Qeya River četiri

senka was not lost upon the kindness @Ksura had shown her as of recent. it had provided her a sense of further security she had not realized she needed. nor was she blind to his trusted place here, his consistent work among the river. especially in times that seemed uncertain.

so in the darkening evening, she hunted him down. earlier she had discovered something she wished to show him but hardly wished to make a fuss over it by calling it. no, no, she had a plan. she just needed him first.

Ksura felt divided between his role in the pack, and his natural ability to scout and track. Day by day, he went on short journeys beyond the pack's borders to look for Darrow, but with Silvertongue missing and Wren searching regularly as well, he could not go far, and not for long. He'd noticed that Sparrow and Phoebe had followed Wren's tracks, which left him feeling even more conflicted. 

In the end, he could only do what had been asked of him; stay, and guard the pack. 

It left him feeling unfulfilled, especially considering the fact that his own son was missing. He felt as though he was sacrificing his own chances to truly search for the boy because others had gone missing as well. While he felt very little spite, he was frustrated. 

The only wolf in the pack that seemed separate from all of the emotional despair was Senka, though he feared that any day she might wander off as well. He struggled with that possibility, knowing he'd grown attached enough that it would pain him to lose her too. Every time she crossed his path, he felt relieved; she was the last shred of normalcy that he had left. 

He looked over his shoulder when he heard another wolf approaching. A quick test of the air brought a wave to his tail, and a grateful softening of his features. He woofed, and turned back- so their paths might cross again.

she would not have been insulted if he had been busy. whether with responsibilities that he accepted or endured, she would not have known. yet there is a softening to her usually stoic features when he changed course just to seemingly come see her.

she had meant to say something of her intent, but instead her tail had started an eager wave that matched his own. instead of words she sought to greet him with the nipping of teeth along his shoulders and chin, if he would allow it.

i appreciate you. you are strong. you are cared for.

perhaps she had not known him very long, but his presence had already been impactful for her.

His heart was buoyed at the sight of her. He relaxed his shoulders so that he might dip into a playbow but before he could, she closed the distance and something about her expression shifted. He had only time enough to come to a halt and tilt his head when she closed the space between them, and reached for his jaw with a feathering of light nips. He felt heat burn in his cheeks, and almost impulsively reached to return the gesture, but a thought hit him so suddenly that he froze and blurted it out.

"You're not leaving too, are you?" 

He interpreted the gentle gesture as an apology, a way of lessening the blow. Ears tilted sideways, he drew back so he could read her expression, soft hurt in his eyes.

hurt in his eyes, hurt in her own now brewing. did he think she might turn tail because of this? she fretted and worried but her plan was not to uproot herself. she had promised herself as warrior, guardian, to this place. she would be no guardian worth her weight if she exiled herself when tough times appeared.

no. her one word response was firm and she sought to shove herself into his side for assurance. an exchange of scents, of strength.

we are still pack, we are bonded.

you think i would leave? i cannot do that to you, to river. a soft tsk of her tongue against her teeth.

In an instant, he regretted jumping to the mournful conclusion- and for allowing himself to look so desperate. He shrank a bit, as a guilty dog might, but a soft chuckle was forced out of him when she shoved her shoulder against his. Once he regained his footing, he gingerly leaned back against her, his tail waving at his hocks. Warmth returned to his smile as he turned his head to see her there, where her grey fur wove its way into his. 

He shook his head, a bashful smile on his face. "Nahh, that's my bad...You're not the type to up and bail," And I'm so glad you aren't, said the look in his eyes. "And I mean, I'd...Well, I'd try and find you, when I got the chance, if you even did try to leave, so....And like...We both know I'm faster anyway, so..." He said, with a teasing shrug.

he was a good man. better than many she had decided and it was rare enough to be good as it was.

she might have prodded at his teasing about their speed difference, but she found herself more focused on something else he had said. you would come find me? there is surprise where perhaps there should not have been any.

yet she wondered why he might come after her if she bailed.

a good man. better than any.

"Well, yeah," He said, as if the question struck him as odd. He sighed softly, then, and shook his head. "I mean, like...I'd try, but I'm also like...Just trying to keep the pack together, since Silvertongue's gone, and Wren and her kids are lookin' for her." He drew in a breath. "My own son went missing too, we just...Don't have enough wolves here to mind the borders, and the remaining children, for me to go look for him much so..."

