Otter Creek You would have to be half mad to dream me up

@Aventus

They hadn't been traveling long before Arielle had gently nudged Aves with her nose to indicate they should head towards the water she could smell. It was close by, and she knew they should wash the scent of Ursus and Akashingo from their coats before going any farther. There's running water nearby, she told him. I can smell it. 

A large thicket could be seen in the distance, and she knew that was where they would find the water. This way, she said to Aves before changing their path to lead them in the direction she had indicated. 

It didn't take them long to reach the creek, and when they did, Arielle made a beeline for the water, plunging into the cool liquid until just her head was above the water. She looked at Aves then and said: We should wash the scents from our fur. It would be detrimental to their mission if they were identified because they smelled of the Saints' enemies.

It was too easy to slip inside his own head now and let his paws walk without conscious effort. Without Arielle there to voice the steps they must take to protect themselves in the mountains, who knew how many of them Aventus would forget? He might walk directly into the Saints' jaws without so much as a bath, if not for her guidance. He followed her lead, trailing after her while he continued to silently grieve the loss of his mother. He didn't make for good company these days, and wished he could express how fiercely proud and grateful he was to have her with him.

When she spoke, Aventus mentally began to go through a list in his head. It will take more than that, he said, his voice like an echo in his ears, like it came from someone else's mouth. We will bathe first. Then we must accumulate other smells, smells not associated with Akashingo or Ursus. Dying grass, dirt, sap from trees. We need to smell like travelers with no affiliation.

It might make sense to use strongly perfumed plants for a greater effect, but Aventus believed the Saints were too suspicious for that to work. We can't smell like we're trying too hard to hide our own, he said, following Arielle into the water. This time of year, it was frigid. The chattering of his teeth was instant. We should smell like each other, he suggested, ignoring a sudden heat that crept up into his throat at the thought of sidling closer to the fierce medic. Like close traveling companions that eat together and sleep together should smell.

She listened quietly as the prince listed the other ways they could hide their scents. All were good ideas, and she made a mental note to look for these things while they traveled. She knew Aves was often lost within his own dark thoughts, grieving. She didn't mind picking up the slack; she was here to help, after all. She would give him the space he needed to process what she knew must be overwhelming emotions. If he needed more than space, then she was there to listen or comfort.

Her eyes were drawn to his chattering teeth as the cold water seeped into his fur. She moved close to offer her warmth, as minuscule as it might be now that she was soaked too. He suggested that they be sure to smell of each other, as if they slept, ate, and traveled together. The familiar fluttering expanded in her chest at the thought of sleeping next to Aves. She ignored it as best she could and smiled. Well, we will be doing those things, she softly pointed out. Maybe we should take more time to travel so that we can be sure we smell as though we live that way. The water grew colder by the minute and now she could feel it sinking into her bones. A shiver moved through her and she pressed her side against the prince's own, hoping to conserve whatever warmth they had left while they started the process of cleaning Ursus and Akashingo from their coats.

Ursus was a uniquely unaffectionate pack. That was how Aventus experienced it. His mother was one of very few tactile wolves among their number. Now that she was gone, there was something forbidden and almost a little hostile about the thought of touching any of his packmates. He certainly could not touch his father right now, nor would he want to attempt to touch Avicus in any way.

Yet inside the privacy of his own mind, Aventus was like his mother. Touch was an important part of interaction for him, no matter how much he suppressed it. So when Arielle moved closer and seemed amenable to the idea, he leaned into her side and reached to drag his teeth gently through the fur at the back of her neck with a soft rumble. Nothing too instense, he thought. Just combing his scent into hers. Duty.

So why did it feel so nice to do it?

He didn't really answer her question, but it was quickly forgotten as Aves reached over and ran his teeth through the fur of her scruff, his rumble moving over the skin of her back. Arielle closed her eyes for a moment and leaned closer, allowing him better access if he needed it. There was the fluttering in her chest again, as if the act of sharing their scents meant something more because it was the prince. She had always been drawn to him, but she just hadn't connected all the dots yet. All she knew right now was that she wanted to protect him. She felt like he and the bear king had suffered enough. 

