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 Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 2:19 pm
The white wolf moved swiftly through the swamp lands, his pelt pristine and easy to spot among the growth. He had no real need to hide - these lands were his. Away from the main pack, where many considered to be the safest, typically would bring a wolf to done their veil. There were a few who dared not to, and Reflection was among them. Being a spirit in mortal flesh had its advantages, and he had nothing to fear from the spirits and the wisps that inhabited the lands.
They still deserved respect, which brought him to one of the many shrines scattered across the landscape. This one was not easy to spot, but it was because the earth favored it so. At the base of the tree were small rocks, expertly arranged to best appease the spirits. Covered by fresh, wet moss made it difficult to tell they had been placed there intentionally. It was a modest shrine, and in time whomever tended to it would see it expanded and perfected upon.
Reflection bowed his head, silent as he asked for the earth spirit's continued blessing. It was a good season, especially with so many young pups around - they would need all of the bounties the earth could give them.
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 4:07 pm
She Sings of Amber Autumns had been rearranging the stones and such for other shrines, when she came to check on the Earth Spirit's shrine. Her ears perking up happily, she was always happiest when she could do some sort of work. She loved to advise and was often sought after by those around as per her rank. But she was always happy to please the spirits with their shrines.
As she bobbed around the corner to seek out the shrine she stopped in her steps. She had been watching her paws, so when she saw white in her upper peripheral her eyes juttered up one of his hind legs knowing fairly well who it was without even glancing at his green dye on his back limb.
Moving quicker she smiled widely, for silly reasons as he was her Alpha and they saw each other almost daily. Though it had been a bit since they had spoke last. "Reflection!" Her voice carried down to him as she hopped down from the slight ledge she had been come down from. But before her words probably got to him her paw slipped and she rolled down the last little bit and crashed into him. Rolling with him for a few moments and ending up slamming down on her back with him.
Without realising, her stone had spun around his gem. She winced and then opened a green gold eye. "Oh dear.. I am a mess!" She'd gasp. "A..Are you ok? I'm so heavy I'm so sorry!" She tried to shimmy from under him but he would have to get up.
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 4:24 pm
Reflection lifted his head upon hearing his name carried by a familiar voice. His gaze followed the sound to see She Sings of Amber Autumns on a ledge above him. He had been ready to speak her name in greeting, the weight of it heavy upon his tongue when his world was momentarily turned upside down. Then right-side up... and upside down again. He would be the lone wolf to bear witness to Autumns' catastrophic inability to remain upright.
The female, for whatever reason, managed to lose her footing and was thrown directly into him. Reflection was undeniably the largest wolf in the pack, but given some momentum and a good center of gravity nearly anyone could knock him. The pair rolled gracelessly over the forest fur, kicking up a puff of foliage until they settled with Autumns' on her back and Reflection very uncomfortably above her.
On a scale of one to ten, this was a solid awkward and a half.
He cleared his throat to speak, and when no words came he gently tried to disentangle himself from her to belatedly realize that his necklace was tangled with her own. The spirits were probably laughing at the way he nearly tugged her along as he attempted to get off of her. Flustered, for plenty of reasons and some he would not admit, he stared down at her with bright green eyes.
"Well, this is the first time I've been greeted so enthusiastically," the words were followed by a gentle laugh, as if making fun of himself for being unable to get out of this predicament swiftly. "I am fine, do not worry." He'd be better if he could get their necklaces to untangle, but he was momentarily too flustered to think that far ahead.
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 5:38 pm
She tucked her ears back as he cleared his throat. She went bashful as both eyes opened and fear struck her. Oh spirits, was she going to get fired!? She took a swift glance down at their predicament. Swallowing hard she let her eyes snap up to his face. Then she felt her neck and head jut forward as he pulled their necklaces pulled her. Their nose bonked as her head jutted and she leaned back.
