MOST HAVE LEARNED

THAT THOSE WHO PLAY WITH FIRE

SPEND THEIR LIVES ICING BURNS

Blood swirled in the eddy and flow of the river, the abdomen of the elk giving way easily to her well honed fangs. Little did Dessa know what she had done, how she had further contaminated the water. She was all but ignorant of this however as she made her way towards the bank, her prize of meat lifted above the water so that she would not lose any spare bit or piece. Her eyes glanced around the gathering crowd of wolves, more to assess whether someone would challenge her for the best meat that she had claimed than anything else. But that was when her eyes locked onto those of a young male. She gave the slightest moment of pause, the sensation that crept down her spine catching her off guard. But she dismissed the feeling quickly and turned away, fleeing to a location where she felt she could dine in safety.

Even as she settled in behind the bush, feasting upon the delectable flesh she had attained, something itched at the back of her mind. That feeling that had caused the fur along her back to prickle had not gone away. It wasn’t an altogether unpleasant feeling; in fact as her fur had settled back into place and she ate her meal, warmness began to spread through her. Dessa attributed it to the first good meal she’d had in ages, but deep down she knew it was something more than that. It was almost like something had clicked into place, which certainly could not be accredited to the elk meat. It was a good meal, but it wasn’t that good. Her eyes flashed up to check her surroundings and found the form that belonged to the boy with mismatched eyes approaching. At first her ears fell back defensively, but then they pricked forward as she met his gaze and once more a tingling ran down her spine. It dawned upon her then, and she lifted her maw from the bloody banquet of entrails.

She, too, was born of an imprint bond. Maddox and Elowen had regaled the tale of their meeting to her and her brothers before – in these same fields some four years ago now they had encountered once another in a large group of wolves. Dessa blinked, wondering at the coincidence, if fate was having a bit of a chuckle. The girl merely stared at him as he came ever closer, her meal all but forgotten in these moments, though her tongue ran across her lips to at least attempt to rid her maw of some of the gore surely plastered there. His presence was entirely passive, almost submissive in his approach, though she noticed every flinch of every muscle, the way his tail gave the slightest of waves. Hyper aware of every movement he made, Dessa stood rigid, unsure what to do.

Silence hung in the air between them, his presence so soft and inert, while hers was stiff and hesitant. Over the past months her confidence had blossomed and grown, but she suddenly found herself in the deep end without a clue how to swim. And then he spoke, three simple words, but they washed over her like a wave and she gave way to it, visibly relaxing, though it was to the slightest degree. Cae. Dessa and Cae, two pieces of the same soul. She finds her nostrils flaring, trying to catch his scent for the first time, but only smelling that which lay at her paws – the meat from the sick elk. It seemed hours ago that she had so boldly moved into the water and claimed the first bite as her own. Mere minutes had passed, and though she’d only consumed a few mouthfuls of the succulent meat, it was already forgotten.

Of late her words had been full of sass, always ready with a quick remark or a smart comment. But now she found her roles reversed, set back to the girl she had once been beneath the oak tree in Diveen. And all she could think to say was, “Dessa.”

Dessa

three | maddox x elowen | diveen