<font color=7f1715>*you painted me in pastel</font>

He laughed with her. His was a pleasant, genuine chuckle, and she was happy to share the moment with him. She was happy that they could be candid and content together. It was a rare thing, she found, to be so content in another�s company, and it warmed her down to the bone. Her glittering smile softened as they locked eyes again, became less practiced and more�natural. He was easy to be around, wonderful to be close to. She could almost press against him; the urge was there, and it was powerful. But her will was stronger.

Too close.

And he liked her too much already.

He was so open about it. ��until now, that is.� A thrill flustered the butterflies in her stomach, and she stifled a girlish giggle, pulling her gaze away from the honesty in his eyes. Even though she was afraid to share the intimacy of touch, she could feel her will crack around the edges � an effect of his intoxicating presence. She could tell him a little more about herself. What real harm could it do? �I�ve never really had a pack, or a family or anything,� she said quietly, eyeing the ground at her feet as the truth poured out of her. �So I know what you mean.�

This was a confession, and it wasn�t. She would have her forest when he had gone, as she always had, but would it be enough anymore? Was she allowing him to find a place in her heart? A place that would be sore and hollow when he�d gone? Steady, she cautioned herself, steady. She took a moment to pull herself together, shaken by her own honesty, and finally felt safe to look at him again.

She had it together, and she would have been okay. Only�when she looked up, he was watching her with this strange intensity she�d never seen before. And before she could decipher it, their skins touched. It was such a slight, soft gesture, and it completely destroyed her resolve all over again. She stiffened at first, and then her muscles relaxed, her body melting under the warmth of his closeness. Despite herself, she pressed her muzzle into the brief touch, her heart hammering in her chest.

Quickly, she turned her face away, embarrassed and grinning hard at the dirt. She reveled in the sound of her name on his breath, even if the gratitude confused her, and she quirked her head at him in response. This couldn�t continue. She would become a puddle if they didn�t do something soon, and it wasn�t like her to be this emphatic in her flirtations. And it was a flirtation. She could walk away from this. She would. She had to.

But for now, she would give him something that she�d never given anyone. �I hope you�ve had your fill,� she said brightly, �because it�s time to go exploring.� She rose from her seat beside him, her fur brushing his shoulder, and took off at an easy trot, the curve of her tail leading him into the forest beyond their clearing. It was a short walk � she hadn�t made it far before bumping into him � and before long, she stopped, giving him time to catch up. She looked at him with a mixture of glee and trepidation. There was no going back once they broke through the brush up ahead. He�d always be able to find her here. She took a breath and moved forward, the branches seeming to fold around her in welcome as she stepped into the clearing where her creek ran.

�This is home,� she said simply.

they sing in clever tongues

oh, how my knees go weak

to be the one;

H U S H

five ** ~~soul~~ ** ~~home~~ **

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