As he stared down at her she shifted her eyes around uncomfortably awkward. Well, it was something she'd dream of of course, but the awkward was trying to tell herself this was not a good way to say hello. Then his laughter and words came to her ears. Her ears flickered forward, giggling nervously. "I'm.. so sorry.." She apologised again. "I totally missed my step.. I guess if you weren't there though I would have been stuck rolling still." She looked down the hill from where they were. as he sat there above her she moved to pull herself free of his body, only to tangle it more and be forced to push her muzzle through his chest fur to free his gem. "Let me.. Since I got us into this mess, I might as well get us out." Sitting very close to him she began to make work of her stone, pulling it and pushing it up and around.
As she fixed it she cleared her throat then. "T--There we go." Moving to get up and step back.
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 6:03 pm
Yes, he had definitely made the situation more awkward than it already was by trying to disentangle them himself. He flushed underneath his fur when their noses bumped too hard against one another. If only the pack could see him now, it would certainly break the illusion of him being a reserved and intelligent Alpha. "Sorry," he whispered the apology, afraid that if he spoke too loud someone would listen in.
Then, Autumns took it upon herself to try and properly disentangle them. He was relieved for a few silent moments, because surely she would be more graceful at it than he. "Well, I am relieved to have caught you, then," he answered. He hadn't really caught her. Rather, he had been a nice solid body to break her fall.
He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, his entire back rigid as her snout nuzzled over his chest to loop through his necklace. Surely, if he did not move a single inch then nothing could be misinterpreted. Reflection was not some pup head over heels in love with a startlingly attractive female. He was the Alpha, he had some restraint that he never realized needed to exist until a single female unwittingly nuzzled into him.
Finally freed, Reflection stepped back and stared at the spot above her head, close enough to be mistaken for polite eye contact without actually being so. He silenced his whirling thoughts with an awkward chuckle. "That's... well, you did that far better than my attempt to had been. Sorry about that, really." He was just relieved that they had finally managed to be pried apart.
"So, what brings you out here today?" That was his best idea yet, changing the subject.
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 6:20 pm
When he whispered the apology about the nose bump she almost giggled at him. You know what, she did giggle at him. How silly, this was his pack. Why did he have to apologise to her?
Did he not like being in this predicament.. Oh gosh, was she slipping and making him feel weird. Well, she slipped already but did she do something wrong? Autumns felt that falling in love was truly the least lovely thing about this sort of thing. "I'm pretty relieved too." Liar, her anxieties about touching him was still rolling under her fur coat. She liked being this close to him, but did he not like it?
She felt his body go rigid as she nuzzled into his chest. He so didn't like this. As they broke free and he stepped back and became his usual self, or what she figured was she leaned back and sat on her haunches for a moment wishing she was alone. Her ears tucking lightly. "It's ok. Sorry, I should have known you don't like being touched. S..Sorry for making it awkward." She smiled lightly at him.
"I'm the Shrine Keeper.." She insisted when he tried to change the subject.
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 6:29 pm
He was still astronomically messing things up even now that they had become untangled. He frowned at her, concern clear upon his expression when she rambled off another apology. "No, no, that's not it. You're absolutely fine," he answered too-quickly. Reflection had not given himself nearly enough time to think his own words over. Words were powerful tools when wielded correctly, and normally he was far more efficient with them. "I did not mean to give you such an impression. It is not often that I am close with others, that is all."
Reflection was far better at being the Alpha than he was at handling his personal relationships, that was for certain. Uncertain that he had even managed to quell her concerns, Reflection instead focused his attention to her body language. That usually spoke more than words ever could, and he could see by the way she held her ears that his words likely were not of much aid to her.
"Oh, right, of course." He answered after clearing his throat for what was probably the tenth time. "And this is one of the shrines," he added awkwardly. Glancing over to the small shrine, he was relieved that it had been undisturbed by their antics.
