Arconius x Temperance {Finished! :D}

[kabuto_rocks]

She had to give him his dues. She was watching him as he walked, maybe even admiring him a tiny bit. She didn't doubt he could defeat her brother. Denahi was an experienced fighter, but he had no grace and no brains. She had a feeling that Ark would plot each attack, that his intelligence and combined strength would end up making him the victor.

It can get annoying She replied, reminding herself of what they were talking about To be honest my pack is fed up with him. I think they're fed up with me too. If it weren't for the leader, we wouldn't even be in it anymore Temper wasn't sure why she did stay in the Skylark pack. No one liked her and her brother-they liked no one back, except maybe Alora. Alora had been good to them.

What about you? Do you have a pack? Temper rather hoped he didn't actually. She wanted to know what life without a pack would be like, and this Volpe might be able to tell her. Of course, she had lived without a pack before. But then Denahi had taken care of her

31/45

[kabuto_rocks]

It was odd, the way this Royal talked about her pack. Traditionally, Volpes were supposed to be dedicated to their packs. Live for them, die for them. At least supposedly they should be dedicated. This female didn't seem to care. Most Volpes he had previously dealt with would be near-suicidal if they thought their packs were getting tired of them.

Her question might have sounded simple, but when it came to Ark nearly nothing was simple. He pondered her question thoughtfully, the light from the gap illuminating his face. Did he have a pack? Technically he did belong to one, although apart from the leader he had spoken to no other members. He had never particularly wanted to, but even if he had wished to talk to them he daren't after what he did.

I do have a pack, of sorts He was choosing his words carefully, as he often did It's complicated

32/45

[kabuto_rocks]

Is anything in life not complicated? The female grinned, a shiver running down her spine. It was getting quite late now, and it didn't help that she had been soaked earlier. It was times like this she was glad she had her tails. Wrapping the fluffy ends round herself, she tried to stay warm.

Tell me She persisted, still curious. Normally, Temper didn't pry into other Volpes' lives. She usually didn't care enough to feel anything other than mild curiousity. This male was doing a good job of keeping her interested though, and she was surprised to find she was genuinely wondering about his life

33/45

[kabuto_rocks]

Darn, he was hoping she'd have dropped the subject by now. Fidgeting nervously, he cleared his throat before speaking.

Well...I do have a pack. At least, I technically belong to one. I don't really speak to any of them, except the leader. I suppose you could call me a loner Ark wondered if she would find this odd. Based on her previous statement, she didn't really get involved in her pack either. If she thought him weird wouldn't it be kinda hypocritical?

A cold wind blew into the cave, ruffling his jet black fur. Right on cue, the Temprus gave a little squeak. Blinking down at the creature, he noticed how cold it looked. Rolling his eyes, he nodded at the creature.

Fine Sighing, he lay down so that the Temprus could cuddle up to him

34/45

[kabuto_rocks]

Ark's explanation wasn't really as clear as she had hoped. Still, she sort of got what he meant. Basically, he sounded like her-stuck with the label of belonging to a pack, but not really caring enough to act like a dedicated member.

Her gaze shifted as she heard the squeak, and she blinked in surprise. She hadn't noticed the little creature before. Filled with curiousity, she gently lowered her nose to look at it better.

What's that? She quizzed him, her voice soft so as not to scare the critter

35/45

[kabuto_rocks]

Lifting up his head at the sound of her voice, Ark blinked in surprise.

You've never seen a Temprus before? He thought everyone knew about those little guys. Apparently not. Grinning, he gently nudged the creature forward. Guilt blinked up at this female with wide grey eyes. He wasn't exactly scared, but he felt slightly uneasy. His feathered antennae twitched slightly, and he made a sort of clicking sound.

That's his way of saying hello Ark explained He's called Guilt by the way He spoke before he had time to think. When he realized what he'd said, he froze. Hopefully she wouldn't notice...If she asked him why, he was doomed

36/45

[kabuto_rocks]

A Temprus. Temper made a note of the name, grinning briefly at the similarity to her own name. It was quite a cute creature, if not slightly odd. She had an odd urge to pet it, despite the fact that she usually prided herself being above finding furry things cute.

Guilt? Drawing herself back up, she frowned gently. That was kinda an unusual name. Why name it that? She was about to ask him when the Temprus squeaked again. It slowly crawled forward and nudged against her paw, making a sort of purring sound.

It was no use trying to pretend. Even the tough Lioness found this adorable. She slowly lifted a paw and gently stroked the Temprus, trying to stop herself from awwing

37/45

[kabuto_rocks]

Phew, that had been close. Ark could tell by her expression that she had been about to ask him about the Temprus. He was welcome of the distraction, and reminded himself to thank Guilt later.

Her reaction amused him. Considering how uncaring and prickly she'd been earlier, she was going a bit soppy now. Ark found himself idly thinking that she might make a good mother. This thought shocked him, and he frowned to himself. He definitely didn't want pups-and yet this female was oddly enticing and making him feel all...Twitterpated?

