As he looked her over, Elowen again got the sense that Maddox was holding something back from her. There was a look in his eyes that she could not name, something in his posture she could not place, that hinted at a bit more than interest in conversation. The confusion in her face was a result of these perceptions and the slight pull she seemed to have felt when he looked away.

When he spoke, it initially did not relieve any of her concerns. Her brow furrowed further as he spoke of a gift that was given to few. A gift? What was the gift? He seemed to think she might take it badly, for he let out his words in a stream characteristic of nervous speech. She made a conscious effort to relax her face while he continued. Her attention was caught as he mentioned imprinting. This was a word she had heard before, but its meaning was lost to her. She shook her head slowly and waited for him to continue.

Finally, he mentioned what she had been anticipating: a connection of some sort. So he felt it too. She could not yet know how much stronger it was for him, but eventually she would be told and only then could she fully appreciate what it meant. For the moment, she was simply relieved that she was not imagining what she felt. Her tail wagged then, brushing softly against the earth as she addressed his explanation. “I do not know what you mean by imprinting, but I too feel a connection, a slight pull.” She had been smiling, but her slight frown of concentration returned momentarily. “When you looked away…it felt…” Her voice drifted off as she searched for an appropriate word. “Wrong.”

Satisfied with her choice, her smile returned and she looked up at him once more. He seemed a bit more reserved than before, but she wasn’t sure why. She began to ponder this connection he spoke of, and to wonder more about it. Perhaps it’s stronger for him, she reasoned with herself. After all, he had been the one to so eagerly approach her. Something occurred to her, then. If she had felt a tug when he simply looked away, what would happen when he went home?

Tentatively, she began to speak again. “If I were to leave you…it would be worse, wouldn’t it?” Now she was surprising even herself with how directly she questioned Maddox. Since it seemed that their roles were now temporarily reversed – he was the quiet one and she was asking all the questions – she felt it was safe to be more outgoing.

Elowen slowly rose to her feet, stretching her limbs and shaking out her fluffy coat as if she’d been in the same spot for several hours. Suddenly she felt overwhelmed and as if she could not handle this connection, but as she looked around for a place to run to the felt the tug again and found she did not want to find out how much worse leaving his presence would be. So she continued with her original intent, which was to approach Maddox. Her steps were careful, almost hesitant, but she reached his side and sat, fully conscious that he dwarfed her in height and weight, but not uncomfortable that this was true.

Now that she was closer, she could see that his eyes were not light gold but a soft brown with many flecks of amber. They almost seemed to sparkle, which was quite a pleasant illusion. Almost as if it was a reflex, she pressed her muzzle softly to his shoulder and closed her eyes. Warmth radiated through her, and she wondered if every wolfess who was graced with such a connection felt this way. Instead of asking, she pulled very slightly away from him and asked, “What does this mean?”

elowen

five | female | no mate | no pack | ali
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