open my chest and color my spine

@Nikolai

Drifting in a haze, somewhere between consciousness and wakefulness, Mintaka existed. She’d wandered without conscious thought for what felt like ages until her body had collapsed, legs giving out completely. It had been so long since she’d seen another wolf, and while Minty was typically okay with that, the complete lack of company was eerie and uncomfortable.

Perhaps her own world wasn’t enough for her, after all.

Exhausted, the silver woman had dozed, enjoying the quiet sound of water lapping against the bank and the sharp scent of pine in her nose.

It was some time until she woke again, the afternoon sun warming her fur and creating shadows behind her closed eyes. It made it difficult to open them - when she did, she found herself squinting against the bright light. A wide yawn split her jaw and she stretched, momentarily enjoying the sleepiness that came from a good, long nap.

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Nikolai had grown bored here; his days consisted of sleeping, tormenting little creatures he could find, and hunting. The days grew long and seemed to blur into one. Nothing brought the pleasure he felt with the Bratva. While he hated the oafs he called brothers, he did miss their antics. He missed Andrei's incessant whining whenever he was forced to get his hands dirty—even Kolya's crude humor around women.

The female he had encountered served as a distraction for some days, but not even she could keep him occupied long enough. Nothing could keep the beast entertained, not even his memories. Nikolai was in limbo here, his mind and body succumbing to the environment. But for some reason, he stayed alive. His mind kept fighting, surviving.

Niko took the afternoon to prowl about his newly selected domain, the familiar freshness tainted by something new. Someone new. A low rumble began within his chest, a sense of possessiveness erupting in the man. While Niko knew he could not claim this land, his being called it his. This lake belonged to him. And he would protect it from this intruder, this idiot intruding on his turf.

Nikolai followed the scent down to the shore, and his icy glare settled on a silver shape lying on the pebbles. The man stood to his full height, lip curling with a growl. "You lost?"

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Waking up from such a deep sleep into a beautiful day had been so pleasant that it hadn’t even occurred to Mintaka that it might go wrong at some point - let alone right away! She jumped to her feet, whipping around at the sound of a harsh growl behind her, and her eyes widened a little at the sight of the bristly man.

Well he certainly didn’t look happy, did he? Mintaka frowned in confusion - what could she have possibly done wrong? - until he spoke.

”You lost?”

Oh. Maybe he wasn’t trying to be mean then? Maybe he was just checking in on her, and he just seemed kind of grumpy naturally. Which was completely fine by her! She was used to dealing with grumpy wolves, so a little growling wasn’t enough to phase her.

“I guess so?” she responded with a wag of her tail, hoping to come across as friendly in the face of this guy’s growliness. He probably hadn’t meant to seem like a jerk, she decided. “I don’t really remember if I’ve been here before, but that might not be the same as being lost.” She smiled a little and couldn’t help her fidgeting, her steps more of a bounce as she got a little closer to him. “How about you? Are you lost, mister?”

Maybe he needed help finding his way, and that was why he’d asked. Minty wasn’t sure if she knew where he was heading, but she could surely accompany him at the very least. She grinned, leaning forward a hair. “I don’t really know the place, but if you need help, we could probably figure it out together!”

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