Hesitations and Leaps (Closed for new wolves)

[Meds]

((I am heading out for a few days but wanted to post this in the mean time!))

Yami;

Yami was getting a drink. Her too-thin form was bent close to the water, lapping it up past her dry lips. Her coat, a burning and fiery orange, caught the summer sun and made it appear to be smouldering, like coals that had gone out. Indeed, her detailing was the colour of ashy smoke—black along her paws, tail and ears. Her coat was not as magnificent nor viberant as her master’s. Her oranges were not as rich, her blacks not as dark.
But there was that uncanny resemblance that she and Nyx shared. Some had even called the little slave Nyx’s shadow, or her mirror. Of course, these comparisons were ridiculous, as Nyx had control over every shadow in the valley and had no need for Yami to be such... but they said it all the same. The resemblance between them had been what first held Yami in Nyx’s memory, an unfortunate and dangerous turn of events for the then-pup, now young-adult.

But at that moment Yami was drinking, alone; and she was trying to enjoy it. Her moments without Nyx’s dead gaze upon her were few and far between. Yami was sure that the shadow-demon was nearby somewhere... but as of yet, she hadn’t made herself known. So Yami was doing her best to pretend like she was never coming back. She was trying to imagine that she would never face those dark eyes again; never feel the uncanny sensation that Nyx’s shadows had become palpable as her power had grown...
Yami shivered. Now was not the moment to think of such things.

She glanced around, her dull-black eyes scanning the little pool she stood beside. Well, there was nobody around. Did she dare? Her gaze fell to the water’s surface, glistening welcomingly in the sun. She’d never tried swimming before—and it didn’t look perilously deep.
After a few more seconds of deliberation, the slightly-emaciated young female bent and sprang into the water. It was refreshing, and thankfully her hind legs could touch if she straightened her body. She grinned to herself, giving a very rare yip. If Yami didn’t know any better, she might even say that she was having fun.

[tovaana]

Keahi;

There was fire in the sky, and Keahi was enjoying the heat immensely.

It was also the longest he had not been with his brother, and it was slightly disconcerting. Of course, Keahi would never say so, or show it in his countenance, but the thought was like a persistent fly on a summer day – much like today. He pointed his ashen nose to the sky, his tongue flopping out of his mouth as he panted and swallowed the air with his sandpaper dry throat.

His firey gaze blinked at the blinding light and then lowered his gaze, in search of a source of liquid to cool his throat. As much as he loved the heat and his flame like markings almost moved like real flames in the slight breeze– he was not invulnerable to the heat. He almost liked the scratch in his throat, but he knew if he got dehydrated that it would mean weakness.

It wasn’t long before he found the basin and the movement within. There had even been a sound that had carried to him as he approached. He shook his coat out and let a grin grow on his maw.

“Why, hello there.”

His voice carried to the female with a smooth purr like tone. It was hard to tell anything about her as she was in the water, but he caught glimpses of dark ash and orange muddled together. Keahi needed a distraction and he thought that a swim may just do the trick, but he kept at bay for the moment, as to not startle the female unnecessarily.

[Meds]

Yami;

The thin young female continued to splash around, purposefully unaware of her surroundings beyond herself. Her play wasn't exactly care-free, or perhaps it just wasn't practiced—but it looked like she was trying. She was attempting to do what she imagined a wolf would do when having fun. Yami wasn't very familiar with fun.
It wasn't until a voice broke through the splashing of the water that she was pulled back to reality. Back to this life that she lead, thanks to some cruel fate. She spun quickly, for the voice had come from behind her, then froze. In her line of sight was now a male. His markings were of fire, up his legs and across his tail and head, as if he was burning. Yami's own detailing was of ash and smoke—she had already been burned.

Where the male's coat was more basic, Yami's was the smoldering colour of hot embers. Where the male's coat lashed with fire-like tendrils, Yami's own was the colour of ash. A polar opposite, in fact.
Her black eyes widened. Yami had not met many males, before—and never alone. She felt her instincts telling her to flee. To hurry back to Nyx and escape a painful punishment... but then again, her paws stayed still in the water. Nyx was nowhere nearby, and the sun was directly overhead, which meant there were no shadows about.

