Adonai: *glances up at the sky, brow furrowing* It looks like it might start storming again. Do you have a place to stay that's out of the wind?
Tiyana: *Watching the same grey clouds as Adonai, pressing herself against his side and thinking, More bad weather? Really? Oh, for the love of -* I- I'm afraid I don't. It has been a while since I had a den to rest in...
Adonai: *frowns. it had been so nice earlier.* I know...after that bad storm earlier in the season, I was hoping we were done for awhile. *sighs and rises back to his paws, shaking* Are you up to walking? *knows she's unhurt from the ice fiasco, but figures she might be...delicately...natured*
Tiyana: *Remembering [I[that particular storm, she shudders a bit* I don't believe I've ever seen as much snow as what fell then! I was stuck in it, outside, no shelter... *not needing to make up a sob story, she lifts her chin and gives a good snort* But I am quite fine to walk, thank you. I am much stronger than I appear. *Though she's still certain she'll never recover from being flung over fragile ice. Delicately natured? Yes. But also very mulish."
Adonai: Well. I won't let you be caught outside this time. *he says, as though this settles the matter entirely* Come on...I'll get you back where I live. We've got plenty of den space there.
Tiyana: *Giving him an odd sort of glance and realizing that he believes in what he's saying, she listens - and then speaks very frankly.* Your pack. *A pack meant other wolves, which meant other connections that might be made. Tiyana wasn't for connections, or the simple idea of settling down that packs tended to give her, but...* Do you think they'd allow me to take shelter? I wouldn't want to be a bother~
Adonai: *nods* oh, absolutely. It's what they're all about -- sheltering strangers. Wolves can come and go however they like. *he grins, and looks much younger than himself -- as boyish as his smile* It's the only pack I've been able to stomach, really
Tiyana: *Although still uncomfortable with the idea of sharing a general area with so many strangers, she finds herself unable to fight his charm* Well, if you say they would be willing to put up with me, then I suppose I could tag along. They sound quite nice, to tell the truth! *And the whole 'come and go' thing - that sounded nice. She gives her own sweet little grin before noticing a bit of white settle amongst the dark furs near Adonai's ear - how dramatic!*
Adonai: *flicks an ear, feeling the cold dampness drill through the soft fur there* I hate the cold, *he mutters; the thin fur wasn't good against it at all. maybe he'd go back south after all, at this rate, family or not* Come on, m'lady...we'd best hurry before it really starts coming down.
Tiyana: Can't say she's heard him speak quite so bluntly, but completely agrees. Her fur might have been thicker, but she was still small - and small bodies grew cold quickly* I couldn't care less for the cold either, or the wet. *Ready to quit the weather and already dancing a bit forward, not liking the little white spots appearing on her black fur* I can't say I can even guess a direction for your pack, however; I wasn't even aware one was near when I stopped for my rest - where we met.
Adonai: *winces a little* Actually...I'd wandered rather far from home by the time I found you. *and the snow was falling faster than he liked. he sighed, and started following the river upstream, moving as fast as he could while still appearing nonchalant -- he didn't want to panic her anymore, not after he'd caused that whole fiasco with the river. The cuddling after had been nice, he had to admit. But he wouldn't push his luck for that to happen twice*
Tiyana: Oh, we're far, are we? *She smiles right through his wince, trotting along beside him and nipping at his shoulder - convinced that he was as calm as he pretended*We'll just have to hurry then, won't we? Oh, but maybe not too fast. *Not if he wanted to see her skating again. She'd keep up with his pace, but not a step faster!*
Adonai: *nudges her back, forcing back his concern. Just because the last time he got caught in a storm his grandpups had nearly been killed didn't mean anything bad would happen this time. Whatever happened to the days when he was young and carefree?* Glad you're not all out of energy, then. *picks up the pace for an easy lope*
Tiyana: *Something in that particular nudge gave her the idea that Adonai was anxious, but she didn't read so far into it; as far as she knew, he was just leery of the cold* I've plenty of energy left! *she says a bit cattily.* I told you I'm the adventurous sort. My stamina is not something to be laughed at. *She catches his lope, skipping a bit to make up for her somewhat shorter legs*
Adonai: Your stamina, hm? *brows raise, suggestively, but he says nothing else. The smirk on his maw is plenty telling* Well, then, I won't hold back. *and a good thing, honestly, considering how the wind was picking up steadily -- and it was very cold*
Tiyana: Well then... *She lifted her chin just the slightest, giving him a somewhat sideways sort of look - she knew flirtation when she saw it, and would do her best to return the favour* I never suspected you would. I'm very glad~ Though I suppose we'll just find out if you and I are of equal staminas, shall we? *Any more eyelash-fluttering she had planned was ruined, however, as more and more snowflakes flooded her face. There would be time for sweet nothings later.* Tell me, just how many wolves are in this pack? *she asks, trying to distract herself from the discomfort of having to squint while she ran* Is there anyone I should be jealous of?
