The soft crunch of frozen ground underfoot followed by the near-silent whuff of air pushed toward her made Maziel’s smile soften, knowing before his scent had reached her that Fell was here. He drew nearer and she could feel the warmth reaching off his body, naturally making her want to draw closer and tuck up against him. Maziel refrained, though only just, and his breath brushed like a tender touch across her face. She stretched her muzzle out then, touching his hairy cheek with her lips in a sweet kiss, then flared her nostrils as she inhaled deeply to smell him and where he had been. He wore Tinuvel like a second skin, and she found herself always further comforted by that.
There was something in touching Fell that put all of her working senses at complete alert. They were limited in their ways of communication with one another, but touch… they could speak through that.
Her narrow hooves pushed the ground as she walked a few slow steps closer to him, running her shoulder over his until the swell of her pregnant belly could connect with his skin. At that she flicked an ear toward him, smiled and said, “They’ll be here soon.” Already the child had been active in her womb all morning, stretching and moving and making her grunt uncomfortably at the strange sensations. Their increased movement suggested they were ready to burst free and greet the world. Maziel could not wait.
She allowed a moment of silence to rest between them and in the clearing they stood together in, skin just brushing skin. Then she turned her head in where she could gently bump her chin against him, finding the flat line of his back to rest her head gently atop off. She had never touched him so tenderly, so boldly, but there was something about putting herself against him that made her heart warm through. Maziel wished she could explain to him what he unintentionally had done for her and given her all these years without having to explain the horrible things that had happened to her and to her family.
Instead she sighed and offered a gentle murmur, “Thank you,” and then after a brief pause, because she had a feeling he might wonder why she would express gratitude, Maziel offered, “For accepting me into your home, into your family, and for keeping me and Charmeine safe.” These were all things Fell had not needed to do, and all things that had shown Maziel the truth of his heart, no matter what anyone else tried to say.
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