Who said she had to turn tail and run, if her master was no where to be seen?
"Hello." She forced the word out in reply, as if speaking out-loud was the final decider in whether she would stay or go. It sounded forced too, rather than casual, as if she wasn't used to speaking—she wasn't, she rarely did, but that didn't mean she wasn't about to try. "You're handsome." She spoke bluntly, completely unaware of normal societal cues or norms, having never learnt them, or really even had anybody to practice on.

But he was handsome.
When Nyx and Yami interacted with other wolves, Yami's eyes were always on the heels of her master. But the young adult was her own wolf in that moment, and she could look all she wanted. And look she did. When the easy summer breeze hit the stranger's fur it seemed almost to be on fire. Fire was light—and light was a killer of shadows.

[tovaana]

Keahi;

An orange muzzle turned (almost robotically) toward him. He tilted his pale ashen face, turning slightly so the eye that was engulfed in licks of flame markings was facing the smaller wolf (most wolves were almost always an inch or two shorter he had noticed). Keahi was not broad, but he was tall – he had never wished for a bulkier frame, but he wondered if it was why he and his brother had been picked on when they were younger. ‘they were only jealous.’ He had concluded, looking at himself one day in a reflection from the lake. So, from then on he had truly embraced his looks and used them to his better, any ridiculous comments getting burned by his fiery gaze before they were able to touch him.

When the female complimented his appearance, Keahi grinned and lifted his head a little, as there was blinding pride in his stance and gait. However, also being quick to pick up on tones and nuances, also heard the ‘blankness’ in the compliment. It did not hold lust, nor jealousness – it was almost just an observation. Interesting.

“Yes…” He agreed, his long legs taking him closer to the water’s edge. He was still smiling as he approached, and now that he was closer and the sun wasn’t reflecting as much off her wet coat, he could see more of the oranges and grays that speckled her coat from her body up – the rest of her still submerged and hidden by the sun reflecting water.

“And you… you remind me of someone.” He said it almost as soon as the thought bubbled from memories of first encountering wolves with powers. While his small pack had been in the valley, they had ignored the pull from the mountain and all that it promised. Or… didn’t promise, as he and Makani’s visit to Geist had proved. Nyx, there was some resemblance of that wolf who had gushed about Geist – but he simply catalogued the thought away, the burning in his throat reminding him of his mortality.

Without asking permission, Keahi entered the water only a few feet from this wolf. “All alone, are we?” He asked, and without taking his gaze from her, took a few laps of the water, enjoying the coolness that trickled down his gullet and surrounded his legs.

[Meds]

Yami;

Any other female with half a brain would have surely struggled not to be struck dumb by the strange male’s swaggering confidence. The way he held Yami in his fire-like gaze and moved steadily closer should have been enough to give any female the giggles. The way he agreed with her assessment of him without hesitation, spoken with a calm and assured smile, by all rights, should have made her melt at his burning paws.
But Yami was by no means ordinary. Things that should have been, with her, were not.

And so it was that as he moved forward like the cocky, handsome, self-assured male that he was, Yami did not smile. She did not giggle or duck her head to look up st him through half-lidded eyes. She watched. She watched and she learned. Males were different than anything she knew—and so she did feel some sort of tightness in her chest when he approached her, all eyes and shoulders and male bravado, but she had nothing to attribute that feeling to. Nothing in her life to compare.
So she watched.

”No, I’m not like anyone.” She spoke just above a whisper, as his sudden closeness put her on guard—but she did not move. Her life-learning so far did not include self-preservation. When uncomfortable, most wolves would step back. But this wasn’t a reaction for Yami. But she wanted to impress on him that she couldn’t remind him of anyone all the same. The similarities she and Nyx shared were of great irritation to her master. ”I am only Yami.” Perhaps her sentence structure was slightly juvenile for her age, but for a wolf who was only allowed to speak “yes” and “no”, she did alright.
When the male moved even closer, through the water, Yami moved for the first time since seeing him. She merely angled her chin upwards so she could continue peering into his firey gaze with her own ashy-gray and empty one. He came so close that she could feel his breath on her nose. Smell it. She inhaled quietly, but obviously, smelling his voice as he spoke one more sentence.

”Alone?”... Nyx had not shown her face. Yami felt that she was there, but that was unreliable, as Yami always felt that she was there. ”Yes.” This time, her voice was but a breathy whisper.

