Aksel scowled, staring at his sister with exasperation. “Why the hell did you go walking about with that…. With him!” He exclaimed, furious and worried in equal measure. It was not that he didn’t think her capable of looking after herself. God knows she was as fierce as any reaver when she put her mind to it. But she was stubborn and frustrating and he simply couldn’t understand her reasoning sometimes! It drove him near mad!
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Rolling her eyes she simply kept on working on her newest piece of recycling. Braiding the leather she had saved from her old fur rugs into useable sections. Some would go to repairing other pieces, some she hoped would be good enough to fashion into simple trinkets. She was not a vein female, but she did like to craft frivolous items every now and again, and she was getting fairly good at it, if she did say so herself.
Recalling herself to the current situation and realising her brother was still glaring down at her in shocked outrage, she finally set aside her work and stared up at him with exasperated patience. “Yes, I went for a walk with Ragnvard, and let him take me hunting. I wanted to know why he had sought me out and thought I could turn the tables on him at the same time.” She arched a brow at Aksel’s expression, which was caught between horror and reluctant admiration. He never tried to undermine her and was the first to admit she was the smarter of the pair of them, but clearly he considered this too far beyond the limits as he advanced on her, fair spluttering with outrage. Though she knew it was not precisely aimed at her, only he couldn’t go and give the Captain a tongue-lashing without it deteriorating into a full on war between Lucivar’s reavers and Ragnvard’s.. Besides, they couldn’t tip their hand yet. She still didn’t know what the male wanted with her.
Forestalling any more words she stood and pushed him to one side so she could set her work out of harm’s way, fully aware they yet may come to blows themselves before his fear wore itself out.
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Aksel could barely get a word out as she spoke. Her idea did have merit but he couldn’t put aside the fact that she had risked herself needlessly. All it would have taken was a quiet spot away form the pride and a miss-placed claw, and she would have been taken from him. And there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. That was what terrified him so badly… He knew it wasn’t fair of him to shout at her, but the fear of what could possibly have happened was still rode him and he simply couldn’t get the image of her laying bloodied and still on the hard ground out of his mind.
“You can’t trust him!” He bellowed, advancing on the slender form of his sister.
“Don’t you think I know that?” She asked blandly in return, giving him a look very similar to the one their mother had used when they had been cubs and were acting out in a tantrum. The reminder only ratcheted his fear up further, remembering how their father had pined away after his wife’s death. Killed in an accident within the pride itself but dead none the less.
Struggling to keep a grip on his temper he growled low at her. Stubborn as she was, he loved her and could not, would not, see the same thing happen to her. Accident or otherwise.
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She sighed heavily, shaking her head. “You wont make me say ‘sorry’. Because I am not. Nothing happened, I made sure of it. I am not so innocent, you know.”
Her words made him drawn back, though his scowl remained well in place. Glaring he paced once round the small den before rounding on her again. But before he could say anything further she stuck her paw in his face, one claw out and pointed at him. One deep breath on his part would have seen blood drawn. Her own temper now raising to match his own.
“Stop acting like a cave bear. I can do whatever I damn well please. And for your information, he seems to be trying to woo me. He spent a considerable amount of time making sure I noticed how skilled he is. He’s smart, for sure. I only recognised it because I know of his temper, and of the disagreement between him and Ronan.” Here she paused again and stared at her pile of leatherwork absently, not seeing it but instead absorbed in the landscape within her own thoughts. Finally she continued, just before Aksel lost all patience and pressed her. “I am assuming he has noticed Ronan spending time with me though why that would interest him I have no idea.” This made her frown thoughtfully, forgetting her anger in the face of this new puzzle.
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This comment made Aksel pause, staring at her in confusion before, gradually, the new flow of conversation pierced his outrage and settled into his mind. Puzzled now rather than angry he blinked at her. “Why would Ronan’s visits warrant his coming to see you?” And why had she noticed Ronan’s interest in the first place. The very idea of his war-brother and his sister made him want to squirm and ban them from so much as looking at each other. Even though he knew his sister had no romantic notions as of yet, Ronan’s apparent interest in her bugged Aksel. It was his sister for crying out loud! It was just plain weird…
Shaking such unhelpful thoughts away he studied her, trying to see it from Ragnvard’s point of view. “What is he trying to accomplish then? If you and Ronan were married I could see it, you would be his weakness… but surely he knows that if he messed with you, he would have the entire lot of us on him. You are my sister first.” This last he said perhapse more thoughtfully than he should have, judging by Auðlín’s expression. Sighing he settled down on his rump. At least this problem was one he could fix… even if the other, of his sister with Ronan, wasn’t… Yet.
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