Larksong Grotto Living in a glass house

The grotto in which Reek made his home had become a dark, lonely place. The still, tepid air was no longer peppered with the scent or sound of Vuk and her vibrant child. The Seer, Kesheph, was still away -- her absence was much longer than Reek had initially expected, but to his knowledge, she was out serving the will of Raas, and she would return to the grotto to lead her flock when the task was finished. With the life that briefly filled this small, glacier-side cave gone, Reek did not wish to stay within the safety that his cave offered.

He ventured outside and towards the lake. The warm summer sun beat down Reek's back as he walked and he could feel the presence of Raas surround him. He was engulphed in the light of the Daystar. It was a healing presence, cleansing in its power. Raas had surely had His effect on the land as well. A small amount of green had returned to the grotto, and by the will of Raas, they would recover.

Settling down to his haunches at the edge of the crystal blue lake, Reek dipped his forepaws into the cool water and lost himself in prayer.

talk of this new priestess whom reek had appointed over larksong had swept through the pack. vuk was not surprised to know that the woman's presence was not well-received, and again she wondered at his decision. she had not come near the grotto since leaving it, but now the pale woman drew closer, her eyes falling on reek's form. terich had their son this day -- it was not odd now, to think of seff as belonging to the handsome demonte -- and she was free for a time.

vuk chided herself, but she had sought out reek almost immediately. the memory of his touch was not soon forgotten -- the girl remembered it often in the hot nights when she was not able to sleep.

"reek," she greeted gently, stepping close to nudge his shoulder briefly.

His prayers were chaotic, much like most of Reek's speech -- bouncing from topic to topic with little to parallel between the jumble of sub-sections and requests. There was just so much on Reek's mind to put together one cohesive train of thought. Of course, Reek was sure Raas would make sense of it all. He prayed for his friend Charley, who's heart had been hardened in a way that he would not see the truth— he prayed for his pack, for their safety and for prosperity in this time of famine— and lastly, he prayed for the strength to lead.

He would have prayed for more, but he found his moment of silent reflection interrupted by a light touch to his shoulder. Opening his eyes, Reek turned his head after hearing the soft voice of Vuk. He smiled. "Vuk," he said, returning her gesture of greeting with a nudge of his own.

she could not help the little shiver that raced through her when his kind tones cupped her name, but then vuk recalled how he had sent the priestess in to live with her and seff with nary a word to her. thus was the brief pleasure snatched away and her gaze cooled for a moment, then warmed against. reek was still her friend, despite his confusion about this raas-woman.

"h-how are ... y-you?" the girl asked, settling herself before him. nervous, however, her eyes darted around for any sign of the priestess, and she stood again, chuffing lightly at reek to signal that he should join her in a walk.

Reek's emotional state following his conversion to the faith was arguably in repair. The Seer had promised him healing in return for devotion -- and Reek was devoted to the Daystar indeed. For the first time since he had left the maplewood, Reek felt at peace. Not only with his heartbreak, but with his own sinful actions and the path that had ultimately led him here. In the cleansing light of Raas, all was forgiven. So in all honesty, Reek could answer, "I'm feeling a bit better. I've, uh— made my peace." His shoulders rolled forward in a shrug and his face lit with a small, thin smile.

While the healing light of Raas penetrated deep, some pain still remained in Reek's heart, but now he had a rock to cling to. For a moment, he fell silent and allowed his smile to speak for him, but the corners of his lips soon fell slack. "I, uh— The grotto feels empty without you and Seff around," he said, eyes falling to Vuk's paws.

he did not take her meaning -- or perhaps he had not seen the gesture -- and so vuk settled herself before him and drew her plume tightly across her forepaws, though she followed reek's gaze downward. his words pained her, but the pale girl knew she must stay firm to her personal beliefs regarding the priestess, and yet, and yet.

"i-it has .. n-not b-been ... ea ... sy to b-be a-wa...y," she stumbled, though her gaze searched for the kind eyes of her alpha, the one who had brought her and seff into his home, had given her shelter from the lash of the famine. 

reek had become someone for which vuk cared, though she could not and would not say it, for such words would admit that her thoughts had never left that moment in the grotto when he had touched her with such desire. 

on impulse -- or perhaps it was deliberate -- vuk leant close and let her muzzle linger alongside reek's again.

