|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 6:57 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 7:22 pm
 |
|
|
|
Heart racing, breathing shallow, neck and flanks soaked in sweat. Everything was wrong.
She had been sure that her mother would return in the night - this was the longest that Kalypso had ever left her alone, and Sephora feared the worst. She'd been unable to sleep, her eyes dry and drooping as the sun rose on the fourth day since her mother's disappearance. Part of her felt like screaming, part like sobbing, and all of her trembled, from pinions to tail, mouth to knees. She'd stayed put all night, though her body had itched and pined to run up and down the shore, calling her mother's name.
There was no sign of her, nothing she could do to find her. She should have noticed that first day, but Kendrick had distracted her - not that she blamed him. She hadn't looked for her mother's hoofprints like she should have, and if there had been any evidence as to which direction the black-and-tan mare had headed, the sea had long since washed it away. And now she really had no choice about leaving; if her mother came looking for her, and she was gone, it was more than likely they would never find each other again. The coast was a big place, and if Kalypso thought Sephora had left it... What little chance there was that they would find each other would dwindle further.
Pacing in her panic, Sephora noticed that the sand she was walking through was wet - she'd been walking back and forth so long that she'd literally worn a hole in the ground. Taking a moment to hold her breath and try to calm down, Sephora stepped out of the hole and back onto dry sand. But then another score of worst-case-scenarios flooded her head, and she broke down again, this time stationary. She just stood there and let herself cry, staring at the hole she'd worn in the sand.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 8:16 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 2:17 am
|
|
|
|
She didn't hear his hooves flinging sand like she should have, but he was here all the same, silvery horn and shining coat glistening in the morning sun. Something about the sight of him comforted her, but she couldn't bring herself to talk yet. Saying it would make it so - she would really be gone. "N-nothing hurt m-me," she stuttered out once her lips decided they didn't need to press themselves together anymore and her vocal cords unfroze. Her heart fluttered more and she sucked in air like it would save her from the drowning anxiety in her head. Tears kept streaming down the crevices between her nose and her cheekbones, leaving dirty streaks along the dot markings that she had inherited from her mother.
Shivering, Sephora leaned into his shoulder as he stepped up beside her; her body felt cold now, like she couldn't get warm anymore. She didn't stop to think about whether or not her touch was welcome; she couldn't stop to think. Her head wasn't working right now. "My mother's gone," she whispered, as though saying it quietly might lessen the blow. No such luck; a new flood of tears dripped from the corners of her eyes. It was like every thought brought a new gush of them, and she didn't know how to stop thinking. "She's never been g-gone so long before, something is wrong." She was still whispering, still shivering, still cold. She had to stop, had to get her head on straight, but she didn't know how.
She just didn't know how. Everything was wrong. Even if Kendrick was here, there was nothing she could do. Maybe she would be able to calm down, maybe he could soothe her - he was good at that - but she would be stuck here, in some kind of limbo, waiting for her mother to return.
What if she never returns? The thought made her cry out loud, a broken sound cut off halfway up her throat. It wasn't a new thought, but her mother was all she'd ever known. What would she do without her? There was no world without her, that was what it felt like. She was at a standstill in time, frozen until somebody could convince her to move - and the only person she was certain could thaw her was her mother.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 1:08 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 11:23 pm
|
|
|
|
The comfort of the warmth of his feathers brushing over her back was something beyond words, and the closeness of him as he tried to dry her tears steadied her a little more. Her body stopped shuddering, toning its reaction to the loss of her mother down to a trembling; the clink of his horn against hers almost made her laugh - a hysterical laugh, one that turned into some kind of harsh choking sound, but slowly she was piecing herself back together again. She could almost feel him holding her together, with his wings and his gentle touch, until she managed to put glue on the pieces herself.
Taking a deep breath, Sephora blew it out shakily. When was the last time she had eaten? Sometime after Kendrick had left the night before, or maybe even before that, though she wasn't sure if she could stomach a meal now... Not that she could throw it back up if it sickened her. She'd be stuck with the nausea until it passed through her system if she did manage to eat. "U-u-um..." It was all she could manage for a second before she took another deep breath. "Sh-she just wa-wanders." Her sobs had turned to some kind of hiccups, her throat and diaphragm spasming so the words didn't come out right. "Sh-she always comes b-back though. She g-goes up and d-down the coast. We've d-done that since I was b-born."
