Blacktail Deer Plateau As the shadows fall

Omg, Blue is so sweet. I want to hug her!

He was surprised when she touched him. Not only because she did so -- and that was an unexpected delight in itself -- but because of the way it made him feel. Sure, he'd taken a shine to the lovely Beta, but he hadn't realize how interested he truly was until that simple little gesture on her part. Her touch electrified him, sent ticklish currents of quicksilver fire zinging through his entire body until they settled, like a nest of restless butterflies, right in his belly. He couldn't help grinning like a fool. He felt like a teenager again. Not even Hawkeye had elicited this sort of anxious anticipation in him.

Not only did she awaken him physically, but she also made him feel good on the inside. Her affirmation of what his father had told him -- that he could conquer the universe if he but had the heart and the will to do it -- somehow made him feel more like a man, like a wolf worthy of respect. He hadn't heard words of encouragement like those his father had given him since…well, since before Aether had passed away. His tail wagged across the soft grass behind him and he looked at her with grateful eyes. "You are something else, Blue Willow, y'know that?"