Private Kar'ta

[Haastal Haran]

Netra'Yaim ~ West Wing ~ Haastal's Loft​

The days following the celebration of House Verd were designed to be days of rest. For the past month it had been moving from one task to another and now Haastal was finally able to relax. Even better, he was able to do it with Redd. Every member of the clan was given living quarters at Netra'Yaim, it was their home after all. Isley made sure every warrior's loft was filled with any and every amenity that could be thought up. It was the middle of the day and Haastal was lounging with Redd on the sofa in the main living room. He was not wearing the gunmetal and azure armor he usually wore. Instead he wore a simple pair of black shorts and a sleeveless shirt.

"So the Resol'nare is the Mandalorian law but it's not the only law. The different Houses and clans under them make their own laws and rules, y'know? Some clans state you can't show your face to anyone who isn't a Mandalorian while others say you need to craft your armor a certain way." He had spent the early morning explaining the Resol'nare while they watched the holonet and spent time with each other, bit to explain the Law of Iron, the overall law of House Verd, Haastal had turned the net off for a while.

"So like I said, House Verd's take on the Mand'alor is complicated. Because in the past the sole rulor of the Mandalorian's ended up being an ass and betrayin' the clan. Basically our law is we don't follow blindly. If the Mand'alor is worthy then we'll follow, if not then fuck em." Haastal pulled a cigarra from his pocket, setting it in between his lips before exhaling softly. Haastal had not been in the clan for the Great Betrayal, the time where a mad Mand'alor called for the purging of all Force Sensitive Mandalorians, something that was in high supply with House Verd.

"Rule of Iron says we become masters. Master yourself, master the language, master your family, and provide for them." Something about Haastal this morning seemed slightly different from before. His mind was heavy with a thought, but he didn't share it with Redd. "Anyway. What do you think of it all so far?" He asked, laying an arm over the back of the sofa while he reclined on the arm. His bronze skin was flashed by the light that spilled into the room through the windows. The Mandalorian pulled a cigarra lighter from his pocket, lighting the cylinder before exhaling a small cloud into the air.


Redd

 

[Redd]

CONTEMPLATION​

Tags: Haastal Haran​

The afternoon after the celebration of all of the Verds in the one house, had seen to it that the lupine had time to simply relax. To unwind and decompress, but more importantly, she got to enjoy Haastal’s company without having to share it. The woman was simply wearing plain black shorts and a black singlet and she wasn’t simply lounging on the sofa like a normal person would. After being stuck in wolf form for such a long period of time, she often longued in odd ways. For instance, upon this day, her legs rested upon the headrest of the sofa with her feet up in the air. Her head dangled off the edge of the sofa’s seat and her right hand lightly rested upon her stomach, while her left hand lightly traced the bare skin of the male’s leg.

Golden green eyes watched Haastal’s face as he spoke and there was just something there that she couldn’t quite understand. Perhaps it was the tone of his voice, or the fact that he didn’t seem to be in the present. Was he perhaps thinking about his brother again? Or was it something else entirely? If only she could read his mind, but for now she would simply listen to the words he spoke. All of this was important to Redd to learn, for she was fast gaining feelings that she didn’t know that she was capable of for the man and she struggled to keep them to herself. Sometimes, she often wondered if she was being too overbearing, or too protective of what was hers. Did it show that she cared about this man deeply?

Her gaze flickered away for a moment as she pondered about his words and instead her gaze was drawn towards the ceiling of the roof in quiet reflection. When it seemed like she wasn’t about to respond, a nod of her head was given and she spoke. ”Rule of Iron seems fair. In fact, it sounds a little like my pack. To strive to be the best so then one can take care of their pack to the best of their ability or die trying. It’s why I want to be the best that I can be, so then I can protect what is mine.” Her words held pause for a moment as she pondered upon her words and her feet lightly tapped the air. It was hard to focus upon the lesson when there seemed like something was wrong with her mate and she wanted to draw him back into the present.

Lightly her nails dragged along the bare skin of his leg, but she continued to push through her worry. This Mandalorian training was just as important. Perhaps what troubled him was the fact that she wasn’t a Mandalorian but was a lupine. The wolf within growled at that thought and Redd lightly sat it back down. Such assumptions could not be given a voice, for there could be many reasons as to why Haastal was different. ”Haastal...” She said softly as she swung her legs off of the back of the sofa and around so then she was seated upon the sofa probably. The wolf then sniffed the smoke, but she leaned in towards the male and lightly took the cigarra from the male. Her gaze took in the object for a moment before she copied Haastal, she pressed the cigarra to her lips and inhaled. Redd then pulled the cigarra from her lips and coughed up the smoke as she handed it back to the man. She would try anything once and cigarras just didn’t seem like something that she would try again as she continued to cough at the irritation within her lungs.

After she managed to finish coughing and could draw in breath without choking on smoke, she shook her head and smiled if only for a moment before a frown creased her brow. “I can sense that something is different today. Should I go back to the Knight’s Obsidian headquarters for a bit? Does Gerwald need me for another errand?” Redd pulled away from the male as she rested her head back against the sofa for a moment while her gaze was drawn back up to view the ceiling once more. ”I’m sure that there is something I should be doing for the Knight’s Obsidian if you need me to leave you alone to your family.” She said as her hands moved to rest upon her stomach once more.​

​

 

[Haastal Haran]

There was some surprise when Redd said that her pack of Lupines followed the same kind of code as House Verd, if anything her grasp on it seemed to be even better than his. He smiled, taking another drag from his cigarra to breathe another small cloud into the air above him. The feeling of Redd's nails dragging along his leg caused him to turn to her, just in time for her to take hold of the cigarra from his hand. She pulled it to her own lips and took a light drag before coughing out a cloud of smoke. Haastal chuckled softly at her, taking the cigarra and dropping it into the ashtray beside the sofa.

She began to talk and Haastal almost immediately sighed. Seemed like his deep thought was spilling out of him, something he tried not to do. "It ain't that." He said, before glancing away from the woman to consider his words. When Redd leaned back and spoke again, Haastal scoffed before leaning forward so he could crawl over the sofa, poised above the Lupine. "Hey. I want you to stay here with me." He said, before leaning down to press his lips to hers. He offered her a nice, long kiss, drinking in her scent before pulling back.

