Welcome to Gaia! ::

[=O have fun? xD and be safe! ]

[where'd everybody goooooo? xD]

((*stabs gaia for eating her LONG post*))

Neka's calm expression was horribly conflicting with his inner confusion and uncertainty at the question, unsure how to answer exactly without making a fool of himself. Luckily, Elphie had answered with much more poise than he probably could have, yet it still had a lingering quality that made him feel horribly self-concious. He couldn't second the motion aloud though, finding the eyes of strangers to be unnerving, so he almost pretended as though the question had never been asked, except that his eyes leveled with the shewolf's briefly in understanding.

He all but slithered across the grass to join the brown wolfess, carefully stuck his nose in the back of her neck fur, and carefully began to kneed through it in a grooming sort of motion.

(( Not a problem in the least, Les. xD *luffs upon* ))

The compact male pranced to his beloved, his whole body in a happy wag. Whinn did seem to get him in the most undignified state, not that his actions had ever been especially eloquent. His ears flicking back, he licked her cheeks in greeting with a rumbling whine of affection. "For--gotten?" Yero stammered in response to her airy teasing. "Never!" He protested, perhaps a little too fervently, as his muscles tightened at the thought, giving his face a drastically sobering look. The young adult over-corrected his posture, standing tall, then tilting his muzzle down once more to touch noses with Whinn. The pretty shewolf was Yero's only, and he would tell her so.

He plopped down onto his haunches, still touching noses with her as a grin crossed his face. "What would I be without you?" His question was genuine, he realized. Whinn.. was the only thing the male had. He was loyal as he could be to the pack; he owed that to dear Selia. But Selia had a mate now, and children of her own. Yero hardly knew the pups--and come to think of it, he hardly knew the rest of the pack. Whinn.. was his escape. The one who had somehow pried off his shell, and continued to do so every time he saw her. If there was a true Yero, it was the one Whinn saw. And no one else.

Yero glanced into Whinn's dark doe-eyes and his ears tilted forward in puzzlement. It wasn't that they were lacking their usual life--it was.. they seemed almost to be masking something. Something different than usual "Love, is everything alright?" The male asked softly, his oddly low voice losing its usual rumble.

As Neka's body winched with what Elphie reasoned must be a sting from his injury, the shewolf grit her teeth. As she had done in such times before, she held her tongue and somewhat brusquely overlooked his pain, never skilled in the ways of confronting agony, physical or otherwise. Still, her face softened, her brow receding slightly toward her ears, her heart radiating what she could only hope was empathy, as she splayed herself slightly to create a more comfortable plane with her back.

Elphie shook herself lightly as Neka changed posture, both disappointed and relieved for similar reasons as the male. She turned him, a cursory glance admiring--not for the first time--the way their coats seemed to wash together at the edges, earth meeting earth. Her green eyes met his and she cocked her head to the side with a smile. An ear cocked forward puckishly as if to ask 'What?'

Elphie's eyes flashed as the male rose. This was an opportunity she wasn't going to waste. She cast a glance towards Soul and Isaac, then regretted it. Sliding to her feet, Elphie knew they would know why she was following, but for propriety's sake she mumbled: "Yeah.. I'm thirsty too.." Never mind that Elphie has visited the stream just a few minutes before to quench her thirst. Never mind that her friend and the other male would see through her words. This would be a chance to talk to Neka about.. about what she had been avoiding for some time.

Oddly, now that the moment was in sight it didn't seem as bad as Elphie had always imagined. The wolf ruffled herself once more, as if bracing herself, then trotted after Neka, a little more quickly than usual, fearing the wolf called Isaac might make a biting comment if she lingered too long.

As the trees surrounded the two, shielding them from the others temporarily, Elphie let a breath gust out quietly. This was it. As her large paws carried her toward the stream, she focused only on flushing out the stings of doubt that were beginning to n** at her mind.

*great swell of soap opera music*
Elphie watched Neka drink, hovering closer to the stream. She avoided the golden reflection of his eyes, but knew he was watching her as she opened her mouth, as if to speak. The words came a moment later. "I--Sorry about that..." She trailed off and there was a lingering silence, but she knew she was going to finish what she had started, even if she had to pause and regather herself after every word. And she practically did: "Back there. Neka, I've been--quite fond of--you." Her green eyes hazed over as she focused on the horizon. "For a while, now."

There. It was out. The worst was over. It was downhill from here. The shewolf glanced skywards. The sun was beginning to set, giving the landscape a rosy tint, and Elphie moved her gaze to focus on the dying light's reflection near the other side of the stream. "You've been.. a good friend to me. In a time when I didn't have much else. And now I feel..." Her voice trailed off, not able to say it again quite yet. "Well. You know," She seated herself, tucking her plumed tail tight against her haunches, her front claws digging into the earth as if to ground herself.

The muscles in the shewolf's face stiffened, her ears canting to the side gradually, before swiveling back towards Neka. For a moment the female floundered, unsure what to make of her friend's response. This was only the second time Elphie had had feelings like this, and both times she had voiced them awkwardly. For a moment, a feeling of panic
overwhelmed her. Had she learned nothing the first time? Had she gone about it the wrong way--twice?

Elphie pursed her lips and thought of backpedaling, but the trepidation receded as she realized Neka had not been negative in his reply. That in itself was positive. Calm down. She ordered herself. There was hope. No door had been shut. And one had opened that Elphie hadn't seen at first. The female tilted her muzzle towards the male, her bottle green eyes searching his. "You mean--" She cleared her throat. "--you don't mind?"