Ariel:
Ariel woke groggily and moaned as she opened her eyes and looked around, hmm she was back under water...it felt good. She was surprised however that she was back in the lake, Will's lake. She smiled and quickly swam up to the surface tossing her hair back and looking around on shore. She noticed that sun was just setting and realized Will wouldn't be up yet. Was he in his den? She swam towards it and then up poking her nose in curiously and then dragging herself up. She spotted his golden hair and smiled moving to lean over him and softly brush a strand aside.
He looked so peaceful sleeping like that...she lowered her head to his chest for a moment before quickly moving. She sighed and hummed softly "If only...we...could be..." She cut off her small song worried she would wake him.
William:
Will was having a wonderful dream, which was odd, because he usually didn't.
He was curled up with Ariel and she was singing to him and stroking his hair. In his dream he snuggled closer to her, while in reality he just snuggled deeper into his blanket, murmuring her name softly.
"Please don't make.... take you home..-gain," he continued muttering, his words fading in and out as his eyelids twitched in his sleep.
Ariel:
"This could be home...if you'd just let me stay..." She murmured softly her voice still slightly sing song as she lightly ran her paw through his hair. She nuzzled his cheek and drew back again worried. She sighed softly, Will was a friend...nothing more she had to accept that. He had duties here, this was HIS home not hers though it pained her greatly they hadn't been able to make it a home where they could both remain. Fish and birds knew better then to try and build nests underwater, why couldn't she be as sensible?
Sadly she pushed herself back her fin sliding back into the water. She looked around suddenly surprised she hadn't noticed the carvings before and leaning in closer to examine them.
William:
Will actually whimpered a bit when she pulled away from him and he stirred a bit more, until his eyes blinked open.
"Ariel?" he asked, trying to shake off the remains of his dream. Was she really there, or was she just a figment of his longing imagination? He took a moment to rub a paw across his eyes and she was still there, so he knew it was no dream. His face softened a bit as he scooted closer to her, though avoiding his water-ledge.
"How are you feeling?"
Ariel:
Ariel turned from the carvings to look at Will and pulled herself close to him again. "Oh good your alright..." She smiled softly relaxing a bit. "I'm fine, I just needed some rest." She glanced back over at the carvings and motioned with her paw.
"Did you do these? Their gorgeous..." She turned back to examine them more closely surprised at the details. It was as if they had been placed there magically.
William:
Will smiled a bit and his paw moved, thinking about stroking her face, but he caught himself and tucked his paw back under his chest. He flinched a bit when she mentioned the carvings. He glanced away from her, looking at some of the carvings.
"I... I did. Sometimes I can't sleep or I have a little extra time... So I carve," he replied, feeling embarrassed over her noticing his work. He... was just self conscious about them and she was the first to have ever seen them.
Ariel:
"These are so amazing..." She murmured softly before leaning back to look at him with a smile. "You must have a very steady paw to manage such great detail." She looked around and blushed then realizing she had pretty much intruded.
"I'm sorry...I just wasn't sure if you were alright...I thought you might be here..." Which wasn't exactly an excuse for just invading an otters privacy while he slept.
William:
"It's okay. I... was worried about you, too," Will replied, his dream still echoing in his mind. Oh, how he wished it could be true, he thought it would be wonderful for her to stroke his hair and sing to him when he had a bad day, for him to constantly bring her gifts and treats to show her how much he appreciates her, to have her to cuddle with during the day.
He mentally slapped himself and looked at the murals again.
"I'm glad you've okay," he added and reached a paw out to touch hers.
Ariel:
She leaned in closer laying down and resting her head on her paws, she felt herself getting dry but it wasn't too bad yet besides she wanted more time with William. "Your sister brought me back I think...I remember her holding me very tight, I think she was afraid I was hurt."
She flipped her fin idly and offered him a smile. "I'm fine though, really and...glad to be back..." She murmured softly. "I...I don't think I realized how much this felt like home until I went back..."
William:
Will's eyes widened and he blinked at her when she said home. Did she really think of this place as home? Oh, if only that was true... But she had said it, light-heartedly, nothing but honesty in her eyes.
"Ariel... do you really mean that?" he asked, disbelief in his tone. Maybe Mel was right. Would she stay with him, if he asked? If he promised to tell her friend where she was now so that she could come and visit? Oh, he hoped so, more than he ever had for anything.
