dark as night-ALIVE-it's something wild

[BARRETT CALLUM LOND]

closed. tagged for NIKA (gee)

There was a familiar sweet ache in his lower back, shoulders and neck that only came from being worked in such a way that it hadn't in admittedly a long time. Barrett tipped his head forward, letting it hang, with his eyes closed and teeth gritting in effort. Sweat shook free of his hair, as his forearms quivered, over his brow to lick its way hotly down to the tip of his nose. His breath was labored in his chest, burning, and his throat felt much to tight to get a proper breath out. With a small noise mixed somewhere between a growl and a groan he moved.

His body dipped, the length of his body brushed against something warm and solid but the contact was brief. The bare skin only had a second to register the tactile sensation of rough, yet smooth before his spin was bowing slightly and the muscles in his legs were bunching to bring him back. Again, he repeated, over and over making the movements fluid, though there was a noticeable strain. Push through it, he coached himself, and by the dozenth or time he was grunting with the effort until he finally just collapsed.

Unable to really do anything else he laid where he was at, on his stomach, panting hard enough that small tufts of fine dirt and sand from the ground stirred up in little clouds in front of his mouth were his cheek laid pressed against. The summer sun beat down on his bare back, and its scorching rays seemed to catch the heavy perspiration on his bronzed form highlighting all the striking dips and sharp lines of muscle down almost every uncovered inch. Barrett waited for the tightness that had seized what felt like every tendon to ease until the moment he could roll over to his back and crack his eyes - but kept them squinted.

It had been days since he'd found and rescued that human girl in at the Factory. Days since he'd slipped and let a partial change happen. His fingers convulsed over his stomach as he moved an arm, bending it at the elbow so he could cup the back of his head with the palm of his hand, at the memory of what it felt like to have the bones pop and elongate. It should have hurt, but he hadn't even felt the pulse of pain as own skin seemed to stretch accommodatingly over the disgusting twist of his limbs. His brow furrowed as he glared into the obnoxiously bright blue expanse above him a harsh look despite the boneless sort of way he seemed to be lounging - or sun bathing. The only other thing the ruined the scene was the jumble of damage around him.

He'd decided to spend a few days at the Kinbok sea side mansion - surrounded by the pack and making sure things got done that probably normally wouldn't. He was the resident handy man, after all. Barrett knew that more then just that had drawn him back home though and when he closed his eyes, relaxing his features completely as he inhaled the familiar settling scent of water, sand and salt - he tried to ignore the fact he'd completely destroyed the outdoor training area. Targets were splintered in half, and a few dummies hung limply, broken on their stiff posts.

It had been his intention to completely exhaust himself. It wasn't his responsibility to take care of the rest of the pack, but he felt the pull of the it nonetheless. There was such an air of helplessness that hung around almost everything and everyone here that he couldn't help himself. There were plenty of dominants here, but as for true Alpha's...he wasn't so sure. And if he just had that little extra bit of gumption in him to take that last step forward he'd probably already have done. Things were fine now, barely, but manageable...soon though, it wouldn't be.

By the time he was drug out of his deep musings, he instantly became aware of just how uncomfortable he was laying where he was. His skin itched and crawled from the drying sweat and dirt - and the endorphin fueled work out session had faded back from his pulse leaving him able to feel just how thoroughly he'd abused himself out here. Once more his eyes opened, a little more content then a moment earlier, but he suddenly realized he wasn't alone anymore. The light fall of footsteps whispered to his ears - soft and close together...female, and the sweetly musky scent of wolf that mingled with the distinct odor of Kinbok - like the perfume of the moon soaked ocean spray drifted past his nose. His eyes drifted closed once more as the corners of his lips twitched up faintly.

Letting his head fall to the side those icy blue orbs were faintly glowing, "Nika..." Her name was said in greeting. Deeply and rumbling with a hint of a growl to it though there was no threat behind it or to color it. There was just something about being around your own kind that brought the animal out more easily then when you were around humans. Barrett couldn't find it himself to exert anymore energy then just laying there and breathing so he wasn't bothered as the tall dark raven haired woman walked up, grinning in such a way that it suggested if she had the chance she may just eat him up and spit him out. The thought caused a roll of amusement to warm him as he waited for her returned greeting, as patiently as he could. It wasn't that he knew her personally, just by face. He sort of made it his business to at least know that much about every member.

[NIKA ADALI VOLKOLV]

Nika had never really enjoyed coming to the Kinbok headquarter's, she loved where it was but it was dealing with some of the fool hearty betas that had on more than one occasion tried to get handsy with Nika, and even in heat the werewolf would have never given any of the men constantly licking Matthew's feet a chance. Nika needed a man that could think for himself, that thought better of himself then to go around messing with the pathetic bit of human life left on this miserable planet. She'd never been much for turning either, call her a purist but what good was a sniveling, crying, whiny human good for that had to go through a 'time of the month'? Really, there was no use for weakening her pack with having to teach a newbie what it meant to control themselves and how to deal with the change? These were things Nika had learned as a child, these were things Nika could control almost effortlessly. She wasn't saying she was tops or the most in control because when Nika had been known to let her anger get in the way, the sight hadn't been pretty. What she did have though, was the knowledge to control it and the help of her actual family and not a pack that was looking blindly to a leader.