Sephora thought maybe it was time to extricate herself from him, but she didn't want to - she was afraid that if she did, she might break down again. And that would make her even less comprehensible than she already was. Sniffing, she leaned into him further, closing her eyes and waiting for his response.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 12:11 am
|
|
|
 |
Quote: Kendrick rested his head atop hers and let her get all of her shakes and cries out of her system. Sometimes it just took a little time to calm yourself down, no matter what anyone says to try and comfort you, and he was content to stay until she told him to leave or until she had worked it out on her own. He actually glanced up and down the beach, hoping for a miracle that her mother would be there and she would have felt silly for being so worried. But no luck.
It seemed she was calming down a bit so he leaned back to peer down at her. "Well that's easy then, we'll just follow the coastline and we should run into her in no time. If she had gone anywhere else that would be much more difficult." He used the tip of his wing to brush back the strands of hair stuck to her tear-stained face. "You pick which way you think she went and we'll start looking, okay?"
Quote: His confidence was refreshing - but at the same time, it felt ludicrous, but maybe that was because she'd been thinking about never seeing her mother again all morning. When he leaned back, a little of his warmth left her, and she felt it drain away, but she held herself together a little better than she thought she would; new tears fell, but there were no sobs to accompany them, though her hiccups had gone nowhere. As his feathers swept delicately at her face, she smiled what felt like a ridiculous wry smile, but it was almost instinctual - sometimes just looking at him made her smile. "O-okay," she started, and nodded back the way he'd come, the way she and her mother had been heading when she had left and Kendrick had found her. "That way. W-west, I think?"
Quote: Poor thing looked terrible, but at least she was still pretty at the same time, an accomplishment not many could pull off. He nodded at her response. "Alright then, let's head that way then." He turned around and half guided her with his wing to come with him as he started walking. "I'm sure she just got caught up with something. No need to worry, little dove, we'll find her."
Quote: Leaving the spot she'd dug into the sand with her pacing, Sephora let his wing ferry her along, still half-blinded by tears. "Sh-she has flat hooves, so that sh-should distinguish her tracks from y-yours, if there are any l-left." The ocean was like that, sweeping away everything before there was a chance to find it again. She could only hope that her mother had stayed above the tide line - which, knowing her mother, she probably hadn't; Kalypso liked to stay halfway between the sea and the top of the shore, her path changing as the tide rose and fell. "It's been f-four days since I saw her. I don't know how f-far she might have gotten..."
Quote: "Hmm that is a while," he pondered mainly to himself. "We also don't know where she might have stopped or for how long. She could also be on her way back in which case we would run into her and cut that time in half." He smiled down at her. "There's so many things we don't know, so there's no sense in thinking about the bad stuff." Kendrick had the outlook that if he didn't seem worried then neither would she, but honestly he really wasn't that worried because they had no evidence to determine something bad had happened. He could probably even fly up ahead and knock this mystery out in a day with his speed in the air, but he planned to stick close to Sephora and help her any way she needed.
Quote: The smile he gave her was so confident that her own sort of widened, though it was almost a grimace; still, he lifted her spirits. "Right," she said, wondering if maybe he was right - could she have wandered out two days and be on her way back right now? It seemed plausible... Maybe that was what had happened. Happy butterflies fluttered in her stomach, but she also didn't want to get her hopes up. "I... I want to run, but I also don't feel like running," she said, with a little laugh that left her breathless. "Mom almost always walks when she wanders, so we could cover more ground that way... But I think I need a few more minutes." Almost without her noticing, her hiccups had subsided.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 1:23 am
|
|
|
|
Quote: "Take your time. I'm not in any hurry. This could be an adventure, full of fun and exciting things and we'll have plenty of stories to tell your mom when we find her. Well.. At least I hope that's what happens," he chuckled and smiled at her again. "I should make you work on your flying too. Just because we're on an adventure doesn't mean you get a free pass to skip training," he ruffled her hair with one of his wings.
Quote: The fluttering wings in her stomach beat faster as Kendrick brushed at her hair with his feathers, but is was not the same fluttering that she'd felt before - this was a giddy fluttering, like the way her wings fluttered on their own with her mood sometimes, before she had the presence of mind to still them. "Maybe," she allowed, looking up into his clear grey eyes. Though she had meant to have them steady her, the effect they had on her wasn't bad, though it was opposite; when she looked at him, she felt like she was floating, electrified, confident again. Just being near him put more of a bounce in her step. Taking a deep breath, she felt her stomach settle. "Fine," said Sephora - "but if this is an adventure, there's no time to dawdle." And with that, she sped off, her feet sprinting away with her as the wind whispered away her tears.
