The Venomous Angel

I had paused further up the river, using the clear liquid as a mirror of sorts in an effort to make myself at least further presentable before I went to meet this female I had apparently been matched with. Honestly, I didn’t hold entirely high hopes. I’d done this only to get my Mother off my back. She was forever going on about my lack of companions and her lack of grandchildren. Maybe I was just dedicated to my work! Its about time healers were celebrated. Assassins and warriors had their day. Why didn’t healers? I shook the thought away for now, one grey paw dipping lightly into the water, reaching up to brush against the pristine white of my underside and the only real white my form possessed unlike so many of my siblings. The rest of my form was decorated in ashen grey, once more the only one of my siblings to carry such a colour, my dark grey ruff decorated in flares of russet, providing my Angel Marks all the same as the orange and violet of my gaze lingered upon my form- assuring not a hair out of place. I was probably putting a little too much effort into this, at best I might end up just making a friend although maybe Mother was right, maybe it was time I found someone. Once satisfied with my overall look, thick, long fur organised neatly I moved to rise, large, powerful form moving with graceful ease down and along the bank and towards the organised meeting place, my large, wide paws falling softly against the earth. I was forever mistaken for a warrior and why shouldn’t I be? I was more than big enough, my form designed for the fight if ever there was one and yet truly that had never been my desire. Senseless brawls do nothing for me. I yawed, briefly, white teeth flashing within the sun as I continued along, searching the riverbank for a female that at least looked, well, like she as expecting someone.

The scent of Iromar lingered briefly in the breeze and for a moment I found myself hesitating. Brilliant. Someone was having a joke with me. I’d told them breeding was important, looks were important and evidently they’d decided to set me up with some Iromar wolf. She was probably still dripping in swamp water. Fine. I agreed to it so I’d meet her but that was it- before going and finding that female who had run this whole event and giving her a piece of my mind. Maybe I’d bring her a nice fish- and poison it, nothing serious of course, but enough to make her regret ever daring to suggest I would hold interest in some Iromar wolf. I paused once more as I rounded the corner, searching for a black wolf, because, well, I think that should be obvious why. My gaze finding only a sort of- well, lighter version of myself, her form marked so similarly to my own though the grey atop her was far lighter than the ash that held coloured my own topside. She lacked Angel Marks of course, though even her eyes were a lighter version of my own dark violet, hers a more pale lilac hue if I was asked to describe it, her fur not nearly so long or thick as my own and yet overall she was almost like a pale version of myself. Surely she was not the Iromar wolf I could smell?

I strode closer, coming from behind, sniffing the air as I did in an effort to better assess her own scent, long limbs and graceful stride carrying my large form smoothly forward with genuine interest now, head tilted slightly in curiosity before she moved to turn suddenly. She surprised me, I suppose, turning as she suddenly did, a desire to leap to the side seeming to seize me for some reason I simply cannot fathom. This was hardly a childish game, my grey and white form remaining rooted to the spot as I came to a stop before her, ears pricking forward as I took a moment to examine her.

“Hadrian. You don’t happen to be waiting for me, do you?”

Well. I might as well find out if this was actually the girl or merely a female passing through. I wouldn’t be totally disappointed if this was her though, she looked much nicer than I expected to be honest, she was even a nice colour, although the scent of Iromar still lingered.

“You don’t…….look like a wolf of Iromar.”

Well she didn’t. I was expecting black fur and a bad temper. I suppose there was still time for her to have a bad temper…..