sharpen those claws

All Dressed Up

wherethewildwolfisme:

“What can I say, I’m a man of specific tastes.” he let his eyes graze over her, his tongue flicking across his lip. “A great mass of people fighting? I’m a fan.” he ducked his head so he could get a better look at her face. “And what about you? Where do your tastes lie?” he grinned, her innocence more than a little bit of a draw to him. She would be fun to play with.

A fierce red tint began to cover her cheeks at his words. He seemed to know the exact right things to say in order to make her blush. Reminding her a lot of Jared when she first met him, but the girl pushed that thought right out of her head. “Um, I mean -- I’m studying History at Uni; it’s something I’ve always been interested in.” Amber hoped she wasn’t coming off as somewhat of a bore to this man.

#( c: seth )#// I'm so so sorry for how late this is love!

seth-verona:

“Shiny? That’s a great idea, easier than more gold finding I assume,” he almost choked on those words. Surprising himself with agreeing with her so easily in a supportive way, usually Seth didn’t comment and just went with the flow. He peered up at her at the question, resetting his feet into a stronger, grounded position as he faced north. The farm was isolated for a reason– him being that reason.

“North of town– I don’t know the timing–” he said quickly, Seth struggled immensely with working out the flow of time. Not realizing he would take hours out of his day just to stare at an interesting grouping of rocks in a stream. His time in the cage dulled his senses to such a simple pleasure. He thought about the farm then, the tracks and tricks this thing was. Seth wasn’t sure what to expect at this point, it was obviously magical. He could scent it easily as an imprint since first discovering the tracks weeks ago. But what if it was really dangerous? A part of him thought it would be best to find Kai and tell him about it. But an equal part desperately wanted to find out himself, and a smaller piece was extremely content in a purr inducing pack feeling that Amber was here too.

“The smaller barn is mostly empty, just full of hay right now. We could rig a trap, there are some old hunting ones hanging on the walls. Maybe we can actually catch it, bring it to Kai.” Or kill it. He thought to himself. Seth hadn’t been lying when he said he wanted to sink his fangs into it. He wondered in a morbid way if he could eat it. Remembering of all the memories in his childhood the first time he had a human heart because he swore it was calling to him.

“Sound alright?” he asked because he wasn’t sure, not ever good at reading people.

The woman had to stop a grand smile from taking over most of her features as soon as he’d agreed with her. She wasn’t exactly someone most people agreed with in any type of situation; just that quiet girl in the corner who didn’t really have a clue what she was actually talking about. The fact that Seth didn’t look at her like that -- like she was utterly clueless, meant quite a lot to her. Although she guessed if the man spent any more time around her that would probably change. Oh, how she wished she weren’t such an insecure being.

When they finally arrived at the farm, Amber had an undeniable excitement about her. It had been a while since she’d taken part in something so fun and mysterious. Or so it had been fun so far, and she’d rather it stay that way. There was also a budding fascination that she had for Seth, and she found herself wanting to ask him what it was like to live on a farm. Was it nice -- was it lonely? The brunette swore she would ask him later on, once they’d uncovered a little part of this mystery at least. She wouldn’t be able to settle until then, and she was almost positive it was the same for him. Concentration was a hard thing for someone of their... traits.

She’d made sure to drop some shiny bits and pieces from exactly where they’d last seen the creature, all the way to the farm. They would be enough to catch anyone’s peculiar eye, so hopefully they didn’t get any punk kids following them all the way there.

“I sure hope this works,” The girl murmured absently, to him and to herself. She was practically bouncing on her feet at this point, the fear of this creature being something possibly frightening disappearing right out the window. “You think we have everything ready?” She asked, bending down to speculate the trap they’d set up once more.

All Dressed Up

wherethewildwolfisme:

Grayson raised his chin as she spoke, focusing in on her weakness and nodded once. “Always have an escape plan.” he took a sip of his drink and looked at her closely. He never considered escape an option, but being able to come at a fight in a new direction was key. He looked around the crowd. “I could take them on. Would prove a fun endeavour.” he grinned at the thought.

Amber remained in that same position, always avoiding his eyes. She didn’t like people looking at her in that inquisitive way he was doing. At his words, the wolf raised her eyebrows a little bit. “What, take on the whole crowd? I can’t see how that seems even the least bit appetizing.”