Yami was acutely terrified. He was close now—and closeness meant pain. But she was not the type of wolf (anymore) who would shiver or cry in the face of fear. Yami’s existance was fear—so a frightened Yami was really no different. To the untrained eye, she might have seemed excited by this confident, dangerous stranger. Interested. Even intriguing to all outside parties.
But inside she was still just a pup cowering from the shadows.

[tovaana]

Keahi;

“No?”

He asked, his head moving a fraction in a tilt, eyes narrowing slightly. Keahi would have been blind if he hadn’t noticed how Yami was acting. She had not started at his appearance, she had not moved away; she had not even flinched at his sudden closeness.

When she said she was ‘only’ Yami, he let out a “Huh” in a curious tone. He was watching her eyes while keeping track of her movement in his peripheral vision. Even if the females did not melt before his eyes, he had never encountered a stone wall like this before. The challenge that this young wolf presented brought a new spark and dangerous glint in his eyes. Keahi was not inherently a killer; his darkness ran seemingly on the surface and rode in his passions.

She had looked up at him though, but her eyes were seemingly as empty as her voice. When she answered him, he scanned her for any sign in her for anything different than before. Yami seemed like a doe caught in the headlights, but from her previous reaction to him, he wasn’t sure if it was because of his looks, or of his closeness, or if it had anything to do with him in the way he wanted. More, he wanted more, whatever it was, he wanted more.

“Good.” He said, his smile never wavered, but it did grow and wane at appropriate moments. Now it grew a little and he was forgetting the need his body had for water. In the back of his mind he wondered that she had not looked around when he asked if they were alone. A normal wolf would have to see if there was someone else, as this valley was teeming with wolves – but she had simply paused. Every moment he felt more intrigued by the strange little wolf.

“Now, Yami, tell me. What makes you tick?”

He had leaned forward a little as he asked – which would have forced her to arch her neck backward a little more if she wanted to keep eye contact. But then he suddenly took a step to her side in the water. Slowly he glided around her, looking down at her – until the ripples in the water brought him side by side (a few inches a part so he could look into her face comfortably) the ashen orange creature. Keahi looked expectantly down at the female, eyes were never as sharp as his brother’s eyes, but they could burn. Now though, his expression was painted with his ever-smile, soft and imploring. All of it, he wanted it all.

[Meds]

Yami;

As an expert in reading the reactions and expressions of those around her (learned through necessary survival-habits), Yami noticed instantly when Keahi's eyes narrowed a hair's breadth. The slight tilt in his head was toward her though, not away, which was a far better option. Away often signaled a feeling of hostility or frustration, neither of which had proved well for Yami in the past. But a head-tilt towards was a completely different movement. It could mean many things, most of which Yami was unfamiliar, since Nyx stayed as far from her as possible.
And yet even as she watched him, taking note of his every move and what it could mean, he was doing exactly the same thing to her. She was well-used to the feeling of being watched.

When he expressed happiness that they were alone, the normal warning bells that should have gone off in a young wolf's mind stayed silent. Yami had no such training or instinct.
"Good?" She finally relaxed her legs slightly, allowing a slight bend in her legs which had been straight and frozen until that moment. "Why is it good?" Her voice was quiet, young, hesitant. She was quite out of the practice of using it, after all, but she was finding that her tongue was loosening with each syllable. "Is being alone better?"

The male leaned into her then, causing her to crane her neck to see him; which she did. He came inches from her, and for a half-moment she was terrified that they may touch. A touch, however gentle, was just the first step towards a bite, a slash, or worse... But her fear stilled as he then moved, as fluid as the flames that would have crawled up his legs had his fur been real, around her. He slipped to the side as if made of water, never letting her out of his eye sight. Normally, she would have frozen all over again if somebody moved around her like that, because surely they were preparing an attack, but she had a feeling that he wanted to speak to her more than kill her; at least, in this moment.
As he circled her, she was hit again with his scent in the close quarters. It was spicy and woody, as if the driest of Summer's pines had been melted down and poured into his skin. It was intoxicating, but dangerous. Yami knew better.

When he asked his next question and said her name, she flinched, but barely. Ever since she had met the shadow demon, her name had been a gateway to punishments, demands, and pain. Nyx would speak it and Yami would obey. Her name had a power over her unlike it would have in other creatures. But he didn't speak it in a way that made it sound like an order or a demand was to follow; no, it sounded only like a request for her voice.

