He drifted somewhere between being awake and being asleep but whilst his mind was mostly alert, conscious of the world around him... his body knew such complete ease that it took the wear and the ache from his bones, let him settle and truly enjoy this moment.
Gods he loved this woman. That would never be in question. Not on his life.
Sometime during the night Kiko had wiggled out from around him and made a quick patrol of the area. Oh, she had not heard anything, but she did it anyway, habit. Kat was still tucked away in the hammock back at the treehouse, not that anyone could get to her without coming through here first. Not without a lot of effort.
She returned to him in that lull before dawn, switching from the wolf form to the human one. She ran her fingertips over his brow without a sound. She could have touched him with the wolf form, but her hands needed to make this little gesture, something she often did on the verge of wakefulness when they were alone.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
He stirred in the large patch of grass that was their bed this night and without opening his eyes, his hand found hers with a slight smile.. and then a needy look and a whine. He pulled her hand onto his chest and then set it upon his heart, his hand resting atop it.
Kiko smiled, not that he could see it, and settled down against his chest. She rested her head on his shoulder, and curled into his body. Her fingers remained over his heart, too.
She was tired. The day long and...
Kiko got that far in her thoughts before she fell asleep.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Grayell chased her there into grand dreams of the mated pair, his heart beat being the subtle drum that tied them to this world. In those moments they could not run here, in the limitations brought on by this world and their commitments... their dreams knew no such thing.
And even in those dreams, so entirely filled with freedom and choice without consequence.... he still ran beside her. Always.
Kiko woke to feel of fur beneath her fingertips. It was a fleeting thing, phantom sensations that followed her from the world of dreams. She turned her head to find a handful of white hair. She breathed out a quiet sigh into the dawn.
She didn't pull her hand free, though. She played it over her fingers, brushed it against her cheek, and filled her mind with a hundred new images of him. She wasn't going to get up until he moved, either.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
He didn't stir for quite some time. It wasn't the age beyond his years, nor was it the wear on his battered body. It was not a lack of enthusiasm nor laziness.
No. In her presence, Grayell had found the ability to sleep through the night, to slumber without alarm or his body, his mind or his senses forcing him awake in the night to remain alert, spy upon his surroundings. He had something so very dear to protect now he had her and somehow, she made him feel safe.
For her part, Kiko was quite happy to laze in his arms while the sun crested the horizon. The blazing orange beacon of a new day spilled through the trees and created long straight shafts of morning sunlight.
She played shadow games with her fingers, turning into his chest to play the patterns on his skin. She was quiet, she did not touch him, yet, but rather watched the shadows twist and turn. Eventually, though, that enjoyment faded away to be replaced by a more intense need.
Kiko drew a nail down the side of his jaw reaching up to place a gentle kiss on his mouth.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
There is no one instance in literature where an author has felt they adequately captured the essence of the perfect kiss. Oft romanticized, too frequently painted in such glorious words as I do not possess, such a kiss is the very element of love that can never know justice in words.
Like love itself, that pure, new love; that complete and enriching bond that such soulbound lovers share.... a kiss cannot be a kiss without being in that moment. It cannot be felt with words. There are no words and no gesture for the one true magic left to humanity. The greatest magic.
And so reader, know only that I will not try, not for lack of desire to paint such beautiful imagery... but for a lack of ability. Trust in my heart and not my words when I say this much.
Their kiss was indeed perfect. It was the touch that stirs the heart of the poet, the longing that brings voice to the musician, the muse that lifts paint to the artist's easel. Could any of us ever possess such a moment in any way other than to live it.... well. I would wish to be such an artist.
silverdust [M:0:0:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=ci&action=display&thread=314]Mess with the panther, and you get the dagger in your throat.
Kat rolled over to avoid the oncoming light of dawn. Through the night she's kept picking up the scent of Wolf on the faint breeze, and had had some unpleasant dreams from it. Old memories welling up and chasing her through her subconscious once more.
She was feline, no mistaking, and loved her sleep, but the years-old habit of sleeping with her eyes half-open meant that the golden light of dawn invaded on that desire, pulling her out of her lazy somnolence.
Last Edit: Nov 4, 2011 9:10:22 GMT -5 by silverdust
(I want to say at this point, I feel inadequate. Not because I don't have words. I have a plethora of words. But, Wolf... I cannot post after that. It was a wondrous fade out. I know I started this thread as a way for Kat to get to know Kiko and the game, and I will continue it in that vein. But, I could not do so without offering my compliments to you with that post.)
When Kiko slipped free of Grayell's arms it was only to switch forms. She left the trees after a single nudge of his face with her nose and loped away. The embrace was too new, the feelings too tender, and she wanted to turn her face to the sun.
She did circle back around to the tree house once she was able to sort her thoughts. They would find a new home for Kat today. A place in town perhaps.
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
silverdust [M:0:0:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=ci&action=display&thread=314]Mess with the panther, and you get the dagger in your throat.
The scent of wolf floated through the air again, strong and heavy and somehow feeling more dangerous than ever it used to back home. An old, old instinct took over, and she rolled out of the hammock, dropping into a crouch on all fours. She sniffed at the air, trying to trace the direction of the scent. Taking her best guess at it, she moved to the edge of the treehouse's platform, leaned out and roared as best she was able. This place may not be hers, but she would protect it. Kiko and Grayell's hospitality deserved nothing less than keeping wolves from their door.
Kiko's ears pricked forward. She halted in the trees right where the late autumn foliage would keep her hidden from the girl watching over the balcony. She was somewhat amused by the roar. And while she had never personally come across any large felines in this area, yet, she had seen tigers and heard them roar before.
She wondered just what the Wolf would think of a cat guarding his home, too. Then her mind was occupied by the image of a tiger and a wolf battling out in the grass. She shook her head at that and switched back to human shape, slipping out of the trees to climbed up the ladder.
Katerina had just added points to the friend column on her tally sheet. The girl was trying to protect them, obviously. The roar could have many different interpretations, but she doubted it. To Kiko it made no difference they could protect themselves, the fact that Kat would try spoke well of her.
Kat?
She said the girl's name once she was almost at the top of the ladder.
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
silverdust [M:0:0:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=ci&action=display&thread=314]Mess with the panther, and you get the dagger in your throat.
Kat was at the edge of the platform, looking out into the forest. Her lip was peeled back from her wickedly sharp fangs, and she looked less cute and far more feral than she ever had. Her head turned to look at Kiko, the snarl dying in her throat, and she said in a voice roughened by sleep and her more animalistic side, "Kiko. There are wolves out there."
Mmh, they usually are about. Sometimes where you least expect them.
She pulled her body out of the swinging ladder and onto the balcony. She should put the girl at ease, she was worried and upset, it was all over her face. Plus, some expression that Kiko had not seen from her before, but probably the equivalent of hackles standing up on her spine.
We'll be fine in the tree, Kat. they won't come any closer. They stay well away from people. How about we have something to eat and then head into Wistvale. Maybe we can talk to some of the town officials. See about finding you a home.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”