When she opened her eyes, her heart beat picked up a little, and she reached up and lightly ran her muzzle through the fur of the raven's throat. If he didn't stop her, she would gently move her own teeth through his coat to make sure their scents mixed even more.

It was remarkable the way Arielle's teeth against his throat made his pulse race not with fear or distrust, but excitement. Fingers of warmth spread from their point of contact, clawing through his blood and reducing the icy water to an afterthought. It seemed to part around them, leaving his skin warm where it flowed by, and his teeth no longer chattered, but eagerly sought more of her dark fur.

Aventus was not entirely ignorant to what he was feeling, and wondered if Arielle felt the same thrill or merely the comfort of grooming. He couldn't tell if the sensation in his stomach was hunger or lust; he was familiar with the latter after Ramesses presented the fellahin to him, but this was different. It stirred him in ways better felt by his soul than his body, though the latter felt it too. He came alive at her touch.

But Aventus did not want to be improper, so he allowed himself only a few moments more to indulge, then pulled reluctantly away. Every fiber of him protested and urged him to sweep her into his arms, but he thought it must be the aftermath of time in Akashingo. It felt wrong to even think of Arielle that way. She was a noble Ursus wolf, not some plaything like the pharaoh's coyotes. There was want in him, but utmost respect, as well.

We will take more time to travel, he agreed breathlessly, cursing the hoarseness of his voice then. He did his best to appear normal and unshaken, but a bright and hungry light danced in his eyes and his chest rose and fell harder when he sought her face. Beneath his black fur, his ears and cheeks blazed.

Her affection seemed to draw the prince even closer as he nuzzled deeper into her fur. The feeling made her heart stop, frozen under the wave of emotion the flowed into her chest. When it started again, it slammed against her ribs in an irregular pattern. She never wanted him to stop, and she never wanted to pull her face from his dark, silky coat. She nuzzled into his fur, his warm, dark scent all she breathed in. It warmed the air in her lungs and urged her heart to beat impossibly faster.

And then he pulled away. She wanted to pull him back against her. She was suddenly freezing in the absence of his affection. That absence forced her to face what had been lurking in the back of her mind for some time, but she was afraid to linger too long on it. Not right here with him looking at her like that. He had spoken but the words didn't register at first. She had been too distracted by everything, as well as how breathy his words sounded. She swallowed and lifted her gaze to meet his, something she hardly ever did. She stared at him with a tender, surpised expression, her own breathing quick, matching his. 

Finally the words made sense, and she looked away shyly. Arielle nodded. The water is cold, she told him. Her voice was soft, and she had to clear her throat a little to get the sound out. We should get out before we get sick.

A moment of absurd spontaneity almost swept Aventus up when he realized Arielle was breathing just as hard as him. what does that mean? he thought to himself in a dopey haze, and imagined himself ushering her off to somewhere more private, or maybe leaving this whole war behind and returning to Bearclaw Valley with her, and ... and then what? It wasn't like he could just squirrel her away like some prize. She was too good for that.

Aventus stared into her face intently, scouring for her thoughts, some tangible confirmation of her feelings, and then she looked away. He was a silly boy reading too far into things and yet unable to read what was plainly there in front of him. The moment waned as quickly as it came. War beckoned. They had a job to do, and he was only imagining things, after all. She was only out of breath because the water was cold. The reminder set his teeth rattling again.

Right, he said, letting his breath out in a slow whoosh and willing his heart to quit galloping. It was only the cold water, he told himself, pulling his body from the stream before turning and offering his wet shoulder to steady her as she climbed the bank. It will be colder in the mountains. Maybe we should go somewhere and dry off first? That set his pulse to racing all over again.

The moment was quickly slipping away. She wanted to say something, or rush forward and press her face into his chest. But her voice was stuck in her throat and her legs wouldn't budge. She was the one that suggested they get out of the water. It was all so frustrating and confusing.

