evermore.

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for – and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing. It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool – for love – for your...

[tarakeira-blog]

The night was clear, the moon was shining down on her face, and the wind was playing with her hair. It must have been near 2AM, and Tara had just gotten out of the lake. She loved swimming at night, and since things had started to grow frustratingly boring around her flat, she had decided to take a dip. The woman was just about to put some clothes on when she felt a burning gaze in the back of her head. Turning around, she lifted her brow.  “You know, if you want to keep staring at me like that you might just want to come talk to me. I won’t bite.” Tara giggled. It must have been very stupid of her not to be afraid in a situation like that, but that was just her nature. If the creature would have wanted to kill her, it would have already.

[seth-verona-blog]

Ghost of You | Tara & Seth

[tarakeira-blog]

seth-verona:

“What?” he asked more to himself. He was so confused, sitting back to fold his arms across his knees and detangle out of his hair. Wrapping himself up in seek of comfort he couldn’t feel often in human illusions. At least in his wolven form he could curl up, the coat of his beast warmer than bare flesh. He picked at his nails, fingers trembling in the nerves this was giving him. 

Tara seemed to want to get past this. To maybe forgive and forget, and he was inclined too. Almost would rather go that easy path. But she wanted to understand, even going so far as asking him too. He didn’t know how. His bi-coloured eyes lingered on her face in worry to this. 

“I don’t know how,” he said quietly, his face pained in confusion. “Seeing you lose control– it was difficult for me. Where we were, the people everywhere.” 

He shrugged, a bad taste settling on his tongue. He thought about that one boy he saw that night. His chestnut hair, and suave Spanish accent. Seth was certain he was the drug dealer getting all those kids messed up. He was a hunt Seth was looking forward to having if he could get his pieces together. That was what Tara didn’t understand, and wouldn’t ever know about him. The dark things he liked, thought about constantly. Even about her. Visually thinking about what she would look like hanging from a noose, swaying in the breeze with her perfect beautiful body limp. He blinked. Moving back away from her to press his back to another beam, the distance between them not natural to their usual behaviors. And the void of space was heavy feeling to Seth. 

“I wanted– to have fun as you said, I didn’t know how. You were scared, and crying– I could feel it. Like I– well…took it or something. Taste it on you. My heart matched yours. Everything was too close– too much out of my control, but worse. Not in yours.”

Tara wrapped her arms around herself, squeezing both of her arms in attempt to keep herself warm. To tell you the truth, she wasn’t even feeling cold. It was more of a comforting act, telling herself everything was going to be okay no matter how frustrating things might have seemed. This quality was one of Tara’s best - always remaining optimistic. It guarder her from a lot of harm.

She threw her head back and leaned to the wooden wall, letting out a deep breath and keeping her eyes fixed on Seth. The sudden outburst she had had, with rambling hands and racing hearts and wondering thoughts, had made her tired. But she was not ready to give up. She wet her lips with her tongue, squeezing her lower lip between her teeth.

The woman knew she shouldn’t feel guilty about what had happened to her. It had been a mistake and she hadn’t hurt anyone but herself. But it turned out she had also hurt Seth. That thought made her stand up a little, her instincts driving her towards Seth. She wanted to wrap him around her arms and apologize once more, but she didn’t. She stayed still, other foot ready to run and the other still trapped under her. Her nails dug into the dirt.

Her heart pumped louder when Seth told her about what he had been through that night. She knew that if she wasn´t so tired, she would have been angry again. My heart matched yours. Tara flinched. It made her think of the kiss.

She immediately backed away, sitting down on the ground and lifting her hands to cover her face, her little finger gracing her lips. “I had no idea you felt like that.” She frowned, her gaze wondering at the leaves on her feet. “Alright, I—“ Tara sighed once again, fluttering her lashes and trying to sort out her thoughts. “Seth, I just want to get past it. I just want to know if you can trust me again after what happened. I know it was a stupid thing to do, and believe me, I’m not usually that reckless.” The woman avoided looking at Seth, instead nailing her gaze into a tree across from her. “I guess what drove me to take the pill was, uh, the kiss.” She felt awkward, and it was definitely not one of her most familiar feelings. Tara rubbed her neck. “I had a feeling you didn’t really… I don’t know. Want it to happen? I don't mean that you had anything to do with me taking the pill. It was all me. Obviously. I just, I don't know, I felt sort of weird after. You know. The... kiss.”

[tyler-fairview-blog]

Tyler & Tara || Your Beating Heart

[tarakeira-blog]

tyler-fairview:

If he were being honest, it was nice to get that part of him off his chest. Rarely did he speak of it, even to close friends, and Armand hardly brought it up anymore since Tyler had become a delta five years ago. There wasn’t a purpose is reminiscing in the past when he had the whole future ahead of him. And Tyler loved his abilities, even if sometimes he got a bad and sour taste in his mouth afterwards. He knew that he didn’t earn the gifts that the witch bestowed upon him, and that was the part that haunted him the most. Maybe if things had been different…maybe he wouldn’t be so ashamed.

“My parents live in omega housing; Armand banished them afterwards and no, I haven’t seen them,” Tyler thought about Katya and how he had asked her, as a young teenager, to protect him from his disgraced parents. “Well, once I ran into Spencer, my father, at the market and he tried to speak with me. Needless to say it did not end well. I believe Armand had him punished for that…he knew better,” Tyler reached out to move a stray piece of hair from Tara’s face, and tucked it behind her ear. Her closeness was welcoming as he discussed the topic of his past, and he found it oddly comforting. “Growing up, everyone had their own idea for what happened to me…rumors spread around school, mostly. Some said I was demonic, others said I was an alien,” he laughed in remembrance. “There wasn’t a point in telling everyone the truth, you know? It wasn’t their business, so everyone was left to guess. I only told a few people the truth. Kali was the first. My pack knew and yeah, they all know today. But everyone is pretty good about leaving it as my business, not theirs,”

A man on the stage tapped at the microphone to get everyone’s attention. Several other members of the band sat ready to perform. After thanking the lounge for coming out tonight, the jazz band began to play. Tyler turned towards the stage, his body moving closer to Tara, and watched the entertainment.

