Meeting Again Is like A Slap To The Face

_{Soon, Adechausiku, the Goddess of the night would sweep the land in a nights embrace, but for now, the sun died over the western mountains. Its dying raise kissed the sky with beautiful colors. Reflecting those pinks and purples, orange glowing eyes peered though the dark overgrowth of Havir territory. They seemed to hold a deep stoic nature to them as a large dark wolf slowly approached the riverbed, twisting in the sunlight. Leaning down, the creature lapped at the water, it was freezing to the touch since it was only melted snow from the mountains surrounding Havir land.
Quidel figured he was alone, as he tried to be often so now a' days. He pushed most thoughts and efforts away, still in depression of loosing his previous to-be-mate. Her death laid heavily on his heart, but it was the Gods's way of saying their match was not to be. Quidel sat himself on a larger rock, a boulder in fact, and waited to watch the stars flicker into view. The large dark wolf let out a yawn before he proceeded to groom his front leg, unaware of dangers or other creatures that could be lurking about- until the sound of rustling in the bushes caught the wolf's attention. A deer, unaware of Quidel, slowly made her way out into the riverbed, drinking the water from the river. Quidel had to resist the erg to growl and chase after the doe, and instead watched her with beady orange eyes. He would wait, wait to see if she got closer, to see if she could be made an easy meal.}

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Approaching the river and unknowingly Quidel, her former fiancé, Malika made her way through the trees and uneven terrain of Havir's territory. She had smelled a doe earlier and wanted to see if the deer had returned to the river for a drink. As she approached the water, she found herself staring at Quidel instead of her prey, and it surprised her. They saw each other around the den sometimes, sure, however she didn't exactly seek him out, nor did she particularly enjoy his company. She was indifferent, really. Her duties as a Guardian kept her busy, she didn't have time for being social.

Usually, Malika would rather remove herself from this situation to avoid an unpleasant interaction with Quidel, however she could see him eyeing her kill, and she couldn't have that. She approached quietly, only making herself known when she climbed onto the rock beside him, careful not to startle the doe. Once she was close enough, she spoke in a soft, near-whisper, never taking her eyes off of the deer.

"Don't even think about it," she warned, though her tone was very calm."It's mine."

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_{So close! Quidel could almost taste the new catch in his jaws when suddenly a wolf jumped up beside him. Of course it HAD to be her...
Malika was Quidel's ex-fiancé, both betrothed to one another by their parents when they were young, but the two disliked each other enough for the families to discontinue the prearranged mateship. The two never really got along well, and it was so foreign to Quidel for a female to act like Malika- it couldn't be right! Females shouldn't be Guardians! Thats a job for males who were large and strong- didn't females like to be nurses or priestess'?
"You'er mad if you think I'm letting you take that doe." Quidel challenged, but still kept his voice hushed, he didn't want to scare the deer away- after all, it would make a great meal and a good offering.
"What are you doing here anyway- buss off." the easily angered male spat, a low growl rising in his throat. Who did this female think she was! Coming over acting like she was Adezevah's reincarnation.
She was always so calm though... even when the two were still betrothed, and the two would bicker, she would always stay calm and collective, while Quidel would be snapping and fuming with rage- he wasn't very hard to get mad.}

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Huffing out a breath in irritation, Malika rolled her eyes at him. She was well aware of his opinion of her, of course, having been reminded of it repeatedly when they were still 'engaged', so to speak. It came up frequently in their daily arguments, as did his opinion on her becoming a Guardian, which wasn't all that surprising. Lots of males found her position in the pack strange, though she was one of the best Guardians they had. She was sure more than a few of them were intimidated, considering her unusually large size and skill level. After all, no one liked being beaten by a girl.

Personally, she had nothing against Quidel, however she was not fond of his attitude and the fact that her parents were trying to set her up, nor did she love him, which caused her to go against the wishes of her parents and ultimately their prearranged courtship. He had voiced his own distaste for it, of course, and in the end it was not meant to be.