So she let him lead her out of the water, and she accepted his help when he offered. His shoulder was warm against hers, and it made the fluttering in her chest intensify. She shook out her coat once they were both out and glanced over at him. He suggested they find somewhere to dry off before heading in the mountains. Flashes of them being cuddled up somewhere warm pushed into her mind and her cheeks heated. That sounds like a good plan, she offered softly. Then she noticed a leaf stuck in his damp hair. She reached over and, unless he stopped her, gently worked it out with her teeth. She glanced up at him when she was done. Do you know of a good place nearby? she asked. She knew bits and pieces of the mountains, but they were memories gained through child eyes and a child mind. She was unsure what would be the same. Maybe Aves had traveled the mountains more.

Aventus reminded himself at least five times between leaving the stream and Arielle reaching for the leaf in his fur that he was being ridiculous. Pharaoh and his jewel must have weaved some magic over him, making him a slave to impulses he once had control of. She leaned forward and he brought his muzzle down, hovering just over her crown and not daring to move another muscle. He even held his breath. Was she reaching for him ...?

Alas, she was just reaching for debris. Arielle plucked the leaf free and he hoped she didn't feel the way his heart thudded against his sternum when she did. He would feel really dumb if she noticed how caught up he was, remaining mostly oblivious to how she reciprocated. It was nothing like the blatant way Jawahir had looked at him on the pharaoh's command. It was so subtle despite how terribly obvious it should be that he convinced himself it wasn't real at all.

He cleared his throat and stepped politely away before shaking out his fur. Back to business. There was no way Aventus could or would forget how her teeth felt against his throat, the trust of it. Or how the water slicked her fur to her sides and revealed a figure he once thought well-suited to fighting alongside Ursus, but now struggled not to stare at. Or how the smell of dried herbs mingled with the sandy smell of the mesa in her fur, wrapped neatly up in a spiced perfume all her own. The hint of pine needles reminded him of home. Or how for just that moment, he forgot the pain of his mother's death and his fear for his father, his hatred for Nyra, and knew only her. For the sake of their friendship, he would try to pretend, but he could never forget.

I don't know this area, he admitted. Let's look for a hollow under a tree or something? He beckoned for her to walk with him away from the frigid water, simultaneously trying to surreptitiously bump his hip against hers and maintain a respectable distance so as not to make things super weird, as if they weren't already kind of weird, what with him somehow justifying away every signal she gave.

Arielle noticed they way he held his breath as she groomed the leaf from his fur, the tensing of his muscles under his damp fur. She wondered if he didn't want her to take care of him. Or maybe he didn't want her to touch him? But he hadn't minded in the water, in fact, he seemed to enjoy the affection. Her mind was moving too fast, and she wasn't sure she was seeing things clearly with her emotions running so high. 

He stood and shook out his coat, and her gaze lingered on the way his muscles shifted beneath his raven fur. It was still pretty even when wet. She looked away when he spoke, hoping he hadn't caught her staring. It turned out he didn't know the place, but his suggestion was good. A hollow would be warm. It would be small too, and her heart picked up again at the thought. She nodded her agreement, swallowing against the rapid beating. 

She followed when the prince motioned for her to, his hip bumping hers. But there was still an awkwardness in the air. He had put space between them, and she wondered if it was because he somehow knew her thoughts and was trying not to lead her on after the heated moments in the creek. But that was ridiculous. Maybe she was reading too much into things. She might have left it alone if she wasn't now covered in cold, wet fur. So the healer closed some of the distance so she could feel his warmth every time her shoulder or hip brushed against him. She was not looking forward to how her overthinking mind would try and poison the time they spent together.

It was a real challenge to force himself to face forward when his eyes yearned to prowl across her figure, every curve and angle emphasized by the wet fur slicked down over her body. In fact, the effort not to stare at her was so monumental that his ears filled up with static and his throat felt like sandpaper. He was hardly conscious of his legs moving, but instead, began to fixate on every brush of her body against his.