Like Vuk, the separation had not been easy on Reek either. In the time that she had spent rearing her child in Reek's home, he had grown close to the mother -- far closer than he cared to admit. His feelings did not fly under his radar, unknoticed, but after her rejection in his time of need, Reek reeled his feeling in tight. There was a part of him that regretted bringing the Seer into his personal grotto, knowing that it was she that had driven Vuk away. It had been his best choice, his only choice. Someday, Vuk would see the good Kesheph was doing and she would know the healing of Raas in her heart.

As she spoke, Reek's chest felt tight. A strange, nervous energy fell over him, and by the time she moved in close, placing her muzzle against his -- Reek was consumed. The memory of his desire, which had never been too far from the forefront of Reek's thoughts, all came flooding back. Basking in this intimate moment, Reek did not shy away. He pressed his face into her and licked her cheek.

"Vuk," he whispered with shallow breath. "I can't stop thinking about you." Raas knows, he tried. Like a parasitic worm, the pale woman had burrowed her way into Reek's brain, much like Tavi had before. But she was a mated woman with a family all her own -- still, Reek wanted her to himself.

vuk knew that she could never submit to the teachings of the priestess, she who had driven out the girl and her son, with nary a concern. reek had elevated a stranger over larksong, perhaps even over his very soul, but still vuk saw the torture in his soul. it was impossible to live so close to the man and not see such things.

his touch sent a gentle glissade of electricity coursing through her small body; she too became inflamed by a thrumming tension, her ears falling back against her skull as reek spoke. vuk had never entertained the notion of lying to herself about the growing affection she had for the darkfurred man, but neither could she deny the love within her spirit for terich, he who had given her son a father and protected their lives until a pack could be found.

vuk was conflicted; her lips trembled and she drew closer to reek, one tear lingering upon her face as she let herself into his embrace, breathing in his scent if only for a moment.

It started with a shiver -- a nervous quake that spread though Reek's extremities at a slow and steady pace like a whisper carried on a light breeze. As she moved closer into Reek's welcome embrace, he found himself spirited away on the call of her scent and enthralled by the touch of her fur against his. He could practically feel themselves intertwine, side by side. Two lost souls reaching out to each other for balance. There were those Reek had found connection with in the past, but Vuk was different. He felt themselves to be more than just kindred spirits -- they shared the same sorrowful soul, split by the thin stretch of air that separated them, begging to become one. Reunited in intimacy.

And so he stood, thrumming with arousal, but Reek had learned from his mistakes. He did not let desire take him, not yet. He moved slow, letting his teeth nibble sensually at the fur behind her ear.

vuk found she was frightened, but not of reek -- of herself. of the hunger that clambered so readily onto the pedestal of her loins, the intensification of her heartbeat. her eyes closed as reek touched her gently, flames licking at her belly, and she drew away to ponder him with the turqouise of her gaze now darkened with want.

and yet -- terich. their mateship was one of necessity, and yet she had come to love him all the same. it was beside terich she slept each night, seff between them -- it was the demonte who hunted for her, who kept her body nourished enough to feed her son. would it be a betrayal? 

yes, she felt, and no. the enormity of it weighed upon vuk, even as she turned her muzzle to press her lips along the line of reek's proud jaw.

He continued his careful ministrations: teeth and tongue gently pulling at Vuk's tangled scruff. It was there he wished to linger until the end of time, but eventually she slipped away. As she pulled away from his touch, Reek's body tensed with fear. Would she react the same as she had before? Had he, yet again, crossed the line into unwanted territory? He studied her face as she looked back at him and could see the answer in the depths of her beautful turquoise eyes. Her expression was one of want, of lust -- Reek's gaze mirrored her own, and now, he walked the mirrors edge with desire.

