maybe this was a mistake.

he knows better than to leave the relative safety of the shoreline -- knows better than to venture much further into the island. here, the grass prickles at his paws as he passes, itching uncomfortably with every step. the allergies that often plague him in these lush areas are nowhere to be seen today, thankfully -- maybe it is the cooling weather that keeps them at bay, or perhaps it is simple luck. regardless he does not think too much of it, focused solely on this, his goal.

and halfway there, it truly falls apart.

he does not know where she lives, though this smells like the area. she'd worn a new scent at the mire challenge, though looking back... he isn't sure how much of that was here and how much of it was just from ecrosia. still, he had to be close -- right? he'll either look like a fool and find her, or look like a fool and no one will have to know. grunting, annoyed, he chuffs -- voice muffled through the gift clenched between too-tight jaws. he does not stop moving though, prowling through the underbrush and annoyed with it with every step.

hopefully if she's anywhere nearby, @Calypso will hear -- and come put a stop to his aimless wandering.

CODE BY LARS

her days were marked with impatience. frustration, too, as her leg took significantly longer to heal than she would have liked. for the most part she was tethered to the rainforest and lately things had been quiet. saga and jafar's challenge for the mire had been the only bit of excitement, and even that had been short lived. she wondered about him, since that encounter. the children that had all known him - the one that he had named his - it made her realize just how little she knew the stoic creature. as much as he lit fire to her blood and ignited her bones her knowledge of him went no further than a name. a name, and a feeling. there was a lot to be said for instinct and for chemistry, the latter of which existed in buckets between her and the palomino male. but would it still? when they met again would it be fire between them, or would they need to tear one another asunder again? as if summoned by her thoughts he is calling for her and she smirks at the irritation in his voice. calypso knows it well, it dogs every step she takes in this smothering place. still she is amused and turns to the sound with as much haste as she can manage. her leg slows her but she puts the pain to the back of her mind, keen to relieve him of his misery. "ye called?" a rumbling purr that rose in her throat as she spotted him, hesitating only momentarily before she closed the distance between them. she stopped just shy of touch, uncertain where they stood and if it would be welcomed. @Hákon

image by shan, code by koi

he called, aye, but truthfully... he expects little to come of it. he isn't even sure if this is where she lives ( or even close to it ), and has little to go off of. he only knows that her scent had faded from the tunnels, and they'd been empty the last time he'd checked. it was a stab in the dark, a desperate attempt. yet, apparently, his trek out here was not to be in vain.

he is almost surprised to see @Calypso approaching -- pleasantly surprised, of course, and maybe a little pleased. she comes closer and then closer, just out of arm's reach. yeah, he chuffs, voice muffled behind the mouthful of herbs. he's almost forgotten about them until he tries to speak with them in his mouth and his brows furrow, immediately annoyed -- and a little embarrassed. trying to play it cool ( and to ignore the thudding beat in his chest ) he lowers them to his paws, dropping them on the ground. they're a mix of things he's found along the shoreline and stolen scavenged from the lagoon -- a meager mix of antibiotics and painkillers. things she probably already has, but it was something.

a gift with some thought behind it. figured you might need something for that leg, he says, gesturing vaguely towards her offending limb -- noting that even today she still limps. he isn't sure what happened ( nor could he even do anything about it, really ), but... he'd noticed it in the challenge. noticed it enough to make a note of it, and want to do something about it. maybe it's the thought that counts? between that and her proximity, though, it leaves him feeling... more than a little silly suddenly. fuck. his expression hardly shifts though, the only sign of it the way his ears tip forward.

