Into the Lion's Mouth [Rids]

[Boyce]

Why Alice was here, she couldn't tell you. Simply, she woke when the sun was shining brightly in the sky and decided that it would be a good idea to take a walk. With no destination in mind, she simply traveled on to end up in the lands unclaimed. The vegetation here was interesting and she wanted to study it for a moment before she was swallowed up by insanity. There were dandelions that were getting ready to let their seeds fly into the air; the crazy part of Alice decided that she wanted to roll in them. So she did just that.

The seeds covered her down-like fur and went up her nose; causing her to sneeze. She laughed manically before she continued to roll. As to why she didn't stop, no one would know. All the fluffy seeds brought to her was more sneezing and a little more crazed laughter. Abruptly she stopped however and sat up, her body trembling. Something was wrong and in her current state of mind she couldn't figure out just what it was.

She looked towards the horizon and tilted her head to the left. The sun was still high in the sky; there weren't any shadows to swallow her up. But there was something. Alice didn't believe it to be hostile. At least, not completely. Therefore, she let her tongue loll out of her mouth and her tail wag peacefully. Whatever was coming for her, she welcomed it.


[Lame..]

[Ridley]

Being restless and finding no rest were two completely different things, something Ridley understood far too well. One meant wandering aimlessly in pursuit of some inspiration for sleep and the other allowed its victim to remain sprawled out, tossing and turning in fits of exasperation because the body desired sleep but the brain did not. The dark she-beast that prowled the very edges of her damned beloved pack's territory happened to suffer from a mixture of both. Her mind wanted to sleep, but her body wanted to wander. She'd been plagued by night terrors the past few days, pumping her system with adrenaline and the desire to get away from everything. Senses dull with exhaustion, Ridley's mind seemed to be full of thoughts that faded like bees intoxicated with the soothing aroma of smoke. In the middle of the day, the beast wanted nothing more than to sleep.

Even so, in the midst of such high tensions between Animos and Sapientia, napping didn't seem appropriate, at least not in front of her followers. They were busy working the day away, which would only make Ridley seem lazy. Or, on the more severe side of the spectrum, they would unravel why she (someone who rarely slept while there was work to be done) needed the extra shuteye. If one was to jump to the conclusion that she might be having nightmares, maybe because from fearing Eligius and his band of followers, she'd have a problem on her hands. So napping, specifically in front of anyone watching, had been out of the question.

It didn't mean she couldn't find a place far off to rest, however. Ridley had wandered far in hopes of finding a shady spot to snooze for a short while, but it seemed she had stepped a little too far out of her boundaries. It wasn't until she inhaled the dank scent of Animos that Ridley realized her location. Who was the unlucky wolf that would encounter the dark predator that had strayed a little too far from home?
Upon approaching the form of the creature that reeked of Animos Regum's strong repellent, Ridley was unpleasantly surprised to find another female such as herself. The wolf was dark in color, something Ridley quite admired simply because she also carried a more melanistic shading. It was like being attracted oneself, essentially, because the leader of Sapientia tended to be attracted more to those that mirrored her own appearance. Perhaps that was why the female approached the other so calmly, which was odd considering Ridley disliked strangers and generally hated Animos wolves.
"It seems a rabbit has wandered a little too far from its hole, wouldn't you agree?" the dominant female said, her face parted with a wide enough grin to make even the Cheshire cat jealous.

[Boyce]

"It seems a rabbit has wandered a little too far from its hole, wouldn't you agree?"

"It seems to be more like my curiosity caused me to I follow him down it." Alice replied without looking at the she-wolf who approached her. Judging by scent and familiarity alone, she was able to know that this wolf was of Sapientia Saecolorum and not only that, but was Ridley.

Alice turned her bright yellow eyes onto the dark form of Ridley. Her lips pulled up into a smile of her own in response to the Sapientia leader's grin. This was a particular day indeed. For once, Alice went to her small place of sanity without so much as a hitch. There was no string of insanity that tried to claim her, at least not yet.

"How are you, Ridley? It's odd to see you about in the day time." She spoke softly as she realized how much clarity she was showing. It was a confusing situation to be sure. Of course, one thing would show her back to her own world. "Then again, it's odd for someone like me to see you at all."

Alice found herself studying the female opposite of her. Ridley was beautiful, that was to be sure. Her dark grey fur appeared soft and silky; for a moment, the young Alice wondered what it would be like to touch the dominant's coat. Would it be like Eli's? Where is was like being on a cloud? Well, she supposed she would never know, at least while she was sane. Maybe if she was lucky she would be able to find out due to the other part of her. Though maybe it was impossible as well. From what Alice had heard, Ridley was crazed and power hungry; a slight contact might end Alice's life prematurely.

"What's your story, Ridley?" It was bold, extremely so but Alice didn't quite care. She was curious about the creature in front of her and it wasn't something that she could contain. Maybe such a move would impress the beautiful and confident leader. Or maybe it would enrage her. Well, Alice would find out at soon enough.

[Ridley]

"It seems to be more like my curiosity caused me to follow him down it," the stranger replied with an indifference that surprised Ridley once again. To be so far from safety, and still hold the confidence of an elk still submerged in the mass of bodies that formed the herd, meant the wolf before her had courage. More than courage. Guts. The 'rabbit' had guts. Even as she turned her yellow eyes towards Ridley, a smile pulled onto her features. For an Animos wolf to not find fear in the face of Ridley, well, it was like an ill wolf not finding fear in the face of death. A seed of admiration planted itself within the dominant female's gut as she listened to her speak again.

