Sunbeam Lair Horizon

closer, she bid him - but how close did she mean?

he hardly hesitated to explore her newly amended boundaries; finding himself almost overly willing to put his body in harm's way just to find out how receptive to him she was. despite his eagerness, the wolf was prudent and moved meticulously so as not to rile her. this was no white-toothed hatchling - but a full-grown and refined harpy; wild-forged and savage as she was dark.

stigmata crawled forward - inched carefully until he had come within radius to spring - and then elected to incapacitate himself further by shifting to lie on his side. he dragged himself forward the remaining distance, grappling with the cold, crumbling earth to come to a stop just at the dainty intersection of her slender paws.

setting his muzzle haphazardly close, he searched her hawkish expression almost imploringly for an indication of what she wanted him to do next. is this too close?

when she rebuffed him, stigmata relented on his boundary-pushing and settled with plenty space between them for the night. the silence was companionable, but everlasting, and the two parted ways without sharing another word.