Prologue (Pt.2)

Warm eyes met his smile, the woman feeling light inside. How long had it been since she felt like this? How long had it been since she even felt like this? When he nuzzled her, she nuzzled back. If she were a cat, she would be purring from the sheer happiness she was feeling now. She wanted so badly to tell him how she felt, how much she had missed this. But it was not yet time. Following him inside, she walked quietly behind him, matching stride as her shoulder occasionally brushed his hip. Yes, she had missed him dearly. And never did she think she would find him again, but here they were, returning to the place where they had first met. The place she had been lying down and crying, feeling sorry for herself. For the way her life had turned out. But it was all better now.

The darkness would swallow the traveling pair, drawing closer to their destination with each step. She was excited to say the least, in fact, it would be an understatement in fact. What she felt now could not be put into words. She had never felt like this before, save for the one and first time they had met. And she held onto it. Held onto the memories that she would never, and could never forget. As they walked, she would fall into a state of deep thought. The only sounds she could hear were in her head...the day she'd left the home where she had last seen her family. The cry of help as the pain ripped up her leg the day she had been taken. The maniacal sound of laughter from her captors. The sense of loss and giving up...and then the war. The fear she had that day, she thought she was going to die in a war she wanted no part of. Refusing to fight against the Valhallans that had done nothing to their attackers.

Then the sense of relief when Gretel's brother had come to their rescue. The Tortugans freeing them from the grip of hell. She had taken the chance to flee without hesitation, running to the safety of Seracia where even there, she had distrusted the wolves who tried to help her. Her trust had been broken since, afraid to trust anyone ever again...until he came along. He had been the only one she had placed trust in. He had been the only one she felt that she could let in. And she had. And it had felt wonderful, yet it hurt at the same time. Since they're departure from one another's lives, she had not loved another. Had not fallen for or even thought about mating or loving another. Her heart was a fickle thing, easily broken and not easily pieced back together. It had taken her years to trust someone...and it wasn't until she came across Sonticus that she had begun to find the strength to continue fighting. And now...here she was. Her search over.

Amber gaze caught the stream of light up ahead, her heart pounding hard in her chest as she followed him into the open cavern. Standing just past the narrow opening, she stopped and looked around. This...this was where they had met. She looked to the pool of water, following him to its edge as he drank. She too would drink, after their long and hurried travel, she realized then how thirsty she was. Once she was finished, she took a few paces back to let him finish, the woman taking in the scenery again for the first time. She noticed the pelts in the corner, and she tried to remember if they had been here the first time they had met. But it was so long ago...all she could remember was the pool, his words...his touch. Her crying. She felt the nostalgia, never did she think she could or would come back to this place. But here she was.

Her eyes met his once more, allowing him to raise her head...much like the first time. His paw gently laid upon hers, the touch sending electricity through her she felt her heart and throat tighten. All her attention was on him. "Will you stay? Maybe we can walk our common road together for awhile?" His voice...how long had it been since she had dreamed of hearing it? Her breath caught. Those words...they were the same words he had spoken that night. Her answer then, would still hold now. Slowly she nodded, forgetting how to speak for a moment as she surged forward and wrapped her neck above his own, eyes squeezing shut as she embraced him. "Yes. I will walk with you for as long as you wish. And if that means forever, I will stay."

She fought back the emotions that threatened to choke her, but the more she tried to fight, the more they took over. Tilting her muzzle towards his ear, her lips would gently open as her voice whispered delicately in his ear. "I love you, Newol." How long...had she been waiting to say that? For how long had she wanted to tell him? She thought she would never get the chance...she thought she would die without ever getting to say it. But fate would give her a lucky hand for once. Quiet tears slipped from her eyes, she hadn't meant to cry. But oh how she had missed him so much. Her heart and soul hurt, but in a good way. And it would be to this man, that she would give her entire being.