The music was always on point at Jasper’s Lounge.

Ordering two more whiskey’s, Tyler felt the beginning stages of a small buzz start to take affect. His beast growled from deep within his chest at the alcohol, always reactive to the substance. He stole a glance at Tara and admired her for a good moment; she was beautiful, and classy, and although she had twigs in her hair the first time he formally met her she radiated with a realness that was foreign to Tyler. The women in Winlock were very one dimensional to him, and hardly useful unless laying on their backs. Tara was different, whether he wanted to admit that out loud or not. 

He leaned down to capture her in a kiss once again. “You wanna finish your drink and get out of here?”

For some reason learning Tyler’s father’s name made her feel special. And whether she admitted it or not, she was truly enjoying the conversation. She had a feeling it also meant something to Tyler, since these  probably weren’t things he talked about on first dates - unless they were all lies and he was trying to get sympathy just to get laid. Soon enough she was forced to mentally punch herself for even thinking that, though, because as soon as she looked into his soft brown eyes, she knew he definitely wasn’t lying. And there was truly something about those eyes that made her heart skip a beat.

If it hadn’t been for the alcohol which was starting to buzz in her veins pleasantly, she probably would have ignored the feeling. But she didn’t, and instead she tilted her head as she looked into his eyes, examining them to the tiniest detail while he spoke. When he reached out to touch her face, Tara smiled calmly. She truly felt at ease with him. And it was strange, since she always felt like leaving, no matter the situation. But every second with Tyler seemed to be exciting enough to make her want to stay there for as long as possible.

Tara was just about to answer when someone stole their attention, and she let the thought drift away – whatever it had been, it could wait. She felt Tyler moving closer to her, and she did so too, so that they were as close to each other as they could while still sitting side by side. The music was beautiful, and she closed her eyes unintentionally. Because that was also one of the things she did without even noticing it herself.

She could feel Tyler’s gaze burning on her face, and she let out a short breath, opening her eyes just to find Tyler staring deeply right back at her. His long lashes were close to touching her cheeks, and she felt a loss for breath. Pressing her lips against his, Tara’s hands automatically adjusted themselves to Tyler’s back as she pulled him closer. At Tyler’s suggestion, she opened her eyes with a small grin on her face, nodding while stealing another peck from his lips before downing her drink and getting up. The alcohol had settled in her stomach and was now making her feel just enough of the little dizziness: it didn’t have control over her movements, but rather her mood, making her feel even more relaxed. She locked her hand in his, intertwining their fingers smoothly, and admiring the warmth of his hand noiselessly.

The air blew her hair back when they stepped outside. “So. What’s our next destination?” Tara looked at Tyler again, the constant need for kissing him driving her crazy. So far she had been surprised with a lot of things on this date, and for some reason she felt that the surprises weren’t going to end just yet – the idea of which she loved.

[seth-verona-blog]

Ghost of You | Tara & Seth

[tarakeira-blog]

seth-verona:

Seth was sure he didn’t hate her. It wasn’t possible he was certain. Didn’t she even understand how nice she was? How she hadn’t needed to be anywhere near him when he first emerged from the farm, and she surely hadn’t needed to take the time to say hi. It wasn’t difficult, even to the social stunted wolf to see that Tara was a special, loyal friend that regardless of mistakes should be forgiven. And he didn’t cherish seeing her hurt right now. All his instincts mourning the familiar, almost expected wash of emotions from someone else entirely. She just overwhelmed him. Constantly. A rush of so many different feelings that he felt unprepared constantly. Feeling all she was experiencing under her warm skin in a way that made his chest ache from the highest high to the most depressing lows.

His hands still wrapped around the back of his neck while he paced, cradling the swaying motions as his mood tightened negatively. He shook his head to clear it. Trying to gather anything to say, knowing it was dramatic and stupid that he couldn’t. But he didn’t know how to put to words what it was she needed. And he felt an inkling of anger ripple up his spine that she was insistent on calling herself weak when it was far from the truth. Simply her coming back to him to set this right was bravery enough. More than he contained socially because he’d never think himself worth it. He hadn’t looked for her at all.

“Where would I go?” he asked as if that answered any of her questions, and concerns. Say it? He could barely connect those four words. And he couldn’t be the leader in this conversation because all he thought on was that in the end– they would separate. There would always be a moment to test this friendship, and Seth couldn’t bare it if it went south. He took four or five steps away from her, the swell of anxiety at the confrontation making his hands tremble until he just squatted down. Turning his hands to sweep up through his hair and grip the thick stands like it was the only life line he had, only just barely keeping any noise from leaving his lungs. 

“I was scared for you–” he said quietly, bi-colored eyes leveled on the worn grain of wood below their feet instead of her. Remaining in the vulnerable position uncaring how it made him seem because it had calmed him greatly. Wanting to curl more in a tightened ball, fingertips brushing the skin on his neck always finding it sensitive to his touching because his wolfish side of himself was more prominent at times. 

“I couldn’t do anything– I… just… couldn’t do anything– I could feel it. What it was doing, and I couldn’t stop thinking about everything– it was so much.”

Tara stared at Seth, feeling her heartbeat on her throat. It echoed in her ears and left her with an assured headache, which would be waiting for her when – or if – she made it to her own bed under her warm blankets. Her eyes weren’t tearing up anymore, they were more like glass: prepared to break but piercing, waiting for his answer. Her breath took a form of vapour in front of her eyes. She wanted to snap the tension with her claws but couldn’t bring herself to it, instead just waiting. Waiting for his answer.

