In his presence, all my fears dwindled. My fear of being accepted, my fear of my brother, all of it. Of course it still lingered, but it seemed scared of this male, like they knew he would crush them. The fears that had pulled me apart and threatened to drown me, now tucked tail and hid. It was no coincidence that I felt this way now, it was directly linked to this male before me. My brother? Wouldn't stand a chance against him. My fear of acceptance? Well I knew he'd make them accept me and make me feel welcome regardless. The nightmares and memories? He'd fill my mind with other things. Everything. I didn't have to run anymore. Someone was going to be there for me. He wasn't perfect, but neither was I; together we'd fix the holes in each other, I could feel it. It might be hard, but that was life.

He huffed and my confusion only grew. Paldor must have been a pretty interesting thing or wolf to make this male frustrated like this. (then again he seemed like someone who got frustrated rather easily) It was strange, this male made me feel so comfortable, but because of that I also felt uncomfortable? These two conflicting feelings that shouldn't go together, but they did, and it felt right. I felt comfortable, like I could conquer the world with him beside me, yet I also felt uncomfortable, like he could make me spill any secret and feel and do what he wanted. But it was a good thing, my soul told me this, and I knew better than to question something was soul told me.

He suddenly reached over and nipped at my scruff, dragging me closer. Of course the feat was easy for him, since I was petite. My body pushed gently against his, our pelts intermingling. I was positioned a his chest, just below his head. Because of my size, I fit like a puzzle piece. It was almost like I was made to be there, our bodies designed for this closeness. I could feel his heart beat and his breathing was like a drug, sending me into a state of euphoria. This was heaven, nothing else mattered except for here and now, being this close to him. I simply couldn't resist nuzzling into the mahogany fur of his neck, inhaling his intoxicating scent. I let a small hum of pleasure escape, but I really didn't care anymore.

My growl made him retract away slightly and I felt a sadness sting the small bit of anger I had just shown. I winced slightly when the contact left me for that brief moment. He huffed and glanced away in dissatisfaction, forcing me to bite back another growl. It was true, maybe we could build up some muscle on me, but I wasn't going to get taller nor gain any substantial weight. The least he could do was play along, not throw that tiny temper tantrum. But of course, with that grin of his, my anger faded. Damn he was good at doing that to me.

"Yes. Demons - Iromar - we make the strong stronger. I will teach you..." He confirmed, making my face light up. My silver eyes seemed to shine with excitement and determination at this prospect. I could not resist letting my tail wag some when he confirmed what I already knew, and that he'd be helping in my progression.

When I asked him his name, he did not hesitate to reply. ""Astaroth. Your turn." Astaroth....a very nice name. It suited him well, especially with him being a demon and all. I smiled, happy there was now a name to the face."Denali." I responded cooly. My ears flickered forward as I waited to gauge his reaction to my name. Would he like it?

Once again, he nipped my scruff and so easily moved me, this time so I was facing the mainlands of Iromar. I felt like a pup being moved like that, anyone else and I might have lashed out at them (well as best as my shy self could), but with him, it didn't faze me."Time to show you your den." he answered, and I nodded. "Lead the way," I responded, trotting right alongside him, making sure to stay close. I had yet to pick out a den to sleep in, but it looks like that was being taken care of for me.

❤ THANKS SKYE