the last one standing
when all the giants fall
when all the giants fall
I
t’s a hard thing to reign in his temper, once it’s already begun to grow inside of him. It rises like a fire, fed by every slight annoyance that dares to test him. Most days he keeps it carefully under wraps; even an annoyingly high voice or an imperfectly timed intrusion are too small to bring it to head.But today, oh today it’s a hungry thing, one that delights at each tender branch of kindling, laughing and burning away inside of him. It’s the wolf in him, he knows; he’s kept it starved for too long this time. (Maybe a small part of him, an unconscious sliver of his mind, had done it intentionally; maybe Toulouse wanted to lose control, if only for a day.)
Surely it wouldn’t be the worst thing a man like himself could do.
Still he stuffs his claws and fangs down for a moment longer, forcing a small (albeit sharp) smile onto his lips when he rounds the corner and sees the man. He imagines the frost coating his skin melting beneath the heat of his anger to appease himself.
His smile falters, nearly slips from his face when the stallion steps back, but not silently like he had hoped. "Lost in your thoughts?" He doesn’t say what he’s really thinking, that the stranger wasn’t paying enough attention. Toulouse had not been trying to be quiet, not this time.
His eyes scan the shelves even as he talks, moving far too quickly. He has to stop, backtracking his gaze, rereading the titles. The wolf inside of him growls with displeasure.
"Oh I don’t mind the snow," he lied. Snow was almost as bad as sand, sometimes worse, depending on his mood. Today the snow chilled him from the outside in though, barely cooling the furnace that burned within his chest. "Although," he relinquished, eyeing the pale stallion from the corner of one eye. "it’s far nicer watching it from indoors than trekking through it." He looks at him from the corner of one eye, forcing another small smile.
"Were you looking for anything?" he asks when his eyes return to the shelves. "Just browsing?"
Even when irate, his curiosity gets the best of him.
@grey | "speaks" | notes: <3
