Shame on you (Raine and Alarice)

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For some reason Alarice’s words seemed to morph into anger laced with icy cold and her flattening ears made it all too clear; she wasn’t happy with Raine’s prodding at all and the ivory pigmented wolf made a mental note to not mention it again,

I haven't met anyone better...He was the first one to ever catch my eye, you're the second. I am fighting with Malevolent about it right now...I might just stay...Ghost isn't happy with me either

It was obviously a touchy subject for the ivory wolfess and Raine disliked making others feel uncomfortable. Extremely uncharacteristic for a Hell wolf, but Raine reveled in the contradiction that he was. He had never really liked the idea of conforming to anyone’s standards and he enjoyed every minute he could do as he pleased. There was one thought that kept crawling into his mind these days though. Raine was starting to develop a need for importance, a need to ascend the ranks of Hell. He no longer wanted to live aimlessly but he didn’t want to all out benefit the Hell pack either, but it would seem he’d have to make peace with that idea and do it in anyways if he were to have a better life than he was having now. He faintly remembered his run in with Malevolent and without a doubt Riane knew the alpha would have treated him better if he had had a better position than mere Delta. With a final shake of his mane Raine decided his fate. He would go and petition Malevolent for a better place in the Hell pack but he had to admit that he had ulterior motives with this decision. It was well known within the Hell pack that Raine had no desire to be a part of the pack itself and even now the ivory wolf wondered if it wasn’t this fact that made even Alarice seek a suitable mate in another pack. It was time he stepped up to his true potential. He would do it for her…

“Forgive me if I have offended you with my question, Alarice, I meant no harm.”

Alarice was standing beside the river and stared at her reflection. Raine picked himself up off the ground and softly walked to her side, his shoulder softly brushing against her side as he drew up next to her and gently licked her cheek in an affectionate manner. A tear fell from her eye and as it plopped to the hungry earth Raine cringed and spoke in a soft tone,

“Oh Alarice it breaks me to see you so sad… Please tell me what I can do to make the hurt go away? Name it and I’ll do it, anything for you…”

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Raine remained close to Alarice, reveling in the feel of her pelt so close to his and for once in his life he wished he could change the course of life, make it so this lovely Alarice had never met Adyn who so obviously was causing her so much pain by loving her. That wasn’t right was it? Love was supposed to set one free and now here stood a perfect example of why the packs had separated in the first place. Raine could understand why she would now be in a precarious position with Ghost not accepting her and Malevolent angry at her insolence in the first place. Alarice cringed away from Raine and his ice blue eyes looked at her with confusion in their depths. She spoke in a soft whisper but never met his gaze,

“What I want...you can't give...I mated with another pack, whose alpha doesn't like me because of my blood. Malevolent doesn't agree with me because of Adyn attacking him....My life is ruined.”

Raine quite disagreed with her statement but as she buried her delicate tiara into his neck he lost all the words he was going to say and merely cradled her head close to his heart. Tears were brimming her blue eyes and cascaded down Raine’s pelt, a strange sensation since he had never cried a day in his life. He had always thought it was a sign of weakness but as he gazed upon Alarice he noticed it was a sign of strength instead. Finally the right words came,

“Alarice I cannot see you hurting so, darling. I can give you whatever you need Alarice, I will even go and petition Malevolent to forgive you for what Adyn did. This might sound rough but if Adyn knew what was good for you he would let you be. He has caused enough hurt towards you, my dear Alarice. I will never hurt you, Alarice, I l… I really like you Alarice.”

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Once again Alarice stiffened at Raine’s words, but instead of shying away she merely stood back somewhat and gazed into his eyes with an open heart, allowing Raine to gaze straight into her very soul. Confliction caused a great turmoil within her and Raine felt somewhat guilty that he was the one causing most of it. He gave a step closer but a sigh came from Alarice as she laid herself down on her side. Her white pelt was shining like a gem in the waning moonlight and so Raine sat himself down and rolled over onto his side as well, next to Alarice. Her blue eyes drifted shut and Raine spoke softly to her,

“Sleep, darling, I do not demand an answer from you yet. Take the time you need, and when you wake I shall still be here, guarding you.”

She opened her eyes and looked at Raine happily and the vein laced wolf smiled back, a genuine smile as he lay right before her.

“Sweet dreams, my lady of the night.”

He rolled up to his feet and made himself comfortable, ready to guard Alarice as she slept.

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The night passed surprisingly quickly as Raine kept vigil over the sleeping Alarice, sometimes just gazing at her as she slept. She was truly and utterly beautiful and some time before dawn Raine had curled up next to Alarice, falling into a light sleep, ears perked as he still listened for any sign of danger. Her breathing seemed to soothe the nightmares he had so often and for once he didn’t have any nightmares plague his dreams. Instead only welcomed darkness awaited him behind closed eyelids. Time flew by and soon the first rays of the sun filtered through the woods and caressed Raine’s cheeks. He awoke from his light sleep the moment Alarice moved to get up and stretched. Lifting his head he smiled at her, cerulean eyes shining with sleepiness as a somewhat goofy smile enveloped his maw. Her white pelt gleamed like an angel’s as she stood over Raine. He stretched out his paws while he lay and rolled over to a sitting position,

“Morning Alarice. I trust you slept well.”