Maybe walking along the streets at night with The Wolf Killer around probably wasn’t the greatest idea she’d ever had, but Amber was restless. She couldn’t sleep, and she was sure the dreams she succumbed to when she did end up getting any semblance of rest were actually worse than the horror of reality. On a mindless jog, the wolf took the paths that were more or less open and not dead end alleyways. She had to pass through one though, and when she did -- she almost crapped her pants. Whirling around immediately, the girl put a hand to her chest to try and still the erratic beating of her heart. “Woah! Don’t you think it would be a good idea to announce your presence next time?” She tried not to show that she was annoyed, even though she really was.

#winlockstarters

mauraxbennett:

It was a normal thing, bringing Dahlia to the park every other day. Almost like clockwork and the four year old always knew when the time to leave the house was coming. When Maura called out for her daughter to put her toys away so they could leave, the eager little thing was already done and waiting by the front door.

The two of them made their way to the park, stopping along the way at Colfers to get Maura a cup of coffee and chocolate milk for the toddler. Once they were there, Dahlia gave her mother her chocolate milk and scurried off to play on the jungle gym while Maura sat on a nearby bench, relaxing in the fresh air while bright blue eyes occasionally locked onto her daughter to make sure she was okay.

A day would hardly ever pass by where Amber wouldn’t visit the local park at least once. Whenever she got any inkling of free time, really. It was always nice to walk around aimlessly; enjoying the scenery and sounds of nature around her as she strolled. Also helpfully enough, it usually somehow managed to get her mind off of whatever was bothering her that day.

Clutching her takeout hot chocolate in her hands, the young wolf wandered among the trees before passing the play area and letting her eyes scan for somewhere to sit. All the benches she saw were taken, apart from one in which sat a woman, with enough space next to her for herself. She minded her own business for a while, taking absent sips of her coffee before following the other wolf’s gaze across the space to who she was looking at. “Cute kid.” She complimented, hoping mindless chatter would occupy her mind somehow.

#( c: maura )#// hey!

All Dressed Up

#( c: grayson )#// we should plot w/ these two yo #I can feel potential angst

“Yes a social gathering. This.” he gestured around the park. “Wolves are social animals, but I’ve never been one for tradition.” he smirked. “This more your speed? Or do you prefer one on one shit?” It would be so much easier to use her if she wasn’t connected to a pack. But he could work with it other wise.

Amber bit her lip; blue eyes searching the park as though it would come up with an answer for her. It was a bit of a personal subject for her but she started speaking anyway. “This... might be preferable. At least then I can fade into the background, you know? One on one, you can’t avoid anything then.” She gave a nervous chuckle.

tarakeira-blog

9am - tara + amber

Tara swam around the lake, flashing a smile at Amber. “Of course! I don’t show this to a lot of people to be honest”, she shrugged and dived under the water, just to make a somersault. She felt peaceful in a different sort of way there – she was energized but she didn’t feel like she had to be. It was hard to explain.

“– But I figured since I was terribly bored and you happened to be there”, the woman continued when she came back to catch a breath. “And I know that you’re nice, and I felt like coming here, so.” Tara grinned. “Oh and about that job, I’d love it if you could help me a bit. I don’t know why but I’m not very good with resumes.”

Tara of course knew about Amber’s past, and even though she felt an urging need to pry on what had happened with Armand Mantilla and her, she stayed quiet. I know enough. It’s not worth it – she would just probably feel down and go home and leave me alone. So instead, she leaned into the water again and looked straight into her blue eyes.

“What’s your favorite spot here in Winlock? I know Winlock is pretty dull sometimes but you know, since you’ve lived here all your life – right? – you probably have a place. You know, a place that means something to you. Like this place does to me.” Tara smiled at the woman softly, waiting for her answer rather patiently.

She knew that the other woman had said the words casually, but in all honesty Amber felt pretty special because of that fact. She was sure she’d never witnessed such a serene and beautiful place, let alone have another show her to it. The wolf wouldn’t take advantage of that, though; perhaps if she even thought of going there again she would ask Tara along too.

