Emberwood I never knew anybody 'til I knew you

@Kavik inspo: Born to Be Yours - Kygo & Imagine Dragons

Traveling with Kavik had been vastly different than traveling as she had - alone. They found less danger together and more food, though this was further improved by living in a group. Liri was, for once, not running to escape something or to save herself. For once, she was looking forward to her destination.

It was evening when she went looking for her giant; they were busy enough managing their group in the light of day, but night was when she sought her lover's embrace. Between the intertwined needles of the forest, pastel streaks of color raced each other across the sky. Bats flashed between the branches, diving for the tiny swarms of insects that had so pestered them in the wetlands. Weaved across her path, the tracks of some medium-sized, tree-dwelling mammal she hadn't seen before caught her attention, but the fae passed on for she had more urgent tasks.

She stopped by a stream, observing the cool, dark water from atop the flat sheet of rock that coated its bank. It was deeper here, still and silent as it reflected back at her; a mirror of a girl frozen in time. The sylph pulled away before she could see herself too closely and called softly for her mate, a beckoning song not unlike a siren's. She longed to be under the stars with him again, as it had been when they first met.

<3 Imagine Dragons

The place they were now was definitely preferable to the wetlands they had recently trekked through. This place was made of mostly woods, which meant it was cooler, especially at night. This evening, he was lying down a short distance from the group, keeping a watchful eye out as they interacted. 

He was unsure where Liri currently was; she sometimes liked to patrol in the evening, and so when she did, he would usually stay behind to keep watch. The entire time she was gone, he would periodically scan the tree line, hoping to catch her white form moving towards him from the woods. She was never gone long, but it was always too long for him. 

His stomach clenched in anticipation as her soft call reached his ears. Nothing could have kept him from answering that call from his healer; his mate. He had come to the realization at some point during their journey that Liri was it for him. The love had already been there, that much was obvious, but the knowledge that he wanted her to be his mate had come sometime later. He had pretty much considered her to be his since the first night they fell asleep under the stars, so it was only natural that they should be mates. 

Kavik glanced toward the others in their group, and decided they all would be fine for a while without He or Liri there. He stood then and began trotting in the direction the call from his love had come. 

He silently padded through dark forest, his inky coat keeping him well hidden in the shadows except for the occasional glint of moonlight on dark, shiny strands of fur.  Her intoxicating scent, pine and wildflowers, became stronger as he grew closer to where he knew she was. His possessiveness was soothed by the fact that his scent was intertwined with hers so deeply, it seemed it would be that way forever. 

He found his beautiful wolf sitting next to the stream that wove through the area. He quickly closed the distance between them, and when he reached her, he pressed his head to her cheek, feeling complete now that they were together. He gave her a soft kiss then that still held his usual intensity; intensity only she invoked. Stepping back just enough to meet her gaze, Kavk sat down in front of his healer. "Hey, you," was all he said, before falling silent again, gad she never seemed to require him to say much.

The healer turned dark eyes on the woodline, unable to make out the smallest of movements as the dark advanced. Kavik seemed to materialize; a plant swayed and suddenly he was here, glinting raven blue under the moon's light. The sylph was unable to stop herself, she trotted towards her lover on silent paws and kissed him. 

"Asavakkit," she whispered, almost as if it were a prayer, in her old tongue. Her words came thick and raspy - as if it had been minutes rather than years where she abandoned her native language in place of the common tongue. The words fell fluid, and the healer found she could not say it to him in the common language, only for Kavik to remain silent again in the face of her proclamation.

"Hi," she murmurs teasingly, returning to the sun-soaked stone. She flicked his nose with her tail as she passed, giggling softly before sitting, curling her tail around her feet delicately.

The word Liri whispered was in an unfamiliar language. He didn't know she spoke another language. He frowned curiously as she turned and playfully caught his nose with her tail on her way to sit back beside the water, making his favorite sound as she sat down. Her giggle caused a tightening in his stomach, and he stood and shook out his coat in excitement. 

Kavik trotted over and sat beside her. After a playful nudge to get her to look at him, he tilted his head a little and softly asked, "What was that language you used?" He wanted to know everything about her and was surprised this had never come up before.

The healer watches him approach on silent steps, a gleam of anticipation twinkling in her dark eyes. She raised her head curiously as he nudged her, her ears twitching at his question. She'd spoken no language but the common since arriving in Teekon - since her childhood truly. It was no surprise that Kavik had yet to hear it.

"It's the old tongue, the northern tongue," the sylph explained softly, knowing no name for it. Those to the north had spoken it, or a close variation of it that she could understand, and so Liri had spoken it. 

The fae brushes her peppered muzzle through his onyx ruff idly, as if in deep thought. Worries and concerns, mostly surrounding Illidan, plagued the girl but she didn't wish to spoil the pleasure of being alone with her mate. There was little to be done to appease her fears, the search for the young coywolf's family had ended fruitlessly. In time, perhaps the brooding boy would acclimate to a new life as she had.

