Here We Go Again [namid!]

[anyu4]

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/3143509.jpg] The scent of a pack drifted on the air, finding it's way into his nostrils. The young hybrid ignored it, however. Yes, he was trespassing, but there was something else on his mind right now. There was only one forest that he knew of; the one that was a part of this pack's territory. And he wanted to be in a forest right now. They would just have to deal with his trespassing. Aashar was careful, of course. He chose the part of the territory border that seemed the least traveled by the members of the pack. The scent was weaker there, though it was still ever-present. He could not hope for better when invading a pack's territory. Quietly, he slipped through the trees, heading towards the smell of water. It was strong, so it could not be too far from the border. That was good. It would be easy to get away later on in the night. The sun had just set, though there were a few rays of sun that still pierced the sky. Under the shelter of the trees, however, it was completely dark. Shadows danced in a light breeze, but everything else was calm. Overhead there were no clouds, and the moon shined down on the forest. Approaching the stream at last, Aashar came to a stop. The water was smooth and sparkled with moonlight. It was beautiful. The young hybrid lowered his head towards the water and drank from the sparkling water. Where his tongue touched the water it shimmered. Raising his head, he watched at the ripples made the water shimmer, until it slowly returned to normal. Bueatiful.

[namid]

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[atrb=background,http://i48.tinypic.com/5eh8k9.jpg] She ran cautiously after the one ahead of her, who was outrunning her by a few yards. They had entered pack territory, near a border, and water was nearby. The Night air smelled crisp and refreshing, cool and nice. Oh, she liked it here, even if they were in pack territory. But she was still uneasy. Namid watched as Aashar stopped at a small stream and began drinking. A few moments more and she'd caught up with him, and She Who Dances Beneath Stars panted, before bending over to take a drink herself, resisting the urge to turn into a Swan and take a midnight swim. Oh yes, this was refreshing after running for awhile. Finally coming up for air, she looked at him. "The forest is nice, but... what if the pack catches us?" Namid asked him nervously, very uneasy that this would turn out badly. She didn't want anything to happen to her or Aashar, for that matter. She just wanted to have a nice time with him... Which she supposed she could have in this forest, as long as they weren't caught. Suddenly, her mind was distracted from it's uneasy feelings as she noticed something. Looking at her surroundings, Namid noticed that there were many, many fireflies flitting about. It was beautiful. "I do love fireflies..." She breathed.

[anyu4]

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/3143509.jpg] Aashar watched as she drank, his eyes studying her. Beautiful, she was. But he hadn't told her that. Yet. "Don't worry," he said softly, his eyes looking at her gently; knowingly, even. Chancing a step closer to her, he let his muzzle lightly touch the base of her cheek, where face became neck. "They haven't been here in a while, and we can always run if we need to." He offered her a reassuring smile, hoping to ease her worries a little. "Besides," he murmured. "The next forest is so far away." Aashar could not say that it was beautiful here, for any place with her would have been beautiful. Her white fur stood out in the darkness and the moonlight, and it was lovely. "Yes, the fireflies are beautiful," he agreed with her, watching the little bits of light float through the air.

[namid]

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[atrb=background,http://i48.tinypic.com/5eh8k9.jpg] Namid nodded slightly at his explanations to her worries. She had right to be worried. They were two loners on pack territory, and both weren't really extraordinary in attacking. But then there was defense... "I suppose." She answered, then giggled and brushed his flank with her tail. "Well, if someone does show up, we don't necessarily have to run. You could just... erm, change color and I could become a Swan and fly." She thought the idea was quite amusing. What odd stories would be told the leader and pups of the pack? Oh, sorry we didn't catch them, sir. They sorta, um, vanished? It was dark out. It'd be easier for Aashar to change, and easier for her to go unnoticed. Who would put together that the white wolf seen on the other side of this clump of bushes was the Swan on this side just a few moments after? Then she thought of the wild tales that mothers would tell to their pups. The phantom wolves of Heimili Forest. If you don't let your mother sleep, then they will come for you. Namid let out a snort. Oh, that would be hilarious. "In fact, it'd be quite easy for us to escape anyway, now that I think about it." She said quietly, as if deep in thought. Then she snapped out of it. Suddenly, Namid reared up and brought her front paws down into the bed of the stream, trying to splash Aashar. "Well, while we're here, we might as well have fun!" She barked happily, before dancing out farther into the stream, waving her tail to tease him.

[anyu4]

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/3143509.jpg] His skin shivered when she touched him, and he leaned towards her, though avoiding coming into contact again. He turned, watching her with a soft, caring smile on his muzzle. "They'd still be able to smell me, so I'd still have to run," he said, though it wasn't important. "But yes, you could fly away. And I could disappear." He was used to running. That made him quick on his feet. In some ways, it would have been just like a deer when it senses danger. Alert, then running quickly through the trees. A wave of water splashed his face and he leaped back in surprise, shaking his head and spending water droplets flying. His surprise vanished, and he followed her farther out into the stream. Rather than try to splash water at her, he leaped towards her and, when he was beside her, rose up on his hind legs and tried to push her into the water, where she was sure to get just as wet as he had, if not more.