"Fear," She then murmured in answer, turning her head and even angling her body towards him now. He was so close that she had to take a slight shift backwards to avoid going cross-eyed. She was still half-floating on her hind legs, but there was a less military-feel to her stance, then.
And as for her answer, Yami was not the sort of wolf to make up stories or lies to make herself sound good. If she was answering at all, it was most likely going to be valid. The only issue with Yami was she was untrained in conversation. She would say something full of connotation like that, but not know to expand further. "You know my name is Yami. What is your name, torrid stranger?" As far as vocabularies went, Yami's was advanced for a young wolf with poor sentence-structuring skills; after all, she had grown up around wolves much older than her, and as such had learned things atypical for one her age. It was one of the ingredients in the confusing and somewhat unsettling concoction that was Yami. The way she often spoke would lead strangers to believe she was quite young; but the words she said would lead them to believe the opposite.
Her grey-black eyes traced the lines of his fire-marked body that stood above the water's surface.

[tovaana]

Keahi;

Her voice, though it seemed stiff like a dried out reed, betrayed her innocence. Keahi was gobbling it up, humming to concur that being alone was good. Very good. Especially when it was a little lady all by her lonesome, it made it all more enjoyable. If anyone intruded upon them now, they would call his bluff, and he would spend the rest of the encounter splitting his attention. Lucky for Yami, or it was surely fate in Keahi’s mind, she was getting all of his attention.

There was the slightest flinch when he asked the question, and it seemed to have been when he had said her name. When she said ‘fear’ his burning curiosity raged into a fire momentarily, but she did not expand on anything but the vast word. Keahi felt a flash of anger, but it did not surface to his face, but burned momentarily in his chest. He liked getting things instantaneously, but she moved on, asking his name as if it were important. His smile widened when she used the word ‘torrid’. What an odd duckling. His odd duckling. He found himself claiming her as his own, trying to understand the youth and trying to tip her into his clutches.

“Yes, it is very good to be alone. There is no one to interrupt us.” He almost purred the words. And suddenly he had a vision from when he visited Geist, the way she had purred his name and the way she had looked at him. He had been so engrossed in fear and pride; he had stupidly missed his moment. It had not been just pain that she had wanted to inflict upon him… Being prideful as he was, he was not surprised by this reaction to him, except that it was the goddess Geist herself…it surely had to be different.

His attention shifted delicately to Yami and her youthful gaze that peered up at him. Keahi was enjoying very much being so close to her, thinking how easy it would be to take her then. But – that was not how Keahi worked. He first worked at the heart until the ladies begged for him, and he found this strategy much more satisfying. This little wolf didn’t seem to be half affected by his closeness, not in a normal way anyways. That did not deter him, but instead fueled his compulsion to take all for his own.

“M’name’s Keahi, dear.” He paused, looking into her innocence through her dark eyes. There had to be more feeling in there besides fear. Why did she say she functioned by fear? He definitely did not want her to fear him, but to love him (in the most casual, yet deep definition of the word; perhaps obsession would be a better term.) “But, names are trivial matters. I want to know what you’re afraid of. Not me, surely.” He had noticed she was more fluid in the water, not resisting the gentle pull and push of the soft waves they were creating. He did not think she was afraid of him – or maybe her life was so engulfed in fear, she felt there was no use in running from it. He tried to silence his thoughts as they tried to come up with solutions, so he could listen to her and gather more of her into himself.

[Meds]

Yami;

The hungry look was back in the male’s eyes. Yami has seen it before, but she wasn’t sure where. Of course, she had been looked at under scrutiny before, with animosity, but this... no, she couldn’t place this. After she answered him about what made her “tick”, though his face remained cool, calm, handsome... the air tightened slightly. In such close quarters, Yami suddenly felt ashamed for what she had answered. Had it not been right? Had it made him angry?
She had nothing to go on, since her biggest reference was Nyx. The only emotion Nyx ever showed was either anger or a deep uncaring. And if she was ever angry enough to actually show it, it was very dangerous indeed. So in this case, even Yami, as experienced as she was with reading others, had no idea what to make of him.