Quote: Kendrick blinked as she took off and then laughed. Good she had bounced back it seemed, but she was no match for him when it came to speed... even if his way was a bit like cheating. He took off at a run and took off into the air, but didn't get more than maybe six feet off the ground. He glided along, giving his wings a flap when needed and easily caught up to Sephora, gliding past her with a whoosh. "You'll have to do better than that!" He touched down at a run and now switched between running and gliding.
Quote: The running made her stop thinking, made her focus on outrunning him - she had a head start, after all. But Sephora had forgotten his number one weapon, the weapon she always underestimated: his wings. As he glided past her, she put on the brakes, not wanting to run into him. "Oooookay," she called as he swept by her. "That's not fair!" He kept going, though, so she sped up to catch up to him, though it took all her effort, whereas he seemed hardly out of breath; his wings allowed him that reprieve. Hers, on the other hand, would only slow her down - it took a lot of concentration to even get off the ground, and staying aloft, or landing without falling, was hazardous at best.
Quote: He laughed again and slowed down, coming to a trot so she could catch up. "I hope you've learned that you cannot beat the master, so perhaps it's best if you don't even try." He gave her a playful wink, happy that she was focusing on something else for the moment.
Quote: "Oh, so that's how it's going to be?" she asked as she ran, her brows coming together in determination. It was so easy with Kendrick - she didn't have to think, didn't have to feel her cares, and the more distance they covered, the closer they must get to her mother. Looking ahead, she got into the kind of lope she used to take off, and leaped high into the air, letting her tiny wings carry her yards down the beach. Don't move, don't move, she told herself, consciously balancing her wings. When she came down, she came down without falling or stumbling for once, and let out an exhilarating laugh. "See that!" she called back, not bothering to look - he'd catch up to her in a hurry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 2:08 am
|
|
|
|
Quote: Kendrick kept a steady pace, not necessarily trying to catch up with her or beat her in this little race they had but just to keep her in his sight. "Hey, not bad! I think you might actually be learning something." He did start to look around him though, trying to be nonchalant about it since she was finally back in a good mood and he didn't want to remind her of her missing mother again. If he could find clues that would lead them to her mother and find her fast enough it wouldn't leave Sephora any more time to be upset about it.
Quote: "Actually learning something?" she asked, keeping her voice loud - if her mother was around, she might hear it and come running. Maybe she was having her morning meal in the woods and that was why they hadn't found her yet, though they couldn't have gone more than a hundred yards from where they'd started... They still had plenty of time before they should start really worrying about finding her. "Why wouldn't I learn anything when I have such a great teacher?" What her mother would think of that, though, if she heard, Sephora could not say. The thought made her laugh aloud.
Quote: He let out a short laugh under his breath. "Because I really never would have thought myself a decent teacher at all." He said it to himself, she would have had to have been pretty close to be able to hear him, but was still true whether she heard it or not. "What are you laughing about now?"
Quote: Sephora heard him mutter something, but she couldn't distinguish what it was. "I was just thinking about how curious my mother would be if she heard my voice talking about having a teacher - and a stallion's voice responding to me." Well, that didn't sound strange at all. "She'd probably wonder what I'd gotten myself into while she was gone." Horrified, she shook her head at herself and slowed to a walk. "I - I mean... Well, I've never been around a stallion for so long before." Without even noticing, she stopped, blushing hot and pink, her peach markings almost disappearing into her flush. There's just no way to make that sound less suggestive...
Quote: She was so strange sometimes. It wasn't unusual to him if she had heard a stallion with her daughter, why was that curious? He came up and stopped beside her where she had stopped and most definitely saw that her face was bright red.
Oh.
