keep me in the pocket of your ripped jeans

For @Reiko

The man had kept to the mountains, not really having much of a reason to go anywhere else. Environment wise, it was nice and he preferred it over the extreme cold of the tundra. He was slowly getting used to the lack of trees and mass of hills and mountains. Finding a stream, the man would begin to fish, having no problem dunking his whole body into the water to grab food with teeth or claws. 

He was currently underwater, having taken a deep breath before diving down, keeping his eyes open as he dove for a group of fish in hopes of gaining a few. This was the life he preferred.

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She couldn't, and wouldn't go far from the Run knowing it would cause a panic as it often did before and even more so now with her current condition growing by the day. But she had to wander just a little bit. Even if it was just to try and catch some prey to bring back to the caches before she couldn't anymore, she would just take it slower than before.

But she sought more than just some of the strange rabbit-like things in this rocky terrain. The male tiger, Rajani who she had met a couple of times before was also on her list to find... should he be roaming somewhere nearby if she were lucky, the woman had a few questions and concerns in regard to the now two cubs that resided in Shiroshika.

Unaware that Rajani had met Kuhn... perhaps she would have been more cautious had she known of their exchange.

With the tiger in question under some water, she was oblivious to his presence nearby as she focussed on the terrain and some of the plump rabbits as they hopped around. With the morning sickness, she didn't quite feel hungry yet even if she should be eating more now than she normally would.

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The man was underwater for quite a long time, having the lung capacity to do so. With claws out, he was able to kill quite a few fish underwater, diving lower to gather then in his jaws before finally pushing himself upwards. He was unaware that Reiko was near, assuming that he was alone like he had been when he went under. So, he quite loudly breached the water, sending pellets flying everywhere as he dragged himself to the ground near the edge. Water was still clearing from his nose so he hadn't just yet smelled the female. Instead, he would place his small cache of food on the ground before shaking his fur out, sending water flying everywhere around him.

It wasn't until after that that the man realized that someone was there, eyes narrowing and body tensing as he looked around to see who had snuck up on him. He hated being snuck up on and despised surprises.

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She was just about to wander off and focus on the rabbits until the sound of disturbed water caught her attention. Swinging around and preparing to flee should it prove to be something, or someone dangerous, she took a few steps back to make sure there was enough of a head start for her. The quick movement of whatever it was coming out of the water had startled her at first, only to swiftly relax just enough as the familiar striped pattern individual shook himself off and placed the fish down on the shore.

She couldn't completely relax around tigers just yet, her legs were still on springs and ready to bounce off should she need to flee - but this time instead of standing frozen in fear and soiling herself - her tail swayed slowly and a gentle smile curved her lips. Only lightly bowed brows showed any concern left she had in his presence. “Rajani — I am glad I found you.” She swallowed the previous nerves to let her voice flow freely.

She could see he too was tense about having someone nearby after he resurfaced, but perhaps he too would feel more at ease knowing it was her? At least... she hoped. Pulling her chin down toward her chest, she observed his actions and waited for his own reactions before continuing. Still with that same gentle smile and slow sway of her tail near her ankles, hoping he would keep with the good nature he had shown previously.

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Eyes glanced around, quickly noticing the wolf. Almost instantly he recognized her, hearing the familiar voice that actually seemed calmer this time. Upon realizing who it was, he relaxed his body, not longer tensed and ready to fight. Unlike her, his first thought was to fight instead of running. For a moment, he thought about the conversation he had with Khun, but pushed it out of his mind, for now at least. He had thoughts of asking her about it, but figured that could wait for later. This was the first time that she didn't seem like she was going to faint from fear, so perhaps it was a start. 

Cocking his head to the side, he would offer her a small nod, a light smirk on his face. "You looking for me?" He chuckled slightly before reaching down to pick up a fish, gently throwing towards her feet. He was rather strong, so he had to be gentle as to not smack her with it or send it flying. "What you need?" He figured if she was looking for him that she need something. Not that he minded per say, he had been thinking about talking to her about her fear of him anyway.

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She almost held her breath while waiting for his reaction, to gauge if he was still friendly after their last two meetings or if her fear of them had botched this completely. Once his smirk and nod of acknowledgement were her sign that she passed, the cautiously swaying tail picked up its pace lightly in excitement. Stepping forward by a single step, she nearly smacked herself in the face by the fish flung her way. Instead, she narrowly avoided it and was surprised at the gift - incapable of stopping the pace of her tail. Oh, how she loved fish even if she couldn't catch them herself! “Ah! — thank you.”