And when he finally spoke, Tara felt a sudden wave of relief, suddenly being able to breathe more properly. Her lungs worked well again, and she shut her eyes, tilting her head back. Her long brown hair fell to her lower back, gently touching the fabric of yet another one of her favourite dresses. Tara lifted her hands to cover her face, taking a moment just to think.

The simplicity of the question made her feel at ease. Where would he go? It was becoming obvious Seth was never about to leave her, and for that, she felt thankful. But what did that mean?

Tara sat down on the ground and leaned to the old, rotted, wooden wall. She looked at Seth, still feeling the anxiety in the air. It probably had something to do with the position he was in, physically. And God, how she wanted to hug him. But she didn’t. She felt like she didn’t have the right to – not anymore. That she had shattered his trust. And she didn’t blame him for it – she had been irresponsible. She had ruined the evening. There was no denying that.

Her brows furrowed. “But… I thought you were mad at me for being so inconsiderate.” Her heart skipped a beat, a drive for defending herself lifting her chin up slightly. “It was an honest mistake, of course. But I’m not going to get into that.” She couldn’t wrap her head around his thoughts, and it was still frustrating to her. But instead of freaking out any more, she tried to figure it out.

“I just… The way you acted… Like you hated me. You- you didn’t? You don’t?” She rubbed her temples, already feeling the upcoming headache. “Besides, I survived. I couldn’t have died, there was no way… I think. I don’t get it.” She sighed. “I’m sorry for not understanding better, I’d really love it if I did.”

[seth-verona-blog]

Ghost of You | Tara & Seth

[tarakeira-blog]

seth-verona:

His heart pounded when she spoke, the breaking of silence jarring to all his senses. Wincing visibly he just closed his eyes to rid her from his view entirely. It was much easier to not continue to look at her, the words– ‘go away’ so close to leaving his lips that he curled his fists in opposition to shouting at her. It had been a stupid situation, and Seth had ruined the night because he couldn’t handle all the people touching him. The scents crowding to the point it was one congestion of bodies, all racing their hearts to music– succumb to drinking, and partying. If he had been able too, he could have just looked out for her. But Seth hadn’t the ability to care for the pair of them. Maybe he wouldn’t ever be able to look after anyone but himself.

He still couldn’t bring about one word to say back. Reverting into his old habits were very easy, a few mental steps back that held everyone more than at arms length away. She looked lovely tonight though. And he didn’t want quarrels with his pack mates. It felt abrasive to their connection, a natural occurring tether that allowed them to feel things profoundly more deeper than any other species could understand. He shuffled his feet at the uncomfortable ache that reached his gut from him feeling so incredibly let down by her. Wanting to forgive but couldn’t mentally work out how. Lifting both his hands to curl behind his head tightly. He moved insistently about suddenly restless, turning his back to her all together in threat to leaving.

Still. No words could come. And he felt suffocated with her presence. Until she said she missed him. The softest whisper that slithered in to warm his chest in kindred understanding. He didn’t really want to be alone but how did he even begin to fix what he felt about it all?

“Okay–” was all that came out, the words a sigh over actual spoken syllables. He scratched at his head, attempting to work out what more he could be frustrated about. But it was challenging for some reason. His head pounding, and nerves racking his skin to nearly itch in a sporadic convulsion from his nails. “I don’t know what to say to you–” he admitted, turning to finally face her again.

The frustration was tickling under her skin. It made her want to run away, to never look back and leave the whole freaking forest behind. Leave the situation they were in and eventually try to forget all about it.

She started moving around, pacing a thin line, still looking away from Seth. Tara scratched her skin, the anxiety building up until she was about to explode. Not knowing what he was truly thinking was like a personal hell. She had admitted that she missed him, and his answer had been a simple okay. What was that supposed to mean? It felt like someone was using needles to bleed her out.

The truth wasn’t complicated: Tara was afraid Seth would leave her. Abandonment hadn’t always been one of her few fears, but maybe it had started when Melinda left. The pictures of her sister’s face in the middle of their fight made tears of frustration form in her eyes. It clenched her - the crippling fright of someone leaving her because of her own choices – whether they were mistakes or not.

But Tara didn’t understand fear – her body made it seem like she needed to escape, like Seth was about to throw a punch at her, when in reality he was just going to walk away. She spoke hastily.

“Look, I understand if you don’t trust me anymore. But why do you suddenly hate me so much? People make mistakes. That’s how we grow. I don’t want to fight but I’m just so…” She exhaled deeply, her voice cracking. “Tired.” Stopping, she buried her face in her hands, wiping off sweat from her forehead.

“I know it’s not easy for you. I- I just want you to tell me what I can do to make it right. If I could go back to that night I’d erase it in a heartbeat, you know that. Please don’t leave me.” She felt cowardice squeezing her lungs. “Fuck, I’m not weak.” The words were barely audible, meant more for herself than Seth. She wiped the tears quickly, not wanting to show any signs of weakness – as if it was even possible anymore. Her eyes moved to look at his, eyes broken under the thin mask of hidden emotions she was wearing. Her voice shook when she spoke. “Please say exactly what you’re thinking.”

[tarakeira-blog]

Animal Instinct || Tara & Katya

[tarakeira-blog]

katya-rhodes:

It was difficult to train a wolf in this way. To be forced into a situation where all the training in the world could melt quickly away, left grasping for any ounce of you in the situation. Praying there be someone strong enough to just carry you both through it. Katya wasn’t immune to the gas, nor its toxins that were burning her veins from the inside out. She was struggling on a level testing all her being, but she had training beyond being a warrior. Spirituality, remaining level headed when the fire was raging and there not be any sight to freedom. That was why she stood tall, determined to keep this situation under control.

When Tara hit the human, Katya was there to catch him, rolling him over her hip to slam him into the ground. She tore at another piece of fabric from her shirt tying his arms behind his back like the others in a tight well made knot. 

