Insha'Allah ::Sombra Delgadillo::

[*sombra delgadillo]

Just as quickly as the encounter had begun it seemed it was over. Sombra would be lying if she said she was not somewhat relieved. After all – her social skills were far below par and this man was disconcerting and difficult to handle without being slightly irritated or unnerved. Not that she kept herself from such emotions. Josef would have known if she was ticked off. Breathing a sigh as he signed the check and ascended, she followed suit and trailed after him out of the establishment and into the busy New York streets. She was not fond of the obnoxious sound and traffic in the area made driving her car fairly pointless.

She did miss her baby, a great deal. Internally she promised herself she would drive the beauty when she returned to California. He was departing and the she wolf observed unabashedly as he hailed a cab and mumbled his farewell. When he was gone she turned and made her way in the opposite direction – no longer concerned with his whereabouts or anything of the sort. Why would she? He was no threat and frankly too mild mannered for her to spend much time fretting over. Even the human Sombra was at ease.

Not that she planned on staging a coupe or anything, but somehow she thought that Josef Abad would not have put up much of a fight if she did. Domestic. Shaking her head a she thought it over, she crossed the street – daintily weaving amongst the motor vehicles though several drivers panicked – honking their horns in commands for her to get out of the way. In Sombra’s opinion it was obvious that the street was not her destination and that she would be moving in a seconds time. In fact usually she was out of their way by the time they laid on the horn.

They were simply obnoxious New Yorkers. Frustrating, stupid people. Shaking her head once again, she swore – a rarity but she did it when angry and to be honest these crowds were enough to send her wolf into a rage induced rampage. Breathing through her nostrils she worked to calm herself but found she was on her way back to Central Park. Yes. The wolf would be sleeping as far into the forest as she could get. If that didn’t help she’d find ear plugs. But anywhere vaguely near the city wasn’t an option.

Too much noise and action going on. All the time. The city never slept and it was maddening. The night sounds had begun to settle in and she found her apathy soothing – apathy was good. It was when she took notice of everything that there was an issue. Her cool gaze flicked over the area, checking it for humans though of course in the middle of night there was no one to be found. Disrobing, she changed and curled up against a nearby tree, using her clothing as a pillow of sorts. It would be a short night. They all were. No matter how much sleep she got the world always returned too fast.

[Josef Ibn-Abad]

The warmth coming off the enclosed Styrofoam coffee cup lids gave hint at the temperature of the fluid within. Dunkin Donuts did not have the best coffee around, just the strongest. If their liquid was taken down while strait black, with no additives, it would add hair to even the smoothest of knuckles. More over, it would waken up even the groggiest person in no time flat. Sombra had bolted into the woods, deep into the woods. New York City was limited not by the range of the forests but by the land in which it was built upon. Softer sand overlaid by deep rock. The ground easily supported the buildings but when one reached the forest, the ground was softer, completely incapable of properly holding up even the smallest of concrete buildings. Still no matter how far she managed to make it into the forest, she was still within Josef's territory, which meant he could find her. Afterall, he had eyes and ears everywhere.

The call had arrived earlier in the morning, stirring the Alpha from his slumber. One of the wolves of his territory picked up her scent, trailed it and told the Alpha specifically were she was. Again, his rules were golden and when a strange wolf was found in his territory, people knew to call Abad. The Syrian ruled with an Iron-fist. He tolerated no insubordination, no disrespect. When it came to his wolf, the Alpha was as too be feared. He'd gotten dressed, taken an old blue duffel he no longer used and filled it with most of Mike and Melanies belongings. He kept one pair of pants and a shirt of each tucked into his closet... just in case but the rest of their clothing and belongings they had left behind were neatly put in.

The Syrian had dressed in pin-stripe black pants, dress shoes, and a white polo shirt. He looked more like he was heading to a country club than to the area Sombra was residing in. Josef was not one to be dumb-founded over a pretty face. Sure Sombra was attractive but when it came to mates, when it came too to those he was drawn too, the wolf within decided. Just because Delgadillo had an overpowering scent, the aura of dominance and looks to match did not mean Josef would be found drooling over her. It was not his way. A wolf needed to prove they were worth his time, Sombra held his respect but nothing more, thus far.

He set the coffee cups on the forest floor, nestled in the foliage then set the bag next to it. Today he did not wear his head scarf, he felt no need. Dawn had hit moments earlier, now only 6:40 in the morning, the light was breaking through the forests canopy. That was a great thing about being a wolf, the ability to see in darkness, though when he first entered the forest, he went the direction the source told him too and it had not been long until he too picked up the scent. She was resting in her wolf form on the forest floor, using her clothes as a makeshift pillow. Interesting.

"Eurgh." the noise he made, clearing is throat and sending a signal that Sombra now had company.

Instinct took over and the Alpha turned his back to her. If she shifted upon his arrival, he wished to offer her modesty. Again, the Syrian in him over ruled all else in moments like this, even if the wolf inside objected just a tad. Again the issues of turning his back on a natural predator would have been considered stupid, if not suicidal but Josef, as always, could handle himself.

"As-Salaamu Alaykum, Miss Delgadillo. Rise and shine." He spoke, sending a signal that yes he was there. "I brought us coffee along with their belongings, as promised." Whether she was awake or not yet was irrelevant. He was speaking and if she missed what he was saying, that was on her. Though he highly doubted she was still asleep by now. "I hope your night was most pleasant." Sincerity was never an issue with Abad, he cared, especially to the well being of another Alpha. If word got out that wolves were hurt on his watch, all hell could and probably would break lose.

