Night in Lunetta

[rebirth]

Ran groaned quietly, his shoulder was throbbing. He needed to get this arrowhead removed, he couldn't go on living like this. He had heard her exit the bedroom and smelled something burning but paid it no mind. The throbbing beat inside his head like a war drum.

Minutes passed with little to know change in the pain that lit up his shoulder and back like a candle in a closet. He heard the soft padding of feet as Felecia made her way back into the bedroom, he heard the soft sloshing of water as she sat down on the edge of the bed. She was strangely close and it sent butterflies through his stomach which countered the pain in his shoulder.

"Which one is it?" She asked him smoothly her voice a soft mist on the wind.

Ran Didn't want to be a burden on her or anyone, but she seemed to be genuinely concerned, and she smelled of it too.

"It's the puckered round arrow scar on my right shoulder. But don't you worry about it, the pain will pass shortly. It doesn't always do this, only when I'm physically exhausted or have been running along time. My Wolf form is hell on it. It's almost like I have a little vampire clinging on my back stabbing again and again."

He let out a long sigh and tried to shift again to gain a more comfortable position. The way he had been laying was straining his arm and shoulder. He had began to wish that he never turned his back on that hunter that had wondered into his packs territory. He had been almost certain the hunter wouldn't try anything, he was only a human after all. And though humans were known for their bravery doubted the human would try his luck hunting a were wolf. But Ran'Cris had been wrong. He turned his back to allow the hunter to leave and the arrows shaft had dug in deep.

Out of sheer rage Ran had transformed into his bestial form and tore the terified hunter limb from limb not killing him until every limb lay on the ground. he did it quickly then he had tore him in half before ripping his skull and spine from his quivering torso. The hunters screams still lingered in his skull to this day. But it appears the hunter had the last laugh after all. His arrow head was still lodged in his shoulder afterall.

[fel]

"It's the puckered round arrow scar on my right shoulder. But don't you worry about it, the pain will pass shortly. It doesn't always do this, only when I'm physically exhausted or have been running along time. My Wolf form is hell on it. It's almost like I have a little vampire clinging on my back stabbing again and again."

Her eyes scanned his back for a moment until she noticed the one he was talking about. Waiting for him to finish shifted around, she laid the rag over the wound, hoping the heat would ease the tension in the muscles surrounding the alleged arrowhead and that that would ease the pain it was causing. "The heat should help...some. I'm sure the cold environment you are used to doesn't help at all." she said, being careful not to put any pressure on the rag, instead just leaving it to lie where it was.

Unsure of what to do and a little uncomfortable with this entire situation and feeling slightly chilled, she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them looking forward out into the bare room. The best thing for him would be to get the sharp metal removed. Remembering his shift in the bathroom, and the sound of pain she had hear, the arrowhead must be cutting into muscle as he shifted. It wasn't enough to damage him, obviously, but enough to cause some severe discomfort. However if what he said was true, than there really was nothing anyone could do without posing serious rick of nicking that artery. A turn of fate which would spell almost instant death. She turned her head to look over at him. The silence in the room was starting to bother her since it didn't help the make the situation any less awkward than it already felt to her.

"I'm surprised you left for such a journey without many provisions." No clothes or no money. As a scout she was often sent off to play messenger, but she never left empty handed if she knew she was going to be away for an extended period of time.

[rebirth]

The towls warm moist effects set in almost immidiatly. The warmth seeped into his aching muscles and he could feel as his tender muscles stopped contracting. The heat feeding them the relaxation they desired. The painlessness that fell over him allowed him to breathe easier.

"Thank you, Felecia.." he muttered into the mattress as she pulled her hand away.

He noticed she was cold, which was surprising. Ran'Cris was hardly ever cold. Tonight was one of the first nights he could actually remember recently where he was. Then again, he wasn't often in the rainy climates, and when he was he seldom got as thoroughly drenched as he did tonight. In his extremely thick wolf coat it took a lot to drench him to the skin.

