Child of the Waves

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King of the Coast, Kerberos

Gaze lingered with a hunger that could not be denied when he realized he would have her. It was enough to invoke a shudder to roll down his spine, and he arched momentarily like a cat that had been stroked. The shock of her disposition slapped into him for a moment, but his tail lifted and he shifted amicably aside, lifting a paw as his ears swiveled on his head. She was intelligent enough not to face his wrath so soon, and once again he offered her the softest of expressions. The best he could manage, as it stood.

His body shifted away, and his head turned. They would take a fair back to get back to the Keep, but he wagered that was unnecessary. Perhaps he would take her to his winter home, although the icy waters would be still beckoning at the back. Thankfully, during the winter months it froze around the area, the rocks were close enough to still the waters. The ocean may never have been passable to a new far away land, but he balanced himself through the waters and ice enough to be content. It caused him to feel unreachable, because the ice was bound to make those who attempted to approach slip.

"Very wise." Encouragement rolled off his lips before he could stop himself, and the male shifted to start away. Confidence, it seemed, was definitely not his weak point. While she could have turned and sprinted away, he would be following along in a short moment. The promise that had laced his voice when he commented he would chase her down was something he was more likely to keep than the harm. "Tell me your name, then." Readily his voice lapsed back into conversation, rolling like the waves.

"Where are you from?" Conversation beckoned him greedily, paws shuttered over the rocks as he shifted them lightly off the course, and his tail lashed in the air. He looked like an irritated cat, and that likely would have been considered appropriate, and his mouth twisted. "I was born here, myself, this wretched coast the reason I've taken every breath."

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It was done. The finality of the situation caused her heart to fracture and crack, but she forced herself to stay together. Maybe there would be a good explanation for it. Maybe he was a good enough fellow when he felt safe in having gotten his way. He hadn't hurt her yet, and though his presence terrified her, she figured that would ease off over time. His words wrapped around her like a cloak, his praise feeling sticky in her ears. It felt ill-deserved, and yet that is what she would receive. The click of nail upon rock informed her that he was on the move, and she lifted her head to watch him move away. With a soft exhalation, she bid goodbye to whatever her future could have been, and stepped after him.  She let him follow, pulling herself together now that matters were taken out of her paws. She scanned their route for landmarks; ways that she could remember their route by. "I am known as Namiko" she answered him dutifully, her name rolling off her tongue like the white horses on the ocean. "Child of the waves" she added softly, almost as an afterthought. She had always thought that the names given spontaneously by a mother to her offspring was more than just coincidence. She was her name-sake, and she gathered Kerberos would have a fair bit in common with the ancient legends her ancestors had told of. They moved on, the exercise getting her blood circulating nicely and warming her slightly. His next question laced the air, and she was cautious on how she answered it. Maybe her family had moved on, maybe her - alpha, owner, guardian....? - had already found them. Whichever it was, she thought it best to leave them out of the story as best as possible. "I was born and raised a little further inland from the coast" she started, her measured tones hiding the spinning of her mind. "I would travel down to the water often though - something no-one really understood. I left their ranks just over 5 seasons ago." She grew silent for a moment, thinking back on pack life and how little she'd missed it. "I've enjoyed living down here in peace ever since. The sea-lions were pleasant company if I ever got lonely."  She listened to his own story, wondering vaguely how she had managed to avoid even crossing the tracks of Kerberos' gathering. True, it was a long stretch of coastline, but still. She listened to his words with enough interest, storing away the meagre bits of information he had handed her. "I always found the coast had its own charm, though I suppose you chafe at the boundary it poses. " "Speech"

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King of the Coast, Kerberos

Patience was never his strong suit, but apparently it proved that he survived on the pleasure of committing deeds that would displease him. His eye stared hungrily over the coast, and he moved without needing to glance down. No, it bothered him that he was forced to take prisoners. On the other hand, none ever seemed particularly willing. To be forced into the servitude as a female was never to be desired, however it was a necessary evil. His eye glanced back at the female when she announced her name.

