It was a small gesture, for her to preen his chest, but it began to rattle at the walls which he had tucked his inner voice into. Naira used to do that to him, to groom him as she sat beneath his chin, their bodies so close they could feel their hearts beating in sync. Bit by bit, the walls were going to crumble and he could only do so much to ignore the alarm system that was threatening to go off any moment. This siren, whoever she was, was going to unravel him. It was not her fault of course, even if she were playing him he was he who was letting down his guard but like before, he was entrapped within her spell, helpless to break away at that moment.
She shifted, pulling herself up to sit with her muzzle beneath him. An encouraging nudge was all he needed to follow her, like a love sick puppy, he sat up, imitating her in both posture and silence. He didn’t need to be told, in that moment he would have jumped off the very cliff if she had asked him to, because the deep desire within him was overriding what little common sense he had left.

Perhaps it was because of how very wrong the situation was that made it so very alluring. He was forever searching for a new obsession; the truth of his heritage, his own pack, his female… revenge. He needed a goal, something that seemed unobtainable just to feel alive and for now, the female he shared his body with would fill the void that had been left now all of his goals had been obtained. He wasn’t a wolf who could just coast through life with nothing to do and as wrong as it was, both for his relationship with Naira and for the way this would no doubt end, he could not stop just yet.

He lifted his muzzle, meeting her gaze head on and allowing the grey of his eyes to meet the bright gold of her own. They were beautiful eyes, soulful almost. They weren’t like Naira’s, her gaze was strong, confident and had purpose. Instead she seemed perhaps lost, wandering like he was. It wasn’t that she didn’t seem confident, but perhaps she was not quite as dominant as Naira and something about that fascinated to him. He wasn’t one to be a hero, but the idea of a damsel that needed a strong knight really appealed to his ego. She was so small in comparison, he felt sure she would fit right inside him if they were balled so tightly they could not breath.
With baited breath, he remained frozen, looking into the pools of her eyes at a loss with just what it was she was expecting from him- not just in this moment but where else this could go, tonight… tomorrow and even after that.

It was funny, the dreamlike feel that crept over you when the blood within your body was set on fire. His pulse raced, each small touch of her body against his sent a rush of adrenaline to his veins- he felt as if he were trembling as she pressed a kiss to his muzzle. His mind felt fuzzy, soft around the edges like he were drunk. For a moment, his eyes closed and he leant into the embrace. He didn't care how wrong his actions were in that moment because she gave him what he craved, what he needed- what had been lost between he and Naira a long time ago. He was a hard wolf, stony to most, with little room for emotion, surprising really for a wolf who knew nothing of love and kindness that he had managed to find two females who were willing to extend their soft touch to him, who managed to etch away some of the ice that had frozen his heart still.

A gust of icy wind blasted his pelt- standing tall now he felt the blast across his entire torso, the current so strong that it was almost enough to part his fur right down to the very skin beneath his thick winter coat. Like a ton of water to the face, it stirred him from the dream like state he had been trapped within, bringing him back enough to release the inner voice that had been screaming to out, found a crack in the cell he had created and broke free within seconds.

He jerked back, at first just his head, pulling away from the warmth of her body, from the touch ofher muzzle. Next went his paws, trawling backwards, slowly at first but then quicker until there was enough distance between them that he could really look at her, away from the pull of her eyes to her lithe figure as she stood there, merging in with the icy winter terrain. Panic gripped him, his throat felt as if it were closing as the voice within his head told him to run and not look back. "I... I have to go." he said, his voice betraying his confusion and panic before he turned and ran, allowing his lanky legs to consume the terrain and within the blink of an eye, he slipped over the ridge and headed back home leaving nothing but a snarl in the air- not at her but at the shame that was himself.

When he pressed himself back against her, Sagacity's few fears were released like a silk ribbon into a zephyrean gust. She knew then that he wanted her and she felt completed in an odd way, despite knowing that the two of them would likely never be able to celebrate a life together. But for this moment he was hers, and she was his and there were no regrets. In that moment she felt herself long for nothing else but to be near him and to have him want her, a feeling she thought was reciprocated. And in that moment it was, but what a fleeting glimpse of beauty it was.

At first she thought that he'd recoiled because of the gust of cold wind, but when he continued to retreat she watched him with curious, worried eyes. He wouldn't look at her as he scuffled backwards, cowardly sneaking his way away from her. An excuse was uttered, one laden with grief and guilt before he turned and abruptly disappeared. A frustrated snarl was the last sound she heard as he disappeared, apart from the one uttered by the sterling dame herself when she managed to pry her gritted teeth apart. Scathingly she swiped a paw at the earth and sent a bit of snow and a few pebbles flying in no particular direction. Suddenly stricken by the cold she hunched her shoulders and moved off to find shelter and to nurse her racing, limping heart.