"Just a lot goin' on. When I became a Mandalorian I didn't know anythin' about the tenets or any of that. Just felt like another job, y'know? Isley named me an Alor'ad, one of his Lieutenants so it's more than just fightin' now." He looked at Redd for a moment, his eyes usually had a look in them like he was supremely board with whatever he was dealing with. Yet, that look never fell on her. He always looked to her with intrigued, wanting eyes that showed the feelings he had for her. "You do a job, you do it right. I wanna do this job right, too."

"But I want you by my side for it all, ok?" He said, his hand coming up to softly rung down Redd's neck. "Look, I have somethin' for you. Come on." Haastal stood up from the couch, holding a hand out to Redd to help her stand from the sofa. He turned, taking her hand and leading to another room at the end of his loft. The door into the room was a reinforced blast door, with a scanner above the metal host. Haastal looked up, causing the scanner to beep softly before throwing the door open. "Here." His hand fell to Redd's lower back as he guided her inside. The room before them was obviously rather small, but it was also dark and damn near impossible to see anything.

"Lights." Haastal called. The lights embedded in the top of the room came to life, revealing a stunning set of Mandalorian Armor. The armor was gunmetal grey, from head to toe. It had the unique shine of freshly forged Mandalorian Iron. The T-visor was slightly different from most others, as it was formed from liquid crystal which gave it an eerie, shifting appearance. "You're my woman. Which means you need the right kind of armor, Beskar'gam." Haastal gestured to the armor before stepping back and scratching at the back of his neck. "Try it on. Now, it's heavier than normal armor, but you'll get used to it."

Redd

 

[Redd]

BESKAR'GAM​

Tags: Haastal Haran​

Her view of the ceiling was obstructed when Haastal rose up above her and her golden green gaze shifted to view the male before her. His words had a way of putting her to ease, but it was his physical closeness, the warmth and touch that really settled her uneasiness. The woman’s hands lifted to curve around the males neck when he bent down to claim her lips with his and her eyes fluttered closed as she drew in everything about Haastal. His scent, the way his lips felt against her own, his skin underneath her hands, the taste of him upon her tongue and even his warmth. It was all intoxicating to the wolf and she didn’t want to know as to what would happen if she had to spend time without him. To have to pull away and go off on some mission that didn’t include him. It would throw her through a loop, one that she didn’t want to think about until it happened.

The kiss ended all too soon and his words cut off her small whine of protest while her nails bit into the back of his neck. However, she listened and a nod of her head was all that she responded with when he mentioned the Lieutenant position. What reassured her more were the words he spoke afterwards and her nails released their bite upon his skin. ”I will be by your side for as long as you will have me,” Redd whispered softly and felt those words to be true. Even the wolf within growled at the danger within those words, for it gave him more power than she was willing to admit. If he left, she couldn’t say what kind of mental state she would be in afterwards, for lupines had a way of suddenly losing their sanity.

"I trust that you will do just fine as Alor'ad, I mean you've had to put up with me and my animal tendencies. So I'm sure that the Vicelord wouldn't have given you the position if he didn't feel that you weren't up to the task." She said as she lightly touched his face and felt a sense of pride bloom from within at her mate's accomplishments. "You're new found position only proves that you are living up to the Rule of Iron and you may have only seen it as a job at first, but the fact that you worry about doing a good job just proves that it means more to you now than just a job." Her pale hands lightly framed his face then as a smile curved her lips. While some might think her biased, she truly thought that he was more than capable of being Alor'ad.

Although even after her words, Redd’s interest peaked further when Haastal mentioned that he had something for her. She took his hand, only to rise from her seated position and was guided into a small, dark room. Unease settled within her, but was quickly banished when the lights turned on and she blinked so then her eyes could adjust from natural lighting to an artificial one. What she saw before her was a suit of armour and she angled her head slightly to view Haastal, only to realize that he was giving her armour. Mandalorian armour to be exact and she reached a hand out to lightly touch the unmarked iron in quiet thought, while her golden green eyes shifted to pure green. ”The Resol’nare.. Wear the armour, speak the language, defend yourself and your family. Raise your kids to be Mandalorians, contribute to your clan and follow Mand’alor.”

She had questions, but first she wanted to try the armour on. The wolf had seen how Haastal had put his on and so she mimicked it. With every piece that she put on, it felt heavier than normal and she stretched her arms out once she only had to put the helmet on. He was right, it did feel heavier and she rolled her shoulders to feel the weight on them. Redd looked down as she lifted one foot and then the other, as she noted that she needed to exert more stamina to lift them. Perhaps, one day she would get used to it, much like how she had finally gotten used to wearing clothes. Clothes, which she would usually shred with each transition.

With one hand carrying the helmet, she closed the gap between her and Haastal and she lightly touched his cheek with her gloved hand. ”I love the armour and you are right, it is heavier, although I am curious,” Redd said as she moved her free hand to lightly place it upon his chest. ”What about when I shift? I’d have to remove the armour before I do so, won’t I?”​

​

 

[Haastal Haran]

Haastal leaned his back against the threshold while Redd stepped forward to examine her new armor. He was hosting that same smile he usually has. A smile as if he was just entirely too pleased with himself. While she ran her fingers along the cool metal, speaking of the Resol'nare Haastal listened, nodding at each tenet she spoke. "Wear the armor." He repeated before stepping forward. While she donned the armor, Haastal coached her, speaking softly. "Nornally, there are bodygloves that you can get to help keep you cool, but your armor has temperature regulators. You'll stay warm in the cold and cool in the heat." He told her. Haastal grabbed the helmet that sat on the table behind the armor. "It has a Nightshadow coating, which means sensors won't catch you." He placed the helmet over her head, tapping the side of it as he did. "The buy'ce, your helmet will tie together most of your armor's systems to your Heads-up Display."

"Your buy'ce will keep you safe from toxins and can do just about anything a holoterminal can." He explained.