But he laughed again, ignoring how pleased he was that she had admitted never being with another male as long as she had been with him. Probably way too pleased about it.. "Afraid she'll think we've been up to something?" He grinned and continued on walking. What the hell was that? Did he just.. flirt? He didn't do that! Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Quote: His comment just made her turn redder as she stood there and he kept going, totally unaware of his effect on her. One part of her said, A little afraid, yes, she'll probably kill you, while another said, What do I do what do I do what do I do. Making herself walk forward and follow him, she choked on her words for a moment, not really sure what to say. She'd never been in a situation like this before, where her body and mind betrayed her, not coming up with the right words and feeling like he'd lit her on fire - not a bad fire, though. One that glowed warm through her limbs. "Ha, you're so handsome she'll probably be a little jealous."
Wait.
WHAT? What did she just say? Did she just say that? Did she just say that? Did the words really leave her mouth? They had, hadn't they. Oh my stars, she thought, and turned even brighter pink than she had before. She wanted to hide her face in the sand. Mom, show up so I don't have to explain myself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 2:31 am
|
|
|
|
Quote: Now it was his turn to be stunned speechless... How did he even respond to something like that? What was there to be jealous of? He was just her teacher.. right? He chanced a look back at her and noticed she was still very pink before quickly turning his head forward again. She couldn't.. She did say he was handsome though.. But that doesn't necessarily mean anything, right? His thoughts went around and around in his head as he tried to make sense of it all, which only created an awkward silence between them.
Quote: He was silent, and she looked up from the ground just in time to catch his eye before looking back down again. No no no, she thought. Your move, Kendrick. He was her teacher - he had to have been in situations like this before, right? He knew how... how... how flirting worked, right? And... and whatever came with it? He had a lifemate, she thought, but the thought sent guilt shooting through her - she couldn't use that as evidence to her cause, not when it was something that had so obviously hurt him, and still stung. Carefully avoiding looking at him, she waited for him to say something. If she had to wait forever, she didn't care, she just had to hear his voice again, saying something that made sense.
Quote: She was quiet. And they had made some eye contact. Oh jeez she was waiting for him to say something! What was he supposed to say?? Thanks? No you're prettier than I am? ...Well that one was stupid. He could just joke around about it.. Or he could answer seriously. Well he was good at that, let's try that one. After he cleared his throat he replied, "there wouldn't really be any point to being jealous."
Quote: No point to being jealous? What did that mean? Looking up a little and frowning, Sephora tilted her head. "And why not?"
Quote: Aw jeez, he was never gonna be able to look her in the eye again after this. "Well.. I. There's only one girl I've had my eye on." Had his eye on?? Now he was a total creep! Kendrick was ready to follow suit and bury his own head in the sand, or just bury his whole damn body and live down there forever.
Quote: "Your... eye on...?" Sephora looked up, met his eyes, and something clicked. Oh. "Well... I could say the same to you. But, um - only one boy, not girl, obviously..." Her blush turned into a smile, and it grew and grew until it was a grin, and she was looking at the sand again, drawing designs in it with one of her hooves. I did it, I said it, he knows.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 3:11 am
|
|
|
|
Quote: He stopped and looked at her. She did too? Well that just figured didn't it. His first one deserted him and now the second one was going to run off with someone else. What a great freaking day this was. "Well. I wish you all the best with him then," he grunted out and started walking again. That wasn't really a good reason to be a grump, and he should have known there wouldn't be anything there for them. But it still bugged him!
Quote: All the best with him...? Wait, was he talking about himself, or did he seriously think she'd been hanging out with someone else? Didn't she just tell him she'd never hung out with another boy before? "Hey!" she called after him, galloping to get up in front of him and stop him. "It's you, thickhead. You're him, you're the guy." Standing there, she lowered her horn, hoping to keep him captive for a moment or two while that sunk in. Seriously, how is he this dense? Were there not enough clues? She'd been trying her darndest, especially with that last thing she'd said - but... Does he think he's not good enough? The thought frightened her. There is no one as good as him.
Quote: He abruptly came to a halt with her in front of him.. apprently threatening to scewer him with her horn, and she stunned him for the millionth time. Him? She actually wanted him? He was nobody, he was.. just her teacher. How many times had he told himself that in hopes of distancing himself from her? It never worked. He stared at her with his mouth open like an idiot for much longer than he needed to. And he was still lost for words. "...You know that could actually be a compliment. Having a thick head in fights could be really useful.."