Silence engulfed the pair, Ran'Cris was content and didn't feel in the least bit akward. The caring she-wolf put him at ease. Though, when he smelled the air he could tell she was uneasy. Ran'Cris searched desperately to find something to break the silence and the tension.

Normally he was a man of words, but his body being as exhausted as it was seemed to have slipped into a sort of stand by mode and thinking was generally limited to internal monologue and how comfortable the mattress felt. He knew he would end up on the floor later, so he attempted to enjoy the feel of the mattress while he could.

When Felecia finally spoke he wasn't surprised strangely that it seemed to be criticism. Leave it to a she-wolf to question a males motives. As grudingly as he thought it, male wolves did need the advice of the females. Most usually males were completely driven by boiling blood and certain parts. The calm cool logic of a female wolf was never openly accepted, at least not in the Frost-Fur pack, but everyone knew that the reason the pack survived was because of the alpha female, his sister in law: His brothers mate. As much as he loved his brother without her the pack would have been wiped out from over expansion.

"I'm surprised you left for such a journey without many provisions."

The implication left there irked him. But then again, she truly didn't understand the situation of the Frost-Fur. He turned his head toward her so that it was no longer buried in the mattress.

"The truth of the matter is that my pack doesn't have much money. And we don't have an abundant food supply. When I leave, I'm self sufficient. I live off the land, If there is no game I'll eat what I can find, wild berries, even plants. As long as I keep myself going. The reason for my excursions are to bring back funds to my pack. Without the extra gold we some times run out of medicine. And living in The Forsaken Lands, herbs for our medicines are slightly difficult to grow."

[fel]

Hearing him talk about the situation of his pack she felt her cheeks color a bit and she turned her head to face back out into the room as he looked over at her. She hadn't quite realized his situation and felt kinda bad for what she said. It made sense now thinking back to his mention about the artifact he was looking for being of interest to the wizards of the land, for a price.

She had never considered herself to be one of the prim and pampered healer females that strut around the city. But hearing talk she almost felt like it. She had never thought for an instant that life in the city was difficult. It just drove that point home hearing him talk.

Shifting a little bit she reached over to grab the blanket she had folded earlier and let it fall back open before wrapping it around herself. Felicia's athletic build didn't allow her have any fat on her body and muscle wasn't as good of an insulator as fat was. She was fine in cold weather if she was moving, but sitting still on the edge of her bed she was starting to feel the chill. Unfortunately she generally didn't like to wear much clothing either and hated shoes even more so. At least her hair had dried.

"Do you know where it is? That artifact you are looking for." she asked before turning her head once again to look at him. Despite his scared body he had a very handsome face, and even the scars did little to detract from the rest of him. Usually Felicia wasn't a skittish person around anyone but she felt somewhat uneasy as he looked at her, and she couldn't quite place the feeling. "Or do you just plan to wander aimlessly until you find it?"

[rebirth]

Something changed in her scent, was it nervousness? Was he truly that ugly in this horrid skin? He sighed softly, he hated wearing this putrid human pig flesh.

As she wrapped herself in the blanket he began to feel guilty about taking her bed. She had offered it to him so graciously. Her questions were normal for any person and he saw no reason not to answer her.

"The amulet I seek has been rumored to reside in a cave, somewhere in the forested foot hills of the mountains. The cave is rumored to be guarded by a giant two headed mountain lion with twelve tails,"

He smirked at the last part, he had never heard of such a thing before the rumors of this amulet.


"And when there is a possibility for blood to be drawn the pack has a tendency to send me. I'm their best. I'm not the strongest but I'm stronger than most, but I am our fastest. And if I wanted to, I could take the pack for my own. Make myself alpha, but I don't want it. I respect my brother far too much. Besides he's the only one in the Pack that can out wrestle me in our bestial form. He's bigger than I am." He turned his head into the mattress once again embarrassed slightly. He knew she would be able to smell it on him, but seeing his face redden would do nothing for his self confidence.

