Sunbeam Lair seorsum

as much as germanicus was aware of her, he allowed himself no further thought. he found the concept of any attraction to be disrespectful toward his wife.

but ruenna was no longer his wife. he clung inwardly to the terms and titles they had shared for his own selfish desperation. the eagle was marked by knowing his place inside a hierarchy and enforcing it. without her there was no such place for him any longer.

his soul vibrated with pain for a moment. "yes. i am not a religious man but neither do i truly believe in chance." it was how he applied himself to the rest of his own life as well.

the scent of the pheasant and the berries mingled slowly with the herbal fragrance clinging to meadow, not antiseptic, but a clean and sweet aroma that bespoke her place among plants. 

"i am sorry to have terrified you. perhaps that is the reason for our meeting again under different circumstances. i have enjoyed conversing with you, lady meadow." her shiver rippled through germanicus as well and he chose in the next moment to press his flank very subtly against her own, ready to move away should the woman tense.

he told himself it was to reassure her. the awareness that he had starved himself of touch since ruenna's last farewell washed over him in a tepid wave. his turn now to gaze toward the smooth rock beneath their paws.