She grinned once more, a piercing ray of sunshine in the obvious clouding of the space. Raising her brows amused, keeping it fun– focus elsewhere. 

“So good Tara–” she said quickly, keep her voice without an edge to it. A birds song that hummed in approval through the very air. She knew if she could keep her clam all would pass, though her joints filled with forced air and rippled to her core in demanding changes. Katya refused it simply. 

Rising quickly she shook her head to clear it, running to place herself between two more people who were clawing at each others faces. The orderly wolves were phasing partially, snarling in the rage expected of them. Katya kicked them apart. Rolling the strength through her powerful legs and launched the one boy into the air. Grabbing the other to place him into a hold, wrestling around until she was on his back, tucking her leg around his thigh to drop him back into a choke hold. Locking his arm above his head he thrashed powerfully from his wolven heritage but Katya tightened it with ease in skill. Holding him until he passed out. 

“Release it– don’t stand still too long. Snarl, howl, beat your chest–” she said with nearly a skip in step, a dance of movement between temporary foe while she squared herself off for the other wolf who couldn’t hold the control and phased into his brown shaggy beast. “Dance– sing!” she actually sang the last note, offering another beautiful smile in passing before charging after the wolf. 

Tara stood still, her feet practically locked to the ground. She did not dare to move, fearing that even a small step or lurch would set her off – make her rip everyone around her apart limb by limb, watching the blood spreading to the street and coloring the hot asphalt, enjoying it. The woman watched as Katya jumped from side to side, an odd grin on her face. She could not understand how the older wolf did it.

Katya’s plaudits made Tara feel good, although she hoped she could have been stronger. She hoped she could have fought the anger even better, that she could help Katya, that she could get over herself. There was something so strange about the overriding feeling of wanting to explode and hurt everyone: for the first eighteen years of her life, Tara had never felt such thing, nowhere near that. She had felt this wolfish need many times before but she had never really grown used to it. And now that the feeling had been maximised, she felt utterly weak. She felt weak under all of that strength, and that alone made her want to kill the man who was still lying on the ground, whimpering.

Tara listened to Katya, taking in all of her advice. “I can’t”, her voice was somehow fragile although the anger was all-consuming, the conflict of having too much strength and then again not enough of it making her want to throw up. “I can’t Katya, I’ll kill them.” Her teeth were clenched together and she was crouching, her figure now much bigger than normally.

But as Tara continued to follow Katya with her eyes, she grew more confident. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make her move her feet. The movement started with her stomach, continuing down the length of her leg. Her foot touched the ground, and she didn’t feel worse. Suddenly being hit by a wave of confidence, Tara took a few more steps, starting to notice how it actually made her feel a bit better.

But after walking around for what seemed like a minute, she didn’t know what to do with her legs - she felt like if she had gotten too near anyone there wouldn’t have been any self-control left in her. Once her body got used to the movement, the crippling feeling in her stomach came back again, and she let out a loud howl – pouring all of her energy into it. Dropping her gaze at her feet, she stopped walking and focused on her breathing for a while. “Katya, Katya, we have to get out of here.” Her voice was small but scary, soft but dark. “Please.”

[tarakeira-blog]

Tara >> Personal pictures

[tyler-fairview-blog]

Tyler & Tara || Your Beating Heart

[tarakeira-blog]

tyler-fairview:

It was overly apparent that Tara was becoming more and more infatuated with Tyler as the night progress, and egotistically it was allowing him to ase into his element. Regardless of what she may have thought, Tyler rarely brought his dates to the lounge. He preferred to enjoy the music and whiskey with Armand or other Ultio’s, where they could get drunk and act out without having to worry about keeping up appearances for their special someones. It was a change of pace to share the booth with Tara instead, and he slipped his arm across the back of it and gave her his full attention.

“Okay fine. I guess I owe you a story for coming out with me tonight. But you must admit that this pace is better than any other Friday night plans you might have had,” 

A pretty waitress with a shirt that was cut inappropriately low approached the pair and placed two whiskey sours on the table. And whether she was attempting to be subtle or not, she eyed Tyler noticeably with a devilish grin. Clearly knowing him and enjoying the view, she scurried away with an added sway to her hips that was completely unnecessary.

Tyler took the glass and downed a generous sip. “The simple facts are this: my parents hired a witch to cast a spell on me when I was five, enhancing my abilities beyond the extent of any wolf in existence. They wanted me to be Alpha and thought that the only way to do that was to use magic. When I turned at twelve, Armand noticed the difference immediately and forced my parents to confess for what they did. He banished them and sent me to live with new humans. Lucky for me, Armand continued my training. Now I hunt and track for the pack…I can track anything or anyone with just the slightest of scents. And I’m fast. It comes in handy,” He took another gulp. “Of course there’s a whole mess of emotions and experiences in between, but that’s not what you asked for,”

Enthusiastic about him finally agreeing to share his story, Tara shifted so she could properly concentrate on whatever was coming. She turned to look at him, now face to face with her legs pointing directly towards his. Placing her hands on the table and tilting her head like she always did when she was getting ready to understand something not so simple.

When the waitress handed them the drinks, Tara couldn’t help but grin whilst shaking her head. “Wish she looked at me that way”, she muttered under her breath, only half kidding. She was pretty. And although Tara could have been insanely jealous, she only found it amusing. Tyler had always been one to attract different sorts of people, and this was no exception. But Tara was the one who was sitting next to him and not the one who was serving him drinks - she knew her place and she was happy with it. Tara poured the burning liquid down her throat, enjoying the warmth settling in her stomach.