Then he spoke, and two things happened simultaneously. The first was that Yami suddenly yearned to ask just what they could be inturupted at. A conversation was nothing personal (in her own experience, not even thoughts were personal)—so what could they be doing? The second, was that his tone of voice had reminded Yami where she had seen the hungry look before. Fenrir had looked at Nyx that way just before they disappeared. He had even looked at Yami herself the same way just before attacking her.
And now this male was looking at her in the same way.
Yami has long-since learned what Fenrir and Nyx had done that day. So why was this—this Keahi looking at her the same? Surely... surely not.
”Keahi...” She so rarely spoke others’ names. As in-tune as she was when her own name was spoken, it was somewhat of a thrill to speak somebody else’s. Nyx’s name was strictly off-limits. Yami uttered it once, and the consequences had been dreadful. But there were no rules now, and Keahi’s name was completely fair game. ”Keahi...”

As she was pondering, allowing herself to feel a very rare moment of curiosity, he then asked her what she was afraid of, and made sure it wasn’t him. Yami inhaled slowly, almost shakily, then took a half-step backwards. His closeness threatened to confuse her.
”Yes,” She said, confirming in her haunted way that she was indeed frightened of him. Not perhaps in the way he would think, though. She was frightened because of the way her tongue seemed so loose around him. She was frightened by how unpredictable he was. Yami’s world fit into a a shadowed puzzle well-enough. And then here was this male who she hadn’t run away from. ”And no.” She looked down and away then, grasping at how to next answer. She could start listing what she was frightened of but that would take a very long time. How to sum it up... then she had an idea. When was her master the strongest? Of course Nyx has no big limitations anymore, but there was specific times of day when she was all but godly.

”And the sun.” She couldn’t swim, so she waded on her hind legs to where the water was shallower and lowered back down to all fours. Being able to run, especially when naming what frightened her to somebody very interested, was not a bad thing. She didn’t shy away though—no, she wasn’t running yet. She just wanted the option. ”And the night.” Ah, the safest way to name her master without actually uttering it.

[tovaana]

Keahi;

He had heard his name spoken many times before. He had heard it used in anger or annoyance from his brother, in casual acquaintances, with sighs from the females – or the way Geist had said it. He shivered as he replayed her voice in his head; stark contrast to the way Yami was saying his name. Though, he was not against the way Yami was speaking it, it was the closest to emotion besides fear or a brick wall of nothingness that he had gotten from her.

The little female then affirmed that she did fear him, but didn’t. She looked away suddenly then and it gave him another moment to feel another flare of frustration that he buried quickly with a wave of patience. The patience was more of excitement in the challenge; he just needed to remind himself that he needed to shift gears. This Yami creature was not a normal young wolf, it was almost as if she’d been put into a box and kept away from the sun. The game he was playing was not a game of merely trapping, but wooing into false sense of security. In Keahi’s mind, this was not a short game.

As he did not understand how she was both afraid and not afraid of him, also of the sun and night. Not the day and the moon thought, the sun and the night.

“You’re speaking in riddles, Yami.” Since she had said his name, he spoke hers, feeling how easily it would be to slip from saying Yami to ‘yummy’. He made sure his baritone smooth voice held a tone of humor in it, kindness, and desire.

He noticed her move, and he shifted smoothly, twisting his body so he was facing her once more, but leaving her a little space. Dipping his muzzle into the cool water he flipped it up and toward her – sending a splash and some ripples toward her, a playful gesture. Keahi never stopped smiling, watching her with a growing curiosity. He decided that it would be easier to show her that he was harmless than tell her. He also decided that he would need to work on the way he asked her questions, because she certainly was forthcoming with answers…just not very clear answers.

“So, you’re not afraid of the day, or the moon?” He asked, confronting her last riddle. While he wondered why she was and was not afraid of him, he could think of how he made some feel at ease, but strangers or the unknown was frightening. Whether or not this was why, he was more puzzled by her last comments, so short and curt. He wondered how pliable this youth was, could he change her? She was no pup, but she was young. She did not seem innocent, but there was a flavor of naivety that Keahi was enjoying almost as much as the heat pressing in on his back. ‘Mine, all mine.’

