Something smelled different. It was clear the moment she'd stepped foot across the ravine. The scent was obvious and pungent, the claw-marks on the trees sending a chill up her spine. The first instinct for her was to flee the moment it was evident to her, and her mouth grew dry as she took a few more tentative steps, before stopping completely to try to make a decision about what to do. Perhaps, if treading lightly enough, she could go unmolested through the territory entirely, and come out the other side to continue her escape. She could only go forward, but was unsure if the monster that claimed this piece of land would be any less terrible than the one she'd left behind.
The day faded too quickly, and the pungent smells that had given her warning of where to avoid and where to cross tracks were quickly lost in the spell of the cold air. Her breath painted clouds around her head, and the landscape seemed to climb, enclosing her into the forest like it was itself hungry and consuming the light. The stillness and silence seemed menacing alone. The instincts that had told her to keep moving forward began to lose their confidence, and she found herself taking each step with more care, praying internally for the end of the territory to come into her horizon.
There was no rustle of leaves, baited breath, whisper of a threat. One moment she was upright and alone, the next she was on her back, the cushion of dead plant debris breaking her fall as the weight above her was constant, strong, and took hold of both her wrists. The scent of the attacker was no mystery, now in its full strength and glory, the musk of the creature surrounding her, she was acquainted with the ruler of this domain.
A deep snarl, as the male seemed content for the moment to let her writhe till she spent herself, or realized her struggle would be useless. It took a few moments and her heart kept beating out of her chest, but eventually her eyes focused to see the visage of the aggressor and felt her mouth go dry. From what she could tell he was powerful, beyond simple brute strength, and quite possibly could have been an Alpha male had he the members of a pack or pride to follow him. But the only scent she'd noticed was the one. Green-gold eyes came into focus, as she finally stopped her struggle to re-assess her options.
"So weak..." the laughter was dark and rich. "I'd almost assumed you were human when I first caught your scent."
She said nothing, not sure if she would just make the situation worse for herself. The last thing she wanted to do was goad him into doing worse. He released her wrists, but stayed, straddling her body and pinning her with his weight alone. He seemed entertained by her bemused expression, and crooned as he reached out to stroke her hair, which had come into disarray. "I had no intention of taking a mate so early in the season, but you seem to have fallen into my lap for me.
She swallowed hard, trying to find a tactic to refuse while appealing to him. "I-I'm not powerful enough for you..."
He half-smiled. "I'm not concerned about your lack of power, little one."