Looking back at Tyler, she switched into her more focused mood. Whilst he was telling the story, Tara kept her eyes locked in his, careful not to miss a word. And when he was finished, Tara nodded with slightly arched brows, taking another sip. “So you haven’t seen your parents since?” It was a thought Tara had grown to be quite conflicted about, since her sister was obviously out of reach although her mother and father were still present. “It sucks, what they did to you. In some level. You know you got these super amazing powers, but at what cost?” Tara’s eyes moved to look at the stage but not focusing on anything. “It’s kind of fucked up that they used you like that, though. And they didn’t even believe in you enough to not hire a witch… I mean, who knows if you could have done it without all of the fairy dust. ”

She found the whole situation quite fascinating, and although she could have rambled on and on about it, she felt it wasn’t the best thing to do. Maybe over analyzing Tyler’s whole life would have been a bit too far. So, instead, she downed the drink and moved her hand to his knee. Tara found herself wanting to move closer and closer and closer and closer but – she didn’t. He looked so good, and the fact that he was such a talented wolf only made her more interested. “Do the others in your pack know?”

[seth-verona-blog]

Ghost of You | Tara & Seth

[tarakeira-blog]

seth-verona:

Seth stared intently at Tara. The old abandoned lumber mill he had ran too was consumed by the forest up north near the mountains. The wolf only wore tattered shorts, resting low on his hip bones he had his arms firmly crossed over his chest. Leaning a heavy shoulder against the creaking red stained wood of the highest part of the structure. The saw was behind him, long rusted to a permanent stillness, he had only came here because he didn’t want anyone to find him. Yet here she was. One howl and he had to endure his pack mates apologies. 

He still felt a level of betrayal from her. It was obvious even in scent that this was abrasive, yet the longer he stared at her the more softened he got. It was incredibly subtle in the creases along his brow, to the frown line around his mouth. He wanted to forgive her. And he knew already he could, but couldn’t gather his head to speak at all. 

So he remained still. Gaze ever intense. Letting her rid her mind of what plagued her, praying it was enough to sway him. That she hadn’t tried so hard to be friendly with him only to come here to explain her more permanent departure from his life.

The wolf stared into Seth’s eyes with the same intensity as he did, but she couldn’t speak. It felt like her tongue had been glued to her palate, like she had suddenly forgot how to form words and say them out loud. Gulping, she shifted the weight from her supporting leg to the other, her hands playing with the hem of her dress nervously.

Tara had thought about what had happened. She had thought about it long and hard, even for days after the horrible evening.

It hadn’t taken her body long to wear off the poison in her veins, and once she had sobered up (faced with a horrible headache, dry mouth and tense muscles) she was left to deal with what had happened with Seth. She didn’t want to think about it, but she couldn’t help it. Tara didn’t want him to be mad. And he acknowledged the danger she had put both of them. She understood why he was mad, but at the same time her stubbornness came in the way of apologizing. It wasn’t like she had intended to poison herself. And then there was the kiss.

She couldn’t sleep properly, with the thoughts constantly running through her mind, and even though she tried to find new things to do – for example the relaxation exercises Katya had taught her – nothing helped. So, she gave up.

And soon enough he was there – right in front of her. And now she couldn’t speak properly. “Hi”, she started, mentally punching herself in the face. Tara broke the eye contact, gazing down at her feet. It helped a bit (especially because he looked so god damn great that night), and she managed to gather some of her thoughts. “Look, I’d like to apologize. I know it probably doesn’t mean much at this point but… I just wanted to tell you that I know I did a stupid thing. And the whole night was a mess, and I really am sorry about that. I obviously didn’t mean for it to happen.” Her eyes were gleaming with sadness, simply because she didn’t want to lose him, and because she felt disappointed in herself. But at the same time she felt strong – strong because she had been able to face the problem and do something about it. Strong because she honestly believed she could work things out with him. At least that’s what she was hoping for. Her voice was just a whisper when she continued. “I’ve really missed you.”

[tarakeira-blog]

Animal Instinct || Tara & Katya

[tarakeira-blog]

katya-rhodes:

Katya had to ground herself before she moved again, her own body groaned as her massive beast stretched and ached for demanding freedom in ways shes not felt in years. It was all so terribly exciting, Katya thrived in chaos. She thrashed her head sharply, the bones cracked down her spine in a ferocious snarl inducing snap of sharp teeth as she partially phased.

“You can!” she roared, the entirely of her athletic framed body expanding to great capacity from the sheer wolven size of the beast she contained under human limitations. Her gaze was intense. Katya the school teacher– the caring mother to anyone who needed her was suddenly swept immediately away. Her warrior mindset kicked forward with a wide grin in coming fight. She was in her element, and she wouldn’t let anything happen to Tara. Even from herself.

“I will stop you– but you will handle this. This is a test of might, of willpower you aremore than capable off. When you feel a surge let it reach all of your limbs, allow your bones and joints to release it,” on cue her spine arched uncontrollably. Kayta howled– rolling with the pain of desired shifting to push up against the ground and flip back into a crouched position. Continuing to arch her back until she regrounded. “Roar if you must, move with it– you have this Tara.” She smiled then. Her wolfish alertness proved the control she had but it was a true testament to her more hidden personalities that she could bring something so bright and beautiful in the mists of obvious battle.

“Im here–”

She twisted suddenly, gripping another person ravaging another with a piece of wood, throwing them harshly to the ground she shoved them into a tightened hold. Reaching to tear a chain wrapped around a mail box off it’s hinges, she secured the two twitching, snarling people with a few well placed knots to their wrists. She moved swiftly, leaping up and out of the way from a swinging blade, gripping their forearms to pull them into her. Using their momentum to hold them down, shoving a knee into their back to tear at a piece of her shirt and secure their hands.

Katya’s smile was haunting in a way, because Tara couldn’t feel anything but anger and a small amount of fright which was busy keeping her still. The younger woman stopped everything just to stare at her smile for a moment – something about it was so calming. Her eyes turned from golden to dark brown again, and she felt the pain in her palms for squeezing her nails deep into her skin. The warm liquid flooded down her arms.