Quote: Standing up straight, she stared at him, trying not to start fuming. Seriously, that's all you have to say to me? "Really, that's all you got out of what I just said? I'm not training you to fight, Kendrick, I'm telling you I lo-" Don't get all intense. "-like you." She tried to keep the hurt look off her face, wondering if he hadn't really meant her with the comment about the "one girl" he had his eye on... But he'd been all upset when he thought she was around somebody else. What right did he have to play with her feelings like that, if that was what he'd meant? He probably didn't even know he was doing it... She steeled herself against the tears threatening to well in her eyes; she already had one thing to cry over today, and she wasn't going to make this a second. It was just a misunderstanding. It's just a misunderstanding... Still, inside, something in her sighed and quietly broke.
Quote: Honestly it was the first thought that came to his head, he wasn't very good with feelings and.. things like that. He never expected that look to come over her face though, like he'd just stepped on her favorite toy or crushed her best dream. "Hey, hey." His wings fluttered almost a little frantically as they came around to frame her face and he pressed his nose into the side of her head. "I'm sorry, I'm stupid, okay. Stupid things come out of my mouth, hell, stupid things stay in my head too. I like you too, alright. Sometimes I feel that I shouldn't feel that way though.. I mean I said I'd teach you. It's like breaking some kind of contract to like your student." He heaved a sigh because he was blabbering. "And you could probably have your pick of men and for whatever reason you say you like me."
Quote: The softness of his feathers around his face and the warmth of his muzzle on her cheek broke her again, in a different way this time, like a dam of emotion she'd kept hidden had finally collapsed and gone pouring into the dry riverbed beyond. Tears flooded her face as she turned her head into his neck and laughed - and both the laughing and the tears were relieved. "I thought you'd never say it," she said. "I thought... I thought you meant exactly what you thought I meant. And..." And she couldn't come up with a reason she liked him. There were too many things, too many things that drew her toward him. "I don't care if you're my teacher, I mean - I like learning, but shouldn't everybody learn from one another? And... And there're too many reasons to name. But I would pick you every time. You make me better." You made me forgive my father, you made me forgive myself. "And you always say the right things, even if it takes a little while to get them out."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 3:46 am
|
|
|
|
Quote: "Well I.. I felt that if I told you, you might feel pressured to say the same. Or you would push me away. I'd rather just be your teacher than not be with you at all... That was corny, I'm sorry." He rubbed awkwardly at his own face for a second as he averted his eyes. "And here I am supposed to be helping you but I've turned it around to me instead of our mission. I can't even get the timing right." He sighed and went to place his forehead against hers and their horns clanked together and he winced at his clumsiness. "You.. You make me better too. Mostly. Other times you make me a babbling idiot," he smiled a bit.
Quote: "Oh... Well, I guess I'm glad it was me who said something, then, even if you didn't get it." She smiled wryly at him. "I don't think I could stand you just being my teacher for much longer, though... I probably would have exploded with feelings." She laughed a little and fluttered her wings in some sort of "this much" gesture, swooping them outward. And then the conversation turned back to her mother, but Sephora ignored that - they would have all day to look for her, right? He'd convinced her that she couldn't be that far away, and Kalypso never went faster than a walk. "Ack," she said as their horns smacked together, and then laughed. "You're not the only babbling idiot," she replied, winking at him. Gods, it felt good to be out in the open like this. They'd only known each other for what, four days? But it felt like a lifetime - they'd spent hours together. He'd told her things he probably didn't tell many others, and she'd done the same... And he taught her to fly. Or well, was teaching her.
Quote: He laughed with her and pulled his head back before they accidentally stabbed each other. "We can babble like idiots together then. And I don't know how long I would have lasted being your teacher either. I probably would have had to leave. Instead of making you choose, it's usually easier for me to just walk away.. Usually." He probably wouldn't have been able to walk away from her. But if she hadn't shown any signs of returning the same feelings then it would have killed him more to be near her and most likely would have forced himself away to try and forget his own feelings. Probably a good thing that she had the guts to say something to him or else they both would have ended up devastated. "Well I think we've babbled enough time away, we should get moving again." He turned her around so they could continue in the right direction, but this time kept one of his wings around her.
