Mists of the Forest |The Wolf|

[QUEEN NERIDA]

Then I heard your heart beating,
you were in the darkness too
So I stayed in the darkness with you

[/i]

--The Black Forest was renowned in legend around Alytheon. Parents warned their children not to stray too far into the darkness of the trees, lest they be taken by some unseen monster or trickster faerie. After all, the Faerie Glen itself was hidden deep within the enormous, ancient forest; who knew what sorts of strange and magical creatures could be lurking in the misty wood where sunlight could never quite get through the canopy?

--As a result of the lack of light, there was very little actual underbrush. Instead, vines and ivy were the more common smaller plants, sticking to the trees and climbing up their trunks toward the sweet sunlight above. Some of the trees were entirely covered in green. In many places, the roots of the huge, thousand-year-old trees were bare where they curved up and came above the ground, serving like stepping stones to the small, snow-white feet of the faerie woman who walked quietly through the mist.

--Nerida Shahrizai was, however, no ordinary faerie woman. As the Faerie Queen, excursions such as this — to wander unaccompanied through the lands of her people, freely — were rare occasions indeed, much to her dismay. As a young princess, she'd been able to sneak away quite often to explore the hills, climb the trees, make her way down to the little rivers and, eventually, to the shore and the ocean beyond. Once she became queen, however, her duties called for her undivided attention, and with it, most of her time as well.

--She was not, of course, let out unarmed, even if she would not take a guard with her. Thanks to her glamor magic, none would suspect that there was a quiver of arrows and a bow strapped to her back, although without the glamor it would be quite obvious. Instead, all that was seen was herself and her dress, billowing slightly in the ever-so-slight breeze when she stood still and dancing around her feet when she walked.

--Despite the precautions, it was very pleasant to be let out to roam once again; even if she had a curfew, until that time she could do as she pleased—and, in the same vein, meet with whom she saw fit.

--It was not idly that she decided to come into the territory of the one she now sought. Before now, he had always come to her, in one form or another, when she was well-guarded, and on her terms—or, at least, as much on her terms as she could find, never knowing when he was going to turn up and when he wasn't. Once or twice, traveling with her train, she'd even seen him from the corner of her eye, a flicker of white that would dart back into the darkness of the forest when seen.

--Now, Nerida thought, it was her turn to come to him. It certainly showed a level of trust, coming unguarded into the forest. While she knew it well as the land of her people, she could not deny that he probably had a better knowledge than even she. Good will, she thought, ever the diplomat. A gesture of good faith to an unlikely ally.

[/center][/blockquote]

Tagged: The Wolf
Words: 538
Notes:
Lyrics: Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine
Credit: Credit goes to Dollie @ Caution 2.0

[THE WOLF]

Her presence didn't go unnoticed long, especially with her scent in the air as soon as her dainty feet hit his territory. Few dared to venture there if they knew where they were and this intrusion was surprising. His home was large, his reach wide, but this was the heart of where he liked to call home. Humans didn't venture here unless they were looking for trouble or were suicidal and mad. If he didn't eat them, there were certain Fae that would devour them readily. She was there, which meant she wanted something from him or perhaps it was just a sign of trust between them. He had ventured to her court more than once before to see her, to talk and walk. Should her court actually know who he was, she would probably be forbidden from even seeing him. He wasn't really the most friendly creature for human-fae relations.

At a distance he padded along, watching her until she finally stopped in a clearing. He came to a stop at the edge of the clearing, shifting into his human form with blue eyes watching the curve of her elegant back to him. Had he been another man, he might have already fallen head over paws for her beauty and charm. As he was, he wasn't the type to give himself over to anyone that easily... especially a woman that could get so close to him. With silent steps he moved up behind her, taking in the air around her. Magic... He could smell it so strong on her. It reminded him of another magic, only this one was like meadow flowers instead of the blood soaked rancor that his memory brushed up every now and then.

"You should be careful in these woods, your Highness." He finally said softly into her ear with a devilish grin. "One could cause you much harm in a place you wander alone to." His voice was dark, a little harsh, but all the same had a charisma to it that some found irresistible.

[ooc: sorry for the shortness, have to get into the character a bit more.]

