The Meek and the Bold

Nightmare

You should have known the price of evil...And it hurts to know
That you belong here, yeah...Ooh, it's your fuckin' nightmare

The sound of the waterfall calmed Nightmare's mind that was constantly in motion. Not once did it ever stop and take a break unless he was here. Nightmare loved being an Alpha, it gave him the means necessary to protect those he loved and cared for. It gave him the excuse to be an ass when he felt that whatever his pack was doing was going to be dangerous.




So there he was sitting next to the waterfall with his eyes closed just listening to the world around him; the sound of the water, the insects, the birds, the other animals that were close by. Everything about it relaxed his old muscles that still ached every now and again from previous battles with the one with the cougar being his most recent. At least his pack ate well that day after the battle. He paid for it though in his scars on his face that were still trying to heal
.

Nothing stops the madness, Turning, haunting, yearning Pull the trigger

Nightmares Table <3

R i d i c u l e

when i lift the deceased, i lift my wings

Ridicule had just began to graze the tip of her muzzle to the flowing, crystal clear water, when she heard a raspy voice whisper in her ear. Turn around. She folded in her wings, the speckled black dots flickering out of view. She slowly turned, her face calm, knowing that her friends would never do know harm to her.

What she saw wasn't a ghost, a demon, or anything supernatural like she expected - it was just her alpha, sitting off to the side, a look of thought and contemplation upon his face. She lowered her tail and ears, as she was a lesser rank, and padded over to him, her dark brown eyes curious. May I ask what you are doing? She spoke, her words shaky but assured by the calming invisible hand patted her shoulder, and she heard a mumbled thanks from her ghosts.

i also talk to the them .

- r i d i c u l e

Nightmare

You should have known the price of evil...And it hurts to know
That you belong here, yeah...Ooh, it's your fuckin' nightmare

Deep in thought at first Nightmare did not see that his Shaman, Ridicule had even come near. HIs senses must be off too. Not a good thing but not many of his his pack knew where to find him and none of his enemies knew that this was his favorite place neither. BUt he knew that Ridicule could find him no matter where he was. Which is what he liked--and disliked about her. It was not her fault though so he never got mad at her for it.




"Just here clearing my mind as always. If I did not I am sure I would lose it faster than I have been."




It was both an attempt at a joke and being serious at the same time. It was hard for a wolf of Nightmare's past to have humor, but that never stopped him from trying. Can't always be serious or else you lose friends.




"Would you care to join?"

Nothing stops the madness, Turning, haunting, yearning Pull the trigger

Nightmares Table <3

R i d i c u l e

when i lift the deceased, i lift my wings

Ridicule raised her ears, clearly surprised by the invitation. She sat down on her haunches, watching the trickle of water. They, the deceased ones, were having a crack at how she reacted, hooting and hollering and jumping about, before one rose up and jumped on Nightmare, and Ridicule jumped up, nervous. She swatted at the thing, careful not to touch Nightmare, while it stared at her with a monstrous, gaping black hole of a mouth, and she couldn't decide what it was.

Forgive me, Nihtmare, but it seems that my friend has gotten, a little frisky, she mumbled, glaring at it, which seemed like empty space to him. He couldn't feel it, see it, hear it, yet she could. And it was bothering her, so she groaned and uttered a few Greek words, and with a pop, it vanished, but her others stayed. She sighed, sitting down. Looking at the damp ground where the falls splashed into, she smiled apologetically at Nightmare, looking down.

i also talk to the them .

- r i d i c u l e

Nightmare

You should have known the price of evil...And it hurts to know
That you belong here, yeah...Ooh, it's your fuckin' nightmare

"Do not worry about it Ridicule." Nightmare gave her what he thought was an apologetic smile, but it probably did not come off that way since he was still learning facial expressions besides the scowl that he usually wore. For when you wear a scowl for most of your life it seems that the other expressions do not come as easily. "Do tell me what has brought you here if you do not mind. I do not think that I have been gone that long."


Which was a true statement. When he was at the falls, time seemed to slip by and there has been many of times when he has either dozed off all day or just never felt like leaving. Ridicule had not been the first to have to come get him when the day has slipped and he had not done his duty as Alpha.


If only the others knew the pressure of being an alpha.