Ariel:
"Of course I do?" She tilted her head and looked at him curiously, why wouldn't she say something if she didn't mean it? She slid back a bit to dip her fin in the water feeling her scales drying out. It wouldn't do to let herself dehydrate again, it happened so quickly when she was out of the water. She sank half her body back in and then rested her head on her paws with a smile for William.
"Your a very peaceful sleeper you know..." She blushed realizing it probably wasn't the appropriate thing to say.
William:
When Ariel moved back into the water, Will followed more of less, crawling to the edge of the dry ground. He should have believed she was being honest, but he had to know.
He closed his eyes, about to ask her a very dumb and possibly dangerous question, but then she spoke again.
His eyes shot open and he blinked at her.
"I am? Why... do you say so?" he asked in an almost curious tone, wondering exactly how long she'd been there and what he was really like in his sleep.
Ariel:
"Well...I was here...while you were asleep...you were very calm." She felt a bit guilty, it was as if she had been spying on him. She pushed her hair back and looked down. "I'm sorry..." She murmured uncertainly, hopefully he wasn't upset.
William:
Will reached out and slipped his paw beneath her chin, gently tilting it up so that she wasn't looking down anymore.
"It's okay, I don't mind," he said with a bit of a sigh. He glanced down for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
"Ariel, tell me... that you want to stay here," he paused there to look up at her again. "With me?"
Ariel:
She relaxed a bit and smiled nuzzling Wills paw, he was such a good friend...pity they couldn't be more. She flipped her fin to remind herself of how much stood between her and him.
She looked back up at him surprised by his question before looking down in thought. "I like it here...it's nice...safer then where I was...but no one even knows I'm here...and my collection is still at home. I don't want to intrude on your home Will, but I think it would be nice if I could stay here." She hoped he wasn't going to get upset or think she was trying to take over his lake.
William:
Will's entire being lightened when she said she liked it here, that she wanted to stay. He felt so relieved that he bowed his head and let out a shaky sigh.
"I can't believe..." he murmured under his breath. He looked up at her again with his most brilliant smile, a true, genuine smile.
"I'll find your friends tell then where you live now, I'll get you anything you want from your old home, just so you'll stay," he vowed, rubbing his paw against her cheek. He scooted closer again and rested his forehead against hers.
"I... I didn't want to take you back before. When Melantha told me she'd brought you back... I felt horrible because I knew I wouldn't be able to do it again."
Ariel:
Ariel looked surprised by how happy will was, had he wanted her to stay? She smiled and leaned into his soft touch reaching to brush back a strand of his hair. "I just wanted Xylia to know I was alright, and well I did spend a lot of time on my collection. Even without them though...I'd have liked to stay will...when you said it was time for me to go back I thought I'd upset you. I know how different we are, but your my best friend...and I...I care so much about you...I..." she blushed and sighed, there was no point in scaring him off with three little words. If he really was going to let her stay she would have time to show him how she felt anyway.
William:
Will laughed a bit, closing his eyes and shaking his head.
"I thought you wanted to go home. I... I wanted to make you happy," he admitted and cringed when she called him her best friend. Damn those words. Had he done it again? Had he been wrong, had Mel?
He pulled back and studied her with a frown. And it was then that he came to the decision that could make or break him.
"Ariel, I... don't want to be your best friend or your protector or your captor," he said, no amount of teasing in his voice. Before she had a chance to respond, he leaned down and kissed and nuzzled her cheek.
"It's not enough, being just that."
Ariel:
"Oh Will...I...I've come to care so much about you, I...I love you...but...how can we be more then friends?" She looked back down at her fin and bit her lip hard trying to hold back tears. "I live under the water all the time...and your a land dweller, you need the night to survive." She sighed softly and looked up at him.
"How could we be mates when I would only ever be a burden to you?" She leaned in to nuzzle him softly and kiss his cheek.
William:
Will felt like his heart would burst with her confession and her nuzzle and kiss. He hadn't tried for nothing, Mel hadn't been wrong. Oh, but poor Ariel... He stood and slipped down onto the submerged shelf, lifting her up into a hug and holding her close.
"My parents were night and day and yet they found one another and are happy together. When time separated them, they managed, I'm sure we can survive with you simply needing to be in the water." He pulled back then to smile down at her. "I am still an otter after all."
He shook his head again, sighing in slight exasperation.
"You will never be a burden to me. How could you when I care so much? When I... love you?"
