Neverwinter Forest [m] Thalassic

It was in the way of men, too, that he thought she must be warming to him. That he had only needed to persist as long as he had, and she would see that she enjoyed this as much as he. These were distant thoughts, to him. He could not have named them. But they were there. And, though he had taken choices away from her under the guise of kindness, there was a part of him that now decided she must be happier for it.

He was better than the wolves of Glass Cove, wasn't he?

And he was coming to care for her. In his own way, in his own time. He was still all too aware of her injured paw, and he had no desire to cause her even more pain. So he loosened his hold and let his teeth slip over her skin and comb through her fur once more, pretending it had only been another love bite.

"I will bring you something else to chew," he said, circling back around to their talk of the trees. He understood instinctively that it would not be as satisfying to her; that there was something important about attack a strong and living thing, even if it didn't bleed like she and he. But he knew not what else to do. "Something alive?" he suggested, lying back on an elbow. His paw, still gripping her side, pulled her along with him — but once it was done keeping her close, it only rested there.