G A R E T H
It made the elk uncomfortable, the way the winged woman looked anywhere but the medic. She had barely taken her eyes off of him the entire winter, and suddenly, now that she was more capable, it seemed like she was looking for some sort of escape route. He didn’t like it, not one bit. Sure, good riddance to the creature that had fangs and claws in places a horse aught not, but her behaviour was alien and it crawled under his skin like a thousand hairy spiders.
His haunch still bore the scars from her attack, and he was beginning to accept there were parts of his fur that would never fully heal over. Though Noor made an effort to disguise it, he walked with a limp, favouring his right side when they traveled for too long. The trek from Gareth’s home to the lake to gather cattails had taken most of the morning.
As the woman’s gaze passed over him for probably the hundredth time since reaching their destination, the elk snorted in annoyance, his audits flicking. He caught the sound a few precious moments after she had already moved, the thud in his heart quickening. Rarely did a noble predator give clues to their location. Pangaea certainly hadn’t when she came careening out of the sky to whisk him away and eat his liver and everything else. No, a smart predator wouldn’t allow themselves to be spotted so easily. The fact that she appeared as troubled as Noor by the rustling only fueled his fear.
What on earth could exist that she had to be afraid of? Up until her attack on his own flesh, the elk had grown accustomed to living without the concern of becoming prey to some fiendish predator. Now he saw shadows wherever they went, beasties of all shapes and sizes that were ready to gobble him right up if given the chance.
The sound that rumbled from her throat. Sweet Solis that sound was unreal. Ancient. Roiling. Threatening. Purely predator. It made Noor’s blood run ice cold in his veins, her directions to move impossible to follow. No way in hell was he getting any closer to her after that display. Let whatever was in the tree line take him instead, it would be more merciful.
The leathery snap of her wings extending pulled the elk out of his trance with a startled cry, his vibrant green eyes bulging from his skull. He stumbled back, trying to put as much distance between him and the beast and whatever came lunging out from the lake boundaries. It wasn’t particularly successful, since his legs wouldn’t work properly.
Fuck! Oh gods, Gareth she’s gone lost her damn mind! What the shit? I told you! I told you she was going to turn on us one day, and now she’s got her chance and we are going to die because you thought she had a nice ass!
It didn’t once occur to the panicked animal that she would have any inclination to defend him. She’d already tried to eat him once; as far as he was concerned she only saw him as a particularly forbidden snack. That was, until he heard the continued rustling in the foliage, the other cries. There was more of whatever had come from the tree line and she was shielding him, her wings more than sufficient at blocking his visage from any of the other would-be predators.
As if the first sound hadn’t been terrifying enough, the second sound that ripped from her lips damn near caused Noor to shit himself. There were no two ways about it, no pleasant terms to describe it. The elk felt the distinct shifting in his intestines that told him he needed to vacate whatever extra weight he was carrying and run. If the wolf pup hadn’t already held second thoughts about his attempted attack, he certainly would have them now.
He stood frozen, barely able to comprehend the events that just occurred. It felt like his eyes were going to pop right out of his head, and he could barely hear anything over the sound of his own blood rushing through his veins. She asked him a question.
Am I alright? Am I alright? First you try to eat me, then you spend three months making the googly fuck-me eyes at my friend. And then you scare the absolute piss out of me because some ding-dongs didn’t know enough to sense a bigger predator and how to pick their battles. No, I am not alright. I am confused, and angry, and you, you should have been gone by now and we all know it, but softie over there needs an excuse because he can’t just come out and admit that he also has the dumbstruck cupid’s arrow sticking out of his poor heart against any better judgment that might be left in his much to sympathetic brain. Noor’s trembling legs finally gave out from under him and he collapsed to the earth, grateful for the warm spring grass as he provided an absolutely stellar thousand yard stare.
Thank you. The thought was pressed gently against the stallion’s mind, in stark contrast to the tirade that he had been subjected to just moments before.
Gareth had barely any time to react to the situation; the event as a whole had taken only a handful of minutes at most. A booming laugh erupted from his chest as he responded to Pangaea’s inquiry. “He says yes, and thank you,” the stallion told her before locking eyes with the elk as he moved his head to protest, cutting off his line of thought before he could even begin.
