In the Eyes of Fate

Jaelyn rested her hand lightly on the damp, cold ground of the forest floor, trying to track an animal that had been moving through the forest quickly now. It had been a while since she had hunted in the forest- and her tracking skills, as much as she hated to admit, weren't very good. The girl could barely tell what she was hunting- but after all, practice makes perfect. Jaelyn did know, however, that it was moving at a fast pace. It would eventually need to rest- and that was when she would go in for the kill.

Shifting her bow and arrows that were strapped onto her back, she stood from her crouched position and continued to advance further into the forest, the only sound the soft crunch of leaves underneath her boots. Her green eyes watched the trees carefully, body cat-like - somehow relaxed but alert at the same time.

Lokis eyes zoomed in on his prey as he perched on his branch in a crouched position. Then he heard it, the sound of feet. Human feet hitting the ground. His curiousity got the bettet of him and he glanced down to find none other than his childhood sweetheart Jaelynne Morozov.

He dropped from the branch, landing lighting on his feet behind her. "Well look who it is." He smiled spinning his hunting knife in his hand. "Little Jaelynne. It is you right?" He asked moving to circle her to get a better view of her.

Jaelyn spun on her feet as soon as she heard the rush of air behind her, arm swiftly reaching for her weapon on her back, but paused as soon as the stranger said her name. Lowering her arms, as her green eyed gaze caught sight of his knife- she took note that he was evidently skilled with the weapon,- and clenched her jaw.

How did he know her name? Little? Jae narrowed her eyes at the man as he began to circle her, feeling oddly self conscious.

"No." she said, taking a step away from him in hope that it would break his circle. The girl did not appreciate feeling like prey.

"I'm Eliza." she lied, unsure if he would fall for it or not. "Her sister. Eliza Morozov." Jaelyn smirked inwardly- she did enjoy tossing Eliza's name into a few pickles she found herself in occasionally. Trouble would be healthy for her younger sister- it would keep her on edge.

He shook his head and came to stop before her. "No, i know Eliza. I've seen her recently and you Jaelynne, are definitely not your sister." He spun the knife in his hand and held it up. "You like? It was a gift."

"You know after all these years of being missing i'd have at least expected you to at least ask how im alive. Or perhaps how i am. Yeah i like that question better. It shows you care. Like a real wife should."

Jaelyn clenched her jaw together in frustration and watched him warily. "You stalk my sister, now do you?" she mocked, though this stranger was starting to put her on edge. He seemed to have this...just this knowing attitude about her life, and it irked her.

"It's lovely." she remarked sarcastically. Though admittedly it was a nice knife. "What are you-" Jaelyn cut off. Wife?! She wasn't engaged, least of all to the likes of him and-

Then it hit her.

"Ryder?" she asked incredulously. Feeling slightly foolish over her blatant shock, she decided to cover it up quickly with a smirk;

"Your hair still looks good."

"Why would i stalk your sister?" He asked, his face a picture of disgust. She would never be Jaelynne. No matter how hard she tried to be. No one could ever replace her, he wouldn't let them. There was only one person to fill that place by his side and he was looking at her.

He raised his eyebrow at the lovely comment, only she could call a knife lovely. It almost made him want to laugh. "Uhuh." He smiled as she remembered his name.

"Thank you and you still have a pretty name." He smirked thinking back to their first meeting. They had been so young.

"But you'd be happy to stalk anyone else?" Jaelyn raised an eyebrow at him, almost teasing. A small frown creased her brow. He didn't really think that they were still-

She cut off her train of thought. He was grown now, he wouldn't still think they were engaged. It had been called off, anyway, when she had had to flee with her father. Trust him to ruin almost every plan she had.

"Well." Jaelyn paused and moved to lean against a tree. "How are we then, Ryder?" she asked, glancing up at the sky to check on the weather. It was dark. She ought to make a move soon.

"Thank you." she smirked, wandering absently if he was still as stubbornly irritating the first time she had met him.

"Not just anyone no." He said with a teasing smile. It had been a while since he'd seen her but he'd spot her even if 20 years had passed. There was just no forgetting that face. Not in his mind anyway. She belonged to him and he wasn't going to stop until he had her.

He shrugged. "Better now, im free of my parents but im not interested in me. It's you im interested in. How are you?" He asked placing the knive in his pocket. If she ran, he was faster. If she struggled, he was stronger. It was a win, win situation for him.

He followed her gaze to the sky and smirked. "Afraid of being alone in the forest with the big bad wolf?" He asked. Did she even know he was a werewolf now? Surely she did, even his parents didn't have the power to hide that.

Jaelyn scoffed lightly. "Stalker." He hadn't really been stalking her, had he? No, no- Jaelyn was too careful. She would have known if someone had even tried to stalk her. Or her sister, for that matter.

Surely.

She frowned deeply. It had been far too long since she had second guessed herself- it made her uneasy. He made her uneasy.

"You're by yourself now, then?" She could respect that. Jaelyn shrugged with one shoulder, mirroring his own movements. "I'm good." How many years had passed? "Good" didn't really fill him in, but it was her story was too long.

"So that's true, then? I thought it was a rumour when I heard." she said, silently appraising him. She felt on edge, it was discomforting. "Well." she said after a few moments of silence, kicking herself off of the tree.

"Riding Hood better get back to staying on the trail." she said, turning around from him and began to walk away. "I was told to stay away from big bad wolves." she called back though it was true. Both her parents despised werewolves.

"Stalker?" He asked with a laugh. "Like i don't have better things to do than watch you all day. Get a grip Jaelynne, the world doesn't evolve around you Morozov, even if you think it does." He scowled narrowing his eyes. It was clear she hadn't changed one bit.

"If you count living with the pack on your own then yes im on my own and if you think you can walk these woods without drawing our attention then you'd be wrong. This is pack territory. You should be glad it was me that found you and not one of the others, they wouldn't have been so nice." He explained turning to look behind him at where the packs den lay. It was out of the way so they wouldn't be over heard, but if someone came out and caught them they'd want her one way or another.

"What kind of sick rumor is that? A family disowning their own son for something he didn't have a hand in? I don't know about you but i wasn't going to stick around where i wasn't wanted. This is my family now." He shrugged leaning up against his own tree. He felt as ease here in the forest. He always had, ever since he'd met Brock and moved in with the pack. The forest was his home now and it always will be.

"Woah where do you think you're going? I didn't say you could go." He said running and cutting off her path.

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow at Loki. "Then what do you do all day, then?" Jaelyn smirked, then laughed quietly as he narrowed his eyes. "The world really does." she shrugged one shoulder, as if she couldn't help the matter. It looked like he was still as argumentative as before. Just a bit taller. And somehow a little more sinister. Or was that just her imagination?

"Pack life. I'd hardly call it being on your own." she mused. "Unless you have no friends." Jae teased, then paused for a second, "I heard Pack Life is a bit...eccentric." she said. "And they just took you in, did they?" she asked him, her curiosity getting the better of her. Jaelyn crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I can handle myself, thanks." Pack territory or not, she liked to hunt here herself. For practice.

Jaelyn nodded. "I didn't think it was fair, but I also thought it was just a rumour. You'd be surprised at some of the nonsense my family can spout." she wrinkled her nose. How could she be related to such idiots? "No, I would have left too." she agreed, rolling her shoulders casually.

Jaelyn stopped abruptly as the boy blocked her way. Man. Whatever. "Back to Durmstrang." she said, as if the answer were obvious. "And where are you going?" she asked politely in response. "I don't need your permission to leave." she narrowed her eyes at him warningly