This was probably the reason many thought of her as a rogue, because she thought that her pack should have instead worked on becoming stronger than the others in ability and not quantity because what good was it to have so much meat on their side if it was all going to wind up making a bloody mess all over the countryside int he long run? Matthew may have had the dictator qualities to keep everyone on a tight leash, but Nika wasn't looking to go through with that mess once more. It was why she absolutely detested coming to this house, to see the leers and the whistles and not be able to get too much into the well deserved beatings before others would join in, and while the woman was certainly strong enough to handle her own against these baboons, that sort of exertion became tiring, especially among her clan.

As it stood, the only reason Nika was here was because of Ami, the meat head had told their parents that he'd be going to the training grounds for a bit because he'd felt the need to burn some energy and though her baby brother could handle himself quite well (thanks to the endless beatings by yours truly) Nika knew that her popularity among the pack was at an all time low, so yeah she did feel the need to check up on him when he hadn't gone home the night before. She wasn't exactly worried, she knew the type of person her brother was and in all likelihood the man had gotten bored after his work out and had gone into town to get drunk and find anything with warm blood that looked half decent with his beer goggles and probably still wasn't up. Nika remembered what it was being that age, hell she still had her nights out but that didn't mean she wasn't going to put the small seeds of doubt in her mind to rest.

She walked past some the of the beta's more than a few of them calling out some unsavory retort or the other, and honestly what more could she expect from them, it wasn't like she'd been known for her saintly ways. Nika knew the pack talked and the few she'd been drunk enough to lay, she knew they'd bragged about it and it wasn't just because of her phenomenal bedside manner, it was mostly because they'd manage to score with the literally the biggest bitch of the pack. Her fashion choices never helped much either, her mother often times asked her to be more sensible to which Nika would have to laugh and point out that sense was something the girl didn't lack... It was modesty that she lacked and though her mother would scold, Nika knew her mother well enough to know that it would amuse her.

Simply put, Nika knew that the skin tight dark washed jeans and the black muscle shirt she had on weren't what one would call neutral clothing. So when the whistles and deep inhaling started, Nika had to ignore it because she'd known where she was going and what she was getting into.

"Hey Nika, what's with the early house call? It Christmas already."

She heard from the top of the stairs and her eyes narrowed extensively. If there was one pack member who pissed her off just by breathing it would be this guy. Warrant had always thought himself Matthew's right hand man, and now that the tyrant was dead, well he pretty much figured the pack was in his hands but it would be a cold day in hell when Nika bowed down to him.

"I'm just looking for Ami so don't say anything that might warrant me to crash you through the dining table like last time." Nika forewarned when she saw him coming down the stairs and though she heard the other pack members snicker, Nika was entirely serious and the look she shared with the Beta frozen at the top of the stairs told him as such.

"Your little sister was out back training last time I saw." Warrant grumbled darkly and Nika couldn't help but smirk, his reaction had amused her so much that she hadn't even thought to tell Ami what it was that Warrant had said... Neither Volkolv child was exactly a big fan of the man.

"Aren't you just a bowl full of sugar..." The woman said before disappearing through the hallway not saying much more to anyone else but fully amused with the teasing that she'd subjected Warren to with her quick cut off. When Nika reached the training grounds immediately she could tell that not only was Ami not there, but that whoever was, was probably in a 'do not disturb' mood and though no she wasn't exactly in the mood to start any sort of problems with anybody it was the way she heard her name from the only other person out there watching her that made her smirk in a somewhat wolfish way.

"Aw, Barrett I'm flattered." The woman said in mock flattery as she neared the man not really sure what it was she had to say to him. They had never really spoke outside from the occasional hello or sometimes awkward conversation, he'd been one of the few men who hadn't repeatedly try to dry hump her leg (sadly enough) and that told her little of him, though she had always told herself that given the right opportunity and amount of alcohol she'd try her damnedest to get him out of his work mood, seeing as every time she saw him the look on his face seemed to scream "Kinbok now, hoorah!" OK so maybe it was an exaggeration but still, she had known that he'd never really seemed to out of place under Matthew's rule... Then again he seemed the type to lay low.

Looking around at the shattered training gear Nika couldn't help but let out a small sound of laughter. "I take it the training gear lost..."

[BARRETT CALLUM LOND]

Barrett remained relax as Nika approached, because his body wouldn't allow for much more then what he was doing. In a moment though he wouldn't be able to take being flat on his back while the other woman hovered above him...call it what you wanted, but there were two positions in this house, dominant and submissive- and the two of them definitely didn't roll over for anyone. He may have been laid back, easy going - a little to nice for his own good and kept a low profile...but it kept him from having to constantly prove himself to the others. They may have thought less of him, but he knew himself - what he was capable of and the ones that knew were the only ones that really counted. He didn't want to be in a position that his authority was constantly challenged - where he was worked well for him.

