wolf in sheep's clothing (open)

[tovaana]

It was hot out, and the red & white wolf tried to stay to the shade of the trees as much as she could. It wasn’t hard, as the trees were full of their leaves and tucked together in groups. Still, whenever the sun peaked through boughs she avoided her gaze and directed her path towards the shadows. It was not that she did not like the sun, but she had just spent hours drying herself after bathing in a river to rid herself of the dust and other aftermath from the fiasco in the barrens. It was nice to be alone, but she was not here to be alone.

Not only had she bathed, but she had dried herself properly, found some flowers to roll in – and had otherwise groomed herself. She was never a dirty or ugly wolf by any means, but this was a special trip to the forest. Sigyn was a deceptive wolf, and she was there under false pretenses, but she didn’t want any other wolf to know that, especially the first unsuspecting male that fell for her… hopefully. She paused a moment to relax, letting any tension roll off of her and sat near a tree. Her silky red fur (shorter for the summer) lifted whenever the breeze swept by and made her quite the scene, almost beautiful. Only if you knew who she really was on the inside from previous encounters would one know her real intentions there in the ridiculously pink forest.

She tried to see the beauty in a place with so much of one color, but she couldn’t – so she resorted to letting her pale green eyes graze her surroundings, seeing if there were any prey, or that was, males close by, when there wasn't any close at that moment she glanced down and noticed a larger stone. It was almost as big as an adolescent's cranium, and by far the largest stone she had ever tried her ability on. Sigyn was momentarily distracted by the challenge and quickly reached for her power and directed it into it, trying to caress it into movement. It rocked a few times, and she struggled against its weight, but eventually it lifted awkwardly. It wobbled as it rose chest high, and she shuddered from the effort and the stone fell with a dull thud at a different angle than it had been resting before. She smiled a little, while it hadn't lasted long, she was getting stronger. Perhaps strong enough to make a difference one day in a fight.

[koolpup]

((I feel bad, Alioth doesn't need any more betrayal but hey, I don't feel bad enough lol))

The pink leafed trees seem to glow from the shafts of sunlight that sneak through their many intertwining branches. It's a beautiful sight, making the floor of the forest seem like some sort of magical passage to another realm entirely. Though, maybe the wolf trotting through these woods is being all too poetic, as per usual. Alioth is looking around, admiring the way pink and yellow light dances on the ground and tree trunks when the trees sway ever so slightly. He barely notices the heat of the day, too enraptured by his exploration of the woods. He has come to find someone, anyone really. He's been alone for what he views as far too long. A pang of sadness claws at his chest whenever he thinks about his sister, Celestiel. She left him, too caught up in trying to convince herself that she is evil to see the good that he sees. Nothing that happened to their old pack had been her fault, but she doesn't accept that truth. Alioth feels his ears and tail drooping, so he decides to push the thoughts of his sister aside.

He believes that if he finds someone else, then maybe his mind won't always be on his sister, or his pack. The Forest of Love probably should not have been his first choice, seeing as all the wolves here are looking for partners and he's only looking for a friend. Though, he can't say that he hasn't toyed with the idea of finding someone who may become something more than a friend. He just doesn't believe that he'll find anyone like that. He honestly expects most wolves to run from him before they can actually get to know him, given his intimidating stature; it's happened a few times before.

Suddenly, he catches the scent of another, a female. He gives an excited smile and begins to trot in her direction. When he finally comes across her, he is taken aback. A red and white she-wolf sits under one of the many trees. She is very pretty to him and now that he is close enough, he realizes that she smells of flowers. Her gaze is locked on a stone that she is currently lifting into the air. He notes that she must have telekinesis, therefor, she visited the White Wolves. Something Alioth never plans to do, though it still is interesting to him. He waits for her to drop the stone, then he steps forward.

"Pardon my intrusion." He smiles politely, his purple-ringed, light blue eyes warm and friendly. He is trying his hardest to look as unintimidating as possible. "I'm Alioth, may I ask your name?" He tilts his head slightly and sits, his deep blue coat ruffling in the breeze.

[tovaana]

Sigyn;

She had been preoccupied with her project that she had not noticed the large male approach. His voice broke her reverie and she looked up, quickly remembering the reason why she was there as she saw the brute. She blinked her pale green eyes at him, her eyes large from genuine surprise and ears on alert forward. The size of the male was comparable to her brother’s and immediately approving. His coat was a blue, darkening socks at his legs and spattered white speckles that reminded her of the stars on a clear night. Since she was being shallow, she took special interest in his purple gaze with a ring of cyan blue that made them stand out even more.