Now he was never one to boast really, and he wasn't. He saw it as simply stating a fact, he couldn't deny with a clear consciences being the one of the strongest and the fastest because he was.

He felt as though he were failing in his duties as a male right now, laying on a females bed while she sat up shivering. Slowly he pushed himself up, his shoulder throbbed threateningly but he ignored it. He would not let this woman, who so kindly offered him her house be uncomfortable and cold. As he stood the warm cloth slid off his back and as the cold air touched his flesh he winced. He could already feel the arrowhead working its way through his muscle tissue.

He moved to the side of the bed closest to her and began to lay down, "You may have your bed, I'm being rude. My manors truly are suffering tonight."

[fel]

Felicia's eyes narrowed slightly when he sighed. Was she bothering him with her questions. It seemed not though since he answered her without any discretion.

She knew there were plenty of caves in the foothills. Knowing the amulet was in one of them was hardly any help. There were nearly thousands of caves over there. Her eyes widened hearing of the strange beast that guarded it. She had never heard of anything of that sort.

It wasn't surpising to hear him say that he was one of the strongest and fastest in his pack. His size spoke that much on it's own. She smiled slightly listening to him talk about fighting his brother. Felicia had never had any biological siblings but she had grown up in a orphanage with several other kids and they operated exactly like a family would. She often got into scuffles with her brothers but they always won. None of them were faster than her though and she enjoyed nothing more than leaving them far behind in the dust.

His demeanor changed as he stopped talking and she could smell the change of attitude on him. Looking over, curious she noticed he had buried his face in the mattress again. Embarrassment? As he moved she looked up and shifted a bit out of his way. "You may have your bed, I'm being rude. My manors truly are suffering tonight."

She shifted to sit further back on her bed as he lay down on the ground. Her bed now smelled like him. It was a pleasant musky scent and she didn't mind it at all. She tilted her head once more at th closet. "Help yourself to any blankets, please make yourself comfortable." He seemed nice enough but she wasn't about to let him lie in her bed with her.

She thought back to his story "You seem very close to your brother. That must be nice." She didn't regret living in the orphanage, and the pack acted like a family on it's own. Regardless she had always slightly envied those with their own smaller family.

[rebirth]

Ran smiled and nodded, "Thank you, If I grow cold I will,"

His smile faded off towards a nutural expression as she talked about his brother, "I am, I am very close with him. I was always his favorite brother, biggest, fastest, and most cunning. He's tried to raise me to Beta many times during his time as Alpha. I've always refused, we have a Beta, though sometimes I think he grows envious of my brother. We watch him closely, his jealousy could grow to out right hatred if we don't keep it under close guard. He's not the biggest or the strongest in our pack, but he's cold, intelligent and calculating, sometimes I worry about my brother when I'm away. I wouldn't put it past him to attempt to poison him,"

Ran'Cris stretched, He was truly comfortable. Though he would most likely shift into his wolven form before he slept. He couldn't stand sleeping in this gangly body. He looked up at her when he spoke.

"Now don't get me wrong about Kelir'Ken, He's the beta. The only thing he cares about is the pack. It's just sometimes we see him eyeing my brother. They don't agree on how the pack should be run so there are naturally disputes between the pair. Kelir'Ken wants the pack to expand and move into the warmer climates of the Zyabeth forest. But my Brother Tor doesn't think it wise to invade wood elf lands when they havn't harmed us."

Ran yawned and he shifted on the floor wincing as his shoulder pulled the wrong way, he let out a slightly canine like whine and shivered. Maybe he would get one of those blankets. He hadn't really decided as of yet.

Looking up at Felicia he surveyed her carefully, He decided then that he truly was attracted to the she-wolf. Even in her human form he found her attractive, in the curve of her hip the tilt to her eyes and the softness of her full lips. And he couldn't even begin to describe what he thought of her wolven form. The long sleek back, the tight muscle that surrounded her lower back and flanks the way they tightened when she moved. He shivered and had to change the line of thought before he excited himself.

