The Sentinels And you want me to go without

ooc: set near the Southern borders of Donnelaith. Part of Lovegame 2.0 plot (if you intend to join, please, read about it here first)

When exactly the complete change had happened, Osprey did not know, but gradually over the course of few days all of the wordly problems had become irrelevant, pushed away to the furthest corners of her mind. She did not care about the enemy lurking behind the borders, the decree to stay within the territories until a further notice seemed unnecessary. When one was in love with the world so much, why would anything else matter? It had been months, since she had felt pretty and desirable and the primal fire that was coursing through her veins, fuelled this belief to the point, where she considered herself not only beautiful, but invincible too. 

She had been padding along the edge of her home, having decided to challenge her fate and humming a melody that was so off in terms of taste and music that even she had to laugh. And she did, giggling like a young girl, until her injured foot gave notice of itself and she stopped. Only to drop down heavily on her side the very next moment and rolling in the frosty remnants of the snow, doing that with utter delight and letting her scent seep in the ice and earth - I am here, come and find me, if you dare.

Throwing him in early ;) hehe.  Vaguey vague in case anyone else stumbles in!!

Dante had never felt like this before and was thrown for a loop the moment he'd awoken and caught traces of his mate's change.  Instantly the overwhelmingly intense need to be with her rose up, rearing its somewhat ugly head with traces of a jealous possessiveness that was completely alien.  

He knew what a draw this time was to males both in and outside the pack and he knew he couldn't stand the thought of her accepting that sort of attention to its fullest extent from anyone else.  Last year came to mind and it filled him with even more intensity.  No way.

Practically thrumming with protective (and perhaps overly agressive) energy, he left to seek her out, following her trail as it wound through Donnelaith.  She was a wanderer, and this had never bothered him remotely before.  Now, however, he couldn't stand the idea of her venturing out alone.  It was a lack of trust that stemmed entirely from instinct and one he could not control.  Once it took him in its claws he was unable to resist.

Osprey stopped wallowing in the snow and, while still on her back, looked up to the sky, let her gaze travel through the clouds and then eventually find the sun. She squinted at the bright light, enjoying the sight of the various colorful shapes and forms behind her closed lids. A meaningless action, yet oddly amusing. 

With another wave of girlish giggles coming from her lips, she rolled on her belly and stretched out as far as she could in the snow. It was another wonderful feeling, even if her injured foot was aching. She would have engaged more in this kind of time-killing exercises, had she not heard the sound of distant footfalls. They were pretty far off still, but made her alert. With ears perked up and head turned towards the source of the sound, she waited to see, who it was.

When he found her, she was alone, and a heavy sigh of relief expelled from his lungs.  He wasn't sure what exactly he'd expected, but his brain wasn't exactly firing on normal cylinders.  He just knew he was happy to see her.  He chuffed a greeting, demeanor instantly shifting from intent search and high anxiety to cheerful excitement.  It was as though his mind had turned a complete 180, but he didn't stop to assess it.

The tantalizing scent on the air was foremost in his mind still, and so a nugget of caution was present.  Nature was in hold here, and even if they were mates, there was always a chance she would reject his presence.  It wasn't something he dwelled on, but he didn't exactly jump at her either.  Instead he took a quick walk, ears pushed forward in a friendly manner.

There would come a time and place, when Osprey would accept her mate's advances, but it was too early now. She was going through the phase of being overly happy about the world and life in general, feeling a childish joy about the very fact that she was alive here and now. 

However the concept that Dante was only hers wasn't lost in the haze of the heat, if possible the love she felt for him was even stronger now, therefore she beamed, once she caught sight of him, and got to her feet to approach him in the same friendly and welcoming manner as she did on the regular days. 

She gave him a lick on the tip of his muzzle and then let her cheek brush against his cheek, side of the neck, until her head rested on top of his nape, she sighed in contentment.

There was no invitation in her approach, and while Dante could feel the desire and push begin, it was nowhere near strong enough for him to push the issue now.  He knew when the time came she would ask.  And when it came, he would not make the same mistake as last year.