Even though the promise of friendship or companionship or whatever this was proving to be honestly scared the life out of her, it was also pretty tantalizing as well. Although she still couldn’t help but wonder how long they would be able to last with her around, always taking and ruining and causing bad things to happen. She just didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. If loneliness was the cost, then so be it.

Amber dove under the water just to come to the surface again at the opposite end of the lake, laughing and shaking the wetness from her soaked hair that seemed almost black with the water. She actually felt happy right then. Not scared or feeling as though something was going to come and hold a knife to her throat. It was honestly very relieving.

At the others question, she swam back over to her in order so that they could talk more properly. “I do, actually. It’s this cave in Bingham Park. It’s kinda hidden and I found it back when I was a little girl. Always seemed really magical, you know? I could show you sometime if you’d like.”

#( c: tara )

tyler-fairview-blog

Tyler & Amber || A Sense Of Calamity || Present Day

“Really? That sucks. You should be close with your pack, treat them like family,” Tyler raised an eyebrow, surprised at her answer. “There isn’t an Ultio I wouldn’t die for if it came down to it. And I like to think there isn’t an Ultio who wouldn’t die for me in return,”

Tyler’s opinions on Lenio was dire to begin with. If anything he had been giving Amber the benefit of the doubt considering he had participated in the horrid act a few years back. If it were any other Lenio scum then he’d be teasing them, taunting them into a fight they couldn’t win. The fact that Amber was not close to her pack only fueled his assumption that Lenio was weak. If packmates weren’t family then what good were they? What help would they be to one another if danger arose once again? Having pack members that were clearly distraught like Amber was a terrible idea. Tyler couldn’t imagine Ultio ever falling into the same category as such underlings.

“What’s the point in being in the pack then if you don’t even talk to them? Seems like a waste of time to me…you might as well go rouge,”

The way Tyler spoke about his pack made a deep seated jealously begin to work its way through her. She should have known better. Should have known that despite the Ultio’s being close to one another like family, they were also toxic. She was sure that family bond came from a good place originally, but when it led people to do bad things just because their friends were doing them, was it really all that good a thing?

Of course that wasn’t to say that Amber wouldn’t be there for any of her pack mates if they happened to be in need, because she would. That was just in her nature, wolfish bond or not. It made her feel good to help people. But just going out there for the sole purpose of getting close? She wasn’t sure. She’d gotten close to one person like that before and look how that ended up.

“It’s not that, I just...” The woman had to look away from him then; shame penetrating her gut. How could she tell him that she stayed with them only for the promise of their protection? She needed that more than ever with this new threat on the loose, but still... she knew exactly how she would look if she were to admit that. Weak.

“It’s... very complicated.”

#( c: tyler )

All Dressed Up

A native girl then, she could be useful. He didn’t return the sentiment but nodded once. Let her think he returned the thought. “Missoula. Montana. Far away from here. Never was part of these types of shin digs though.”

“Shin digs? As in social gatherings?” She asked him with a furrowed brow. He was interesting, but something a little odd about the man told her to stay guarded.

marinagen-blog

“Why thank you!” The wolf grinned before practically skipping up to the truck to order her favorite. “I’ll take a sundae with two scoops of vanilla, one of strawberry. With strawberries, bananas, and extra chocolate syrup on top. Please and thank you!” She smiled brightly at the lady in the truck as she pulled out her wallet from the back of her jeans. Her eyes turned back to the wolf behind her, “Hey, why don’t you go ahead and order too? I’ll pay for both, if you want.” Realizing the way that sounded, Marina’s eyes widened. “Uh-uh I mean unless that seems to much like a date. N-not that you’re not dateable. Because wow, you totally are. But I don’t wanna make this awkward.”

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, scratching the back of her head lightly, “Guess I already did that though, huh? Sorry.”

Amber couldn’t help but laugh at the other brunette’s enthusiasm, it truly was catching. Raising dark eyebrows at her offer, the girl was just about to speak before Marina seemed to realize what she’d said. Blooms of bright red came to her cheeks all at once at the words, but her smile remained there. She looked away shyly before looking back at the wolf. She thought her forwardness to be quite charming, actually. “Well, if you do decide to pay for mine then that means I’ll have to owe you for some other time.” With that, she turned to the lady in the truck and started to order. She was completely aware that she had just flirted with the girl, but in all honesty it felt good to be playful again.