[namid]

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[atrb=background,http://i48.tinypic.com/5eh8k9.jpg] It was Namid's turn to be surprised as her friend reared up and pushed her underwater. She came up spluttering and gave Aashar a look of mock seriousness. "Now my fur is all wet. Thanks." With that, she laughed and jumped up, standing knee-high in the steam, and walked towards the edge. When Namid got out, she shook herself feircely. "Though it doesn't effect swans as much as it would something else." She teased. Though it was true. Because of her half-swanness, her fur was thicker and partly waterproof. She'd barely felt the water touch her skin. She looked back to the fireflies, then around the forest. She suddenly realized that Aashar is the only one she'd want to spend time with here, and now. This moment was perfect. This moment was hers, no theirs. She closed her eyes and drew in the scents around her. Namid committed them all to memory. The smell of the pack-forest, the aroma of the fresh, sparkly water, and of Aashar. She Who Dances Beneath Stars opened her eyes again and sat down, tilting her head at him. "The night is so beautiful." She purred.

[anyu4]

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/3143509.jpg] He wasn't fooled by the seriousness on her face, and he returned it with a sweet, innocent smile. "You started it," he reminded her sweetly, implying that she had brought the wetness on herself. He followed her out of the river and shook out his fur once he reached the shore. Dirt clung to his paws, but he didn't mind. Once his fur was dry most of it would come off as he walked or ran. "Well, aren't you lucky?" he whispered softly, in response to what she said about her fur. He moved closer to Namid, slowly, taking each step with care. His eyes were on her, caressing her white body. "Not as beautiful as you," he whispered, very quiety, and very tentatively. At last, he closed the distance between them and touched her cheek softly with his nose. Sitting beside her, he let his fur touch hers, and he leaned a little until their bodies touched as well.

[namid]

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[atrb=background,http://i48.tinypic.com/5eh8k9.jpg] "Very lucky." She grinned wide, giving him a glance. She thought at how fun this was. She loved playing around with Aashar, she felt happy with him. This was even more fun then when she played with her foster family, and for once she felt no regret that she was part Myou. We understand each other. Waving her tail, Namid eyed Aashar suspiciously as he crept forward towards her. Her suspicion evaporated however, when he complimented her. "Not as beautiful as you." A thrill went through her as she realized what the compliment to her beauty could mean as he pressed himself close to her. She pressed her fur into his in return. She liked him. She liked him a whole lot. She Who Dances Beneath Stars thought for a moment on how to return the gesture of words. Finally, she found the right answer. "Nor you." It was simple, all she needed really. But then she hoped it would be enough. Making her decision, she pressed her nose to his cheek and then licked him, a sheepish grin on her face.

[anyu4]

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/3143509.jpg] Aashar sighed, though he wasn’t sure why. Thoughts ran through his head, and it was difficult to make sense of all of them. What was he getting himself into? Could he trust this female, though she was much like him and held a similar position in the world? It was a difficult decision to make, but there was also that other thought flitting around his head. It wasn’t exactly a questioning thought as the others were, but a thought of feeling. He liked her. Not just liked, in fact. There was desire there too. It was difficult for him to explain. But he was happy. If he was happy, then something had to be right. At her response, both in the words and the lick on the cheek, his heart leaped, thumping louder than before in excitement and nervousness. He turned towards her and buried his nose into her neck fur, breathing in deeply and filling his nose with her scent. Beautiful. Yes. There was no other world that could accurately describe her, or any of this. “And so, what does this mean for us now?” he asked her softly, his voice muffled by her fur and his eyes closed.

[namid]

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[atrb=background,http://i48.tinypic.com/5eh8k9.jpg] He pressed his nose into her fur, and asked her a very tough question. Namid's mind suddenly went blank. What do we do now? She was by nature, a little bit shy. Where were they gonna go from now? She summoned up her courage and tried to sound lovingly peaceful and a bit confident. "Who knows? All I know is that we'll go through it... together?" Namid asked it hopefully, wishing with all her might that she wasn't going too far. It was all or nothing, this one chance. He would either agree, and they'd spend their days together, or decline, and it would all be shattered to ruins. Namid hoped with all her heart that it would be the former. She realized she wanted to love him... did love him... but did he really love her back? Love was such a fickle thing, at least she'd heard. The Swan hybrid turned herself to look at him meaningfully. "We wouldn't have to be alone, then." And then she kept on looking at him, afraid to look away and at the same time afraid to keep staring at him like some moonstruck mayfly.

[anyu4]

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/3143509.jpg] A thoughtful expression filled the features on his face as she thought about what she said for a few moments. He was weighing the pros and cons of spending his life with her. He wouldn't be alone, yes, but could he trust her to not leave him? He'd been looked down upon and abandoned before? Why should she be any different. For several long moments he was silent, thinking about that. And then, for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, he put himself on the edge of a cliff, where he could either be pushed over the edge or pulled to safety. "Together..." he said softly. "I think I would like that very much." There was no uncertainty in his voice. He was sure of his answer, though there was a chance that it would end badly. If he never took risks, then he would never go anywhere with his life. Of course, if this all ended badly, then he may never be able to trust anyone again, and then he would truly be condemned to a life of loneliness. "I never really have liked being alone," he answered her with a smile, adoration in his eyes. Yes. He could live with her. He just hoped that she was feeling what he felt right now. Whether or not it was love, he couldn't say. He had never felt love before. He had also never felt this way before.