Feel the Thunder

Ever since they made up and mended their relationship, Briar had spent every moment she could with Artorias and it only helped her to realize how foolish she had been to ever let him go. He helped her feel so much more at ease. Smiles came easier when he was around. There was still a lot that she needed to work through in herself and she knew that, but it didn't feel as overwhelming when Artorias was with her and his presence alone reminded her that she truly meant something to someone and that gave her the motivation to work harder and not give up. She refused to think about the fact that when the season was over he would have to go back to The Hallows and they would have to go back to living in different packs, traveling back and forth to see one another. She knew it was still a couple of months away at this point, but just thinking about not getting to live her life with him and do this small things like patrols or just wandering through the territory together like they were now made her sad. She didn't want to think about that right now though. For now she tried to just enjoy her time with this boy that she loved and just be grateful that he loved her in return.

She didn't really pay attention to where they were going, letting Artorias set their course, until she noticed that he had led them out to the sandy beaches where the training areas were. She gave him a curious look and saw that plotting, scheming look in his amber eyes and immediately knew he was up to something. He brought up what she had said to him before and how long it had been since their last spar, making her realize the only time they had really sparred was when they were pups. She groaned at the thought of that spar, how badly she had lost but also how arrogant she had been back then. She still grinned though, thinking about how they had known each other for almost all of their lives and how even despite how she had been to him growing up he had still found a way to love her. Briar smirked as she listened to Artorias as he built up the fact that he wanted a spar, pulling out all the drama as he darted forward to spin and face her and cut her off, forcing her to stop as she chuckled at that playful look in his eyes.

He challenged her to a spar as she expected and as if on cue the thunder from the building storm rumbled in the distance, making his elaborate showmanship even more ominous and ridiculous at the same time. She grinned back at him, barely holding back her own laughter as well, and humming thoughtfully at the idea of a wager. Her own self sabotaging thoughts immediately assumed that she would lose, and while that might be true given their difference in training and skill, she forced herself to not fall into that trap. He was obviously trying to make this fun for her and she didn't want to ruin this moment with her own doubts. Instead, she focused on the idea of making a wager for their fight and tried to think of something to suggest. There were some obvious ones, like whoever won got a kiss, but she tried to think of something more interesting than that. Something that was really worth fighting for.

"Alright," she agreed with a chuckle, giving him a playful grin. "How about..." A thought crossed her mind, not that far off from her original thought, but a little more risqué and something she knew Artorias would definitely be interested in. Her face flushed a bit as she gave him a sly grin, crossing the little distance between them to bring her muzzle up to his ear, whispering even though they were alone on the beach. "Whoever wins gets to decide what we do the next time we're pleasuring each other," she offered, catching his gaze with another grin. "With no rules," she added after a moment, a knowing look in her turquoise gaze. She knew why her sister had warned her about not having sex till they were older and if she won she might still abide by those rules, but she loved Artorias. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together so she trusted him. She gave her lover another smirk before she turned to go back to where she was standing across from him and started getting into a fighting stance even before he even officially accepted her wager.

WC: 798
Total: 1339/1500

"Briar Fatalis"