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 Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 8:21 pm
 It was dark, very, very dark.
So dark in fact, that dreariness clung to Noyama's eyes, but still she kept walking. She wasn't sure why, or how she kept doing it. It was something of that between a sleep state and being fully concious. She could think, and respond, but her mind was afire with the night.
It shouldn't have been unusual. Night was her friend and ally. Just before dusk, just after dawn. It was the way of the cougar, what she was used to. But even this was stretching things. Even she shouldn't be out in the darknest nights of all time, searching for something.
Whatever it was.
Her head said, 'Stop,' but her veins pulsed onwards in a chorus that meant, 'Forever.'
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Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 8:46 pm
 Cougars weren't the only ones who preferred to travel by night.
Since his meeting with Noyama, Dak had wandered aimlessly. A part of him wanted to run; to flee as fast and as far as he could. A part of him just wanted to get away from anything and everything that reminded him of the past. After all, he'd escaped once; why couldn't he escape again?
Find someone who could use his skills, and vanish in a new land...
But there was a small part that refused. It held him rooted to these lands, caged like a bird and unable to hide. He'd haunted the pond where he'd last seen the pink wolf, half hoping she'd appear again. She wasn't Tanya, she never could be...
... but part of him wanted to pretend she was. If he tried hard enough, maybe he could forget the differences and Noya could become a new Tanya.
The black male shook his head, fighting back both his line of reasoning and the sleep that threatened to overcome him. He should follow his instincts, and they told him to leave. They'd never led him wrong before. To form bonds was to welcome weakness!
To love was to die. Right?
The wolf slunk forwards through the woods, searching out his sleeping hollow. Life should be simple; living was hard enough.
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Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:13 pm
Noyama, surprisingly, hadn't been looking for Dak. She hadn't even thought of him in many, many days. The dreams had ceased suddenly after she talked to him, but as his scent drafted past they suddenly came back to her in a pungent memory.
Her weary head lifted, blue eyes scanning the world beyond, but she could make out nothing.
What was she to do about this? She could see him, or she could avoid him in every way possible. Perhaps, perhaps tonight he would show her. That may have been what he came here to do.
She peered about for a moment, then slipped off into the night, fighting her tired soul. She'd follow him to wherever he was spending the night, and then, maybe, finally, she could answer the calling rushing in her blood.
Perhaps he'd spot her before then, perhaps not.
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Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:38 pm
The world seemed to dance in front of his eyes, misty and unsubstantial. He blinked, forcing his exhausted mind to focus.
Gods, he was tired.
Lack of sleep the past few nights, coupled with his restless wandering, had left him with drained and barely able to keep his head out of the mud at his feet. When he was younger, he could have gone for weeks on little sleep. Now... now he struggled to overcome a few short nights.
The wolf's pawsteps were still light on the forest floor; training was hard to overcome, even subconsciously. But he had slowed to a bare walk, picking his way listlessly over branches and past giant boulders.
Almost there...
With a sigh of relief the wolf collapsed into a small hallow at the base of a boulder and a towering pine. The roots created a nest with enough space for him to curl up...
... and just enough space for a second, warm, welcoming body...
Dak was asleep before his head hit the ground, falling into welcoming dreams of happier times.
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Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:44 pm
Noyama made it there a little while after, her state a little better than his, though not much. She was also halfway in her dream world, and her voice was soft and concerned because of it.
While drama and wildness had kept her alive and the other wolves fearful, there was still that loving, calculating girl beneath.
The one that whispered, "Dakeyras," so carefully in the males ear as she slid in carefully beside him, resting her back against his.
It was so calm, serene.
Beautiful.
And she found that she could not close her eyes, no matter how hard she tried. She only watched the stir of his ears in his sleep, waiting to wake him. That opportune moment, just to pull lightly on his ear. . .
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Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 10:09 pm
They were running, racing, past sparkling streams and tall, strong pines. Laughter rang out, echoing through the trees and ringing across the valley like bells.
Unable to help himself, Dak laughed too. It rippled out of him unexpectedly, heralding a burst of happiness. Ahead he could just make out Tanya, her pink pelt soft and lovely against a backdrop of deep forest greens.
"Slow down!" He panted, still laughing, and put on another burst of speed. She glanced back, and he called her name just to hear its sound. "Tanya!"
"Tanya!"
Together they collapsed in a heap of sun-warmed fur and soft grass. Breathless and panting, he lay still for a moment, reveling in the sound of her breathing so close. He could feel her back against him, feel her heart beat next to his...
... Tanya tugged on his ear, and he stared. Something was different about her. And yet -- everything was the same. As it should have been. As it always -would- be. No blood...
"Tanya..." He whispered, only half awake. "I miss you..."
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Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 10:23 pm
Tanya?! Who the hell was that!? Why the nerve.
Noyama almost spat at him for it, but then she fought back the urge. Was Tanya that someone he knew? It was worth a shot.
"I miss you too, Dak," she whispered back, sticking his nose into his neck and nuzzling him lightly. That touch, such a wonderful touch, and she was allowed to do it!
"Please, don't leave me, not tonight," she added, her voice as soft as it had gotten. "Just one last night together. Then let me rest in peace."
She just assumed Tanya was dead. If she wasn't, well crap. She was screwed. Too late for take backs now. She bit her tongue.
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Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 10:41 pm
Half asleep, Dak slipped between dreams and reality, unable to separate one from the other. Tanya was here! That was all that mattered. He had another chance. He wouldn't go hunting, he would stay home, watch the pups...
... he smiled up into Noyama's blue eyes and nuzzled her back.
It felt so nice, so right, to have a warm, soft body curled next to him again. How had he made it so far alone? Never again. He'd been wrong. Love wasn't a weakness; it was a strength.
The grass was warm beneath his paws as he shifted to face her, and his smile grew gentler. He loved her so much! They could live happily again, together. He didn't have to leave and hunt down the killers...
"I'll never leave you." He whispered. "Never."
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Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 10:48 pm
Noyama grinned, feeling the fire that rushed through her. Sure, it wasn't exactly the way she imagined it, but it was enough and it was close.
Carefully she slid closer, burying her head deeper in his fur, letting his smell intoxicate her senses.
She'd be sure that this was a night to remember. Very sure.
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Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 11:12 pm
It was too much.
All that he'd ever wanted, everything he'd ever asked for. Another chance! Bless the Source, another chance!
He wouldn't waste it - she would know how much he loved her.
* * *
Dak came awake slowly, reluctantly. The dreams had been so real last night, so full of life and love! He didn't want to leave them. Even now, he could feel her warmth snuggled against him. He smiled, his eyes still closed, and clung to the memories.
A warm breath tickled his ear.
With a jerk, Dakeyras came completely awake. His eyes fell on the pink and grey female curled tight at his side and he froze.
Oh. Oh no.
It wasn't a dream. It hadn't been a dream. Oh, god. Oh, s**t. But even his anger couldn't overcome his regret. A wave of it swept over him, weakening his muscles. He'd been so sure. It had been so real.
Tanya is dead. Dak pulled himself away from the sleeping girl. She looked so much younger in sleep. She's gone, and you'll never be able to apologize.
With a last glance at Noyama, he turned and loped into the woods.
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