[ P ] Running Up That Hill

As she headed to Ayr to embark on another journey across the sea, she stopped to look at the jagged cliffs that led up to the Aerie. She had never been there but maybe someday she would go and find herself a bird of her own. The idea was interesting to say in the least, much more so than her bore of a life currently. She looked away from the pathways that led up the mountainside and towards the rolling foothills that led home and into the forest of Maiden's Braid -- her home. But it wasn't feeling like home lately. She had done some wandering and met some wolves and now she was feeling rather unsettled in her life. She felt like this feeling would have come to her eventually anyway but it was only expedited because she wanted to feel alive. Tae chased adrenaline like a hardened drug user; but it was hard to find new thrills that kept it pumping. Jumping the braid had become a bore so now she was journeying far from home, across the sea, and exploring placed she'd never been to and talking to wolves with lives very different from her own. It was quite the literal leap but who was there to stop her? She had nobody to listen to, just herself. She had been alone since she was a child, pretty much and that was growing boring too. With a huff she settled onto her haunches for a rest, finding that her heart was hammering in her chest after traversing the rougher terrain here. She would make it to the boats by nightfall and be off to the Hinterlands by morning, or so she hoped. ...

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**warning of triggering thoughts**

His lungs had improved since his time in jail, a gift from the nurse who had helped him against her better judgment. Though he knew she was likely the reason he’d made it to his trial, he refrained from thanking her. Malachi expressed his gratitude in other ways—ways she had turned down. He found it best to move on, to accept her efforts and continue pushing forward. It was what drove him deeper into the Hinterlands, hoping to find a boat. He was more than willing to set sail in the dead of night, to explore these new lands and their inhabitants.

As he reached the top of the hill, he saw someone sitting alone, staring out over the horizon and into the open expanse. She seemed lost in thought, reminding him of his own solitary moments, consumed by his own mind. Malachi took a sharp breath before approaching her, settling down just a few feet away, indifferent to how his proximity might affect her. If she reacted with hostility, so be it—he would retaliate in kind. But if she was comfortable with him there, perhaps they could find common ground, and useless conversation.

"Not contemplating a jump, are you?" he asked, assuming she understood the dark undertone of his question. If she was indeed considering such a thing, he had a follow-up query. "If so—mind if I watch? I’m curious about how the body responds to sudden impact. Do you splatter, or disintegrate?"His lips curled into a sinister smirk as his orange eyes fixed on her.

Your move.

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She hadn't noticed him at first, even when he pulled up nearby to sit down. It wasn't until he spoke that she whirled on him, her fur bristling and her eyes wild. The surprise in them was clear, but it wasn't fear that lit her gaze. She listened to his words and pulled out a toothy grin before shaking her head and gazing back up the mountainside. "You'd probably disintegrate if you jumped from a high enough place" she declared in a matter o' fact tone. "Splat!" she exclaimed, turning her head towards him and laughing. "If you jumped too low." Some might find talk like this morbid, but Tae didn't care either way. She had no manners to speak of being raised by the wilds practically. I'm not stupid enough to jump where there is no water, but man what a jump that would be." she said as she picked a paw up and whistled all the way down the mountainside till she crashed it down onto the ground again with a hard slap. She turned again then, to face this mystery man and tilted her head curiously. "I've jumped the braid, have you?" she questioned. Only one soul she knew was brave enough to join her in that jump and she hadn't heard from him in quite a while. She wondered if he'd perished to some other free-falling catastrophe or if he was just... busy. She hated how lonely it made her seem that she was just dying for someone to visit her. Now she had... she eyed him. "And what was your name? I'm Tae." she added. ...

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She was offput by him at first, but quickly regained her traction on the conversation as she began to speak. She dove headfirst into the topic, noting that a body would likely disintegrate from a high enough place; if not, it would probably be an uncomfortable fall. As she spoke, he listened intently, his eyes locked on the curve of her lips and the brightness of her eyes. If he had to guess, he would assume she was younger than him, his eyes brimming with a dangerous vitality.

