Muddy River — The Shape of Dreams

"Well, normally this is where I finish my prey." His breath caught in his chest and his heart stuttered at the words. He could only image what she had in mind by those words. Finish me. his mind begged, eagerly awaiting whatever she had in store for him. She was dangerous. Powerful. But there was an unspoken trust there and some deep part of him knew she wouldn't truly harm him. It gave him the security to trust whatever teasing punishment she might have bestowed on him in that moment. "But that would probably be unbecoming of the Queen to murder the King." His body froze as her head moved closer and he wondered what exactly she was going to do to him. A quick movement, as she brushed her muzzle against his. He couldn't hardly believe the tenderness of her touch and he dared not move for fear the moment would slip away. Was he breathing at all now? He wanted to return the gesture but he wasn't sure of himself now. She was in control. It had to be her. He waited with baited breath only for her to roll off him. It felt good to hear her call him King, but a wave of disappointment also washed over him as the moment slipped away. He'd built himself up expecting something from her, only for her to leave him dangling - metaphorically anyway, since he was still lying on his back. His eyes followed her, watching how she mirrored his own position. She was looking up into the trees, but his eyes were fixated on her laying there beside him. He was suddenly aware of how the light caught the slick hardness of her scales. The greenish-blue hues seemed to glitter as a wind rustled the leaves, making the dappled light twinkle and sparkle across her neck and belly as it filtered down through the trees onto her body. He was suddenly aware of how much smaller she was than him in that moment and how feminine she appeared. He'd always overlooked it. Her confidence and vigor always made her so indomitable and intimidating that he'd never really considered their differences. Now that he was looking at her more closely, everything seemed a little new to him. The way the light draped over her made the reds and purples of her coat all the more vibrant. He noticed the little rip in her ear and he quietly wondered how she had gotten that. Had that always been there? It didn't seem to be a fresh wound but he was ashamed now to realize he couldn't remember if that had been there the whole time. Around her neck a vine held several trinkets that he hadn't really bothered to examine until now: a crystal, a tooth, and some - wait were those paws? Shriveled up and dried they were but they definitely looked like paws. What was the significance of these items? He was lost in thought looking at her when her soft voice interrupted his careful scrutiny of her appearance. "Thank you, Caedwyn." It wasn't words he ever expected to hear from her. So unexpected was it that when he heard them, he felt a bit of shock and concern. What did she have to be thankful of him for? "Thank you for giving me a chance. For helping me. For letting me see that there's a possibility for this world to be a home. I don't think I've thanked you for any of that yet, so thank you." It felt weird hearing her talk like that. He'd never heard her words sounding so vulnerable. A part of him hated that he'd made her feel that way. No. No. No. She didn't need to thank him. He needed to thank her. He needed to thank her for not abandoning him. She had rolled so that she was looking directly at him now, but he felt ashamed. He felt like he had somehow fooled her into thinking he was a better wolf than he actually was. She had so many things to live for. She had her children. Her familiar. She had joined packs. Hell, she'd led a pack at least once already. But what had he done? He'd only made her a promise and she was lying there thanking him. He wanted to say you're wrong, and to show her how great she was. She didn't need to be thanking him. He gently rolled to his side, turning to face back at her. He was so close to her now that he had to fold his legs in, and even so he was still so close that his body was touching her. He could feel the soft push of air as she breathed. Her face was so close to his and he looked to her eyes that had been looking at him, two round orbs bright shining like turquois gems. All he could do was let a faded smile crease his maw. "You deserve more than what I've given you," he breathed the words out quietly. It had come out before he realized and he'd only half meant to actually say it. It was what his heart had said but his mind was too slow to stop his mouth. It was a blessing that his face was already covered by the reddish hue of his fur or she might have seen the hint of blush stain his face. With embarrassment rising in him, he averted his gaze and looked down to the ornaments she had around her neck again. "Keeping your trophies nearby, I see?" He changed the topic but his voice was still soft. He moved his paw up to her neck and gently pushed it into her fur to fiddle with the necklace, carefully trying to inspect each item a little closer. --- Speech.