The rabbit's voice was soft. "How are you, Ridley? It's odd to see you about in the daytime. Then again, it's odd for someone like me to see you at all," her stranger knew her name. She knew Ridley's, but the closest thing to a name that the dark she-wolf had for her was Rabbit, a piece of prey that had strayed too far from the burrow.
Ridley's grin faded as she answered with the same short, haughtiness she always carried in her words, "I'll consider both of us lucky, then. You, for meeting me, and I, because one rarely finds a wolf who is curious enough to follow a rabbit into his home." The dark female huffed before allowing her rump to sink to the ground. Another grin teased the corner's of her dark lips as she continued to speak, her voice smooth as it left her throat. "It's quite a tight fit for a beast such as yourself. How did you manage such a squeeze?" she paused before shooting her stranger a mockingly accusing glance, "Unless you're really a rabbit afterall, just in disguise." Ridley flicked her tail, her eyes still busy looking over her latest guest. If she hadn't been so revolted by the foul stench of Animos in the air, Ridley might have found her rabbit beautiful, beyond the false infatuation that came with wolves that looked like her own reflection. Maybe.

"What's your story, Ridley?" the words caused a ripple to run up Ridley's spine. For just a moment, the she-beast had begun to escape her current situation and her past altogether. She'd been focused on the stranger, on the idea of having a blank slate to speak with someone new for the first time. Distracted by the powerful desire to manipulate and seduce charm, Ridley had almost forgotten why the stranger's smell was so disgusting to her.
"As if you don't already know it, Animos," anger flickered in her voice as she replied. Maybe she should just kill the odd creature and keep on her way? No. The female dismissed the idea.

If Ridley killed her rabbit, she was almost positive its blood would taste as poisoned as the air around it smelled.

[Boyce]

"I'll consider both of us lucky, then. You, for meeting me, and I, because one rarely finds a wolf who is curious enough to follow a rabbit into his home. It's quite a tight fit for a beast such as yourself. How did you manage such a squeeze?"

Alice's smile grew broader as she followed suit and sat upon the ground gracefully. The dandelions wanted to swallow her but they were far too short. Maybe in the future the world would just open up and envelop her in its embrace. For now however, she was forced to remain above the earth. She tilted her head in a quizzical angle as she pondered over her next response. While she wasn't completely there, Alice realized somewhat that Ridley liked to be challenged, to a degree. So far, she seemed to appreciate Alice's boldness.

"I honestly can't say. That's giving away a trade secret." She replied coyly and with a wink accompanying her words. A small, lighthearted chuckle escaped her mouth as a dandelion whispered against her fur where it was thinnest. "I must agree, it's a lucky thing that we met at all. Especially considering our differences." How odd. No riddles. No insanity. This wasn't right and yet, Alice didn't mind being her old, sane self. Even if it was only for the duration of this visit.

"Unless you're really a rabbit afterall, just in disguise."

Well, wasn't Ridley entertaining. Alice laughed again, a sound that carried well even in the open. It was light and full of happiness. Never did Alice expect for someone to treat her so well, especially someone from Sapientia. No, scratch that. Especially from Ridley of all wolves. From what she recalled, the entire Animos pack feared Ridley because of her cruelty towards them and because of her desire for violence. So far, Alice found nothing to fear, to hate. In fact, the young female was growing to like Ridley and her personality extremely quickly. Something that was uncommon.

"Well, well that's something that you'll have to discover now then won't you?" She replied with a challenging glint in her yellow eyes. Alice did not think Ridley would do her harm; she felt like she could easily engage in a verbal sort of combat with the Sapientia dominant.

"As if you don't already know it, Animos,"

Oh. Oh dear. It seemed that Alice had struck a nerve of sorts. There was anger lacing Ridley's voice and yet.. she made no attempt to end the younger female's life. Perhaps Alice had proved herself in some sort of way; sparing her existence. The smile on her face changed from coy and teasing to apologetic as she continued to gaze at the other she-wolf.

"I do apologize deeply for what I said. I held no knowledge that it would affect you in such a way; I do hope that you can forgive me for such insolence and insensitivity. And please, call me Alice." Alice spoke sincerely and refused to break eye contact with Ridley. "You see, I'm what they consider 'crazy' or even 'mad' so I don't hear much."

Then, Alice did the unthinkable: she stood up and very elegantly walked over to where Ridley sat. Despite the other dark female's anger, she was not afraid. Whether it be her insane mind or her belief that like Eli, Ridley would not cause her harm, she simply did what came to her mind. Very slowly, like comforting someone who had sustained an injury, Alice reached forward with her muzzle and gently touched her nose to Ridley's chest fur. Like she predicted it was very soft and smelled of Sapientia Saecolorum as well as something else that she couldn't identify.

Unlike the other wolves of the packs, Alice wasn't affected by the different scents of the individual packs. They didn't matter to her simply and she liked how each and every one of them smelled. Ridley included without a doubt. Alice pulled back after a short time and sat down very close to the very beautiful and dangerous Ridley.