Snowforest Taiga wind shear

Alya endured the clumsy touch without giving away her distaste for it. She'd already determined that she wasn't going to get what she wanted - never a good thing - and could now only wait for the inevitable fallout. Sure enough, the male fumbled through his excuses, trembling and broken, and then turned and fled from her presence.

How interesting, she thought, watching his bushy tail disappear through the trees. It would have been a much more satisfying encounter if she'd thought she was solely responsible for his turmoil, or if his turmoil had ended with him caught up in her embrace. But, while there was a force outside of herself that clearly ruled him, she could not help but dwell on his words. Not yet. As if she would wait on him. As if she would deign to be his second choice.

Distantly, she took note of the raw ache in her chest. An unfortunate side effect of her manipulations. Nothing more.