Heartleaf Creek Keep the Coals Burning

@Coal - How's that for reply?!!
- You know, this is exactly the kind of romance I hate in books! :/ You know, the kind were both characters like each other, but think they know what the other one thinks at that they hate them!! >.<

Her whole body was tinkling with electricity, blood rushing through her veins, so quickly she could hear it roar in her ears. Eyes firmly locked on her companion, she continued slowly forwards, waiting for his answer; muscles tense with nervous energy. Her ears were perked, her smile bright, and her lashes slightly lowered over brightly shining eyes, she felt strangely warm in the autumn chill, and her body seemed both stiff and awkward, and at the same time somehow liquid and light; What’s wrong with me?! The lady was starting to wonder if she might be sick, but her attention, which was already mostly on Coal, was completely turned to the large boy when he suddenly turned his head; attitude suddenly changing dramatically. Confusion filled the red girls body, and both her ears and shoulders fell heavily, eyes returning to her feet, brushing increasingly briskly through the wet grass. Continuously stealing glances at the sand-pelted male, she desperately tried to get a hold of her thoughts, head spinning like a tumbleweed on a windy day; Why did I say that? I shouldn’t have said that! Idiot, IDIOT! She gritted her teeth angrily, cheeks burning with embarrassment, and continued her march forwards, without realizing that Coal was falling behind. Only when she raised her eyes to once more look over at the man, did she notice that he hadn’t kept up with her heightening of pace. Coming to a holt, peeking over her shoulder after him, she considered simply continuing - If her company made him so uncomfortable, she could just leave! But wouldn’t that be running away? She wouldn’t run! With a defiant snort, she stood her ground, waiting for the tan wolf to catch up again; If he wants me gone, he’ll have to SAY SO! So when Coal was back by her side, the two of them once more trotting slowly through the land, and he finally turned to her, she met his eyes with a neutral expression; brows politely lifted, ears attentively turned, and mouth curved in a faint smile, not showing teeth - as those were clenched tightly, to keep her lips from quivering. Aideen noted the brown-mottled boys clear discomfort, a sting running through her chest, anger growing at the sight of his fake smile; Why don’t you just tell me the truth?! She nodded firmly as means of reply, but he had already turned his head away, and she did the same. For a long time they walked in silence, both bodies stiff, the small lass keeping her eyes on the horizon. Her emotions were in turmoil, anger and sadness mixing with an odd numbness that she couldn’t define; This is ridiculous! We just met, why should I care if he doesn’t like me?! But she did care. And in the end, she couldn’t stand the silence any more. Stopping abruptly in her tracks, she turned to the male and spoke, beckoning for him to do the same; <b style="color:#c7470f"> “Coal, look at me! ...Please...” She felt her throat tighten, eyes stinging at the thought of what was surely to come, but she had to do this! Better to get it over with sooner than later! Taking a deep breath, she searched to meet his eyes, failing to keep her own copper gaze cold as she wanted, but sensing her feelings shining through, as her defenses started to crumble; <b style="color:#c7470f"> “If...” Her voice broke, and she had t start again, <b style="color:#c7470f"> “If you’d rather travel on your own... Just tell me! I...” Damn it! Another deep breath, this one even shakier, but this time followed by a touch of steel, sliding over her eyes and into her voice; <b style="color:#c7470f">"I just wanted some pleasant company for a change, but if you can't give me that then... Let's just part ways here!" It was said! Now it was up to him... The lady steeled herself, preparing for the inevitable blow that would be his rejection. She desperately wanted him to stay, all though she had no idea why that should be so important to her, but she was also too proud to keep this fake courtesy going any longer. It was in his paws now... Word count: 695 I'm not stupid <b style="color:#c7470f">”I've got bark!”

PLOT WITH ME!

@Aideen - this is painfully short...I'm sorry. I tried to make it mirror your post a little more but only managed to write nonsense. Hopefully this is enough to merit a good reply. :P

It appeared as though something had been misunderstood. Or rather she had understood him perfectly, but he had given an entirely wrong message, and now he was desperate to fix everything and cool down. Her smooth, elegant (and extremely cute because of how tiny she was) stride had turned into a tight, choppy march and her entire body did not even partially conceal the heated anger the copper female must have been feeling. Coal felt terrible, and he hated the way he himself was acting, but his brain refused to work properly to come up with a good correction that would mend things over. Instead he just continued to walk alongside her in painful silence.

