Private Releasing the Wolf

[Lowri Rhi]

Outfit: This
Tag: Declan Durinson

Being in the North of Islimore had not been initially in Lowri's plan. Staying there for any length of time had not been in the plan. In fact, Lowri was constantly throwing away plans that she had made in the past. The only reason she kept finding herself remaining on Islimore was due to Gustaf and the intrigue that came from wishing to understand what it meant to have a family. What it meant for her to be part of a clan. It was confusing and she wasn't entirely sure that she understood the whole situation since she wasn't exactly keen on some of the rules. Lowri was a woman of freedom, independence and wildness, finding mates, baring children, all that aspect that was being mentioned as important. That wasn't her. She wasn't seeking a family that way, she barely knew what it meant to be a part of a family as it was since she had never known one. All she could offer was a child that could be abandoned and she knew that wasn't the thing that others expected from her nor was it something she particularly wanted. She was happy to remain free and wild for now though.

However, she didn't focus on what was being offered as her future. No, for now she needed to focus on herself and ensuring that she could control her abilities. Apparently it was sheer luck or pure survival instincts that prevented Lowri from going insane. Her shifting had never been something she could control but it was certainly something that had happened and something that was apparently needed for her to live her life then way that she wanted. Madness would ensue to those that halted their shifts or fought back the changes. A madness that could not be cured or made healthy once again. To avoid it, she needed to know how to safely change and ensure that she could change into her wolf form whenever she wished. It would also mean that Lowri would consciously be aware of how she looked as a wolf which was a big deal. She couldn't afford to have an ugly wolf form, that was just outrageous. So she needed to find a place where she could explore in solitude and near a body of water to inspect her other side.

This lead her to the forest, an area that she realised that she could explore freely, quietly and the water was never too far away. It was peaceful and Lowri looked around, the biggest issue she had was that clothing did not fit a Lupo wolf form, and so she would likely lose it in the transformation. Meaning that she had to figure out a way to undress and store her clothes before shifting, or at least store them safely after shifting. A massive conundrum. Looking around she swallowed, she was not shy about herself but she wasn't so brazen to walk around nude either. Inhaling deeply, she figured best to wait till she figured out how to shift, especially since that process could take awhile. Leaning against the tree, she thought on the words of wisdom from her uncle on the shifting.

"Gotta find the wolf inside...." Lowri muttered, not too sure how to do that really.

 

[Declan Durinson]

​

A maissive white wolf moved silently beneath green-grey sentinels and gnarled oaks as old as time.

He was strong and swift, and he could feel the ground underfoot, the soft crackling of fallen leaves, thick roots and hard stones, the deep layers of moss.

The smells filled his head, alive and intoxicating. the dark cold water of a nearby pool, the perfume of rich rotting earth beneath his paws, the squirrels in the oaks. The scent of squirrel made him remember the taste of hot blood and the way bones would crack between his teeth.!

Slaver filled his mouth.

He could hear the squirrels chattering and rustling above him, safe among the leaves but they knew better than to come down where he were prowling.

He could smell another too. She smelled of apprehension and doubt. It was a bitter scent. Her scent was at once familiar and unknown, he was drawn to it. She was Wolf, yet she wasn’t, but she could be.

"Gotta find the wolf inside...." She muttered to herself.

The white wolf stepped out of the trees and laid eyes on her, she saw him as well. He bared his teeth and felt a rumble in his throat too low to hear.

Where the white wolf once stood now stood a man, tall and broad with skin like burned copper marked with bright white and pale faded scars. His arms were covered in tattoos, dark black hair fell down past his shoulders and covered his face in a thick beard. Bright green eyes shone on him like torches. He was naked as the day he came into the world and made no effort to conceal himself. It was as though he didn’t even notice.

“Let her find you.”

