Muddy River — The Shape of Dreams

He smiled. He didn't grin. He didn't smirk. He didn't sneer at her as she spoke, making a large request of him so early into this newfound relationship. He smiled. She wondered how often she'd seen him truly smile. He countered her request by elaborating how he would protect her heart. With his fangs, his claws, his fur. As he nuzzled under her chin, she leaned into the touch, gladly mixing her scent with his. This was it. She'd made a choice, and it had been Caedwyn. Perhaps it was with Tsillah's encouragement, but wasn't that what gods were for? They helped guide those who needed them, and she had clearly needed her Goddess' influence to see the reality of the situation, something she'd been blinded to throughout her life. Rin's Will had been devoured. He would never be reborn again. So, she would do as Tsillah beckoned. She would move forward, leaving the weak willed behind and embracing one who's Will proved over and over again how strong it was.  Somehow, the day had turned to night during their encounter. She'd been vaguely aware of the transition, having shifted her eyes to the sky multiple times throughout the entire process. And yet, when she looked skywards and she saw the soft twinkle of stars high in the sky above, she wondered where the day had gone. Throughout the discussion, they had slowly shifted from beneath the canopy of the trees back out into the open sky overhead. She gazed upwards briefly, silently thanking Tsillah for her encouragement, then shifted her teal gaze back towards Caedwyn to spy him watching her. Had he always paid such close attention to her, and she'd just never noticed? Perhaps, she realized with slight embarrassment. She had grown so used to everyone staring at her, that she hadn't noticed how he had done so before. Being the center of the spotlight wasn't new to Enya, but being Caedwyn's center of attention was. Her eyes caught him looking her over and she blushed from the movement, suddenly feeling bashful. Boy, these emotions were shifting like hurricane winds tonight.  He shifted the topic from both his and her proclamation to one less intense, stuttering in the process. The confidence that seemed to ebb and flow in him had flowed right back out, it seemed. She smiled at him, her own tail mirroring his soft wag. At last, it came untucked from between her legs to gently float just above the level of her spine. He stepped, and she was right there with him, reflecting his step. "Mhmn, sure you didn't. Maybe that was your plan all along, to impress your fashion style on me" she teased. She wanted to lighten the situation as a whole. They had a long journey ahead of them emotionally, so why bother stressing over every detail in this very moment? Besides, there was no reason for him to be nervous. She was still Enya, and he was still Caedwyn. They just... had a bit more complication between them now. "I'd love to go down to the river with you - the wet part, not the muddy part." She stepped forward with a prance in her step. With all the emotions of the day still reeling through her muscles and fibers, a run felt like just the thing to work out all the kinks. "Had enough of you... pff." she teased further, bumping him with her shoulder along his own - or what she could reach of it with their height difference. "You've sealed your fate, Caed. You're stuck with me now. Like sap on a pine tree." Her smile turned into a grin and with a swish of her tail, she brushed him across the face, before leaping forward to disappear back down into the riverbed below. She was waiting for him at the bottom, but the impression had been yet another game of chase. Round two, if one would.  "Speech."