"What about you Felicia? What about your family?"

[fel]

Hearing him talk about his brother she felt a little bitter, and a little sad. She wanted to belong to a family and had always sworn that if she had one, she would take better care of her pups than her parents had her. She wouldn't abandon them and forget them. She wasn't a bitter person about it. She loved the woman who raised her and the other children she grew up with. But they were such a large group who shared a house, instead of a close knit family who made sure to look out for each other.

Her eyes followed his motions as he stretched. The tight cords of his muscles rippling with his movements attracting most of her attention. She made sure to return her eye to his face as he looked back up at her.

She nodded as she listened to him talk of the power struggle. It was common for the Beta to eye the seat of alpha and fights between the two were not unheard of. If the alpha was a close family member though she could understand that he was concerned for his brother.

Hearing him whine she looked over with slight concern but when he seemed to settle himself back down she relaxed. Felicia was a kindhearted person by nature. Regardless she was a little surprised at her actions towards him. He was attractive yes, but she had just met him and she didn't like to think of herself as one to be governed entirely by raw emotions. Although those who had tested her temper would say otherwise. As she tried to think about where the line was between being concerned because she was nice and being concerned for other reasons was she heard him speak.

"What about you Felicia? What about your family?" her eyes looked back over towards him and she sighed. When she spoke her tone held of bit of the bitter outlook she had on her "family".

"Biological? I have no idea who they are. I was found on the steps of the local orphanage, no note, nothing, just me. The woman there is barren so she isn't able to have any pups of her own. She took me in without question and gave me my name. I grew up with the 20 some odd others that lived there until I was able to get out on my own." realized how she must have sounded her voice softened. "No that i didn't enjoy it, with everyone always around there was always something to do, and i like staying busy. I see the pack as my family, although not a very close tight knit one, it's family nonetheless."

She hugged her knees a little tighter to her chest "The woman from the orphanage was a healer by trade and there were always people coming in to see her. She taught the girls as she treated them but I never caught on to it. Spent too much time outside i guess. I stayed around the boys mostly and even though I lost any "fights" we got into I could outrun any of them by a mile. So the woman brought the idea to the alpha that I would make a good scout." with a shrug she relaxed the grip on her legs and shifted so that she was sitting cross-legged, her blanket wrapped around herself.

"He wasn't very willing at first, saying that my size put me at a disadvantage if I were ever attacked." Her face turned sour at the memory. The expression quickly changed though."After he saw i could already outrun any of the scouts he had he changed his mind though. Besides hardly anything ever catches me..." she let the thought drift off, thinking of the one time something did catch her. It had been a bad situation to begin with though and she didn't bother to finish the sentence realizing that she had been rambling.

"I'm sorry, i didn't mean to ramble..." she murmured slightly embarrassed that she had said so much to a perfect stranger. Fearing they were slip back into silence again she thought of something to say.

"You're going to be gone so long from home. Do you have a mate that will miss you?"

[rebirth]

Ran'Cris shook his head and looked up to her, "I'm sorry to hear that, A werewolf's family is irreplaceable, and to me it's the most important thing. We have no orphanages to dump our children off at in the Forsaken Lands. And being part of a pack so small every birth is a massive celebration. But as of the past seven years we haven't had a single pregnancy,"

Part of him wished that he had had a chance to change that, but being he was mate less he hadn't even the option. Besides, he was too close to all the mate less females. And he didn't want to risk weakening the pack with birth defects.

"Do you have a mate that will miss you?"

The question surprised him, she couldn't have possibly known he was thinking about his lack of one. The irony rocked his head on his shoulders.

"No, No, A mate... No," He laughed nervously, she might think something wrong with him. A birth defect or something along those lines.

"Not that I don't want one, All of the sisters in my pack, are exactly like that, They feel like sisters to me. And all of them are cousins of some type. Our pack needs new blood or were libel to die out,"

The thought caused his face to loose its color, the idea of his pack dying out worried him. He thought about it frequently.

