Wolves Don't Belong in Stew... [Sopho!]

[Anonymous]

Another end to another day. All was fairly quiet in the comically named Book Loft as Kiesha Tyne, the owner, sat silently at her desk at the back on the main level of the building that housed both her shop and her living quarters, the latter being on the top floor. Recently returned from another of her book-hunting trips, she'd kept herself busy with restoring order to her home and shop as well as replenishing supplies so that only now was she able to settle down to read one of the new finds she'd been aching to turn the pages of. Before her, all the shelves were immaculate and all of her stock sat in order as was usual. Her simple desk consisted of the few necessities needed for running the small shop at the heart of Ketra's merchant district and the only thing displaced at the moment was the single book that lie beneath her, mind lost to the text she read with a careful eye.

The sun's time to set was bearing down upon her but the woman sat oblivious to all around, not remembering that she'd usually locked up by now. Still, she was the type that, once she got her hands on a new book that interested her, just couldn't bear to tear away from it until she was finished and the book sat in its place among her shelves. She looked as such now, her tall, thin frame relaxed and still as her hair tumbled over her shoulders to form easy curtains at either side of her face while soft eyes darted across the pages of the work that was before her in a simple ease free of worry from the outside world.

[Anonymous]

In the front of the store, a bell dinged. Delmont Crave stepped into the cool, familiar air of the book store. He had not been there before, but the smell of books--that had always been one of his favorite smells, old books on old ceder shelves, just dark enough to be pleasant after the harsh glare of the day and the darkness of the night. Pleasing to have someone thing that was comfortable an therefore brilliant.

For a few moments, a scant few, Delmont immersed himself in the books until he caught another sent, and he stopped, because--it was a wolf, a wolf in a bookstore and it was perfect, because he longed, so much, for companionship, for a pack mate. And it was a female, which was even better, and one that wouldn't mind that he liked books.

He followed the scent, abandoning all thoughts of books. There was no other smell of wolves on her, and--and--she was sitting right there in the back the the store when he finally emerged from the maze of shelves. Reading, behind a desk, and he--he was so overwhelmed, at finally finding another wolf, that he didn't think to introduce himself properly.

Instead, he said, "Werewolf." And only afterward did he realize how awkward that might be for her, especially because with the way the air was in the shop, with air flowing from what he assumed was an open window up the stairs, he could smell her, but she couldn't smell him.

[Anonymous]

The soft chime of the bell at the front of her store remained unheard by Kiesha as she sat, fully immersed in her book. All of the noises really, the usual sounds of scuffing boots and the whoosh of air as pages were turned, she was oblivious to, though she ought to have been more alert. Turning to the next page, she shifted herself on the stool and propped an elbow on the desk to support her chin as she continued her methodical, soothing task. Then, suddenly, her senses perked up and her hearing tuned in to the sound of another creature's steady breathing.

Startled, she lifted her gaze first to peer across the space at the man standing in front of her. He uttered a single word then, but one that meant so much to her. Carefully studying him for a long moment in silence, she slowly lowered her arm and straightened up, having trouble all the while to come to a conclusion about what the name meant to him and how he knew she was of the species. Kiesha blinked a few times, shifting her focus to his attire and stance to try and decide whether he came on hostile terms. Still, she could come to no conclusion with what little she could see and, thus, began to become agitated with herself.

After weighing her options of how to deal with this visitor, she chose to finally speak. "Can I help you, sir?" she asked, keeping her voice calm, not wanting to get herself into any sort of trouble.

[Anonymous]

She was confused and cautious, and Delmont immediately perceived why; his one spoken word was not threatening, but it was not friendly, either, too laced with tension and excitement for one to be sure. But she she turned her face up, he felt his breath catch a little. She was beautiful. Lovely, pale eyes and a graceful nose. The kind of face one could fall in love with. But Delmont's eyes didn't focus only on her face. he looked also at her slender neck and shoulders--if she were standing, she would be his height, he was sure, though he couldn't see her legs. But he could see that she was brave, but cautious.

His eyes did not pause on her breasts. They had never mattered to him, not since he had accepted his lupine nature. What use did a wolf have for breasts? But now was not the time to be sizing this woman up as a mate(a pack mate, Delmont reminded himself. Hopes risen too often fell).