"Molecular shields, flamethrower, whipcords, mag-gloves and boots, vibroblades, tactical computer, and a whole hell of a lot more. The works." Haastal stepped back when she asked about taking the armor off when she shifted. He looked to her before shaking his head. "Mandalorians are not a race, remember? They developed armor years ago for shape-shifters, just a matter of getting it coded to a Lupine's shift."

Haastal crossed his arms before smirking. "Just shift, baby." He told her.

Redd

 

[Redd]

BESKAR'GAM​

Tags: Haastal Haran​

Green eyes watched the man for a moment as he talked and she all but simply listened to him explain the different mechanics of the armour to her. Did she understand most of it? Probably not and he finally he picked up the helmet and placed it over her head, of which she had to take a moment to simply breath. Her eyes closed as she was quietly thankful that he couldn’t see her reaction due to the helmet being placed over her head. The wolf had a flashback to when she had collars, chains and even muzzles wrapped around her. Haastal is my mate, She growled lowly to herself, to remind her wolf half of that fact. As she opened her eyes, she listened, but she saw that she wasn’t at all restricted in the slightest and she breathed a sigh of relief.

It’s just like his armour, she reminded herself as her gaze took note of the HUD and frowned. It was more tech that she did not understand. How was she supposed to use it? Was she supposed to hit the helmet and hope that it did what it was supposed to do? Last time she stabbed a console and threw weapons at machinery, but that was when she was trying to kill it. This time, she didn’t want to kill the armour, she just wanted to make it work. Her head nodded with his words so then he knew that she was listening, but she was still trying to work out how to use the tech. Which actually caused her to forget about her other initial fear of being caged in. Hell, if someone caged her in now, she’d savage anyone that she could get her claws and teeth on. There was no way that she was going back into a cage.

She listened to the man as he mentioned that she could shift in this armour and her head angled to the right. There had been shape shifters that were Mandalorian? That fact made her question as to where those particular Mandalorians were now. What happened to them? Instead, the wolf took a couple of steps backwards from the man as he smirked and she felt the nerves bundle up within her. Could it really be possible that she could shift and not shred what she was wearing? Although, she doubted that she could really shred Beskar.

With the doubts fresh in her mind, she exhaled and felt the shift as she let it happen. Fur sprouted from her skin, her hands and feet changed to four paws. The wolf grew a tail and her face elongated and shifted into a muzzle. With every change, she fully expected to hear a tear or feel her body being squeezed into an awkward position. Instead, when she stood on four paws and still felt the heavy armour press down upon her, the wolf opened her golden eyes to look at her appearance. She felt the armour plating upon her head and an ear flickered backwards as she turned her nose to view the grey armour that covered her lupine form. Redd shook, as if she was shaking out her fur and she turned around in a circle as if she couldn’t believe that she was wearing armour in this form. Armour that shifted with her.

If she had this armour in the ring, she wouldn’t have the small silvery scars that she had. She barked in excitement and she loped around Haastal as if she couldn’t quite believe that she was wearing such a thing. It was a game changer for sure and the wolf was completely excited. After placing the distance between the two once more, she shifted once again and it wasn’t until she was back in human form that her hands lifted to release the buy’ce and she pulled it off of her head. Redd closed the gap between her and the man, only for the wolf to place her lips against his in a passionate kiss.

Redd pulled away from him slightly then as her golden green eyes look up at him with so much adoration, ”Thank you so much Haastal, you have no idea as to how much this means to me. This armour…” She looked for the words to tell him, but instead she simply kissed him once again. For once she was beginning to feel as if she was at home somewhere and she was finding it more and more within this man’s arms.

Finally, she managed to pull herself away from the kiss as her left hand lightly tapped at the buy’ce in her right hand. ”You’re going to have to teach me how to use the tech, because… I’m more likely to stab it than know how to use it.” The woman said as she shifted upon the spot and offered a lopsided smile.​

​

 

[Haastal Haran]

The moment that Redd began to shift into her Lupine form, Haastal watched the woman with keen eyes. Although he knew the Beskar'gam was designed for a shifting Lupine there was always the factor of something screwing up, but it didn't. When her armored form stood before him, wagging her tail and bounding about, Haastal chuckled at what he saw. "Damn. A Lupine covered in Beskar, now that's some scary shit." He said jokingly. The woman stepped back from him to turn once more and again the armor shifted without difficulty. Haastal nodded and when she pulled her buy'ce off he stepped forward. He wasn't expecting her lips to press against his, but he didn't mind. No, his arms wrapped around her and he pulled her in, spinning her back and pressing her into the wall as he returned her passionate kiss.

When Redd thanked Haastal he made sure to bring his hand up to softly stroke her cheek. "Sure thing, Redd." He smiled as they kissed again and this time the Mandalorian's hand came up to softly wrap around her neck as he kissed her. He loved the way she tasted and even more than that he loved the way she felt in his arms.

Redd mentioned that the tech would take some getting used to and he casually laughed at her words. "Don't worry about it. Most of it is controlled through voice activation and stuff like that, but some of it can be programmed to follow your eye movement. So the thing has a targeting system that automatically activates whenever your eyes focus on somethin'. You can deactivate anythin' in the armor by saying voice control: deactivate and then just say what you wanna turn off. Make sense? You can turn it all back on the same way." He asked.

"You wanna know what all you got? Say voice control: systems display. That will give you a list of all the things your armor can do, from there you can say voice control: select whatever you want and that will prime it to work. You say voice control: flamethrower then the flamethrower attachment on your arm will activate and all you'll have to do is tap this button on the side of your wrist." He explained. "You can play with some of that later. For now we got somethin' we gotta do, take the armor off." He said, before walking over to the edge of the room. There was a metal crate in the corner which Haastal opened, shifting through before turning back and leaning on the crate.

"Paintin' your Beskar is important. It tells what the meaning behind your armor is. Almost like a sign of what's important or what you are strivin' for. You can recolor it whenever you want, but just about every color has a meaning. "Grey is mourning, Red is honor to a parent or family, Black is justice, Gold is vengeance, Green is duty, Blue is reliability, Orange is the lust for life, Maroon is power, Scarlet is defiance, Purple is luck, and there are a few others. You can have as many colors as you want but most Mandalorians choose one or two." He told her, before pushing off the crate and gesturing back to a whole scheme of paints.