[Meds]

Yami;

Something about her saying his name out loud made him shiver. Could it be? Yami told herself that no, no, he must have been thinking of a time when some other female had said it. Surely she couldn’t have made a male feel that way. Her ashy eyes were locked on his light-grey and fiery form in the small silence that followed. Next, he told her that she was speaking in riddles. He must not have been happy with her answers. Ears tucked and her tail dipped lower in the water as it tried to find her legs to hide. To disappoint was to fail. To fail was to toy with death. But even as she shifted through the shallower water in shame and fear of the discipline forthcoming, he moved in front of her once more and caught her in his silky gaze. Yami paused.
No punishment?
No punishment for disappointing him?

Her heart lifted slightly with the realization; however, he might enjoy riddles and not have been upset at all. Yami’s guard wasn’t down yet. Hopefully, if she was very good and did just as he liked, there would be no more punishments at all. The pain left from Fenrir still felt fresh on chilly days or early morning. Yami has no intention of doing that again.
”I am sorry,” She murmured, watching him drink at her feet. He splashed some water towards her, but she merely watched him still. As foreign as playing while alone was for Yami, playing with somebody else was like another planet. It didn’t even register.
His eyes, the way he was looking at her as he watched her... they made her stomach both feel empty and twist with unrealized thoughts and feelings. Who was this male, and just what did he want? He asked her to clarify her fears though, and when he did it was almost funny.

Yami’s eyes crinkled slightly and her mouth opened in a half-smile—the expression most wolves would have when laughing. But no sound came from her throat. Her head tipped back slightly, then she righted it and stared at him once more, as if it had been the most normal thing in the world.
”The moon can make shadows, you’re right,” She hadn’t thought of that. ”But not so many as the sun.” She was continuing an unexplained side of the conversation, but it seemed normal-enough to her. She was trying to please him by answering his questions as best as she knew how. ”And no, I do not fear the day.” But the day is what made shadows. Of course, Nyx could find shadows at night now too... but daytime had the biggest shadows. Yami was frightened of it too, frankly—but had referenced the night in placf of Nyx. But if she was to please Keahi, then she was to answer what he wanted. She had to clarify.
”The night—the demon of the night. Master of the outlines and sillouhettes of all things. She is who I fear.”

[tovaana]

Keahi;

She shrunk before his eyes, like a young pup preparing to be punished for something. This told him that whatever she had been preparing for him to do had been done to her before. Frequently. So, this little female was broken. Perhaps a normal evil wolf would think it boring, playing with toys that had already been broken. Keahi knew things that were broken could be mended, and broken again, and mended – and broken… again. Besides, whoever had broken her, would not be very happy with him if he brought this little puppet to a life of her own.

He did not respond to her when she apologized, thinking how silly it was that wolves apologized so often. Then Yami opened her mouth as if to laugh, which he realized his anticipation was disappointed when the expression faded. His smile faded slightly as he put on a thoughtful expression as she answered him very literally, but at the same time there seemed to be puzzle pieces missing. Keahi then chuckled softly as she voiced her thoughts. Cute. But his humor was cut short by Yami’s last words.

Now his smile faded.

He would never forget his first impression of Nyx, and while it was not certain that Yami was talking about Nyx, but he also wasn’t sure how many wolves in the valley could play with shadows. Both he and his brother had been denied a power right off the bat, so how many wolves actually had powers, and how many of those had shadow bending? The way she spoke though did not reflect the shadow bender her had met – it made it sound like whoever it was even more advanced. Demon. Master. It almost sounded she was speaking how Nyx had spoken about Geist, but Nyx had done a lot more drooling, while Yami spoke with a hollow voice.

“First off, please don't apologize to me for anything.” His voice murmured. Firey eyes twinkled in the sunlight, like sparks from a fire. Whether or not it had been Nyx she was talking about, he knew and assumed enough, he didn’t want her to dwell on it.

“Now that I know what you fear, what do you love?” While he watched her, he dipped his nose once more again into the cool water and flung water toward her once more. He had assumed she had been frolicking in the water earlier, but now that he assessed the situation…Perhaps she had been hunting?

ooc// sorry this took so long, i had to decide how he was going to react xD

[Meds]

((No, it's all good! I'm trying to figure out how to Rp / speak about Nyx in a way that makes it easier to reply, so I'm glad you worked it out xD))

Yami;

Yami's eyes widened ever so slightly, the biggest reaction she was familiar with giving, when Keahi spoke next. It wasn't that he had told her not to apologize to him that surprised her, even though her life centered around making mistakes, being punished, apologizing, and repeating once more.
No.
What surprised her was that he said please.

