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 Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 7:53 pm
He held her gently, warming away her fears and worries. As long as she'd let him he would be there for her. She'd cried and he stayed put. He took all her pain and dispersed it with soft murmurs and light touches. He knew he could make her happy, and for now at least. He wouldn't dream of keeping her against her will.
Once she'd finally cried herself out did he dare relax his hold on her. He looked to her face but her eyes were still closed. Had she cried herself to sleep? A barely noticeable rumbling told him otherwise. His heart soared in his chest and he was sure she'd hear it pounding. He dared not hope that this meant she felt the same...but it was the start, perhaps. She'd not pulled away. He could still dream.
"Shani..." He whispered into her ear. "Shani...I am so sorry my feelings hurt or scared you. Can you ever forgive me? I shouldn't have been so forward...I did not mean to frighten you." Though how things had worked out...perhaps it'd been for the best. His hold on her tightened just slightly and he rested his head atop hers.
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Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 8:44 pm
She let loose another great sigh and relaxed further, her muscles loosening, and she sagged gently in his grasp. She would have jumped before, having his voice in her ear, so close and intimate. But not now. Now she listened, her ear turning towards his breath's tickle. How lovely her name sounded on his tongue! She swallowed, her throat raw but clear, even if her tongue was sticky. He deserved her honesty, her truthfulness, and her voice. She swallowed once more and opened her eyes to gaze up at him, still not moving from her comfortable position.
"It was cowardly of me to yell at you and run," she whispered, voice a little raspy from all the crying. She swalowed again, but her body further relaxed into him. "You were nothing but kind and loving, and I repaid you by flinging myself down a hillside." There was a smile in her soft voice. She nuzzled the underside of his jaw before speaking again. "I know you meant me no harm, and did not want to frighten me." She thought for a moment and then added, "Well, I know it now."
She had been so silly. And so very unhappy. She could see it now, what her fear had been. Now that she was safe in his embrace. For a moment she held still, frowning as she tried to think back to what seemed a thousand years ago, to when he'd told her his name... what was it? It felt ridiculous to be pondering her beloved's name at this point, but what else was there? She needed to know, with all her heart, what her savior's name was. She thought hard, and it came to her finally. "Feidhlim," she murmured aloud. She smiled at the name's feel upon her tongue. "If you had not spoken, how much longer would I have been alone?" A note of her anguish crept into her tone on the last word. Alone. So alone, she had been! But no more!
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Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2010 5:48 am
He looked down into her eyes with fondness, and what he hoped was encouragement. He never wanted her to feel afraid around him, or unable to speak and be heard. She deserved that much and more, and she was his world. He listened to her apologies and made gentle shushing, soothing noises. "You were right to be uneasy though. How could you know?" He nuzzled her back and draped his tail over hers. "Perhaps we both were a bit in the wrong. But it doesn't matter now."
"Not long. If I'd not done it today, I would have regretted it instantly, and come to you tomorrow. When I saw you...I almost thought you couldn't be real. I felt like I'd been looking for you for so long, and I finally found you. I wasn't about to let you go, my dear Shani."
"Though now I've gotten you all muddy." He chuckled. "So maybe you would rather I released you." Still, he did not let her go, and instead he licked at a muddy spot on her fur to clean it. Even splattered in mud, she was beautiful.
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Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 7:37 am
She listened wordlessly to him talk, enjoying the feel of his voice rumbling in his chest, which she was pressed up against. She closed her eyes and relished the feeling. But when he began to groom her, she did something she hadn't done in a very, very long time.
She giggled.
It wasn't that it tickled, at least not exactly. But to have her new love already grooming her as a mate would made her giddy. Still smiling hugely , she tentatively began to groom him too. The mud had a deep, earthy taste, though not one she savored. She made a face and spat out some, giving him a sheepish but adoring look.
"Tell me about your family, Feid?" she requested randomly and wistfully. Did he even have family? She hadn't quite admitted to herself that she'd distanced herself from those of the pride, so she had no clue who was related to who. And still, she made no move to slip free of his embrace. Oh no, it was much too comfortable here, mud and all.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 12:22 pm
Every little look, each turn of the head and twist of her ears to hear him made his love for her grow. True the mud had a bad taste and was gritty on his tongue, but for her he'd drink it like water. She deserved someone to groom and keep her clean and perfect.
Her giggle made him stop and stare, the corners of his eyes crinkling in a delighted smile. How he adored her already. By her face she didn't feel the same about the mud on his fur though! Well they could handle that well enough, and he wouldn't always be muddy.
He blinked at her request, and then nodded and began to groom her again. His family..."My mother lives here in the pride, as do many of my brothers and sisters. My father by birth...he dwells in a far-off pride in the swamp lands. One of my sisters lives with him there. Many of my siblings here are ghosts, or hunters...my mother's new mate now lives with us too, and mother's sister is here as well, and her mate. They've had children too. Some of them, and some of my siblings, have already found mates and had children..." He trailed off a moment, and almost imperceptibly his grip on her tightened. He'd been so afraid he'd never find her. But she was here, and real, and his. He had faith in that.
"And now you can be part of that family too. Through me, my family is yours."
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:50 pm
She listened attentively, absently grooming his fur as he talked and occasionally sticking her tongue out in comical protest at the thickness of this mud. It wasn't the silty river kind, but thick loamy growing kind. Her mind wasn't on the mud anymore, though, even though she continued to lick-lick-lick-grimace. Instead, her mind centered on his words, and on his paws about her.
