Souls sometimes die within a person . . .

“Bennington? Nice to meet you. I am Lyudmila, Daughter of Nimueh, Heiress of Crith Thalmhainn. Bravest of her Siblings. Fearless adventurer. And so on, and so forth—did I tell you that you look very soft?” She’d marched over as soon as the boy tripped into the flowers, giving her time to catch up. Thank goodness he chose to walk toward her as well, instead of running away! How troublesome that would have been . . . Mila would gladly chase him, but she wanted to touch him first, to satiate her burning curiosity. She stood uncomfortably close—near enough that she might bump his nose with hers if she chose—and her ivory eyes were narrowed in concentration. He smelled so very, very fascinating: he carried the scents of siblings on his pelt as well (sisters?) and that of an older male (his father?) and . . . was that the signature of a pack? Or just the myriad smells of the paths he’d traveled?

Lyudmila was not a shy pup. Bold, daring, fierce, yes—but never timid. And the boy—Bennington—did not appear to fear her. In fact, he seemed quite amicable. Furrowing her brow in thought, the auburn-masked damsel stretched closer and pressed her nose firmly into the thick fur of Bennington’s throat. She inhaled slowly . . . skimming through the chemical information flooding her senses . . . and then pulled back with a nod, her tail starting to wag. “Mmm . . . you are soft. And you smell very good.” She spoke it as a compliment, admiration clear in her voice. As if the lad had control over his own cologne! “Where do you live? You have a scent of plants I’ve never smelled before. Trees, I think? We don’t have trees in Crith. It’s a mountainous desert.”

As if it had a mind of its own, one of Mila’s too-large forepaws lifted up and pushed against Bennington’s right foreleg. Gently. Testing the solidness of him, the texture of his fur under her calloused pads. And ten she ran that paw down his limb until it rested on top of his foot—the closest wolves came to holding hands.

. . . and are replaced by others.

Kershov x Nimueh | Heiress of Crith Thalmhainn | No love | xathira