With distance between them, Reek nearly begged for her touch, but before he could muster even a whisper she returned, trailing her muzzle across his jawline. With lips parted and eyes shut, Reek exhaled. On that breath, the lingering tension was swept away from his body. "I want you," spoke Reek, half between a murmer and a moan. "I've wanted you for God knows how long." He tried to practice restraint, but failed. Vuk had ensnared him the moment their sad eyes met.

the girl's first experience of affection had been taggarik, and the feelings for the dark wolf that had surfaced within her during her months at the ridge. had he not been promised to capriccio, she might have made a bid. but her attention had been turned by the nameless beta, for he represented the wild wordlessness within her soul. it had been to him she had gone when the licking flames were upon her; it had been he who she wanted to possess her, not taggarik, not another.

for a moment that had extended into a mad eternity, pleasure had engulfed her utterly, and now, as she stood upon the precipice of seeking this with reek, a frightening, tantalizing edge, vuk remembered the sensations, and the sheer burst of love she had felt for the silent wolf in that moment.

i want you. reek was the first to say such to vuk, his want so raw in his words she shivered. it was a terrifying thing, the weight of his lust, but behind the need of his body there lingered the longevity of his desire for her. how long had reek wished for her? and how long had she wanted him without realizing it.

terich ... her mind whispered.

vuk lifted her chin and found the dark alpha's gaze, which she held for an unwavering moment. therein, the pale girl spoke a single syllable, her limbs, her voice atremble.

"yes."

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Yes.

Her voice shook, but it was sure. The confirmation that Vuk wanted the exact same thing as he, simply drove Reek further over the edge. On the breath of that single word, Reek gave in to his desire -- his lust -- and moved in to touch her gently. He worked downward, raking his teeth through her fur as he went as he trailed his muzzle further than it had been before. Its destination, a place of supreme intimacy.

With the gentle caress of his tongue, he partook of her holy of holys -- worshiped at her shrine. Her taste enthralled him. Her scent, ensnaring.

her eyes closed as he went on, moving across her body, awakening it in such a way she had never experienced before. the girl's slight form leant into reek, but she tensed when he passed behind her. it was not with a medic's eye that he looked at her now; she trembled as she had before, but there was warmth followed by a melting sort of pleasure that threatened to cast her down to the earth.

her head swam; her jaws parted soundlessly. what was this? she did not understand and yet she could not; she could not think, or hardly breathe. her moan was a tiny thing, abruptly silenced by the nervousness of her thrumming body.

Her body quaked in the wake of his nimble tongue and the sound of a moan passing her lips, barely audible in its utterance, egged Reek on to continue with fervent need. It was his goal to tease her -- to make her want the incoming consummation of their lust as much as he did. And so, he would drive her closer and closer to the edge, and back away just when she begged for more, only to drive her up the walls again.

As his ministrations slowed, Reek could feel his heart thrumming rapidly in his chest. This wanton desire, it made him bold. He pulled his head away and inched forward, arching himself over her back. With his forelimbs draped around Vuk's waist, Reek let loose a wanting whine, practically begging her to spur him onward.

drive her he did, drawing aside only to delve into her again, and again, until she was unable to silence herself and cried out, maddened with the sensations reek invoked in her. he rose then, embracing her until the curve of her spine fit against her belly. again she tensed, but relaxation soon came in the form of want; she craned her head 'round until she found his jaw and ran her tongue along it, a gentle whine emanating from her throat.

unlike the heat, which had gripped her body and puppetted her limbs, vuk was in full control of her faculties, and found that her desire for reek was much the same; she swept her pale plume aside and tried to steady her shaking breath, awaiting him eagerly.

Caught in the rapture of her voice and her gentle touch playing across his face, Reek was nearly driven mad with desire. He pressed on, intent on taking the woman for his own here on the bank of the lake. Drawing his hips against her, Reek shimmied until he made his mark, and with a single movement he slipped headlong into her warm, wet embrace. With his spindly forelimbs, Reek pulled Vuk close and steadied himself.

His eyes shut as he moved within her -- losing himself to both the physical and emotional pleasure of the moment.

the azure crystal of the lake formed a lovely backdrop for the entwined pair; vuk let her voice carry over the water and arched herself back into reek's movements. he was gentle, considerate of her slight body and the first contact of their meeting, but vuk found her desire had taken a lashing control over her. she was not the shy creature of commonplace; she was reek's lover, and he was within her and out, encircling her entire body.

the emotions stirred her into a frenzy, one that pushed her inexorably toward the edge, one over which she desperately wished to plunge in reek's embrace.