Lowri Rhi

​

 

[Lowri Rhi]

Outfit: This
Tag: Declan Durinson

As she stood thinking to herself, believing to be alone, her senses prickled. Ears pricked, nose caught a scent, hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Even something in her mind tingled awareness of another presence, this connection to a gift of the gods as Gustaf would describe it but the larger galaxy she had heard it called the Force. Reaching for a dagger, she looked around for who might be approaching, while humans were not common in the North according to others, Lowri was never a believer in accepting what others said, she was always one for being overly cautious and doubting what others said. Relying on others often led to death or betrayal from her experiences.

A white wolf appeared to wander into sight, her shoulders only relaxing a little while the hand did not move from her dagger. While the other Lupo appeared friendly, willing to accept her, she had no idea their true intentions and she refused to believe all of them were going to be truly accepting of her. Especially since she held no ties to the culture or history of the people, Lowri watched as the wolf shifted from one form into the human form. Some might have been shy, embarrassed or looked away from the naked man. Lowri made no such movements, she was still determining whether he was a threat or not and using nakedness to distract was a valid tactic that she had used herself in the past. Her mind could not help but admire the naked form of the man, few Lupo men had been unattractive from what she had seen and her time imprisoned had been a long time.

"Eavesdropping on a person could be considered very rude you know." Lowri stated in a firm tone as she crossed her arms, her eyes kept locked on his, ignoring the nakedness that was in front of her for now. "Though I guess the Lupo might not care as much due to the sensitive hearing." A lot of things that Lowri thought were skills she had honed and was just more skilled at than others turned out to be natural talents from being a Lupo. Keener senses even when in humanoid form was one such talent, it was slightly disappointing to hear since she preferred the idea that she had trained harder and done better than everyone else. Now it was just she was naturally meant to be better.

Breathing out slowly, she thought on what he had said, "what do you mean let her come to me?" Lowri inquired, unsure what that meant, was the wolf an entirely different being? She thought it was still her but were there two people inside her? Life was so much more confusing now. "Any way to speed up the process?" Lowri asked, somewhat hopeful there was an easy route.

 

[Declan Durinson]

​

"There are few secrets amongst our kind." Declan said, shrugging when Lowri brought up the notion of eavesdropping. She was an off worlder and had spent much of her life away from her own kind. Declan knew what that was like to an extent, having spent much of his own life away from Islimore but that was only after he had nearly grown to maturity among his family in his own home.

The Wolf that stood before him had not had such an experience. Even now she stood guarded and fearful despite he being among her rescuers.

"what do you mean let her come to me?" Lowri inquired.

"Do you ask your heart to beat?" He asked.


"Any way to speed up the process?" The red haired Wolf asked.

"The Wolf is not merely some thing, some trick to be learned. She is you. She is more you than the version that walks on two legs. Surely you have felt her in the past. Fear, anger, pain, excitement, desire. They all call to her. When you changed in the past how did it feel?"

It was only then that Declan noticed the dagger. He laughed on the inside. The girl had been through a lot, it was little surprise she did not have much trust for them. Outwardly though he scowled at her.

"Do you think I wish to hurt you girl?" He asked softly. "Do you think you think you could stop me if I did?" He took several hurried steps toward her.

It would be hard to see it as anything other than an act of aggression. Declan was much larger than the she-wolf, scarred, tattooed, and naked on top of that.

Truly it was an act of immaturity not intimidation. His aim was to have her stop thinking and instead feel. Though his means were without tact or grace.

Lowri Rhi

​

 

[Lowri Rhi]

Outfit: This
Tag: Declan Durinson

"Perhaps there should be more. Oversharing can be just as toxic as being secretive." Lowri countered as she stood firm, she was curious as to why he was out here in this particular part of the woods but it was a chance encounter and right now she should be focusing on the task of handling her Wolf form.

She rolled her eyes when his reply was vague and contrive. Of course no one asked their heart to beat, but one could control the beating of their heart. That was the difference that Lowri was wishing to understand. Though his further explanation, that was something more interesting. Something more tangible that Lowri could use, could attempt to explore in her mind. How had she felt during heightened emotions? Was there something more? Perhaps thinking that it was a completely normal human experience, was there something more to her feelings that she had simply misunderstood all her life? Looking back, there had been descriptions of Lowri being feral as a child, a beast, deadlier and aggressive in ways that some were not use to in their lives.