Ariel:
"Will...your father can change your mother, those things can be overcome...I would give up the daylight to be with you...but theres nothing thats going to fix...this." She motioned to her fin and nuzzled against him when he pulled her close. The truth was she didn't want to argue with him she was all too happy to surrender to the fact he loved her. She didn't think William had room in his heart for any female save his sisters and mother. "Oh Will...I love you too..."
William:
"I would never want to change any part of you," Will whispered back, burying his face into her hair at her shoulder and curling his tail around, lightly brushing her fin.
"You aren't broken or defective, Ariel. There's nothing that needs to be fixed about you... Well, except maybe the whole keeping secrets from my thing, but we both need to work on that," he added, nuzzling at her ear and laughing just a little. He would see if he could make the ledge wider, have part of it be deeper even. It would be tough in the winter, but he would figure it out.
Ariel:
"Well...I'd like to change parts of me..." She sighed and nuzzled him half glad he didn't see it as a problem but also worried that time would change his mind. She stroked her paw softly against his chest and nodded softly.
"No secrets..." She nodded and softly kissed his cheek again before shaking her head softly with a smile. "I was so afraid to tell you how I felt...I didn't have any way to come back to you if you didn't want me."
William:
"Well, I guess I'll just have to devote some of my time to changing your mind about that," Will said with a tender smile, meaning every work of it. He was right, though, there shouldn't be secrets between them. He needed to tell her.
He pulled back so that he could looked into her face, his smile turned sad.
"Ariel, when I first took you, it... was because another female broke my heart. I thought I loved her and when she didn't return the feelings, I was broken. I thought, if I could have someone who couldn't leave me, couldn't tell me no, I could be whole again. And you did, but not because of that." He stroked her cheek there, tilting his head slightly to one side. "You're kind, self-sacrificing, innocent, gentle, and I found myself falling again. But it wasn't the same. Before, it was sudden and fast, like falling out of a tree and ending just as quickly and painfully as hitting the ground. With you... it was like floating, slow and smooth, like a bubble that will never pop. I didn't want to tell you how I felt because I didn't want to hurt again. I thought if I did, I would break into a thousand pieces and be done with it. I did love her once, Ariel, but I swear to you, you will never be second in my heart."
Ariel:
She smiled and shook her head with a sigh, he would never change her desire to have four paws and walk on land like a normal female. It was sweet that he wanted to convince her she was fine the way she was, but she still felt she was missing out on so much.
She looked at him mildly surprised by his confession, suddenly his desire for her made sense. Painful sense, but at least she knew now instead of wondering why. She wondered who the other female was, if she was pretty, smart, a four legged normal otter no doubt...one who could share a real home and life with him. She blushed at his compliments and shook her head. "I'm stubborn..." she protested but the ay he described his love, it was how she had felt as well, floating. Together they seemed to nestle and float destined to slowly be drawn together the way the waters current pushed and pulled things. His reassurance helped ease her concern but she still wondered if the female would someday come back, come between them. She had obviously wounded him deeply, what if all her love wasn't enough to heal that wound?
William:
Will brushed at her hair as silence stretched between them.
"I do thank her, though, in the long run. How does the saying go? ... God bless the broken road, that led me to you," he finally said to break the quiet. Getting tired of standing, he settled down, resting his back against the wall of his den, pulling her down with him so she could sit on the watery ledge at his side. It was a tough fit, he would definitely have to widen it.
"Do you want me to get your things tonight?" he asked after a moment.
Ariel:
She smiled softly and nuzzled him curling against his side though her tail remained in the water. "You land dwellers seem to place this God fellow quite highly...I've heard talk of him before, is he a friend of the ranger?" She asked innocently.
"No, I don't need my things this very night...especially since I have you." she nuzzled against his chest happily.
William:
Will chuckled and hugged her a bit.
"He's... something some humans worship. They think he created them and all other creatures and the world. I... don't know, really, I don't worship anything. Besides, I've heard He doesn't care too much for vampires... Anyways, that's just how the saying goes.," he explained, nuzzling her hair as she nuzzled his chest. he was glad he didn't have to go and get her things tonight, that he could stay there with her.
"You're unbelievable... I don't know what I did to deserve you..."
Ariel:
She yawned still not used to being awake at night the way he was and her eyes slowly drifted shut. "Maybe...that God fellow decided we deserved to be...together." She slowly drifted to sleep against his chest with a soft murmur.
:: The Otter Oasis Guild ::