Adonai: Oh...a few dozen, I guess, *nonchalantly, mostly because he hadn't ever really counted...or bothered to meet all of the members outside of those in his little family.* And...no. None are quite of your caliber, sad to report. *he thought of Thrush, stupid grumpy Thrush who disliked him for no good reason, and huffed. Just she wait*
Tiyana: *Snorts a bit, raising a brow and replying,* Sadly? Now, what is that supposed to mean, exactly? Were you looking for someone? *Perhaps he should know she's the jealous type? Though it was nice to know she was more desirable than any of the females his pack might have had. Never hurt to stroke the ego every once in a while... though flattery could only go so far, and she was a bit suspicious, as he seemed to be thinking of someone other than herself.* Maaaybe someone rejected you? Hmm? I do hope you're not using me to get back at them~
Adonai: Oh, hardly. It's only that the world would be a far pleasanter place were there more fine ladies such as yourself within it. *smoothly and quickly. such a shame that his charms were lost on his daughter, or their relationship would be much less complicated. her mother had liked him well enough...but, then, perhaps that's because she had wanted something of him. maybe that was the trick: only females who could mate with him found him interesting* Although I daresay that wouldn't make you such a rare gem. *manages to sidestep the topic of another woman quite well, so far as he's concerned*
Tiyana: *At least he was very smooth in saving himself from further questioning; she could tell he was dodging any difficult conversation, and she was perfectly fine with that.* I don't know, I think the world deserves only a few jewels, *she says confidently; and for multiple reasons.* Too many pretty things brings down their value, especially if they are easy to find. *That, and she could hardly stand the competition. How was she to get any attention if she had to share it with others like herself? She knew how she was... and didn't want to face anyone like that if she could help it.*
Adonai: *nods shrewdly, though doesn't slow his pace* Ahh, so true. And makes me all the luckier, for having found one. *but the wind was whipping at them and the snow was coming down in thicker flurries. It would be blinding soon and he knew it* I...don't know if we'll be able to get back before the storm gets too bad *he said, hesitantly, and his words were nearly ripped from his throat by the wind*
Tiyana: *By now she could hardly hear Adonai's courtly reply over the pounding roar of what promised to be a monster of a blizzard; she didn't really care so much what his answer was, anyways, not when she was finally realizing he hadn't been quite right in his estimation. She couldn't run so fast, not in this, and was already having trouble as her small paws punctured the soft, new snow much too easily, and foundering a bit in a draft she pressed her muzzle as close to Adonai's ear as she could manage.* I don't - I don't think we will, either! *she barked, taking a small mouthful of his neckfur in her teeth.* But now what? *She had her tricks for surviving in the snow, but she wasn't sure if even those would be of much help now. At least... at least she wasn't panicking quite yet.*
Adonai: *split second decision time* We can't make it. We'll have to find shelter for the night. *stops, squinting into the thick flurry of snow. It was already up over his paws on the ground, making its way up to his knees* Here...I think I see something.