As she was thinking back to experiences in her life. The ones that seemed to bring out the wolf inside her, the nude man moved in way too close. Moving inhumanly swiftly, the dagger went from her side to his throat and pressed in firmer than she needed to make a point. She could not and would never be intimidated by him. She had dealt with larger and more dangerous people out in the galaxy. "I think you need to be careful with your words. You might be bigger, but I have broken larger beings than you." A deep, feral growl rose in her voice briefly. Raising an eyebrow in a teasing manner, "larger in several ways." A coy joke to alleviate her feelings since aggression was not something that Lowri had been comfortable. Skilled in yes, not her preferred state.

The dagger was held in place for a long moment before she removed it. "Interesting that you went with the aggression angle. I thought you might have told me to try being more in touch with nature. Especially since your brothers seem more aggressive than you." Lowri was revealing that she had been paying some attention to him and that she noticed he was different to his brothers. "Guessing you Northerners learn to control the Wolf inside from a very early age?" Lowri asked, curious to know how it worked for those growing up with Lupo.

 

[Declan Durinson]

​

The sharp sting of cold steel at his throat pulled him back to a rain soaked day in the mud.

Bound and bleeding, Declan with eyes blacker than midnight had been mad. He screamed curses and threats until his throat had gone raw. Writhed and pulled at the chains that held him until his wrists had bled. He looked at those who loved him and spit hatred at them all until his brother had seen enough. The twin, Dorin had done what none else were willing too and pressed a knife's blade to Declan's throat.

A glint of steel and the whispered rasp of a weapon pulled from leather and the tip of a small knife was at Declan. a bead of blood rolled down his neck.

"Myndirðu drepa mig hér Durinsblood? Fjötraður eins og skepna til slátrunar?"He asked Oynx eyes staring up at Dorin. There was no fear, no pleading just disappointment. "Er þetta það sem er orðið af norðlenskum heiður?"

"Gera það" He said softly.

"Gera! Það!" He'd screamed, pressing his neck hard onto the knife's edge. The bead of blood turned to a rush claret as the sharp edge bit into Declan's flesh. The pup had stood there frozen.

"I think you need to be careful with your words. You might be bigger, but I have broken larger beings than you." She said, A deep, feral growl rising in her voice briefly. "larger in several ways." She continued, the threat in her voice replaced with something softer.

"I'm sure you're a real killer." He said dismissively, paying no outward attention to the blade at his neck.

Declan was a killer. He had been a killer since he was twelve and no matter what this Wolf thought, I'd he meant her harm there was little she would be able to do to stop it. He however did not wish to harm her nor did he wish to debate the point with her and so he left his retort what it was.

Lowri lowered the blade from his throat.

"Interesting that you went with the aggression angle. I thought you might have told me to try being more in touch with nature. Especially since your brothers seem more aggressive than you." She said to him.

"Fine. Be more in touch with nature." He said in a flat monotone mocking voice.

"Violence is the most natural thing in the galaxy." He told her in his natural speaking voice.

Her comment on him and his brothers had caught him a bit by surprise.

"Do they? What would give you that impression?" He asked.

The twins were still pups and would bare their fangs at anything so perhaps he were more measured than that.

Dorian on the other hand. Declan himself truly did not know. When Declan was taken from Islimore and sold as a slave, Dorian had truly been a pup, he had not even had his first change and now…now Dorian was Alpha of their clan and a stranger.

Lowri Rhi

​

 

[Lowri Rhi]

Outfit: This
Tag: Declan Durinson

Lowri laughed as he dismissed her comment, "galaxy is a large and dangerous place. I have done a lot of things most of the Lupo around here would know nothing about." She didn't care that he dismissed her, most did, not necessarily because she was small or a woman, they dismissed her beauty and lack of scars as a sign of a fighter. They were just lucky they did not have to fight her. "Heard that you know a bit about the dangers of the galaxy. Should know that you can't judge a book by its cover, unless you seen me fight, you don't know what I am capable of." The fire burned bright in her eyes as she stared back at Declan.

