Hearthwood River and the moon is the only light we'll see

His breathing, once shallow, had turned steady. The heartbeat in his chest found a fixed rhythm. There was nothing to fear from the smaller lass, and he knew he could hold his own. If she was going to start some funny business, he would not hesitate to retort in kind.

As it was, she strode up to him, each move visibly calculated. The only part of him that moved was his tail as he angled his head to watch her from the corner of his eye. Her nose hovered about his knees, elbows, and paws. One whiskered brow rose and he mused to himself if this was the moment when she would be the first to speak. Neither did. It was as if the words unspoken hung in the mid-day air, turning into static between them. Both were simply waiting for the spark.

She moved to look at him, her gaze pinned on the spot he had along his jaw. The easiest move he could have taken was a flash of his teeth. That would have meant he was uncomfortable or offended by her being in his personal space. He wasn't though, and he momentarily wondered why.

Adelard's tongue found the front of his nose as he found himself sniffing hers. A small snort cleared his nostrils, his whiskers continued to quiver. He hummed - or grumbled, rather - in reply, unsure of where to go from here. His right paw rose in question and his tail gave a small shake.

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

Greed.

It rippled up her insides and crawled along the walls of her stomach. She could not say what in particular had sparked it so fiercely. Perhaps she truly had been charmed by the way he had not flapped his lips with words of fancy. She had not needed to say a word for her to get what she had wanted to say.

Nor had he had to negotiate with her.

She would find that his strongest point yet.

Even as he grumbled and she watched the careful shake of his tail. Her mouth opened, slow and steady so that she would not spook him outright. Then she reached with that same slowness and wished that he might allow her to grab at some tuft of fur. She was hardly picky with where or what piece of fur, she simply wished to be close.

She hoped the continued neutrality of her posture would convey that.

The moment her lips parted, his ears braced themselves. He waited for words that did not come. Instead, she moved in slow motion, her teeth finding purchase along his pelt near his nape. His nostrils burned; the eardrums within his skull smoldered. If he had not been given the chance to anticipate her next move, he might have crumbled beneath her touch.

Even if the traces of others could be picked up in her perfume, he did not care. She wanted to be close and he needed to feel wanted. To feel purpose. To feel alive again.

Adelard Gerau was vulnerable.

His dull amber eyes closed as he bowed his head. He stepped away from her and turned to face her full-on. Face to face. When he opened his eyes again, he looked at her. Attempted to fish for answers behind her blue-gray irises. Whatever she wanted from him, she wasn't giving him a straight answer.

A short, low whimper pierced the air, the top of his nose finding the pale hairs of her chin. Should she ask it of him, he would follow her to the ends of the earth and back.

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

She had expected a grumble, some discomfort or the decision that he no longer liked this game. Although Isla wondered if it was a game. She enjoyed this, but it was not toying. It had not felt like it had been strictly for fun in the basic sense.

Isla found he had removed himself though and at once she expected him to begin that protest she had imagined.

He had instead put them face to face. She could not help but look into the smolder of golden eyes. Her brows had not pinched, her gaze had not sharpened. She looked at him plainly and yet with a cautious curiosity. As if she might see what it was the he wanted.

Only to feel him at the pale of her chin. A whimper in the air rode into her ears, her heart felt like it shoved against her throat.

He was tall, even with his nose under her chin, but she moved with a certainness to attempt to drag the side of her head along the length of his neck. Body moved with so that she might bring herself along his neck until her head could be on his broad shoulder.

She had no clue what she wanted from him, she only knew that she asked for him now.

Selfishly, wholly and entirely.

She moved and the grace of it all caught him by surprise. Whatever trembling creature had taken up vacancy in his chest grew silent and docile. The woman embraced him, nuzzling along his side before placing her head on his shoulder. Another huff escaped his parted lips, slow enough not to hiss behind his teeth. A means of snuffing out what tenseness remained.

In so many ways, she tended to the flame within him. Stoking it with meaningful actions and displays. No water, no gasoline, no kicked dirt or large logs.

Isla Valle had done the impossible. Woya Macieo's guard dog turned feral and aimless beast became tame.