"She's mine," Malika repeated sternly, finally looking at him to give him a slightly icy look, though her stoic expression did not change. "And, though it's none of your business, I was tracking that doe, 'till I saw you eyeing her. I've been waiting for her to come back here since yesterday."

She found the fact that he was so easily irritated quite amusing, to be frank, considering how hard it was for anyone to make her even raise her voice. She was the queen of calm, which made his aggressive nature all the more fun. He could try pushing her buttons, but it would fail, and here she was getting a rile out of him just by talking.

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<sub>Quidel bristled at the she-wolf beside him. He wasn't a "sexist" but the male had a certain thought when if came to females. They were precious creatures, of course just as needed as males, but they give birth, bring new life to the pack, shouldn't they be protected at most cost? It seemed so counter-productive for Malika to be a guardian, not to mention, Quidel hated being beaten by anyone especially a girl. The male braced his legs, rolling his shoulders in a bouncing position. "Well tough shit Malika, I'm taking that doe home with me whether you like it or not."

Malika was a calm wolf, and it was admirable but to Quidel, he saw it as a silent challenge. The male suddenly lunged from the boulder, alerting the doe who was drinking from the river. As though waiting, the doe took off with extreme speed and agility, trying to lose the slobbering wolf at her heels.
Quidel was close to being able to snap his jaws on the fragile leg of the doe, he opened his jaws ready to clamp down when suddenly the doe took a sudden turn into the forest on the right, disappearing into the brush. Quidel was right on her heels and leapt into the overgrowth only to be suddenly smacked in the face by a large tree hidden by the ferns. The sudden impact sent him whimpering backwards and the doe gone for good. The dark wolf rubbed his sore nose with his paw, his eyes water and a small whimper escaping his jaws as he shook the throbbing pain off. "Ouch..." he managed to get out before rubbing his sore nose again, looking around to see if Malika had followed him and the doe.</sub>

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Listening to his words, Malika couldn't help but feel a bit irritated by him. He was so... difficult. Always looking for a fight. She did not want to argue about the doe, rather she preferred it if she could carry on with her hunt, but he seemed insistent that it was his, which was not going to fly with her. "Oh, no you don't," she muttered to herself as she lunged for her kill, taking off after him.

The chase was easy, however she was forced to stay behind Quidel, considering her large size. A smaller female would have been able to duck around him, but she was nearly identical to him in height and weight, and so maneuvering around his bulk was going to be difficult. She was lucky not to be the one in front, however, as suddenly the doe turned and Quidel smacked headfirst into the tree hidden behind the brush. As she slowed to a stop behind him, Malika watched the deer go with a sigh. Oh, well. Better luck next time.

Turning her attention to her packmate, Malika approached him and bumped his paw away from it with her muzzle so she could take a look. "It doesn't look bad. I've had worse," she noted as she examined him, her expression still betraying nothing other than her obvious concentration. It softened, however, when she spoke again. "Are you alright?" She was not a typically kind nor compassionate female, but Quidel was part of her pack, her family, and therefore his well being was just as important as anyone else's. Being a Guardian, the safety of the pack and the alpha fell to her and her comrades. It was just habit to make sure he was alright.

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<sub>With a little nudge of her nose, Malika removed Quidel's paw from his nose. The nose looked a little swollen and bled lightly, nothing to panic about, but Quidel was sure he had broken the damn thing with how hard he hit that tree, that or lost some brain-cells, either way, it hurt.
The she-wolf got very close to Quidel, enough to where he could smell her scent and feel her breath on his skin from the distance she was at. The darker male gulped awkwardly before turning away, taking her kindness with a grain of salt. "I'm fine... thanks." he muttered. Quidel was never good about being around others, but he was far worse since Nova's death... especially around females.

The darker male stood up and shook out his fur and snorted, "Damn... she got away..." The sky over head was turning dark and the stars already were playing about in the dying red sky. Quidel turned to Malika and scoffed, "Well you followed that deer all the way to the river only to lose it- sorry I guess that was my fault." the brown wolf grumbled. He wasn't one to admit he was wrong but he felt a little bad that he was the reason she lost the meal- an offering that the Gods would have thought highly of. I lost another hunt... I really must be cursed...</sub>
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Malika was slightly amused by how he had hurt himself, but she only showed it by giving a slight smile, something she did not do often. Usually, she was stoic and typically had a neutral expression, but now she let herself show the faintest signs of amusement. He would live, she decided, though it looked like it hurt.