He shrugged, feeling defeated. "I promise you, I'd want to search, I just...When they all come home, they gotta have a place to come home to. An' if I'm not doin' that, then I'll probably lose my home too."

he lost his own son, too. yet he had been shouldered the responsibility to sit here and wait. her features grew cool, not for an unkindness but for the awareness of all these things he had to juggle.

but what exactly could the two of them do? no leadership home, no one else to send out in search parties. she might have offered herself but how could she leave him now?

i am glad i came to see you, she told him softly now. that you share your feelings with me. his emotions felt palpable and she might have devoured them whole, if only to take it on herself. i came to find you, to show you something. now i fear you would think i am not working hard like you. there was a sad humor lining her voice.

Her voice lowered, and he leaned a bit closer, perking his ears so he could hear every word she said. It was privately that she spoke, and he felt something writhe and swell within his chest. 

Don’t look into it too much…
Don’t assume more than you should…

Rational thought couldn’t keep him from feeling slightly dizzy, or take away the nauseating hope that she was telling him more than what her words conveyed. He felt the urge to lean closer, just to see if she might speak again- tell him something that might make it perfectly clear- that his hopes weren’t too high. 

He caught a glimpse of vulnerability, and reached over to nibble gently at the soft, velvety fur at her temple. I don’t think that at all. Senka was, after all, sticking around- and it seemed to be a near-impossible task to perform. Show me? He prompted, encouragingly.

he was there at her temple. like medicine for a headache she had not realized she had. she allowed herself these comforts that he continued to give.

she was near reluctant to move, to be away from this closeness. even with his encouragement! she knew night would soon swallow the sky and that it would be best to show him before darkness was here.

come with me, spoken even when she had not pulled away from his nearness yet. to brightsilver lake. a step then two but her gaze did not leave his silver-framed face.

He loathed the space that grew between them, and the cool air that ruffled his fur where her warmth had been moments ago. A deeper heat spread through him when she mentioned the lake- thoughts of seeing her in the water, water dripping from her fur made him blush deeply. 

Lead the way, He said in a low voice.

she was quick now. after all, he had spoken of his own quickness. she trusted him to keep up as she weaved along the river and pushed through trees.

when they reached the familiar sight of the lake, she would waste no time in plunging in. its chill was a sharp change from the warmth of ksura.

would he plunge in after her? she needed to see what swimmer skills he had before she showed him her own discovery.

He grinned when she bolted ahead; he’d expected no less, after all, and was glad for the run. Now his wildly beating heart had some use- and he kept pace with her, at times dropping behind just so that he could surge forward along her other shoulder. 

The spray of water was doubled as Ksura barreled in after her, letting out a sharp whoop as the chill sank through his fur and to his skin. He laughed, a high and giddy sound as he paddled, knowing he would acclimatize more quickly if he kept moving. 

He turned to paddle toward her, grinning like a crocodile.

the splash was large! he had joined her without hesitation and the grin that overtook her face was enough for some of the lake water to spill in. his paddling towards her was not missed.

what she did now was plunge below the surface. she was not deep enough where she would not be found, but she wondered if she might gain distance this way for only a moment.

wherever she had opted to surface again was unknown to her, in his path or not. only wildly shaking her head to send droplets away from her vision.

Whhhut?! 

He’d never seen a wolf dive below the surface before. He’d seen otters, beavers, muskrats do the same thing but- a wolf? Never. 

Laura felt too buoyant to be able to do the same, so he kept himself afloat with soft paddles of his feet, and plunged just his face below the water’s surface. Not knowing how to hold his breath underwater without getting water up his nose, he exhaled- and myriad of bubbles were expelled, blocking his view. 

He lifted his head out, shook the excess water away from his ears, and drew in a deep breath to do the same thing again- and this time, he caught a glimpse of what he hoped was Senka. 

Of course, he couldn’t see well through the bubbles, and her coat blended well with the deep blues of the lake. He could only hope that this large shape cutting its way through the cool waters was her and not some lake cryptid! It came toward her, and breached just as he did, only feet away from him. 

He laughed. Jeez! Are you part Ogopogo or something?

it was good to see him, even with his jesting. she lazily paddled closer to him and sought to bump her nose against him as if she was a rowdy seal. cold water fishing means you must dive! she did not mind if he was not so strong a swimmer or experienced in such ways.

are you a strong swimmer? we can stick to shallows, but we must swim to what i wish to show.

another bump into him, her tail stirred up ripples behind her.