[QUEEN NERIDA]

Then I heard your heart beating,
you were in the darkness too
So I stayed in the darkness with you

[/i]

--”You should be careful in these woods, your Highness. One could cause you much harm in a place you wander alone to.”

--Her slight jump at his closeness and his sudden voice would have been imperceptible to a normal onlooker, but she knew better than to assume he hadn't seen it. There were few who could sneak up on Nerida, but even she wasn't infallible. His voice was deep and warm, and had an edge and cadence to it she could never quite place. That's Your Majesty, she corrected in her head. Your Royal Highness is my sister. But, she didn't say that; out here in the woods, she recognized that propriety was something she was lucky to come across, and besides, who would judge him for it, the two of them alone as they were?

--Instead, she smiled and said, “Would they, Maeniel, and risk your wrath, what with you following me already?” She turned to face him, her dress swishing around her ankles. “Nay, I imagine I'm quite safe.”

--Maeniel; it was an old Faerie word, now used more often as a name, derived from maelan, meaning wolf. Not many recognized the coincidence when he used it to enter the queen's company. Most assumed that he was some sidhe or druid, a lord or baron come to be of some importance to her. Already there was gossip that they were lovers, but since Nerida was not married nor promised to anyone, the gossip was more curious speculation than scandalous slander. Nerida didn't mind; people, whether human or Faerie-folk, loved their gossip, and it was far better that they made their own stories about them than if they found out the truth.

--Though the circumstances didn't call for it, she still preferred to call him by that faerie name, despite knowing that it was not his real one. It lent a certain familiarity that made her less frightened. The Wolf was a mysterious figure of legend and campfire tale; Maeniel was a friendly, if sometimes intimidating, ally.

--His proximity to her took her aback for a moment; raised to respect propriety, Nerida was sometimes taken off guard by his directness—and, for that matter, his occasional lack of any sense of personal space. He was close enough that she could smell him as well, the sort of smell that was a cross between a mountain man and a well-groomed dog. Campfire smoke and ivy. Maybe blood, too.

--She shivered.

[/center][/blockquote]

Tagged: The Wolf
Words: 415
Notes: I couldn't think of any other name for the Wolf's alias, and you weren't online to ask, so I just sort of winged it. If it's not okay, or you have a different name in mind, I'll be happy to edit it. ^-^
Lyrics: Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine
Credit: Credit goes to Dollie @ Caution 2.0

[THE WOLF]

She was alone and in his presence, in his territory. Right now she was a woman before him, so beautiful... so graceful. He couldn't help but get a little giddy feeling when she called him by the Faery name that she had placed upon him. Maeniel. It had a certain mystique and charm about it... and the way it rolled from her tongue to her soft lips was almost enough to break through the barriers he kept. He lifted one of his hands, their faces so close together as he ran one of his knuckles along her soft cheek before he moved back from being so close.

"What brings you to these deep woods, Queen Nerida?" Wolf asked her as he took a step to stand where he was facing one of her sides now, not looking directly into her eyes at the moment. She was entrancing and bewitching... Magic and beauty, something he had felt and seen before, but hers was less biting and caustic than what he remembered.

He would be a gentleman at the moment even though a primal part of him saw this as the chance to dominate a healthy, worthy female. Wolf wanted to taste her lips, to feel her slender fingers in his hair as they shared carnal desires on the bed of leaves and vines. No... she was no whoring wench. She was a Queen, and as such they could have no part in those desires.

Well, perhaps they could... he wasn't deaf to the whispers of the forest either. As far as he knew he was the only male that seemed to visit her for something other than politics. Did they suspect him to be her lover? Did they approve that their fertile Fae Queen was sowing her wild oats with a wild man from the forest? A small grin came to his lips as he thought about the gossip they could spread from this meeting.

"Was there any service that you wished of me?" He asked in the same low whisper, leaning in closer to her ear once more.

[QUEEN NERIDA]

Then I heard your heart beating,
you were in the darkness too
So I stayed in the darkness with you

[/i]

--His blue eyes pierced and searched her, closer than any Faerie would ever dare come to her, and his hand reached up and touched her. His skin was as rough as hers was smooth and supple; and it occurred to Nerida that perhaps she was just as alien to him as he was to her. She was fascinated by his wildness, his embodiment of the darker, more dangerous side of the forest, the essence in him that no human could ever touch or quell.