"Time to choose yours." He said with a smile.

Redd

 

[Redd]

CONTEMPLATE​

Tags: Haastal Haran​

Redd felt her back against the wall and she didn't at all mind it one bit, in fact she was very much intoxicated by the feel of his lips that covered her own and even as his hand wrapped around her throat, she didn’t stray or pull away. No, she was exactly where she wanted to be in that exact moment. The thrill of the new armour that had been gifted to her was more important to her than he would know and she could at least start putting the tenets that she had been learning into practice. Wear the armor. It felt as if she was finally belonging somewhere and it was almost Jate’Kara that she had met Haastal while threatening another man. Did she believe in such a thing? Of course she did. The fact that she was with Haastal only proved that Jate’Kara, was real and the wolf smiled up at the man as he spoke.

Each word was as if he was speaking a different alien language, but she got the gist of it… Mostly, but to see her mate smile and laughed. The wolf treasured the memory, she hadn’t felt such unbridled joy in a long time and she was finding it within the man before her.

That was until he told her to take off the armour and a slow smirk curved her lips. Redd had to bite her tongue from making a remark that would have probably completely derailed the entire situation and instead have them participating in other activities. Instead she tasted the copper of her own blood while she began to take off the armour and place it back upon the armour rack. With each piece that she took off, the woman felt lighter and she felt an inevitable stretch come over her which had her reaching her arms up over her head. Indeed the armour would take some time to get used to, but she wasn’t at all concerned about that as she listened to him break down the colors while she pulled on her clothes.

The wolf was supposed to choose paint to paint her armour with? As she pulled on her singlet, her footsteps carried her over towards Haastal and the crate of paint. Pale hands ran over the edge of the crate as a frown knitted her brow in quiet thought. She had never placed any kind of importance on the significance of colours, but she should have known that colour was important. ”Red. It’s important that I honor my parents as well as those of my pack members who fell to protect any and all who managed to survive the decimation.” Redd said softly as her nails curled inwards to draw across the wooden crate. The fact that she now lived, was to carry on their legacy, even if they now lived as ghosts within her memory.

She also wanted a colour that represented loyalty and she pondered upon the colours. Reliability sounded like loyalty and she angled her head slightly as she looked to Haastal in quiet thought. Redd had seen the colour blue on his armour and she pondered upon it for a moment. Was it his colour, or was it the Haastal before him? Either way, it didn’t matter, because when she needed stability and reliability; he had been there to help her when she needed it the most. The wolf had been lost and needed guidance. Not that Gerwald had abandoned her or anything. She knew that when she really needed her brother, he would be there. However, there was something else when it came to Haastal. He didn’t treat her as if she was fragile. ”I also want blue, because I am as reliable as they come. I’d come running through rain, hail or shine if you or any of my family needed me.” But I'd come running especially for you, Redd thought to herself as her golden green eyes looked to Haastal then and she nodded her head. ”Yes. Red and blue are the colours that I want.”​

​

 

[Haastal Haran]

"Redd wants Red, could of called that one." He said, chuckling a bit as he pulled one of the cans of paint out of the crate. Haastal screwed the can into a paint gun before looking to Redd with a nod. "Red's a good color." He told her before pulling out a set of painting masks. He held one out to Redd before strapping on over his own face. "Red and...?" He asked, yet when she said blue, he turned to the woman and his eyes searched hers for a spare moment. He made a sound like a chuckle before nodding and grabbing a blue can of paint as well. "Good choice." Redd explained just why she wanted blue and Haastal could say nothing against it, she was a woman who was driven and motivated and that was one of the most amazing things about her.

Haastal walked over to the armor, shaking the red and blue cans in his hands. "You know. When I got my armor I'd been a Mandalorian for about a month...or I'd been tryin' to be one at least. I got Haastal's old armor set, but threw in a couple of modifications so it wasn't old as hell." Haastal handed Redd the red can of paint before holding the blue one out to a piece of the armor, applying a light coating over the metallic piece.

"Black and blue. Justice and reliability. Neither of these things were me. Hell, if anything I was the opposite of those. I ended up spraying over the black, makin' it silver for redemption. I left the blue." He ran the paint gun against another piece of the armor before looking to Redd. "Figured maybe I can work up to bein' reliable."

While Haastal continued to spray, he looked to Redd and spoke evenly. "Tell me about your pack. How's it work? How do Lupine's do things?" He asked, looking to the woman with some interest in his eyes as he continued to spray the armor.

Redd

 

[Redd]

REMEBRANCE​

Tags: Haastal Haran​

She took the red can in her hands, while she listened to watched Haastal begin to spray paint the armour and she shook the can again as she listened to the little marble inside the can roll around and shake up the paint inside. Golden green eyes looked at the can for a moment as she stepped up beside the man and began to mimic what he was doing on a different piece of armour. It was oddly satisfying to see the colour being sprayed upon the armour and a slow smile curved her lips as the wolf continued on painting the armour alongside Haastal while she pondered about his words for a moment.

”I think that you’re pretty reliable. At least in my opinion.” Redd said as she shrugged her shoulders and then began to continue painting with slow strokes, before she began to talk about her pack. ”It’s hard to say about how my pack really began. There were stories about how there may be other packs that we didn’t know about, but my pack lived in the Myrkr Forests away from what most would call civilization. We had our own little wooden houses, but we didn’t take from the forest in excess. We took only what we needed to survive. A natural balance if you will.” She said as she paused to shake the can and then moved on to the next piece of armour.

”Many, many alphas ago, they saw that our population was beginning to dwindle due to inbreeding and infertility issues. Our pack would have died out if they hadn’t decided that it was time for its single members that were not destined to be alpha; to journey forth and seek out a mate that wasn’t lupine. To diversify the blood, as many of our members were already beginning to lose their minds due to the inbreeding. They had to create a new title in the pack called Executioner, to hunt and execute those that lost their minds. Another factor of inbreeding was the odd red colouring of the fur. While inbreeding had stopped long ago when I was born, the red genetics were still present in the DNA.”