Nodding at his first question, she'd place a paw on the fish as though to secure it with her. “Mhm.” Humming her answer, she could only hope that her asking him about tiger cubs wouldn't be an annoyance to him. “We found a second abandoned cub in the Pass, this one is older. We cannot find her mother and I fear for her safety with us.” Not wanting to bring up Ira's upcoming children, any week now new pups would be born and she doubted Ira would appreciate a tiger or anyone knowing of the new births.

“Not only am I not quite familiar with how to raise tigers... but —” She cut herself off, unsure how to proceed without insulting Rajani somehow or divulging too much information that could potentially endanger Ira, her pups and both packs who were still recovering. “Are you opposed to taking an older cub with you?”

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The man couldn't help but chuckle as she nearly got smacked with the fish, something that shouldn't be as funny as it was to him. Nonetheless, he was clearly much calmer now that he knew who it was. However, he still couldn't stop himself from sniffing the air, silently wondering if they were alone. Sure enough, she was the only one and, now that he didn't have to worry about an attack, he sat himself down and curled his tail around himself. 

Her words make him narrow his eyes slightly, but he kept his gaze cast downward slightly, not wanting to scare her as he did last time. But, lets be honest, everything he did scared her, even just his existence. Of course she would be worried about their safety, he would be to. With a groan, he would speak up, finally looking up at her. "I told you before, I am not in a position to raise child..." He found himself sighing. "If they hunt for themself I will take with."

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He groaned, annoyed again as she tried to give him a child to take away from Shiroshika and as his own ward. She shied away, pulling her chin closer to her chest as he softly apologized to him - always an inconvenience she was to these felines it seemed. “I cannot tell if she can yet... If you were to see her, are you able to determine if she is old enough?” Still, she pressed. Hoping he could alleviate them of one cub before an incident caused more mayhem. Most wolves in both packs were on edge after all, it only needed one misunderstanding to cause a ripple effect.

“If we teach her, will that suffice?” She had to try and entrust the cub to someone else, someone she trusted enough not to turn the cub against her kind. They needed to build bridges after all, on both sides; and she hoped Rajani could meet her halfway as a good representative of his species to hers.

“Please,” She stressed, beckoning for him to hear her out. To at least try. “I do not know who else to turn to.”

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The man would sigh, looking over at the woman for a moment before cracking a small smile, shaking his head slightly. "Fine, but only because you ask." He was certain that if anyone else had asked him, he would have bitten their tail off. However, he had a sweet spot for the shy leader. "And you certain other cub will be cared for?" If he was going to have to deal with one, he might as well offer about the other one. Maybe one could care for the other and he would just need to be present. 

Cocking his head to the side for a moment, he would think about his words before finally speaking up. "I want to ask about reason you hate me.... my kind." He knew this would likely cause her to run from him, but he would lay himself down onto his side, letting his belly show in an attempt to show her that he had no intentions of attacking or doing anything bad. If anything, he was putting himself in a compromising position, though his ears were twitching around, making sure he wasn't going to get attacked by doing this.

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When he finally relented and agreed, the woman perked up again. Feeling a small sense of accomplishment with this little victory. “Thank you —” With a small bow of her head in appreciation, she continued. “Mayhaps in a few weeks, return to our borders? I will make sure she knows some hunting by then.” After all, she didn't want to squander this opportunity by wasting the tiger's time by coming by twice.

As for the other cub, the Empress brought her gaze back to Rajani. “I assure you he will. One at his age is seen far less of a threat... if he grows up with us, he will be accepted. I gave him the title of prince, as my son.” Hopefully, that would ease any of Rajani's concerns for the well-being of the first cub that came into her clutches.

What followed however gave her mixed feelings. With how Rajani laid down to seem less threatening it had helped ease the tension in her coiled legs, but the question still felt somewhat loaded. Would he too twist her words and actions around to demonize not only herself but the cause that Shiroshika stood for? As her own sign of extending trust, she would not lay down, but lower her guard just enough to sit.