"You know, the spirits probably find us to be terribly entertaining right now." He smiled, and attempted to barrel past his own feelings to bring their conversation back to comfortable ground.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 9:11 pm
Shifting her golden green eyes away from him for a moment she felt intrusive. "I know, you are a spirit." She felt herself get a little confused and confuffled. Alright, so if he was fine with her touching him and he seemed to be as bashful as her? Did he like her too? She was confused.
Nodding lightly along with him saying it was a shrine she huffed softly. "I am happy it's still in tact. I would have to replace those rocks while battling the jitters."
Her shoulders dropped when he suggested the spirits probably found them entertaining now. "Mmh.. They are very rude sometimes. Perhaps I should be wearing a mask in their presence." She tutted lightly, her eyes skittering to and from Reflection every so often. "I mean. I'm happy I got to get a little closer to you. Perhaps I should say thank you to them." She said the last statement almost without realising she had said it outloud. It came out pretty clearly though.
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Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 1:26 pm
He was a spirit, but at times he did not feel like it. But then again, he could not know how the other wolves possibly felt to be able to compare his own experiences to. Now was not the time for such introspection, especially when he was fumbling through a conversation with She Sings of Amber Autumns. If the spirits were watching them, they were likely getting a kick out of his obvious plight.
"I am sure now is not the time to test the spirits' reaction to their shrine being disturbed," he replied with a slight bow of his head. The season had been good to them so far, but all it would take was one bad season to endanger the livelihood of the pack's weakest members. Soon, it would be time to take action to expand their borders - he would need to speak with his betas about such a possibility.
"I enjoy seeing you without your veil, you are one of the few who are favored enough that the spirits do not interfere needlessly with you. It is refreshing, to be able to look upon one face out here without the mask." His words were warm, meant to be reassuring but perhaps... too forward. He was still a young Alpha, and far from skilled in affairs of love. Reflection carried on through the conversation as if he hadn't made some embarrassingly forward overture towards Autumns. "Well, you are at a shrine..." he teased, good humor seeping back into his voice.
"But, you know, you are always welcome by my side. I enjoy our time together, even if you try to take me out with a death-defying roll."
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Posted: Mon Nov 11, 2019 6:28 pm
Let a small smile slip on her jowls at him and she shook her head. "I gather not.." She looked back at the Shrine. "Who knows what other things they had in store for us if we made a mess of their Shrine." Not that she didn't mind the visual of the large slightly off-white wolf looking down at her from his position. She felt herself blink away his face and swallowed heavily. Almost audible.
"I gather the Spirits always gave me a mask that I don't need one." She felt her face where her smudge of white travelled down from her forehead, over her eye and diagonally over her snout and where her other eye was covered by its own standalone strap of white. She was rather dark in colour but the shock of white divided her face from the rest of her body. She always thought the white was pretty, she seemed to be a boring femme to herself aside from her white. Had this been the reason she had eyes for the Alpha? Aside from being the only other young leading rank in the pack alongside him since he stepped up.
She not so discreetly--though this is Reflection so most is discreet--looked at his body from where she sat. Was she getting bold now? Yes. She looked bashful for a moment as she smiled. She then realised now, after her response that he had hit on her. Her ears flung forward. "Did you just call me pretty?" It was more like beautiful, but she couldn't think of her long time friend calling her that so openly.
Her ears flexing back as she bowed her head. "As you are.. definitely welcome by my side as well. I have always looked forward to our time together." Her tail swished now, showing that she liked the compliment. Wincing then. "Just I don't think I would survive if it was your body coming at mine. I know I have a.." She looked at herself and her sturdy legs. Sturdy was a good word. "Sturdy build but I think you might have crushed me."
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Posted: Mon Nov 11, 2019 6:57 pm
Reflection did not seem to notice her gaze on him, nor the way he swept over his body. If he had, it would have doubtlessly shown upon his face. Normally, the Alpha was quite stoic around the rest of the pack, but Autumns always seemed to find a way to break down his barriers. He may not have caught onto nearly half of the jokes and word play she tossed his way, but he was disarmed by her presence regardless. "Hm?" the noise sounded in his throat long before words could form. It was a startled sound, because he had not realized that he had called her as such. Words had just flowed from them, and for once he had not paid them much mind.
