Muddy River — The Shape of Dreams

"I know" She had responded to his first comment. He had been rather embarrassed by what he'd said to her, his words having a tenderness to them that he had let slip out unintentionally. Enya on the other hand didn't seem embarrassed at all. She knew she deserved more. Her confidence oozed out in her words and in the little amused huff she let out, giving Caedwyn a little bit of relief that she didn't read too much into his words. She sat up, using her paw to manipulate her trinkets and he lifted his head - thought kept his body reclined in a comfortable position. He leaned in to look as she started to point at the objects around her neck. The first was a tooth of some sort and the shape was unfamiliar to him. "Do you remember the black dragon that raged war against Vrolga?" Did he remember the dragon that attacked Vrolga? He had missed out on so many things that had happened in Vrolga. Was this when he was undercover in Athadia? How long had he been in Athadia exactly? Was it a full year? He was thinking back now of the time he spent there as a spy and he wondered if maybe Enya had forgotten he wasn't always around in Vrolga. No, surely she hadn't forgotten. There had been so many things that happened between them as a result of his time in Athadia. There was definitely no way she had forgotten. So was this dragon after he'd returned? Or when he'd been exiled? Or perhaps when he had been ill or recovering from his injuries at the waterfall? He certainly couldn't remember a dragon. He chose to stay quiet and listened as she continued explaining how she had bested the beast and come into possession of such a trophy. It was a nice addition to any hoard. Next his attention was drawn over to a crystal and she explained it aided with her clairvoyance. He vaguely recalled once before that Enya had used her clairvoyance but he had forgotten that she possessed such abilities. He remembered that Enya had warned Vrolga about the doom that befell their lands - though looking back now he realized no amount of warning or preparation would have benefitted them. They all ended up stranded in that gods-forsaken desert anyway, despite the warning. He wondered now what Enya might see in their future or if she had dared look that far ahead. Was that how it worked? or did the visions come to her more randomly? He was about to ask when she mentioned that the crystal was a gift from a wolf named Ember. His brow furrowed ever so slightly as he pondered the name. It seemed suspiciously familiar but he couldn't quite remember where (or if) he had heard it before. He'd met quite a few new wolves recently during his travels, and of course there was the time in Athadia and there were so many wolves coming and going there. Maybe it was someone from before? He felt like he should know the answer, but nothing came to him readily and he remained quiet, not wanting to interrupt. Instead he nodded with interest to let Enya know he was still listening. "These" she pointed at the dried paws - one of the items Caedwyn was most curious about, "Were also gifts of a sort." A gift? What sort of weird gift was that? The thought was quick and equally pushed away as her story about the paws unfolded. Her story was not detailed and yet the events she laid out were very clear. She had been drunken and some asshats had thought that the perfect opportunity to force themselves on her it seemed. What idiots. Caedwyn thought as he imagined Enya snapping and kicking their asses. It was an amusing thought, thinking of Enya putting them in their place, but at the same time his mind wandered over the events that had led to that situation. He'd never considered that Enya was vulnerable in that way. Stupid. He thought again at himself. Of course someone might think to do such things to Enya. She was obviously desirable. She was strong, charismatic, beautiful - and well she'd had a mate before. She had taken Rin as her mate and had children. The wolves who had advanced her obviously could see her worth, but they were stupid to think they could force her to give something she didn't also desire. Desire. The thought lingered, even as Enya was continuing to explain how she had gotten the paws from someone in Casfura and how they were enchanted. His mind passed over those details and instead remained on Enya herself. She was desirable. His eyes looked up from the paws, looking to her face while she was talking. His heart was beating a little faster though there was no clear reason why it should have been. She was pointing at her ear now and though he was still listening, it was like the words were far away and he wasn't really concentrating on what she was saying. He knew what happened to those who tried to force themselves on her but his mind suddenly jumped to wonder what happened to those she did want. What about those she desired? How would he know if she desired someone? How would he know?! Why the hell was he wondering that? She had moved again and his eyes flicked away from her face to her thigh as she pointed out a scar there as well. He could see the outline of her muscles beneath her fur (or maybe he was just imagining that he could) and could almost feel the strength of her body simply by looking at her powerful leg. She was motioning again to her shoulder and detailing the battles that had left those scars. His eyes followed, soaking up the sight of her like a greedy dragon counting each of the coins in its golden treasure hoard. Why was he feeling like this? He'd seen Enya a thousand times before. Why was it like he was seeing her for the first time? Why did he want more? And why did it feel like he couldn't get enough of her? She was still talking and he was nodding, with soft little "Hmm" and "ah" to acknowledge her. Deep down his mind was focused elsewhere. It was consumed with desire. He didn't understand it. He didn't have the word to put on it. He could just feel it. "Ah, look what you've gone and done, Caed." When she addressed him directly, his mind jumped out of the trance he'd been in and he was a bit startled. He hadn't realize how deep in his own thoughts he'd been. How consumed he'd been. Caed. He was brought back to the first time they'd met, when he'd so casually told her to call him Caed. It felt so very long ago now and he tried to remember what all they'd said during that first meeting. She had laid back down with a little flop. Instead of laying back down himself, he used his front legs to push himself up into a halfway sitting position. His back end remained laying down, but he shifted his weight into his front legs as he turned and leaned his head over her body so he could look down at her. His face was just above hers and his eyes were looking to meet hers. His nose was just to the side of her muzzle, almost touching and he leaned in a bit closer before he spoke. "It's fine," he said softly in return. "I rather enjoy hearing your voice." His heart was pounding in his chest and yet somehow confidence had swelled within him. His voice was steady and sure of himself as he spoke. His eyes then moved down following the crook of her neck, down past her throat and to the little trophies she had just told him about. Shifting his weight ever so slightly to balance on one foreleg, he lifted the other to raise his paw gently toward her neck and gently touched her necklace, making the items shift slightly as though he was examining them. "I still think a necklace of fangs would have suited you nicely." --- Speech.