Hushed Willows by every half-wit of distinction she keeps around

@Khali

It looked like it was coming from the sky.

The waterfall was massive, so tall, so powerful. She stood at the base, gaping up at its might. It sounded cliche, perhaps, but it was probably the most amazing thing she had ever seen in her life--and she had seen a great many things, since beginning her travels. The spray was cool on her face, leaving clear, crystalline droplets on her cheeks.

The mountains rose high above, casting a shadow upon the land. It was nice to be back near the crags. Lily had loved the cave they had stayed in for a time; the view was perfect. How far was it from here? Maybe she could go for a visit, one of these days. Go ice-skating with Korei, when the snow came. . .

Korei. She heaved a sigh, thinking of her wayward friend. She would try to find her soon, but there was just so much to do here. She barely had a spare moment; this was her first period of relaxation since arriving, and she was technically supposed to be scouting right now. Who else could they send after her? Lily just tried to hold onto the hope that Korei would return--best-case scenario, unharmed.

Khali was supposed to be marking the borders but on his way he caught scent of Lily. When the scent hit his nose he perked up and stopped in his tracks. His heart fluttered for a moment before he decided to take a moment and seek her out, of course the borders could wait for just one second so he could talk to her. It felt like a high just getting a whiff of her so he pranced toward the rushing water. 

When he grew close it wasnt the water water that caught his eye.. no.. it was Lily. The way she was standing near the water and the droplet shines upon her face made her coat gleam. The way her eyes shined upon sight of the water made his heart skip a beat. Khali looked at her with awe in his eyes. He admired her just as much,if not more, than she admired the waterfall. He felt like it was hard to breath. 

It felt like he stared for minutes on end before finally sending out a soft chuff to greet her. He moved forward to stand beside her and also felt the mist cling to his coat. Though she was beautiful he could feel the stress that she was carrying. “How is everything? “ he asked even though he knew it was hectic.

Over the roar of the falls, she didn't hear him coming; it was only the flash of cream in the corner of her eye that caught her attention. Lily turned, smiling, ears canted far forward to catch his question. "Hectic," she answered with a laugh, unknowingly echoing his thoughts. She stepped back from the water, moving to a place where it was a little quieter and motioning for him to follow.

"How are you?" she asked, once they had settled down elsewhere. She cast her fiery gaze over him; he looked in fine health, despite everything. She wasn't sure if he had ever gotten more than just the sniffles from the sickness that had spread around. He had changed a lot, overall, from the withdrawn, surly man that had first joined them to now--an active, eager member of the group.

Her smile was always something he looked forward to seeing especially after traveling so far without her by his side. The laugh she had let out was music to his ears as they perked.  “I should have known that, everything has been since the cats. “ he said as he followed her to a quieter place though the water was heard if one was to listen closely in the background. 

“I’ve been good. Missing you.” He admitted before he caught what had come out of his mouth. Quickly his eyes moved from the blackbird to something off in the distance. In his mind he was beating himself up, knowing it was something he should have kept to himself. He just had all these feelings and he didn’t know how to let them out so they came out unexpectedly on him.

The cats; she laughed again at that. It was easy to laugh now, when they were far away and gone. There was a deep hatred within her for them, knowing that they had brought the illness that had killed Lana. But wouldn't her friend have laughed, albeit wryly, to know that cats would bring about her demise?

Some day, in another world, they'd giggle about it together.

But now this was interesting! His impulsive remark brought a sly smile to her face, and Lily nudged him, eyes sparkling. "I missed you, too," she admitted, voice walking the line between teasing and sincerity. In truth, it was the latter. He had become a great friend to her, these past few moons. She hadn't previously considered the possibility of more, but then. . .Vilkas had started as a good friend, too, right?

Khali looked at her again as her eyes twinkled and she nudged him. The feelings he felt were nothing like any other he had before. It was hard to keep them under control. He felt as though maybe he needed a friend to confide in about them, he wished it could be his sister but he knew the journey back would be too soon as they had work here that overwhelmed the pack. 

“Really?” He said a little surprised that she did. Khalis mouth sort of dropped and then he caught himself. He brought himself back to his proper expression and smiled. “I’m glad you’re back. Hopefully when we settle we can spend some time together?” There it was again, the flutter in his stomach that seemed to come every time he said something that made him slightly nervous.