--But he was beautiful; yes, even the dangerous things—sometimes, especially the dangerous things—in nature were often beautiful. His shoulders were broad, his face well-shaped and defined. His body was tight and strong, and she could not deny to herself that she, alone in her boudoir, had sometimes imagined running her hands down his neck and chest, and perhaps lower still. In another life, should either of them have been less trapped than they were now, perhaps she would have made an advance to him.

--Oh, yes, she could have him as a lover; Faeries were much more open about sexuality, provided that no children were produced out of wedlock (and even then, it was more than often simply hushed up). But if she did allow him into her bedchamber, it would increase the risks they were taking tenfold. It was one thing if she were found to be meeting with and supporting the Wolf; but if it was discovered that the two were lovers, damage control would be impossible. It would be the spark that set off the powder keg of Alytheon—already there was too much heat to play around with it.

--As he touched her face, searching her with his eyes, Nerida wondered if he didn't see his opposite in her as well. She was soft, slender, all smooth motion and gentle touches. She was the grace of nature, the side where the deer and the flowers and the meadows were. She was the brilliance of the leaves as they began to turn in the autumn; he was the harsh wind that brought them to the ground.

--Would he destroy her like the leaves? Were they in a dance whose end was already known, prophesied by events that only the rocks and the trees could remember?

--”What brings you to these deep woods, Queen Nerida?”

--He steppped to the side of her. Though still quite close, the tension was lessened a little; not being in front of her, staring into her eyes, took away the slight feeling of controntation. He said, softly in her ear again, “Was there any service that you wished of me?”

--Nerida thought for a good, long moment; why was she here? Was it simply to show trust with her newest, perhaps most dangerous ally? Was it to see him, to share conversation? Or to admire him in his natural home? Or to do more than admire him?

--She knew it was none of these, and all of them.

--“Before a war,” she said, “it is customary to gather one's allies. Open war with the humans may be coming soon enough, despite my efforts. Helena is a cruel tyrant, and her son is worse. Eventually they will look to invade the forest, and rule the Faeries with an iron hand as well. You're a symbol, Maeniel. A legend. And a symbol is very important in a war. I need to know that we'll have you on our side, when those awful soldiers come to this sacred forest.”

[/center][/blockquote]

Tagged: The Wolf
Words: 597
Notes: Sorry for the delay!
Lyrics: Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine
Credit: Credit goes to Dollie @ Caution 2.0

[THE WOLF]

For some reason, the human Queen's name sent a ripple of anger through him, a feral growl rumbling through his throat. He took in a deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh to calm himself back down. The idea of a war against the human hunters that invaded the forest, being able to tear into them with fang and claw... It sounded like a delicious idea.

"There should be no question, Nerida... I am on your side. The mention of humans in this forest makes my blood boil." The Wolf said as he grinned a little, a blood lust in his blue eyes. "I know that you accept my as a symbol, my Queen... but will your people? I am a man killer, a violent creature... a beast of the forest." The man moved closer again, no respect for personal space, his breath close against her cheek.

He was a force of nature, a primal entity of the forest even though he had been a foreign addition to the wilds. Wolf had adapted, adjusted, and survived to become what others thought as a legend of the forest. Hunters sought him for the prize and his pelt. They also feared him, knowing that he was like no other wolf and he had no qualms with killing a man. Wolf had no qualms with eating man flesh either. Perhaps that was what made him such a danger. They claimed that once a beast tasted human blood they became a man eater.

"This is my forest and none shall take it from me." He leaned to her ear. "Even you, my dear." Wolf whispered to her. It wasn't a threat. He knew that if her forces came after him that he would be overwhelmed with their numbers and magic, but that didn't mean he wouldn't fight. It also meant that he would fight for her should she give him the respect she continued to give him. "I would not wish to fight you though... Please, give me no reason to." His tone was softer this time. Had he ears to press against his head, they would be laying against his crown.

Being this close again made his lips twitch a little, wanting to press them against the soft of her neck. It had been a long... long time since he had mated with anyone. Sometimes he slipped into the human settlements to find a whore to sooth the 'beast' inside of him and the need. His lips parted for a moment before he pulled away, actually taking a few steps away from her, growing quiet.