Phoenix Maplewood The Hazards of Love [M]

His laughter was enough of an indication she'd done a good thing, so Tavi was pleased, and only half-listened to what Reek was saying. That, and his chuckling was infectious. Tavi found herself laughing with him for a beat or two, although her laughter petered out in to a small sigh. She also said that she'd leave soon, but was still in the area, and she'd give a howl before finally departing. Which to Tavi, was good. The entire message didn't sit right with her, whether it was intended as a love note or simply as random gibberish — surely Saena would've been offended by it. Maybe it was just Tavi that was offended, but she couldn't discern why it bothered her so much. It shouldn't have bothered her at all.

But the message had been conveyed, so that was that. Tavi bowed to her friend while he spoke, creeping sideways around him, and then with a few bounding steps she charged — intent on tripping him up, or grabbing at him in the manner of their earlier game. Her tail wagged with every near-success, and before long Tavi's forelimbs and chest were dulled by dirt and grass stains.