"And so you shall always be, Namiko." Calm words tickled out of his throat as he relieved himself from the duty of idly watching her. Tail continued to sway back and forth, and his pleasure brimmed at the mention her name meaning. How appropriate that she become one of his sea wenches, it caused him to chuckle hoarsely. Oh, fate was a fickle thing - he wagered his father, Zarek, had something to do with this development.

Kerberos accepted the words with a sharp nod, listening honestly on what she offered. What a change in scenery it must have been, to be lured into the comfort of the hold. The waves beckoned, it had lured many to their death over time. It was something the male had grown accustomed to, the things that washed up on the rocks startled the soul. Laughter bubbled out of his mouth, and he considered what it meant. "Inland! Well darling no wonder you are not so clever about the sea life, although you've been in the waters for a fair time."

As he rubbed himself against the larger stones, glazing himself over the works, he considered all that could have been discussed. "My father, Zarek, destined for me to be on the coast." Eyes glanced back over his shoulder, and the fierce grin startled himself as he offered it to the female behind him. "His way to the path to hell lays just not far from here. Perhaps I'll bring you there at some point, it is my heartland of this coast. Nothing touches me deeper."

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She moved along quietly, taking care of where she placed her paws. She didn't want to trip and make a spectacle of herself. Kerberos seemed to think females a danger to be left running loose if he was rounding them all up. The last thing she wanted to do was provide him with factual evidence for his beliefs. "That's a little harsh" she countered, giving the male a sidelong glance. "I was evidently clever enough not to get eaten or drowned over the past year." She was careful not to be argumentative. She was too tired to get into  a debate now, and she felt Ker only had a certain amount of patience before he exploded on the tip of a hat. She listened to him talk of his father in reverence. There was such a note of longing and awe that she felt chills run down her spine. From a gut instinct, this father was the cause of Ker's fractured mind. There could be no other explanation for the adoration the broad male held for his father. As far as she was concerned, her father had been around for teaching the basics of wolf life...but he'd been no different that her mother.  "I don't think I want to see the road to hell" she commented honestly, a note of anxiety in her tunes. She didn't think far enough to see she might upset his sensibilities at not immediately sharing his enthusiasm...but there were some things she just couldn't condone. Embarking on the road to hell, be it physically or metaphorically was definitely on that list of 'do not do'.  They moved on in silence, and she was beginning to wonder when they would arrive. She didn't say anything, though. Perhaps he wanted to take a long route to tire her out before hiding her in whatever den he made himself. Not that she was going to run now. Nor tomorrow. "If you are taking a long route to home in order to tire me out, you needn't bother." She spoke to break the silence that was becoming a little oppressive. She didn't like walking into the unknown. "I can assure you that I'll not try to run tonight." "Speech"

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King of the Coast, Kerberos

The negativity that she carried on her was expected, not respected however, as it labelled him with quite the bad impression. If only she realized what a joy she could potentially become, then he would have favoured her with boyish grins and better hope for the future. She had been cowed by him easily enough, that kept his hope on the right side of things. Holding out for a better answer, he turned his head faintly in his walk and eyed her.

"Luck," Soft, hoarse voice grumbled, "Is not the same as cleverness. Sheer stupidity can still bring luck, my dove.” There was a away he said the words that caused him to pause. His head tipped to the side, and he offered a side long glance out to the waters. It caused him to grin for a moment as he played over the memory, the mere faces that he had watched and never saved as they had been taken by the ocean. For those who never learned, they would never survive until the bitter end. It was something to keep in mind.

His paws shifted though, and he wandered in a new direction, seemingly changed his mind. "I know you’re exhausted, but I am debating where to take you.” Words huffed, tail slashing behind him for a moment as he considered his options. Kerberos had never been well socialized, never brought up in being able to understand all his world around him and how it interacted. Instead, he had been born a single pup when his mother had sworn there was three. The fact that he had eaten them in the womb had caused his mother to be fearful from the first day onward, although it had never been his fault.

”You'll come to understand, little wave,” His voice offered reassurance. His body twisted as the rocks started up an incline, and he followed it almost carelessly. His body arched, and he scrambled faintly at a few points, but always made sure that he turned back. He managed to wait for her, almost thoughtfully, as if she might get hurt. It plagued him the thought, even while her training plan commenced in his head. She would have to learn to better understand the water, perhaps he would have to give her to his Warlock.

