no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin

@Kjors <33

Dragonveil was just as she left it; a safe, cozy oasis folded so neatly into the rugged foothill of the Mountain that it was nearly undetectable from the outside.  Once more it was a hiding place when she needed one most; the perfect refuge while she waited for her yearly estrus to subside.  What a beautiful gift the Mother had bestowed upon females, allowing them to connect to Her more deeply as they created and gave birth, experiencing the beautiful, sacred honor of motherhood themselves.  Karina walked along the streambank of the Fold’s little spring, delighting at the small sound of water trickling beneath the stream’s frozen surface. It was a sure sign that spring was near, and when the plants were in bloom Karina would no longer go hungry. The girl stopped in her tracks as her blurred vision fell upon the doe, lying on her side at the edge of the spring. Karina had never seen the doe lying down like that before; the daemon was a spry creature that needed no rest-- she seldom even slowed down enough for Karina to keep up with her. The princess loped swiftly to the side of her companion, a worried whine escaping her throat. The deer paid her no attention as she approached, her face curled into her belly. The priestess leaned in, expecting to see a wound of some kind, and then drew back in shock at the sight that met her eyes. Her ears flattened against her skull, and her breath hitched so firmly in her throat that for just a moment, Karina forgot how to breathe entirely. A litter of dragon hatchlings writhed at the doe’s belly, snapping at one another and huffing little bursts of smoke as they battled to nurse. “Mother of Dragons,” Karina whispered to the deer, voice filled with awe. The doe finally looked up at her, fixing her with her usual silent, knowing stare. The Mother’s messages were often cryptic and mysterious, but not this time. Her will was unmistakable, but for once Her priestess was doubtful of her own ability to answer the Mother’s command.  How could she, a mere child herself, conceive and raise a dragon?

(This post was last modified: Mar 28, 2016, 06:47 PM by Kjors.)

   

    
 

It was a hunch that sent Kjors forth from the borders of Hearthwood River and further south. While day trips were not unusual for the advisor, he made certain to never leave Kisla or her pack for more than a day, always returning when the sky fell dark once more. Their numbers were limited – it was something that bothered the dragon deeply, and something he had mentioned to the Queen once or twice in passing, though he’d yet to come with a divine plan to assist the pack. Of course, spring was upon them now, and there was the strong possibility that Kisla and her sorry excuse for a mate would add to the Baranski lineage.

A snort, and he continued onwards, wondering how Karina would feel about such a thing. But more than that, he wondered how she was, if Orren had found her – if the princess had found whatever it was she’d gone looking for.

His feet lead him as he thundered south of the river – careful to avoid the waterfall wolves and the trouble that lurked among them, the small male moved among the shadow of clouds until he found himself at Dragonveil. He’d told Orren to check the general area, knowing his sister’s fondness for it, but neither had returned. Kjors was not entirely sure why he’d sought it out at all, until he heard a whisper of a familiar voice. Ears flew forward, straining.

“Karina--?”

to have someone kiss the skin that crawls from you

KJORS SØRENSON

to feel your weight in arms I'd never use

Emotion gripped the princess as Kjors’ familiar voice broke the silence of the Fold. Her mentor’s appearance was not unexpected; the Mother had sent clear instructions, and it was only natural that she should also send means for Karina to fulfil them. The intensity of her relief was the true surprise. Since departing Hearthwood River, Karina had seen Kjors behind every bush and around every turn, terrified of his fury, worried that this time her actions were beyond his forgiveness. Strange.. now that he was really here—the real him, not just a messenger with his countenance-- there was no fear at all. Karina tore her gaze away from the doe and her brood, cloudy eyes searching for the corporal dragon. Kjors’ aura was strong here in the Fold, and it beamed from him in golden rays of light and energy. The girl found herself frozen even though she wanted nothing more than to run to him. It had been a long time since she’d stuttered, but her voice came out in the fragile tremble that had characterized her childhood speech. “I.. I’m s-sorry.” Her mouth hung open for a moment, jaw quivering, but she couldn’t find anything else to say.

   

    
 

It was her.

