And I Could Be a Pretty Girl₊ ⊹

@Aleksei <3

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Toska had finally decided to explore the new lands she now called home. It was no use mourning a life she could never return to. She could not whisk herself back into the safety of the Wilk lands or bring them here, so why shed more tears? Instead, she felt she could put her feelings to good use, meeting other kind souls and perhaps finding a place for herself. She may not be a good hunter or large enough to be a threat, but she could listen to their sorrows and offer them a friend in their time of need. All she wanted was to be of help.

The young woman strolled along, sage eyes barely paying attention to where she had brought herself. But when a sneeze worked through her nose, Toska was brought out of her thoughts and to the present. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she took in the sea of violet and lavender. "Tu jest pięknie." — It's beautiful here. Toska took in the sea of colors and small shrubs dotted across the meadow. The woman pranced her way to a bush, inhaling the fragrant scent of its flowers. Despite it being autumn, every single flora was alive and fragrant. What an interesting place.

A broad smile appeared as she began jumping from flower to flower, shoving her nose deep into their petals. Somehow, they smelled just like the ones Maroš had given her. Toska shook her head, driving away the memory of before. No use remembering what she could never have. The girl released a soft huff as she continued on her path. Toska came up to another bush, this time a fruit-bearing bush. Tos gingerly took a berry into her mouth, eyes widening at the bursts of flavor. "Są takie słodkie!" — They're so sweet! She yipped and took another into her jaws. But in her blissful haze, she hadn't noticed the presence of another.

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He'd been exploring. Of course he had been. @Ekaterina was not far away, tucked away in some den she'd found or made after running him off with a few snips of her words and teeth. That was fine. He wasn't terribly interested in hanging around while she slept. Actually, he wasn't interested in that at all, hence his wanderings in this colorful, rolling hillside. Not his cup of tea, enjoying the mountains and harshness of his home country, but Aleksei dealt with it anyway. Because what else could he do, other than put up with his Queen? Nothing.

So, he was exploring. And honestly, he might have missed her, had she not sneezed. Was it Kat? Aleksei's nose lifted, working as he scented the wind, only to disappoint the Queensguard who found himself upwind of whoever it was. The evening breeze didn't help him, either. The Iron Maw hesitated, not wanting to put up with more of Kat's attitude at the moment, but he was also unsure if it was her at all. He almost turned away. Almost.

And then there was a voice, the melodious singsong of a feminine voice using a language he did not know.

So he followed it

and found a slight little thing, covered in soft greys, body curved in all the right places. Standing fast where he was, Aleksei watched with burning, perhaps lecherous eyes, as the girl tasted a berry, it's purple juices staining the fur of her chin. “Beautiful girl knows that some berries are poison, da?” His tail swayed idly behind him, dark tipped ears tilted in her direction.

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@Aleksei <3

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Toska practically jumped out of her skin at the sudden rumbling of a man's voice. As she quickly jerked her gaze up to meet the stranger, she was met with an intense burning in his fiery eyes. Toska had never been leered at by a man in her life, not even by her own fiancé. Well, ex-fiancé. But at this moment, Maroš was not in her mind. No, the golden man before her was flooding her senses. Silencing any thoughts of anything other than himself. Her mind was weak in this place, all barriers crumbling in the face of these new wolves.

Toska couldn't help the soft titter that left her lips. The heat in his eyes warmed the skin of her cheeks and made her nervous. She felt like the prey caught before a predator. One that would devour her without a second thought. "I, I." Her words came out hurried, a stuttering she could not contain. "Wiem, co robię." — I know what I am doing. She mumbled, words whispered with a false confidence. Toska didn't want this man to know she was naive and ran to the bush without a second thought. That she was just as delicate as her mother said she was.

But Gods how she couldn't help the way she responded to him. He was an attractive man with an athletic build. But his towering height forced her chin to lift just to be able to meet his golden gaze. Something about this man was different from the one she met when she awoke here. Where Beck had a soft kindness in his gaze, this one held a hunger. Where one made her feel safe, one gave her a sense of fear. But a fear she wanted to touch. A dark pit she wanted to explore.

A lady should never give in to primal desires. The sharp bite of her mother's words once again dragged her back to the present. In a bid to shake away her thoughts, Toska allowed her gaze to drop to the man's chest. "Wh-what do you call yourself?" She asked, her question squeaked out. At that moment, she wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. "O Boże." — Oh, God. She whispered under her breath.

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She stammered, obviously flustered by the gingered male; he smiled, teeth showing as he preened inwardly. Aleksei enjoyed the effect he had on women — save for the Queen; she was as cold as ice — and could not help but savor in her flustered demeanor. The language the berry-eating girl spoke was not one he understood, but the Iron Maw didn't need to know her language to understand her emotions in that moment.

