In the Dead of Night
08-24-2013, 07:16 PM
| Sarak |
|
He could see the disbelief on her face, in her eyes. She?d never been good at hiding her emotions. And his heart clenched when his last words brought fear to her eyes. He should have known better than to hope. When she said his name, hesitantly, his closed eyes tightened shut further. Her next words opened his eyes and he stared at her, but as she went on, confusion killed the hope that had started to flicker, like a flame in wet kindling being snuffed out by a breath of wind. And a small thread of anger was there too. ?No. It is not.? His agreement was given in a dead flat tone. As she wriggled closer, he caught the scent of her excitement, and rose to a shaking sitting position. The paw she lifted was expected. And while he let her control his face, her tongue would find salt as it touched his cheek. He averted his eyes, dull gaze bright only with liquid, shrouded with agony and confusion. He gazed out of the den watching the faint shadows of the deer as they cautiously returned to the meadow. He listened to their restless steps and the settling of their hooves as they settled to graze again. Physically, he trembled. Inwardly, he was riding an earthquake, one pulse of his heart after another. Was it possible for his heartbeat to thunder like a furious storm? He tried to capture his swirling mind, tried to hold on to some sense of logic. Confusion, hurt, pain, anger, grief. Finally, he choked out a reply. ?And when you?ve had enough of running around ?meeting? every stranger. What then?? Eyes turned to gaze at her, silent, dead, before he rose and slipped past and into the starlight, taking a deep breath of the clear, Summer night air, The deer raised their heads, staring at him intently with great, sparkling dark eyes, large ears pressed forward, before they gracefully moved to the other end of the meadow, tails flicking. His head bowed as he tried to catch his breath. |