Julooooooooooooooke~ ♥
It had been a few days since Ragnar had allowed them to join the ranks of the Ridge pack, and thus far, Verrine and Julooke had settled in well enough. Verrine was finding that he liked the oceanside setting of the packlands; he'd never lived in such close proximity to the sea before. He'd been able to see the ocean in the distance from the lofty cliffs back home at Faerie Glen, but they'd been too far from it to visit there very often. He really liked the tangy, briny smell of the salt on the air here, and the continual soft, dull roar of the waves. It was particularly soothing at night. And he would
never tire of the simple exhilaration of the cold, foamy water lapping over his feet and ankles when he walked on the beach.
Since their arrival, both he and Julooke had been busy establishing themselves in the pack and finding their niches. Julooke had been occupied with hunting, tending to the pack's caches, and providing for the pregnant females of the pack. He also knew she was learning more about healing and medicine. As for himself, he stayed busy patrolling the borders, keeping their scent markers fresh, scouting out game trails, and learning about the lay of the land in general. In the coming weeks, he intended to do more scouting around the outlying lands and learning of the neighboring packs near their own.
They'd spent some time together, but not nearly enough…and he missed Julooke. He was accustomed to her constant presence, as they'd traveled together for close to a year and hadn't been separated much during that time. So he turned his face to the sky and sent up a soft, mellow summoning howl for her, asking her to come find him if she was nearby.
When his voice fell silent, he listened to his howl fade in melodic echoes out into the distance and grinned at his heart's frantic dance in his chest. He loved the electrified feeling he got whenever he thought about her.
Your new avatar is TOO adorable. <3
His heart raced and fluttered, birdlike and frantic, in his chest as he waited for her. Oh, how he loved her, and every time he saw her, a war on a cataclysmic scale was waged inside of him. He yearned to tell her, and yet he did not dare. Their friendship was so precious to him, and he feared crossing that line might put cracks in it. He didn't want to make things weird where they were so perfect right now. He, being so dense and inexperienced with girls, could not see what was right in front of his eyes. He could not see that she loved him too.
He didn't have to wait long for her. She came in a flashing blur of white, her pale coat gleaming and blinding in the sunlight. The silly thing flew right past him before skidding to a halt and backtracking to him. Not for the first time, he was struck by how lovely she was, and her innocent naivety and sweet playfulness only made her more beautiful to him. She gave his shoulder a swift nip in greeting and, grinning like a jackass, he whirled around and pounced toward her, aiming to grab her tail in a playful greeting of his own.
He was fast, but as usual, she was faster. Her tail flitted just out of reach of him as she danced and dodged around, as nimbly and gracefully as a dancer. Giggles came from both of them, and as she dropped down into a playful stance, with her forelegs on the ground and her rump in the air, he couldn't help himself -- he threw his head back in a gale of laughter. She was just so damned adorable, and when had they last had an opportunity to just forget everything and lose themselves in the silly, goofy play of puppies? It'd been a long and hard year for both of them, and this moment, right here and now, felt good. It was an elixir for the spirit that they both needed.
He regained himself after a moment and looked at her gamely, cocking his head and arching an eyebrow as if contemplating his next move. Then, suddenly and without warning, he batted a nearby pinecone at her and then immediately took off running, laughing all the way.
I love your knew avatar! He looks so regal!
Julooke loved hearing the sound of Verrine's laughter, and would gladly spend the rest of her life trying to invoke the magical sound from him as much as she could. She smiled, holding her stance, waiting to see if he would come and get her. It was what she expected him to do. However, Verrine decided to throw a wrench in her "plan" and suddenly chucked a pine cone her way. She gasped, lowering her backside quickly before it hit her.
Eyes narrowing, and with a smirk on her face, she dug her nails into the dirt and launched herself off the ground, running after him. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she tried to catch up with him. Get back here! She ordered playfully. If she caught up with him, she would try to pounce on him and pin him to the ground. Let him try to get away from her then!
Thanks! It's a gorgeous photo. :D
He ran, tail flailing joyfully high in the air, for a short distance. He knew she was faster than him and that he didn't have a chance of outrunning her, but that wasn't what he wanted anyway. He
wanted her to catch him. But he couldn't let her think that, of course!
She was gaining on him, and he heard her order to get back there, and he responded with a loud, barking laugh. After a minute or two more, he skidding to a stop and turned, panting lightly, waving his tail, and eyeing her with amusement, and challenged her:
"Whatcha gonna do, tough guy?"
Her smile was devious and her eyes gleamed with playful malice as her voice rang out, I'm gonna getchu! It was a delicious look on her, Verrine thought, feeling his nerves thrum and his heart quicken as he looked at her in all her glorious mock villainy. Swiftly, she pounced at him, and he allowed himself to be tackled -- "Agghhh!" They crashed to the ground in a tangle of legs and fuzz and goofy laughter, rolling around and wrestling and generally acting like puppies. Of course, when it came to contests of brute strength, he could probably win against Jules fairly easily. But that wasn't the point here. He pushed against her and nipped at her, pretending to struggle against her but all the while secretly resisting the overwhelming urge to pull her closer.
Wrappin' up here since we've got a new one!
Her attempt to get up resulted in her falling back down on top of him, literally nose-to-nose with him, and for a moment, everything froze. He had the most beautiful girl in the world right here in his arms, her nose and her lips just inches from his own, and he didn't know what to do. Should he kiss her? Pull her closer? He felt her heart fluttering in her chest in between dizzying throbs of his own. He gazed into her eyes, sharp and intelligent and as warm and lovely as sunlit honey.
Not knowing what to do at that moment, he grinned and suddenly rolled over on top of her, pinning her playfully with
his nose pressed against hers.
"Hunt with me," he said, almost breathless from the intensity of the moment before.
"Betcha can't catch something before I do." It was just another challenge he knew he would lose, because she was ten times the hunter he was. But that was the point. A wicked grin flashed across her face before he gave her a quick, fleeting kiss (;D!!!) and then took off running, scared out of his mind over what had just happened, but at the same time exhilarated and electrified.