Blood permented the air around him, thick and heavy and taunting. But Covet wasn't hungry, not for that. Not for any blood right now, actually. There was more to want than food or a clear mind, and it was decidedly true that Covet could not have a clear mind around Fathom, not really. It wasn't enough to make him stumble on words or intentions, but he was different around her. On some other level, anyway. So with her scent strong and close and mixed with the blood scent of the hooved critter she'd taken down, Covet basked in it and waited for the right time to come out. He would have waited longer, maybe stalked her a little more had she not noticed. The direction of the wind was not in his favor today.

Not that it upset him too much, of course. He had no real need to hide from her, no feeling of threat. Perhaps she had grown stronger and better able to handle herself, but Covet would always see the ghost of the wolf she had been before, when he'd met her. It was what had made him so much more curious of her, after all. Maybe now he would grow bored of the creature she had become. Time could only tell. Yet the way she was looking for him, and finally the words to show himself made Covet rise with a yawn and shake of his furs. He stretched before sliding along -- or it would look more like sliding, even if he was on all paws and upright -- closer to Fathom. She was looking like she wanted to stand up to him. How sweet.

Mindful of the proximity of her jaws, he shortened his stride to close the distance faster, angling to slip around her, rubbing shoulder and fur around her at anyplace he could touch before going wide near her front end and pivoting to face her properly once more; ready for her reaction. He doubted she would let him just take such a liberty, though it was possible he had underestimated her this time. Maybe she had learned, or maybe she hadn't learned the right things. The seconds that came would tell him what he wanted to know. Darling little Fathom, though Covet hadn't spoken a word, just stared now with those endless black eyes; trying to unnerve her by his silence, his previous actions.

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[ male ] [ five ] [ loner ] [ ava; severed imprint ]