He moved closer as she spoke, asked his name. She was a gentle creature, akin to a fawn or a kitten. She had fangs, surely, but the Russian was sure she'd only ever used them to eat where his were bathed in blood. Great paws only brought him to a halt when he stood before her, looking down upon her pale, delicate features; he drank in the floral notes of her scent. Intoxicating.

“The beautiful berry girl wishes to know my name?” He asked her, lowering his head to grin at her, putting his nose closer so that her scent permeated the air he breathed. “Aleksei. Aleksei Vasiliev.”

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Toska's eyes flickered to the man's suddenly exposed fangs. She now understood the feeling hares felt once they met their hunter's gaze. His smile made her nervous, and her heart began to thump against her chest quickly. Tos could not tell if she was terrified or intrigued by this golden male. Her senses screamed for her to run away, but something within her kept her rooted in place. Something forced her to stand before this man and accept his compliments.

Her body froze as he came closer, his scent surrounding her and crashing into her very soul. It was warm and comforting and reminded her of a winter day spent in the early sunrise.

"Y-yes. I do." He called her beautiful again. Her lips struggled to hold back the smile that fought to appear. Toska had never been called beautiful before. "Aleksei." He had a pretty name. It sounded familiar, but not of her mother tongue. She, liked it. It somehow suited the man and sounded so, perfect when he said it.

It is a pleasure, Mister Aleksei. I am Toska." She hummed and lowered her head in a polite greeting. She kept her verdant gaze locked on his paws, noting just how massive they were. Were they the size of her head? Toska would not want to test that theory anytime soon.

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He could almost hear her heart pound against her chest, trying to break from her breast in... not fear. Was she intimidated by him? Flustered? It was likely the latter, the last, the butterflies in her chest fluttering around like they were trying to escape. And perhaps they were.

His tail swept the air when she uttered his name, golden eyes glittering with that toothy grin he gave her. His head ducked to catch her gaze as it fell to his feet, a low rumbling laugh rattling around in his throat. “Little Toska is shy, mm?” He liked her name; it was unique. Different. And he was a man that liked difference, liked those that set themselves apart in one way or another. “Perhaps it is because I am too tall, da?”

So he reclined before her, his great ginger head now almost level with her own once he was laying upon the ground. “Do you have trouble hunting?”

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This man made her nervous. Aleksei was everything she was told to run from. He was devilishly handsome, and that was reason enough to run. But something kept her in his presence. Something yearned for the danger she knew he was.

Little Toska. The nickname caused a warmth to spread within her and along her cheeks. "Da?" She repeated, the word unfamiliar on her tongue. It was evident that Aleksei's mother tongue was not the common language, but Toska could not pinpoint it. It was similar to her own but had its own sound. How interesting.

"N-nie." — N-no. Toska stuttered, silently cursing at how quickly she reacted to his words. She tried to feign cluelessness, but she knew this man would see right through her. Aleksei was observant, noticing the smallest changes in her demeanor. And it scared her. If he could see how nervous she was around him, what else would he uncover? Her memories? Her secrets?

Toska's ears descended slightly at his words; her heart thrummed louder than before now that the ginger male was at eye level. She had nowhere else to look but at his eyes. His golden gaze burned into her own, and she wanted nothing more than to bury her head in the bush beside her.

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Ah, but he could only give her a lopsided, toothy smile as she shrunk into herself slightly. “It is not a bad thing,” He would reassure her, though whether that was intended towards her being shy or her possible inability to hunt was unclear. His head would tilt then, ears still fully trained upon her.

This close, those golden eyes could drink in the delicate differences in the shades of silver that swept across her face, the darkest variance framing a unique and and captivating shade of green. She was a gorgeous little thing; a shining trophy of a creature that he would love to make another notch on the proverbial bed post.

“I can help you hunt, you know...” He could help her with many things, hunting being the least of them. The question was...

Would he ask for something in return?

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Despite his smile and reassurance, Toska could not help the nervousness creeping up her throat. Something else lingered within that feeling, something that had her breath quicken and her heart race. His smile was full of promises she was not sure she wanted to part of, but he was friendly. And Toska had no real reason to question him.

"I, I am sure you can, Mister Aleksei." Something in his tone made her wary as if the smiling man had ulterior motives. There were no pure thoughts in his mind or pure intentions. Toska could feel it in her heart, but she couldn't help the way she leaned towards the taller man. He was warm, and the slowly waning sunlight allowed the cold to settle in the meadow. Toska was of a cold land, but her thick fur could not always protect her from winter's touch.