"I don't--I don't know," Delmont said. He had never been good at verbal communication. On the other hand, manners had been firmly drilled into his head for the brief time he'd spent with his parents, and they now came to the forefront of his mind as Delmont bowed deeply to her, like a proper gentleman would have. His father had been a butler of some noble or another before marrying his mother, and so had known all the little tricks, and had taught them to Delmont.

When he straightened from his bow, he said, "My name is Delmont Crave, Miss. I--That is to say, is is a pleasure to meet you, I am--I have not met another werewolf in far to long." There. He should probably say more, but he feared that if he continued talking he's never stop until his foot was so far down his throat he could no longer draw enough breath to speak. Still, had he been prone to it, he would have been trembling in excitement. Another wolf! One who, from the smell of it, didn't belong to a pack. it was perfect.

[Anonymous]

Kiesha took special care in observing the man that stood before her, still a bit unsure about him with the way his expression did not seem to settle on one single thing but continued to change as he looked at her. He seemed a bit awe-struck, though she knew she must look pleasing to men because she was accustomed to the stares of others as she went about her business. Still, he seemed to be looking at her with a different eye than that of the usual person; not as if he were looking at a statue to be stared at but a person to be figured out.

Her mind was drawn back to the word that had gotten her attention, though: 'Werewolf'. Curious to see if he was of the race, Kiesha inhaled a few deep breaths but could not detect anything out of the ordinary, especially no scent of her kind nor of the man before her. Strange. Then he spoke again, stumbling over his words as if he did not know what he wanted to say. Out of respect for the visitor, she carefully, yet reluctantly, closed the book in front of her and stood quietly from the chair, folding her hands together carefully. No sooner had she walked around the desk to face him properly than did he fall into a deep bow at the waist.

Unaccustomed with the action, but remembering her manners, she quickly snatched the forest green dress she was wearing into her hands, returning respect with a curtsy to the man, though she knew not why he was being so polite. Still, she raised herself and smoothed out the fabric of her clothing with a quick swipe of her hands before curling them together again, remaining silent as the man spoke to her once more.

His stammering was interesting to her, for he seemed eager and excited for some reason or another, and the way he spoke! She knew by the look of his clothing that he could not be of a class lower than herself so Kiesha's mind drew into a state of curious confusion yet again.

Again, he spoke of werewolves. Determined to check the air again, fearful of her sense of smell being faulty for all that he spoke, she inhaled in great sweeps the air surrounding them and still she detected nothing of her breed on the one that stood before her, but still his individual scent remained illusive to her nose. Puzzled, she looked at him across the space between them. "Sir, I beg your pardon, but I do not smell the scent of the wolf," she explained gently, unsure if he was toying with her by speaking of werewolves, though she knew not why she might not smell him if he spoke truth. Perhaps he's using some sort of magic to hide himself?! she thought to herself, eyes holding a glint of curiosity as she looked at the man who called himself Delmont Crave.

[Anonymous]

Did she really not know? Perhaps she did not often hunt, to be unaware of this problem--he would explain, it was quite simple. But she had not given her name. No matter, he would fine out soon, if she was amicable to company. To his company. Oh, a pack, what a wonderful idea. Well. That could come later.

"Miss," he said, explaining, "The breeze is--it's blowing away from you. You're standing up wind." This was said a little awkwardly, not wanting to be condescending, though he felt that she really should know this. He didn't want to offend her, of course, because that would be counter productive, but still--well, perhaps because they were indoors it hadn't occurred to her? That was a possibility.

Perhaps, a slightly nasty voice whispered to Delmont, She's defective.

But of course he didn't listen to that voice, because it never had anything good or useful to say.

He liked the look in her eyes, though. That spark of curiosity, that need to know, to learn, to grow. He, too, felt it, and perhaps that is why they both liked books.

((This is really horrible and short, but I just didn't have anything to say :/))

[Anonymous]

The wind? Of course. Turning her head slightly to the side, she then felt the slight current coming down the stairs. Feeling foolish for questioning him from the start, she gave a weak smile and quickly stepped forward. Pressing her nose briefly to his shoulder, Kiesha inhaled a great whiff of his scent before stepping back to where she'd previously been standing. "I apologize for the mistake, it is nice to see another wolf," she said before curtsying to him once again.

Straightening, she looked him over again, excited at the thought of another of her kind being so near, and one with no other smell about him than his own. Giving a short, soft laugh, she cracked a grin at the thought of someone else that might like books, for her friends were few and far between. "My name is Kiesha Tyne and I must say it is a pleasure, Mr. Crave. I've not met another wolf that takes enjoyment in books as I do...unless you could smell me from the street?"

