"Tell me about your life growing up," Lijen asked in a low rumble, eyes closing. He really just wanted to hear her voice. And hear a story of her past. It had become a sort of hobby of his, collecting histories from his temporary partner. The only one he never collected from was Shauku; they were close friends and light banter was all they needed.
--
Eydis pressed against Lijen as he came up beside her, letting her tail that had just bapped him on the nose twine with his. The request made her laugh softly and she gave him a little bump with her hip as they reached the wide path that would lead up to the more treacherous rocky ascent.
"Nothing terribly exciting," she drawled. "My father is a Captain here and I'm from a large litter so there were always cubs to play with and nice things to see and wear and eat because of his status. My siblings were more focus on being Reavers than I was, but when it became apparent that the good males were mostly keen on females that would join them on Vikings I realized I had to change my tune a bit." She raised a brow as she glanced at the male, a little smirk on her lips.
"And of course I was aware what I was looking for might be outside of pridal lands...and look who I ran into."
--
"A captain, hmm?" he murmured, smiling after her as he followed. It was a nice view but, regretably, he had to move his eyes to the ground, making careful steps. He listened to her talk, imagining such a large family. A captain. He would hate to meet that man. In fact, he wasn't keen on meeting any family of his hook ups. Except, maybe sisters... No, that's too troublesome. And would cause strife in the family, more than likely. He isn't into that sort of love. His brief moment with lady companions should be nothing but pleasurable, fond memories to look back upon.
His knowledge of the stormborn was spotty but he knew enough to nod and understand a bit. He did have to know of the territories he travels on, afterall. "I'm what you're looking for?" he mused in a low purr.
--
The answer Lijen gave her had Eydis chuckling softly. Oh, if only he knew what he was getting himself into. Eydis knew what her future was: settling down to keep the den of her mate, to call the shots and demand beautiful things to decorate herself and her home with, to boss around those beneath her and to raise any cubs she might have along the way properly and in true Stormborn fashion. While Lijen might not meet every Stormborn quality, she was certainly going to have a fun night and perhaps she could bargain a few of his prizes off of him in the process.
"Don't be so modest," she teased as she hopped up onto the first rocky ledge. "Pay attention to your footing, now. This is when it gets tricky." As she promised, going up was much harder than coming down, and even she had to focus intently to ensure she didn't slip. The waves grew further and further away and looking down would get anyone's heart racing.
--
"Yes, ma'am," he responded in a drawl, eyes moving to his feet. "I can't help to be a bit distracted with the view in front of me." Surely, being more forward with her wouldn't be too bad? Some ladies were delicate and needed gentle wooing. Going by her suggestions that he was hoping to the gods he didn't misinterpret, she certainly didn't need gentle wooing. It seemed she knew exactly what she wanted.
And he'd be amiss if he didn't deliver.
The way up was becoming quite trecherous and, during his idle thoughts, his foot slipped. Heart slamming into his chest, his feet skittered off the edge for a moment and, after several long seconds of scrambling for a foothold, he was finally able to crawl on his belly back up the rocky surface. A heavy breath escaped him. If it hadn't been his experience in dangerous situations due to his work, he'd probably have plummeted right off the edge and then, so much for a fun night. "Very tricky indeed," he mused lowly, glancing over at the edge before carefully standing up. How embarrassing but surely he can recover from that misstep.
--
Eydis smirked slightly at Lijen's reply and rolled her eyes even though his obvious flirtation was more than welcome. She did fall silent, though, taking her own advice as she climbed. She had more than one close call climbing back up to the top of the cliff and she really didn't feel like sliding back down to the sea.
She heard Lijen scrambling behind her, but by the time she was able to safely turn around he was back on his paws and steady once more. "Careful now," she cautioned, no hint of flirting or seduction in her voice. She made sure Lijen was right on his paws before climbing up the few remaining yards.
Once back on solid ground she gave herself a little shake, glad that she had made it once again up the tretcherous path. She waited for Lijen to join her, a smug look on her face. "I do hope you find those treasures were worth the danger."
--
So, she hadn't seen. What a relief. Letting out a grateful sigh, he followed her carefully. When they finally got to safe ground, he nearly collapsed to relax. Of course, there was a lady present and he would never make such a scene. Grinning, he rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "Well worth the danger," he murmured, moving next to her.
He glanced back at the path they had just climbed and nearly shuddered. How treacherous. "There were other treasures there, as well," he murmured, turning his gaze to her with a meaningful smirk.
--
Amused eyes watched as Lijen gave a glance down the cliff once more. It was clear the male didn't relish the journey, but the treasures at the bottom had been worth the climb. Perhaps he'd make it a few more times at some point in his life to collect more, but for now he seemed to have his fill. The smooth words that followed had Eydis chuckling softly as she pressed her side against his, pushing her head into his thick mane and nuzzling without a care.
"What a flatterer you are," she purred before moving away, brushing against him as she left. "Come with me. I know of a good place where you can repay me." There was a nice little cave not far from here that would be a perfect spot to spend some time with Lijen and relax after the tretcherous climb.
--
Her nuzzling felt good. Lijen nearly purred. "I only speak the truth," he murmured happily, pausing for a moment as she passed by him. Oh, a place to repay her? Excitement was mounting and a large wolfish grin settled on his maw. "Yes ma'am. I'll go anywhere for you," he told her huskily, following her.
--
"Please, I think we're on a first name basis now, Lijen. Eydis will do," she said with an amused chuckle as she led the way away from the cliff towards the relative safety of the rogue lands. Yes, she had this male right where she wanted him, and if things panned out nicely then she'd have the life she wanted. Who would have thought it would take her going a-Viking to life the life of a spoiled saltwife? If anyone ever said she never worked for what she wanted they'd be lying, that was for certain.
silverlutz
w.c.: 1,398