Kjors’ heart skipped a beat, lodging itself somewhere in his throat as his head reared backwards. Golden eye was wide as the dragon bellowed somewhere in his mind, insisting that the one hear him. It almost seemed too good to be true. How many places had he looked? (How many countless others had Orren or Davin whilst looking for the missing Baranski princess?) And for him to just stumble upon her here, in their secret place—

The wolf burst into movement, spurred onwards by a restlessness not entirely his own. His paws knew exactly where to move, and it seemed Karina was presented before him in but a moment. “There y’are.” But before sweet relief could be had, she was apologizing, and the dark male was at her side, nose thrust into her ruff as he checked for any sign of hurt or harm. Why was she apologizing? What was there to be sorry for?

Brows pinched over golden eye and missing socket. “Shh – stop tha’,” he grumbled, twisting to nose beneath her muzzle, for his pink tongue to flash out and soothe whatever cut the princess up inside. “Yer here. Y’came back – t’ th’ place. T’ our place. Now tell me, gem – y’doin’ alright?”

to have someone kiss the skin that crawls from you

KJORS SØRENSON

to feel your weight in arms I'd never use

Though Karina was frozen, Kjors suffered from no such condition. He was at her side so quickly that the princess hardly saw him move. His touch shattered whatever doubt or fear had been holding her motionless, and the girl sank into his embrace. Her thin, weakened frame pressed trembling against her mentor’s more sturdy physique. Kjors’s golden wings stretched and fluttered, and then swept around her to gather her in close as he kissed away the tears Karina hadn’t even realized she’d been crying.  Kjors made to sweep her apologies aside and for once Karina let him, unwilling to taint the sweetness of the reunion with the reminder that he ought to be – and most likely was—furious with her for leaving their home unannounced. He wanted to know if she was alright, and Karina didn’t know whether to laugh hysterically at such a question or cry even harder. “I had t- to come here. T- to hide..” Karina pressed her tail down between her legs as firmly as she could manage, but it did little to stifle the embarrassingly kenspeckle scent of her estrus. The girl suddenly remembered the mother deer, and she abruptly pulled away from Kjors’s embrace in order to look back to the doe and her brood. Karina gasped at the sight. No longer suckling newborns, the hatchlings had grown large enough to take flight, dipping and hurling through the air as they attempted to control their newfound abilities. Each dragon was a different color, and together they made a rainbow of auras that all but set the sky on fire. After a long moment, the girl tore her eyes from the sight to fix Kjors with a look of resolution. “The Mother has shown me Her will,” she imparted, stutter vanishing as she transformed from frightened child to heavenly priestess. “We’re to fill this land with dragons, Kjo. Us.”  She paused, allowing the weight of her suggestion to sink in.

   

    
 

To hide?

Kjors raised one brow, not entirely certain what to make of that story. She’d been gone for months, and he was fairly certain she hadn’t been hiding the whole time. If she’d been scared, she’d have come home weeks ago. He might have pressed a topic, had the female not dropped another little tidbit of information on him moments afterwards.

With ears out to the side, he studied her face in silence for several moments. His nose twitched, aware of the change in her scent. It wasn’t the simple lack of Baranski stink or the missing redwood on her guard hairs. There was the linger smell of all the places she’d been, and on top of that was the very pungent smell of adulthood. She was grown, as adult as Kisla, or Naia, or any of the others. It took Kjors aback as he reared his head up, sizing up his princess as he did. This did not present the man with any other interest; heat had little appeal to him, unlike so many other wolves. At least he’d always keep his mind.

His ears swept back, head tipped to one side. “‘course we are. We’ll find th’ others. Aren’t much dragons though – most ‘re born into it-” His eye narrowed suddenly. “That is naw wha’ yer implyin’.”

to have someone kiss the skin that crawls from you

KJORS SØRENSON

to feel your weight in arms I'd never use

The princess’s suggestion crossed the bounds of everything the pair was, everything they had been up until this point, so it was understandable that it took Kjors a moment to grasp the full meaning of her words. It shocked Karina to even hear them come from her own maw, truth be told, and she knew that she spoke not with her own voice but with that of the Divine. As his quizzical eye narrowed Karina’s gaze held fast, though it took all of her will not to shift her attention to her paws in modesty.  “I’m not to be a princess any longer,” Karina told him, tone a little wistful. She had loved dearly being a princess, for it meant there was always someone to love and protect her. “..Or your gem,” she added, her tearful gaze shifting back to the hatchlings. She didn’t want Kjors to see how much that made her heart ache. “I’m to be your Queen, and you my King. If you’ll have me.” She added quietly, “And we’ll fill this place with new gems. So many..” She let her voice trail as she watched the dragons dip and soar, sparkling like so many precious stones.. Rubies, emeralds, diamonds and sapphires.. the Fold had become a treasure chest of blurred, swirling color and light.