Her voice was calming, although she was in the middle of a fight. And although Tara felt like ripping her own chest open because of her anxious heartbeat and need to severely hurt someone, she stood still. She wanted to jump at Katya, to wrestle her to the ground and do whatever harm she could, no matter the consequences. But instead, she closed her eyes.

Tara felt the beast inside battling against her ribcage, and she felt ill. Trying to focus on what Katya was saying and nothing else, Tara tried to catch a glimpse of the feeling she had experienced by the river, in the woods. She imagined the water flowing calmly in front of her, the birds singing their song to her, the wind whispering it’s secrets quietly. And for a moment, she sunk into that. She forgot all about the anger, and the fighting, and the need to kill.

That was until she felt a cold, hard, fist on her cheek. Tara’s eyes shot open, the lids revealing the pure golden colour. There was no calm left in Tara. She could feel herself growing with her wolf, and she released a low, warning growl. But the human – a muscular young man, as far as she could see – was too close. And he reacted too slowly.

Tara launched forward just a little bit and shoved him hard, hitting his ribcage. The man hit the side of the road, whimpering. Pathetic. Tara wanted to finish him off, to stop the small noises he was making, to end all of it. But she stood still, locking her feet in place and not letting herself take another step.

[tarakeira-blog]

Animal Instinct || Tara & Katya

[tarakeira-blog]

katya-rhodes:

It was so reminiscent to how the witches attacked her old pack. The chaos, the uncertainty, and worse– the weapons. Grayson had made fun of her for being skilled in weaponry, but it had been a necessary evolution. Katya could be a fighter in hand to hand, in wolven form she was deadly, but among humans there was something important about being able to subdue and keep them alive at all costs. And sometimes that took clever handling than a mull of a paw.

The canister filled her lungs, and she pushed back away from it quickly, but the poison flooded the street, catching everyone in a trance of pure anger she detected to her soul. Katya trembled. Felt it seep under her skin like a demonic essence, though she remained poised, the eye of the storm caught in her control while all around her shrieked into mayhem. The warrior stood with a hardened gaze at Tara, feeling what she was feeling, the urge to phase and do real damage to everyone here was the obvious threat. They were the weapons in this trickery.

“Remember the woods–” she said seriously, the muscles in her neck straining, eyes alight in a golden hue. “Feel the ground. Let her give you control, use it as an anchor– a grounding as with electricity to what you feeling.”

The humans were clawing, and punching each other in groups. Noises familiar to the beast, what was happening something she’s seen before. Her heart ached.

“I have seen this– you can beat it,” it came out tightly herself, still not moving, her body groaning in protest to the anger she suffered with. Knowing how in tuned their beasts could be with emotions. Anger was fire. And fire Katya had a profound connection to it. She was suddenly forced to grip the wrist of a crazed human from hitting her face, twisting them around into a choke hold. Tightening her grip with a sharp release of breath before they passed out on the sidewalk. She remained crouched, eyes unwavering from Tara.

“Stay by my side, you have this–” she encouraged, though in the back of her mind knew if Tara lost it, she would have to do everything she could to stop her from hurting these people. The girl probably couldn’t handle such blood on her hands.

Tara had locked her golden eyes on Katya’s now, clenching her fists. Although her nails dig into her skin and little drops of blood popped out every once in a while, she kept staring. She focused on not her body, on her mind, trying to rid herself from the horrible craving in her chest. Tara didn’t blink, afraid of losing the slight control she had over her body if she didn’t concentrate even for a split second.

She tried to remember the feeling she had felt in the forest – the time she had been completely at peace with her self, entirely relaxed and calm. But she couldn’t feel a trace of it. All she could feel was the bombarding of emotions piling up inside of her, and she knew that it wouldn’t take long for her to change completely. The woman felt her fangs touching her lips, and she tried to blink away the golden eyes, but couldn’t.

Watching Katya fight the human made a low growl escape her mouth, and she felt herself changing even more. Keeping her eyes locked on Katya, she crouched and dug her hands into the ground, her whole body shaking. Trying to resist changing took a lot of effort, and so she had to pack all of her energy into trying to stay human.

But the gas kept on flowing into her lungs, and her already heightened senses only made things worse. She twitched her neck, soft growls escaping her mouth. She tried to avoid looking at the humans fighting, knowing she would only want to attack them more. But no matter how hard Tara tried, she eventually caught herself preparing her muscles for attack. Lowering her whole body towards the ground, the wolf targeted her eyes at a middle aged man who was swinging his fists at a teenaged boy. She froze.

“Katya I can’t. I can’t.” Ser words were only a mumble, and her voice was a weird kind of raspy because of the ongoing shift. “You have to stop me, if I...” She spoke quickly, as if the words were escaping her mouth.

Tara knew that if even one human were to touch her, she would kill them.

[tarakeira-blog]

“I’m in love with people who are in love with the world.” [click for bigger]

[tyler-fairview-blog]

Tyler & Tara || Your Beating Heart

[tarakeira-blog]

tyler-fairview:

Tyler was egotistical about most things in his life, and his desire to get what he wanted by any means possible was high up on that list. He could play the part of tall, dark and handsome…a stranger to sweep away countless women in heated kisses and expensive dinners. He could convince Armand to cut him some slack after fighting with Lenio’s in the park, and he could convince the butcher to pay him just a bit more than he usually did when he brought back meat from his hunts. With Tara, he felt content in giving her what she wanted. It had been apparent from their first meeting what she desired from him; he could smell that on her, a lust that was growing with each step they took down that street, and it was easy to fit into that role. As long as she kept looking at him like that, like he was the only boy in the world, then things would play out just fine.

Of course, he’d never admit that he actually enjoyed her company.

The jazz bar, known to Winlock as Jasper’s Lounge, was a high-class pub with the best music in town. It was filled with cigar smoke and the scent of sweet whiskey, and its occupants were the more established folk of Winlock that were older than Tyler and Tara. However, Tyler fit in well there; he loved the atmosphere and could listen to the saxophone all night. Being a Delta in Ultio gave him an added advantage, his privileged stemming from Armand. Tyler had his first legal drink there and remembered sharing the moment with his Alpha above all else.