Mister Aleksei's offer was one Toska wanted to accept. She was not a hunter. Tos hated killing a live creature, something with feelings and a family. Her heart hurt for them, and to be the reason to take their life pained her. But if Mister Aleksei could provide for her, then she had no reason to deny him.

"It is getting cold, don't you agree, Mister Aleksei?" She breathed, her soft exhale ruffling the fur on his neck. She felt small, hopelessly small, next to him. Aleksei loomed over her, a golden shadow that shielded her from the coming chill. Toska did not want to give the man any improper ideas, but she was cold. And well, Mister Aleksei was very warm. His scent was comforting; she wanted nothing more than to wrap herself in it and relish in his warmth.

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At first, he wondered if she would turn tail and run; she certainly seemed like she might, with the way her voice wavered, the wary way she looked at him. Oh, she was so innocent. It was almost as if she smelled of a babe, innocent and sweet, new to the world and its dangers. She was not new to the world, but it was highly likely she'd never met someone like him, someone that would covet her and do everything he could to possess her.

He could not help the rumble that rattled deep in his throat, nor the next breath that plumed from his nostrils. Her breath upon his neck made his skin spasm with delight and desire. “Come, little bird,” Aleksei spoke to her, voice gravelled with a note that he could not mask. Toska riled the beast that claimed the moniker Iron Maw, dancing within reach of the very jaws that would never let her go should she let him capture her. “We can find a place to keep you warm and safe while I find food for you, hm?”

He would stretch his neck to her then, gently touching his wet nose to the soft spot behind the ears, breathing in deep the scent of sugar plums and the fairy herself, if she let him.

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The rumble that sounded from the man echoed in her head, a mix of a growl and a purr. Was he, happy she decided to stay with him? Was Mister Aleksei as lonely as she was? Was he too alone in this new world?

Little bird. Heat danced along her cheeks at the moniker. She liked it. And she liked hearing him say it. Toska would love to hear him call her his little bird whenever he pleased. She was her papa's swan but now, now she was the golden duke's bird.

A bright smile graced her features at Aleksei's words. "Oh, thank you Mister Aleksei!" Toska cried, practically bouncing on her paws at his words. She had someone who could take care of her. While the girl enjoyed the pleasure of her independence, she knew better than to think she could live alone. Toska was useless like Maroš and Mama always said—nothing more than a pretty face and a pawn. An object to be moved on a board she was not privy to know of.

While she now swore to follow Miss Reiko's pack, she did not know if she belonged. Her heart yearned to travel, to explore the land she now called home. Her mother had always said she was like a feather in the wind, floating where it takes her. She wanted to see the sea, the forests, the meadows. Maybe even the mountains. Toska wanted to know it all and, perhaps, find a place that truly called to her heart.

"Are you familiar with the area, Mister Alek-" Her reply fell silent as the male craned his head to reach around her to press his nose against the back of her head. His neck was against her face, his scent becoming increasingly intoxicating the longer she was in his presence.

A nervous titter left the girl as she walked past the man, lightly running her head against his neck as she moved. "Wh-where shall we go, Mister Aleksei?" Toska felt warm, nervousness rising in her once again. No, she was no longer afraid but wondered if this was right. Should she leave with this man? It was improper and shameful. But she had no one to chaperone her. Her sister was no longer around to keep an eye on her. Maybe, just maybe, she'd throw caution to the wind.

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Her joy was unignorable, laser sharp eyes watching as she bounced around in her happiness. It swept over the depths of whatever lay within his chest, a warm breeze washing over the frosty barrens that the knight had razed himself. The Queensguard had never had the time for anything deeper than fun, anything more memorable or lengthy than a night. Not to mention, there were few women that the Queen could actually stand.

But he had been a boy then, unable to carve his own path as skillfully as he could now. A boy who had been fearful to stir up any trouble, while also being the type to get into trouble. It was all why he made such a good fit in the Royal Guard. He chose to follow the rules and laws until he felt like he should do otherwise; sometimes, it was for a good reason and sometimes it was not. Sometimes, like now, it was because he wanted to.

He almost snatched her back within his reach, almost drew her in and engulfed her body with his own. She would be trouble, surely, but the kind he’d never really gotten into. And that was thrilling. “Is the little bird not already part of a pack?” He asked, for he had smelled the musk of others dancing across her furs. Would she be abandoning them? Or did she want him to join her?
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Mister Aleksei's question stopped her in her tracks. In her excitement about meeting the man, her mind had forgotten her recent pledge of allegiance to the pack of Shiroshika.

"Ah. Uhm. No, I do have a pack I belong to." Toska's gaze descended to her paws, clearly avoiding his sharp gaze. The girl felt bad that she had forgotten about them, but she wanted to spread her wings. She wanted to fly, to see the world for herself. But she had chosen Miss Reiko’s pack. And the swan would never want to hurt the kind woman who welcomed her with open arms.