He blinked at the sound of Nika's brief amused laughter and couldn't help but grin a little himself. With a flex of his abs, and a grunt he was sitting up, his knees bending so when he was upright - a slight curve in his spine - he could lace his fingers together with his arms resting on top of his knees. As always he tried to radiate a sense of calm to those around him...not the least bit threatening. It was a talent of sorts to come off as the type that didn't mean any hard but then...that could have been his own disarming personality more so then his wolf - in fact he knew that was the case. Not enough people in this pack had seen him when he'd fully given in to the rage and violence he knew was capable of reaching...it swam in the deepest part of him under a thick black well of calm and stayed there until he was ready to reach down into. He'd never drowned in, thank goodness, but he'd gotten good at merely dipping his hand to take take merciful sips.

Barrett's eyes slowly drifted from Nika's face, and he twisted his neck slightly managing to swallow a grimace at the action. He'd really over done it. He couldn't help but chuckle again, finding that the sound was strained just a little bit as he took in the sight of his rather....vigorous work out. In the position he sat the deepest gashes along his sides were most noticeable - they were still quite irritated looking and red, but most definitely done with blunt human nails. Except...that no human could possibly tear into a werewolf's skin with such vicious intent like another werewolf...and the fact it hadn't healed all the way even days later - like the shallow one on his cheek - was a sure sign of whom he'd gotten into a fight will. They clearly weren't some love bites. But he wore them like any other lycropath would wear battle scars.

"Well according to how much I hurt right now...that would be debatable," he turned back with a one sided grin - an easy smirk - one he'd gotten used to having around Viktor knowing how much he liked seeing it. Usually meant Barrett was about to do something the both of them were going to enjoy, "but I'd say I held my own."

He stood then, again with a stiffness dictating just how fluid the action was. A hot soak in a bath sounded like just what he needed - but it could wait. His curiosity was more so on the woman standing near with her weight settled on one hip and looking positively cocky. It was no fault of her own...she was just made with such strong confidence - and why should she be? She was attractive - not just a pretty face, but powerful. Nika has so much potential to be. She could be the right hand lady - Lupa - to the next alpha. He certainly found that her wolf called to him in a way that had nothing to do with sex...though that was always there as long as the beast was concerned. Power, sex, and food was the three main line of thoughts for their kind. Just because Barrett preferred men didn't mean that was all he preferred. His wolf simply would not allow it.

Giving the thoughts a mental shake his good will grin slipped a little from its almost permanent place on his lips and gave Nika an almost serious look. She wasn't exactly known for being the biggest advocator for Kinbok or how things were run around here. Though he knew she wasn't in danger of going rogue...she was something of a free spirit. No. More then that she was just strong willed. He knew she didn't particularly like being here, so why the visit. Without hesitating he asked her just that - blunt...more so then he usually was, but he felt that he could be around her, "I'm surprised to see you here, Nika. What brings you around the old place?" His only thought could be Ami.

[NIKA ADALI VOLKOLV]

Nika couldn't help but watch the way Barrett lifted himself up from the ground and her smirk only deepened, because she knew all too well why it was that he'd done it. Around these parts the less submissive you looked the better for your health, and she had to admit the fact that he allotted her enough respect to think that he should do something like that, it earned him respect from her as well. Most of the men around her too in her lithe figure and the fact that she was a woman and figured she'd break easily, but her body was meant for agility, and despite her appearance she held her own more than most of the males of the pack and she didn't say all males simply because she'd yet to fight them and she didn't want to come across so arrogant... Though truth be told the ones she had gotten down and dirty with had hardly been a challenge for her.

Barrett she had never even managed to see angry let alone fight him, then again with that lazy look on his face Nika was almost tempted to say that he was far more likely to roll over on his back for a belly rub then get into a fight... Again, Nika knew it was probably his way of just staying out of the thicke of things and it was probably the smartest thing he could do especially now of all times. Nika noticed, when Barrett had looked away from her the way it pained him and had it not been for the angry red welts on his body that she'd noticed almost immediately, she would have said the equipment had fought back but Nika was smart enough to know that as docile as he liked to play it, Barrett was no better than the rest of them, herself included. When the wolf in you wanted out, you let him out, there was no real control of it Nika supposed. You could prohibit a full shift maybe if you were strong enough, but if you give the devil an inch, rest assured he'll take a mile.

Whoever it had been to piss Barrett off or vice versa had sure left their mark and Nika was left to wonder what it was that had been made of the other person though Nika wasn't particularly the type to ask either. She knew Barrett well enough to know he was amicable, respectful, and someone to be respected but she wasn't that nosy of a person, other people's business simply wasn't anything she cared to learn or hear about. Sure if she liked the person and they approached her she'd do her damn best to listen, or at least pretend to but with Barrett there wasn't exactly a level of personal friendship that either had with one another.

Nika couldn't help but to smirk at Barrett's smart ass reply and let out another short yet amused laugh as she lazily strolled over to the short stone wall that partially marred the view of the sea. "By the looks of it, I'd say that training gear got it's fair share in." Nika teased the battle wounds before turning around, face to face with Barrett, leaning lazily against the wall for a moment her long legs out in fornt of her as she propped her elbows up on the wall, while her body slanted lazily over the ground. Nika watched Barrett for a moment and not for the first time thought to herself exactly what it was she'd probably do to him given ample opportunity, he always seemed so withdrawn it had to make the woman wonder...

