A Vor's work was never over. Sable was recovering remarkably well, and would be able to move out of his tree-den soon. Truthfully, she'd been well enough to not need constant supervision, but, if Xae was being honest, he'd rather enjoyed the extra company. Of course, he was definitely looking forward to having his sleeping place back, where he could awaken with the sun shining on him, where he could hear the birds. He'd also been somewhat lazy in keeping his stock up. So, he'd wandered outdoors, and headed straight for the Monument Rapids, where he knew many varieties of herbs grew. Admittedly, it was also where he'd be able to send hopeful glances in the direction of Harmony's den. Her den was to his right, though fairly far away. He sighed, pulling his eyes away for the umpteenth time, making his way to the water's edge. The male dipped his head - carefully - to lap up the liquid, his eyes shutting. "Speech" Thought

Mira watched from a distance as Xae went to the river, her head tilting to keep him in view. She saw as he glanced to his right, and a twisted smile graced her maw. Harmony. The boy was obsessed with Harmony. Well, obsessed or in love. One or the other. Either way, it was quite obvious to the red woman, and she felt only sympathy for him. Especially now, since Harmony was going through her first heat. She could smell it on her, and it was enticing even to her. So one that is attracted to Harmony must be in real pain right now. With silent steps, the warrior approaches Xae. She had always found him... interesting. Surprisingly kind, calm, and non-conflictual. It was a nice change. One would have to try to get in an argument with the damn healer. He was just that agreeable, and she just wanted to talk to someone agreeable... for once. Because Bass, Harmony, the others? they sure as hell weren't, which is why she ended up here. Abaven wolves generally preferred the Plains, not the Rapids. Anyways. Mira sat a few steps away from Xae, staying silent as much as she wanted to say something. It wouldn't be good if one of Abaven's best healer's fell in the Rapids, now would it? ?speech?

Xae's thoughts swirled in his brain as he thought about his own personal issues. Which, he honestly felt, was quite selfish of him. He still had a patient to return to. He'd need to stop and hunt for the two of them. The Vor sighed again, feeling unusually listless and somewhat melancholy. His gaze flickered again in the direction of the Tagavor's den, lifting his head up. In the corner of his eye, he saw dark russet movement, and Mirabelle's familiar scent reached his nose. He turned to look at the Bjuni, previous sad, hopeful look gone, replaced with a look of quiet curiosity. "Bjuni Mirabelle." His dark head lowered in a nod, greeting the guard. "Are you ill? Or injured?" His inquiry held a hint of worry - after all, Mirabelle was an Abaven member, and it was his job to ensure all members were happy and healthy. And he assumed that surely the Bjuni wouldn't be here to simply converse. Xae didn't really converse with anyone. "Speech" Thought

Mirabelle smiled as Xae noticed her, tail thumping on the ground in greeting. She returned his respectful nod. She opened her mouth to respond in kind, but... "Umm...Xae." Oops. She couldn't remember Xae's rank, so that umm would have to do. She gave him a half smile of apology, hoping he wouldn't mind. With his surprisingly laid-back attitude, he didn't think he would. She shook her head to his question. "Nope, I'm perfectly healthy and have been since you patched my ear up a while ago. Although if I ever am injured, you'll be the first I go to." The red woman said this with all sincerity, tail still thumping slowly. "I'm just here to relax, and get away from those who love to argue." She paused, maw twisting into an amused smile. "Excluding myself, of course. It's hard to run away from myself."
"Speech"
'thoughts'

He flashed her a brief, somewhat amused smile, only the right corner of his lip twitching up. "Vor. I was promoted last season." The russet male turned around so that he was able to fully face the dark she-wolf. She answered his questions as he was turning around, and he gave her another nod to show that he was happy that her health was in such excellent shape. At the mention of her ear, his pale gaze flickered to it, examining it. His eyes returned to hers as he heard her praise, telling him he'd be the first she went to. He smiled again, still as brief as his first, but with both corners inching up. The Vor truly appreciated the sentiment, though it did give him an embarrassed flush. Thankfully, his dark pelt hid any discoloration. "I am happy that it's healed so well. I appreciate your praise, but Harmony still knows much more than I could hope. Regardless, I will do everything within my power to ensure you return to health, should another time arise." After a pause, he continued. "Though, let us hope that doesn't happen." Xae let out a soft, breathy chuckle. The russet she-wolf continued to speak, and the male cocked his head. "I don't understand why you would wish to run from yourself in the first place?" His 'brows' knitted together in genuine confusion. "Speech" Thought