"The only problem with living in the Forsaken Lands is that we seldom encounter other werewolves. Few can stand the harsh conditions. My pack has been bred for this, we were originally pushed from the Northern Forest so long ago no one remembers by who. My guess was the forest elves. But there is no evidence and I believe crimes of our grandfathers should not be punished upon their grandsons. Thus, it takes a strong willed female to be absorbed into our pack so we very seldom find that new blood we need."

Ran'Cris yawned, perhaps he needed to place adds about the town, perhaps then some females would be willing to travel back with him. He barked a quiet laugh at that concept.

"What about you? I doubt you have a mate, no male would let his female be within such intimate quarters with another. Unless of course you found your running mate in the form of another female, then I would understand."

Standing slowly so as not to agitate his throbbing shoulder he walked quietly over to the closet to withdraw a thick blanket which folded up and used as bedding. Upon laying down though he put to much pressure on his shoulder and his arm gave out as pain spasmed down the inside of his arm into his finger tips. He collapsed down on his side, He stifled what would have sounded somewhat like a yelp as he met the floor and it came out as a grunt. He didn't want to let her know how badly his shoulder was plaguing him tonight.

[fel]

He seemed a little nervous when she asked about a mate and she almost regretted asking. Feeling a little embarrassed as he laughed a little at his own thoughts she looked down to fiddle with her nails as he continued.

She listened patiently as he talked. It made sense. Lunetta never had any problems mostly because of it's size, and the city attracted plenty of other wolves from neighboring packs. There was never a shortage of new blood.

"What about you? I doubt you have a mate, no male would let his female be within such intimate quarters with another. Unless of course you found your running mate in the form of another female, then I would understand."

As he got up to move to the closet her face wrinkled in confusion. No, not another female. "Erm, no." she said still somewhat confused "Does it look like I live with another. I'm hardly ever in here, thus the lack of...homelyness..." Seeing him collapse to the ground and hearing him try to hide his pain and discomfort she could feel her temper rising. She hated it when people, specially males, tried to hide something from her. Usually because she could see right through him. She was sure he was trying to polite and no worry her with his troubles, but nevertheless it was irritating.

"I guess you could say it's a conflict of interests. Most of the males here would rather me settle down in the city. While a scout isn't a particularly dangerous job, it's not without it's drawbacks. The fact that I would be gone for extended periods of time if need be isn't a very appealing thing. Not to mention they tend to be...rather over protective. I prefer to think i can take care of myself."

And her temper, but she didn't mention that. Most of the females from Lunetta were rather mildly tempered and when compared to someone a little more hard headed and not so willing to back down, the former was much more appealing. Not that the females were push overs, rather they were just a little too content to be taken care of by the larger, stronger and faster males.

Grinning she added. "Plus none of them are all too happy about the fact that I can run circles around them." It was a fact she was mildly proud of.

"If you are looking for a mate, maybe you should come to Lunetta more often. I would think that would be your best bet to find someone to bring new blood. The city attracts members from other packs as well, so there is plenty of diversity."

[rebirth]

He laughed, as he nursed his wounded shoulder. "I guarantee you wouldn't run circles around me,"

He rubbed his shoulder and looked back up at her, "We might have to race sometime if my shoulder feels better tomorrow,"

He eyed the petite wolf sitting on the bed and wondered how fast she really was, he had never been outrun by anyone before. But judging by her sinewy form and her long thing muscles he guessed she could really move. When he ran he was like an avalanche, being so large it took him time to pick up speed. But his powerful legs and torso could propel him faster in the long runs. He couldn't sprint to save his life, He was guessing she could.