"Yes," he affirmed. She deserved the compliment, and he spoke no lie within his words. "You are quite pretty, I did not believe it to be a secret." The compliment was pleasant and simple, without the garnishments of a wolf desperately trying to impress her. Reflection was not overtly courting her, even if he found her company to be far more pleasant than the rest. These private moments he spent with her were ones he cherished above all else.
He glanced back down at her as she mentioned her sturdy build, and before he could stop himself he was evaluating her to be sure of the truth of her assessment. Reflection had no need to - he already knew what she looked like, but he stared at her all the same. "I do not know, I think you would be able to handle me," he answered, amused, all the while knowing in some way what it was that he implied with his words.
Clearing his throat, he glanced away from her before he did get carried away. He was Alpha, he had duties and responsibilities. It would be all too easy to get wrapped up in her - it would be better to keep his distance from her altogether, but he was not strong enough to deprive himself of her company. "At the very least, for the trouble we have given each other today, allow me to walk you to your den."
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Posted: Mon Nov 11, 2019 8:20 pm
Ah-hah she caught the sly Alpha in his word game. And it made her heart pitter patter all the more in her chest. She swore the wolf could hear it and his sound of surprise made her smile lightly.
She gave him a shocked face, there was no way in Kells this Alpha didn't see her shock register. Autumns opened her mouth to retort that the Alpha was blind until he continued his confirmation. "I am sure there are prettier." She then gave him a soft look that showed the fact she had been touched.
Autumns damned her perception being so high in comparison to Reflection. She saw him looking at her the same way she looked at him. For a second she looked at him perplexed again. He.. Did he just? She gave him a foxy look and her ears perked up, making her face look mischievous. Then she walked past him and glanced at his body in a specific region for longer than she should have deliberately. Moving to go towards her den as he offered. "I am sure I could definitely handle you." Her eyes sliding up to his face as she nodded to his offer.
As much as it was their fault for seeking one another out, it was initially their elder and late advisers who started this game of their back and forth. She was quiet on their way back, her eyes glancing a little at a time to the Alpha but she knew he'd probably press on without glancing at his charge now. But it was perhaps because he was looking at her and their timing never locked eyes. That is until she got to her deep den with the small trinkets and baubles and such hanging around or sitting on the natural ledges for things. Her eyes shifting behind her as she got to her den, eyes then shifting into her den.
It was time for her to clear her throat. "Uhm.." She shifted in her paws to ease the nerves. "Reflection.." She went to take a step towards him and then tutted at herself. Shaking her head lightly. Putting her paw down after a moment of thoughts bubbling up as she made her move. "Perhaps you would like to join me? That is.. If you're not too busy."
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Posted: Mon Nov 11, 2019 8:37 pm
Silently, Reflection noted that he did not think there were any wolves prettier than Autumns herself. But, to say that aloud would be to reveal too much of himself to her. He knew it now, the line he was toeing with the female, and had to wonder if she realized it too. They were engaged in a game of cat and mouse, heart and mind pulling at one another and contradicting against the other. He was sure in the game, that he was losing.
Her words struck a chord with him - it was the response he couldn't help but want to hear, despite knowing that he should keep his distance. He caught her gaze fixed on him, and felt the heat rising to his cheeks even as she turned away to start the trek back to her den. Reflection dutifully followed, trailing just behind her so that he could sneak a glance in her direction when he was confident that she was not looking. The journey to her home was almost uncomfortably silent. The air was heavy between them, laden by feelings left unspoken.
Reflection wasn't ready yet to talk about those feelings, and had every intention of carrying on with his day once he accompanied her to her den. But, she paused before exiting his company. He could have dismissed himself, but he did not, and instead waited for the words heavy on her tongue. "No, I am not busy," he confirmed with her before his common sense could hold the words back. Reflection took the step forward that she had not, "and I will join you."
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