Redd paused for a moment as she looked to Haastal only to move on to the next piece of armour. ”So in any case, the alphas of long ago who ordered that the new blood was to be brought back into the pack, had saved our pack from total extinction. Every new member that came willingly, saw that our pack flourished. No one was forced into our pack. Eventually fertility started to rise again, where there were no children, it saw that a mated pair had one child. Sometimes in some rare instances, a mated pair had a second child. My parents only had the one. They were both the alpha male and alpha female of our pack at the time. I was supposed to take a mate and take over the pack as the alpha female when I was older…” The wolf paused as she sighed and looked at the red can in her hands. ”But it was not meant to be.”

Her golden green eyes shifted to green once more as she felt the heartache once more. It was hard to talk about the pack that she lost, which was probably why she had spent so many years in wolf form. She ran from the emotional pain and endured the physical pain so then she wouldn’t snap. Although, some would argue that she had suffered a mental snap, but had somehow managed to come back from that ledge through the blood that she had spilled in the arena. ”The alpha pair generally had to both be lupine. It was mostly a symbol of the old ways really. If I still had my old pack, I would have had to have mated with another lupine, but my old pack does not exist any more.”

The wolf shook her head, as her gaze remained focused upon the painting of the armour, but continued to speak. ”As a lone wolf who no longer has a lupine pack but a mixed one; I don’t see any reason for maintaining such an old tradition. Any children that we do have, will end up being lupine regardless. So maybe it is time for a new tradition, one that sees a stronger pack than before. Well. I guess it would be considered a clan now.” Redd said as she paused in her task and lifted her green gaze to softly smile at the man beside her. Her eyes reflected the care and warmth that she had for the man beside her, nothing about them showed any kind of regret. Because she didn’t regret meeting Haastal. Not even in the slightest.​

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[Haastal Haran]

Redd's words always managed to reach Haastal. Even though he didn't reply to them he still smiled underneath the painters mask he was wearing. The two continued on painting the armor as Redd told him a bit more of her pack. Some of the aspects of a pack really did sound pretty similar to what Haastal attributed to the Mandalorian's way of being, though there were still some things that were foreign to him.

It really seemed like she went through a lot, just to be seperated from her pack in the end and having her way of life taken away. He didn't know anything about that. Haastal had only recently gained a way of life, and the thought of losing it didn't even sound possible. Still, that was what it was to be Mandalorian. It was in every single bone of your body, every breath you took.

"Good." Haastal said, lowering the can of paint to look at the woman intently. "Wasn't meant to be, didn't happen, good." He glanced to the side, wondering if he was being harsh, but he didn't really care to sugarcoat it to Redd. "You survived because you were strong, you were the alpha. It doesn't matter if everything else falls apart, as long as you survive then your pack is still on top." He said, before spraying over another part of the armor in a dismissive manner. "Besides. I got your back now. I'm your alpha mate." He said.

When she spoke he couldn't help but arch a brow as he considered something. "Hey, so...if you get pregnant. Will you have puppies...or?" He wondered. In his mind it was a valid question.

Redd

 

[Redd]

PACK CODE​

Tags: Haastal Haran​

The wolf within growled at the man’s harsh words and her lips twitched under her own painter's mask. However, she couldn’t deny that the words that followed afterwards were not true. Her pack still lived through her and so long as she lived, her pack was still alive and thriving. However, it was as she had said, her pack would be a new one. One that was born from new traditions, traditions of the Mandalorian kind with Haastal as her alpha mate. A fact that he was right to say and she angled her head downwards for a moment in quiet thought about this. While he wasn’t a lupine, there could still be an alpha male and in her pack it didn’t specify that the alpha pair were alpha lupines or alpha wolves. Just the alpha pair.

Redd shifted to continue painting then as she delved into her thoughts. In theory, the alpha pair could be made up of any species from any kind of background. The alpha pair in her pack was as she said, it was mostly just one of symbolism and she couldn’t help but quietly admire Haastal’s take on the terminology of alpha. The wolf within nodded her head in agreeance and for once the human and wolf half attained a sense of symbiosis between the two. A sense of balance and calm.

She closed her eyes as she drew in a breath and exhaled, because for once, her wolf wasn’t trying to jump out of her skin or rule the shots. Yet her calm only turned into amusement as her mate asked a question that only made her laugh and her now golden green gaze sparkled with amusement. ”No, we don’t have a litter of puppies. In fact to have twins is extremely rare amongst our kind. We only usually have one child that is born human and will usually remain human until they reach the age to experience their first shift. The first shift is pretty painful and usually happens during puberty. It can take anywhere between three to four minutes for the pup to complete their transformation. That time frame usually sticks until about twenty-one years of age. Then it’s like me, where I’m at. It takes ninety seconds as you know.”

Her gaze shifted to another section of the armour that was just about done and she chuckled. ”After thirty years of age, then it only takes thirty seconds to transform and that is the fastest any lupine can expect from a shift.” The talk of children had gotten her a little unsettled by the idea. Mostly because she wasn’t sure as to what kind of mother she would be. Would she even be a good mother to her own children? Could she manage to be a good mother? Redd hadn’t even given it a thought until now and a frown knitted her brow. It wasn’t as if she had much to go off of. Right when she reached puberty and experienced her first shift, she had been about to go on her first hunt with the pack and then things had gone sideways. Would she be a bad parent or a good parent? That was the question.

”In any case, my pack used to have their own code. I guess you could call it, a Pack Code. Protect your pack, show no fear, respect the elders, teach the young, lead your companions, survive each day, hunt your enemies, howl to a new tomorrow, explore the unknown, adapt to the environment, demonstrate no weakness, never back down and leave your mark. All pups learn that before their shift.” She said as she angled her head and finished off the section that she had been working on.​

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[Haastal Haran]

The more they painted the armor and spoke of what could come in their lives there were a few thoughts that came to Haastal's mind. He'd never been the most stable person, yet the longer he was around Redd the more he felt like something was calming him down. He chuckled at the thought. As a child he'd been diagnosed with ADHD and all other manner of mental disorders, including schizophrenia. Some of the disorders were grown out of and others were settled when his body was augmented, but there were still nights when he wanted to fall asleep either laughing or screaming. When he thought of those nights he lowered the spray can before looking to Redd.