Tyler approached the hostess and easily slipped her a twenty. “Reservation for Fairview, the regular if you don’t mind,”

With a nod the hostess lead them into the lounge, weaving around small round tables where couples were enjoying the new set on the stage at the back of the room. Off to the side, tucked away in the corner was an unoccupied semi-enclosed nook with a red booth. Tyler motioned for Tara to take a slid in first. “After you,”

When Tara stepped into the room, she let out a small gasp. It was barely audible, more like a sudden burst of air through her lungs. She had never seen this place before, and was therefore quite stunned. Tara had thought she knew every place in Winlock – whether it be a high class club or a dirty old pub, but she had never come across something quite so intriguing as the place she was now stood in.

Letting her eyes travel across the room, from the stage to the tables to the bar, she felt an excited smile form on her lips. She liked the place. There was something so mysteriously wonderful about the thin layer of smoke that surrounded every inch of her, and the soft groove of music in the background which pulsated smoothly into her ears, still without disturbing her thoughts. The steady mumbling was more than enough to make her feel at ease, and she felt herself relax even more.

As they walked to their booth, Tara started to have a feeling she had heard of the place before. It was definitely something she should have heard of, anyway. And although she felt maybe slightly too clean in a way, she fit in just fine, especially next to Tyler who seemed to be very familiar with the place. Tara slid inside the booth, feeling the soft velvet with her fingers and on the back of her thighs. The scents blended in nicely, and Tyler’s only made the combination better. She made room for him, but not too much, because she felt an urge to be as close to him as possible.

“This is a very nice place”, she declared. “I’ve never been here before. This must be quite an Ultio lounge, am I right? You seem to fit in so well – it’s almost like you grew up here.” Tara leaned in closer to him, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. She let her eyes drop down on Tyler’s lips, not even trying to hide her attraction anymore.

“So”, she continued, her eyes slowly making their way back into his eyes, carefully examining his face in more detail. “When are you going to tell me your secret?” It had become clear for her now that she wasn’t on this date because of the things Tyler hadn’t told her the last time they met. Sure, she had been very curious about it then, but now Tara had almost forgotten about it, still deciding to bring it back up. She always wanted to know more about people. Why would she want to miss an opportunity like this?

[tarakeira-blog]

Animal Instinct || Tara & Katya

It happened without a warning. Like someone pushing you into the water. After the push, there’s nothing to be done. The whole words stops, and all you can think about what happens after. You break the surface and feel the cold water on your spine, and you sink, and you sink, and you sink.

That’s how Tara felt on the night of full moon, when the small canister fell in front of her out of nowhere.

She and Katya had been sent to look for Leona Harvard in the city. The situation itself was quite odd for her, since she didn’t really know either of the women. She had seen Leona once – in a park, meditating. And out of boredom they had sat together and chatted. Tara hadn’t seen her since, nor had she really cared. There had been nothing wrong with the woman; it was just that Tara had been busy doing other things. When it came to Katya, Tara felt strange. The older woman had just taught her how to relax a couple nights back, and now they were seeing each other again, in an oddly different situation. But Tara had been quick to adapt, and had soon grown bored of the small trip – sure of the fact that they weren’t going to find anything. Therefore, when something finally happened, Tara actually felt her heart jolt up in excitement for a second.

The joy didn’t last long. Tara took a few steps closer to the canister, tilting her head curiously. Unfortunately, it was not until she was just inches away when she noticed what was actually going on. “Fuck”, she mumbled, quickly taking a few wavering steps back. “Fuck, Katya, don’t breathe the air. Hold your breath!” And as Tara stared at the small gas leak, she too tried to hold her breath. But because of the rush of adrenaline and the sloppy breath she had loaded her lungs with, she soon had to give up. Falling down on her knees, Tara gasped for air - that only made things worse.

She started to feel like someone was poking her insides with a stick, and the irritation only made her gasp for more air. But the more she breathed, the angrier she felt. Tara’s golden eyes shut as she let out a low growl, one that could mean nothing but the worst. Her fangs already touched her lips when she turned around to look for Katya.

[tarakeira-blog]

“Oh, I will. You’ll never see me coming, darlin’. You’ll be going about your day, all smily and happy. And then I’ma come out of nowhere and sweep you off your feet.” She winked, a strong Southern drawl leaking into her voice. She might’ve traveled all over the world, but she could never quite shake her accent. Especially when she found that usually chicks dig it. “You know I prefer the latter too, babe. I haven’t actually thought of a party, though. Been to busy freaking out. But, if you wanna go ahead and start making plans you are more than welcome to! As long as you promise me strippers and cake. Or strippers coming out of cake.”

"I love the way you think." Tara wasn't one to plan parties but right now the request turned out to make her very excited. Whether or not the party was actually going to happen, she was already imagining the spectacle of two strippers jumping out of a huge cake. "It's just so great. You officially being a Lenio." Tara smiled sweetly, looking at Marina. "And by the way, we seriously need to start hanging out more. I'm serious." She stopped walking for a while, pointing her index finger at her with faked seriousness. Then letting out a laugh, she wrapped her arm around Marina's waist. "No but really, I've missed you."

[seth-verona-blog]

Friction - Seth&Tara

[tarakeira-blog]

seth-verona:

Seth clenched his jaw. Eyes wild in golden richness and sudden gut wrenching despair. He hated her for taking those drugs, for drinking so much, for not caring about him in this social environment. Seth had trusted her to take care of him here, it was a vulnerability he rarely had a chance to allow between people, and Tara beyond ruined it. Maybe she knew, through the haze of whatever was happening to her she knew she had fucked up. That Seth couldn’t help but want to hurt everyone here over this happening moment because she was the only person here that mattered.

