Story Clips

[TalaLakota]

Aella took a deep breath and then started to pace across their room and playing with her hair, common habits for her when she was nervous or uncomfortable about something. "Okay, here's the thing. I may not be able to get pregnant, but I haven't exactly been tested or anything." She was quiet a moment as she looked at the floor and twisted her hair around her hand (showing even more discomfort) before going on, "When we were . . . in that place Chrys and I had to take herbs to keep ourselves from getting pregnant. The older faes there told us the herbs may damage our reproductive systems and could keep us from ever having kids but I didn't really care about that because I never imagined I could ever allow myself to willingly allow someone to touch me if I ever got out. And I also very specifically didn't want kids because I didn't want to risk them going through the kind of pain the world has to offer. But of course then I met you and I saw how loving and protective you are and I watched you with Ben and other kids and I just knew you would be an amazing father and you completely changed my mind but that really just made me more worried that I might not be able to give you a kid, when you out of all people deserve one." She finally stopped pacing and glanced at him before looking down again, "I'm sorry I haven't told you this before. I was either uncomfortable talking about it in front of the others or scared to bring it up. I should've told you a long time ago. Before we ever bonded."

Aella's relief in his acceptance caused a few tears to slip out of her eyes and into his shirt as she leaned into his embrace. Most of her knew it was stupid to have any fears about his reaction but some small part of her, the insecure part that no matter how hard she tried she couldn't completely get rid of, had her fearing he might've been upset with her for hiding this for so long. He would've been perfectly justified, it wasn't really fair to him to for her to keep this secret that so deeply affected the both of them. So that little part of her that was mostly in control right now was completely amazed with his reaction. After a moment and a couple sniffles she looked up at him and said, "There's no definite either way, I mean, Chrys was using the herbs too and she still got pregnant because I didn't know about that last time." She didn't know that the Beta had taken her sister after the Alpha had taken her that night. That last night when the Brute had for some reason allowed himself to fall asleep while she was still with him and she took that chance to escape. In the confusion and panic with the fire and the escape that detail had been left out till it was too late for herbs to have any effect. But Ben had been an unexpected and amazing blessing for the both of them. "Of course I had to take a lot more than she did. I don't know. We'll see I guess. I stopped taking birth control once we got engaged, there's been no hint of anything but it wasn't that long ago." She dipped her chin again and buried her face in his chest, muttering into his shirt, "Thank you, I love you so much. I don't think I could get through life without your love."

[TalaLakota]

Eliana's body stiffened as she stopped what she was doing to look up at her sister, not bothering to hide the anger in her face. "Excuse me? What right do you have to tell me what I can and cannot do? You are not my mother. If I had wanted someone to tell me what to do with every facet of my life I would have stayed with our parents. I came to find you 'cause I *thought* you would care about what *I* want with my life. I'm not you. I don't want what you want out of life. I am a Hunter, it's what I'm good at, it's what I enjoy, it's what my wolf enjoys. We don't need Hunters here in the city, this is the next best thing. I can be stealthy and go unnoticed. I am *not* an Alpha, nor will I ever be one. I do not want the rank and neither does my wolf. The only chance of being an Alpha I ever had was by being with Blake, but 'NO' you couldn't handle that because even though you don't want to be with him anymore apparently it's somehow not okay for him to be happy with anyone else. You're such a manipulative b*tch, maybe you should go join our enemies, I'm sure they'd be happy to have someone like you on their side." Her eyes grew wide as she realized what she said and she clamped a hand to her mouth but it was already too late, the words were already out and couldn't be "put back in the tube". But she wasn't yet ready to apologize so she just turned and ran out the door.

[TalaLakota]

Flora curled close to Nile as tears formed in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks and to the bed below. She didn't mean to cry but she couldn't help it, there were just so many emotions running through her at the moment. The joy of being his fully now, shame from not trusting him more, shock that she could actually enjoy this, sorrow that the way she'd grown up had made her so wrong about so many things and that there were so many others still there, and even fear. He had just done to her the same thing countless men had before, yet it was wholly different, in fact it wasn't even something he did to her, but instead *with* her. She hadn't even known that was possible, she'd never imagined she could enjoy it. Now they had bonded with more than just their words and feelings.

As much as that made her feel safer with him it also terrified her. What if he hadn't enjoyed her body? What if those before him had damaged her so much that she didn't feel good for him? She was a werewolf so she would've healed better, but she doubted there was no permanent damage to her body. She didn't think she could handle him rejecting her now. So she clutched tightly to him as if that alone could make him want to keep her.

[TalaLakota]

Theron rushed forward when he saw Angel emerge with Aura. He could see her swollen stomach and knew what it meant but didn't care. This was the second time he'd almost lost her and he wasn't about to let that come between them now, even if it was some half-breed mongrel from her captors.