#( c: marina )

seth-verona-blog

Her soft hey drew a sharper gaze from the wolf than he meant. It breathed aggressive tones, a flicker of wolven threat behind his eyes. Seth was always easy to be worked up, a short fuse with dynamite attached. But if Lenio was helping him with anything, at times his pack mates could extinguish that flame before he lost it. Reflection to her own curiosities calmed him down with a scratch of nails behind his back and a defeated exhale. “Sorry, I just have been chasing this thing for so long now. I’m to the point I want to sink my teeth in it.”

Seth fingered the coin, bringing it to his nose with a deep inhale. He could hunt it better in his wolf form he was sure of it. And how he wanted to keep running but he knew they needed a better plan. “We should set a trap–” he said quickly. “You think it likes gold? We could gather up some and catch the thing stealing it.” He raked his brain for where they could do it, leaning with a loud thump of his back against the tree.

Seth worried the edge of his lip, not entirely familiar with Amber. Not knowing anything about her less a tethered natural bond he felt for her simply from their pack connection. It was there if searched for and he wondered if Amber felt that subtle feeling with him. It hadn’t been like that with Ultio. Tyler didn’t feel like a pack mate, he felt like a brother. An instinct that moved the mind and body to trust, and care for another without reason. “I live on a farm. We could use the smaller barn, or do you think we should try to follow it?”

Unconsciously, she bit down nervously on her lip at his gaze. To be honest before this moment she hadn’t thought him at all the violent type, but right then the young man looked capable of doing just about anything. She came quickly to a resolve, though; and that resolve was that he must simply be more of a wolf than her. It was okay if he couldn’t keep a reign on his emotions at all times. In fact, it was expected. Just because she had a little trouble with communicating with that side didn’t mean that everyone else did, too.

Pausing for another small moment to think, Amber let her mind race. Still, she couldn’t come to absolutely any ideas to what sort of creature liked gold. It was a little odd -- and completely random. “It has to, I can’t think of any other reason why --” Her glacier eyes flashed once she came to a conclusion. Weren’t most creatures attracted to bright things? Even the most simplest of insects. “Perhaps it’s not just gold but anything shiny?” She shrugged. It was worth a try.

Turning to him again instead of fixing her eyes constantly on the search for any signs of movement, the woman narrowed her eyes in thought. “How far is the farm? Maybe gathering the shiny stuff -- the gold, and trying to lure it over there would be a good idea?” Granted, they had no idea what they could possibly be dealing with, but she figured they would be able to handle whatever it was together if it came to it.

#( c: seth )

All Dressed Up

“Trust you?” his smirk turn a little sour. Her outstretched hand made him pause but he took it firmly. “Grayson. Been floating but business is keeping me here.” he dropped her hand but not before feeling their…kindred spirits so to say. “You from here?”

She stopped smiling a little as her eyebrows began to furrow. He was a serious one, that was for sure. “Nice to meet you.” The girl offered, though started feeling she should probably not be so overly friendly to everyone she met. “Born and raised.” Amber wondered what type of business he was involved in, but didn’t comment on it. “Where are you from?”

tarakeira-blog

9am - tara + amber

tarakeira-blog

Tara had gotten enough of studying the second she finished college, but she understood the need to study. It wasn’t fun, but it was a responsibility. Tara wasn’t a fan of responsibilities – which was why she was currently unemployed. She had began to feel a little short on money, though. “Is Colfer’s hiring? I need a job but I haven’t really applied anywhere yet.”

“I’ve been spending some time with friends, nothing special. I’ve been hanging out with Seth, you know him right? He’s really nice. Surprisingly good company actually. People seem to talk a lot of trash about him to each other but you know… That’s how people are, right?” Tara smiled, glancing at the lake in front of them.

The woman started running, stripping off her clothes. “Come on!” she signed to Amber to catch up, heading straight for the water. The lake was big and beautiful, and there was no one to be seen. She dived into the water head first, opening her eyes underwater and enjoying the silence. After running out of breath, Tara broke the surface once again, gasping for air. “I love this place.”