Mira snorted. Of course. Last season. Shaking her head, she sighed. "Sorry. Obviously, I'm quite the idiot." Her ears twitched with her internal annoyance at herself. Her thoughts were distracted, though, as she watched him glanced at her ear, and she turned her head to show it completely healed - with only a small scar to show it ever existed. after a moment, she turned her head back, tilting her head as she sensed what was.... embarrassment? from the man. She blinked. Embarrassment. From Xae? If it even was embarrassment. He hid it remarkably well; she couldn't even tell based on his appearance. Maybe it was his eyes. She shrugged internally. Ah, well, something to puzzle out later. "Don't say that," she barked sharply, giving him a look. "You will easily learn as much as Harmony, maybe more. You are a born natural at healing, just as Harmony is. I have no doubts that one day you'll be one of the best, if not the best, healers of Abaven. At the very least you will be on par with Harmony." She stared at him fiercely for a moment, ears pricked all the way forward, her tail still behind her. After that long moment, though, she relaxed - although that was more because of Xae than anything. She twitched with that breathy chuckle, just as surprised from the sound of his soft laughter as she had ever been. Her mouth opened to say something, and closed without a sound. Then it opened again, and she blurted, "You should laugh more often. It's nice." Then her jaw snapped shut, and she looked away. This time, embarrassment flowed through her, the pale skin on the inside of her ears darkening. What on earth made her say that? Of course, his last question made her forget even that as she froze, debating what to say. On one paw, her instincts said to trust him. On her other paw, though, her mind said to not trust him; that he had not proven himself yet. That trusting would be a mistake. She stayed silent for several long moments before being able to answer, an answer that clearly followed her brain instead of her instincts. "Umm...Sometimes things happen." She left it at that, her tone giving the clear message that she didn't want to hear any more on the topic. ?speech?

He'd hardly time to recover from her initial praise when the words came firmly out of her mouth. He'd remained still under the hard, long look Mirabelle gave him. Her words truly warmed his heart, though. He saw past the outwardly harsh words, and knew that she was only attempting to make him see himself as better than he did. Which, frankly, confused him. It wasn't like he felt bad about not being as good as Harmony. If anyone was to be better than him at healing, he wanted it to be Harmony. The fact that he was just under her in terms of rank was quite the prize to the male. But he said nothing, merely nodded in understanding. The Bjuni again sent a wave of embarrassment through his veins, his skin heating up. "Um..." He glanced away, unable to meet her eyes. He'd never received such a personal compliment. The Vor had heard the others - the praise of a particular skill. But this? It was just about his laughter, but still. It felt personal, to the normally fairly distant, though he hoped not unapproachable, russet male. In his embarrassment, words failed him, and a very non-eloquent 'um' had actually tumbled out of his mouth. It was the first time that he could remember that he didn't have something to say. Swallowing the lump that had formed, he glanced back up at Mirabelle. "I... Thank you." He decided that thanking her was the best option. Even if it had embarrassed him, Xae would be lying if he said that he wished she hadn't said anything. It was comforting, in a way, that Mirabelle was so upfront. Refreshing, really. But that seemed to change with his question. It was almost instant. Her mood seemed to darken, and she looked away from him. The Vor watched her eyes, his own eyes trying to pry information from her through her sockets, as if read her mind. Sometimes, he felt like he could. Read emotions, at least. But Mirabelle's only emotion that Xae got was unsure, and that didn't tell him anything. He wanted to pry. He wanted to beg and plead and politely force information from her. But he kept his mouth shut. The boy had a feeling Mirabelle wouldn't be too happy with him if he started becoming nosy. "Well, I do not plan on running from you." The words were simple, but sincere. Unless she was trying to kill him, there was virtually nothing that Mirabelle could do that would cause Xae to run from her. "Speech" Thought

A grin made it's way to her maw. She made him speechless. And obviously embarressed. He couldn't meet her eye. Strangely enough, this delighted her. To an extent that would make Xae soon regret ever showing that he was embarressed by such a personal compliment. Her tail twitched, thumping on the ground for a moment. He also didn't snap at her for her harsh words, or mistake them, and that's what she liked about the similarly colored man. He understood things, what someone means under the words. Her lips peeling back at the words he finally forced from his throat - it seemed - she gave him a grin. "You are quite welcome!" She gave a soft, low laugh of her own, utterly aqmused. No, she didn't regret embarressing him one bit, not when it resulted in such an endearing and adorable reaction.