Ignoring her words he took her weight from the wolf and pulled her as close as her stomach would allow and pressed his lips deeply to hers, for the first time though the kiss was soft, passionate but tender instead of their usual fighting for dominance kisses. He didn't break it for a bit but when he did he looked at her and said, "I don't care. I've lost you twice now and it's not going to happen again."

Spoiler

Theron carefully set her on the sink counter and helped her disrobe being careful of her injuries. She'd been through enough pain recently and he didn't want to put her through more. Once she was bare he started the bath, making sure the temperature was good then transferred her to the tub. With a gentleness that was extremely uncharacteristic of the huge Hunter he began to wash her body. It was strange to be near and to be touching her bare skin without it being sexual.

[TalaLakota]

Flora watched Nile quietly for a minute from where she lay on their bed, still healing from her injuries received for punishment of escaping. Even after all that a soft smile curved her lips slightly as she watched him apologize and rant profusely about "letting" her get captured. She hated she had made him worry so much for her, but she couldn't help but feel amazing someone cared so much about her.

It was also kind of funny, he hadn't noticed yet. Neither the small bump that was really only noticeable if you were looking, which he couldn't do, or the change in her scent. So finally she decided to distract him from the guilt she thought ridiculous. Despite the pain from her injuries she sat up and leaned forward to catch his hand saying softly, "Nile, stop. Come here." She pulled him close and down onto the bed next to her. "Look, there was nothing you could've done to stop them. I'm the one that suggested we go off alone. And if it weren't for you I wouldn't have survived because you gave me something to stay alive for." She leaned over to kiss him softly, something that had taken her a long time to feel comfortable doing, then moved her head to the side and slid her cheek along his till her lips were near his ear to whisper, "But you're not the only one I have to live for anymore." She guided his hand down to her stomach so he could feel the small bump. Keeping his hand there she pulled back so she could see the expression on his face and added softly, "It's yours. No one else has touched me since you." She left out that they almost had a couple times, that didn't need to be known. A couple joyful tears slipped out of her eyes, this wasn't exactly how she'd wanted to tell him, but she was just so happy she was in a position where she actually could be happy about having a child.

[TalaLakota]

████Iker paced irritably in the background, his long black legs and graceful movements kind of made him look somewhat like a floating, orange body in the dark forest. He was only here as a backup to provide emergency medical assistance if it were needed, but he was a fighter at heart and this was the Pack that had so damaged Danica. It took every ounce of self control to remain behind. But he didn't stop his growls as he watched, at every fight that started, at every bite or claw that went into one of his Packmates, at every brute that came out of that hellhole.
████He was so intent on the battle that raged in front of him that he didn't notice the dark wolf stalking up behind him, so he spun around with a startled snarl at the deep, gravelly laugh that rumbled out of the dark.
████"You smell like my favorite toy," Kenaz growled, both anger and amusement in his tone at the rage he saw in Iker's bared fangs. Orders only keeping the foreign brute from already attacking. Figuring as much, and understanding, Kenaz's vicious grin only grew, he could get through that. He could just attack, but he preferred to wheedle into the other brute's mind, make him attack first, make him deny his Alpha's orders. "Mmmm, a nice body it has doesn't it?" he asked, speaking of Danica like the object he saw her as. Nothing more than a body for his pleasure, how he saw all females. They were worthless for anything other than entertainment, breeding, and trading tokens. "I tore it up inside," he growled in pleasure at the memory of her body helpless under his, "its accent made its cries and screams so much more enticing. The taste of it was so unique, its sweat, its tears, its blood." He laughed again at the growl that rumbled out of the other brute's entire body. Iker's black mane was straight up, his ears so flat they could hardly be seen, and his tail was straight up in the air, already half crouched as he fought against every part of himself to keep from attacking. Kenaz growled in laughter as he trotted around the other brute. "I will take it back after we destroy your Pack," he went on, "and I will keep you there to watch as I destroy its body with mine."
████That was the last ounce of Iker's self control, he forgot about his orders, forgot about the rest of the Pack, some part of him even forgot it was all about Danica. All he knew at the moment was his rage and his opponent. A nearly roar-like snarl ripped out of him as he lunged forward to attack the brute before him.

████Eliana, solely allowed to be there as a back up or to help the wounded as Blake would not allow her to fight, turned her eyes from the battle at the sound of Iker's rage and gasped as she saw him clash with another brute, she knew it had to be the Beta, nothing else could elicit that kind of anger from her usually calm and friendly companion. "Iker!" she called out, moving to interfere but Cavan was suddenly between her and the fight.
████"No," he told her, the stern expression on his blood covered face was enough to make her stop but she still whined as her tail tucked beneath her, submissive to her Beta but needing to help her friend. "This is something he needs to do for her, on his own. He will never feel like her bonded if he leaves this brute alive. She will be more able to trust him if she knows he fought for her." Cavan knew Iker had disobeyed orders, but he would not be punished if he survived, unrealized to Kenaz, none of them would blame Iker for his attack against the other Pack's Beta. Eliana looked at Cavan a moment then back at Iker but nodded and sat down with another whine as Cavan returned to the battle.