Quote: Sephora's brows furrowed as he pulled away, pondering the comment he'd made about him usually walking away. Had this happened before? ...But then she decided it didn't matter, at least for now, because he hadn't walked away this time. And if he'd tried, she wasn't sure she would have allowed him that. "Right, yes, we should keep moving..." Flattening her wings out under his, she felt the warmth and strength of his wing over hers and took comfort in it. She still couldn't get over the span of them; they dwarfed her own. Distantly, she wondered if maybe her mother had been listening the whole time and was just waiting to come out and confront them, but she knew Kalypso would never be able to wait that long. The woods were silent, and now they walked over a band of rocks that trailed out to a giant one, sunk deep in the waves far out there, probably only reachable when the tide was out. Absently, she wondered if maybe there was a cave there that they could explore - but that would be an adventure for another day. Picking her feet up carefully over the rocks, Sephora kept walking beneath the shelter of Kendrick's wing, seeing a much brighter future hovering over the day's end.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2014 12:51 am
|
|
|
|
- Time Skip to Later that Night -
Quote: The end of the day did not bring the brighter future that Sephora had hoped for, though Kendrick had remained by her side as they searched farther and farther up the coastline for her mother. Still, there was no sign of Kalypso, and sunset had faded into dusk... And she could feel the panic building in her throat, in her lungs again. Stopping for a moment, Sephora held on of her wings out to touch Kendrick's side. "We've not found her yet. It's been hours, we've been running... How much further could she be?"
Quote: Kendrick couldn't help but admit to himself that this wasn't looking good. He thought for sure they would be able to find her, he was so optimistic and now Sephora was going to be let down, and he would be partially at fault for giving her hope. Even though Sephora said her mother stuck to the coast, something must have brought her inland into the wide expanse of fields and forests, and if that truly was the case there was no chance of them finding her. "I don't know, sweetheart. Our eyes are going to be useless though in the dark. We might be better off finding a place to bunk down for the night." He swept the tip of his wing across her bangs, smoothing her hair out and keeping it out of her face, a small gesture of comfort and affection.
Quote: Sephora sighed and let him soothe her hair out of her eyes before she looked out over the water. It was turning darker, between purple and black now that the sun had set, and it looked part hopeful and part hopeless to her. It was strong and sure, but also an endless oblivion. Where could she have gone? "Okay," she said, looking up, inland. A line of sharp grass and driftwood stood there, just like most of the other parts of the beach. "Where do you want to sleep?"
Quote: "I can sleep anywhere. You choose where you'll be more comfortable. We could stay out here on the sand, maybe find a little dip in the rockline to huddle in, or get off the beach and find something in the grass or among the trees. Wherever you want. Except the ocean, I draw the line there cause we'll freeze," he tried to offer her a smile in hopes of keeping her spirit up a little bit.
Quote: Trying to keep the worry out of her smile - and not quite sure she succeeded - Sephora nudged him with a wing. "Oh, I know all you really want is to join the jellies." But then she shook her head, not really able to keep up the half-heartedness of the joke. "No, I like to sleep in the sand, right above the tide line... Still soft, but it'll stay dry. Unless you'd like to clamber over the driftwood and find some soft grass? I would be fine with either..." She trailed off, wondering if she would have to tell him explicitly that he wouldn't be sleeping out of her sight. The closer the better really.
Quote: "No, no. The sand it is then. Just.. pick your spot I guess. I'm not sure if this sand is softer than that sand over there," he chuckled a little.
Quote: "Okay," she said, and trudged up the beach a little way, trying to find a good spot. Some sand was softer than other sand, some had rocks or shells hidden in it that she could cut herself on if she moved the wrong way as she slept - so Sephora looked carefully, picking out a clear patch of sand big enough for the both of them, nudging a few pebbles out of the way. "How's this?" she asked, looking back to him.
Quote: "Good for me, if it's good for you." He nosed at her cheek and kind of plopped down into the sand. It was then that he realized they hadn't really talked about this whole sleeping together thing. It was something he'd always thought about when he went to sleep alone, and now it just seemed natural since they had come clean with their feelings. But that was also just this morning! Maybe she wanted to take it slow? "Ah.. I can scoot over and clear out another sand spot if you need more space."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2014 1:20 am
|
|
|
|
Quote: "Don't you even think about moving," she said, laying down in the sand beside him. So she did have to lay it out for him. Even if she was a little grumpy about it. "We're just sleeping, I l-" Wait, she hadn't said I love you yet, had she? And they'd just talk about this this morning, maybe it was too soon to come all the way clean? "-ike you, and I don't really want to be away from you, I mean... Right?" Gods, he better feel the same way...