"Have you?" he asked, feigning intrigue. "A thrill-seeker, it seems," he added, tapping his paw against his chin as he rose to his full height. His gaze grew dangerously grim as it fixed on her face.

"Can't say I have, though I prefer other methods of fun. Perhaps more so for me than for you," his tone grew icy. "Malachi. Best you remember it," he mused, curious about how well she followed directions, and whether her instincts were sharp enough to sense the danger staring her down. "I'll give you five seconds to run," he growled, the thrill of the chase igniting a shiver down his spine. His paws drummed against the solid earth beneath him as he began counting. "One," such a pretty face, "two," he only imagined how she would taste, "three..." it would be fun, she would see, "four, unless of course she was a bore.

"Five...."

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At his question, she nodded her head proudly. Jumping the braid was her biggest feat yet and she'd not been able find a thrill that quite met it since. Her ears twitched as he called her a thrill-seeker and seemed to be contemplating something. Tae tilted her head curiously, wondering if he would come up with something she hadn't tried before. And he did, just not in the way she'd expected. "Can't say I have, though I prefer other methods of fun. Perhaps more so for me than for you," Her brow furrowed at this but she made no move to get up and leave. What was that supposed to mean anyway? He finally offered a name and then... he told her to run. Drawn to his full height she could see he was a bit larger than herself and probably a better fighter too, but that didn't really cross her mind as she noted the dangerous look in his eye and met it with a curious stare of her own. She wasn't quite catching onto this 'game' of his at first. What was she supposed to be running from...? He began to count menacingly as he stalked towards her and adrenaline kicked into her body as the fur along her spine shot up. Her brow raised as she realized she was suppose to run from him. Tae wondered if she should call his bluff but then again, what would happen if she did? She didn't want to get hurt... she jumped to her paws at four and spun around and shot of by five. She sailed over the grassy plains like a bat outta hell -- would his large form even be able to catch up to her? A fire pumped through her veins and kept her legs moving but there was no fear written on her face, only joy and anticipation. ...

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She waited a long time before finally sprinting away, a poor decision considering she would have had a better head start if she had begun sooner. Malachi gave her a final moment before taking off after her, his gaze locked on the back of her form as she twisted and wove through the rocks and boulders that littered the mountain plains. He had no intention of truly hurting her, but the longer she ran, the more adrenaline pumped through him, and his mind began to wander into inappropriate, unknown territory.

He drew closer, often cutting through spots to shorten the distance. Malachi had done this too many times; he knew he wouldn’t catch her in a straight shot. He had to cut her off, but he also had to bide his time. Ahead, he spotted a stretch she was following, and quickly dipped left over the hill, intending to use the downward momentum for a final burst of speed.

Watching her from above, he made a sharp right and began his descent down the hill, his gaze fixed on her. His paws thudded against the ground in a loud rhythm, his tongue lolling out of the side of his jaws until he was close enough to keep pace with her. With the last of his stamina, he surged forward, hoping to knock her off her feet and send her rolling. If he succeeded, he would quickly follow, pinning her to the ground and hovering over her with his much larger form. From this position, not only did he feel powerful, but he could also bask in the intensity of her beauty up close.

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Tae sailed over the grassy plains with ease, adrenaline coursing through her viens as she pumped her legs to go even faster. She didn't think she could be caught because she was fast and so the fear never really registered in her brain as she moved. She didn't dare look back with how fast she was going, knowing that if she did that would be the prime time for some trip hazard to crop up in her pathway and take her down. She kept her eyes on the road ahead but then something caught her attention. Her ears angled back as she heard the heavy thudding of paws behind her. No way! she thought before she was crashed into by the larger man. Their bodies rolled together and she tumbled to the ground, ending up on her back with him above her and she stared up at him, chest heaving and eyes wide in amazement that he'd been able to catch her. She showed no fear as she gazed up at him, her amber eyes burning as her lips curved into a smile. "Now what?" she asked breathlessly. She wasn't sure what had prompted him to play this game with her in the first place, or if he was entirely dangerous but she was unfortunately now at his mercy -- not that that was really registering with her just yet. She was not afraid of him, not yet anyway. She was a thrill seeker, a risk taker... fear did her no good. It had no place in her life. She tucked her chin in slightly and folded her paws against her chest as it stopped heaving so much so she could breathe properly. She offered him a small smile, her ears flicking slightly as she contemplated giving him a good kick to the gut to get him to back off but... she refrained, from now, if only because she was curious about what he would do next. ...