Sigyn shifted herself a little, but stayed where she was, acting coy and a little quiet as she ducked her face a little. A part of herself squirmed inwardly, it had been a while since she done real acting, since the dark wolves they hung out with were more straight to the point in their previous encounters. Her insides also squirmed because she realized that this would not be an easy task, for any male could just force himself on a female, when females had to be more… creative. It was possible that she would have to find the same wolf and have multiple conversations to make this convincing.

A normal wolf would be intimidated by Alioth’s size, so she made no move to get closer to the male, but also made no move to run. Did she tell him her real name? She did not have a reputation like Nyx’s running around the vale, so she assumed she would be fine giving her real name. Besides, she could come up with some story to falsify the rumors if he did end up hearing about her.

“You’re not intruding at all… I’m Sigyn.” She offered a gentle smile, letting her body relax and letting the façade of a gentle lady wash over her, getting over her initial shock.

“It’s a fine evening, is it not?” She said, starting with light conversation, to show she was okay with him entering the scene. Very fine indeed.

[koolpup]

The red and white female looks quite startled by Alioth's sudden appearance. He watches as she blinks, her eyes widening slightly. She then seems to look him over with some interest, which causes him to feel somewhat self-conscious. He smiles sheepishly, still sitting, unsure if the she-wolf is okay with his presence just yet.

The female only shifts slightly and tilts her head downward in a shy manner. He wags his tail, letting it gently brush the forest floor. It's a wonder that this shy wolf hasn't bolted yet. Maybe she can see that he truly has no ill intent, though he still wants to show her that he is friendly; just in case. Suddenly, she speaks.

“You’re not intruding at all… I’m Sigyn.” He watches as a gentle smile caresses her lips and she relaxes. “It’s a fine evening, is it not?”

Alioth feels himself relax as well. He stands and lets himself get a little closer to Sigyn, closing the quite large gap that had been between them, but not getting so close as to invade her space. He sits, conscious of how much closer he now is, ready to move a bit further away if the she-wolf asks. He shifts his gaze to her and takes some interest in her eyes. They are a pale green with just a hint of blue, a brilliant contrast to her bright red and white fur.

"It is." He answers with a nod. "The way the light shines through the trees here makes them almost glow pink. It almost seems like magic to a wolf without a power." He had begun to survey the trees again, but when he mentions powers his gaze flicks back to Sigyn. Growing up with his sister had caused him to have a somewhat mischievous side. Though it rarely shows up, and when it does, he expresses it with rather stupid jokes that most wolves just see as regular conversation. He redirects his attention back to the forest with a soft smile. "I can see why so many wolves come here in hopes of finding love." He trails off and looks back at Sigyn. He is pretty sure that is her reason for coming here. He hopes she won't get mad that it isn't exactly his reason.

[tovaana]

Sigyn;

She watched the male get closer and more comfortable in her presence, and she kept her face relaxed as he settled near to her. The primal animal within her was impatient, but unlike her brother, she knew what strategic moves needed to be made first. She was used to her brother’s large stature and the way he got what he wanted through brawn, he had trained her in fighting, but she knew without him her biggest strength was her ability to plan and use words in her favor. Well, that, and the growing strength in telekinesis.

Sigyn was not fearful as she met his gaze that held no challenge, but perhaps there was admiration in his strange purple gaze. He spoke and her ears cupped toward him in attention, tilting her head slightly. He openly admitted to not having an ability and her cynical side scolded him for being so weak and flaunting that weakness…Unless he was lying, but unless he was there on terms similar to hers, she highly doubted it was a lie. She watched his gaze move to the trees and she herself felt no magic about the pink land… It was far too… much of one color as she had observed earlier. When he had spoken the word power, his eyes flicked to hers knowingly, almost accusing her of having magic. Which she did. She smiled and chuckled a little, making a shrugging gesture as if to say, ‘yup, guilty – I do have a power.’ Then his gaze wandered for a moment and she shifted her paws a little as if to reposition herself, but it was truly from another squirming sensation in her stomach as he mentioned love.