She ignored him when he gave her a piercing look, though, when she turned. As if he was trying to pry the secrets from her by staring at her. It was quite disturbing, and left her even more unsure. He didn't say anything though, which made her grateful. And pleased; it once again proved the intelligence of Xae. But then he did speak, and she stared at him with in incredibly wide eyes, shock clear. Like with how Xae never had someone who have him a personal compliment, someone telling her something so kind, so simple, was astounding. It... Left her speechless. She couldn't even think of a quip. Her mind more the irony of being in the reverse position this time, and she did what Xae did. "Thank you." Her words were soft, nearly inaudible, and full of emotion. And so completely sincere.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

She was grinning. She was actually enjoying Xae's suffering - though, he would internally admit that he wasn't really suffering. And frankly, the smile seemed to brighten her face, bring out her lighter features, so Xae didn't mind. Even if the smile was at his expense. He found it contagious, feeling his own lips twitching. While Mira's grin was amused, Xae's held a quiet, almost imperceptible shyness, only further proving his embarrassment. As his embarrassment faded away, so did Mira's grin, and the dark fae was silent for a while. Xae couldn't help but watch her curiously. And, honestly, he couldn't help being somewhat amused. "Bjuni Mirabelle, speechless?" His pale gaze drifted to the sky. "How peculiar... It certainly doesn't seem like the world's ending..." Of course, he was joking, though he held little emotion on his features. Simply, Xae was acting as though Mira having nothing to say meant the world was about to end. When words did finally leave her mouth, his grey eyes would flick back to her pale yellow orbs. Sincerity in her words leaked and tumbled into him. The russet boy, again, gave the reddish fae his own sincere half-smile. "You needn't thank me for speaking the truth." His words spoke the truth, at least for Xae. Sometimes, what he had to say might not have been what everyone wanted to hear - in a way, he felt he was like Mirabelle, though he was certainly... less harsh with his own honesty. But, on the flip side, Xae rarely had anything negative to say about anyone. He was like that. He saw the good in everyone, even if no one else could. "Speech" Thought

She couldn't help but laugh again as he returned the smile, although with a rather peculiar shyness. This time, though, the laugh didn't hold a tone of amusement, but rather a tone of sheer delight and surprising happiness and joy. She was truly enjoying his company. Her laughter was cut short, though, as he spoke again, and she stared at him with her jaw hanging for a split second before snapping it shut. She gave him an indignant look. "Hey!" She bounced forward from her sitting position, flashing a paw out to whack the healer gently before dropping into a I-wanna-play-NOW position, with her butt sticking out in the air and wiggling, and her front flat on the ground and wiggling just as much as her behind. He'd pay for that comment, oh yes he would. She stiffled another giggle. Oh, this was going to be fun. She maintained the position even as Xae spoke to her, saying that she shouldn't thank him for the truth. Well, then. Those pale yellow eyes caught his blue ones. "No, I should be thanking you because it's the truth," she remarked, tail wagging lightly. "Truth is rather hard to find nowadays." But no matter; she was going to refuse to let thoughts darken her any more than they already did. She was here, and she was damn well going to enjoy herself. ?speech?

The dark fae released an indignant bark. Xae watched as she lowered herself in an inviting stance, clearly wishing to play. Well, that was also something Xae hadn't really... grown accustomed to. Yes, he had play-fought with his own siblings, but no one else. He supposed that was strange. He supposed he would have to get used to this, to actually playing with his packmates. After all, weren't packs meant to function as a family? The two exchanged more words before Xae made his final decision. He would engage in play. The leggy boy gave no comments to Mira's insistence on thanking him, deciding that it wasn't worth anymore words. If she was so intent on thanking him, he'd let her. The male lowered his front half, mirroring Mirabelle's position, minus the wiggly body. His silver eyes watched her, waiting for her to make the first move. His charcoal-tipped tail swished back and forth somewhat slowly, but there was an excited - which still meant 'small' - smile on his face. His eyes were narrowed slightly, and held a challenge within their depths, playfully taunting the Bjuni. "Speech" Thought