[TalaLakota]

████Kenaz was stronger and had more body mass and muscle than Iker, but he was not accustomed to fighting a wolf shaped like the Paraguayan, Iker on the other-hand was well used to fighting all wolves and Kenaz, not knowing the Healer's past, had underestimated him. So it was, in the beginning, a rather evenly matched fight. It wasn't long before each were bloody and beginning to slow, but as the battle wore on Kenaz became more used to this strange wolf's movements and had stopped underestimating him and as such was gaining a bit of an upper-hand. Eliana could see it and she was terrified, outside of Blake, Iker was her best friend and she couldn't handle loosing him too.

████Iker growled as he and Kenaz pushed away from each other and scrambled to their feet once more, his tail swayed as they circled, both assessing the other's wounds and movements. Iker knew if this fight lasted much longer he would loose it, but he didn't know the best way to end it quickly . . . or did he? He had one, rather dirty trick up his sleeve. It would be considered cheating, if he won this way and his Pack lost the battle he would be executed and Danica would certainly be recaptured, he wasn't even fully sure how his own Pack would view the trick. However he knew it was probably his only hope of killing this brute.
████It would be risky though if he were going to do it without being obvious, he would have to get himself severely injured first, if he didn't at least try though he would almost certainly be killed, and the Pack would loose their Lead Healer after he defied orders to stay out of combat. Who knew what Danica would feel. Lucilla would loose the closest thing she had left to a father, she hadn't bonded with any of the other brutes. He knew Eliana would be devastated, and she was nearby, she was probably watching, he couldn't look around to see. He took a deep breath and shook his body to clear the blood out of his eyes before growling as he dove in for one more attack.
████Kenaz reared to meet his rush and the two tumbled to the ground once more. Iker had been careful to actually not wind up on top of the shorter Beta, his height and Kenaz's shorter but powerful legs would've been the perfect blow for him. However at this moment he knew, while risky, it was the best way to do what he wanted. So, changing his tactics and therefore momentarily confusing Kenaz, Iker managed to barrel his opponent onto his back and lunged to clamp his jaws on the brute's throat but only barely managed to break skin before the expected pain sliced through his abdomen as Kenaz raked his claws down the Healer's, no, he was back to being the Hunter he had been in this moment, down the Hunter's stomach and Iker snarled in pain as he leaped backwards immediately shifting so a hand could go to the wounds on his stomach.
████A growl of a laugh rumbled out of Kenaz as he paced around his injured opponent. "Now what? Betray your orders for what? Just to leave your Pack without a Healer? To leave that toy without her false sense of security?" He laughed again and licked his muzzle. His gaze flicked beyond the man in front of him to a fae in the background, watching with obvious terror and fighting so hard to let Iker do this on his own and his muzzle cracked in a vicious grin. "I guess it's true, you foreigners do have a way with the ladies." His gaze went back to Iker, leaning on a tree with his hand pressed against the wound, which didn't appear to be stemming the blood flow in any way. "Before I retrieve my toy I'm going to destroy that one too. She'll die hating you, knowing it was only her concern for you that brought my attention to her."
████Iker inhaled deeply and then spit a wad of mucus and blood in the Beta's face, and growled, it was gurgled and moist, but still a growl. "You won't get the chance to touch anyone ever again. If I don't kill you one of my Pack will."
████Kenaz growled as he pawed at the spit that got into his eye and then lunged forward for the kill. Iker's free hand went behind him to push off the tree and that was all Kenaz believed until they clashed and the large sliver knife slipped between the Beta's ribs and they both fell motionless to the ground.

████Eliana lost it and barked out Iker's name as she bolted forward shifting just a foot away and skidding to a stop on her knees. She pushed the heavy body of the dead wolf off her friend and grabbed his face, wiping away sweat and blood, "I-Iker!" There was half a groan that became a cough, spraying her face with some blood as more dripped out of the side of his mouth. Eliana let out a gasp of relief that he was alive but she knew he was still at great risk of dying. She rolled him on his side so he wouldn't choke on his own blood and then tore up the left overs of his shirt to press against the wounds in his stomach to try and slow the flow of blood until the battle slowed or ended and she could get help to take him home. She couldn't carry him herself and she hated it because she knew he'd carried her, by himself, for a long distance in a blizzard. She felt useless compared to him right now.