After releasing her call, Clove fell silent and waited at the borders- continuing her inspection of the bamboo, enjoying the symphony it made as the stalks knocked into each other. Closing her eyes, she used her senses to fully experience it- noting the smells, the sounds, and the feel of the soil at her paws. She wanted to remember all of these things in detail, so she could journal it down later to help her create a map of Auster.
The crunching of paws against fallen autumn leaves made her eyes open, just in time to see Akito emerging from the bamboo forest. Only, the boy she came to know wasn’t the same as before. He was much taller now, towering over her like the bamboo itself. And his body, wow, it had become so toned and muscular. With each step he took, she could see different muscle groups shifting beneath his pelt- his newfound bulk a testament to the months of training he’d completed in her absence. Truthfully, Clove found herself starstruck. Unable to look away as he approached, butterflies swarming in her belly, which made the tip of her tail twitch back and forth. Dang, when did Akito get so… handsome!?
Stopping inches from her, enveloping her in his scent that was now swathed in teenage pheromones she hadn’t noticed before. She felt her face starting to grow warm. “Hi Akito.” She said, bashfully, looking up at him through thick lashes. “I thought about you the other day, and our adventure in the grapevine cathedral. And I figured it was time to come see you again.” Her tail wagged lightly, and she pulled the little bag off of her shoulder and offered it to him. “I brought these for you- they are dried-up grapes, called raisins. They aren’t sour like fresh grapes. Maybe you’ll like them more.” Hopefully, he would like the gift, even if it wasn’t much.
Waiting for his response, she looked past him and into the bamboo. Wanting him to usher her inside, so she could see the rest of his forest.
"Speech"