While in her company, Amber started to think that maybe Tara was the type of person she needed around in her life. Less serious and more well -- fun. The girl missed having fun, she really did. It felt like she hadn’t experienced the true meaning of the word since Jared. But she wasn’t going to think of her ex right now. It would only spoil her mood.

She pursed her lips at the other’s question. “They still should be. I didn’t apply so long ago, and you know how busy it gets in there. Extra staff wouldn’t do any harm. I could put a little word in for you if you’d like.” Actually, it was the least she could do. Getting a job was hard, and even though she was only a new employee herself; maybe recommending her would do some good. Make her feel like she’d achieved something, anyway.

“I know him, yeah,” Amber replied. In fact she was a little surprised Tara hung out with him. They didn’t seem like the type to be friends, but she supposed that didn’t matter. He looked like he could do with a few and if that was the case then she was happy for it. The wolf took her clothes off in a much more self conscious manner than the other girl had done, making sure to do it quickly and dropping her clothes right at the edge of the lake.

Dropping in, she chuckled. “It’s really beautiful, thank you for showing me it.”

#( c: tara )

tyler-fairview-blog

Tyler & Amber || A Sense Of Calamity || Present Day

tyler-fairview-blog

Tyler flicked the lighter and pressed the flame against her cigarette.

“I doubt he’s dead…try not to think like that,” He inhaled deep on the tobacco and released it heavily between them. “He’s probably just…out there living life with you. Maybe he’s happy, you know? And yeah, he probably was scared of Armand I mean, who isn’t just a little bit? That guy will tear you to pieces,”

Enough prodding. It was clear Amber was not thrilled about the conversation but Tyler felt it was necessary. After all, whether he was a good guy or not he did participate in the cheers and chants that almost got Jared killed in the first place. Ultio’s were dangerous and the loyalty between the packmates was infectious. He thought about what Marina had said about wolves in Georgia, the warriors who rose ranks together and slaughtered people just for fun. Ultio could easily become that if they weren’t careful.

The fact of the matter was that they hadn’t, not yet, and not with Armand leading the pack. Tyler loved his Alpha, no matter what troubles he had put other people through. It would be like that forever; there was no turning back.

“Okay, okay, this conversation is clearly unwarranted. Here, we can talk about anything else in the world. How are your precious Lenio’s?” Tyler enunciated the pack name, dragging it out to be something worthy of a tease. He offered a playful grin to match his taunting words.

Amber raised the cigarette to her lips and breathed deeply, exhaling the smoke in a rush. Well, at least she didn’t choke like her first time. When he mentioned the possibility of Jared living happily without her, an icy feeling seemed to swell inside of her stomach. However selfish it was, she didn’t like the thought of that. At all. At the time, the girl had believed they would have spent their whole lives together. What if he was just off somewhere, enjoying some other woman’s company?

She couldn’t help but resent this Tyler a little bit for helping the assumptions enter her head in the first place, but she knew it still wasn’t entirely his fault. People would think what they wanted. They would say what they wanted. There was nothing she could do to control that.

Despite her not knowing him well enough, the young wolf couldn’t help but think that this man didn’t particularly seem like the typical Ultio. Sure, he seemed a little unpredictable and she wasn’t sure what was going to fall out of his mouth at any given time, but wasn’t it like that with everybody? People terrified her in that sense. When he mentioned the Lenio’s, she turned to him but then quickly averted her gaze at his grin. It felt weird that he’d said it as if they were hers. Yes, she was most certainly in their pack but sometimes she felt very much like a rogue. Maybe it was just because Amber had avoided people for so long after Jared; even the nice ones. “Uh... I’m not actually that close to any of them if I’m being honest. I wouldn’t know.”

#( c: tyler )

All Dressed Up

Grayson opened his mouth and then closed it with a snap. “I have no fucking idea.” he laughed lightly before stopping and clearing his throat. “I suppose it was an attempt to blend in and not draw attention to myself.” he snorted. “Fucking good that did me.”

The woman found herself smiling. “Well honestly, you don’t look bad at all. You can trust me on that,” She offered, sticking out a hand. “I’m Amber by the way. I’ve seen you around but I don’t know your name.”