The frown dipped over his features at the notion, and his head twisted toward the sky. "My father brought you here to me,” His words dripped with softness. His features softened in tune with it, almost reverent as he pinned his eyes on the passed clouds. "It was a gift straight from the very realm he now rules, and thus, you will be protected. I have claimed you, thus, you need not fear.”

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She snorted elegantly in reply to his words, but thought better than to answer back. They had determined on the shore that he wasn't good at arguing. She now had the idea that no-one bothered to argue with him, for sake of their sanity or life or both. Still, it wasn't only due to luck that she'd survived the ocean on so many occasions. The water liked her, she was sure of it. It was a breathing body; perhaps not living in the correct sense, but definitely alive with a sort of sentience. There had been times where the wind had whipped the cold waters up into a fury and, despite her formidable swimming skills, she had been at risk of drowning. Yet it had never happened. She'd always been deposited back on the rocks, gently enough that she only caught the odd scratch or bruise. "The water looks after me, call it fortune or idiocy on my behalf as you wish" she spoke as an afterthought, too busy concentrating on the path to watch his expression. His words didn't fill her with much hope, and she glared down at the narrow path they were travelling. She was exhausted, though her pride wouldn't allow her to show him that. She knew how to play her cards safe at the moment, but she wasn't about to let him trample all over her. Instead, she huffed a deep sigh and plodded along behind him. The rocks grew increasingly looser as the ground sloped steeply upwards. For once, she regretted leaving life in the pack. She'd been in far better shape there, going out on the group hunts and helping patrol their territory. Life on her own had consisted of much aimless wandering and many hours fishing...because that was one of the few ways for a single wolf to gain food.  The endearment echoed in her mind. Little wave...Little wave...Little wave, soft and insistent like the ocean's gentle caresses on the shoreline. It soothed her in a way she hadn't thought possible, the tension easing from her shoulders and she hauled herself up the incline. She let the talk of his father go over her head - she was too worn to try and wrap her head around the matter at the moment. Given the adoring note to his tunes, she gathered she'd be hearing more of this monster in the near future. "Only fools do not know the wisdom of fear" she answered back, forcing her tired paws to keep up with his longer strides. A lack of fear made one reckless, and no matter how strong or powerful you were, Nature would always have the final say. It was reassuring to know that all things were finite, that those who murdered and tortured for fun would face their comeuppance in due course. "For now, perhaps" she agreed, craning her head upwards to stare into the eye that looked so cold, and yet so similar to her own. "But even you will be powerless when Death calls me home." She smiled at the thought, a brightness igniting her tired gaze. "Only she can claim me fully, and when she does, I'll welcome her gladly."  "Speech"

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King of the Coast, Kerberos

When his climb was completed, the male found himself peering down back toward the water. A stab of longing whispered for him to return down to where the water beckoned, but instead he turned back away. His thoughts shifted restlessly, and eventually he found his paws entering a small crevice in between some of the larger stones. The den, personalized to his needs as much as mother nature would allow him, called him greedily.

It never occurred to him that he would have lost her in that moment, even while he wiggled out of sight. Oh, he took the few moments needed to take in her words, but he decided it was not important. There would be time to mull over the situation in time, and perhaps her argument would be better suited for another day. While the back and forth bashed the proverbial skull against the wall, he found himself pleased that she would hold to what she suffered.

"Pleasure as it is," Voice softened on the air and his tail swished from one side to the other. His eye turned and found her as it adjusted to the lighting, waiting for her to join him. "You've earned your right to rest, Namiko." Brutish words announced, his voice once again that giving tone. He was giving her permission to relax, to take some time to adjust to it.

It was going to be a long night, and his head tipped to the side as he studied her. Being owned was frightening at first, but he reckoned she would get used to it. Yes, it was inevitable. There would be adjustment, rejection of the notion, and then the slow drag of acceptance. The smile graced his features fleetingly, before he dropped to the ground restlessly. Unconcerned where she positioned herself, even as the male offered a wide yawn.