003. the strength of the Wolf is the Pack

[findmyownreason]

It's a meadow, surprisingly bright and green and the heat of an early spring sun is just beginning to warm the air.  The grass is tall and green and there are almost more flowers than blades of grass in the area, riots of bright color and pure white hanging in delicate bells or open bursts of petals.  Listening there's the faint drone of bees

Comments

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[waterfell]

The open meadow isn't where she'd normally choose to be herself, but it's not unpleasant; in fact, she actually smiles as she realizes she's surrounded by the flowers.

She only takes a quick look to be sure no one can see it before she takes off running across the field, half ready to laugh at herself. She comes to a stop as soon as she begins to tire at all, half surprised that she can even still be this frivolous and silly.

It feels nice.

It's while she catches her breath that she has that feeling of being watched, that trickle down the neck. She frowns. Scans.

It's a wolf, which alarms her, but she stands her ground far enough away to be non-threatening. Waiting. Suddenly, she's conscious of her own breathing, slightly rapid from her running.

XD

[findmyownreason]

He feels the thrumming in the earth before his ears even pick up the soft rustle of the grass as someone rushes through it and his head comes up. The scent comes to him on the breeze and it's sharp and clean and alive, something he recognizes even before his eyes focus enough to watch Ami blur past, sprinting long legs and, he thinks, laughing eyes. He's just debating whether he should get up and make himself known or keep watching like the stalker he is isn't anymore, when she comes to a stop not far from him. For just a second... she looks young and happy and he's glad he didn't interrupt.

And then she spots him and he feels like a voyeur. Embarrassed, his chin ducks just a little and his ears come apologetically forward. Unaware of it's betrayal, his tail swishes hopefully behind him.

Re: XD

[waterfell]

Hers is the sharp smell of ice, mingled with that faint suggestion of some sort of hair rinse.

She realizes, somehow, who she's looking at, in a way that makes perfect sense in the dream but will leave her absolutely unable to explain how she just knew the wolf was meant to be Cloud once she wakes up.

"You saw me," she remarks. There's a second where she could be angry. Then she smirks.

"If you tell anyone about it, I'll tell them you had fleas," she warns pleasantly.

[findmyownreason]

The smirk is familiar and he snorts as he gets to his feet. He caught her actually having fun. It's a score point for him as far as he's concerned.

And, considering all the dark that's been in his life lately, it was good to see.

He trots over easily, far too comfortable in the four legged body and when he reaches her he rears up on his back legs. Big, oversized paws come down to rest on her shoulders for balance and, nose to nose, he looks at her seriously through his blue, blue eyes.

"Woof."

[waterfell]

[Still small of frame, she takes a half-step back before she's ready to accommodate his weight.]

It's the first time I've been this close to a wolf.

[She's fond of animals, apparently, and far too driven by habit as one half comes up to scratch him on the head.

[findmyownreason]

She may be small but she's strong. And more of a softie than she lets on apparently as her hand comes up to scratch his head. It's probably undignified and far too familiar but -

Blue eyes slit almost all the way closed in pleasure and Cloud makes a rumbling, grumbling sound of pleasure low in his chest as his ears relax backward.

[waterfell]

She has to keep herself conscious of his identity; if he were wholly an animal, she'd probably let herself go even more, petting and speaking to him.

"You seem in good spirits today," Ami remarks. "Were you hunting those birds?" She's distracted him from whatever purpose he had here.

[findmyownreason]

One of his ears flicks forward at the sound of her voice and his eyes open lazy again. Her question gets a snort of dismissal. He's a monster hunter, Ami! Birds are beneath him.

Besides, they cheat. They fly out of reach.

Careful not to let his claws scrape her, he manages to jerk himself awkwardly back so he can land on all four legs again. It ends the scratching which is disappointing but he hasn't got a lot of balance on two legs in this form and his back legs were starting to shake. He noses her hand though, looking up at her innocently. He's not doing anything here, Ami. Just... being.