Snorting at this random and ridiculous thought, he spoke again.
He seems to like you It was meant to be a statement, a fact, but it ended up sounding rather like a compliment. This was dangerous territory-he should change the subject soon

38/45

[kabuto_rocks]

The brief silence was slightly unnerving. She had glanced up, meaning to speak to the Hallow but his expression had stopped her. He looked...thoughtful. Pensive. He also looked slightly alarmed, which in turn alarmed her.

She wasn't sure he didn't frighten her anymore. He frightened her less, but he had that air about him, some sense of history. A past. His orange eyes were always so deep, like there were a hundred different lights dancing behind them. She had spent some time with him here, and yet she didn't really know him. She had come to the conclusion that he wasn't so bad though, and that was high praise coming from the Lioness.

He's cute She responded, giving the Temprus another gentle pat Where did you get him?

39/45

[kabuto_rocks]

Oh no. She'd done it. Ark froze, his fur bristling. She'd asked that dreaded question. How the heck was he supposed to answer that? Tell her the truth? Sure, that would go down well. 'You see, I got it from a dead Volpe when...' As if he could say that!

For a few minutes, the feeling of being trapped swamped him. His mind wheeled, filled with memories and thoughts, wonderings and horrors. Finally he snapped back to reality, and reverted to his automatic response. Anger.

I got it from a friend His tone was definitely harsher than it should have been, his comment short and snapped That's it Something in Ark's mind tried to prevent him from behaving so fiercely, but it was too late. All he could think of was the past

40/45

[kabuto_rocks]

Instantly, the whole mood changed. Temper looked up from the Temprus at his words, shocked and hurt by his sudden mood change. What had she done? Why was he acting so...angry?

His amber eyes were now filled with a different glow. He looked absolutely furious, like he was about to bite her or something. His ebony fur was bristled, his eyes were narrowed.

Temper wanted to growl back, her first reaction to feel annoyed. Why was he mad at her? She'd done nothing! She stood up, her own violet eyes reflecting back his fury...

The voice in her head stopped her. Something in her common sense reminded her of the last hour or so they'd been together, warning her not to throw it away. She argued bitterly of course, feeling like a loon in the process. But eventually she had to resign, admit that perhaps the voice was right. Perhaps she should hear him out.

Instead of clawing at him, she slowly stepped forward, her unsureness evident in her eyes.
What's wrong? She asked quietly, feeling awfully vulnerable. That was something she hated, coming off as all sentimental. Part of her even wished he would snap at her again, just to give her an excuse to run away and not come back. That would be easier than dealing with this odd feelings of insecurity

41/45

[kabuto_rocks]

The next few seconds seem to go on forever. He was almost delighted when she got to her feet, certain that a fight was bound to come. He needed to get rid of these negative feelings about the past, and a quick brawl was always a good way to work out his anger.

Then she spoiled it all. Instead of attacking him, she had to be sympathetic. Through the whole meeting he hadn't seen this side, and it was that shock that made him forget for a few seconds. He stood there, confusion flowing through his mind. How could he have snapped so violently? Guilt overwhelmed him, and he gazed down at the floor.

There was no use apologizing. It would have sounded hollow and insincere now. Besides, he wasn't entirely sure he was sorry. He felt bad for hurting her, but it was complicated.

Sighing, he turned his back on her. It was the only safe thing to do, just to turn around and leave. Those previous feelings he had felt just confused things and he couldn't deal with that. He should just leave

42/45

[kabuto_rocks]

Alarm filled her as he turned his back. He was going to go? Just walk away? Temper let out a snort. No way! She had spent time with this guy, and there was no way she was going to let him take that lightly.

Where do you think you're going? She raised her eyebrows, letting him know by her tone that she meant business. If she'd known coming here was going to be so complicated! The whole ordeal seemed like a merry-go-round, with both of them changing their minds so frequently

43/45

[kabuto_rocks]

If her comment had been said any other way, it might have been offending. As it was, it was oddly reassuring. She didn't sound mad at his earlier outburst, nor particularly sad. It was amazing how such a simple comment could make him smile.

You know, I think you might be bipolar He turned round, lips grinning in amusement. Darn this female! Being honest, she wasn't the prettiest. Yet she matched him so perfectly-it seemed she could handle him, and while this was both a frightening and intriguing thought, Ark felt sorta pleased about it.

The Lioness just smiled back at his comment, giving him a look which said And you're not? Letting out a sigh, Ark gave in and turned round completely.

It's not going to be easy being friends with me He warned, flicking his tail. It sounded quite cheesy, but he needed to say it I can't always be completely honest with you He held his breath, wondering how she would reply

44/45

[kabuto_rocks]

As soon as he'd grinned, she knew everything was going to be okay.

I can tell it won't be easy. Do I look like I care? I'm not really the easiest person to get along with either It was true-Temper knew she had...well, a temper, and she knew that most people found her either too rude or too wild.

That's true He smiled wickedly back I still don't know your name. But we can be friends?

She had to bite her lip to stop herself from saying her standard reply 'I don't do friends'. Normally, she only had her brother for company-not that she disliked that. Denahi was okay company, and she never felt the need for anyone else. But, in a weird way she had enjoyed her time with this male.

I suppose it wouldn't be too bad if we saw each other again She replied loftily But, I must warn you. Next time I'm calling you Arconius Laughing, she dashed out of the way as he swiped a playful paw. Things were going to be okay

~45/45~