The Tangle X

The dry grasses cushioned his fall as he was swept to the ground beside her. His airy laugh caused his sides to shake against her and she needed no invitation to chuckle too, and worm her way close so that when he turned toward her, she could press her breastbone against his. 

She could feel the flutter of two heartbeats, each pounding away on its own side of the sinew and bone that separated them and yet still nested side by side. 

She admired the gentle sincerity in his calm, happy features, and felt a smile drawn to her lips. She felt she could trust him. He seemed to her a kindred spirit, perhaps one she had known in a past life. Her heartbeat slowed slightly, and she felt it drop into a rhythm that came close to matching his. 

She nestled her chin against his shoulder and raised one of her own forefeet in the air, to hold up alongside his, and chuckled. Even just his legs were so much longer and thicker, and his paws so broad. She splayed her toes to see if she could possibly make her foot look as big as his, but came far short in comparison.