It was an absolute miracle that he saw the cozy hollow at the base of an oak at all. Aventus' eyes were fixed ahead, but unseeing as his traitorous mind played all kinds of scenes across his vision. His heart felt like it was going to explode. Somehow, he came to just in time to see darkness disappearing into the root system. He nudged Arielle and gestured toward it with his stomach knotting. How were they both gonna fit in there without being right on top of one another? She would feel how his heart slammed against his ribs for sure then!

H-how does that one look? he asked anyway with a thick swallow.

The silence between them felt a little awkward, but she couldn't tell if it was all in her head. Maybe it felt weird because she was thinking about how cold she was and how warm Aves was. She kept thinking about snuggling right up against him and tucking her head into his chest. It made the fluttering in her stomach surge every time she pictured it. 

His nudge pulled her from her scandalous thoughts. He pointed to thicket just below a large tree. He stumbled over his words a bit like he was nervous or something. But Arielle didn't say anything about it, she just nodded. That looks good, she answered, allowing a small smile to curve her lips. It would be a little cramped, which had her own heart beat picking up again. 

She stepped towards the entrance and hunched down to climb inside the dark space. The ground was a bit cold, but at least it was dry. There was just enough room for both of them, but they would be pressed closely together; it would be good for keeping warm, not so good for keeping all kinds of thoughts from swirling around in her mind. Still, when she had settled against the branches in the back, she looked towards the opening and waited for him to come inside too.

Aventus smiled back. It was a shaky smile that felt like the corners were dancing right up off his face, forming a glowing neon sign for how nervous he felt. Normally, he had excellent control over his features. That seemed to no longer be the case in Arielle's presence. He tried to think back to if he had ever felt quite so off around her before. He had always known a certain greatness from her and admired that about her, from the moment they first met, but something about her touch ...

Aventus blinked doe-like at her backside as Arielle disappeared into the hole. His stomach knotted itself so tightly he couldn't decide if he wanted to howl with glee or throw up. He licked his lips once, debating letting her have the hollow to herself, but the cold was seeping in to his bones. They would dry faster in a warm place. The faster they dried off, the faster they could get back on the road and maybe forget that little episode in the stream. Not that he wanted to, but he felt stupid for letting his dumb little boy feelings take him over just because a friend groomed his fur. Get a grip of yourself.

With a steadying breath, the boy crawled into the hollow as well. It was impossible not to wedge his flank against Arielle's just to fit in, which brought him face-to-face with her. It felt unbearably warm inside, and not only because of their combined body heat. If his face could glow, he would have blinded Arielle. He could smell her breath. His nose was practically touching hers. His pulse and the rush of his blood were both deafening.

Um, he said with a wavering chuckle, maybe ... we should try to nap? As if he would be able to sleep with Arielle pressed right against him and his heart slamming in his chest like that!

Aves fit inside the thicket with her, but just barely. It meant their bodies were pressed so tightly together that she could feel every flex of his muscles as he shifted to get comfortable. She was frozen in her feelings, unsure what even to do about them, so she just stared at him, swallowing hard as her vision filled with only his face; she could see nothing else, and something about that filled her with the most intense contentment that she had ever felt. She could reach out and brush her nose against his raven cheek with minimal effort. She could just as easily nuzzle her face into the place where his jaw sloped down into his neck. The need was so strong, she felt like she might lose control over her actions and do both of those things.

The shaky laugh he breathed into the space between them only made her blood heat. And he said something, but she didn't understand the words at first. So she just stared at him, or rather stared at the velvet fur of his muzzle where she suddenly wanted to place a gentle kiss and soothe the strange tension she could feel from him. 

But he had said something, she reminded herself. She blinked her eyes a few times as if she were coming to after being in a trance. When had it become so warm? She lightly cleared her throat and released a soft breath. Maybe, she finally answered. I'm not very tired, though, she admitted after small pause. Are you? If he was, she would try her best. She would tightly close her eyes and beg her brain to shut up.

