Content that his request was being acknowledged, Miegn backed out from the embrace the evergreen had provided for him and his lover, the human following like he'd been before, keeping the paw on the rosy cheek till both were out and in the open again, not even pausing while he retrieved his basket from the snow covered roots. Even then, Reed was reluctant to release the weathered appendage from his grasp, the black pads held firmly in the red knitted garment, though he eventually complied and released it.
Sighing as he took a step down the beaten path, the man was surprised as he felt a tug on his sleeve, looking up to the canine to see what was wrong. Meign's smile was more than enough explanation, and the human's face split into an apologetic smile, though he went on with a, "Sorry, I wasn't thinking there.", not going any farther when he caught onto the slight shake of the other's head. Settling with a cold induced blush, Reed changed his path and fell into step with the wolf of the woods, taking a path through the trees and ferns that no man had plotted before. Suppressing a giggle as he felt soft needles brush against his face, Reed didn't have any warning before a patch of snow was tossed his way, and though it struck his face without much force, it left a beard that was chilly to the touch. "Meign, you're starting something that you shouldn't be...", he warned with a raised brow, getting a matching peak of snow atop his head as a response. "En garde, monsieur lupine!", the man cried playfully, grinning even as he protected himself from the newest swipe of snow sent to him.
The next half hour was spent much more lightly than their initial greeting had been, the wolf bounding from snow drift to snow drift, lifting and tossing unpacked snow to his lover's exposed face, while the man in red boots packed as fast as he could, and laughed as his efforts either hit a humorous spot or missed by a mile. Meign had only paused when he saw the stutter over taking the frosty jaw, and allowed himself to be hit as the play drew to a close, though by no means was it any less fun for the pair. Winter's cold was slowly banished from the pale lips by the wide tongue, and the white that would otherwise hide such a proud chin was brushed away by the smaller one's practiced methods. After a brief embrace, more to signify the truce than to bring any further romance to the moment, Reed picked up his basket, wolf retrieved the wallet that had slipped from the other's pocket, and the pair set out once more. At times, Meign would slouch down and walk on all fours, lumbering like a great bear or some other kind of beast, which brought more than a few the locals' stories to the young man's mind. Meign's eyes asked why his love snickered when there was nothing to be laughed at, though nothing parted his lips.
The lupine briefly led the boy off course for a bit, trying not to be obvious about the misdirection, letting out a mighty bark to scare up the quail in the trees, the air fluttering with frightened birds and a quiet admiration. After that it was the frozen maple that would fall come spring, a natural leaning Pisa that wasn't in Italy, mud frozen beneath their feet. By the time they reached the wide river, however, Meign knew he'd gone too far, and that his love was aware of where they'd been headed. Before the wolf could make an apology, however, a pair of arms wrapped around his chest, and a, "Thank you", was mumbled into it, confusing the canine with the conflicting conundrum.
Nevertheless, the pair started back, the wolf sheepish and the human red, following the river as another subtle way to make time pass them by slower. It seemed to work for a while, and as the freezing rapids rushed beside them, down the bank, Reed picked up on a few conversation points he'd so curiously been withholding till then - what Meign had been eating, what he did when he wasn't hunting or resting, or even if the wolf had a place to go at night - getting mostly blunt answers that did little to warm his heart. Strained as it was, though, the human knew how things were going to be, between him and his wolf, and he honestly couldn't have asked for anything to change between them.
At least two hours after the pair had left grandma's house, on what should have been a fifteen minute walk, the triangle shaped house hold came into sight, the metal fence gently pushed apart by the willow that had grown through it long since before the previous owners had left. Taking the moment to give the wolf one last kiss goodbye, which was extended a great deal when he was pressed against the smooth bark, and those paws ran around to "check for injuries", Reed quietly slipped into his yard, silently watching Meign pad away, alone. When the wolf was out of sight, Reed finally unlocked the door, and slid through the doorway. Listening carefully, he heard a pair of voices he'd had rather not heard, their words spoiling what good mood the canine had instilled in the human.
"Diae, why won't you come with me to dinner tomorrow night? Reed's old enough to take care of himself for one evening, and we haven't been out in a good few weeks.", came the deep voice connected to the "local lumberjack", trying to coax Reed's mother out for the hundredth time that day, or so it'd seemed.
"Listen, Leon, I know my son well, enough that I'm sure that he could care for himself if he needed to, but I'm just wanting to try and eat somewhere other than these fancy places we keep going to. I'd like to try something more down to earth...", his mother assured, trying placate the obviously irritated wood cutter, her Irish accent very well hidden by her years in the town.
All that Reed could do to contribute was sigh to himself, keeping himself quiet so as not to spoil the argument; no matter how much he thought of the man, Reed just couldn't see Leon as anything other than too blunt for his mother, and yet the pair continued to see each other. 'And he's too light footed for his own good, rushing around back like he did last week...', the teen thought to himself, setting the basket back down onto the floor.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