Nothing stops the madness, Turning, haunting, yearning Pull the trigger

Nightmares Table <3

R i d i c u l e

when i lift the deceased, i lift my wings

Ridicule felt relieved that he did not believe she was crazy, as being a Shaman can sometimes cause. She yawned, stretching out her limbs to lie down completely, her tail thumping quietly against the ground. I can sense it. The ones can too. Well, I mean, the dead. She explained, glancing back at their odd shapes. One was just a shadow of a raven, another a white, transparent antelope, the next a grey, sickly looking wolf. She shivered, turning back to look at him.

It wasn't unusual for them to follow her around - they sometimes popped up in her dreams as well. It only happens to be that Ridicule was spiritually bound, or else she wouldn't be able to sense a disturbance in the pack, the minds of others. She shifted to where she was laying her head on her paws, her wings tucked close to her body.

i also talk to the them .

- r i d i c u l e

Nightmare

You should have known the price of evil...And it hurts to know
That you belong here, yeah...Ooh, it's your fuckin' nightmare

The shaman of the pack was a beautiful wolf even with the wings. He had been grateful to her many of times. If not for her he would probably not still be here today. Her abilities are what have kept him alive for so long and out of quite a bit of danger. The only way to really know the danger would be to go walk into it yourself before you send others. That is what an Alpha was supposed to do, or at least that is what Nightmare thought. So far it had proved right.


Like with the cougar, he could of sent a few to deal with it, or he could of dealt with it himself; which is what he did. There was no reason to lose any of his pack over a little forest dispute. Needless to say they did not have to worry about a cougar again for a while.


This place is beautiful is it not? Much like you are. Do not take offense please, this is my way of thanking you for being our Shaman. If not for you, I do not think that I would still be here to walk this earth.

Nothing stops the madness, Turning, haunting, yearning Pull the trigger

Nightmares Table <3

R i d i c u l e

when i lift the deceased, i lift my wings

Ridicule glanced up, and she felt her face widen into a small, thankful smile. She pinned her ears back against her skull, happy to be called beautiful, even though some would imagine Shamans as ugly, knarled creatures who have a connection with the devil. She wagged her tail, creating a swooshing sound on the damp ground. Why, thank you. And it's nothing, I have a little spirit help. She said, not wanting to take all of the credit.

The shadow raven bowed his head as if in gratitude, and then they all vanished, leaving a shocked Redicule behind. Was their goal to make her somewhat thank them for what they've done? No, that wouldn't be it. The ones always had a great purpose, and she realized that this was not it. She blinked, muttering to herself about dead rats and dust. She would need to conjure them up later, to see if they had answers. She looked back at Nightmare, and noticed that she really did kind of protect him from harm's way. Without her, those scars could have gone deeper. She dismissed the gruesome thought, and instead hummed a tune her mother used to sing. Da da lee, da da loo. The monsters will never come for you. Da da lee, da da loo, baby Redi, you were born from the moon. She remembered this because she thought it to be true - that she herself was born from above to help the below, almost like an angel. Ridicule stopped humming, feeling ridiculous.

i also talk to the them .

- r i d i c u l e

Nightmare

You should have known the price of evil...And it hurts to know
That you belong here, yeah...Ooh, it's your fuckin' nightmare

Nightmare chuckled at her shocked expression. She was the meekest of his pack and yet the first to come to his aid. A small part in the back of his head knew that it was a good trait in an Alphess. But he shook his head at that notion because that would mean she would have to be his mate or take him over in battle and he did not think that she would do neither. It was almost enough that she was his Shaman.


It was a good thing that she could read minds. Might scare her away if she knew what went on in his head. It was bad enough that she had to save him over and over again. Being a Shaman for him was a hard enough job as it is. Being his Alphess and mate would just make her life harder and that is not what he wanted to do. Not that she would ever refuse him because he was Alpha but he did not force his pack to do what they did not want to do.


No need to thank me Ridicule. My thanks to you have long been past due. I do not think how much I and this pack need you. I doubt we would have all been here this long and it is not due to my ruling ever. Do not ever forget this, you always have a home with us as long as I am Alpha and around to still have a say in what goes on.

Nothing stops the madness, Turning, haunting, yearning Pull the trigger

Nightmares Table <3

R i d i c u l e

when i lift the deceased, i lift my wings

Ridicule heard the echoing of his thoughts, the hushed tones of it. It was like a secret book, and she backed up, shaking them out, not wanting to intrude. But just one little peek, one little one couldn't hurt. No! Her own voice boomed in her head, and she scrunched down, scooting back to where she was. She clinched her eyes shut, and then it flooded to her without her consent. Alphess, mate, life, you, horrible, worse. She cringed at every word, not knowing what they meant but ashamed to hear them nonetheless.