His words gave her a thrill, but perhaps more importantly, they jogged her memory. "That reminds me," Lily remarked, turning fully toward him. "I, erm, meant to ask you if you would accompany me on a scouting trip? Seabreeze wanted me to look for Alarian--I know Delight said he left, which means he probably isn't coming back, but. . ."

Lily chuckled, shifting a bit awkwardly. "Anyway, there must be some errand Seabreeze would want me to attend to outside the border, and I want you with me. Do you--do you want to? Technically that would let us spend some time together," she added wryly, grinning at him. The prospect was exciting, and she tried to keep her composure. Oh, couldn't they leave, like, right now?

The mood changed when she wanted to ask him something. He was slightly more serious now. The fact that she wanted to take him with her was big... to him anyway. More importantly it would allow him to protect her if anything were to happen out there. He was honored that she even asked. Khali let a smile take place of his serious gaze, it was quite soft, and then he nodded once. “I’ll go with you happily not only to help look but to help protect you. It’s an honor.” He said. 

The speak of them getting to spend time together especially outside the borders made his face feel a little hot. “That would be great.” He murmured with a sway of his tail. His heart thudded harder a few times as he thought about it. Khali never would have thought his life would be like this especially when he was under Muguuzis rule, but now he felt like he could do almost anything.

"Excellent," Lily chirped, tail beating fast. "I'm so glad." Not that she had any doubt that he would agree to come--it was just nice to hear it out loud. And though she objected, on principle, to the idea of being protected, she knew it would come in handy if things went awry. She wasn't the biggest of wolves, and her fighting skills were subpar, to say the least.

"We'll leave soon. I'll tell Seabreeze that you've agreed," the girl said, pressing her muzzle against his cheek before pulling away, beaming. "It'll be fun!" It really would be.

He smiled and was glad to hear that he was so welcomed to her. “Me too” he said softly. Obviously he was excited to spend some time with her but also so he could know more about her. So far he just knew the surface but he was sure that she had more underneath, like a small glacier floating and when you look underneath it’s bigger than expected.He was curious.

”I should probably speak to Seabreeze before leaving also. Just to check up on her, I helped her out when you were gone.” He said remembering when they were at The Sanctuary and everyone fell ill. Hard times always end with joy... for some as he still remembered that Lanawyn had passed.

She wanted to leap around like a pup, but knew that would be foolish. She held her enthusiasm just barely in check; it vibrated beneath the surface of her skin, like the tremors following an earthquake. I didn't know that, she responded, though it made sense--a bit? Lily was heartened at the change in Khali. She would have never pegged him to become this warm and kind, this dutiful.

We'll leave soon, then, she decided, with a smart nod of her head. Hopefully the journey won't take us too far for too long--then again, a little adventure can be fun, Lily added, with a conspiratorial wink. She certainly had gotten the most out of her short trips. Would this one end up the same way? Or perhaps better?

He smiled and nodded. He knew she didn’t know but it wasn’t a big deal. Khali found that helping out where it was needed was a big part of being in this pack. He loved it and that helped too. “Yes, we had talked after you left and she seemed a bit overwhelmed so I offered myself for whatever I could do for her. Mostly so she could rest some. “ he said explaining his duties before.

At the sound of her saying they would leave soon he swayed his tail happily. He couldn’t wait to go on a journey with her. “Sounds good to me. Hopefully it won’t but whatever time we need to get it done then we will take it.” He said and then nudged her. Khali didn’t want to rush the trip for mistakes could be made that way.

That's very kind of you, she said softly, her smile warm and boundless. Without volition, she stepped forward to press her head into the crook of his neck, enjoying the strong, solid feel of him against her cheek. Lily stayed there for a short while before pulling back again, her heart thumping a little erratically against her chest.

I'll let you know when it's time to leave, the blackbird said, trying--and failing--to sound businesslike. The giddy excitement bled through her tone, no matter what she did to shove it down. I should get back to my patrols--I don't suppose you'd want to join me, today? Hopefully you won't get sick of me by the time we leave, she added, giggling.

Khali smiled as she thanked him, "It was the least I could" he said softly. He was a bit surprised but embraced it when she put her head into his neck. It was the best feeling. He hoped that she felt the way he did, right now he felt on top of everything getting to spend a lot of his time with Lily.

"Okay, I'll be ready whenever we do." he said through his smile, noticing only a bit that she was excited. A patrol sounded good today and he nodded fast. "I would love to join you and me getting tired of you could never happen!" he said softly nudging her.