Greatwater Lake i'll turn your sea to a desert

at the edge of blackfeather woods - aw but for @Khaba if you're interested

she had left the boy to his own devices today. he seemed more animated, more alive than before. the food and water, the sleep, some part of it had revived him and made him self-sufficient; it was enough of a change to give zharille freedom from his lurking.

it was good, for her time had begun. it hadn't changed anything about her: she moved with the same prowling gait, the same heavy step. she knew where she headed as she neared the darkwood but she did not enter it. the scent of the man was here — and he had told her in his way, three days.

now she returned after two, in time. her prideful posture was strengthened further by a certain kind of focus, as she was after one thing only. that much was clear by the shift in her scent; what matter now was if the man stayed true to his word.

Two sunrises, two moon falls. They had passed quickly. 

The forest had been quiet. Smaller critters had been easy pickings to keep his belly full. Though, he yearned for the taste of something larger and meatier.

He almost thought he'd found just that, as a figure loomed close. But when a familiar scent wafted near, he knew the hunt would have to wait, for now his body ached for something else. A different type of hunt, but one he needn't strain himself, for the prize had already been won.

She had returned, and sooner than the time he had allotted. 

Slow, the dark man broke the distance. That same scent of warmth was an aura surrounding her, filling his nose until it tingled, scrunching with a sense of delight he hadn't encountered in some time. Softer than before, his gaze fell upon her, muzzle reaching to brush gently against her cheek. Was it time, now, he wondered?

she bayed a sound to him as he emerged, waving her tail high. she would not ender his darkwoods this time — before, he had called her forward and commanded her, but it was time for things to change. zharille would not be the one taking orders.

he reached out and she at first, accepted the huff of his breath. then she raised her lip to him, feeling his cold nose against her cheek, and grinned to him a moment before her tongue flicked snake-like through a small gap. she did not let him get close — but she did want him there.

it was one last test.

her steps were a strut. her shoulder fur bristling; she was a mixture of welcoming and warning; and throughout the display, her scent. would he run with her?

The brief touch was accepted, but she would not linger. Carefully, she gave a new warning, tongue flickering between her teeth.

She was making him choose. Her, or the solus confinement of the wood. 

It wasn't difficult to decide.

Cautious, the beastly creature stepped to follow. He lingered after her shadow, but did not get too close as to upset her. When she invited him, he would break the gap between them once more and finally feed the desires they shared. Or so he thought they did.

she would run from him when he got close, but it was not forever. it was another game. each pause lasted longer than the last, each goading glare a little softer. if she snapped at him it was not to harm but to entice, and to release a tension she felt as her impatience grew.

together they would leave the darkwood for the lakeside, and in the space between she would make him work for her; rewarding him only when he had caught her in earnest.

zharille was strong and she knew she could handle him. there was much desire within her, and power in him, which made them an even match.

( cue interlude. . . )

What he had thought he'd earned the right to before, she had made him work for again—and this time harder.

She ran, he chased. When she deceived in a way of tease, he simply grinned and played along. It was the only way to reach the end. But even after all had been done, he had not grown tired. In fact, it had all exhilarated him, bringing him to realize he'd made the right choice by staying.

Now with peaceful silence, the dark one circled her, rubbing his body close against her with affection. He no longed gaze upon her with scorn or belittlement; instead he looked to her with warmth, crooning a small note to admit what he would not before. We are one. 

Together, their bodies had become one, and now their proven power declared them one in control of whatever came next.