Slowly opening her eyes, she met his with her wide ones. I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry, Nightmare. I heard..them, she said quietly, pushing her ears flat to her head.

i also talk to the them .

- r i d i c u l e

Nightmare

You should have known the price of evil...And it hurts to know
That you belong here, yeah...Ooh, it's your fuckin' nightmare

Then you must know that I have thought about very seriously having you as my my, my Alphess to put it bluntly. You I trust the most with my life and the life of the pack.

HE thought about his words for a moment and how harsh they may of sounded, But you have every right to say no. I am not one to force you into it.

There were true genuine caring feelings behind his words, for he did care for her deeply, but being Alphess and Shaman was a big job and not one to be taken lightly. Nightmare got on all fours to look her in the eyes. He could of stayed quiet and instead punished her for peering into his thoughts, but that would do him no good. Besides, it was bound to come out sometime and why not now while they were alone at the falls.

Nothing stops the madness, Turning, haunting, yearning Pull the trigger

Nightmares Table <3

R i d i c u l e

when i lift the deceased, i lift my wings

Redicule gulped, heat flaring in her cheeks. She stood up slowly, and looked at curiously, almost like seeing him for the first time. She crept closer, and stood a little ways from him, her wings now unfolded slightly. M-me? I'm just a Shaman, I'm not special, or relatively pretty, or— she stopped, cut off by the hiss of the antelope. It poked her in the ribs with its horn, leaving an ache she couldn't understand. It blinked at her, or as much as a thing like that could blink, and vanished. She clamped her mouth shut.

You actually thought of me being your mate? I-I'm flattered, really, she gulped again, not really knowing what to say. She liked Nightmare, yes, and she surprised herself by not wanting to say no. She hasn't realized up until now that she might have had feelings for him all along, and that managed to make her smile shyly, her black eyes lighting up with happiness.

i also talk to the them .

- r i d i c u l e

Nightmare

You should have known the price of evil...And it hurts to know
That you belong here, yeah...Ooh, it's your fuckin' nightmare

You can take your time and think about it. I know that I am asking a lot of you right now and it might be overwhelming.

So much for being romantic about it. Good going Night, he thought to himself. Not only did you almost give her a heart attack, you have rendered her speechless. Over and over again Nightmare criticized himself about how he went about it. After all he could of brought her flowers or hell say it in a way that wasnt the Alpha in him coming out but the part of him that actually likes her for who she is. Beauty to him was both on the outside and the inside and she had plenty of it to him. And he trusted her with his life. Thats more than he can say about anyone in his pack.

Nothing stops the madness, Turning, haunting, yearning Pull the trigger

Nightmares Table <3

R i d i c u l e

when i lift the deceased, i lift my wings

Redicule sighed, stepping closer to lift his muzzle with her own, trying to reassure him. She could feel his energy, and it was a nervous, regretful one, and she thought that he was unsure of himself or nervous about how he had asked. She thought it was charming, and she wagged her tail, spreading her wings out the full 5 feet to encircle him with them, almost like a feathery hug.

She smiled, watching him. There's no reason to be nervous or unsure. I accept, she said softly, bowing her head in a little nod. The Shaman knew it would be hard, but they could get through it.

i also talk to the them .

- r i d i c u l e

Nightmare

You should have known the price of evil...And it hurts to know
That you belong here, yeah...Ooh, it's your fuckin' nightmare

Her fur against his felt wonderful, it was soft and reassuring. The main thing was that she accepted his proposal and now he felt he would be able to sleep better at night knowing that he had her to watch his back when he needed it and that she would be with him till he walked this earth no longer. In response, Nightmare rubbed the side of his face against the length of her as gratitude.

Shall we head back and let everyone know the news?

Nothing stops the madness, Turning, haunting, yearning Pull the trigger

Nightmares Table <3

R i d i c u l e

when i lift the deceased, i lift my wings

Redicule smiled softly, almost like a secret, and nipped at his ear like a pup would. She wagged her tail, leaning out the side of the cavern to point to the outside with he nose, the lapis lazuli glimmering above her. Of course. We may go, she said, tilting her ears forward with anticipation of showing the others what Nightmare had asked her - and what she had accepted.

i also talk to the them .

- r i d i c u l e