Tiyana: What? Where? *She couldn't see a thing beyond the sheer curtains of white now dropping down on them, hardly able to keep track of what was snow and what was comforting, silky, warm fur. If Adonai saw something, she would just have to trust him; her eyes stung too much for her to be of any use, hunched against his side with her tail wrapped around her back legs in an attempt to save warmth.* It's too much! I can't see anything! *Once again, she placed her life in his paws... at least this time, she knew she could afford to do so.*
Adonai: *hopes to god he's right about what he saw. He crept forward toward the bush-shaded hole, nosing aside some branches and felt quite a lot of snow dumped onto his back. But, there it was. The opening was smaller than that of his den, and he squirmed his way in, hoping that whoever had last occupied this thing was gone* I think it's an old fox den *mutters mostly to himself* But there should be just enough room for the two of us.
Tiyana: *She was far from waterproof. The same crush of snow that fell on Adonai found a way to leak onto her own back, wiggling its way between even the thickest of her furs and drawing out a startled little shriek; she could care less if it was a fox den or a bear den, and even would have warded off the latter if it still wanted to call the tiny little hole its home. She sidled right up next to Adonai, hardly noticing a lack of personal space and pressing her back against his neck in an attempt to avoid an even heavier snowfall that tried to follow her in.* Well, *she grunted pensievely, settling herself in and finally taking note of her surroundings. *Just enough space, indeed. Cozy. Looks like we'll be sharing a little bit of body warmth for a while.
*Suddenly, being snowed in wasn't quite so bad.*
Adonai: *grins a little, shifting to get comfortable in the cramped space. it was probably a family den for some fox, he thought -- it would have been quite roomy for the little creatures* I can think of worse places to be *he muses, finding his way to his belly to lie down, curling himself around her. her scent filled the closed space and he couldn't help but think what a fortunate little accident this had all been*
Tiyana: Oh, there are always worse places, *she agreed, lowering her muzzle and very gently touching his cheek.* At least we seem to be in good company. No? *And he was so very warm! The den might have been a bit small, but as far as Tiyana was concerned, that really was for the best. Otherwise, she'd have no reason to sink herself into Adonai's silky fur as she settled herself in, laying her head across his paws.* I'm willing to bet that big, bad storm can't reach us here~
Adonai: No...I think we're safe from that. *slides sideways a little so she has more room, laying his head atop of hers. This shouldn't be nearly so comfortable...but then, he guessed that the pair of them were probably more experienced than most in this* Hopefully the storm breaks by morning, though, or we'll get awfully cramped in here.
Tiyana: *She was awfully well-suited to the little den, no matter what Adonai had to say about it. In fact, she believed she might actually prefer it to any of the other dens she had settled in - they had always been quite large, and a pair of wolves were likely to wander to opposite sides if given the opportunity. Here, she couldn't help but be right up against Adonai, where it was safe and warm... among other things.* Let the storm rage a while longer, *she murred softly, her tail slowly thumping against the soft den floor.* I don't think I mind a bit.
Adonai: You know *he starts, playfully* If I didn't know better, I'd think you were awfully comfortable in here with me, for someone you just met. You sure I'm not more dangerous than that storm out there? *eyes glimmer* I could be a big bad wolf, you know.
Tiyana: *Doesn't believe in the slightest that Adonai had it in him to be big or bad; she might have just met him, but she could see he was a more honest sort than she usually dealt with - making it obvious as to why she was already so nonchalant with him. Though perhaps he didn't know this...* Oh, you wouldn't be about to gobble me all up, would you? *she asked, eyes growing wide as she looked up at him.* Dearie, I should have been much more careful! But then, I've always been a good judge of character. I think I can trust you~ *Mmm. Maybe not so 'good.' But she knew the decent ones from what she needed to avoid, and so nestling with Adonai wasn't such a big deal. She closed her eyes.* You're very soft, Adonai. I don't fear soft things.
Adonai: *tail thumps, despite the cramped spaces* You're rather comfortable yourself, my dear *he murmurs as he closes his eyes and fades of to sleep, the wind howling outside, a little smile on his maw.*