That British accent was painfully obvious, mixed with grogginess to boot and a smile stretched his lips. Alarice seemed somewhat occupied and Raine got up, swishing his thick tail from side to side as a slightly worried expression was fixed upon Alarice. She turned from his and walked to the water’s edge and Raine couldn’t help but feel a slight sliver of dread well up in his chest. He walked closer and softly nudged her side as he came up next to her. He too looked down into the water and her reflection stared back up at him. He had to admit she was truly beautiful. Softly he licked her cheek, a sign of affection. A sudden crack came from the woods behind them and Raine spun around instantly, stunned to see a full grown stag charging straight for them. With no time to react Raine launched himself into the air, colliding with the buck moments before it hit Alarice but eh was too late!

The alabaster wolf fell to the ground with a loud thud, just in time to see Alarice being rammed into the water with horror etched into his façade,

“ALARICE NO!!”

A loud yelp came from her maw and tore into his heart as he leapt to his paws and was already running towards the fast slowing river. She had a grip on the bank but was barely staying above water. The bank was steep where she was and Raine skidded to a stop at the edge, slowly descending to where she was so he won’t fall in as well. She was panting heavily and fear was evident in her eyes. Suddenly she started to slip into the water and without another thought Raine launched himself at her, teeth closing about the skin at her nape, flinching at the pain he must have caused her. With a powerful heave he had her halfway up the bank but to his horror a whole herd of charging buck materialized, all blindly following the other buck, leaping frantically into the water as one of the hooves connected squarely with Raine’s temple. He tumbled into the water just beyond Alarice as she too slipped into the fast flowing water. Dazed for a moment Raine tried to stay above water as the current took him down stream. Paws coordinated and with powerful heaves he fought the current while frantically searching for Alarice. Not too far from him she slipped under water and with another powerful heave he dove underwater and lifted her above water, positioning her upon his back as he started paddling towards the sides. His head was below water most of the time, coming for air only every now and again. He thought he would never feel earth beneath his paws again but soon mud greeted his tired paws and his traction increased. The bank was thankfully low here and he dragged his own tired body as well as Alarice’s out of the water. He set her down carefully and stood over her, licking her cheek as a worried voice came from his maw,

“Alarice? Alarice? Are you alright? Please stay with me, Alarice!”

He started to look around him frantically, searching for ay kind of help…

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For a few long moments Raine stood protectively over Alarice, softly licking her cheek and willing her to wake up. A soft whine got caught in his throat but he kept it in and lowered himself to her side,

“Please wake up, Alarice.”

As if she had heard the female’s eyes fluttered open, causing a flutter of relief in Raine’s heart. His eyes lit up but soon she began coughing and he watched on in encouragement as she got the liquid out easily enough. Finally she looked to Raine and his heart yet again skipped a beat with relief. She seemed alright but he couldn’t help but squash the dread that lurked beneath the surface. He hoped she hadn’t been hurt internally. As a whimper passed her lips he knew… She was hurting. Or so it seemed…

Suddenly she collided into Raine and a soft chuckle came from his maw. Alarice licked his cheek and then an obvious red sheen showed upon his cheeks. Her tail was wagging happily and now so was his,

“You...You saved my life Raine! Thank you...”

Her eyes were bright and a true smile caressed Raine’s lips as she once more licked his cheek.

“I’m just so relieved you are okay, Alarice. I don’t know what I’d do if you… if something happened.”

His gaze fell to the ground for a short moment before he drew Alarice closer and encircled her with a tender hug.

“Are… Are you alright Alarice? And don’t lie to me, I can see that faint pain in your eyes, your beautiful eyes.”

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Raine listened intently as Alarice spoke, a measure of worry etched into his once handsome face,

Bumps, bruises, a broken rib, No big deal love. Don't worry about it.

Raine was pleased to see how happy she was but the dread that remained lodged in his chest spoiled the moment for him. He could still remember her wince as he drew her too close just a moment before and he knew there was internal damage. She backed off and turned to gaze at her side where it no doubt hurt. It was bleeding and suddenly Raine was shocked into overdrive. In a flash he was by her side and laid her down softly, not taking no for an answer as she spoke,

Don't freak out...but it's not just a break, its a compound fracture....GReat... But Ill be fine...Surely/

Raine could tell she was panicking and he licked her cheek to try and soothe her, also letting her know she will be alright all within that small little gesture. He surveyed the damage quickly and whispered to her,

“Stay right here.”

He flew from her side like a ghost and moments later returned with flattened moss between his teeth. With much care he bandaged her side, soothing her all the while until the bleeding was contained beneath the makeshift bandage.

“How’s that?”

He knew he had to get her to a healer though, and soon too…