Love was something she had known once upon a time, or at least as close to love as she would know. It was what had given way to her first litter of pups who had then been murdered by the rest of the traveling pack out of jealousy of how the leader of the group had treated her. Yet the older the memory became, the more she wondered if he had been behind the attack secretly. Love was a lie. Even her attachment to her brother was limited by what each could do for the other, and maybe a little of familial relation.

She had let her own gaze wander where his had, pretending to take in the rosy glow of their surroundings, when in fact she had been pondering on his words and how to calculate a response fitting. Her gut reaction would have been to say that love was as magical and unreal as their surroundings, except that magic did exist…

“Love… or companionship.” She mused, not wanting to push ‘love’, but he had brought it up. Maybe he was one of those that believed in love at first site. That would make her work a lot easier. “I had heard that rumor too. Do you think love is like magic?” She asked curiously, using his own words to come up with conversation that would keep the conversation around feelings and at the same time ‘get to know one another’… Which she knew was the normal way that wolves tended to fall for one another.

[koolpup]

The words 'or companionship' ring through the large male's head softly. They make his ears prick up slightly and his smile widen by a few increments. Love is no doubt a form of companionship, but by those words alone he hopes that she is not expecting any initial romance to come from him.

Her question makes Alioth pause. He tilts his head slightly, letting himself ponder over her words. Love and magic, are they at all similar? Magic can be seen as something otherworldly, powerful, even, in some cases, feared. Some wolves can utilize it, but all wolves can, at least, feel it. Feel it around them, in the sunlight, in the rain, in trees, at night, in the very multicolored coats that valley wolves share, all around them! For magic is the great power that watches over them. The one he learned of from his parents, who had left the valley and started a pack outside it. Now that he is here, he understands what they meant. Love... love is, or, given enough time can be, powerful. It can make a wolf feel like they are melting or floating. Make them yip and howl for no other reason than pure glee, or, fight with a stubborn, protective sense of bravery and unbroken will. It is strange and quite foreign to him, at least, romantic love is.

He takes some time to formulate a proper answer, mulling over his quite jumbled thoughts quietly.

"Possibly..." He begins, his voice gentle and curious. He watches her, wondering what her reaction might be to his answer. "Both magic and love are powerful in their own right. But magic is not exactly a bond that is shared between individuals. You can feel magic all around you, and though I can't possibly know how it'd be to utilize it as wolves with powers do." He feels another goofy smile tug on his lips. "I do feel as though it would be different from what love makes you feel internally. So, yes, they are similar, but no, they are not fully alike either. Also, I don't think love can make a small boulder float a few tail-lengths off the ground." He quips, his eyes dancing with soft amusement.

[tovaana]

Sigyn;

Sigyn was re-learning patience in the deceitful games as she watched the male ponder her question. She blinked her pale green eyes, watching him as he turned to her, starting to speak. Her head tilted slightly as she considered his words as he worked out the similarities and differences aloud. It was impressive he had thought through it so, as much as she did not agree with his words- she nodded thoughtfully. Then she smiled, ducking her head, as she played bashful at his last witty remark. She made a weak attempt at a laugh, “well, no. I do suppose if love did that – there would be more of it going around.” Her mind briefly ran to the past where a pale imprint of love she once felt flitted through her memories.

Her eyes had wandered just as briefly to the ground, rising once more to the large male.

“So, Alioth. What brings you around here then?” Her legs shifted slightly, as she pretended to make an attempt to be less bashful, smiling softly up at the male. Her patience was winning at the moment over her impatient plans. She could wait, she had waited this long… Besides, she wasn’t going to let her brother rule her emotions. She had given him enough power over the years, needing his strength – which time was coming to an end. The sooner, the better.

ooc// sorry for the wait <3

[koolpup]

Alioth isn't exactly sure whether Sigyn is amused or just pretending for his sake. He notices her half-laugh and the way she ducks her head and remembers his sister doing much the same on many similar occasions. Only, Celestiel never uses it on him, no, she tells him just how stupid a joke of his is at any time unless she is trying to impress another wolf. Alioth nods at her reply, if she is trying to impress him, or if she truly is this bashful, it's alright. Though, he can't help but feel a trickle of unease at the thought of any wolf being as skillful with emotions as his sister. He gently nudges that thought from his mind, that unease is quite uncalled for.

He smiles when the red and white she-wolf raises her eyes back up to him, letting her question dispell his thoughts further. He watches her shift and smile softly back, then he looks away, beginning to feel rather bashful himself.