[*sombra delgadillo]

Sombra was no stranger to sleeping outdoors. In fact it was stranger for her to be found sleeping in an actual bed. She simply was not one to stay in standardized housing. It wasn’t a priority. The wolf could sleep anywhere, more than often that’s what was the defining factor in her accommodations. Could she lay down? Would she be attacked while aslumber? No? Then it was all good. The wolf was not particularly picky – just hyper aggressive. The wolf slept lightly though, perpetually waiting for someone to jump through the bushes and attack. Perhaps it was good…but it made getting decent rest a rarity.

She had collapsed, completely drained the evening before and would have probably slept through the day but clearly that wasn’t the plan for a certain alpha in the area. As the crunch of greenery alarmed the lupine, its oculus cracking open just to the amount of slits she stared in the general direction of the source. The steps were deliberate and so it could only be one individual. She wasn’t surprised that he had tracked her down – it was unsettling for alphas who kept territory to not know where outsiders were lodging. And regardless of his niceties, Sombra knew Josef was not above it at some point.

The scent of coffee got the human’s attention but the wolf was too fixated on the approach for Sombra’s personal desire for that beverage to be given much attention. As he came into view her skull ascended and she stared him down, lobes ascendant in a form of defensive behavior – alert and careful. Getting anywhere as far as trust went seemed an exercise in futility. The wolf didn’t trust. Each meeting was like the first and probably always would be. Again, Mercer was one exception. The wolf welcomed him. But Josef she did not know. Not at all so not nearly as well as she’d known Mike.

The noise he made induced a responding snarl, a mechanical rebuttal that could no more be stopped than the dawn. She was on her feet in the seconds it took to enunciate that feral sound. Her fur was stiff as was her stance. Her bones had mended over night and her skin was heeled as well. The ear though would never grow back. As he turned she took the opportunity as it was granting. The cracks and groans of muscle and flesh tearing to reproduce a completely different being breaking the silence. Upon achieving the desired morph she dressed quickly – the chill hard on her soft, sensitive skin.

She was silently relieved that he had brought her coffee as well but said nothing, her gaze shifting to the clothing instead. They were rank with the Mercers and probably represented more a home to her than anything she would ever experience again. Frowning down at them, she realized she was expected to respond in some verbal manner. That was always rather comical on mornings after she’d slept outside. Her throat was sore and her vocal chords hoarse from the moist dewy air.

Stepping down to the cups, she took one and without pausing to see if it was either too hot or too cold she took a long sip. Breathing a sigh, again of relief, she spoke as her cords relaxed. ”I guess I don’t have to ask if you know how early it is.” It was said with some irritation, her wolf was cranky and tired and still sore from all of the work healing had taken as usual. ”Thank you.” She said finally, her brows knit together as she eyed the articles of clothing silently for a moment. At the mention of how pleasant her night was a smirk lit her features and she chuckled softly.

”It was uneventful, which I would classify as perfectly acceptable.” It was stated with sincerity – she no longer asked for “pleasant”, so long as the wolf didn’t leap out of control and she didn’t end up with major bodily harm dealt her she deemed it a successful night. ”And yours?” It was said lazily – small talk that would undoubtedly come up with nothing interesting to speak of. Sombra was not the best at making conversation. It was probably due to the fact that she was in no way promiscuous. Flirtations, innocent or otherwise. Frankly the wolf was too self involved to notice outward appearances or her reaction to them. The human suffered the most in Sombra’s existence, silenced and far less intense.

The wolf was a mutation and far stronger in personality because of its role played in the younger years. The wolf had saved Sombra, been the survivor of the two identities. And now? Now she was more beast than human…but it was working for her to some degree. She was alive. A survivor.

[Josef Ibn-Abad]

"Uneventful." Josef replied, turning once he knew Sombra was dressed. He had been unimpressed by the small irritated noises she made in her wolf state and a simple roll of his eyes said it all. He knelt down and snagged his coffee from the ground, taking quiet sips. "Like I said, here's there belongings. If you need me in the future, you'll be able to find me. My home isn't hidden and all wolves in New York know where it's located." Ibn-Abad explained. He was not one to stand and look like a fool when there was nothing to say. The silence that filled the air said it all. He could stand here and strike up some conversation about why she did not find a hotel, of course he would not really care. Josef was Syrian and had pride, what this woman thought of him was not particularly important. She was a rival Alpha. It was not like she was his mate.

"Have a good day, Miss Delgadillo." He spoke with an absolute still, emotionless voice. The trek back through the forest, his forest was rather dull. He spelled the morning sparrows, the squirrels that rummaged through the foliage. Their scents brought about a tickling sensation to nostrils as if daring the beast within to be allowed out and to chase them about. Still... he had work. There was no time for play. Quietly he pulled a cell from his pocket and dialed Enda, "Hey wake up." He bared as he heard the receiver being picked up. "I dropped the belongings off to her. She was there." He listened to Enda mumble something. "No. She'll be leaving. She does not seem the type to settle in an area. No worries." Enda had shown concern over Sombra's appearance but given where she was staying, she did not like the city which meant her challenging him for the leadership of the territory was safely out of the question. Blame the wolf in him for liking the pretty face but not trusting the beast fully.

"No. If you encounter any stray wolves, lemme know. I need a new Beta." Abad explained upon Enda asking if Josef had found anyone worthy of the beta position within in the pack. He ended the call just as quickly as he had begun it and the only sound that filled his ears was the rustling of the leaves below each step he took. His car was now in sight. Today would be like each one before, numbers, phone calls, the transactions of millions of dollars... just another day in the N.Y.C. life of Josef Ibn-Abad.