"Clearly someone skipped their morning wine." Lowri bit back in a mocking tone, if he was going to try dismiss her then she was going to fight back. Tales of Declan's excessive drinking had been spreading like wildfire, drinking and other activities. "Violence is the second most natural thing. Sex trumps all." Lowri stated firmly, "a man forgets violence when he sees the chance for sex. Sure you have forgotten a task or job at the sway of a woman's hips or the fluttering of her eyelashes." Lowri gave a teasing flutter of her own lashes to demonstrate her point.

He asked why and Lowri chuckled. "The Twins are clearly more violent in a reckless, youthful way. The way that they have never face true danger or fought in actual dangerous battles. I think you can see that for yourself." She took a step back and wandered as she thought the best way to explain what she saw in Dorian that was different to Declan. "You are described as a bard, no matter the past nor the violence you might hold within, you frame yourself separately from that. Dorian embraces it, from what I heard, he sought out the most dangerous path, proud that he fought the wild wolves and won." It was second hand evidence but she believed there was some merit to it. "Those are great things for a warrior and for a leader during times of conflict, which is what he is now and what he needs to be going forward. However, does mean that you are more free spirited, embracing nature, learning history of the Gods, getting drunk most nights. Things that a warrior does not."

That was her view on things, from self-belief and rough learnings of Lupo ways. "Sometimes I feel like I am a fool for staying. An outsider, short for a human let alone a Lupo. Perhaps my wolf doesn't want to come out because I don't want to be judged for my wolf form being lacking." Lowri was attempting to shift topics poorly but it was a concern, her wolf form was something she knew little about and at the moment could enjoy or romanticise how it looks.

 

[Declan Durinson]

​

…you don't know what I am capable of." The fire burned bright in her eyes as she stared back at Declan.

And I couldn't care.

"It's not about what you're capable of. It's about what you're willing to do and there is no doubt, girl, that I'm capable of far worse and far more willing."

Make no mind of what had to be done in war with Cailleadh or what went on in the fighting pits.

He was The Butcher of Blackborne.

Blackborne manor was home to the Nerezza family, until Declan killed them all. The men, the ladies and even the babies. There were times where their screams still crept into his dreams and nights where he would dance to the sound.

"Clearly someone skipped their morning wine." Lowri bit back in a mocking tone.

He had missed his morning wine but that was only because he had started his morning drinking around midday the day prior. Sleep had not come to him again; A mercy.

"Violence is the second most natural thing. Sex trumps all." Lowri stated firmly, "a man forgets violence when he sees the chance for sex. Sure you have forgotten a task or job at the sway of a woman's hips or the fluttering of her eyelashes."

Declan stepped even closer to her now, filling whatever personal space had remained to them.

"I have ignored those things for a woman but never violence." He told her. "In my experience, there is little difference between the two or has every trip you have taken to bed been as sweet as a song?"

A ripple tension passed over his naked form. A predator ready to lunge. Their lives were not easy. Declan's had been one filled with blood from birth, why would sex be any different?

"The Twins are clearly more violent in a reckless, youthful way. The way that they have never face true danger or fought in actual dangerous battles. I think you can see that for yourself."

It was Declan's turn to laugh now though his was a sour bark.

"No." Was his only response to her.

His younger brothers are heroes of The North. Beloved for their valor and bravery, saving Durin's wife and son from assassination long before this girl had ever met them. She had been there when the twins helped to rescue her from her prison cell, however. She had been there when Hljóðleva fell to the Fayth and many of their people were lost, did she think that were some easy thing? She made the trip north through the hard road, led by Darin and her uncle, were they lost even more Wolves. They were young and dumb, there was no denying that but it were not from lack of experience.


Declan laughed again. Those boys would have wanted to beat her bloody but what did she truly know? She was young as well and new to their people. New to it all, she could only make her judgments from what she knew and that could not be much.