"You think I'd be a good Dad?" He asked, before spraying another part of the metal armor. When Haastal tried to think back to his father, he drew a blank. He didn't remember him, didn't remember his face, didn't remember anything specific about him. He'd never given a damn about his parents. They were boring and never held his attention for more than a few seconds. Would his kid think of him like that?

He pulled the mask from his face, settling one final streak of paint on the armor before tossing the paint gun back onto the crate he'd pulled it from. The Mandalorian looked over to Redd for a moment before smiling at her, a few stray streaks of blue paint on his arms and shirt. "Gonna have a family of mutts." He chuckled, before looking to Redd and standing up, closing the distance between them. He pulled the spray paint from her hand, tossing it on the floor as she spoke about the code of her clan. He grabbed her wrists, forcing them against the wall behind her, suspended over her head. Every time she spoke of the code, he showed her a special kind of attention. First it was a kiss to her lips, then a bite into her neck, then a soft lick against her cheek, it all continued until she was finished.

He looked up to her before pausing for a moment. "Well, looks like we should get some practice in. You know, if we wanna have kids one day." He pulled at her shirt, pulling it from her body so his kisses could press to her free skin.

Redd

 

[Redd]

NIGHTMARE​

Tags: Haastal Haran​

Redd had been focused upon her task of which she had just barely completed, when she felt Haastal’s hand move to take the can of spray paint from her. Her golden green eyes felt his hands grip her wrist and his body forced her own back against the wall of the small room that they were currently in, where he pinned her wrists against the wall above her head. A low growl rumbled from the woman but felt the kiss to her lips and a soft whine was quick to fill the void as she listened to his words, but wanted nothing more than to feel his skin against her own. His hand ripped at her singlet and still the free flowing kisses continued. Each kiss bled into the next as every touch left her wanting for more. Her nails curled inwards to bite into her palms while her back arched so then her body could press into Haastal.

Time carried on and with every touch, she lost track of it, as she found herself drowning in a sea of passion.

A snarl was pulled from her as she lunged towards the man who sought to kill her mate, yet even as her jaws closed around the man’s wrist, the red wolf felt the searing slash of a lightsaber that had cut through her throat. The pain seared right through to her brain as it tried to register that her own throat had been cut and yet even as she tried to keep her grip upon the wrist, her jaws unwillingly let go of their prey while her body collapsed to the ground. Her golden eyes saw Haastal as he fought against the invaders, but what she also saw, was a young pup with fur as black as midnight. It’s brown eyes witnessed those that sought to kill his family and deep down she felt that it was their son.

Redd tried to reach out, to tell him to run, escape, but her throat had been slit and her grip upon the force was waning. The red wolf heard Haastal, but she felt his blood fall across her muzzle…

A scream tore from her lips as she was jarred awake from the nightmare and her body rose quickly to a sitting position on the bed. Her breath came in quick gasps as she lifted a hand to her throat to make sure that it really wasn’t cut. It was just a dream, Redd told herself as her form quivered with the after effects from the nightmare. Her skin felt clammy and a slow chill settled upon her pale complexion as the sweat soon began to quickly dry, while her body began to slowly ease down from the adrenaline that had been pumping through her veins as she had writhed within the grips of the nightmare.

It didn’t make sense to the red wolf. None of it made sense at all. Why was she dreaming from her parent’s point of view? Why was she seeing her past in a different light all of a sudden? Was her brain trying to tell her something? Were the ghosts of her parents trying to warn her? No… She had seen the ghosts of her parents on Ryloth, they had given her peace of mind to move on and live with her new pack. So why was she dreaming about her past? Was she secretly afraid of the past repeating? The hand that rested at her throat, rose to drag her fingers through her sweat drenched red locks as questions plagued her mind about why she was having such a dream.​

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[Haastal Haran]

They lost track of time as they often did. The evening had traveled into the night and when they laid in bed, resting from the past few hours Haastal enjoyed a bit of time with his eyes closed and his mind empty. If only Redd had enjoyed her sleep as much as he had. He felt the bed quake and it caused his eyes to shoot open almost immediately. His expression was neutral and uninvolved until he turned to see the woman sitting up, her breathing labored and rough. Haastal slowly slid up in the bed, leaning his back against the headboard while he worked to wake himself up.

His eyes scanned the room for a moment before he looked out of the window. The dead of night, where even the rays of the moon seemed to be at a place of rest. He turned his attention back to Redd and looked at her for a few moments. "You ok?" The words finally broke the silence that had taken up residence in the room. A hand came up, sliding across her back when he felt the cool sweat that dripped from her body. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she seemed distraught. Must have been a bad dream. He thought to himself before pulling the sheets off of his body.

Haastal stood up from the bed, pushing himself up and feeling the tightness of his body slowly unwind. "Look, whatever it was. It was just a bad dream, don't let it get to you, ok?" He walked over to his closet, his body bare and showing every mark she'd left on him the night before. He grabbed a pair of black shorts and a dark green shirt, pulling them on before looking back to Redd. "Come on, let's go clear your head." He walked over to Redd, placing a warm hand on her cheek before holding his other hand out to help her up. "You're due for an ass whippin' anyway." He smirked at her.

He walked into the next room, which was connected to the kitchen. The Mandalorian turned on a machine that began to prepare a cup of caffe while he poured a glass of water for Redd. He set the glass of water on the counter, turning back to the machine to see if it had finished brewing a cup. After pulling another cup out for a second drink, he took the first and set it on the counter beside the water. "Here, get some water and caffe to wake you up." He called out to Redd. Haastal waited for the second cup to finish before he pulled it out, sipping from his while keeping his eyes on his mate. "You wanna talk about it?" He asked her.

