With Pace and a Fury Defiant

The night he had spent wrapped around Absinth just so happened to have been one of the best nights of sleep he ever remembered having. It was deep and thorough. As if his very soul had fallen dormant in the first breaths of spring- camped out in he open air of the ancient forest. It was something that he had stubbornly held on to- being a great deal later in the morning before he finally allowed himself to answer the natural call to rise. The first rays of sunlight had come and gone, as dawn slipped away with the steady rise of the sun- a quarter of the way to its apex. It was nothing less than a stubborn desire to hold on to the shared moment for as long as possible. As he slowly stirred and opened his eyes, he felt her body pressed tightly against his own. He could feel the heat emanating from her skin and the steady rise and fall of her chest against his. It was a feeling of comfort that he had never felt before. Aresenn couldn't help the faint sleepy grin that tugged at the corner of his lips as he was drawn out of unconsciousness, a deep sigh escaping his lungs as he searched for through his half-lidded amber gaze. How could this possibly be real?

It was the sudden snap of a twig that shattered his resolve. Aresenn snapped up, eyes flashing to the direction the sound had come from- forcing himself up on an elbow to get a better look. It was accompanied by the sensation of his stomach falling- a flash of anxiety as every muscle in his body tensed. His attention immediately found the scrawny black frame of a stranger who didn't belong - just as it dove for satchel that held the few supplies that he had brought along with them. It wasn't that anything in that bag was irreplaceable. Just a few things that made travel easier. But it was the idea of the audacity this thief had to approach them in broad daylight with the assumption that he could simply evade notice. It lacked intelligence. Or perhaps he was just that desperate. "HEY!” Aresenn barked, as he staggered to his paws- leaving Absinth behind as he leapt to pursuit of the individual that had several heartbeats of a head start. Even in the best mood of his life, he wasn't one to be taken advantage of. Even beggars can tell you're spineless.

"Aresenn Praetor"