“I would not call it hate...” Not even for the whole species. “I fear your power. For not only myself but the ones I took under my care... for my children. More so now after I have seen the damage that one of you can do to a pack, even with the odds against them.” Despite it all, she would not lie. Reiko had no desire to. She would not twist the occurrence to make herself more innocent, only the truth of which she saw. “The last tiger we dealt with... well... he and his companion harassed us for months for no good reason other than I requested him not to hunt for a neighbouring pack on our lands. It only devolved from there, even after multiple attempts to seek a compromise. I do not want to repeat the same mistakes by placing my trust in the wrong individuals.”

Hence the apprehension... the slow to trust mentality she had when faced with his mind.

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He nodded slightly, agreeing to take on the older tiger, but he didn't want to have to handle feeding another body. Tigers ate a lot, and it was hard enough already to feed his large body. "If smol tiger ever in danger, give back."

The male stayed silent and listened, noting that she had sat herself down which, in his mind, was at least a step in the right direction. He had honestly expected her to run away from him, swearing to never return. Instead, she told her story, one that he silently would begin to fit the pieces together. 

After a few moments, he would nod, speaking up though still laying on his side. "I met Kuhn, he told his side of story." He would shrug slightly for a moment before laying his head down, now simply basking in the sun. Closing his eyes he would continue to speak. "I do not care for politics, if you nice to me, I nice back. If you mean to me, I mean back." He had a very simple view on life it seemed.

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“I will seek you out.” She'd confirm. Though it would be hard to relinquish one she had taken under her wing and called her prince, where his life was in any danger she would do anything to protect it - of course... providing he was not causing harm to others. Even then his own life would be at stake and Rajani would be sought. Hopefully, he took her word for that... after all it was what she was doing now, was it not?

As hard as she tried to speak with Rajani in a calm manner, the mention of h I'm meeting Kuhn sent her heart into a frenzy. Suddenly her head felt faint as she rose to her paws as though an electrical shock was set under her toes - she could no longer stand in one place. If you mean to me, I mean back. The words barely registered as she slowly paced on the spot. “You have not told him where we were, have you?”

Even with that question posed, she wanted to run back to the Run and inform everyone that there was a possibility that their enemy now knew where they were. That Ira had to find a place where her newborn could never be found and prepare for the worse should he or Valmúa come to find them in the mountains.

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He let out a soft sigh, though didn't even open his eyes much less lift his head. He could already tell that she was freaking out but his words rang true, unless she attacked him, he had no reason to raise claw against her. Hearing her words, he would shake his head in a very nonchalant manner. "I have no reason to. As I said, I do not care for politics. I would not put someone who was nice to me in danger. I protect those who show kindness." It was only then that he opened his eyes, piercing blue eyes pinning her down. Truth and determination rang clear in his gaze. Even though he never said it, he would fiercely protect those that showed him kindness, which meant her and in turn included her pack. 

Then, as if he had said nothing, he would close his eyes again, relaxing against the ground. "Take fish back to pack, add to cache." He said simply, not really hungry anymore after this rather intense discussion.

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Rajani remained calm through her panicked state - something that she would appreciate later when adrenaline wasn't coursing through her veins like a thick syrup. His soothing as they could get for someone in her current state of mind, and though she tried to calm down at this answer of his, her skin still crawled impatiently. Little pools of liquid where her paws had been, the anxiety causing her paws to sweat just a little bit in the moment that had passed.

Taking in a deep breath, she filled her lungs to the brim which even pushed out her chest a little with exertion. Slowly she exhaled trying to calm herself, walking back over to the fish he had reminded her of. “Thank you Rajani. I hope to see you again soon.” One more nod in his direction before she reached down to grab the fish, it was larger than she was accustomed to carrying and so its tail between her forelimbs would hinder her gait just a little - but it could easily feed a few. Offering a smile through occupied lips, she turned to return to the mountains and begin the task of training the older cub to hunt.

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The man would finally lift his head, watching her for a moment. She was still terrified of him and for a moment he wondered if he would ever see her again. Perhaps not, but it also seemed like she had a desire to dance with death. Not that he seemed to mind. She intrigued him and because of that, he would always accept her coming by to see him every now and then. For now though, he was content in just watching her struggle with the large fish. It wasn't until he watched her walk, er waddle, away with the fish that he realized how large the fish actually was. For him, they were much smaller and reasonable sized. But for her, it seemed ten times bigger. 

Hearing her words, he would nod simply as he watched her leave, only standing up once she had walked away. Now alone, he would begin to eat, still laying down and having time to bask in the sunlight.

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