80 Howls: First snow of the year!

[coyote_walking]

[As the snow starts falling, all nice and fluffy and white, well, there's only one thing for a coyote girl to do.

Which is why anyone watching will see a coyote frolicking in the snow by the beach house. She's tearing around, tossing the light snow up into the air and just generally enjoying the heck out of it.

And when she gets tired of that, she'll curl up in a semi-sheltered spot by the tree and just watch the snow fall contentedly.]



[ooc: Open for anyone, especially any of the housemates who might want to interact - whether they know Mercy shifts into a coyote or not. Not might actually be very fun!]

Comments

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

Derek steps out of the beach house onto the porch with a steaming mug of coffee in his hands. He might still be in that waking up mode. But when he catches sight of the coyote in the snow, he instinctively knows who it is and grins lazily at her.

Re: [Action]

[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

Now this was someone she was always happy to see. She dashed up to the steps, tossed a muzzle load of snow in his direction and wagged her tail hopefully. Someone was clearly asking him to play.

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

Thanks to his half-awake state he wasn't prepared for a muzzle of cold snow in his direction. It was really cold, shockingly so. "Hey... not fair, princess, catching a guy off guard." Of course a moment later he had set his coffee mug on the railing and dipped down to gather a little bit of snow and toss it in her direction. "And you realize this also isn't fair cause you've got warm fur."

Re: [Action]

[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

There was no apology at all in her face. In fact, her jaw dropped down in what was clearly a coyote smile and she wagged her tail even harder before going to snuggle up against his legs as if to extend some of her warmth to him.

And then dashing off again and begging him to come play.

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

He might still be barefoot, but far be it for Derek to back down from a challenge. Also, he kind of figured that after the end of last month, Mercy needed something like this. Stepping down off of the porch into the snow, he gathered some up as he ran toward her and tossed it in her direction. He continued to run toward her, scooping up more snow as he did.

[Action]

[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

She dodged back and forth, dashing at him and around his legs, throwing up more snow with her muzzle, and looking as happy as a coyote could look.

After a few moments, though, she paused, suddenly realizing he was barefoot, and came to nudge with concern at his feet.

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

When she slowed down, his fingers found that fur at the top of her head between her ears and combed back through it. "Don't worry about me, Princess."

Re: [Action]

[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

But she did worry.

She leaned her weight against his legs, all almost 30 pounds of it and just reveled in the petting for a while.

In a few moments, or maybe a bit longer, she'd tug on him to try and get him in where it's warm. But for now?

Bliss.

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

He scratches at her ears and continues to push his fingers through the fur over her head and down her neck. "I'm tough and you... you're wet." He grins at that and adds an amused smirk. "But still cute."

Re: [Action]

[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

That gets a snort and a bit of a wet nose pressed under the edge of his shirt.

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

"Hey now..." At the wet nose against his skin he chuckles low and instinctively steps back from her. "You are all about the unfair advantages today, Princess. Besides, my coffee is getting cold." He continues to step backwards for a few steps toward the beach house before turning to jog the rest of the way and get his cold feet out of the snow.

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[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

She followed him in repentantly, shaking herself off before entering the house. She sneezed once, then looked hopefully at the fireplace waiting to be lit.

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

Derek grabbed his coffee from the railing and moved to the kitchen to stick it in the microwave and reheat it. "Not that I want one cause fur's just not my style but I can see how the fur coat could come in handy on days like today." He talks as he waits for his coffee to heat up. He's awake now cause... cold. But seriously, coffee.

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[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

[Mercy wasn't entirely ready to shift back yet. Still, it seemed rude to stay furry, when he couldn't join her. So, she nudged him gently and yipped before heading back to her room to shift.

Not that she had any issues with nudity. Living in a werewolf pack really got rid of any of those concerns, but casual nudity around humans that she wasn't having or imminently planning on having sex with - much as she might like to - didn't seem the best of ideas.

It didn't take long before she was back out, safely dressed and still brushing out her wet hair.

"Sadly, I don't magically dry off when I shift," she said with a smile.

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

"You should demand that be added to the whole shape-shifting thing to... whoever... I don't know, whoever's in charge." It was a joke but he knew it kind of fell flat since he had no idea how shape-shifting beings had come to be about in her world. He blamed the bad joke on the early morning.