"Would, would Mister Aleksei like to meet them? They are very kind, Miss Reiko is like a mama to me." She smiled, and the woman lifted her eyes to the golden man. She wanted the man to meet the woman she now saw as family. And in some way, gain her blessing. Blessing for what she didn’t know, but Toska wanted it.

"We are far from Shiroshika, but we can make the trip tomorrow? After a meal and rest?" Toska tilted her head, round eyes searching his face for a change in expression. She wanted Mister Aleksei to say yes, to go back with her. Her heart wanted the yes, but her mind steeled itself for a realistic reply. A no.

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He was right, which he didn't take as a surprise. Was it excitement that made her forget her home, or something else? She had warmed up to him quickly once he had invaded her space and it was something that Aleksei could not simply ignore. So he agreed with her, dipping his great ginger head as he acquiesced to her suggestion.

“Whatever pleases the little bird,” He would rumble at her as he began to walk, pace slow so that her diminutive body could easily keep up with him. Every so often, he would 'accidentally' touch her; a brush of the shoulder or hip here, a flick of his tail there, innocuously marking her with his scent, claiming her as her own at lease in scent.

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She couldn't help the titter that left her lips at his words. Nothing in this world could change her thoughts about this man. And while the young swan knew this was too soon, she couldn't help how her heart leaped at his words. Toska was not afraid of this man. She had no fear that he was going to hurt her or lead her to danger. In fact, she never felt safer than when in his presence.

Toska relished in his touch, her cheeks warming at every brush of his body against hers. Mister Aleksei was a gentleman, slowing down his pace so she could walk in step with him.

"You are too kind, Mister Aleksei." She started, a soft smile on her lips. "But, what would please you?" Toska wanted Mister Aleksei to be as happy as she was. His happiness was something that mattered to her now that she had decided to trust him.

Toska allowed her head to rub against his shoulder, coating herself in his warm aroma. It soothed her nerves and quieted the voice rising in her mind. Despite her time in this new land, her mother still haunted her. Her voice still rang in her mind, still reprimanding her for breaking the sacred rules of their society.

But Toska just didn't care anymore.

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The animal rose in him at that question; he knew exactly what would please him: a delicate creature wrapped in svelte silver whose scent shifted with increasing pheromones as she responded positively to his touches. He wanted her beneath him, wrapped, trapped in a breathless, consuming embrace.

A heat blossomed, one that made his steps into a swagger, if only to accommodate for his arousal. A rumble, low and reverberating rattled in his throat before he lowered his head to preen at the spot behind her ears with his teeth, then the crest of her neck — the instinctual spots where teeth belonged during such activities.

“Little bird is not ready for such things.” Would she know what he meant? Aleksei doubted it; she was young, and a touch naive. But of all the young and naive girls that Aleksei had fooled around with, none had so quickly garnered his attention as she.
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The girl was far too innocent to understand what the ginger man spoke of. But Toska trusted what he said. Mister Aleksei had lived a life far different from her own. He had experienced the world in ways Toska had never or could ever think of doing.

Toska felt Aleksei's gait change, and before she could lift her head to see what had caused him to shift, she heard a low growl within his chest, followed by the sensation of his teeth at her neck. Her lips parted with a gasp of surprise before her jaws snapped shut. Mister Aleksei had done this before, but it felt, different this time. It made her feel warm, and Toska couldn't figure out why.

While Toska kept a smile on her face, she couldn't help the feeling growing within her. "Okay, Mister Aleksei." Despite her smile, she did feel a tad sad at his words. Toska wanted to make him as happy as he made her, but he felt she was not ready for such things. And that hurt the girl's heart. She could try to hunt for him, gather berries, or find something he'd like. Yet she was not ready.

But Toska did wonder what would make her ready. Would it be mastering the art of hunting? Or learning more about the plants that inhabited their home? She couldn't understand what would make her ready. And the unknown made her want to know more.

Her lips parted to ask her questions, but the words never left her tongue. Not when there was a burning growing within her. Toska didn't understand what this burning was, why it made her stifle a sigh at the feeling of his teeth on her neck. Her mind and body were no longer in agreement, and the girl had no clue what she was to do.

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Even if he’d known the thoughts, the disappointed feelings that circled in her head, the ginger Knight would not have cleared the confusion for her. Not yet. Were she less sweet, less innocent, he might have.

“Show me the way to your home, Little Bird. I will find us food on the way there.” Another gentle nudge from him, reassurance to her mood, and an additional reason to touch her. As if he needed one.

Fade.
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