Yami had heard the word enough times. She had even used it in another life—she had used it when begging Sigyn to kill her, to help her, to save her. But no help came of the word, not for Yami. It was just breath combined with a forcing of her vocal chords. Just another word. What was it to her? It had never been spoken to her, not by Nyx anyway... and what would she use it for, anymore? There was nothing in her life that she could (or would) request.

Please.

The young female swallowed hard, and took another half-step backwards as she tried to work out how she felt about it. She was now more out of the water than in it, and her orange fur seemed even more muted now that it was damp and half-drying. As she moved however, the sun caught Keahi's eyes and made them burn, causing her to forget all about the silly little word he had uttered. Yami felt the heat of those eyes into her very core. She had been likened to dirty ash more than once—even forced to roll in it in parts of the forest that had been burned an age ago—but never had she felt like it. Ash in itself was not a pleasant thing, nor one to be proud of. But in that moment, feeling the heat from Keahi's eyes, Yami remembered that once, she too, had burned strong.
Bolstered by the idea, Yami suddenly felt more confident in answering his questions. Normally the topic of Nyx was enough to make her want to close her eyes and shut everything out. But this time... something about the environment... perhaps something about the current company... Something was different that day.
But then he asked a question that made her falter. Oh, and she had been so ready to speak, too.
... Love?

Still wanting to please him and keep hold of the slight confidence she had felt moments ago though, Yami answered quickly.
"Love?" She swallowed again, her head flicking down mechanically to watch the handsome male flick water towards her paws with his nose. Her mind was blank. Yami didn't have any experiences to relate to the word. She couldn't even make up a halfway decent lie. She had never known her parents—and the only acquaintances she had ever had were the brutal younglings in her pack. And after that, all there was, was Nyx. "Love..." Oh, she had to answer. She wouldn't apologize again, not after she had been told not to—that much was sure. But what could she say to keep him in a good mood?
She had heard of love. Imagined it. Spent days and weeks and months picturing it within her head, what it could be, what it might mean... But she had never had it. Never truly felt it. What would it be like? How would she know?
Did she love Keahi? No, that couldn't be right...

Her ashy eyes found his once more, but she didn't try to answer again. Anything she said now would only be wrong, she knew. There was only one chance at keeping him in a good and safe mood, and that was to distract him. Now Yami had always been told that she wasn't very smart, but she had to try.
"What do you fear?" Her voice was a breathy whisper, betraying her worry at being unable to answer. "What do you love?" Quieter still.

[tovaana]

you that burned...

Keahi;

He noticed her slow ascent out of the water, slowly leaving the cool wake that was lapping gently at his chest. She had widened her eyes at his request, and he assumed that she had never had had the courtesy of /not/ apologizing. She had done it so often, it had become engrained into her. Be meek. Be mild. Be nothing. A slave. He had heard of a pack that enslaved wolves, he vaguely wondered if this wolf belonged to them, and if so, why was she here? She did seem to be a lost soul with no hope in her somewhat lifeless gaze (yet, it seemed to be where the only source of her emotions manifested as well). Maybe they trusted her not to run, to always return…they did not expect a Keahi to cross her path.

Quickly, Keahi dipped under the water, his fur becoming slick and sticking to his already slimming figure. Not bony, just almost feminine. He and his brother had inherited a cross between their mother’s build with compact muscles from their father. His brother had sharper angles than he; Keahi’s just angled enough to hold a masculine strength in his neck and face.

He saw that she was faltering with his current question. Ah, yes, love would be too deep for a slave. Yami had already betrayed her confusion with repeating the word and the inability of conjuring an answer, so she instead flipped the questions back on him. Ah, finally. Keahi’s long legs started to move him forward toward Yami as she was retreating.

“I fear nothing.” His intense gaze not leaving her ruffled frame. Of course, this was a lie, Keahi feared much. It was his façade of not fearing anything in the face of danger or any other risks that he gained his strength. Weakness, he feared weakness.

He was closer now, he had moved himself close enough so that if he stretched his muzzle out he could touch her – but having a long neck, it was hopefully far enough to keep her false security.

