I like long walks on the beach

"I’d keep you safe.” Romulus believed her words whole-heartedly. Lillith might not have had the physical stature or strength to oppose the mighty Ulric, but he knew the silver dappled girl's fiery spirit would shield him from any threat turned his way by the Adravendi patriarch. He loved Lillith's spirit, her vigor, her determination. She treated every day like a gift where he sometimes found himself taking them for granted. A difference in their perspectives, he realized, but it was also what made her so uniquely her and balanced him out. His mind ran wild with rebellious thoughts encouraged by Lil's own boldness, picturing sneaking into her room at night, trying to imagine what her smile would look like in the moonlight streaming through her windows, how she'd feel snuggling up in his arms. He blinked a few times to force those thoughts back down into his head. The adolescent wolf was reaching maturity, only a few weeks away from his second birthday, and it showed in his rising hormones and persistent urges. He behaved himself though, more for Lillith's comfort than out of fear of Ulric's teeth—although they did help keep him cooled off just enough.

He heard Lillith slip out of bed and turned to regard her with shimmering eyes and a warm smile while she bounced up to him, looking far livelier by the day. Had he not seen her in a state of fragility already or known a bit about her history, he could easily have been fooled that she was a perfectly normal wolf. He gave her a crooked grin and a barking laugh. "Then let's go get you the whole world," he said and turned towards the door. He paused long enough to hold the door open for her, ever the gentleman, and then slipped out into the hall to walk alongside her down the foyer stairs and out across the courtyard. The warm sunlight felt good on his gray fur, and the flowers in the gardens were still in full bloom, soaking up as much sun as they could before winter arrived.

Romulus led the way out past the castle gates and down the well-worn dirt path that headed west towards the sea. The closer they got, the more the air smelled of sea salt and the louder the gentle lapping of waves became. "So what would you like to do today?" he asked as they walked down the sloping path and their paws hit the warm, golden sand, the soft ground shifting easily underfoot. "The training rings I saw are further up the beach if you feel like tussling with me a bit, or we can try to find some seaweed. It makes a great water-resistant bandage, we could stock up the infirmary with them." He meandered aimlessly across the sand towards the water with Lillith, watching the way the sunlight brought out the shimmering silver in her fur and practically made her sparkle. Whatever she wanted to do today he would be happy to participate in. He was just happy to be by the ocean and with her.

"Speech"