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 Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 12:59 pm
 Tisiphone settled back on her haunches, feeling disgruntled and otherwise frustrated with herself and the world at large. For all of the thoughts clouding her mind, she did not even see the gorgeous landscape laid out before her in the valley below, painted in the vibrant colors of the dying sun. No. She was far too busy remembering the past, a pastime that she seemed to indulge in more and more often lately. However, she was also looking to the future. Future possibilities, future hopes, and dreams, once dead, now trying to resurrect themselves.
The cause of this all, of course, was Hephaestus.
Who else could she blame for this wild, dangerous hope that was trying to grow within her? Who else could ever begin to reach that long-guarded place in her heart where her darkest pain and deepest desires resided? No one. No one at all. Not even Zanza’jin, for all of his flirtations, could truly be a danger to her heart, for she saw the quirky male as nothing more than a dear friend and precious member of her pack. He was family. But Hephaestus…that alpha was something more. Or rather, he was something different.
The strength and kindness and wisdom that he demonstrated every day spoke to her as a leader; but even more than that, his dominance and handsome features and that damnable scent demanded her attention as a female. But, could she really let go of Cith? Certainly, she had finally had her revenge, and that had gone a long way towards easing her pain, but was she really ready to let go?
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:38 am
For once, he had told Deimos to patrol without him. It was a risky move, not reinforcing his scent with his nephew's along the borders, but Hephaestus felt that he could take the risk. It had been quiet for months, with only a few wayward travelers crossing their way. The forest hadn't spoken of any rumors, any strangers to threaten them. Not like last time.
He could clearly remember Deimos and that monster fighting, their teeth tearing into each other, their snarls drowning out the others as they fought. Everyone had stopped to watch the clash of titans, in awe at the spectacle. Big, powerful Deimos, moving like a striking snake against the smaller but just as vicious Thanatos, the beast covered in scraps and the lion's skull.
And then....Thanatos was gone. Thrown over the edge of the earth by Deimos with a triumphant snarl.
Heph still marveled at his nephew, how viciously he had fought to protect them all, even those he'd only met briefly before. He knew that his brother would have done the same. The wonderful Ares, whom he'd lost so long ago.
Smiling wryly, he concluded that today was apparently a day of contemplation and rumination and stretched out lazily on his favorite outcropping, the world spread out beneath him. The trees down there were covered in mist, with only a few treetops peaking through. The sun hadn't quite risen yet, but this was his favorite time of day, watching as the world awoke.
Many of his pack still slept in the den behind him, but he was far enough away that their quiet noises and snores were just a faint breath of sound on the calm breeze.
And as he turned to the horizon, waiting for the sun to peak over the world, he thought of Tisiphone.
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:58 pm
The black femme jerked awake, the last remnants of her dream dispersing before she could grasp them. Well, whatever the dream had been, it hardly mattered now. At the least, she had awoken feeling…if not peaceful, then at least not quite as conflicted as she had been last night. It was a pleasant turn. As she yawned and stretched, Tisiphone realized that she was not in the dens. Hmm…she must have fallen asleep on the cliff last night as she had been thinking.
Oh, well.
The femme rolled her shoulders to work out a sore spot and glanced at the scenery below, finally taking note of it. Indeed, the view was magnificent. Enough to give her cause to smile. At least until she recalled her musings of the night before. That sobered her. What was she to do about herself and Hephaestus?
Somehow, sometime during the night, she had found her answer. Whatever the future may bring, she needed to speak with the handsome male and make peace with her own feelings and the past that haunted her. It was as though, now that she had taken her revenge, she had license to move forward. Though, how far forward and which path in particular remained to be seen.
With her new resolve steadying her, she moved to find the alpha who dominated her thoughts.
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 9:31 pm
A sound came from his left; flicking an ear, he continued staring down at the world below him, his nose just barely twitching as he caught the scent of who approached. It surprised him a little that it was Tisiphone, but he wasn't disappointed by any means. He glanced out of the corner of his eye to see her still a ways off, looking distracted. Had she seen him yet? He wasn't sure, and stayed still, wondering what he should do.
Hephaestus realized he felt a little flustered. When was the last time this had happened? It had been so long... Not since....
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:18 am
So wrapped up was she in trying to figure out what to say that she was almost upon him before she even noticed him. A fatal mistake in a wanderer. Of course, the way things were going, Tisiphone doubted that she’d ever find herself wandering again. But that was neither here nor there.
“Hephaestus…”
Now that she was faced with him, any carefully-worded phrases she might have come up with had fled, leaving her groundless and floundering for something to say. In fact, now that she was here, the femme was beginning to wonder whether it might be wiser to forget the whole thing. Yes. That might be a good idea. Leave with her heart intact and her soul hidden, rather than laid bare for the world to see. It was one thing to flirt with a male. It was another entirely to show her scars to one.
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:06 pm
"Morning," he murmured, his voice a deep rumble that still held traces of sleep. Even though he continued to face forward, his head on his paws, his eyes watched her and a small smile quirked the corner of his mouth. "You don't like to sleep in the den, do you?" he asked, throwing the question right out in the open, with no subtelty or build up.