Instead now he pressed his cheek back to hers, then trailed his own kisses down her shoulder as she rested her head on his shoulders.  

Her happiness was infectious.  Glancing playfully back, he slid out from under and danced a few steps forward, a challenging smirk quirking his brow.  With a tilt of his head he invited her to a chase or a race, knowing he would lose but lightheartedly excited to simply run with her a while.

Osprey responded to her mate's tender touches with a soft purr of satisfaction. Though way past her youth and having a bit of experience with being liked and desired, it did not deter her from feeling like young girl, all giddy and blushing. She reached to have a nip at the left ear that was closest to her, but Dante suddenly freed himself from the embrace and danced few steps away. 

She  looked at him with a puzzled expression, but when the realization of what was going own dawned upon her, she smiled. Usually Osprey was the one to initiate a game, therefore Dante's choice to do so this time was a welcome change. So without hesitation she bowed playfully first and then took off abruptly, stopping briefly to look over her shoulder, as if asking, if he was coming or not, then continued her flight. The bad leg slowed her down a little.

She caught on quickly and eagerly, darting ahead immediately.  Even with her injured leg he was not likely to keep up well, but that didn't stop him from bounding off after her.  For a while at least he could maybe match her speed, and the fun of it was simply the freedom of running and seeing her enjoy that freedom too.

If she slowed or his pace was enough, he'd bump affectionately against her before picking up to an actual sprint, stretching his legs to their extent to carry his considerable bulk as fast as he could while enjoying the feel of the air.

Dante was fast and in a matter of seconds he was running by Osprey's side, his pace matching hers and him occasionaly bumping into her. She pretended to be cross for this kind of attitude and replied to each of those moves with either a playful snap in his direction or a loud growl. The racing game continued a little while longer, until her injured joint began to protest against so much activity and her limp became more prominent.

Osprey slowed down to a trot and then sat down with tongue lolling out of her mouth, lips pulled back in a smug grin and eyes twinkling mischievously. She was done running and was going to stay here. End of story... unless her mate found a way to persuade her to move.

She went along with the game wonderfully, snapping occasionallyat him playfully. He didn't snap back, but did poke at her with his muzzle a couple of times as he matched pace.  They raced along a good while, and by the time she slowed down, he was ready to stop too. His chest was heaving but he was grinning when he paced around to catch his breath.

There was a devilish glint in her eye as she sat there, and Dante answered the challenge with a huffing chuckle and a quirked brow.  So that was how it was.  He approached, winding around somewhat like a cat before plopping down too.  Staying put for a bit sounded pretty darn good to him too at the moment.

Even though Dante had won the race, he didn't seem to be particularly eager to continue running either. Tired already? She quirked an eyebrow, when he returned to her and lied down to rest. She slid down to her belly too, in order to be in the same eye-level. Nothing happened for a minute or two, while the elder caught her breath and the heart that had been drumming inside her rib-cage had calmed down a bit. Then, when it felt right to quit the pause, she reached out and tried to grab his muzzle between her jaws to mouth the same way puppies often do, when they play with each other.

He too attempted to make his breath slow, amused slightly by the drumming of his heart on his ribs.  Old man indeed.  But he felt quite young, still alight with the fun of play despite his windedness.

His mate apparently felt the same, because as he sat unsuspecting, suddenly her muzzle reached for his.  He reacted too late, and her playful grab met its mark.  Pulling back, he lifted a paw to her neck, ready to continue this lazy little wrestle session.  If she let go, he'd go for hers in a similar fashion, gently trying to catch hers before she got his again.

Osprey evaded Dante's well-aimed "attack" and leaned close to him so that her muzzle was against his ear and she could whisper: "Let's get lost." With that she entangled herself and danced few feet away, regarding her mate with a mischievous gaze, her tail wagging. She turned to run and looked over her shoulder: "Come!"

ooc: you could finish this in your next post and have it archived? Thank you!

Let's get lost.  She didn't need to ask twice.  He watched her dance away, then met her mischevious smile with a slow one of his own, hauling himself to his feet and taking off after her.  A second wind was easier to find when you had someone you loved to run with.