Quote: Kendrick visibly relaxed, and of course that was the green light for him. He wrapped his wing around her and nuzzled his face into her shoulder. He couldn't help but think she fit perfect against his side. "Deal. I'd rather not be away from you either. You have to keep all the bad creatures away from me while I sleep," he said with a smile as he blew air out his nose while nosing about her face. Of course that was a joke since he was the protector around here. "Just kick me if I squish you in my sleep," he laughed.
Quote: Sephora snorted, but leaned into his side. His warmth sent warm tingles threading through her to fight off some of the chill that her worrying had brought down on her. Closing her eyes, she laid her head down on the ground beside him. "Of course," she said, and smiled. "But I'll probably gore you with this pointy thing on my head before I can kick you if you roll over on me."
Quote: Kendrick chuckled. "Fair enough. That would teach me not to roll over on you." He smiled down at her, having a moment where he couldn't believe she was really here with him. And then took a moment to be serious. "I know it doesn't look promising, little dove. But we've done just about all we can do. We have to hope that your mother has some kind of plan behind this absence, and she'll be back when she's ready to." He whispered to her softly and rested his head atop her neck. "I'll stay with you. I'll stay until you get sick of me and order me away."
Quote: "It would, wouldn't it?" she replied, and listened to his voice, the deep somber tone of it. "I know," she said, shifting a little so his head was more comfortable. "And I would never order you away."
Quote: He smiled a bit. "Remember that when I start to get on your nerves." His wing stroked lightly up and down her side. "Goodnight, Sephora."
Quote: He smiled a bit. "Remember that when I start to get on your nerves." His wing stroked lightly up and down her side. "Goodnight, Sephora."
Quote: "Good night, my love," she said, and let the comfort of his feathers soothe her every nerve, warm and calming and carrying her off to sleep.
Quote: Kendrick almost missed the meaning of what she'd said, it had felt so natural that he hadn't even blinked at her words. Until he did think about it and that was probably a big deal. It made him unbelievably happy, but he wouldn't say anything since she'd probably said it unconsciously. He went to sleep with a smile on his face, and his true beloved under his wing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2014 2:48 am
|
|
|
|
Quote: When Sephora woke up, something warm covered her back and the wings that were folded close to her sides - something warm and feathery. That didn't worry her, though; it belonged there, holding her close even in her sleep, even as he slept. She wished she could be that for Kendrick, wished she could be the one to give him comfort, but it was the other way around right now. Maybe one day she could be that for him... Or maybe one day neither of them would need comfort, and they could be content instead.
Not quite wanting to get up, even though the sun was trying to break through the forest behind them, Sephora nestled closer to him, pressed up against his side, and closed her eyes again, content to listen to his steady breathing until he woke up.
Quote: Kendrick was just as content to sleep in. He was surprisingly comfortable and warm, and he didn't want them to wake up and face the possibly depressing day if they weren't able to find Sephora's mother. For now, he was content to let them have a potentially happy moment and put off the day a little longer. His wing tightened a little more around her when he felt her stir, which probably meant they didn't have much time left.
Quote: When she felt his wing move, Sephora sighed on the inside. He was awake, which meant that they would have to face the reality of the day sooner than she would have liked - and as soon as she thought about it, the slow weight of dread began to fill her. They had not found her mother yesterday, and they had run the distance it would have taken Kalypso a week to meander the way she did. Which meant she had either gone the other way, been taken... Or abandoned her. Horror struck her and she pressed her cheekbone into Kendrick's shoulder, trying to hide from the thought. If her mother had abandoned her... She knew nothing of the world. Her mother was her world. Or at least, half of it. In the last few days, Kendrick had begun to fill up the other half. "Are you awake?" she whispered.
Quote: "No, go back to sleep." His gravelly sleep-filled voice rumbled out of his mouth, his eyes remaining closed, and his wing came up over her head. Almost as if he hid her face then he could will her back to sleep.
Quote: "Mmph," was the sound she made as his feathers brushed into her face. The thoughts were still filling her head with anxiety, and whether she wanted to be or not, she was wide awake now, though sleep still weighed heavy on her eyelids. Her mind was awake, but her body was barely. "I don't think I can."
Quote: His whole body moved with the sigh that he heaved upon hearing her. His eyes finally squinted open. "You couldn't just sleep all day, could you?" He couldn't quite keep his eyes open permanently yet, so he remained where he was. "Why can't you sleep?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