His question did catch the woman off guard though, she had never known him to be blunt. Hell she'd never known him before hand, the question didn't upset her one bit though, everyone knew how much she did actually detest this place, she'd detested Matthew for many a reason and towards the end it had been because of his constant insistence at trying to lay her. And it had been more than that. He'd wanted her and given his age and his methods and the fact that there was nothing about him that called to her wolf she'd practically vomited on him each and every time she saw him. Then there were those times he'd tried to intimidate her into his bed, oh those were the times Nika wished she'd been the one to rip his throat out.

The thought of that bastard really curled her skin, though she hid her momentary dark lapse with another smirk and slight laugh as she lifted herself effortlessly up onto the walls flat top, one leg gliding over the other, almost like a show. Nika did like to play around here and there, and her games were always quite manipulative, but they were oh so fun.

"Well I heard someone was having a little exhibition out here and who was I to deny myself? I mean really Barrett, a girl only has so much self control." And though the shrug of her shoulders could have suggested her seriousness, that smirk on her face only seemed to deepen the more they conversed outside the manor with one another. Nika could almost feel the nosy irritation from the other pack members in the manor, none had ever managed to get on Nika's friendly side and in five minutes time, Barrett probably would have had the chance to take her then and there if she wasn't actually preoccupied.

"Actually you see. I'm looking for this little punk, mess dark hair, kinda puny looking but packs a punch, tattoos and whatnot, runs by the name Ami, you haven't happened to see him have you?" Nika said and though most knew how much Nika loved her little brother, it was very rarely that anyone got to see the playful teasing she did of the young Volkolv. Mostly to keep other from getting any sorts of ideas to try teasing but Barrett was definitely a species all his own and Nika knew that her going around calling her brother a short nerd in front of him, would only be an amusement for him at the moment, Barrett seemed to respect boundaries well enough... Better than Nika did at least.

"What about you? I take it that if you had been looking for this much of a fight, you would have at least taken it down to the factory... You know get a little challenge of it." Nika teased the man, she herself was a regular, her and Ami were often times spotted there and the woman was well known for her fights, among the women, the men and the bystanders... Hey it was just how Nika rolled.

[BARRETT CALLUM LOND]

Barrett was watching Nika closely - well more so just keeping an eye on her, because as relaxed and nonthreatening he was trying to come across, his wolf was growling at him in warning that he'd better not submit completely and you did that by not dropping your gaze. They were to strong for that. Even if he liked to hide from the fact sometimes - Matthew had been one of only a few that had known. It wasn't that he had been friends with the man. No, not at all - there was plenty to disagree with when it came to his leadership abilities. He'd been harsh, nothing short of tyrant, and a bit of a sadist - to put it mildly. But he'd also saved Barrett...because of that he owed quite a bit to the man. Even though he was now six feet firmly under.

These were all just passing thoughts though as his grin pulled back up smoothly at his lips, his eyes drawing away from Nika's face as she effortlessly pulled herself up on the half fallen wall to watch her legs cross. Hell if it wasn't for Barrett's moral sense of monogamy...and he wasn't already so deeply attached to Viktor...he was pretty sure he'd be giving the woman a run for her money. Clearing his throat a little and shaking his head a little he chuckled because that hadn't exactly been his thinking. It was almost like being a damn schizo when you were a werewolf. Two different personalities sometimes, two different wants, and motives. It became hard to decipher and distinguish the two most days.

He didn't think her smart ass comment really deserved an equally smart ass comeback but his silence said enough, because he just raised an eyebrow and failed at modestly shrugging it off since he was standing there shirtless, muscles still clearly defined from his work out. Anyway you looked at it, he was still a guy and a little preening over his ego made for a happy him. It was when she answered his original question, her insults not really carrying a sting to the name calling of her brother, that made him chuckle but shook his head again. "I'm afraid I haven't...I got here late last night, and haven't seen anyone really." Well no one that didn't want him to do something, fix something, or replace a lightbulb.

In fact after he got cleaned from here he was on his way to fix up a shattered end table from a live in resident who had gotten a little rowdy the other night. It was the fate he had committed himself to for keeping such low key around everyone and it wasn't even like he minded the remedial work. It was much better then having to battle out pack politics or listen to people whine about this and that. Although...he got his fair share of it when he came around. People just naturally complained or voiced their concerns about things to him, despite the fact that they knew he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. He supposed it helped to open people up with the fact they knew he wouldn't judge them for saying anything in the first place. He knew about a lot when it came to the members here because they didn't see Barrett as threat he wasn't high on the pecking order more or so just stuck in the middle - average.

And who was he to try and dissuade anyone from seeing it that way? Well aside from doing what he'd done out here this morning...

"What about you? I take it that if you had been looking for this much of a fight, you would have at least taken it down to the factory... You know get a little challenge of it."

That, Barrett hadn't expected, and it showed in his immediate reaction to her innocent teasing - one minute he was relaxed actually enjoying the easy interaction, the next his body stilled, and tensed. Even though he managed to keep a hold on his grin, it seemed just as stiff as the rest of them - his light blue eyes narrowed a bit. Not angry, but thinking...hard. There couldn't be any way she could know about his past - why he hated the Factory, and went on there. It had been such a long time ago when he had been just a new werewolf, a baby by lycan standards.