No. His face was so close to hers that his breath stirred her whiskers. It stirred his blood, too. It was all he could do to quell the urge to comb his teeth through the longer hairs on her cheek. Jawahir had not inspired this response in him; some of the feelings were the same, that bright zing of boyish lust in his veins, but there had also been a violent impulse with the coyote. He had wanted to grab her by the neck and throttle her just as badly. With Arielle, there was none of that.

Maybe that was why he didn't entirely recognize what he was feeling, confusing his affection for a friend with what his time in Akashingo had awakened. He did not want to nap. He wanted to take Arielle outside and pull her against him and bury himself in her fur and her scent. He respected her too much to even hint at it.

No nap, then. They had to pass the time somehow. The longer Aventus was pressed up against her, the less control he had. His muzzle had already drifted closer. He pulled it back a little, swallowed audibly, then said, truth or dare?

She was relieved when Aves said he also wasn't tired. The thought of laying there in silence while trying not to be completely aware of every place their bodies touched was almost too much to bear. But then what would they do? 

His face drifted over to hers before the prince pulled slightly way as he asked her truth or dare. She couldn't help but smile. The suggestion to play game seemed to bring her a little more into the moment. She was grateful for the distraction, which helped her relax a little. But in doing so, her nose drifted closer to his. Instead of losing her focus and spiraling back into thoughts of how easy it would be to nuzzle against his cheek right then, she drew in a steadying breath and murmured: Hmmm. The word was soft and she drew out the sound as if she really had to think about it. She could feel his breath against her muzzle and she tried to ignore it. Truth, she breathed after a second of pause.

Relief and disappointment both welled in Aventus' throat when she selected truth. He could not conceive of a dare that wouldn't make things really weird between them, because all he could think about was how well her body fit against his and the warm points of contact. He would have said something super stupid. Another part of him wanted to test her resolve, see how far she would go, and yet another feared she would do anything he asked out of obedience and not because she actually wanted to.

Truth, he repeated, clucking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He hoped his breath didn't smell bad. Oh, it probably did. Now all he wanted to do was clap his mouth shut forever. He should've eaten some of those stupid berries Akashingo had all over the place, at least they smelled sweet. What led you to join Ursus? A nice and easy one to ease them into it.

His question brought up memories of time when she had no one. Every day was some new thing she had to survive just to make it to the next day. She didn't want sadness to taint this moment. No matter how awkward it was. But she wouldn't lie and she wouldn't refuse to answer. She would probably tell him almost anything he wanted to know. I was alone and searching for more purpose than just surviving the day. Ursus drew me in and then your father told me I could learn how to heal. It felt like exactly where I was supposed to be. Looking back now, she knew she had been drawn here for a reason. It still feels that way, every day, she added. A peaceful smile pulled up one corner of her mouth and she peeked up at him, suddenly self-conscious about how much she had shared. What if he thought it was cheesy? Or worse, maybe her oversharing would make him uncomfortable. 

She drew in a deep breath. Your turn, she said, blatantly happy that he would be in the hot seat now. Truth or dare?

She could have told him that some big bald eagle paid her fifty rat carcasses to join Ursus as a joke and he still would have softened and smiled at how she ended it. He had seen so many wolves come and go from Ursus in his time on earth. The only constants had been Merrick and Astara. Many underestimated the savagery of the bear cult and fled when they realized the price of it all. But not Arielle. She marched to war with them. She was exactly where she was meant to be. Aventus dared a quick touch then, just a little tap of his nose to her chin in camaraderie. It sent a little electric thrill into his nostrils.

Then his pulse began to pound in his ears again when she lobbed the question back at him. Dare, he whispered. Truth was the easier one, except there were many things he kept to himself that he wasn't sure he wanted to say out loud. And the way she looked at him made him feel bold.

