Post by ⋆Ravɛn on Feb 15, 2015 15:44:08 GMT -5
R A M S A Y
Ramsay ran.
His muscles burned like fire beneath his velvety black pelt as he moved, and still he did not stop. He raced across Gröavche as if Hell incarnate pursued him, broad chest rising and falling rapidly as he expertly maneuvered around the swamp. Past a sinkhole here, around a tree with treacherous roots there, over the little hole that was regularly hidden by leaves – he knew his home like the back of his paw. He, as beta, had to. Originally in the months when he’d first began to call Gröavche home, he did not dare entertain the idea of leaving to explore. Not because he couldn’t; he was free now, after all. It wasn’t as if he would be leaving the territory undefended, either. Nirco was larger even than Ramsay, and fierce enough to hold his own. Should he need aid, Ramsay would be mindful to not wander too far – he would be only a call away. No, it was inevitably fear that had held him within the borders for so long. It was a fear of what was on the outside, a general mistrust that itched beneath his pelt, born of lies and deceit.
And now it was fear that drove him out.
There was an uncomfortable itch beneath his pelt as he practically flew across the scent markers, and for a moment the large black brute slowed just slightly, ears flattening against his cranium, golden eyes flashing as brightly as a beacon in the muggy darkness of the bog. Then the memory of her resurfaced, and he was off again, a snarl ripping from his throat as he plunged into Schreien forest. It had been some time since Nirco had returned with a foreign she-wolf and her get in tow. Ramsay had stayed well clear of them despite his position, for he sensed by Nirco’s behavior and emotions that this female was someone very dear to him. For many moons he did not even gaze upon her; he could not have told anyone what she looked like, for he didn’t know. He kept to himself, re-scenting the borders for the busy alpha, hunting when he was alone and depositing his catches outside of the main den when he was certain that no one was around to see him. He would not neglect his duties forever, however, and earlier that morning he had finally decided that it was time to introduce himself. It was his job as beta to make sure he was acquainted with her, and his job as Nirco’s friend to ensure that she was comfortable. And then, as he’d began to step from the winding trees into the open area in the midst of the swamp, he saw her. His blood had run cold.
Malia. The silver-gray pelt, the slender figure…he could not move, could not breathe. It had seemed impossible at the time, like a nightmare he’d relived over and over that had somehow materialized right in front of her. He stumbled back, too horrified to turn but his mouth too dry to speak, and then the she-wolf turned just slightly and he caught a glimpse of her eyes. Not Malia. Where his previous mate’s had been the brightest of emerald, this fae’s were a pale blue, and indeed she was skinnier than Malia had been as well as a few inches taller. And yet still, the damage was done. Ramsay turned and fled, and he did not stop until he was safely beneath the bare, reaching branches of Schreien.
As he drew to a panting halt near the stream, he shook himself, his mind still reeling. He had behaved foolishly, and yet he could not go back, not now. He would return later when he had calmed himself, and he would avoid the new addition as best as he could without insulting Nirco. Even with the small inconsistencies that separated her from Malia, the similarity was still etched into his mind. Iudex, why?
With a huff, Ramsay collapsed by the water, his muscles twitching beneath his pelt as he clawed at the thin ice of the stream. It broke beneath his paws after a moment and he lowered his muzzle to drink, settling back into the coolness of the snow when he had finished. He found that he was exhausted from both his trek and his emotions, so it was here that he would stay for some time.
NOTES: Sorry this took so long! | WORDS: 733 | TAG: LIVIDITY