It had been before Kinbok and before Matthew had found him. His fingers, hanging limping at his sides twitched once more with the memory of not just the other night lit up in his mind. He'd been the favorite pet of a very strong rogue who had forced his change in the fights that had taken place in that abandoned warehouse. He'd been nothing more then a fighting dog - he'd been made to kill...because if he didn't then his life would have been forfeit. Barrett remembered vividly that the alpha's whose tender care he'd been in for several long years, would spend hours a day forcing him in and out of his wolf form - until he was to exhausted to do it anymore. And if he dared pass out from it? He got a physical lesson to toughen him up - a pretty way of saying he got the shit beat out of him. It was only when the muscles in forearms and bicep jumped that he crossed them over his chest finally letting pushing out a chuckle though it was no longer easy, but recovering nicely.

Swallowing thickly he let his eyes drift out over to turbulent waters of breaking waves against the rocky cliff face, "I've had my fill of that place to last a life time...I'd much rather use this place." Something a little dark shadowed his eyes but he was already turning to the ruined scape. The next words out of his mouth were a little lighter but still carrying a weight of something, "besides, if I break something here I can always fix it." And with that he headed toward the nearest target and started picking up pieces of wood, continuing to work as he went on, "I'm sorry I can't help, Nika - I have no idea where Ami might be...If you'd like I can look around."

[NIKA ADALI VOLKOLV]

Nika had figured that her brother had left long ago and she couldn't really worry about him either, he was a smart enough kid that knew how to take care of himself so really she was only left with a shrug and could only think to tell her parents that he'd gone into town, that is if he hadn't gotten home already seeing as the woman had spent far more time in this place then she had originally intended. It brought a smile to Nika's face to think that her parents would probably be sending her brother looking for her soon if she didn't reappear soon, seeing as they had practically shoved her out the door when they asked her to go look for him here for god knew whatever reason seeing as they were far more well respected amongst the pack than any of their offspring.

Her parents were model pack members you could say, they did well enough to stay out of the way but were always involved. Her mother was a bleeding heart for the freshly turned, something Nika couldn't stand and stayed away from the most she could. It was why she'd left her parents house, to have to hear the screaming from a freshling, to have to share her space with what she liked to think of halfbreeds that couldn't even control their own emotions well enough to keep from breaking the furniture, Nika's family was civilized and they had been werewolves long enough to learn how to have dinner without going through ten tables.

Then there was her father, it was where Nika liked to think she got her skills from. He spent his time training the young ones and the new bloods how to control and build their strengths, how to fine tune all weakness. Nika's family wasn't by any means royalty in the Kinbok clan but they were old world and as far as she knew while none in her family wasted their time turning people, they did their best to help those that were turned... As well as keep Nika away from them seeing as Nika had become something akin to a blood snob and until the newbies proved themselves Nika lacked respect for them and never dared waste her time.

She was sure the pack thought a little bit less of her for it but she wasn't going to waste her time trying to help someone that wanted to bitch and moan about the curse they had been plagued with, because of course becoming a werewolf meant that you'd lost your soul and all compassion for the matters of life.

Nika just didn't appreciate the high and holy attitudes that all new bloods liked to portray and found that it was best for the peace of the pack that she stay away from them at least until their third or fourth well controlled shift.

It was Barrett's almost palpable mood shift that dragged Nika out from her musings when she mentioned The Factory though she didn't know why and could only assume he wasn't one of those types that readily accepted the very pointless fighting that went on there. Nika knew that there were those that took the fighting too far, she'd heard of the deaths at The Factory and had been present for a few, she even remembered having to have been held down when a member of her own pack was killed (of his own stupid freewill but that wasn't the point) by some rogue with a chip on his shoulder. He'd only been a boy, no older than Ami and he'd been trying to prove god only knew what and all he'd done was serve as bragging rights for someone that Nika had taken it upon herself to teach a very long dragged out lesson.

Nika didn't fight to kill and didn't fight for money (though she couldn't say she minded it) she fought because it was the best way to let out everything without killing. It was a way for her to control her wolf, to keep it from wanting to go out on the hunt for blood because her desire was always sated at the Factory. Nika never fought beneath herself either, not like some of the wolves that went looking to bully pups and freshlings, no she fought the big dogs and well established, and if she got her ass handed to her for it then that was that but the woman never left a fight without leaving a mark on anyone so she could proudly say that each and every scar and wound on her body she wore with honor because even if she fought for sport, she fought with honor and that's something not many of their kind could say any longer.

The woman noticed Barrett's pushed tone and she could only imagine that his time in the ring at the factory had been the exact opposite of what she experienced and she couldn't really think to apologize since she hadn't known and he wasn't exactly looking like he was willing to play story time with her about it either. She could tell by his statement though, the dark undertone she felt in it that it hadn't been anything he'd wanted or that he'd probably forgiven himself for but the woman wasn't going to make Barrett linger on it either and at his offer to help her look for her brother the woman merely shook her head and jumped off the wall she'd been sitting on.

"I think he's a big boy, he'll find his way... Eventually." The woman said with a smirk before walking up to Barrett, pleased in the fact that there wasn't much difference in their height and though a good deal of it had to do with her shoes, the woman found it easier to assert her confidence when she wasn't left to look up at the man as though she were praising him. Not that Barrett wasn't the type that deserved it, hell he'd managed conversation with her that hadn't had one drop of ulterior motive to it and she had to give the man props even though she was also left to wonder why.