"Ah, well, in truth, I'm not exactly here to look for love." His ears flatten and he averts his gaze. From her flowery smell and the way she has cleaned herself, every inch of dirt and dust meticulously washed away; no doubt love is exactly what Sigyn is looking for here. "I know this place is specifically for that but... I guess I was just looking for a friend. It's not that I'm not open to love and finding it, it's just.... my sister and I recently separated and... uhm, you probably don't really want to hear about my problems do you?" He looks back at her his expression apologetic and sheepish.

[tovaana]

Sigyn;

‘Just a friend…’ Should she abandon her plan? Should she find prey elsewhere? Males were a dime a dozen, weren’t they? But, could she really have thought it would be so easy? She blinked up at him, watching him carefully. Just a friend. Well, perhaps she would need to cast her net over multiple males, maybe he was the one, maybe not. Either way, it was too soon to let the male in on her little secret. Some games just took a few simple moves before you could go deeper.

Sigyn looked up at the male, blinking thoughtfully as she listened carefully to his words, in her mind quietly calculating his sudden discomfort. She realized that he was uncomfortable because he thought she would require more than he was ready for… which was what she wanted, but she didn’t want him to feel that way.

“You’re not the only one, with family problems.” She said in a sing-song voice, but with a sigh at the end of her words. She glanced away, then back at him, as if wondering if he would care to hear her problems. This was an easy lie, because it wasn’t a lie – but the truth. It was the easiest way to fool someone; to use truth – and twist it.

“My brother and I - we also recently separated…” She paused, considering the male with her head slightly tilted to the side, but more drastically tilted to look up at him. “I can be a listening ear, I’m guessing I’ll understand very well.” Sometimes it was all about finding the right lures, not all males were the same.

[koolpup]

Alioth watches Sigyn, worried about how she'll react. Worried that she'll leave. He knows it is unfair of him, she's here to find someone special, not a friend with problems. She has every right to nod and turn tail to find someone more interested in pursuing a relationship, but, he wants her to stay. He doesn't even know her well yet, but he wants to know her, wants to be friends.

She blinks and looks to be thinking, then she speaks, her voice sing-songy. Alioth tilts his head as she speaks of her brother. So, she is in close to the same boat as him from the sound of it. Probably the split from her brother was caused by different circumstances, but still. The navy male frowns softly.

"I'm sorry." His tone is low, his voice gentle. He doesn't know the history of how it happened, but he knows it can be painful. She offers an ear for his problems with his sister and he can't help but feel a small twist of warmth blossom in his chest. He had not expected her to be so willing to listen, looking at her now though, he isn't exactly sure why. Sigyn is a kind and gentle wolf, of course she'd want to listen, even if he is not what she is looking for. He lifts his ears, looking into her pale green eyes and bobbing his head in a small nod. "Thank you, that is very kind of you... If you wish to speak as well, I can also lend an ear." He offers, smiling gently. He then looks away, purple, blue eyes darkening slightly. "My sister Celestiel and I.... We lost our whole pack to a flood. We were traveling together for some time after but got into an argument about what happened.' He feels his ears fold back again, his heart hurting like he is ripping a barely healed wound open. "She felt that everything was her fault, I kept trying to tell her that it wasn't. She left after that." He sighs softly, leaving out how Celestiel had tried to make him think that she had wanted it to happen, not wanting to throw too much at Sigyn at once. He looks back at the red female, his eyes soft and his expression tender and sad.

[tovaana]

Sigyn;

She shrugged a shoulder gently when he apologized, he didn’t need to – but she knew it was what normal wolves said when sympathizing. “Maybe…” She mumbled, looking down momentarily in discomfort, which – she knew sharing any info with a stranger could be uncomfortable, so it would not be odd. Though, she was fairly confident that she would be able to explain their situation in a twisted fashion as well.

Her green eyes lifted to his, letting herself fall deeply (but not carelessly) into his gaze and nodded her head a fraction with a soft smile in reply to his thanks. She kept silent, to let him start speaking and spilling his troubles, to have someone to talk to. Celestial was his sister; she filed away that information for later use, knowing the importance of remembering things and creating bonds with wolves. Tools, nothing more to Sigyn, but tools.