CODE BY LARS

he is endearing. the realization that he cared is more than enough to make her mind spin (and her heart skip quickly in her chest). a tiny part of her wants to run from it, afraid of what it meant and what it could lead to, but more than that she wanted to fall in to it. whatever this feeling is she wanted it to never fade. he places a gift at her paws and she wants to kiss him for it. for a long moment she is quiet, studying the gathered herbs and recognizing his inexperience, but that hardly mattered. there were plenty of useful things, and even some usnea that she was running short on. the rugged plant grew on on the frozen peaks of the tundra (so she assumed) and it was only by the grace of that odd orange fruit that she had had any at all. it was nearly gone, and was invaluable when it came to the treatment of her bite. "ye figured right." she flashed him a smile, seeking to reassure whatever fears may lurk in the corners of his mind. there was gratitude in her step as she moved closer and sought to bump her head against his, an affection gesture that left her heart in her throat. it raced wildly with the fear that he would reject the move, but her movements were bold and confident despite that. a quiet purr in her throat -- "thank ye." @Hákon

image by shan, code by koi

she calls it endearing, but he thinks himself as stupid — a weak little man, venturing so far out of his comfort zone it’s almost funny. except it’s not and his skin crawls, lips twitching down in a slanting frown, suddenly feeling like he’d rather the ground swallow him whole than look at her for even a second longer. because hákon swears, swears, that if @Calypso laughs at him now, he will snap. claws slide from their sheathes, tense and terribly awkward, as all she does is study the plants he’d compiled with a keener eye than he could ever imagine. he has no idea what he’s gathered, really, only able to guess at the mess of leaves and stems and thorns.

and then —

and then she smiles.

the tension in his chest does not spark fire as he’d expected it to; she does not laugh or sneer at him in scorn. and for a moment that’s almost worse because if she’d taken his gift badly, he at least knew what to do with that. what does he know of gratitude or affection? calypso gives both — not quite freely, but certainly unbidden, and he is stiff from where she bumps her head against his. tense, yes, but he slowly settles when he realizes she will not pull the rug out from under him; the slow, toe-curling spread of delight of a job well done.

it’s belated, taking a moment, but he smiles — a smaller, sharper thing than her own but it smooths out his frown regardless. sure, he says, something close to smug curling in his voice. a far cry from his previous almost-spiral as his head tilts. what happened, anyway? he asks, unable to stop himself from glancing at her wounded limb. it didn’t look bad — not gashed up or scarred like his own patchwork pelt, but her limp was still noticeable enough. you could call his interest concern, but this — like everything else — he tries to keep quiet, even if actions spoke far louder than words.

CODE BY LARS

he does not reject her touch, not really. but there is a stiffness there she can sense, one that slowly melts with his own answering smile. once again she is struck by how such a simple gesture can transform, how he goes from uncertainty on the verge of explosive to something softer. It is a good thing that she is not prone to making fun. Calypso extends a paw and draws the herbs into a tiny pile, pleased with the small collection and keen to add them to her own stores. In time. For now, there were more interesting things to keep her mind (and body) occupied. He asks the question that she knew was coming, and she cringes a little in a gesture that is decidedly sheepish. Before answering she sat beside him, angled a bit so that she might still see his eyes. Close enough that she could feel the heat from his body, but not enough to make him uncomfortable. Not yet, at least. “Rattlesnake,” she answers despite her embarrassment — there were no secrets here. “De venom is handy, I’ve killed dozens of de wee beasties.” there was a need to prove to him that she was not the fool she seemed, for she was certain there were many who would think it. “I miscalculated.” The words were accompanied by her lifting the leg in question, displaying the two holes above her ankle. There was some swelling, still, and redness around the puncture, but the weeping had stopped. She placed the paw gently back to the ground and ignored the ache that accompanied the movement. Her head tipped towards the pile of herbs and she flashed him another quick smile. “I haven’t been able to restock so dey will be handy.”

image by shan, code by koi

she rearranges the pile, admiring them as she goes. he watches her keenly, satisfaction curling in his chest like smoke. wispy little tendrils that spread out, chasing out the lingering tinges of embarrassment. showing affection for others ( and worrying after an almost stranger ) wasn’t weakness; maybe one day he’d learn that. today might not be that day, but there’s a warmth in his chest that even he cannot deny.