"I also think that you fix way too much around here, why not take a break? I may not need help looking for Ami but I could always use company." And though her tone could have been suggesting anything and everything the man was up to, and though Nika's wolf was definitely interested in getting Barrett to come and play with her, Nika liked to think that she had enough of a moral compass to get to know someone without raping them... At least not the first day out. "Are you too busy to take a walk down by the shore? I promise I don't bite.... Unless you ask nicely." Oh who was Nika kidding, she was as shameless as she let one.

[BARRETT CALLUM LOND]

Barrett felt the instant tug of guilt for his dark demeanor in that brief moment. Nika’s confusion was like a swift slap in the face and he instantly dropped his arms, forcing the muscles and tendons to relax. And in the next breath the mood had lapsed back into his easy self once more. He liked being personable – and he reminded himself that the past was in the past for a reason. It was done and over with and he would never be made to live like that again. The self – pep talk gave him a shallow, artificial sense of ease and he turned his head with a grin at Nika as she stepped up next to him, blinking at the realization that they looked each other damn near straight in the eye.

She wore her confidence like something physical around her and it impressed him instead of annoyed. It was appealing instead to his wolf and consequently him instead of off putting. Barrett’s lips part slightly as he tasted the air beyond the salt and water that touched nearly everything tangible – and studied Nika’s profile, the strikingly feminine contours of her face. The precise but soft slope of her nose that turned up slightly at the end, but charmingly (dare he say it?) even cutely. Her high cheek bones and shapely full lips complimented her darker complexion –all the attributes that made her appealing to the eye were wrapped all together in a neat petite package. And even without the spiked heels of the boots she wore – Barrett was sure she would still be all legs in a striking way. That aside – those weren’t the things that had his wolf nosing to the surface, breaking those deep waters to growl low in approval.

His muscles bunched in protest, a twitch really, as the thought – a primal feeling – breezed through his mind. Test her strengths see if she is worthy. Barrett’s eyes narrowed at her teasing words a smirk on his lips a short growl escaping before he could clamp down so hard on the wolf that it cut him off completely and he couldn’t even feel Nika’s anymore. It was just the presence of her own warmth that radiated off of her to him now, everything seemed to dull – and it was with a sense of disgust from the wolf to him that he knew he’d won. Just at what cost, he wondered to himself as he carried on. In the seconds after her teasing he only knew how to reply one way…and that was with playful sarcasm.

“Why Ms. Volkolv, I do have morals, you know and I am a gentleman,” dropping his arms and leaving one to touch his bare chest a faux, haughty look on his face as he tipped his chin up his eyes casting off, but a grin tugging at his lips, “any sort of biting nibbling or foreplay are generally reserved for second dates …my daddy did teach me better…but if the lady insists…”

With that bit of unspoken suggestion trailing off he dropped the act and snorted a little in good humor. Barrett rarely made friends and here he had none. It was just with a sense of loyalty and home that kept him tied to the roots he had planted in this place. With a storm brewing on the horizon – the kind that wasn’t literal – he welcomed the distraction of interacting with someone of the pack that want something from him. His eyes settled on the churning deep blue and white waters just in front of them and he nodded somewhat seriously, “I think a walk would be nice. I haven’t had a chance to do any sort of cool down.”

Rubbing a hand across his bicep and shoulder he stretched half –heartedly, “already gonna be sore, maybe a walk will keep me from walking around like those dummies did really kick my ass.” With another grin he jerked his head but held out a hand to gesture for Nika to take the lead. Barrett hadn’t been down by the beach in quite some time and it was a welcome distraction from his problems or the problems of the pack. His intent had been to get his mind off of things. As they took off walking, taking the sort of jagged path around the complex down toward the beach he quickly geared the conversation in her direction – using her brother as a way to kick start things seemed to be past them now. Although, Ami, he had seen on a more regular basis then Nika and the boy had a pension for usually getting into things. Leaving a mischievous trail behind him whenever he popped in and out – he seemed to live to make waves. As it was so for the young, he supposed.

Barrett always liked hearing about other people, having them talk about themselves so he generally wouldn’t have to answer questions. He was the private sort, but had a nasty habit of just answering truthfully when asked directly. “So what does the infamous Nika Volkolv do for fun?” Ah, he knew the question was generic, but hopefully it would spin off to more in depth conversation for the two of them. He did get the feeling that there was more to the woman walking beside her then what met the eye, or the wolfie senses.

[NIKA ADALI VOLKOLV]

�Why Ms. Volkolv, I do have morals, you know and I am a gentleman,�

Nika's smirk instantly deepened at his smart ass comeback to her thick come on but she could appreciate his good nature towards it even though she had felt the moment the man shut his wolf off from the world, more importantly her wolf and it did confuse her, she'd never known man, wolf, or beast to shut her out and she had to admit a part of her was mildly offended, she didn't want a relationship, didn't want to settle down but she was damn good mate material! Regardless, Nika took it all in stride and as he agreed to go out with her Nika finished walking up to him and briefly an without warning she ran her own hands across the length of his arms, his muscles warm to the touch and solid. The wolf in Nika was pleased and it was a surprise tot he woman because if anyone was less friendly than Nika, her wolf would be it but they both seemed to agree that in Barrett there was no harm and someone worthy of her company.