He took in her words regarding Dorian and himself. He understood why her thoughts would go where they did. Only one of Wolf referred to Declan as a bard and that was Miera. The eldest of the Erevos sisters was sweet and petite; she saw things others did not. Whether that was because she spent most of her time unnoticed and that let her observe others in ways they would not normally be seen or because she had some mystical insight, Declan could not say but her thoughts of him were far from what he saw of himself.

She was half wild and that is what made Declan love her. They were kindred in that way he supposed. He also owed Miera more than he could ever repay.

"Perhaps." Was all he said when she explained the differences between himself and Dorian.

Declan could not consider himself surprised. Even an outsider could see his worth.

"Sometimes I feel like I am a fool for staying. An outsider, short for a human let alone a Lupo. Perhaps my wolf doesn't want to come out because I don't want to be judged for my wolf form being lacking." she said.

"The Wolf always wants to come out."

He reached out to grab her arm, hard. If she allowed that to happen or was not fast enough to prevent it he would pull her close and kiss her roughly.

What he said next would be the same whether she stopped him or whether he did in fact get his kiss.

"Do you feel it? The heat, the beating of your heart, that primal surge? Follow it. Look inside and let that feeling fill you until it spills out. Let her run."

Lowri Rhi

​

 

[Lowri Rhi]

Outfit: This
Tag: Declan Durinson

"Call me girl one more time and you will see just who is more willing to do harm."

Lowri could tell that his attitude was a lot more sour when he had no wine. She definitely preferred the bard who performed his song than the man who attempted to condescend. His comments on her experiences had her laughing deeply, "if you knew my experiences there, you be on your knees begging." A wink teasingly thrown his way, "violence is optional there, makes it enjoyable sure, but as you said, it is optional."

When he disagreed with her statement on the Twins, she shrugged, her views were her own. She had fought for her own life, seen the barrel of a blaster pointed at her, the threat of death looming over head and believed it was coming. The Twins, she saw no realisation in them that death was possible. That was the concerning part, they fought well, they could fight strong, but not acknowledging they could die at any point was what made them young, reckless and fresh faced. She had heard comments from others about the Twins as well, which did flavoured her views, mentions of them being young, and running off into fights with Aelin. Until they experienced that fear, the fear of impending doom, she would always think they lacked experience. That fear was what defined a person, it made them or broke them.

The man moved in swiftly.

Lowri knew she could have stopped him, there was a part of her that said that she should. Barely knew the man and he could be dangerous still. But she didn't, it had been a long time since she had felt such passion. Prison life had really been a pain for that. The rough kiss was fought back by her, nipping and teasing back before they broke apart. There was still fire in her eyes, she was not a submissive type to just break in his arms. He was still trying to make her connect with the wolf inside, part of her was hurt that he seemed to just be trying to manipulate her into shifting.

However, when she wanted to fight back something stopped her. Inside, she could feel the howl. The call of the wolf like her uncle described. There was finally proof of her Lupo self existing. She stared at Declan, the she-wolf growled once more. A want to change and show this man what her wolf looked like. It seemed to be that Lowri was finally ready, she smirked and darted from Declan's view, he would not get to see her shift. Her first willing shift was something she would do privately.

The transformation was unique, it was different and it felt wild as she shifted. The wolf stood and shook off the stiffness of joints. Finally able to smell and see Islimore through the eyes of how a Lupo should observe their homeworld. Lowri finally conscious of this experience was thrilled to see everything and it was a thrill that she could wish to experience more going forward. Rushing through the woods, Lowri rushed around, bounding silly and loudly but enjoying the feeling of the air through her coat, the feel of her muscles and experiencing the adrenaline of being a wolf. The aura she held was one of joy and bliss, exploring the world through the eyes of her Lupo form.

Stumbling by a river, Lowri paused and then approached cautiously. The wolf was curious as to how she looked. Staring into the water, the wolf was smaller than other Lupo wolves, though she had slender body, red stained coat that made her look rusty in places. Her eyes still maintained their fiery look and Lowri was pleased. Fears of being a hideous wolf were squashed, she looked no different than the others, only slightly smaller than average. Her curiosity was now just on how everything felt as a wolf.