Mira's delight grew as the charcoal and chocolate wolf lowered his own body to mirror hers. "Are you ready for me?" The question was rhetorical, accompanied by a slightly cocky grin. Her rump gave an extra-excited wriggle, grinning inwardly at how calm Xae was compared to her. And patient. The moment it seemed she was to make the first move, she moved, pushing her hind paws off the ground in a pounce. She didn't aim, she didn't adjust or anything like she would if it were a spar or a real fight. IT was a simple pup-pounce, followed by flailing of the paws. She, surprisingly enough, wasn't looking to "win". She was simply looking for enjoyment.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Xae couldn't help but smirk slightly at the dark she-wolf as she grinned with confidence and asked a question that didn't need answering, so the boy didn't bother responding. His pale silver eyes watched, analyzing, calculating. But it was clear as soon as Mirabelle pounced that this wasn't meant to be anything serious, as he'd been expecting. The Bjuni came across as slightly competitive - at least, the little that he knew of her - so her flailing paws and improper, puplike jump genuinely surprised him. It also made him rather happy, to see that she was behaving so comfortably, without a care for any sort of 'proper' form. Xae met her pounce with one of his own, though his pounce was meant to dodge her flailing paws, his body landing to the left of hers. He turned, muzzle reaching out in an attempt to give her shoulder a playful push. Whether it landed or not, Xae whipped around and bounded off a short distance, pausing only to see if Mirabelle would chase him. "Speech" Thought

Mirabelle laughed again as he pounced to the side of her, and she flumped down on the ground before scrambling to her paws. Then she felt a push on her shoulder, and with her already uneven balance she tipped over again. She flailed again as she tipped, sighing in disappointment as she missed him; he was prancing away from her. She pushed herself to her paws to see him pause, looking back at her, goading her to chase him. Very well, I'll give it to him, she thought with a grin, her heavier - much heavier - form bouncing after the healer. ?speech?

He hadn't expected his muzzle "punch" to actually knock her over, but Mirabelle was quickly on her paws again. Xae didn't have to worry about hurting her - not that he ever really worried about hurting anyone. He hardly looked capable of it. Still, it relieved him to see that she hadn't been injured. He felt his excitement skyrocket when the larger female bounded after him. Smiling, he lowered himself again, tail still waving quickly - for him - in the air. After a moment, he pounced forward to meet her halfway, diving low, jaws parting in an attempt to grab her front left leg, just above her paw. If he managed to snag the limb, he would be very gentle, not wanting to actually harm her. "Speech" Thought

Pleasure filled Mira as Xae waved his tail - albeit slowly, compared to her, but it was the same message. The playfuness in his play crouch also pleased her... and warned her. Mira skidded to a stop and bounced to the side when she saw him leap to meet her. He wasn't going to get her this time! she let out a wordless bark, immediately pouncing forward when Xae landed. Like before, it was sloppy and messy - the only thing she did was redistribute her weight so she wouldn't be unbalanced. Oh, she was having so much fun - much more than she expected to, with the crappy day it had been up to encountering Xae. "speech"

For once, his mind had drifted from thoughts of Harmony, and thoughts of caring for Sable. His mind was on Mirabelle, and on the game they were playing. He felt free, even though it was only himself that kept him caged and cautious. Xae laughed aloud, though it wasn't a boisterous nor hearty laughter, it still meant the same thing: He was enjoying himself. The russet boy landed gracefully - running over uneven terrain helped him maintain balance - meeting Mirabelle, where he had attempted to snatch her limb. But the dark rust she-wolf bounded forward, and his teeth missed their mark. It didn't matter, of course. Letting out a playful growl, the russet male turned quickly after her, reaching out in an attempt to grab her tail in his gentle jaws. "Speech" Thought

...Shock filled her for a moment, a long moment devoid of all movement from her. Xae just... laughed. "You laughed!" the woman exclaimed, albeit quietly. Xae... laughing. It was a sweet sound to her ears, and an entirely unexpected one as well. Shaking her head, she refocused, attempting to step to the side to avoid the tail nomming. She failed, and with a resigned sigh she found her tail grasped in the jaws of the healer. Mira turned and growled back at him, eyes dark and intense as she stared at him.



speech thoughts