What a family! It sounded rather like a close knit and jolly sort of family. His voice as he talked revealed much about how he felt about them all, as well as gave her a peek into his own groaning within with loneliness. So he had reason to treasure her even as she treasured him! He needn't have put his feelings into words. She could read between the lines and see a mirror of her own heart there. Even as his embrace tightened slightly, she leaned further into him and nuzzled his mane. It was so lovely and thick and smelled like cubs and greenery. She heaved a soft sigh of contentment into it and continued her train of thought.
For she had learned something else they shared in common. "So some of your family has gone away too," she commented softly. She paused, remembering her own scattered family. "I don't know where most of mine are anymore, though," she added. "I have an aunt here in this pride, but my father and mother and siblings have all gone their own way." She nibbled at a bit of twig caught in the lower part of his mane, thinking hard before she continued. "We were born into the pride that this one came from. The land was similar, but is far away. Now I don't know where any but my aunt are." There was a clear note of sadness and loneliness in her voice. She didn't like being cut off from them, but one brother seemed to have gone mad, and everyone else just had been shattered from the others. Shani herself had been lost in the need to escape her brother's behavior.
"I guess you could say we are a broken family," she finished. "But you are right. Now I am part of yours, and that makes me very happy, Feid." She said his name shyly and smiled up at him like the maiden she was, though a bit old for the state perhaps. She was no young thing, newly grown. Most had long ago taken mates before reaching her age, but of course there had been noone for Shani. Noone until now. Now she had Feid, and would never be alone again. Tears of happiness gathered in her eyes, his handome face wavering before her.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 5:46 pm
Somehow he knew Shani understood his need to hold her. Of course she would, if anyone would, she would. Oh, she was so perfect for him! If he could hold her any closer she'd be behind him, but he didn't care. He buried his nose in the top of her head, breathing deeply, breathing her in. He'd loved before, but only in the way a son loves a mother, or a sibling to another, or as a surrogate to cubs with busy parents.
Cubs...Fir the first time it occurred to him that the cubs were still left with just the other two shepherds. They'd likely been overrun by now, and where busy being chewed on by the little monsters...But they would understand, he knew. Another breath, full of her scent, distracted him once more. She was his world, and she demanded his attention.
"My mother had only just come to those lands when the pride moved. I wasn't even born. I've heard stories though, about it. My mother lost many of her family too. For a time even she and her sister were apart, and she thought her dead...but they found each other again, and now here they have new families." He bent to lick the tears off her cheeks. "Yes. And we'll make our own family." Was it too soon? "And you'll always have me, as long as you want me."
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:59 pm
A voice niggled at the back of her mind that she should be ashamed of loving such a younger lion than herself. But common sense prevailed. Age had little impact on mating choices, once one was adult and so was their love. He was no cub, so why should it bother her. With a flick of her tailtip, she dismissed the concern from her mind forever. If he didn't care, why should she?
But then part of what he said thrilled through her. A family. Of their own. Her mind whirled. Just that morning she'd been so alone and bereft of love, lost in the mists and shadows. But in the space of a few hours, now here she was, wrapped in a handsome lion's love and talking about making a family of their own. Of their own! She'd always always always wanted cubs. To be a mother was her highest aspiration, and now this male who had swept her off her paws (very nearly literally!) was telling her he wanted cubs! With her!
For the second time that day, she was completely overcome with joy. She gave a little hiccup, ears folding, and next thing she knew, she'd plunged her face deep against his mane, burying herself into it and bawling. She figured he probably thought she was a complete fluttery cry-baby, but she couldn't help it. It was all her life's dreams coming true in one fell swoop. Her heart ached so fierce, and her eyes were raw and sore, but still she wept into his mane and wrapped her forelegs about his neck.
He was hers. That was all that mattered in the whole wide world. Feid was hers. All other trials could be endured now. He was hers!
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 4:57 pm
That Shani was older hadn't even occurred to Feid. She was the lioness he was in love with, she was his, she was all he cared about. That was as far as he was able to think. And why not? That was all that mattered.
Thankfully he could tell the difference between happy and sad tears, and when she once more burst into them he knew they were the happy kind. He held her nonetheless, and nuzzled into the top of her head. Yes, if she wanted cubs, he would do his best to give them to her. If she wanted a new den, he'd dig it himself. If she wanted the moon he'd tug it down from the heavens for her. Anything within his power he would do for her. She deserved it. That happiness.
For all the time they would have together, he would make it his mission in life to see her smiling. She'd had enough sorrow in her life. All that had to be left were the good times. Times together, no more being alone. He mumbled sweet nothings into her ears while she cried herself out in his paws. "I love you, Shani. I love you. I love you."
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 7:30 pm
The tears drained away, leaving only a warm glow, lacking the ache of loneliness she had endured for so long. Her eyes began to droop, overwhelmed by a surge of weariness from all the intense emotions she'd run through. It might have still been morning, or perhaps just noontime, but she was suddenly comfortably exhausted. She gave a sigh, slumping against him.
"I don't have to go away, do I?" she murmured sleepily. "I don't have to leave you? Can I just stay right beside you?" She almost bit her lip from the urge to beg to stay at his side at all times, all hours, never to be parted from him again. If he was out of her sight, he might turn out to be just a dream after all, but perhaps if she stayed with him, the dream would never end. But the warmth of his embrace, the soft stirring of his breath against her face, the sound of his heartbeat racing against her ear.... no, this was all real.
Feeling sated, content, and complete, she allowed herself to slip into sleep right then and there, in the near-stranger's arms, secure in the knowledge that her future was forever changed, and even though she did not hear him reply to her question, she knew for certain that she didn't have to leave him. She had a mate, for better and for worse.
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