"Well my mother always taught me to be a lady... Shame I never learned to listen." The woman said with a smirk as she turned around and left the man to follow her down the trail that led through the woods and broke out into the sandy shores of the beach just behind Kinbok.

If there was one thing Nika loved it was the water she remembered her pack in Russia and she remembered a great lake where the pack always lazed around during the summer when the heat overtook them or when they played in the summer and the ice froze over leaving them with ideal ground to skate on, Nika could swim for hours without a care in the world, away from her pack, from Wicked, Mikhail, hunters. In the water nothing could touch Nika and nothing could ruin the water for the woman. For a while Nika stayed silent, the fresh evergreens of the forest invading her senses as for the time being her wolf resigned to the fact that Barrett or his wolf wanted nothing from them.

It was Barrett's awkward small talk that drew Nika out of her unusual silence and the woman couldn't help but to grin at the man's all too obvious lack of social grooming. She had been right she supposed, Barrett preferring to lie low, become a part of the wall decor but she had to admit it was probably one of the smarter things to do, it kept him out of trouble and she was sure that even though he did his best not to get involved in Kinbok problems if someone were to get in his way or question his authority... Let's just say Barrett didn't look the type to lay flat and get dominated... Not that Nika would mind if he was into that sort of stuff.

Before her mind had the opportunity to start running off into it's own world of perversions, Nika grinned at Barrett wickedly before answering.

"Why I read bed time stories to the orphan children in town." She said in a sugary sweet tone as she added. "And when the lights turn off I eat there souls." The look on Nika's face was dead serious for a few seconds before she started laughing and at that moment the smell of the salty ocean water was almost overbearing as they finally broke free of the dense brush and instead were now met with the soft white sand of the shore. Nika's grinned softened just for a second to something genuine when she saw the raging waters meeting with the sand on the shoreline violently, it calmed something in the woman and called to her wolf almost as dangerously as the moon beckoned her.

With no hesitation and little thought to what Barrett's reaction would be the woman immediately set about removing the laces of her boots and socks and had to stop for a moment just to wiggle her toes in the soft sand like a child would and savored the feeling of it far more than the rough dirt and brush that littered the forest floor. She grinned at Barrett as they started walking and though she felt no need to actually explain why it was she took her shoes off as they continued walking she merely held boots in hand as she left them to dangle from her fingertips and they continued their walk.

"I fight mostly, keeps my fluffy happy." The woman said with a grin. "I like to make sure I'm the best and to fight the best because if I'm going to lose it better be because I put up a hell of a fight and not because I let my skills go to waste." Fighting was Nika's specialty, it bonded Nika to her wolf very well, they both got their aggressions out and asserted dominance, of course there was a different set of activities that also released her aggressions but a lady never kisses and tells...most of the time.

Nika had never settled down with any one person for too long but there had been the men in her life recently and more than one of them had managed to challenge her or throw her off her guard in more ways than one and while it was unnerving to both Nika and wolf she couldn't help but to start feeling her wolf attach itself and to say that it scared Nika was a slight understatement. The woman shied away from commitment because she didn't want to get attached and get hurt, she didn't want to love somebody that wouldn't love like she would, it wasn't that Nika had been in love before but if she could hate so deeply than the woman could only wonder how far down her love would go. It had happened before that when her brother had bitten off more than he could chew Nika had taken his place and earned her fair share of scars and memories for that just because the thought of something happening to her baby brother when she could stop it, it was unbearable. She knew her brother was the same because they were blood but if she were to let a stranger into her heart, Nika was running the chance that her dedication wasn't going to be met, that whoever her heart chose for her wouldn't meet what it was her wolf needed and expected and because of that Nika wanted to stay detached but it seemed that something somewhere else deep in Nika had thought otherwise.

"So is there any particular reason those dummies needed to be taught a lesson?" Nika asked trying to draw away from her musings and over complicated emotions and back to Barrett the silent man walking beside her with no shirt, the sweat finally drying on his skin with the help of the cool ocean breeze that was flowing through them. "I mean I have to say they put up a hell of a fight but I think you won." The woman said with a smirk as she neared the water's edge but walking with Barrett even as she edged away from him and closer to the water, the urge to just sink in really getting to her.

There was a pause for a moment between the pair and before Barrett had the chance to object to her actions, not that Nika would have cared the woman left her heels in the sand away from the risk of the water taking them from her the tall Russian beauty began to unbuckle the studded belt that was holding her snug black jeans in place and she began to shimmy out of the clingy material sending a wink Barret's way.

"I hope you aren't too bashful Barrett or this budding friendship may end all too soon." The woman said with a grin as she discarded the pants alongside her shoes and was left in a nude colored pair of boyshorts and the woman unceremoniously continues her walk into the water but continued the walk with the wolf dry on the sand.

"With moves like that I'm surprised I don't see you at the factory." Nika brought up once again, completely unaware to the fact that unlike her not all werewolves looked to fight until they were nothing but a bloody mess.