   

    
 

It took the dragon a bit by surprise, to hear the woman speak so confidently of her future.  Of their future.  She was princess by birth, but she could not be Queen unless she dethroned her own mother – or she intended to found something entirely her own.  A thousand thoughts clouded the dragon’s own mind.  Once, he meant to resurrect Ered Luin.  Following that, he sought to make his own name, and his own pack.  When that had failed, he wound up in Hearthwood River after a series of events, all with varying levels of fortune, and he might have finally settled himself down to be content—

And now this was offered.

His own pack.  Their own pack, he supposed, eye narrowing again his he allowed his gaze to settle on the princess once more.  “Yer sure this is wha’ y’want?” he asked, tail twitching behind him.  It was something that never crossed his mind – the alluring springtime scent that drove so many other males into a frenzy did little for the one-eyed male.  In fact, he might have forgotten it was that season altogether, had he not stumbled upon the princess.  “Cos there’s no takin’ it back once it starts.” If they did this, they had to commit to it.

The thought of the act itself drove a shudder down the man’s spine, and the idle wonder if he even could was buried as quickly as it emerged.  Of course he could.  He could do anything.  And if this meant freedom, well--

to have someone kiss the skin that crawls from you

KJORS SØRENSON

to feel your weight in arms I'd never use

Kjors squinted at her, and for a fleeting moment Karina thought he was going to tell her that she was crazy, or too young, or that she would make an awful parent.. and though all of that was most definitely true, he did none of those things. He did not outright agree just yet, but his questions indicated that this was to be her decision. As if she had a choice in the matter. The Mother had shown her the future and with more clarity than any sign She had ever sent to Her priestess. “It’s our destiny,”  Karina confirmed quietly, without allowing herself a pause to reconsider. If she slowed down now she might not have the courage to go through with it. She tore her gaze from the fluttering hatchlings to meet Kjors’s eye once more, attempting to look confident but failing when her jaw trembled. Obeying the Mother’s will was never easy, but this time she was being asked to forsake everything she had known.. her family, her place in Hearthwood River, her relationship with Kjors.. and do the hardest thing she could possibly imagine. Be a mother. Karina closed the distance to Kjors and nudged her face into his chest. It was not a very grown-up gesture and certainly not a queenly one, but she allowed herself this last childish act and took comfort in the man who used to be her mentor. “It’s time,” she said, pulling away from their embrace. With a long breath, the priestess released all that she knew, all that she clung to, her entire past.. into the breeze, to allow room for her new life that was beginning now. Mother above, if it was anyone but Kjors she would never have the courage. A restless growl hummed in her throat, and she flicked her tail expectantly.

   

    
 

Kjors huffed softly, caught somewhere between blind faith and a personal vestment in the woman before him.  A means to an end?  Or would it only do if it were him?  He didn’t ask, didn’t feel it his place to.  Whether that was because it felt too personal, or because it felt like questioning the will of The Mother, he wasn’t sure, but he held his tongue for minutes more.  He had no interest in the act simply for the sake of it – quite frankly, he had no interest in the act at all, but it was difficult to deny Karina when she asked so sweetly.

The swarthy male exhaled, single eye fluttering shut as he sought to find his center.  Things were changing – they’d keep changing whether he tried to move with the tide or stand against it.  Hearthwood River, he knew, was not his future.  It was lazy to think so, for social structure would not allow him to rise any more than he already had.

“As y’say,” he finally grunted, moving only to touch Karina’s crown.  There was no reason to hide now, given the conversation they’d just had.  It came from something wilder than even his dreams, and he knew, now, it was not in him to change.  Nosing the female back towards the mountainside, he would bring her somewhere sheltered first, and then they would begin.  Nothing else was worthy of a rising queen.

Fade.

to have someone kiss the skin that crawls from you

KJORS SØRENSON

to feel your weight in arms I'd never use