He grinned, regardless of the cold water that slipped in through his teeth. I’m a sheep killer, He replied. Never learned how to dive, And now he was driven to learn more about her- where she had come from, how she had grown up- and where this knowledge had come from. She was a natural in the water, as graceful in the lake as a bird on air.

I can swim strong enough, I just dunno how to hold my breath underwater, He said, before he hurriedly added But I’ll learn, if you wanna teach me!

sheep killer! she liked this about him. she imagined going with him into higher reaches for bountiful hunting, in better times.

one thing at a time! she laughed with a spray of water. we stick close to land to be safe, but swimming will be easiest, i think. once more reluctant to leave his side, but she began to paddle out along the lake's edge.

she was prepared to show him the little lake cove of hushed paradise and shelter. a thing discovered by accident, but now shared on purpose.

Mkay, Ksura agreed, treading water for a moment until she began to lead the way. He was keen to learn her swimming techniques, but she had brought him here to show him something- so he’d put his own needs and wants aside to satisfy hers first. 

Naturally, his curiosity lacked couth. Where’re we goin’? He called out as he paddled along in the cool waters.

swims in good feelings before their world crashes and burns

she had meant it to be a surprise! yet she finds it hard to turn him down a second time. he is too kind, too warm. she wishes to bring him happiness.

there is a lake's cove, sheltered from the busy bodies of main areas. not that they were so busy but privacy can be a treasured thing. it is not easy to get to but i think it is worth showing and sharing.

she wished she could spare him a look, but she must focus on the paddling and keeping their course clear.

just gonna hafta make this thread last FOREVER <3

His brow raised in surprise. He hadn’t expected for her to tell him where they were headed- then again, maybe she’d seen him puffing along like a little tugboat and decided to feed him a little information to give him the fuel to continue the voyage. A quiet little cove sounded like a little slice of heaven to him. 

Ouuu, Was all he could manage, an earnest, if not a bit effeminate expression of his glee. Naturally, his brain imagined that a nice, secluded little place like that could get plenty cozy in a heartbeat…And he started to envision how he might best pull himself from the water so he could look like a lifeguard from Baywatch.

deal <3

she was delighted by his, well, delight! chin dipped down into the water for only a moment so she might hide a smile. perhaps she should not worry so much about hiding it but she could not help but think it did not bode a warrior well to be all smiles.

she hoped he would be willing to settle with knowing what his surprise (no longer such) was to be. if he was, she would lead them there without fuss —

being the front of their swimming route meant she exited first. fur lengthened by the weight of water and the air offering icy teeth to the short-furred parts. the cold does not matter when she is looking over her shoulder for him.

He didn’t see her smile- nor would he have noticed if he had been swimming shoulder to shoulder with her, as he was lost in a daydream. Over and over again he pulled himself from the water, every last drop from his pelt which magically settled down in light waves as if styled by a groomer. Senka was not the type of woman to fawn- but he thought he might be able, at least, to make her blush and warm.

His paws scraped against gravel and he halted suddenly, realizing all too late that Senka was going to get out of the water first. Still with ice water up to the point of his hip he stood in the water, staring as if the woman had emerged as a cryptid. 

He stood there so still, that a little minnow came and plucked a piece of gristle from the lower jaw that hung just below the surface. When she turned to look over her shoulder at him he slammed his jaw shut, forcing a mouthful of water down his throat and the rest to go spraying out through his lips- like an animatronic orca. 

He lunged forward and realized that the rocks beneath him were loose. His head plunged below the surface while he caught his footing again and emerged gasping for air. He bounded through the remaining shallows to stand shakily beside her, his fur flat against his sides and split in all the most unflattering places as the water ran to the earth. Still, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

G-g-g-golly, He said, his lips wet. I- well, hah, He said, his gaze suddenly dropping as he realized how embarrassing his confession was. Still, he wasn’t one to pull a punch. I feel like I should be worshippin’ you.

what caused his pause? she nearly plunged in after him when he stumbled, only halted by his resurface. if there was any humor within her for his fumble, she hid it behind her joy. eager to show him around! there was plenty of it still left undiscovered. they could find something. together.

her thoughts were running away and the warmth on her face was evident even if she did not outright smile.

his words! no one had ever said such a thing to her. enough that any meaning in them was taken literally and the intent in them felt hidden from her. her gaze looked out over the land then back to him. i did not make this, she laughed warmly. you do not need to worship.