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mature themes.

As he stood, hovered over her, he used the time to appreciate the finer details of her features. Her colors were almost as close as him besides the white that coated over her, and the intensity of her orange eyes demanded the same attention. She was smaller, many were, but there was something else about her that drew him in. For everything he was, for the fear that many others showed him, she showed none. She did not cower in his presence, but she also did not challenge him or his authority. Tae was a perfect blend of subtle, yet daring. Malachi was intrigued.

Now what? she tucked herself close into her body, catching her breath as she offered him a soft smile. Malachi felt something flutter in his chest, an emotion that must have been buried deep within him. He regained his composure and a dark smirk tugged against his lips as he drew his muzzle closer. He wanted to smell her, so deeply that he would be able to burn her into memory and taste her on his tongue.

His cold nose drew over the embers of her fur, lining against her cheek if she would let him. He inhaled a slow, steadied breath before he whispered softly into her ear. "The things I would do to you," vague, and left up to her imagination. Tae seemed only a couple years young than him, but her spirit still seemed to be growing, fragile, moldable. The fact that she seemed to fear so little was the most intriguing thing about her, it made her capable, dangerous even. Perhaps he could take her hand, and walk her down the same dark path he'd been introduced to. With a short laugh he backed off and away from her, allowing her to regain her own composure of her four paws against the ground. "Tell me Tae," he began, his baritones hinted with darkness, "what do you fear?" Everyone feared something, he was curious what her answer would be.

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As he hovered over her, she stared up into his eyes. They were not quite the same shade of orange as hers, more of a red if she were being particular. They were mesmerizing and alluring, but she didn't quite know how to feel about those thoughts as she stared up at him. She'd never been interested in anyone before but the proximity of their bodies and the look in his eyes told her that something had shifted between them. His gentle whispers were only a confirmation of that and they sent a shiver down her spine. She was left to wonder just what he meant by that as he backed away before turning to face her again, this time asking her what she feared. She rolled onto her belly and stood up, her ears tilted back as she eyed him. "Boredom," she said flatly. There was little she feared, but that was probably first in line. She hated being bored, it gave her an anxiety like no other. It was why she chased such thrills and sought adventures instead of sitting at home doing nothing. "What do you fear, Malachi?" she asked, stepping closer so that their bodies touched again. She only brushed her shoulder against his but the jolt she felt from doing that was enough to spark her interest. She turned her chin up to look at him, her amber eyes wide with curiosity. ...

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The more he spoke to her the more he could see how simple she was. It was a breath of fresh air to be in the presence of someone who knew enough about themself, not quite confidence, but sureness. The edges of his dark lined lips curled into a smirk at her response, nodding in agreement before she turned to ask him what it was he feared. As she did so she stepped closer, touching his shoulders as the darker furs parted to embrace her touch. He could feel his skin burn there while his eyes locked into her equally intense gaze. Malachi took a moment to ponder her question, did he fear anything? His immediate thought lingered back to Murrough and the time he thought he lost his best friend. That fear, however, turned into something much darker and more sinister. It detached him from his sense of understanding that consequences did have actions. It was the reason he ended up in that cell, but he would do it all again.

"Attachment," he admitted to her just as flatly, though his eyes did not once trail from hers. Malachi didn't mind laying that card on the table, he was not so dense to admit that he was not superior even if he did act like it. He was aware that he was not untouchable, but he didn't fear consequence—and that was the problem.

In the small time spent with Tae he found himself interested in her history, taking note that her behavior was unlike anything he was use to. Even when he tried to shake her she stood against his resolve, as if she didn't know what fear actually was. Boredom was very low on the tipped scale of things she could actually worry about. "Walk with me," he did not ask as he moved from her, expecting she would make it by his side.

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