"I don't truly understand why a male wouldn't want a female who could perform her pack responsibilities and perform them well," He paused a moment and brushed a stray hair from his arm. "If they had such a problem with you being away from them why don't they just go with you? That's what I would do, Though I'm not sure, you city wolves might be really strict on regulation to keep such a large pack organized. In the Frost Fur, It isn't uncommon to have scouting teams with your mate, a partner should be completely trusted so mates make perfect running mates. Only sentinels like myself tend to run alone on duty, we need to be able to work without emotional attachment most of the time, we're neutral and if a mate is injured in a confrontation we can't really be expected to focus now could we? That's why most Sentinels are mate less and don't want one. I on the other hand am the exception. I want someone to come home to, someone to help warm me through those long cold nights. It gets quite lonely being solitary in the Forsaken lands, the nights are long, sometimes stretching for days. And the days can be just as cruel out on the ice. A partner makes all that much easier, and the other sentinels are stupid for not wanting someone to share their den with,"

Ran laid back, and stared up at the ceiling, "I think love is important. IT isn't just about passing on stronger traits to the next generation. Love is very important to me,"

He looked at her from his position on the floor and noticed she looked tired. He was too so he slid out of his pants and rapidly shifted into his wolven form. He jumped up onto the bed, the large wolf making the mattress sag and he approached her side. He ignored the pain in his shoulder and sat next to her licking her from the base of her neck to her temple avoiding her ear.

[fel]

"I guarantee you wouldn't run circles around me," Felicia just raised an eyebrow at his statement. Maybe in a long distance race he would be faster. However she was more aerodynamic and closer to the ground giving her a definite advantage over his size. If endurance was taken out of the mix she was almost positive she could win.

She didn't really know the politics of the sentinels but what he said made sense. Male wolves tended to be rather over protective and sometimes hotheaded, and if they felt their mate was in trouble she could see it that leading to disaster rather quickly. She could also understand his desire for a mate. While she enjoyed her freedom being lonely, especially out in the harsh environment he was used to must get maddening. Her eyes followed him as he laid down. Remembering him yawning earlier, she wondered if he was getting tired. He had been on such a long journey and here she was keeping him up. She would have said she felt guilty, but she really didn't; she was enjoying talking to him.

"I think love is important. IT isn't just about passing on stronger traits to the next generation. Love is very important to me," After hearing talk about how important it was to find the right blood for his pack, that statement seemed to hold a lot of importance and he sounded very sincere about it. Feeling herself yawn, she moved up her bed and kicked the blankets up with her legs so she could curl up underneath them.

The bed sheets were kinda cold and she shivered just a bit waiting for her body heat to warm them up. Laying on her stomach she wrapped her slender around around the pillow and looked sideways at the male laying on his back. He seemed like a very honorable person, a trait that was very attractive in her eyes."I'm sure you'll find someone." she said with a faint smile.

As he slipped out what little clothing he had to shift she relaxed her grip on the pillow and settled down. As the mattress sagged underneath her she sat up to see the large wolf making his way over towards her. Before she could react he had alright gotten to her side and licked her face. Her temper started to flare at the breach to her personal space, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to get too mad at him. Instead she just laughed and swiftly wiped her face on his coat to clean it off.

"Fine, if you promise to stay in that form, and don't move too much you can sleep up here." she grumbled through her smile. "You wake me up and i'm kicking you off." she added moving to the far side of the bed and wrapping the sheets around her shoulder.

[rebirth]

Ran'Cris could smell her irritation as he licked her. He enjoyed it, as much as he liked her, he did enjoy her scent of irritation. He loved her scent in general. Strangely her scent reminded him of ice and pine, there was a certain point on his patrol route that took him close to the zyabeth forest. And at that point the cold mixed with the scent of pine and the two mingled into a delightfully refreshing scent. He didn't know why she smelled like that, but he enjoyed it.

Ran'Cris tilted his head in a playful manor and let his tongue lol from his mouth. And he curled up at her feet. Her feet wouldn't be cold tonight, that was certain. He was a very, very, warm wolf. Part of the benefits of being bred in a cold environment.

He was very happy that he was here with her, he whined as he got himself comfortable and closed his eyes. He would sleep well tonight. The world seemed to silence itself as he began to drift off. He nearly forgot who's feet he was laying at. He had only just closed his eyes before he was drifting off.