"Of course," she replied to his thanks, shrugging her shoulders. She didn't notice how close she was to him, honestly, and didn't really make any attempt to move away, instead only turning her head to look towards where the deer had run off. It would have made a nice meal, but she figured there was a reason for its loss. Perhaps she would get another chance later.

Shrugging again, Malika returned her attention to Quidel, her expression back to its usual neutrality. "That's alright," she said, giving another faint smile. "We'll get another chance."

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_{Malika hardly ever smiled, maybe when the two were closer and were pups- before they were betrothed, she may have smiled and played- but she hardly ever did, so it was nice to see amusement in the usually cold and harsh shell she wore. Quidel almost returned the smile, but instead gruffly shook his head and glanced towards the sky overhead. "I'm becoming a Guardian tomorrow." the male informed her, not that she should care, but he thought, since they would both be at the same rank, it would be important to have tips and help. After all, the two were almost the same size, they were almost equal in strength as well. Making allies were not his strong suite, but he supposed Malika was the closest hes ever had to a friend. "Is being a guardian difficult?" he asked, curious at first but snorted as though he didn't care what her answer was. He pretended to be such a hard ass all the time, you would think he got sick of it after a while.}

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Malika's ears went up when he spoke again, curiosity coming over her. A Guardian? They would be comrades, then. They weren't close, not anymore anyway, but it would be nice to have a slightly more familiar face around. She didn't speak much to the other Guardians outside of when they were on duty, and as such she didn't have any friends among them. Quidel was not her friend, exactly, but they had known each other a very long time, which was nice.

She smiled again, ever so faintly, and shrugged, looking at him with an amused expression. "It has its challenges. Nothing you won't overcome, though, I'm sure," she said. They were similar in build and strength, so if she could do it, she was sure he could as well. "I'll still be able to kick your ass, though," she added teasingly, giving him a light shove with her paw.

After a moment, however, she frowned a little. "But you see things. Awful things, sometimes. It might stick with you." She had been young when she found her first body on the borders, during one of her patrols. Back then she was much more easily affected by these things, and it had stayed with her for awhile. Now, she tried not to let things get to her, but the job was taxing at times even still. Especially considering saving and protecting the alpha's life frequently fell to her and the other Guardians' shoulders.

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_{It sounded strange since the two butted heads like male beta fish, but Malika was the closest Quidel had come to a best friend. He snorted, glancing around, avoiding the female's gaze. But her playfulness at least calmed his usually angry nature. "Yeah right- let's get back already ya flea bag." Quidel rolled his amber eyes before standing up again, his nose still thumping but it was starting to subside. It was when Malika mentioned the awful things he may see and he felt his heart freeze. "Nothing could be too much for me know." the male said gruffly before stomping towards the Main den. Not even bothering to give Malika a second glance. All he could think of was her...
Her and her beautiful smile and face... how it was all his fault she was taken away.... why he death was so slow and painful and horrible... It was Quidel's fault... nothing would change that... but working towards forgiveness was all he could look to in his life now.
Finally after a few minutes he looked behind him, looking to see if Malika was following, "You coming or what?" his voice was in a low growl, as unfriendly as always.}

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Malika eyed him for a moment as he stood, snorting when he insulted her. She took no offense, of course, considering this was just how their relationship worked. This was how it always had been, actually. They always bickered like an old mated pair, despite the fact that they were both so against the idea. It was kind of ironic, not to mention amusing.

Regardless, he was a friend, or the closest thing she had to one. They had known each other for a very long time, and surprisingly he knew her best out of most of their packmates. She was glad he was to become a Guardian. She'd be proud to stand alongside him.

"I'm coming," she grumbled as she caught up to him, giving him a light shove. "Race ya home?" she suggested, always up for a good competition between them.

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