[BARRETT CALLUM LOND]

Barrett was surprised to say the least when Nika walked up to him, her hand brushing down the muscles of his arm. He didn't work as hard as he did to impress anyone...his physique had been hardened by constant work. His father had taught him that any thing worth doing you did with your own hands...you put sweat on your brow and you provided for your own through back breaking work for as long as you were able to, even after. So in his youth he spent countless hours having the lesson ingrained by helping his father: splitting wood, hauling water, skinning the animals his father hunted. He had learned more practical things. Like making shelter and survival, his mother had taught him how to cook. In general Barrett was pretty self sufficient.

That aside, the only thing that kept the rumble of pleasure from his wolf neatly tucked inside and silent was purely self control on his part, but even that wasn't absolute. With the amount of stress he was under it was a was surprised that he had such a controlled grasp on his inner dealings. If anything he was a stubborn man...only making things difficult having an equally stubborn wolf be apart of him. Barrett incredibly however merely let a grin slowly tug up at one corner of his lips as his jaw twitched. He may currently be attached to someone...exclusively...but Nika was an attractive woman regardless - hey even he could appreciate that much, and her wolf called to his in a way that - for lack of any better words - startled him. He'd never felt the pull that absolutely before with another werewolf. Of course being a loner he had no problems not putting himself in a position to find himself attracted to much. Not to get to wrong...he had urges...but he had rarely acted them out.

Nika hardly seemed fazed. And it wasn't that Barrett was really either, but contact...even in the pack was something he didn't afford himself. He was the private sort and around others whether they caught it or got...just plain on the shy side. If he had to describe it though - her unexpected touch - he would have to say it was pleasant. He followed nonetheless and listened as she talked, talked about fighting and while it wasn't something he agreed upon he knew it was a good stress reliever for some of them. He merely nodded though as they continued and he was at a loss for anything to really say on the subject that wouldn't come out reproachful. He had no good memories of that place, and if he could ever help it he would never go back. Not even the sun could keep the chill off his spine as he thought about the place.

He could agree that training was good for the person and the wolf - it was the methods he couldn't really seem to grasp onto. Perhaps if he hadn't come into there world so harshly, been treated like a dog in those rings. Maybe he wouldn't turn away from them so objectively, but he doubted it. When they reached the beach he paused, really ready to take in the sight and majesty of the open sea crashing against the shore...except that Nika's next words drew his attention to her. A down right saucy grin on her lips and already half out of her clothes. "Stress..." was his growling reply - a deep rumbling amusement reply.

He was so tired, from the work out to the sleepless nights and the constant strain he put on himself for the last week to find Viktor...perhaps he didn't have as good a grasp on his wolf then he thought, because as she turned to casually dropped her pants next to her shoes...and he gallantly tried to avert his eyes, they snapped back to her retreating form. Much against his own will. Instantly his brow creased in irritation, and he crossed his arms across his bare chest. The first tingles of power leaked.

The message was clear...the wolf was not going to let him have his way. A full moon was due in less then just two weeks. Just a little longer...he coached himself. And it took a deep breath in to keep himself where he was. So the wolf wanted out while Nika was around, fine, but he was in charge of his body until the full moon...and that was the way it was going to stay. His movements next were calculated as he sat on the sand to make a production of carefully unlacing his boots. He just needed something else to focus on, as scattered as he was right now, and Nika making things no better. He stilled only for a moment when she brought up the subject of why he didn't go to the factory.

Barrett deliberately waited to answer, getting up first, tilting his head one way slowly until it popped then the other - doing the same. And with a arm stretch that loosened his shoulders and bicep he took off in a light jog slowing as his feet hit lapping water and as he crouched in the shallows, his fingers pushed through the sand under the water till he ran across a shell, just somewhere in front of Nika. Sidling his eyes upward to her form, he knew his normally sky blue eyes were swirling with gold.

"You don't see me there...for good reason," was his quiet reply that had lost nothing of the growl. Still looking up at her from this angle he wasn't sure what image he portrayed, but he knew it wasn't something others were used to seeing. Still...she'd pushed for it, he thought. "It feels good though doesn't it.
It wasn't a question, just a statement. "That adrenaline when you sink your teeth into someone, get all that blood and meat in your mouth." Without looking down or breaking eye contact - he washed the shell he'd found in the water, clearing it of the sand packed in it. "What I liked best though...was feeling someone's heart beat stop."

While Barrett had put in his time at the factory...he'd played to kill. That was his prize...his life, another day to fight again. The human part of him hated it, he would always loathe himself for what he'd been made to do, he couldn't excuse or forgive himself what he'd done in those days. His wolf...his wolf had lived for it. There had been no one that could stand in their way, and no one that ever would. Staying balanced he tilted himself forward a little as if to share a big secret, except the sadistic mirth on his face said something entirely different, "what topped all that was actually seeing someone's heart as it stopped going pitter patter."

He looked on the edge of chuckling before he seemed to think better of it. Slowly he stood his eyes slidding from hers and looked down to his hand. He couldn't apologize, those were just the things he'd done, and couldn't take them back...he was sorry for telling her. That was more then he wanted to say to anyone about his personal life. And he had every intention of just going back up to the manor to get some rest soon. Here he was running his mouth to someone he didn't even know just because wolfie had the hot's. So not happening...