Together they rocked back and forth to nature's steady rhythm: the span of which Reek himself did not even know. He was lost in the movement, in the moment, and in her. His head was awash with wave after wave of endorphins, each crashing over him in a way that was more intense than the last. He was merely a floatsome caught in the current, blissfully riding along with the motion of his hips.

With his body, he lay claim to her. She no longer belonged to Terich -- instead, her heart was Reek's, and his, her's in turn.

As Reek's sensitivity grew, his pace quickened. As she neared the edge, he himself found he was near release as well. He thrusted deep and his muscles coiled tightly as he was wracked with an intense wave of pleasure. Unable to keep himself silent, a tired, breathy moan passed Reek's lips.

his pace quickened and he held her more tightly, each movement drawing her closer to the thin ledge. her breathing became ragged and she held herself tightly against the earth, bracing against his thrusts until he provoked a gasp from her and she dissolved into a thousand tiny whorls of colour and sensation. the tremulous glissade racked her body beneath him until she cried out again.

she came to herself under the warmth of reek's breath on her nape, and with that came the realization of what she had done, what she had allowed herself to do. reek was the first to possess her in such a way; not even terich had touched her with a modicum of desire, though she often saw it upon his face, and vuk felt dread grip her belly.

For a moment, all Reek could do was lie perfectly still on Vuk's back as the aftershocks from their lovemaking washed over him. He struggled to catch his ragged breath and his heart felt as if it were about to beat right out of his chest. As soon as the breakneck rhythm of his heart began to slow, he slid off Vuk's back. With their hips still tied together, Reek's front half collapsed into the ground. His sides heaved with heavy breath.

His face was lit with a contented smile. Slowly, he drew his face toward Vuk and looked upon her. How beautiful she was. Pushing up with his front paws, Reek affectionately nudged her muzzle. "Heaven sent you to me," he murmered. There were none like Vuk... No, she was made for him.

the natural locking was uncomfortable, and irritated vuk, but this was smoothed by the expression upon reek's face, the glow of their union and his loving words. how could she tell him now that she was not his, when she had given herself over to his possession, to the hungers of their bodies. she returned his kiss, leaning into the strength of his body, and waited for them to be parted, for them to separate so that she could take some silent time along for herself and breathe in the scent of their pairing before she washed it away and returned to her mate and her son. 

reek. she could love him, vuk knew, but terich also held her heart, and she was unsure of what to do.

As Vuk returned his affections, Reek remained blissfully unaware of her own inner turmoil. She had chosen him over Terich, he thought. He had seen little of him around territory and typically it was only in pass, the choice they had both made was one that Reek believed to be clear. Their broken souls reached out and became one -- and for the first time since Reek's initial heartbreak in the maplewood, he felt whole. She was his. Her family was his family; her boy, his boy.

Together they fell silent, but it was a beautiful thing -- devoid of discomfort. Unlike most wolves, he did feel the need to fill the air with background noise with Vuk. With her, he could be comfortable in his own skin. Instead of speaking, Reek filled the space with affection as he carefully preened the flyaway fur on her neck.

Soon, the tether keeping them tied fell slack enough for Reek to withdraw. And so he did, yet he remained at her side, content with her company.

vuk allowed reek to kiss her, to touch her; she too basked in their nearness, though she could not shake the hurt that would rise upon terich's face when she told him. and there was no choice here; she could not stay with reek, not with the knowledge that she loved the demonte man who reared her son still hot within her breast. the sensation of reek's touch was a hungering veil upon her and presently she slid her muzzle beneath his own and curled herself into his embrace.

there were no words she could speak for now, nothing she wished to say, for vuk was terrified that she would shatter their delicate dome of desire and deepening affection with the admission that she could not, and would not, leave terich.

Always setting Reek up for heartbreak :P. Wanna fade here and have another thread soon?

As she wrapped herself into his embrace, Reek allowed his eyes to slowly shut into tired slits. His jaws parted in a wide and contented yawn before coming to rest upon her body. He stared out at the picturesque setting of the lake that spread before him and realized his prayers had been answered. A family, though not his own, had been returned to him.

Suddenly, there was a realization. She was his family. The moment he brought her and her son to live with him in the grotto a tie was made. I was in this revelation that Reek realized that he did not need to grow to love the woman, but that he already did -- that he always had, ever since their eyes met.