His response was so much better than she could have even hoped for. She watched his face soften. Her eyes followed the movement of his lips as he smiled. He was so handsome when he smiled. The touch of his nose to her chin was fleeting, but heat still spread from the spot and burned through her veins. Again, she was overcome with the urge to press her face into the perfect fur of his chest. 

But it was her turn to come up with something for him. Always so brave, she lightly teased, although it was completely the truth. He was brave, and she admired him for it. She drew her tongue across her lips as she considered what she wanted to make him do. Okay, she said after a few moments. I dare you to tell me whatever thought is going through your head right now. No hesitation. It was perfect. She always wondered what was going on in that mysterious brain of his. She could speculate, but he was not so easy to figure out.

Bear spirit help him. He was supposed to avoid these sorts of hard questions by not choosing truth! There was no way Aventus could tell her what was really going through his mind. He would freak her out. They went from being companions to him being a ticking time bomb full of feelings he didn't understand, and how could he even begin to explain that? He was kind of freaking himself out by being so frazzled. He also couldn't bear to make up some lie.

No hesitation, she said. That you smell very nice, he said, fighting to keep a friendly and conversational tone instead of the sappy quavering one that was surely coming out. And that I'm glad you came with me. And worried you might get hurt because of me. All true, but so was his growing desire to nibble on her ear and wrap her in his arms, which he kept to himself.

Truth or dare?

Her eyes widened in surprise and heat boiled up in her stomach. She had absolutely no idea what his answer would be, but never in a million years would she have guessed that he would tell her she smelled nice and that he was happy she had come with him. And he was worried she would get hurt because of him. She wanted to throw herself at him and tell him not to worry and that he smelled nice too. It was so hard to ignore the feeling. Her arms tensed against her restraint. She wanted to tell him thank you and assure him she would be fine, but it was now her turn to choose again. So she settled for a shy but grateful smile.

It was only fair that she pick dare this time, especially because he had been so honest. So she smiled up at him and answered: dare.

Arielle smiled, and he thought with a fluttering in his belly that he could be more bold with his dares, but Aventus also felt the way her muscles tensed. Was she uncomfortable? He wanted to wilt away into nothingness at the thought that he had made her feel that way. He couldn't dare her for a kiss if she was already uncomfortable with him saying she smelled nice. Obviously he was misreading what few signals were getting through his thick skull.

It took him a moment to cast around for something both chaste and risky to dare her. I dare you, he said, elongating the last syllable for suspense, to tell me your deepest, darkest fear. Even that made Aventus' pulse race. To be privy to someone else's greatest fears involved a great deal of trust, but he thought they at least had that. She wouldn't be here with him, crammed into this little hole, prepared to risk her life for Ursus, if she did not trust him.

Still. He would struggle with sharing his fears with anyone, so he assumed it wouldn't be easy for her. That was the whole point of a dare, though, right?

Aves dared her to tell him her deepest, darkest fear. It had not been the kind of dare she was expecting, nor was she very eager to turn the moment to something so dark. Being vulnerable around the bear prince wasn't difficult for her; she trusted him more than anyone, and she knew he wouldn't tell anyone else or make her feel stupid for admitting what she was afraid of. 

She looked away and her face fell a little. My deepest fear, she repeated. She paused as she tried to put her thoughts into words. What I'm most afraid of is being alone again, she finally got out. I got lost from my family when I was young, and I spent a long time on my own. Her only focus then had been surviving. But now, she had many other things to fill her days. She had Merrick and Ursus. She had Aves—a hard swallow moved down her throat. She didn't like thinking about what it would be like if he was gone. Now that I have you— Arielle looked up from the ground. You and Ursus... Mostly him. My greatest fear is that I'll lose you in some way and be alone again. What would she even do without them to care for? Without Ursus? Her life was so full now, and she had the bear to help guide her; she would be lost without all of that. 

She was so preoccupied with what all she had shared that she forgot to ask him truth or dare in return. Her heart raced in her chest. The healer didn't know what he would think of her fears. She had always tried to be strong, but this proved she was not always so secure; she had doubts too.