Then she grew hesitant, taking a step back, closer to her desk, at the thought of drawing his attention only for her smell and not the books. Angling her head and looking to the floor, she wrung her hands as she wondered about what business he might have with her if he hadn't been attracted to the books. Maybe father is in trouble? she thought to herself, raising her head sharply and letting her gaze rest on Delmont's eyes, hoping some sort of hint would be given in them. But no, she thought, worry dissipating. He does not carry father's scent.

[Anonymous]

Delmont smiled politely, shaking his head, "My nose is not that good, Miss Tyne. I came in for the books--It's an indulgence of mine, and I am--I am very happy to find another wolf that--that enjoys them as I do." Stumbling over his words again, as always, with that almost too-polite tone.

Her laugh was beautiful, as was her smile, and Delmont wanted--Delmont wanted to get to know this woman. Because she was a wolf, too, and she loved books, and that was good. And intelligent woman that he wouldn't have to hide his lupine side from. Brilliant. Possibly the best thing that had ever happened to him--assuming she was agreeable, which she might not be.

So that was part of the reason for his politeness, and also... well, even if they could not end up mates, they could be pack. And that would make up for it.

Delmont was so lonely, most of the time, and this beautiful woman could help him with that.

[Anonymous]

A sense of relief washed over Kiesha, at ease with what he had to say of books. It made her feel warm inside, made her smile to hear that he liked books as well. His politeness also caught her attention and she suppressed a laugh as he fumbled for words, wanting to be polite in return. Meeting another werewolf had not come to her mind in a while and she paused for a moment, pondering what it might mean to her that he had happened upon her in his search for books. Even this thought, though, caused her smile to widen because his scent was unmarred, pure; his scent was that of a lone wolf.

Relaxing as she stepped forward to where she'd been standing, she finally moved to speak, "I'm relieved then, sir, that you like books so much." Kiesha fell silent for a moment, unsure of what to say at first as she averted her gaze from his face. Giving thought, though, provided her with appropriate questions about him. "So, um...Delmont...are you from around here?" she asked, looking up at him once again.

Though her exterior showed a calm woman, on the inside she was bouncing with joy. This man was the type of person she'd been hoping to encounter some day, one that might not mind being her friend at least. He seemed like a kind enough man in the short time she'd spent with him, but she could not be completely sure and she hoped that, perhaps, he might be interested in becoming acquainted with her as she was with him.

[Anonymous]

He shook his head at her question. A little awkwardly, he said, "I'm not from anywhere, really, I travel too much. But I have a small cottage outside the city where I keep things that I can't carry with me." Delmont was almost always traveling, searching for something to fill the hole that occurs when a wolf has no pack.

Ironic, then, that Keisha, who was perhaps the answer to the question that was his existence as a wolf, was found so close to his nominal home. She had used his first name, at least, which was encouraging--not that he would call her by her first name without invitation, but then girls had different social rules.

The light in the room slanted through the windows. Night was fast coming, and with the slanted light came slanted shadows, the type that reminds one of the night, despite the light outside. This of course reminded Delmont of his plans for that night, to go hunting in the wide forest between the outskirts of the city and his little college. There was a slight pause, and then Delmont said, "Miss Tyne, would you like to go out on a run with me?"

[Anonymous]

It was nice to hear she was not the only one of their kind that traveled, though he hadn't stated what he ever left his home for. Kiesha had never had a chance to experience Pack life, but she'd spent a decent chunk of her time thinking about the possibilities it might offer her. Of course, she had not been raised in that sort of environment but as an only child urged to live a solitary life. That life was being lived now but there was another werewolf here with her and that inner, inexperienced excitement remained as they stood there in silence.

She was getting a bit nervous as the seconds ticked by and was grateful when Delmont broke the silence for her. An invitation, a chance to be around another of her kind for that much longer. Kiesha knew that hunting with another was what her father had warned her about most, saying simply that she was desirable and that she should be very careful, but she also knew that she had gone too long living her life without any friends of her own kind that she might be able to relax around. Her life was simple, a cycle that she followed very closely, but now there was an opportunity before her to break it.

After a few moments thought, Kiesha looked to the man standing before her and gave a brief smile before looking past him to the setting sun. "I would love to go with you," she said. "Maybe we could go hunting together now that we...found each other." She felt that her last comment was a bit ambitious but she wanted to see him again if only for the chance to be with another werewolf.