Winter's Dawn Sonata {Artemis}

[Stardust]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,563,true]

[atrb=background,http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn15/stephers1995/Aneirin---MIDDLE.png] The mountains hung hazy in the distance, strung across the edge of the sky like curtains for the gods, a sweeping blue line that undulated from pale cornflower at the horizon to a deep, rich cobalt at the closest edge. Each new layer of hills looked from their vantage point as if it was simply a sliver of bark, but in reality there were wide valleys between them, twisting ravines that followed the courses of rivers and streams, smoking and misting in their beds in the early morning air. Beyond those hills, the water that ran through them and from their icy hearts streamed down into the Miracle Lake, the gleaming, crystalline heart of Enchanted pack lands. The sun rose languidly above this scene, not the fierce, angry red glow of more tropical climes, but the clear, clean, sweetly pure golden light of a winter dawn. The light touched the edges of the nearest mountains, limning the prickly evergreens and leafless deciduous trees in buttery yellow, making the dew on the grasses of the foothills glitter. But Aneirin was not looking at any of this. He was, instead, gazing entranced at the female sleeping beside him in the slight hollow they'd chosen for a shelter late the night before, still too distant from Enchanted to make it in one last haul. The dew coated both their pelts evenly in bright droplets, though it was slowly beginning to dry off and evaporate as the shy January sun struggled to warm them. Beneath that delicate layer, her breathing was even and mesmerizing, her side rising and falling steadily under that searingly bright white fur, crisp, clean, luxurious even to look at. Her piercing blue eyes were hidden under their lids, but Aneirin thought he could see the faintest hint of their color through that translucency, and it tinted the sleeping smile on her fine muzzle. Close beside her head was the bunch of lady's slipper he'd collected at their peril in the swamp, fragile and pink in the grass. It was enough to make a heart break. The barest edges of their bodies were touching. That was his doing. He had slept little the night before, or for many other nights before that, finding himself lying awake, painfully aware of Artemis's presence, her proximity. Driven, at least in his reasoning mind, by the cold and damp of the winter night, he had achingly slowly inched towards his companion. Now he could feel her warmth and the slow shifting of her breathing against the thick fur of his side, and it was both a comfort and a torture. Aneirin was a gentleman, almost before he was anything else, except perhaps a healer. He was, perhaps, a gentleman to a fault, sidestepping so carefully around a lady's stated desires that he missed her unspoken ones entirely. Now he sighed, a heavy gusting that gently ruffled her pelt. He ached for the sight of those stunning eyes opening at him above a heartfelt smile, but he also passionately coveted those remaining moments of private observation, of allowing himself to take her in without interruption, a deep, fond, yearning expression on his face. A small herd of deer crept into the open nearby to graze. The healer maintained his vigil.

[xFenris.Fenrirx]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,460,true]

[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/9ucbvn.png] Oh the peace she felt to finally be able to rest for the night. It had been a trying day especially with the near death experience she had encountered. It had all been worth it at least to her. The snake bite had taken more energy out of her than she would ever care to admit to anyone. She knew how to stay strong even if she was on the verge of collapsing. Though at this moment she felt a calmness as she rested. Normally, a full night sleep was not something that could ever attain. She was a loner after all. No one there to look after her but herself. It was nothing that she worried about but it was a welcomed change to have someone near her while she rested. Sleep came easy to her all because of one male. One strange handsome male that she had met in the swamp. How reckless he had been to travel to such a place alone to find a plant. Though it was for a good cause. What if she had not been there when the snake reared its ugly head? There would have been another soul claimed by the hostel unclaimed lands of the world. What a loss it would have been as well. While she slept, her maw nuzzled against Aneirin's chest. His scent drifted into her nares and an uncontrolled smile drifted onto her features as she laid there. His warmth was so comforting to her. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. Before she saw her companion she wondered, had it all been a dream? Was she still on her own? But as her eyes focused, she saw him next to her and smiled again. "Morning stranger..." she said with a small yawn following her words. She noticed that her muscles were quite stiff. It was either from the cold of the night or still a side effect of the snake bite. She stretched her forepaws out in front of her. Onyx talons shown through the white of her fur for a moment and then she folded them back underneath her. "How did you sleep?" she questioned looking up at him. This whole thing just felt right to her. Like it was something that was meant to be. Fate? Most males she passed by without a second glance or many tried to flaunt themselves in front of her to try and impress her. Artemis was not the type of femme that was easily swayed by such actions. In fact, she found it rather amusing to shoot them down when it came to that point. Aneirin was someone that she wanted to be around. Someone that she wanted to get to know more and was more than willing to follow him into the claimed lands of the Enchanted. Though she was still nervous about it. Speeeeech!

[Stardust]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,563,true]

[atrb=background,http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn15/stephers1995/Aneirin---MIDDLE.png] There was a faint stirring beside him, one of those wing-like flutterings of half-sleep, and he felt a brief, wordless surge of adrenaline, almost guilt--as if she would wake up and catch him spying. Instead, her nose nudged closer in, burying itself in the fur on his chest, and the big male felt downright giddy. Their points of contact--the side of his body and the spot on his chest--felt unnaturally warm, and he allowed himself a moment in what was normally a healing trance for him, closing his eyes and focusing on his physical sensations, letting them become prominent. Unable to resist, he opened his eyes again, craning his neck down slightly so that his head was just that much closer to hers. His broad muzzle was doing its best to out-beam the sun, and he imagined he could feel her warmth even against the tip of his sensitive nose. Suddenly, with another quick, bird-like motion, her eyes fluttered open. He did his best to move his face back to a more seemly position, smiling sheepishly. "Morning stranger..." She yawned, tongue curling out slightly before her jaws snapped together again. "Morning, beautiful," he responded, doing his best to turn his intuitive responses into something charming and polite. He smiled, a bit more winningly this time, he hoped. She stretched, elegantly, as always, seeming more awake afterward. "How did you sleep?" The simple question took him off guard. How would he answer that? He could lie, of course, and say that he had rested, soundly unaware of the world and her presence, but Aneirin couldn't remember the last time he'd lied. If he did, it would be for a good reason. Then, of course, he could tell the truth, and admit that he had spent most of the night entranced by the sleeping figure at his side. His inner turmoil was evident on his face, and a blush began creeping along his muzzle and down his neck. He became aware of it, and then blushed harder, the color apparent where his fair fur was thinnest and flattest, around his features. Truth it was, then. "I've seen the Enchanted mountains many times, so I'm used to their beauty. But it's hard to sleep when there's a new kind of beauty by your side, and you don't know how long it will be there." The words immediately sounded awful to him--too floral, too elaborate, too ridiculous, simply too much--and his smile grew dramatically lopsided. He struggled to control his blush with his breathing, turning his eyes for a moment to the hills he'd just been describing. "We can make it into Enchanted in perhaps another hour, and I have some food in my den, if you're hungry," he said, venturing another glance at her from the corners of his eyes. "Though there also seem to be some less than alert deer." He gestured with his head. "Or there's a stream near here that feeds into the lake, if you just wanted to rinse away some road dust." He realized as he said it that she looked cleaner than the dew they were resting on, but in this case restraint seemed the better part of valor.