Redd

 

[Redd]

NIGHTMARE​

Tags: Haastal Haran​

The wolf hadn’t noticed that it appeared to be night until she heard Haastal’s voice break through the quiet and she grabbed a hold of the sounds, while she felt the familiar hand drift across her back. His voice brought her out of the swirling mess of thoughts and the touch seemed to ground her even though she had still been thrown off balance by the sudden dream. Slowly, Redd began to notice her surroundings and her gaze shifted to the window where not even light broke through it. It was night time and they had certainly lost track of time. Time which had been spent within the arms of her mate who, with every word spoken was bringing her back from the sense of dread that she had felt. His hand warmed her cold cheek as her golden eyes looked up to him when he spoke and she managed a soft smile before he helped her up off the bed.

His remark made her roll her eyes and she stretched to feel every bruise that Haastal had left upon her body before she smirked. ”If I remember correctly, it was I that won our last match.” Redd said before she quietly walked over to the bathroom to splash cold water upon her face as she tried to wash away the effects of the nightmare, a nightmare that seemed to cling to the shadows of her mind. Pale hands reached for a towel to pat her face and neck dry and then she set about getting dressed in a pair of black shorts and a black singlet.

She then made her way out to the kitchen and she offered a smile of thanks. Quickly she downed the glass of water and sat the empty glass aside she picked up the mug of coffee. Her head angled to the right then while she pondered his words. Did she want to tell him about the nightmare? Quietly, she lifted the mug to her lips to take a sip of the bitter drink and felt every cell within her body awaken from the turbulent sleep. A sigh parted her lips as she glanced away from him for a moment, only for her gaze to return back to him. ”I had a dream. Only it wasn’t a dream, but a memory. It was back when our pack had been invaded.” Redd paused as she took another sip of the dark liquid and her mind began to filter through the details of the dream all over again. Like a bad cycle on repeat.

”Except this time, I was in my parent’s pawprints. You were there too. We were fighting off the invaders, but it went exactly how it happened all of those years ago.” She closed her eyes as she drew in a breath and she felt the dream swirl back into full focus within her mind’s eye. ”We had a son in this dream and he was in my pawprints. Watching his parents get killed before his eyes. I wanted to tell him to run, but…” Her free hands lifted to run along her throat, as if she had to check yet again that it hadn't been severed. ”My throat had been slashed open. Lightsaber. It felt so real because I felt the searing pain and I heard the sizzling sound as it singed my fur.” The woman shook her head and sought comfort within another mouthful of coffee.

Golden eyes looked to Haastal then and the shadows of the nightmare were reflected in them, along with a touch of something else. ”Haastal... It felt so real.” Redd shook her head as she tried to shove the nightmare from her mind. ”I need to get stronger, for the sake of our future children.”​

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[Haastal Haran]

"Smartass." Was all Haastal said in reply to Redd's comment on their last fight. When they moved into the kitchen he could tell that Redd's dream had certainly set her on edge. He was the kind of man that preferred the rush back to normalcy, so he was pretty open to her talking about the dream. Almost as soon as she started talking he nodded in understanding. "All that talk of kids put the shit in your mind." He said, drinking down some of the cafe in his cup. He listened to her tell the bits of the story and he found it wasn't something he enjoyed hearing. Haastal had killed hundreds in his lifetime, or damn near close to it. War didn't bother him, but extermination was something else entirely. "It was just a dream, Redd." He reassured her before turning to one of the cabinets. "I wouldn't let that happen." He said, when she spoke of a lightsaber cutting through her throat. "Besides, your new armor can take a lightsaber any day." He said, turning to her with a smirk before delving back into the cabinet.

He produced a small bottle of scotch, setting it on the counter before nodding. "Protect the pack, protect the clan." He muttered to himself while unscrewing the top off the bottle. "Well, I guess we better get some trainin' in." He downed a bit of the scotch, clearing his throat after the warm liquid flooded down his throat. "No one fucks with us." He said simply, setting the drink back down and taking his cafe in his hand. "Let's go." Haastal took Redd's hand into his, leading her out of the room.

They walked down the halls of the West Wing which were surprisingly full for the hour. Mandalorians moved from one room to the next, some armored, some not, some drunk, some not. They seemed to be pretty nocturnal as far the clan was concerned. Haastal nodded at some of them as they passed them by but didn't stop to speak aside from a quick greeting or nod of the head. They turned onto the next hall and it was significantly more quiet, leading to the center of the complex.

"You shouldn't worry about stuff like that, y'know. Every person in this building would kill to protect us. That is the Mandalorian way. We're safe and we always will be." He told her. Not that his words held any lie. Redd would essentially hold the place as sister-in-law to the Vicelord of The Confederacy and a member of the clan. She was fairly untouchable in that regard. They found themselves stepping into a rather small room with a sand arena dug into the center. It had a crimson ring drawn around the arena and a few benches on either side of the ring. Haastal drank down a bit more of his cafe before exhaling, setting the cup on the ground before walking towards the arena. "I'm not goin' easy on you this time. Pay attention and watch the way I move. No matter how good an enemy is they always leave themselves open, find the moment and take it." He said, looking to her with a heavy expression. The Mandalorian walked into the center of the ring, exhaling as he craned his neck into a deep stretch.

Redd

 

[Redd]

TRAINING​

Tags: Haastal Haran​

”Protect the pack, protect the clan.” The woman repeated as she finished off her mug of coffee while Haastal seemed more interested in chasing down alcohol. Golden eyes watched him swallow the liquid and she smelled it, but made no comment about it. If her mate felt the need for a shot, then who was she to say no? Besides, it seemed like a pretty standard thing for the man to do, but she did notice that he had only done so after she had begun talking about her dream. A dream which seemed to cling to her, but was soothed by Haastal’s reassuring words. It was just a dream and she wasn’t the same pup. This was a different pack and it would be stronger than before. At least, that was what she told herself as her Mate grabbed her hand and led her out of the room.

To say that she was surprised by the activity in the household at this time of night was slightly startling, as it wasn’t exactly a city. However the wolf did return the greeting nods with one of her own. She listened as some exchanged conversations while other Mandalorians laughed loudly at something that someone said. It was a pack that was certainly different, but at the same time it was somewhat soothing to see the members that were still alive and filling the halls of Netra’yaim with life. The wolf had to admit, there were far more Mandalorians then there had been members of her old pack. Even if they were attacked, there were more bodies to defend and she felt soothed by that knowledge.

