Releasing the dove

To the west, masked by the jagged rocks of the tidal pools, a man padded quietly near. Panic paralyzed slender legs from an evasive escape, fastening her tightly against the rolling granules of sand. Reverberating within her ivory ears, his voice was strong and masculine as it slipped from the mammoth creature. He was a twisted sculpture of slate and ivory, rimmed in the wafting rays of the setting sun. The brute's silhouette glowed with such intensity she was magnified to the sight. A soft gesture curved his lips into a cautious smile, one that she tried to imitate most unsuccessfully. His massive body could readily embellish her like a blanket, her ivory fur becoming lost within his contrasting velvet. She had to ponder if all men were the size of bears in this strange land.

Ruelle’s voice held the innocence of a child. “I... I quite like the ocean.” She mused the words gently, slowly. Each syllable hitching with hesitation in the subtlest of ways. Words tasted funny on her tongue, strange and foreign. When was the last time she had spoken? She couldn't remember. Her lips tightened a bit, but she hid the remark from him casually. Eyes wandered up to his sculpted muzzle, imagining the teeth that rested beneath the folds of the ebony flesh. A grimace flattened Ruelle's face, pulling her ears down with imaginary weight as her focus returned to the horizon. “It makes you forget.” The words slipped out like silk, effortlessly untamed. Reeling them back in was no longer an option, despite the regret that ensued. “Are you from here?” The question was blunt if nothing else. A coverup for her mistake.