And he opened up quite easily and it left her in awe to watch his ear fold and a pained expression come over him. Sigyn did not let the awe surface; instead twisted her expression into concern, tilting her head slightly in an expression of interest and showing that she was listening. She knew in that moment that her troubles were nothing compared to his – and she easily came up with countless ways she could twist that situation into making him feel even worse. This would have been fun – but it would not serve her end goal.

“Oh, no.” She gasped softly, closing her eyes momentarily, shaking her head in disbelief. “I’m so sorry you lost your pack.” It was a tragic thing, to drown; as there were many things said about the afterworld for wolves that died by drowning, none were good of course.

“How could she think a flood was her fault?” She asked sadly, working very hard to stir a mourning tone – but she was actually confused about the situation. She really never would understand good wolves. Sigyn was slightly excited about where this was going. She wanted to step into his large frame and comfort him, but she knew it probably wasn’t that time quite yet – too soon. He had wanted a friend, and while a friend would comfort, she also didn’t want him to think she was taking advantage of the moment. See, she could do this.

[koolpup]

Alioth closes his eyes, tilting his head further downward. He finds Sigyn's concern comforting, but her apology makes the wound in his heart sting. Having another wolf speak about his pack makes their deaths, well, feel more real. It's foolish, he knows, for it did happen. He heard the distressed howls, he saw his sister standing at the banks of the swelling river, numb with shock. He just, often finds himself pretending it didn’t happen, letting his mind be quickly swept off on flights of fancy just to escape the bitter, cold reality that stares at him right in the face. The reality that looks at him through the eyes of each and every wolf that trusted him and called him Alpha, through the eyes of his mother. Eyes of ghosts that are burned into his memory.

He feels his broad shoulders slump slightly and he looks back to Sigyn. She looks sad and confused as she questions how Celestiel could blame herself. The navy male shakes his head.

”I’m not sure myself. In all honesty, if it was anyone's fault, it was mine.” He takes a deep breath in through his nose, letting it out of his mouth with a whoosh of air. ”I was the newly made Alpha of my pack, I did not want the duty but Celestiel backed down from the position, I’m not sure why. She’s always wanted to lead more than me.” He frowns, his brow creasing somewhat. ”On the day of the storm I was shirking my duties, I did not know how badly the water was rising for I was in one of the more elevated parts of the territory. Celestiel took over for me and led the pack across a small river where it was rather shallow. She couldn’t have known... I was just beginning to return when I heard the rumble of water. I didn’t see it happen, but I heard…” ’Screams’ His mind fills in what he cannot bring himself to say out loud. ”I rushed to see what was going on… I hoped….Maybe if I’d been there….” He begins to stumble over his words, unable to finish what he is saying do to the pain that is swelling up in his chest. He shuts his eyes and shakes his head, trying to free himself from reliving every part of that hellish day. ”I’m sorry, I can’t say anything more.” Sorrowful purple-blue eyes look back into Sigyn’s green. A gentle fragility overtakes him. ”Thank you… for listening.”

[tovaana]

Sigyn;

She watched as the male’s frame slumped a little, as if the weight of his past had resurfaced vividly in his mind. Which, she guessed it had, as he began to tell the story to try and explain his sister’s feelings. Her pale green eyes scanned his features, her ears folding back at the right part of the story, but otherwise being attentive and keeping a sympathetic face as he spoke. As he trailed off she felt her heart stir with sympathy, a flash of the scene of her own pups dying as she was fighting off wolves, her brother fighting off wolves…It hadn’t been enough. Who she had loved, or she supposed it had been love, had been shirking his duties too. She had never known if he had felt like Alioth did, but she hoped he did. Sigyn had been so wrought with grief, anger, and loss – that she and Fenrir had not stayed long enough to find out.

“I’m…” She paused and stuttered, her white paw lifted and reached out to touch the male after he had looked down at her and thanked her. “I can’t even imagine.” Sigyn muttered airily. She withdrew her paw, but kept her eyes looking up at him kindly.

“I know it’s hard, but don’t let your past prevent any happiness now.” The words came easily from her lips, but she knew she didn’t believe a bit of them. She herself was constantly bitter from her past, always wanting to go back… That was why she was there, why she only wanted one thing. This male was genuinely good, but his story did not make her change her mind. If anything, the male reminded her of her previous love and the strength of her brother- he was perfect for her intents. She didn’t need anyone; she just wanted her pups.