He jumped, startled, as Aideen spoke with a broken voice words of desperation as she demanded an answer. It was perfectly understandable, her reaction, yet the huge, powerful looking male could think of nothing to say. He winced when she continued, this time her voice set in a steel trap. The way she had worded her feelings made him feel as if he had betrayed her. But now a response tugged at his mouth and the moment she finished speaking it exploded.

"NO!" His eyes stared into hers, dilated and filled with a desperation of their own, and slowly he continued. "Forgive me, Aideen. I am only glad that we can spend some more time in each other's company."

His voice was too formal now. It was the only thing that could mask the sorrow he felt at the thought of leaving her, at causing her pain. Looking ahead to days when he would never see her, Coal already missed her smiling face and joyful prance.

@Coal - It's PERFECT! I tend to "cheat" a lot, since most of my post takes place doing your last one, giving you very little room for "mirroring" xD
Anyways, it seems Ai grew up a bit xP

She felt tears burn behind her eyes, and fought to keep them back; NO! I won't cry! ...This is ridiculous, I don't even KNOW HIM! And yet she had to blink furiously, to prevent the salt from spilling down he cheeks; but she wouldn't cry! She wouldn't call on his pity like that, if he didn't want to stay, he should go! A lump grew in the orange girls throat, her eyes searing as she forced herself to keep looking at the large male, anxiety flowing through her veins as she waited for his response; his rejection. She could see him writhing under her words, surely feeling trapped by her demand of honesty, and desperately trying to find a way to escape her company; Just say it! And he did. Voice echoing with strength and agony, eyes radiating a fear unlike anything the girl had ever seen, the man called out one word, one word that made the ladies entire world tumble; No..? Before she had time to ponder on what he meant, Coal himself elaborated on the exclamation, speaking loud and stiffly, but with eyes radiating honesty. Begging for forgiveness. Aideen could do nothing but stare in awe, lips slightly parted, eyes wide. And then, despite herself, and her previous efforts, the tears began to roll. One by one, the salty drops ran through her fur close behind one another, dripping down on her claws, which were digging at the soft grass. It... I... What? Her head was spinning, her eyes seeing nothing but the blur of tears, her body unable to move, even if she had known where to direct it. It was impossible to say, how much time passed this way, silent and confused, in tears... Eventually, the flame-pelted lass collected herself enough to bow her small dome, blinking at the tears, a faint redness spreading under her light face-fur as she fully grasped what had just passed; Was I completely wrong..? It did seem that she had completely misunderstood the sand-hued man, concluding things from little or even no evidence, other than her own foolish speculations. And then again... Finally she looked up, meeting the lads dark gaze with, slightly reddened, but now dry eyes. Clearing her throat, she asked hoarsely, voice barely more than a whisper: <b style="color:#c7470f">"But then... Why do you act like you don't even wanna talk to me?" Anger and sorrow had now been replaced by puzzlement and emotional exhaustion in the young fae's head. She felt worn out after her short cry, and the feelings-based turmoil she'd just been through; and she was tired of attempting to understand this stranger, who for some reason had made such a great impact on her. Feeling the blush grow on her cheeks, Aideen once more turned her warm coppers to her, now rather wet, paws, adding in a voice more clean, yet just as quiet; <b style="color:#c7470f">"I'm very happy to share your company as well. But... Not if we can't speak honestly, without assuming things that haven't been proven..!" At these last words she glanced up at the large wolf, wondering if he too had taken her words for something other or more than they were; I wanna be your friend! SO badly! Word count: 537 I'm not stupid <b style="color:#c7470f">”I've got bark!”

PLOT WITH ME!

Now he understood. Aideen carried one fear beyond any others, it overshadowed her clearly thinking mind, it had settled deep into the pit of her being and there was no way to reach in there and tear it out even if she herself knew what it was that enslaved her. The fear of rejection; who knew how many times the small girl had been cast away from what her heart desired, had her friends turned on her, had she slipped and found no one to help her rise? For all her searching, for all her joy and bravery, she had no identity to stand on, nothing to back her up in that time when she was on her own and was so afraid.