His angry exterior was a front. Mean creases around his forehead and deep creviced frown lines contorted his face. Holding his gaze onto her face with a predatory intensity. Internally begging her to not let him push away, fingers twitching to hook her wrist. Hearing her tell him he would be fine, that he could do this, that they would have fun she promised.

“Fine–” he said deepily. The pain more than evident in his tone. Seen blow up and over his features as if the one word broke past the angry walls he was attempting to keep up so she wouldn’t actually hurt him. But she had. He knew she needed help, that she was in pain, and he wanted to stay with her. Maybe curl up with her in the grass and let the world fade away a bit, but Tara had to worry about herself because he couldn’t do this. It was too much, the party still too loud. The threat of someone bothering him. The scents overwhelming his head until he felt nauseous. With out her anchor to reality here and now, there was no room for her to care about him, and in that he was lost. 

With a shove off the ground he was gone seconds after. Walking quickly towards the farm with a determined strut to not phase and unleash the awful anger and betrayal threatening to unload on someone unexpecting. Instead sinking inward, drifting quietly. Taking a mental step back.

Seth’s eyes alone were almost capable of breaking the wall between them – the wall Tara had built in just seconds because of stupid mistakes and misunderstandings and uncontrollable feelings. And when he spoke, Tara felt the top of her wall crumble down rapidly. Her face became soft for a few seconds, replacing the cold exterior, and all she wanted to do was wrap him up in a hug and tell him that she would never leave, as long as he wanted her there.

No. She lifted her chin up and corrected her posture, even though it hurt. And she looked him dead in the eyes, not letting any more emotions leak out from behind the curtain of lies. Tara stared straight ahead and used every little ounce of energy left in her to keep her cool. And when Seth left, Tara let out a deep breath, dropping down on her knees. The collision sent radiative pain to her limbs, but she didn’t care. She threw her head back, finally letting tears fall down on her face.

I fucked it all up. He’s never going to forgive me. Fuck, it hurts.

The drugs made her feel dizzy, and maybe it was a good thing because after a few minutes she couldn’t feel much. So, she got up and started her long walk towards home. She didn’t cry at all anymore, because she had ran out of liquid. Her eyes stared out to nothing and her legs worked without a single thought, and every once in a while she fell down only to get back up slowly. She was a dead flower in the night, and her petals were no longer there, and her thorns had been ripped out. But all she could think about was fixing everything she had broken.

[katya-rhodes-blog]

Watch Your Back | Katya&Tara

[tarakeira-blog]

katya-rhodes:

“Yes a witch, and no, the forest told be to run away from everything. Not just that fight– that night I grabbed my two boys and fled to Winlock. Left everyone behind because I knew were doomed if I had stayed,” she sighed lightly, digging her nails into the rich soils near the waters edge. “That is a very big question.” Her smile was welcoming though, lifting her hooded gaze back to the young wolf.

“She goes by many names, Gaia, Mother Earth. Mother Goddess,” Kayta sme

ared the cooling soil onto her palms. “She is the Mother of all life. Found in the brightness of the moon, to the colors in the sky at sunrise, to the sounds of the ocean. The spirits allow her to speak to you, they can take on many forms, or none at all. Fairies in those myths could be best to describe what spirits forms could appear as. And in time she will aid you– why? That is the most simple question you have asked today– because she loves you. She loves all her children.”

At the next question she laughed a huffed pleasant noise, “ah– well. You will find I am hard to annoy, because I am usually right about things.” It would be the simple answer, and Katya maybe at the time of her arrival would have thought bitten wolves running a mock was actually ‘cursed’ beings over gifted ones. But after discovering herself in this town, in taking all she believed and reshaping it in an eye opening experience there was no other way to see it but a positive one.

“It came to no surprise, I can usually sniff bitten homid breasts out. But that is because I am from an all lupus born pack. It isn’t about me being better. But there is a difference. We are born with the spirit of the wolf inside us, from the very moment those cells divide in the womb. You were gifted with the power of the beast through blood, and bite. The goddess allowed you to have it because you could all along. I believe truly that there are many humans who can wield supernatural powers, some find that path. Others never know it. But if you are before me a wolf– a Garou. Then why ever would I be annoyed? We are kindred.”

The way Katya talked calmed Tara’s nerves, and she took a deep breath. She felt more secure in her own body somehow, like someone had told her she wasn’t sick. “Thank you”, she sighed without really thinking about it, thanking the woman for being so objective about the situation. Tara had never before even thought she had a problem with not being lupus born until now. And now that the situation had been dealt with, she could rest easy. “That actually means a lot. I never knew how strongly I felt about this.”

She crossed her arms, staring into the lake and trying to find the peace inside of her again. But it didn’t happen. Instead, her gaze kept wondering, and if she closed her eyes, her hearing only distracted her. She kept changing her position, and finally she jumped up, fiddling with the hem of her dress. Letting out a deep sigh, she let her head fall back. When she looked at the stars, she remembered what she was doing in the forest to begin with. She looked at Katya, her heartbeat growing faster. The younger woman started to feel a need to leave. Maybe it was the amount of information that had been brought on her, maybe it was the fact that she could not concentrate anymore, or maybe it really was because of Kai.

“I should probably get going. Kai wouldn’t like me chatting all night.” Tara collected her hair on a bun, tightening it with an elastic. “I was actually supposed to be doing something useful.” She only realized her tone after a few seconds, quickly rushing to explain. “I mean, this was terribly useful for me. But I don’t think Kai would appreciate it. I uh—“ Tara’s lips curled into a warm smile as she looked at the woman who had made her feel safer in her own skin. “Thank you, really. I actually found all of your stories very entertaining, which doesn’t happen too often. And for that listening thing…” She took another glance at the water. “Thanks for that, too. I have a feeling I’m going to do it again sometime soon.”