Cedarwood Forest third act

A pleasure to meet you too,” he acknowledged as she smiled. She then introduced herself and Borden nodded once upon taking in her name and then once more when she mentioned she had a companion in the trees. He quirked a brow, his mind already at work with thinking up images of “Pangur Ban” the bird, the squirrel, the arboreal wolf pup…. He actually would have expected the girl’s friend to have fallen out of their perch by now or given away their position high above them. Well, at least the first idea hadn’t happened; the male wasn’t sure if he could handle another injured being, not now, anyway.

Curious now about Aisling and her friend, he simply replied, “I see…” Truth be told, the prospective alpha was anticipating the presence of another wolf, perhaps Aisling, like Vlarindara when they had first met, had an “adopted sibling.” “Are… they shy?” he asked, the tip of his tail lilting to one side. He fought the temptation to raise his eyes to the trees that loomed over them on one side; he didn’t want to make himself seem any more intimidating than he already seemed on first impression.

Eyes trained on the ivory female, he gave a warm chuckle, “They’ve no need to hide, I mean them no harm. Any friend of yours, I’m certain, might as well be friends of mine.”

Well, what do you want from me?

Unlike Jayse, Borden asked questions. Even after Aisling had been honest, Jayse still seemed okay, but...He kept asking questions. It took her a moment to realize that she hadn't actually said what her friend was. "Forgetful little girl...The big boy might not be as forgiving as his little mate was." Aisling was immediately drained, and she seemed to literally melt. Well, she would try to pick herself back up, wouldn't she? Jayse was nice, so why couldn't he be nice like she was? Surely he'd understand, so long as she could control her friend. And it didn't seem like anyone was able to see him anyway. Pangur seemed to be a master of disguise!

<b style="color:#388d10">"Well, my friend, you see...Well, he's a cat" Aisling took a fast breath, hoping to fit in more words before he could say anything else. <b style="color:#388d10">"But I can control him, and you'll never see him! No one ever seems to notice him! He's like...invisible or something! Except not, cause I can see him." Finally finished, she gasped for air, and stared, almost desperately, at Borden, hoping he would be as accepting as his mate was. "Smooth move. He'll probably think you're crazy too!" The cat amongst the tree branches laughed in her mind again, and she tried to keep her composure. <b style="color:#388d10">"speech."

O O C | Oh gosh, I didn’t even realize Switch/Jayse said the exact same thing in her thread with Aisling. XD Wowww…

Seeing the hint of concern in her features made Borden’s ears lower. Great… Now what did he say wrong? He offered her a reassuring gaze, a smile, even the twitch of his tail, but it seemed to make her panic even more than before. The words flew off her tongue like anxious birds eager to be released from their cages. His teeth clamped together as she hurriedly explained.

Each sentence had to be mentally played back to him before he said anything. “He’s like…invisible or something!” she had stated. “Except not, ‘cause I can see him.” A slow nod made his head bob once. He inhaled quietly, exhaling through his nose. “Okay,” he said evenly as his brows slightly rose. “I was just curious… and I thoroughly appreciate your explanation.” Rather than thinking of her as crazy, he truthfully thought she had quite a sense of imagination and it merely made him smile. An imaginary friend? …charming. At least she’d never be lonely if she ever found herself on her own.

Eyeing the trees above them, he grinned before returning his gaze to her, “Well, Aisling… I’m not sure if Jayse has told you anything but you – and Pangur – are welcome to join us if you’d like.” He was careful to include her feline friend in the invitation… “If and whenever you feel inclined to having company that is.”

Well, what do you want from me?

There was a slight silence between her completion and his beginning that seemed to draw out in the girl's mind. She could sense that her friend was grinning from ear-to-ear, obviously looking forward to keeping Aisling all to himself, which, of course, Aisling seemed to naturally understand. His possessiveness didn't even appear in Aisling's mind. She just figured he was being a wonderful friend, as usual. She watched the male with nervous eyes, before letting out a sigh of relief. Pangur merely hissed.

Rather than panicking or feeling fear once more, she only felt embarrassed. Obviously she'd said too much. She'd been correct in her assumption that he would be as kind as his mate. Her tail wagged high over her back, she could hardly contain herself. He didn't think she was crazy either! He even smiled. "Oh, yippee! Everyone just loves me." The bobcat hissed again, and she heard his breathing slowly disappear from her mind. He'd come back, he always did.

<b style="color:#388d10">"Really? Oh! Wonderful! Jayse said she'd come and find me, but then I found you!" Aisling began to chatter on and on. <b style="color:#388d10">"I hope she's not looking for me. Cause she'll find me here! It'll be great!" Finally, the girl shut her mouth, which was probably the only time she actually looked and acted her age, when she was being completely still. But it didn't last very long. <b style="color:#388d10">"So, it's okay if I stay? Oh! Well, you said it was, didn't you? Sorry." Giggling now, she shut her mouth again, and merely smiled, letting her tail pound the earth in silent happiness. <b style="color:#388d10">"speech."

Watching and listening as she ecstatically burst into words of delight, the male chuckled, allowing his smile to reflect in his eyes. The joy radiating from her was nothing but contagious! Borden, for a moment, thought he would never be able to frown in her presence. Then, she fell silent; he raised his brows as he waited for her speak again. When she did, however, she asked if it was alright to stay. He opened his mouth to confirm the fact but she instantly repeated that he had said it was alright and apologized.

Obviously tickled by her quirks and elated giggles, he grinned. “No need to apologize; of course, Jayse and I would love to have you.” He fully stood up and gave his tail a few wags. “I’m… in the middle of scouting out our pack’s borders though; so, whenever you’re ready just come and find us? Howl or whatever?”

Watchful eyes turned to the river and the woods around them before he glanced back to Aisling, “Again, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He bowed his head, taking one step back, “Things will probably be settled within the next few days. I’ll let Jayse know and we’ll both keep an eye out for you.”

Well, what do you want from me?