Little more than a few seconds of silence felt like an eternity as she waited for reply. She could feel the rhythm of her heart in her wait, each beat reverberating through the whole of her until she was consumed by it. Rocked by it. Were it not for the anchor she found in her companion, undoubtedly her resolve would have shattered in an instance. She was not born a creature comprised of confidence and inner strength, it was an inner fiber gradually woven and mended into what made the woman whom she was. It was not natural, but made of the experiences both survived and endured, yet when it came to matters of the heart, she was weak; fragile at her core.
But she need not fear the breaking of those fragile chords, for a singular word overwrote the doubt the carried. As a cloud would part from the face of the sun, so did the uncertainty drift away to reveal only the warmth and sureness in her eyes. And the glowed so brilliantly with hope and adoration for her beloved.
And then she sprang. Already so close but fueled by her elation she rose swiftly to her hind legs and curled her front paws over his shoulders. Both muzzle and tongue became a pale blur across his face as she kissed every corner, every tuff of fur, nibbling ear and brow and muzzle and nape as she burst in song with her excitement. “My shadow…” she sang softly as she fell again to all fours, twisting in place as if to catch her lashing tail before unwinding to settle once more against his chest. “You have made me… you have made me so happy. My shadow… my mate.” |