Coal watched, stunned, as hot tears ran from her beautiful copper eyes, and his violently beating heart broke for her's. He yearned to give her an identity, to show her that nothing in this pathetic world was big enough or strong enough to bring her to such fear unless she allowed it to. Could he make her understand that size would not give her the strength she needed to stand? As the rust female spoke he tried to think back to what might have made her totally give up on him and shove her to this state. He had meant to be sincere, but, he soon realized, some of what he said could have been taken as a put off which was exactly what she didn't need. He felt for her, searched her glistening eyes, silently trying to make her know how he felt. But still it was too hard to put words to it; he had never been the emotional type and had no clue what to say.

The only thing the huge Bielski could think to do was to comfort her physically, for already his words had been twisted by her mind which acted under the rule of fear, and though he did not hold it even partially against her it was not impossible for such a thing to happen again. As they both stood there so quietly, apprehensively, he stepped closer and licked the tears from her cheeks, so aware of the closeness of their beings it made him shiver all over again. Once her fur had dried he returned to his original position and cocked his head, a sad smile gracing his great copper head.

"I would never assume anything about you, Aideen." Now words were spoken in true sincerity, nothing fake or distant about them, and if she could take that for anything other than what he meant it as, all hope for this world was lost.

The slight woman's eyes were on her paws, but her attention was on Coal, his huge body beside her, radiating warmth, embodying sincerity, security. She saw her father in the man, a faint echo of his kindness and emotional strength; and along with it so much more! Who are you Coal Bielski? Why do you make me feel this way?! And what was this way exactly? Warm, confused, light, awkward... As if to underline the girl's puzzled wonderings, the tan male moved closer, his warmth growing more evident on her fur. She looked up to meet his eyes, wide, honest, kind... A mirror of her own, and a quivering smile shaped her lips. Then she felt his tongue against her hot cheeks, and gasped silently, closing her eyes to the unexpected caress. Surprise filled her head, but she didn't pull away. Rather she stayed, still as a stone, feeling nothing but his warmth and the roughness of his tongue on her pelt. It was as if all other parts of her body had gone numb, leaving her head alone to sense the world, and yet all it noticed was him; and it scared her more than anything else had ever done, but still, she didn't want it to end. Of course it did though, his heat pulling back to a less intimate distance, and Aideen opened her eyes, looking at the man with shining, copper eyes, breathing heavily. She felt like she'd just sprinted for several minutes, heart hammering against her ribs, head spinning, unable to catch her breath. Coal was watching her as closely as she was him, head turned in... Sympathy? Something else? And a kind smile curving his lips. When he spoke, the red girl held her breath, feeling his words as much as hearing them, a small, slightly melancholic, smile grazing her face. Then silence spread between them, Aideen's eyes still keeping hold of his, never wanting to let go. She felt deeply overwhelmed, unable to muster any kind of response. Words, which otherwise came so easily to her, were all but gone from her head. But she had other ways of communicating, and after a little while, she walked up the large man and rubbed her head against his chest, stretching her short neck to reach up and touch his chin; breathing in deeply to fill her nostrils with his scent. Something about this felt utterly right to the lass, and she pushed her body gently against the sand-brown of his, whispering in a voice that trembled faintly with emotion; <b style="color:#c7470f">"Thank you Coal." And this was a thank you for so much more than his words, more than his caress and the unspoken things that rung in his statement. THANK YOU! Word count: 456 I'm not stupid <b style="color:#c7470f">”I've got bark!”

PLOT WITH ME!

@Aideen - Sorry it's so short now. :P

His masculine, untouched, emotionless world had just crumbled down to ashes, and the one responsible for the dramatic destruction was Aideen Smoke, the small, beautiful, innocent she-wolf whose eyes never strayed from his. Coal's previous actions had made an obvious impact, for she was breathless, intense, exhausted even though she had only stood there motionless under his touch, and it only made the huge male even more intoxicated with her very presence. Stillness and silence dominated the atmosphere for a minute after he had pulled away, and excitement built up, a great longing for adventure, wondering what would happen next. The thought that he may have gone too far in his attempt to calm Aideen touched at his mind for a moment and his heart clenched in hopes that it was not so.

Apparently not.

Time stopped as the beautiful woman pressed against his broad chest, thrusting her head against his own, and if it wasn't for the awkwardness he felt for the whole thing he might have lost all control over himself. He couldn't think, couldn't move, and began to overheat, but he did not pull away, didn't want to. His copper head slid down over hers and he leaned heavily against her (accommodating for their great difference in size), nose placed firmly at the base of her left ear. He ignored her thanks; what was he supposed to say? Your welcome? Way to ruin a moment.