“Love…” He rumbled the word thoughtfully. He was a dark wolf, so one would assume darkness and skeletons, death and all those gruesome things. While he could find beauty in them, as one of the things he loved was revenge – he preferred true beauty. A sunrise. Sunset. He loved beauty. He loved owning beauty. While Yami was not strikingly beautiful, she was young and innocent. Her youth and innocence, and even her physical potential were enough for Keahi to desire her.

“I love beauty… The sun…” He glanced up at the blazing sun that had had wisps of teasing clouds in a large circumference around it. His gaze fell back to hers, “the heat.” His ever-smile widened a little. While Keahi's fur blazed with flames, her coat made him think of the coals that contained heat. Keahi shook out his fur so his fur would not cling so tightly to him, allowing his coat to breath and not suffocate in the heat. As much as he loved it, all the more he respected it.

"Was there anything else you wanted to know, Yami?" He asked in a low but kind tone, knowing to well that if she was a slave, that he opinion was probably never sought out.

...it’s time to rise from the ashes

[Meds]

((I forgot where/if ever I placed the Slave mark on Yami, so I made up a spot x) ))

Yami;

"I fear nothing."

Yami blinked stupidly, barely even able to comprehend what he was saying. Surely he was lying—surely. Yami feared most things, for most things could make shadows... and yet here was Keahi—afraid of nothing? Yami's chest inflated slightly as she imagined the possibility and implications of such a thing.
"To have no fear would be to have no weakness," She murmured, lost in his eyes. The words she whispered were powerful, passionate, strong; and yet, as she said them, her voice still held that mechanical-ring. It was as if her mind was there, or mostly there, anyway—but her body didn't quite know how to catch up. She could think all of these things on her own, form the sentences, say the words... but something was missing.

Then Keahi moved onto love, and Yami stepped forward without thinking. She hadn't noticed just how close he had come after her latest retreat, but suddenly as he uttered that word, she wanted to be closer. She wanted to ensure she wouldn't miss anything. Her eyes were wide, and she could almost meet his own gaze. He was a tall male, slender, long, it was true—but Yami was not quite so young as her behavior may lead others to believe, and she was not a short female. Had she been a little more filled out and muscular, she would have been quite striking indeed; but as it was, she was just slightly too-thin. A neck that would be graceful and soft was instead rather gawky. Shoulders that would be lithe, trim, supple—harsh.
But Yami knew no better.
So in moving closer to him, so close that her nose could have rested easily against the crease of his neck with little movement on her part, she didn't think anything of it beyond the slight thrill of being close to anybody in the first place. There was still fear there, but there was also a raw rebellion beginning to fire up in the pit of her stomach.
It would be quite different, had it been a pup moving closer to an adult—but there was something decidedly more intimate about a young female moving into such closeness with a striking male; however, Yami either didn't know of such things, or didn't fully notice. Her head was tilted just slightly skyward toward him, her eyes large and focused, hungry for information of love.
In such close quarters, the scarring around Yami's neck from the thorned leash she had been forced to wear as a pup was more visible—but she had all but forgotten about those markings. As well, on the back of her neck was another scar, but this one she had never seen. It was a jagged, uneven, curved 'X'. It marked her as a slave of Midnight Silence. But she hadn't thought to hide it, because she hadn't realized that such closeness may render Keahi able to see it.

Keahi then spoke of the sun in a way that Yami had never heard before. It didn't make her feel fear; if anything, it made her feel longing. That, she had never expected. The heat from the sun on her back had always been a reminder that below her was a shadow. But he spoke of it in new ways. Then gently, slowly—slow enough that it didn't frighten her—he asked her what she wanted to speak of. What she thought. If she desired information about him.

Yami inhaled slowly, filling her nose and lungs, then brought her head down slightly to gaze at the underside of Keahi's jaw and chin. She only then realized just how close she had come to him, but got distracted by the possibilities of conversation—she could ask him anything. Anything she wanted to know, he had said that. She had a question in mind, and though she wouldn't admit it, it tied in to her confusions about love.

"You're a handsome wolf," She said hesitantly, backing up just a half-step to be able to better look at him. There was no smile, but if Keahi listened very closely, there might have been a note of breathiness in that monotone voice of hers. "So you've had your share of females. What is it like?" Her head tilted slightly, unaware of what she was really asking. Yami had never learned the difference between appropriate and inappropriate questions. The only adult she interacted with was Nyx, and Nyx was deeply sick on a good day.