“I told you she was good people,” he said. “And I think she just beautifully demonstrated that point.” He didn’t add that the display, while mildly terrifying, had also quickened his blood intensely. He wanted nothing more than to hear what other primal sounds she could make, to run his muzzle against the heat of her skin and drink in the powerful scent that came with her absolute command of the situation. No, he wouldn’t add that. Master of denial.
His haunch still bore the scars from her attack, and he was beginning to accept there were parts of his fur that would never fully heal over. Though Noor made an effort to disguise it, he walked with a limp, favouring his right side when they traveled for too long. The trek from Gareth’s home to the lake to gather cattails had taken most of the morning.
As the woman’s gaze passed over him for probably the hundredth time since reaching their destination, the elk snorted in annoyance, his audits flicking. He caught the sound a few precious moments after she had already moved, the thud in his heart quickening. Rarely did a noble predator give clues to their location. Pangaea certainly hadn’t when she came careening out of the sky to whisk him away and eat his liver and everything else. No, a smart predator wouldn’t allow themselves to be spotted so easily. The fact that she appeared as troubled as Noor by the rustling only fueled his fear.
What on earth could exist that she had to be afraid of? Up until her attack on his own flesh, the elk had grown accustomed to living without the concern of becoming prey to some fiendish predator. Now he saw shadows wherever they went, beasties of all shapes and sizes that were ready to gobble him right up if given the chance.
The sound that rumbled from her throat. Sweet Solis that sound was unreal. Ancient. Roiling. Threatening. Purely predator. It made Noor’s blood run ice cold in his veins, her directions to move impossible to follow. No way in hell was he getting any closer to her after that display. Let whatever was in the tree line take him instead, it would be more merciful.
The leathery snap of her wings extending pulled the elk out of his trance with a startled cry, his vibrant green eyes bulging from his skull. He stumbled back, trying to put as much distance between him and the beast and whatever came lunging out from the lake boundaries. It wasn’t particularly successful, since his legs wouldn’t work properly.
Fuck! Oh gods, Gareth she’s gone lost her damn mind! What the shit? I told you! I told you she was going to turn on us one day, and now she’s got her chance and we are going to die because you thought she had a nice ass!
It didn’t once occur to the panicked animal that she would have any inclination to defend him. She’d already tried to eat him once; as far as he was concerned she only saw him as a particularly forbidden snack. That was, until he heard the continued rustling in the foliage, the other cries. There was more of whatever had come from the tree line and she was shielding him, her wings more than sufficient at blocking his visage from any of the other would-be predators.
As if the first sound hadn’t been terrifying enough, the second sound that ripped from her lips damn near caused Noor to shit himself. There were no two ways about it, no pleasant terms to describe it. The elk felt the distinct shifting in his intestines that told him he needed to vacate whatever extra weight he was carrying and run. If the wolf pup hadn’t already held second thoughts about his attempted attack, he certainly would have them now.
He stood frozen, barely able to comprehend the events that just occurred. It felt like his eyes were going to pop right out of his head, and he could barely hear anything over the sound of his own blood rushing through his veins. She asked him a question.
Am I alright? Am I alright? First you try to eat me, then you spend three months making the googly fuck-me eyes at my friend. And then you scare the absolute piss out of me because some ding-dongs didn’t know enough to sense a bigger predator and how to pick their battles. No, I am not alright. I am confused, and angry, and you, you should have been gone by now and we all know it, but softie over there needs an excuse because he can’t just come out and admit that he also has the dumbstruck cupid’s arrow sticking out of his poor heart against any better judgment that might be left in his much to sympathetic brain. Noor’s trembling legs finally gave out from under him and he collapsed to the earth, grateful for the warm spring grass as he provided an absolutely stellar thousand yard stare.
Thank you. The thought was pressed gently against the stallion’s mind, in stark contrast to the tirade that he had been subjected to just moments before.
Gareth had barely any time to react to the situation; the event as a whole had taken only a handful of minutes at most. A booming laugh erupted from his chest as he responded to Pangaea’s inquiry. “He says yes, and thank you,” the stallion told her before locking eyes with the elk as he moved his head to protest, cutting off his line of thought before he could even begin.
“I told you she was good people,” he said. “And I think she just beautifully demonstrated that point.” He didn’t add that the display, while mildly terrifying, had also quickened his blood intensely. He wanted nothing more than to hear what other primal sounds she could make, to run his muzzle against the heat of her skin and drink in the powerful scent that came with her absolute command of the situation. No, he wouldn’t add that. Master of denial.
