[ P ] Fading Pawprints

It isn't enough to start a riot, distort the light beam until I like me

Slender limbs tasted the lapping tongue of the tide and a shudder eclipsed the length of her spine as the biting chill of nightfall crept beneath the strands of her fur and sunk into the marrow of her bones. Old injuries, bits of scar tissue that were gnarled and calloused gave a dull ache at the abrupt change of temperature but instead of shying from the bite as most would, she stubbornly maintained it, willing her body to learn some goddamned respect and to accept the biting harshness of the chill. Her mouth slid open, ivory fangs glinting in the moonlight as her skull bowed and her delicate tongue slid from her jaws to sample the crystalline waters. Another chill swept the length of her spine and she steadfastly ignored it, hating the way the chilly water settled in her stomach like a lead weight. A pity she needed the damned element to survive. She took her fill, skull lifting to survey the glittering sky and only when her body settled, accepting the cold did she turn and abandon the still lake. Her golden eyes flickered, glittering in the darkness both sharp and attentive.

Her earthen-hued frame swept along the shoreline, hunting, scouring, seeking. She looked instinctively for signs of life and then subsequently anywhere she could presumably hide or use as a barrier to the outside world. She’d been raised for a singular purpose and subconsciously she embodied it. Doll hated the way her brain worked, loathed the fact that her mother still had talons rooted in her brain like barbed fishing hooks but she couldn’t deny the way it had salvaged her life time and time again. Her claws scraped into the clay-like dirt with something akin to irritation and her tail twitched, a banner held in a position of cautious intrigue and curiosity. She could taste the perfume of another intermingling with the water and the drenched soil. Doll never hunted for interactions but living creatures held information and knowledge that the ground couldn’t portray. As the figure came into view, a massive brute of a male, she felt her hormones instinctively respond but she repressed baser impulses harshly. She might be controlled by the ideals and training instilled within her but she refused to be a whore just because it was breeding season. Her tail twitched the fur dragging just enough against the soil to be a grounding sensation. Pure focus and keen determination… Doll moved closer. "Leisure or a hunt?" Silken, smooth and sharp, Doll’s voice was neither invasive nor passive but her posture remained anything but docile.




"When I'm dreaming tonight I can do anything, I can be anyone so don't wake me up."

"Leisure or a hunt? chimed a voice that pulled him from his distracting thoughts. Sinclair had been walking aimlessly, as he tended to do, not paying attention to who or what was around him. He glanced down at the woman, his brow furrowed as he peered at her with an empty look in his violet eyes for what seemed like the longest time. "Uh. Niether," he grunted. He probably should hunt, he could use the food. His sunken figure and rumbling stomach made that much obvious. He sniffed, turning to face her more fully. She was a little thing, covered in earthen tones but with bright eyes that reminded him of fire. He'd had a fire in him once...

"What do you want?" he asked, unsure of why she had approached. He wasn't exactly a friendly looking wolf, or so he thought. The scars that marred his face and legs were a good indicator. "Didn't your mom teach you not to talk to strangers? I could be dangerous," he added, blinking and tilting his head to the side. What had brought her to him? She was lucky she'd approached when he was him and not something else entirely.

It isn't enough to start a riot, distort the light beam until I like me

Doll surveyed the brutish male before her as he turned to face her, paying no attention to those amethyst eyes in lieu of taking stock of his frame. She studied the sharp contours of muscle, the curvature of claws and the bulk of his body. Was he in shape? Was he obese? Were his claws well taken care of or were they shredded and cracked without care? Were his teeth ivory and strong or caked with tartar and plague? Was his coat well groomed or a gnarled mess? What seemed inconsequential to some, told Doll a great deal about her target and only when she was satisfied did her gaze finally return to his. “That narrows the field considerably.” A vague answer but perhaps he came out for a fight? “You look like you could use a bite though.” Whether she meant a prey animal or a pound of flesh stolen from her own hide was largely up for debate. Doll’s mental stability had never been classified as normal… not that this creature knew that. She feigned normalcy remarkably well.

“Many things, very few I doubt a stranger could help me with but one never knows until they try. I’m looking for a male white wolf who smells like dirt and wildflowers with yellow eyes and a pension for those of the same gender. Have you encountered such a creature?” Doll responded dutifully and while she registered the scars she could see poking through his fur, they were only a reflection of her own. You’d be hard pressed to find a patch of flesh she possessed that wasn’t gnarled or calloused in scars… her fur just hid them better. At his implication that she was young and naive, Doll supposed she could have been offended but she found herself only amused. “My mother… taught other people to stay away from me.” There was no threat in her tone, Doll didn’t need to posture to know she was dangerous.





"When I'm dreaming tonight I can do anything, I can be anyone so don't wake me up."

While her assumption was true, he did not care to sate his hunger at this moment. He was still trying to collect himself from such an intensive blackout that he had no interest in food whatsoever. However, she was quick to move onto questioning him about some guy. He shrugged and shook his head. "I do my best to stay away from others. I haven't... uh, been here for the past few weeks. So if I passed him by I wouldn't remember anyway." he said. He was also probably dead, or grievously injured...

His gaze refocused on her last comment, a threat it would seem. He looked her up and down in what could be seen as mild amusement. A soft, curt hum escaped his lips and he just shrugged again. "I'm sure." he murmured. His mother... well, she thought she'd taught him well but apparently he just wasn't a good learner because that had ended with his fangs around her throat. He swallowed the lump forming in his chest and shook the thoughts of her horrified face from his mind. He hated when she snuck up on him in that way; he wanted to remember her when she was beautiful and not when he had ruined that. He cleared his throat and turned away from her. "I can't help you, sorry." he grumbled before attempting to walk away.

A sound of brief amusement trickled from Doll’s jaws and her tail flickered between her thighs. A lone wolf, how utterly original. The bemusement of her thoughts never translated to the air around her, but she didn’t hesitate to move closer. If there was fear to be found in the slender female, it would be buried between sinew and bone, lost to some malformed crevice. Nothing was more terrifying than the monstrosity that birthed her… and the grotesque scar tissue hidden beneath her layer of fur was more than a testament to that. She might look beautiful but her fur hid a monstrosity of abuse. “Presumption says it was a long shot but insipid sentiment dictates I ask.” Doll drawled low in response. She didn’t crave pain or violence, she just didn’t shy from it.

Doll could see the moment he underestimated her, took her word to be bluster and nothing more but such a reaction was customary and common. She was a female with a slender, slight build and no one ever really believed that she could fight. Doll never saw a reason to correct their falsified assumptions… why would she? Should violence become a necessity she wanted her opponent to underestimate her, it gave her an instantaneous upper hand and she cared nothing of honor. She was a survivor not a knight of yore preaching morality. “Fair enough though you should be cautious of who you offer your spine too. To one of lesser control, to claim it would be a tempting offer.” Doll rumbled and twisted, aiming to slither back into the shadows. She had no need to pursue a wolf that could not help her obtain her purpose.