(This post was last modified: Nov 06, 2013, 07:13 PM by Coal.)

Ooc: So apparently falling in love gives Aideen a panic attack! Dx Eehh... It's not a super post, but it works :P
- And I PROMISE she'll make it up to poor Coal!! ;-;

Feeling is strength as his wait pushed against her back, writhing slightly when his breath tickled her neck, Aideen felt warmth build within her; This is nice! She thought, pushing even closer to the large man, sighing contently while his odor wrapped around her; like a vice! An avalanche closing over her, locking her in. The lady's copper eyes shot open and she gasped for air, suddenly she felt like she was being smothered, like the closeness was robbing her of oxygen, and she pulled away from Coal, backing up several steps to put distance between them. Her eyes were strained on the giant male, brain spinning wildly; What am I doing? I hardly know him! The whirlwind of feelings seemed to, finally , have left her, and her common sense returned, ringing loud alarm bells in her head; What are you doing Aideen?! He's a STRAGNER! One thing was being friendly, treating each other with honesty and respect and forming friendships, but this! Aideen felt like a spell had been broken, the haze she had been walking in since meeting the tan brute finally lifted, and her head clear for once. Watching the man, with eyes slightly narrowed, the girl speculated wildly, trying to decipher what had happened, how had he driven her crazy like that? What did you do to me?! She had never felt that way before, completely enthralled by such strong emotions, seemingly out of nowhere. Looking at Coal now, the lass felt a strange knot form in her stomach, and as their eyes met fresh warmth flushed through her body; This... What is this?! I can't..! Her breathing was growing shallow, wheezing quickly like after a long run. What was happening? I need to get away from here! She had to be alone, clear her head! Looking to the brown-mottled giant once more, a sudden pain went through her chest; she didn't want to leave. But she had to! This was too much, too fast! Looking to her paws, unable to hold the man's gaze as she pushed him away, Aideen sputtered in a choppy, rushed manner; <b style="color:#c7470f">"Uh yeah so... Uhm, thank you. It was... Nice talking to you! But I... I really gotta get going, so... Yeah." Swallowing, she glanced back up at the lad, guilt filling her every fiber; I just... I can't handle this! Her whole body tense, ready to spring from the place, and wanting nothing more, there was still something that kept Aideen locket on the spot, something that made her entire being ache. With a strike of extreme effort, she met Coal's eyes shortly, spurting out a hoarse apology: <b style="color:#c7470f">"I'm sorry I just... I can't do this! I'm sorry..." Then she turned, eyes once more flooding with tears, and ran off in the first open direction, away from this boy who had made her feel so... Alive! Word count: 477 I'm not stupid <b style="color:#c7470f">”I've got bark!”

- - Exit

PLOT WITH ME!

@Aideen - Awww Dx My muse plummeted :P I will get to writing our next thread, my first post is going to be a novel since it describes everything from this point to that point which is...this happened on the 14th, he got hurt on the 16th, and will be waiting around until the new thread on...I'll backdate it to the 2nd of November.

A creek twisted through the forest like a snake, so many beautiful colors painting the trees along its banks, and along this creek was a path created by the feet of many deer and wolves, and standing motionless on this path was a male wolf of great stature. His deep brown eyes were locked on something distant, something that should have been there but was no longer, something that had filled him with happiness a split second before so suddenly departing forever. No emotion showed itself upon his face, his body displayed nothing but purposelessness as his copper tail hung low to the dirt. Contrary to physical appearance, however, a war raged on within his soul.

She had been there one moment, a friend, one whom he had comforted, and done nothing aside from that. The emotions that pounded inside him he had never revealed to the small rust-coated female, or so he thought. And yet he had gone too far, had been too close a friend in too short a time, and now he was alone once again. A mere pack did not seem so golden now, just a hollow family that could never make him feel the same vibrant electricity that Aideen Smoke had radiated so strongly. Was he destined to remain a lone wolf, a rogue, forever? Should he join a pack for the shallow purpose of needing it? Or should he, after all, chase after the she-wolf which had only recently sprinted away leaving him stunned and confused?

A snarl now graced the male's features, one of disgust that could hide the loss. Turning away from the direction she had taken he continued towards Cedarwood Forest, not really caring where his paws took him, hoping that he could forget.

Exit Coal

(This post was last modified: Nov 07, 2013, 02:49 AM by Coal.)