Adelard's tail began to sway. Like the rest of him, it was collected and easy. She had curved into him and he reciprocated, pressing his temple to her side along her ribs. If they had been more acquainted, he might have combed his teeth through her fur. But, perhaps, there was time for that yet. Introductions and small talk could come later if she wished, but for now, this was all he needed.

While the low thrum of another growl in his chest told her he would not tolerate any hijinks, he cut it short with a whine. Something that could be taken as a mix of curiosity, intimacy, and affection. For as long as she would have him, he was hers.

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

The pressure from her chest abated and she felt him steady against her ribs. If she let her gaze wander down his spine she thought she could catch the glimpse of his tail as it waved. A peace rolled over her like the wind of a storm soon to come. Something that prickled the ends of her nerves with the flood of relief.

She had not thought to stop the own sways of her tail as they stayed melded into one another. There was no way to be as close to him as she wished to be in that moment.

A low sound bubbled in her throat in response to him. Muted but warm. Hers. She allowed her own whine to punctuate the words she had not spoken aloud. Yet she had faith in him — a grand thing that she gripped onto with her ferocity — that he would understand this too.

Her next goal was to drag herself fully along his side in a more open display now. She wanted no half measures with him. Her tail continued its sway and while she had a desire to nip along him as she went, she refrained for now. She could not risk a startle and this was a dance she wanted two to do.

For once, she had no desire to strongarm.

(This post was last modified: Mar 18, 2024, 09:51 PM by Isla.)

The whine that came from her in return ensnared every fiber of his being. She came forward, rubbing up against his side, athletic limbs finding their bearings. Adelard found himself curling towards her as she reached his rump and tail. Pheromones in the air threatened to make him dizzy, to lose sight of everything apart from her.

Another attempt to read her with a tinge of concern. He wanted to take care to not overstep any boundaries or misread her entirely. His gaze focused on the lilt of her tail, her stance and closeness to him. Was she... flagging him?

His heart threatened to lodge itself in his throat. Stocky limbs and and heavy steps brought him to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her. If she want to dance, then they would do it on mutual ground. If she would not stand for half-measures, he wanted clarity. As a widower and much older gentleman, he would not fall for Isla as he had with his previous Leader's sister. But, he did like and appreciate all that he had seen so far. She was intuitive and sharp. Hell, she was quite a looker, too, and the intensity in her gaze had him locked in a spell.

A tilt and subtle turn of his head, he met her eyes and pinned his ears back before lowering them. He wanted to make sure she was willing to have him. At least for now. His loyalty, once established, ran deep and he would not tolerate being a simple plaything. If she wanted to get rid of him, she would have to kill him first.

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

feel free to fade in a reply if he accepts <3

She watched him, too enraptured to look away. Soon enough she found that he had placed himself along her side again. This time shoulder to shoulder. She did not fear a look into his face now. Her iced gaze roved over the masked colors of his face and the broadness of his jaw. He seemed built as if he was made to shelter.

Isla allowed herself to look at his eyes again. As if the gold might spill forth the words that his mouth had not dared to speak. How was it they had not spoke yet? She felt as if she had already heard a million words for him and as if she returned them all the same too. She knew soon enough they might hear each other in words instead of their gestures.

This afternoon she meant only to speak as they had so far.

Her gaze dropped from the smolder of his golden eyes before she allowed her head to drop too. Gently shoved beneath his chin. Her next step would be to invite him again with another valiant wave of her tail. Isla thought that if she had picked as right as she felt in this moment, they might forge a new future for each other.

Together.

The moment they held each other's gaze felt like an eternity. Like something clicked, a lock opened by a key, the turning of the hour hand when the second hand passed twelve. He smiled with his eyes and she ducked her head, returning his answer in kind. Her touch tickled at the whiskers on his chin. A slight 'wobble' of his head, the act of putting a full body shake to a halt.

Her tail gave a more exaggerated sway. His brows rose; his tail lifted to level with his spine. She had him wrapped around her sleek black paw. No matter what the upcoming evening held, he was more than ready. A gentle nudge of his nose along the side of her neck and a 'kiss' to the base of her ear signaled he was ready whenever she was.

Yes, she would have him. However she chose. He was here for it and then some, and Paradise Falls would have a problem on their hands if they denied Isla Valle's newly self-appointed escort entry...

[Fade.]

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher