolize his find, a turkey vulture swooped down to the carcass and began to clip and swallow the bits and pieces before the rest of his friends caught wind.
There was also a distinct smell to this plot of land; death, to be more specific, and it clung to the fur of any who passed through it. Marley beamed from his position and only turned his eyes slightly to look at Pumpkin. "Do you see why I like it so much?" He began. There was something hidden here that the male did not mention, a reason behind bringing his new companion to this forsaken part of the woods. "I found this place months after I came to this land. I haven't been around this part in a while though so I wasn't sure if it still existed."
Parting from her side, he entered the field and dipped his nose toward the soil. A pungent odor seeped through and quickly Marley was up and reeling nearer to the center, sending the buzzard flying. "Hmm, the smell hasn't gotten any better."
"Well...what do you think?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 6:09 pm
Pumpkin came upon the scene and her nose twitched, she did not seek beauty out, after all her den was a solid rock cave and a few feet away was a muddy river. Her best view was of a rotting wooden dam some beavers must have left long ago to clog what was probably once a beautiful river abundant with life. Now the only life there was her...and Marley.
With that in mind, she viewed the area with pragmatic eyes, her only complain the scent of the area. Her nose was accustomed to the wet aroma of wood, but not to this sharper smell. Her muzzle actually wrinkled slightly in distaste making her markings appear even more stark and frightening.
"It exists it seems..." She murmured softly before turning to him surprised he would ask for her opinion. "The scent might explain why it hosts no inhabitants..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 9:36 am
To that, he smiled. "Sure does." then began making his way back to Pumpkin with eagerness in his face. "But there is more...come over this way."
The soil was hard, cracking beneath his heavy steps. With every snag and break their weight would cause, a fresher, more foul smell would spiral into the air. He chuckled when he saw her face contort, this place had no shot in hell of smelling like roses ever again and simply by standing five feet from the rotting plot one could see that, but that fur of hers...it animated her face even when completely still. The wilted garden was like a freeze in time. With its lack of color, grace, fragrance, and even hospitality, it ruined the feel of this forest and nearly always left Marley wondering how things could have gotten so bad. As he moved toward the opposite end for a second time, Marley swiveled around to check Pumpkins status.
He then stopped nearer to the living, wooded terrain and had his eyes centered on the molded floor. At least it had been molded at some point, scars of gray in the soil making that apparent but what Marley looked at now wasn't all that dead. In fact, it seemed to be thriving and desperately making a comeback, rich hues of brown speckled all around. As he continued to look, lifting his head slightly and staring straight ahead of him Marley saw that the renovations did not stop there. Single blades of grass sprouted out from the ground, peeking just above their earthy mounds and giving color back to the garden. Had these travelers stayed across the way they would never have seen the transformation. So slight a difference that even the hawks in the sky would not have noticed; Marley was one of the very few who took the time to see. At this angle the air wasn't as thick with grime, the sun seemed to sparkle through to the desolate waste and life seemed to be more prevalent.
"You know..." He murmured, sure that Pumpkin had no idea why it was they had come here. "This land has always been beautiful. The trees, plains, flowers; I've never seen anything more depressing than this garden, ever before. I was just as surprised as you were to stumble upon the black sheep of the forest, but unlike all the others I chose to stay. For some time I sought for life here, searching for the remains of beauty that I knew this place would hold and found none. Many, many times I looked, staring at this decrepit meadow and thinking to myself no one would approach this, no one would want to feel the stench on their fur."
"Then, for a long while I abandoned it like everyone else had. It was only when I met you, and found I was so close to here that I returned and found this." With his left paw he drove his nails into the soil and gently gathered the grains onto his fur, their color radiating. "When you first see this place, it reminds you of nothing good. There are no pretty flowers to distract you from its familiar, ugly facade but when you step to the other side you can see a brighter light. Through the forests over there you see foxes sift through the foliage and birds flutter up to the trees and below you, where decay should be, there's soft dirt and Nature seems to grow here. We are in the same garden, looking at the same terrain, but if we give it a little more attention and take a look through different views we see something beautiful."
He wanted her to understand, or to believe what he said in reality. The garden was like him in a lot of ways, untrustworthy with its stench and did not bring a sense of welcome or gentleness. The garden had potential though, and when given the chance, that potential is seen and can be appreciated. Marley glanced to Pumpkin, eyes searching to find hers.
"Do you get why I brought you here, Pumpkin? To see both sides of a coin you handle?"
His intentions at the start of the day were to reel Pumpkin in. To bring her so close to him that there would be no separating. Initially he would not have cared if she understood or not since, really, he did not know what to expect and often did not want to let himself down if expectations weren't met. Now Marley sat with a mild desire for Pumpkins undying devotion. She said she'd stay, but he wanted more. That calculating, conniving, and brutish male he was did not fade away into black, Marley was still thinking of how well a partner like Pumpkin might be in the formation of a pack and how he could manipulate her to his whim...but there was a kinder vision of the sweet, sweet Pie now, more than there ever was before.
"Do you understand?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:11 pm
Her bright yellow eyes gazed at the dead area of the forest for a long moment before slowly closing and giving a mild grimace. She remembered the way her cave had been long ago, when a pack had once inhabited the land...her pack. Her muscles tensed, the river had flowed through the land, the soil had been rich and fresh, the banks grassy, and the caverns filled with warmth and sound. She slowly opened her eyes again and looked at where his paw touched the soil.
"Everything can heal with time, and everything has it's own facade." She murmured softly her voice was different, it didn't possess the usual anger.
"I understand, we have a chance to stay, to build, a vision...of something better. This soil might look useless, but it's probably the richest around." She slowly turned her gaze up to him, the markings a stark grin, but her own lips also mildly curved. "You look like a brute, but your probably special in your own way too..."
She sighed and slowly turned away. "Lets go get some breakfast...Marley" It was the first time she deigned to use his name, and she knew she was going to have to trust him. Yes he was her alpha, her companion, but she was his now in the strange primal way that she had never grasped before. How did anyone belong to another? Yet in her heart she was chained surely by her loyalty and emotions, and despite her fear she wouldn't allow herself to back away, to run, not ever again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 8:22 pm
For a brief moment Marley almost looked to have pouted. The way his lower jaw slacked and his upper lip sank behind his canines depicted some sort of sorrow, and had it not been for the casual sway of his tail and the hike of each ear as Pumpkin gave her input, his contentment might not have been justified.
"You're right to assume I'm special." he chortled, losing the sincerity he had for one topic and progressing to the next. This would be how Marley functioned; spend months upon months without shedding light on emotions and then, in a blink of an eye, break down that barrier for a very rare moment. Pumpkin saw the kinder side of his strong emotional rifts, though he would never promise her the times of weakness were in good faith and passion.
"If breakfast is what you want, we can find some." The male responded, drawing up to Pumpkins side and lingering close. In a whisper, the male jokingly cooed, "I know you liiiike me, I know you waaaant me...." before kicking up the cleansed dirt and running back where it was they came.
Too easy... Marley thought as his eyes watched the trees wiz by. This is all...too...easy...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