It was early after all, and tact took too much effort when tired.
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:13 pm
Tisiphone blinked, then scowled at his abrupt question.
“What’s it mater to you, where I do or don’t sleep?” Irritating male. Here she was, ready to partake in a serious conversation and he throws something like that out. Besides, it wasn’t as though she had foregone the den on purpose.
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:20 pm
He raised a brow. "Just wondering."
Shifting, he stretched his limbs before rolling onto his back, precariously close to the edge of the cliff. But he seemed not to notice, or rather, not to care. These cliffs had been his home for so long, nothing about them phased him.
"You looked like you were thinking pretty hard. Something on your mind?"
The big alpha looked quite comical, laying on his back with legs akimbo, the gentle breeze ruffling his thick fur. Puppy, alpha.....At that moment, there wasn't much difference.
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:35 pm
At his words, she felt a little guilty. After all, he had done nothing to warrant her temper. He didn’t know any better. Yet.
She eyed the cliff warily, acutely aware of how easily he could tumble to his doom. Heights. There were far too many heights in this territory for the surly femme to feel completely comfortable. It wasn’t that she was afraid of them, per say, merely that she was…aware…of them. And the ugly end that a careless wolf could meet because of them.
A sullen huff escaped her. He was little better than Heyoka, acting like a clown while his tail hovered over open space. And yet, so insightful.
“Several things are on my mind. Not least of which is something that I would like to discuss with you...and get away from that bloody cliff!”
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:51 pm
His grin widened, but he rolled to his feet and away from the cliff. Even on his haunches, he towered above her. Not even Deimos could rival his size, but even though he was large, he wasn't trying to be intimidating. Sometimes he truly forgot how big he was.
"Oh? My ears are always open for you. Discuss away."
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:14 pm
She glared at him, wondering whether it was worth it to attempt to correct his incorrigible ways. At last, the femme just shook out her ruff and glanced away. He truly was the largest male she had ever seen, but right now, more than that, it was the way he focused so intently on her that had Tis a little uneasy.
How did she even begin? Was it too late to change her mind? She glowered at herself. Coward. She had already decided what she was going to do. There was no point in turning back, now. It would only bring her shame.
“I have…” no. That would not do. But where to start? When in doubt, begin at the beginning.
“My sister and I were orphaned at a young age,” she began instead. “But we were not alone for long. A family found us and took us in. A mate-pair and their sons. We grew up with them and we wanted for nothing. We were happy.” She let her gaze travel toward the east. They had lived not too far from here, really. However ironic that may be.
“Age took the mate-pair, but by then, we were well able to look after ourselves. We enjoyed a peaceful existence. Eventually, Alecto took one of brothers as her mate – Ajax – and they had pups of their own.” Her eyes closed and she let out a ragged breath.
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:21 pm
Well. Not quite what he had been expecting, but from the way she acted, how she wouldn't look at him and that her paws kept shifting in the grass, he knew that whatever this story was, it was something she truly needed to tell him. Why, he didn't quite know. But he relaxed a bit, settling back down so that he lay in front of her as she told her tale.
"I'm listening," he rumbled as she paused to catch her breath.
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:51 pm
She glanced at him, then quickly away again. Tisiphone could not bear to look at him, so calm and strong and accepting, while she revealed her past. She did not want to know what his reaction would be.
“Of course, our peace was not meant to last.” Her voice grew oddly hollow and detached, as though she were telling someone else’s tale.
“A stranger came to our lands. He set everyone on edge, even Ajax. We sent him away, but he lingered just outside of our borders, never seen but always there. I was away on some errand or another when it happened. I could not tell you how it happened, only that by the time I returned, called by their battle-cries, the monster was gone and all of them were dead. Ajax. Alecto. The pups. And Cith…my Cith.”
She did look at Hephaestus, then. “We had just been talking about having pups of our own.”
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:02 pm
Although he wanted to say something, to comfort her, he remained silent, knowing how important it was to let her finish. If he interrupted now....She was so touchy, so ready to be angry, that an interruption right now might ruin everything. Instead, he simply dipped his head in respect, knowing what it was like to lose those closest to him. Long buried pain clenched his own heart, but he pushed it away again.
Now was not the time.
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:24 pm
When he remained silent, she looked away again. “I was not always like this, you know. But after everything, my life was consumed with the need to seek vengeance. It kept me going, when I wanted little more than to join my family. It defined me. Until, somehow along the way, I gathered a new family. They gave me something else to live for. Something to protect.
“That was my first step away from the monster, though revenge still called to me.” She hesitated here. Should she tell him everything? If she did, would he think her no better than Belial? If she didn’t, would it come back to bite her in the a**? It would not surprise her, but she was not quite ready to face that little detail, yet. Later. If she felt the need later, then she would broach the topic. Until then…
“Now, I know him to be dead.” She smiled bitterly, then shook her head slowly, as though to send her thoughts away. “And now, there is someone else who has been threatening to find his way into my heart, if it is not too late already.” Brilliant, emerald eyes met his mismatched pair.
“It only seemed fair to warn him that I have been broken, and why I would be impossible to bear with at times, before we committed to anything.”
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