[waterfell]

Sounds like the birds are above him, then.

He's quite innocent, oh yes, except for that demanding nudge. But it feels just as good for her to be wanted and asked for as it feels for him when she pets him, as she does now.

"You're doing this so I'll go easy on you today," she muses.

It'd almost be easier to be an animal like this, wouldn't it? To be able to demand all that attention, all that soothing and petting, without shame.

[findmyownreason]

Bad pun, Ami. Cloud knows someone who would be very proud of you.

And he's certainly enjoying the chance to be careless. He craves physical affection, soaks it in like a dry sponge - but he's awkward around it so often as a human. As a wolf though, he can get away with it and he's taking advantage of it for as long as she'll let him. He snuffs lightly before reaching out to take her sleeve delicately in his front teeth and tug as he backs up a little bit.

[waterfell]

It's going to be a long time before she stops him. Every minute she spends here, she feels a little more relaxed, a little more natural, a little more like she understands the mysteries of who she is to herself.

Because this feels fun. It's such a different feeling from her too-sharp and sometimes malicious pranks, or certainly her cold drive towards her goals. It just is.

And so she lets the wolf-Cloud pull her along; she stands to make ready to follow him.

[findmyownreason]

He doesn't go far, just to the small shelf of sun warmed stone that juts up a little bit from the grass. He knows exactly where it is because as a small boy he used to hid under that small jut and, as an only slightly older boy, he used to stand on the edge and look out at the far horizon that it seemed he'd never reach. Now, though, he's older and needs neither. Instead he flops down on the smoothly weathered rock, close enough to the bottom that his tail can still sweep in the tall grass and parts his mouth so his tongue can loll out sideways at Ami. Eyes happy in his furred face and everything about the moment inviting her to join him.

[waterfell]

She's nimble herself, and hops lightly up onto the rock before sitting at its edge, letting her legs dangle. Automatically, her hand comes up to the wolf-Cloud's fur again, and she rubs his back lightly.

It's so much easier like this.

[findmyownreason]

He huffs out a breath at her touch, body going relaxed under the feel of her hand. It's nice. When he's human, touch from other humans means more. There are eddies and hidden messages and needs in it that he can't fathom, knows he misses entirely or misreads. As a wolf though? It's just touch. As simple and as pleasant as that. Nothing expected or offered that he needs to worry about not being able to return. And so, after a moment of simply enjoying the sun shine and the rub of her hand, he shifts over enough to drape his head over one of her thighs, slitting his eyes closed, even though his ears flip back just a little, as if asking if that's all right.

[waterfell]

Maybe that's why she can let herself do this, too. She doesn't feel the strange mix of feelings she'd feel if she were treating him entirely as a human. In fact, she even lets him stay there. She's definitely not thinking about this as laying a boy's head in her lap.

Maybe the dream is just giving her an excuse to have the closeness she always wanted with the people around her, when she was never comfortable with how to manage it.

Summer's heat is just starting to fade in her waking life, and she finds the dream weather quite pleasant in its turn, just cooled enough to appreciate the touch of the fur and warm body.

"What is it like, being that way?" she wonders aloud. "Do your thoughts still stay busy?"

[findmyownreason]

She doesn't push him off or tense up under him so he relaxes the rest of the way, taking her silence as permission and his ears droop comically off to the sides. There aren't many times he gets to just be. He always feels as if he should be pushing himself, as if he's not doing enough, as if there's more he should be doing and so even when he's still, inside him rarely is. This way though...

He's a dog. What can you expect out of a dog?

He'd be better at making the people he cares about happy if he was a dog.

So he just huffs out a soft sound and a moment later, he lifts his head from her leg enough to yawn, a wide out, lip stretching yawn of complete relaxation. With a soft rumble in his chest he settles his head back down on her again and rubs his chin until he's found the perfect spot, nose almost touching her knee.

He hopes that's answer enough.