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[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

She grinned a little ruefully. "As far as we know I'm the only one of my kind around. At least where I'm from. The werewolves change is much different. And they're made, not born like I am."

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

"Still if I could shapeshift I'd want the whole shebang, you know? I'd want to be able to shapeshift clothes and hair and skin and all of it. I'm not even sure why I'm thinking about it. I guess cause you can't make yourself dry." He smirks and casts her a small grin before taking his coffee from the microwave. "Can you tell I need my coffee?"

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[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

Mercy leaned up against the counter and watched him with a smile. She kind of liked his first-thing-in-the-morning pre-coffee fuzziness. "Let me just say, as a shifter who grew up with werewolves, that wouldn't be first on my list for what I'd want. First I'd want their ability to heal miraculously fast."

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

"That's a good one..." He sipped thoughtfully at his coffee, letting the warmth of it spread throughout his body. "What if fast healing came with the all around shape-shifting?"

He chuckled then and shook his head. "I gotta stop this I'm sounding like Reid."

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[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

"It does in werewolves. They also get super strength and super senses and super speed and all that stuff. I get super speed and some of the senses - like I can smell what you're feeling or if someone's lying and I can tell whose been in a house. And I'm faster than a werewolf."

She considered. "Oh, and I shift pretty much instantaneously and with no pain. They've got like 15 minutes of agony. And there's also the fact that I can shift while clothed because I only end up being about 30 pounds and they trash their clothes because they end up much bigger than their human forms."

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

"Huh..." There were several moments of silence while Derek took in all of that information. He arched one brow at her when a certain thought occurred to him. "You can smell what I'm feeling?"

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[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

She blushed. "Well, if it's strong enough, yeah. Though sometimes, well... if I'm feeling something strongly it can, you know, confuse the issue."

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

He wasn't quite sure how to feel about that as someone who was so against anyone getting in his head to know what he was thinking/feeling. Every year at work when the annual psych exam came up it was his least favorite thing. But he didn't think Mercy would ever use that against him in anyway. He didn't think she would ever play mind games with him. "What am I feeling right now?" He asked with a hint of teasing in his voice.

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[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

Mercy lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. "Not afraid. That's the easiest to smell."

She wrinkled her nose. "Maybe... a little uncertain. And a bit amused, maybe. I don't go around trying to figure people out that way, so unless it's big - fear or, well, arousal, stuff like that..."

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

He nods, studying her for a long moment of silence before he sips again at his coffee. "You'd probably make a great cop with that kind of ability. Interrogation would be your thing."

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[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

"Me?" Her eyes went wide and she laughed. "I don't think so. I'd have no idea how to do that. Investigating, maybe. I could smell who'd touched the victim and then track them or recognize them if I smelled them again - especially in coyote form."

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

"Yeah you. You said you can smell if someone is lying. Pair you up with a cop who knows interrogation and you'd be golden." Derek said.

Re: [Action]

[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

"Maybe. If you brought me in as a coyote," she added. "Otherwise all I'd probably get is the fear. Now Samuel or Bran? They'd be great. Nobody can lie to them."

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

"Your sense of smell thing doesn't work in human form?" He asked curiously.

Re: [Action]

[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

"It does, just not nearly as well as my coyote form. Werewolves... they're pretty good in either form." She shrugged. "If I know someone well, I can scent a lie pretty easily even as a human. If I don't, it's harder to know what the shifts in smell mean."

Re: [Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

Tilting his head, he arches a brow at her. "Suddenly I'm really glad I have good hygiene."

Re: [Action]

[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

"You're glad?" she teased. "Think about me and my poor nose!"

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

"Oh your poor nose... poor Mercy..." As he says this one arm wraps around her shoulders pulling her close. That hand moves up to the back of her head so her face is buried against his shoulder. "Poor girl having to smell me..." He continues to tease her.

Re: [Action]

[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

Mercy laughed and went easily into his arms, sniffing loudly and dramatically. "Niiiiiice..."

[Action]

[bloodcakedarmor.livejournal.com]

"See? That's what I thought." An extra squeeze and he pulled back again to take another sip of his coffee. "Consider yourself lucky. Some guys don't think about that kind of thing... the smelling nice and looking decent."

Re: [Action]

[coyote-walking.livejournal.com]

"Oh trust me," she said quietly. "I know just how lucky I am."