Knowledge which was reaffirmed by Haastal when they entered the training room, but she didn’t want safety for herself. She wanted safety for their future children if they ever did have some and she wanted to be more than capable of defending her pups.

A frown descended upon her brow as she took note of the training room that Haastal had led them into. It wasn’t any that she had seen, at least, not at The Citadel and her eyes looked over the sand arena and then towards the benches. Slowly, she exhaled and watched her Mate walk to the center, but the arena itself reminded her so much of her time in captivity. Her teeth clenched together as her jaws tightened with the tension. All that was missing, were the extremely high walls to keep the fighters in.

The wolf at this point felt extremely close to the surface, almost as if it was trying to break free, to snarl and run from the nightmares. To find a forest and run deep into its embrace to the point where no one could find her. It was as if the wolf inside was demanding for its freedom to run and she lifted a hand to place it against her temple for a moment while she listened to Haastal’s voice. A voice that slowly calmed and grounded her once more. A voice that spoke words that she latched on to and she nodded her head. Redd dropped the hand at her temple and her bare feet slowly entered the circle, but her gaze glanced over his body. ”Find the moment and take it…” She repeated, but watched as her Mate decided it was time to stretch first.

Was this the moment that he was talking about? Redd asked herself, but lunged forwards anyway and her hands fisted before she threw her right fist forwards in a punch that was aimed for the man’s throat. Why ask, when he had specifically said that he wasn’t going easy? If she wanted to learn, then she was all in.​

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[Haastal Haran]

He could hear Redd's rushing steps. His ears twitched as every muscle in his body tightened. Haastal turned to his woman, watching as her fist sailed through the air at him. Had he been a second slower or his eyes moved a little more laxly then the blow would have likely struck his neck and rendered his wind pipe damaged. However, Haastal was fast, demonically so. When he turned, his wrist flew up to slap Redd's fist out of the way. Almost immediately his hand coiled around her own. In a violent jerk, Haastal pulled her arm up over her head so it would leave her chest open.

"Slow." He said, his eyes fastened on his target. His free hand rose, yet it never formed a fist. Instead the palm of his hand slammed into the soft pressure point below the woman's chest. His palm folded into her skin, striking away the air that her body had held, yet Haastal did not relent.

He released her wrist, only for him to sharply push the woman back, both of his hands slamming into her shoulders to off-balance her. "Mandalorians fight to win, Redd. Show me how you win." When the woman staggered back, Haastal stepped forward, turning as his leg rose into the air. His foot slammed into the woman's gut so she would be forced onto her back.

The moment that the woman was thrown onto the ground, Haastal ran forward, crossing the sand and descending upon her. He pressed his knees down into the sand around her while his hands flew, one of them grabbing her wrist to pin it over her head, while the other came down to hold her throat. Though he put no pressure on her throat, he spoke as if she would be running out of air. "You have ten seconds before you black out. After that, you die. You have ten seconds to escape Redd, so escape!" He told her.

Redd

 

[Redd]

FIGHT​

Tags: Haastal Haran​

The movements had been fast and the wolf hadn’t even seen them coming. Almost as if her mind and body were not in sync. His hand pushed her fist away only to feel it being yanked up, but it was the palm that slammed into her chest and forced the air out of her lungs that caused the wolf within to snarl. A snarl which she felt, but didn’t have the lung capacity to express in her human form. Fight! Redd felt that singular word burn through her brain, but her body didn’t want to cooperate as she tried to force the air back into her lungs when she staggered back away from the male.

Yet she couldn’t quite gasp the air in sooner, as she felt the foot that slammed into her gut which forced her onto the sand underneath their feet and black spots broke across her vision. The woman felt the claws digging into her skull and pain speared through her mind as her lips parted with the effort to drag in the breath that she needed. She fought with the wolf to maintain some semblance of control, so then she wouldn’t snap, but the wolf felt the sand and could almost hear the sounds of the crowd as they cheered for the victor to take the life that laid sprawled upon the ground.

It was Haastal that finally ensured that she lost control as his body loomed over her while his singular hand pinned one of her own above her head and another one of his hands was at her throat. Ten seconds? Her wolf scoffed as a haze slid over her golden vision. Almost as if they were unfocused and her free hand rose up to grab the wrist of the hand that pinned her other one. Then while using her core muscles, the woman bucked underneath him so then he’d lose a little bit of center control and then she rolled. The movement would have sent him falling off into the sand and that was all that she had control of afterwards. The red wolf used this new found freedom to shift and as the shift began it was almost as if someone had placed the wolf right back into that arena where the fight to the death would begin.

Somewhere deep within, she had lost it. Lost control as her fears leaped to the surface while snarls were pulled from the woman as she shifted and the sound of clothes shredding rang within her ears. They were fears that had never fully been addressed or acknowledged and they were fears that saw that her survival instincts kicked in. To an outsider, it was almost as if someone had taken a feral wolf and thrown it back into the arena where she had to fight or die. Kill or be killed. There had been no such thing as a mate back then, just her and she had been alone. She had suffered. That wolf had been feral, had known no gentle hand and lived only to kill. A wolf which had finished its transformation and lunged for the man whose hand had been at her throat only moments before.

Redd felt the nagging twinge, something which hadn’t happened in the arena, something which pulled at the feral wolf. Something which told it not to kill and its powerful jaws just missed Haastal’s throat, before they sank deeply into the man’s shoulder. Blood exploded across her tongue and it cut through the haze like a sharp knife. Blood that tasted familiar, which wasn’t right. Her enemies didn’t live, they died and she usually didn’t miss the throat, yet she had latched on to the shoulder. The wolf knew this blood, acknowledged even, that this blood was not her enemy but her Mate! A whine replaced the snarls as Redd’s mind sliced through the haze of the fear and her jaws instantly released their purchase upon the male. She’d hurt her mate! He wasn’t her enemy!

What have I done? The wolf asked herself as she backed away from the male while her ears lowered in shame.​

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