Reluctant to bring up her motherly worries, the fae decides they can wait as she kissed him gently - with urgency.

Kavik wasn't surprised he hadn't heard of the language before. He wanted to ask her what it meant, but he became distracted by the feeling of her small muzzle moving through his fur. He closed his eyes and any built up tension slowly left his body to be replaced by burning need. 

The urgency of his healer's kiss reflected the same need, and he quickly returned the kiss with unrestrained roughness. His body was taught with anticipation as he pulled back from the kiss to move his muzzle through the soft white fur of her neck. His breath came out in harsh bursts as he struggled to contain the fierce want coursing through his veins. He continued to move down her neck, lightly nipping her in an attempt to gently coax her into position. Even now, when he knew she wanted him, he still needed to make sure she felt like she had a choice.

His kiss was not sweet as hers had been - it was harsh and demanding. She could do little else but surrender to him, kissing him back with bruising intensity. The healer sighs as he brushes her neck, tipping her head back to expose her throat - not unlike a domestic cat. Her lungs heave, for that heady spiraling feeling is back - it's perhaps the most exquisite drug she's encountered.

She could feel the lift of his ribcage, the struggle beneath his skin as he tried to maintain control but the sylph didn't allow him to. She returns to him, even as he pulls away as if drawn by a magnetic force. She breathes in his scent, kissing and coaxing wherever she can reach with soft, needy growls. 

There's a brief feeling of victory that is soon eclipsed by anticipation - she's trembling with excitement as she huddles on the ground, urging him with soft sounds and a twist of her head to nip him in return. She waits and with relief, he comes to her and they are again merged together. 

Afterwards, the healer is sprawled against him in the sweet-smelling grass, a foreleg  draped over him as she bites gently at the soft fur at the back of his ears. The sound of the stream and the crickets chirping hidden in the grass is background music, a soundtrack to the summer of their love.

His beautiful mate could read his body like no ever had, meeting his attempt at control with wild passion and shattering any chances he had at restraining the fire inside him. 

As if her little sounds weren't enough to drive him out of his mind with desire, her coaxing nip finally broke the last thread of control he had. He went to her then, greedily taking what was his. 

They lied there for a while afterwards not saying anything, just reveling in the aftershock of their union. Kavik closed his eyes blissfully as Liri nibbled the fur behind his ears. He felt like his chest would explode with the love he felt for her. And with a soft kiss he whispered, "God, I love you," the words finally finding there way from inside his soul. He couldn't even remember why he couldn't tell her that before because it seemed so right to say it to her now. From then on, Kavik vowed to speak his love to her every day like she deserved.

"God, I love you."

The words, soft as the kiss he presses against her lips, find her unprepared to hear them. The healer freezes where she plays with him, her frame taut above his. Suddenly, she seems to recall what they mean and the fae is beaming, her tail thumping against the ground. For a moment, Liri thinks she might even feel tears building in her eyes so she hides against him in a fierce hug.

Once she's composed herself, the healer pulls away to catch his eye. "Asavakkit," she repeats with promise, so that he will know what it means.

Kavik felt Liri briefly freeze at his words before relaxing against him in a hug. He turned to hold her for a few minutes, both of them silent. Finally, she pulled away to meet his gaze and repeated the foreign word she had said earlier, but this time, Kavik understood what it meant without needing her to translate, and he gave her a long, tender kiss in response.

He pulled away from the kiss just enough to be able to look into her beautiful eyes as he spoke. "I'm sorry I didn't say it before. You're so beautiful and amazing..." Kavik paused and closed his eyes before continuing, "...and too fucking good for me. But, I love you so much." His biggest fear, aside from not being able to keep her safe, was that she would one day realize he didn't deserve her and leave him. He wouldn't even blame her; he would just accept the broken heart as retribution for keeping her for so long when he so clearly shouldn't be allowed to have her. That wouldn't stop him from tracking her down, though. No, he was too selfish to just let her go without a fight. 

That selfishness was what fueled his next words. "I know I called you my mate the other day, but I meant it. I want you to be mine forever..." His green eyes had opened and bored into her chocolate gaze with the love he felt for her. "...if that's also what you want." Kavik's fear of her answer forced his last words out as almost a whisper.

Liri feels warmth building in her chest, surely it's dangerous for someone to be this happy, though she stills as he speaks again. The fae pulls back, listening intently to his serious words. Her ears flatten briefly, for she doesn't think she's too good for Kavik. On the contrary, she sometimes wondered if she deserved him.

"I've never wanted anything more," she tells him, hoping this will reassure him at least. She chuckles a little, shy, even though her dark eyes are watery.

At Liri's acceptance, Kavik let out a sigh of relief and kissed her fervently before rubbing his face in the soft fur of her neck. He didn't notice the tears in her eyes until he lifted his head to meet her gaze again. "You're not allowed to cry ever," he quietly teased before touching his head to her cheek. 

After few minutes like that, he moved his muzzle back to her neck and began grooming her as she so often did to him.