@Calypso gets settled at his side — close enough, but maybe not close enough — attention shifting away from her form as she answers. seafoam eyes blink, unsure. rattlesnake? he repeats, the foreign word sounding strange on his tongue. his accent, too, mangles the sound. ears tip forward, a little perplexed, as she moves her injured ankle into view. it takes him a moment to see the offending wounds — two, tiny little puncture marks in her flesh, irritated and raw.

that was enough to cause her such pain?

it doesn’t look that bad, he murmurs, voice gruff but for once not rude. where he is from, it is far too cold for such reptiles to live comfortably — and since coming here, he’s never happened across one, either. if hakon knew what they looked like, he might too be confused — and certainly suffer a fate worse than hers. i wasn’t sure what you needed, so i just grabbed… a few things. he says with a casual roll of his shoulders, though if she bothers to hear beyond the words, it’s clear. i have no idea what i’m doing, hakon does not say, but i was worried about you. worried after a greenlander — oh, if his mother could see him now.

CODE BY LARS

calypso realized her mistake as soon as she spoke and saw the confusion twist his features. up until that point she had assumed that he was familiar with the land, that he had been here much longer than she, but she wondered now if she had been mistaken. a tiny frown furrowed her brow as she followed his gaze to the bite. “aye, snake. legless creature, but dangerous.” oh she was waiting quite the image wasn’t sure? the frown deepened and she wished she were better with words - she faltered and stumbled over the explanation. “Dey hide and bite and d’ere bite is.. poison.” it wasn’t the best description but hopefully it would do. “I almost died,” she admitted, softly. If it hadn’t been for the healers that had shown she likely would have. Perhaps the words are a bit of an exaggeration but her intentions are pure — she wanted to keep him safe. If amping up the severity of the venom meant he would give the creature a wide berth then she felt it worth it. “if ye want I can show ye what it looks like…” her head tipped back towards him, ocean storm eyes peering up at him with another look of reassurance. “ye picked perfectly.” you did good, I appreciate you, you are worthy. so many unspoken words that she does her best to impress upon him with only a look.

image by shan, code by koi

her description leaves a lot to the imagination, and unfortunately for hakon, creativity was never his strong suit. There are many of these things? He asks, nose wrinkling up. He is imagining a fearsome creature, a nightmare made real: something dangerous and deadly, even as she describes it as being legless. A flying creature, then? one that hides and ambushes its prey; a smart monster, then, and a deadly one at that. ocean eyes flicker away from the bite to her face, holding her gaze as she admits just how close she'd come. there is a strange lump in his throat that he refuses to acknowledge at that thought -- refusing, too, to imagine a scenario where he'd come to this forest and called for her, only for her to simply... not show.

almost died, she said.

When @Calypso speaks of finding one of these beasts to show him his muzzle twists to face her, a strange expression coloring his features. It is Fear, plain and simply -- however brief. What? No, he says, almost spluttering these little words out, gruff voice going a bit more hoarse. not if they're as dangerous as you say. it is a stupid ( and foolish ) thing, but hakon wants to keep her safe, from these snakes that have already toppled her once. unaware, of course, of her familiarity with them and their venom. another reason, he thinks, to stay away from these forests -- after all, he's never seen a snake at the shore.

perhaps, then, she belongs there instead of here.

CODE BY LARS

He is concerned, perhaps even afraid, and it warmed her from the inside out. Calypso is unaware of the monster she has created in his head, but nods when he asks further questions. “Aye, all over. Ye just don’t often see dem if dey be hidin’.” Snakes were reclusive by nature and generally smart enough to keep away from large carnivores such as themselves. His fear is palpable, as quickly as it may fade, and she wants nothing more than to take it away. “Oh, no,” her head stretched towards him, her expression earnest as she sought to ease his fears, “I have a dead one.” It occurred to her that he might think her strange, then. The admittance that she kept snake carcasses around would be more than enough to deter most. This realization had her ducking her head, her flesh hot with an embarrassed flush. “I killed de one dat bit me,” she explained, her voice softer and almost a whisper. please don’t leave.

image by shan, code by koi