Another season, another year. Drake sat upon the beach again, day in and day out he was here. Always here, waiting...for what? Damned would be the poor bloke if he knew. Fate was cruel to him, he had caught traces of his brothers scent and had changed course to avoid it. He knew his brother was seeking to kill him, to wipe out the Aquarion line...or corrupt them and force the rest to join him. Drake would steer clear of his brothers grasp time and time again. Spring air blew gently around him, the sand at his feet rising and falling and swirling about in small whirlwinds of dust and debris. Although it was fascinating, he doubted there would be anything that would make him happy. Except for perhaps, the beach. It was one of the main reasons he had made his home here, he adored the surf. He loved the water, and it was his only place of comfort. Perhaps because the waves gave him the touches he craved from another, swirling about his body the way he wished a significant other would do. But alas, his heart had been broken twice since coming to these lands...


The bitter memories would prickle at his already aching heart, the thoughts reopening wounds that he had thought closed, but no. Black dipped paws stepped further towards the water, bringing him halfway into the water as the breaking waves held onto him before dragging away. Aqua blue gaze stared across the ocean, wondering if there was an end to the world beyond the water. It seemed to melt into the sky, melding as one...one sky, one ocean. Did both meet at the end of the trail? Or did they split apart like many other things? Never wholly destined to be? His heart saddened, a sigh escaping his lips as he continued to stand there.

The charcoal beauty had grown rather restless as of late, her mind reeling back and forth between her duties and Drake's sudden reappearance. She had stumbled across him during her rare treks to seek him out, and she had been surprised to find him with another woman, although they hadn't seemed to be together. Perhaps they had just been friends? Or was she about to become a home wrecker? Despite whatever outcome she was bound to face she needed to see him again, needed to confess her true feelings now that there was no fear behind them. She was the sentinel now, the highest rank below her alphas, and with Isardis writhing in his after glow she felt no reason to be afraid of her feelings. She wanted Drake to know how she felt, because hopefully he still felt the same way too. He had loved her once, so there was still hope that he could love her again, right? She had told Ramses to sit this one out, as she didn't want to beg for her lovers heart while her other star crossed lover was standing at her side. Ramses had seemed a bit confused about it, since this had been the first time Liberty had gone off on her own since they had met, but he brushed it off, and had decided to enjoy springs warmth like she had instructed. He trusted his mistress and knew she could handle herself, so he would do his best not to worry too much while she was gone. The babe had just crossed Glaciem's territory by the time she completely left the mans amethyst gaze. She wouldn't toss her head back, nor would she glance toward her feline companion before setting off toward the ocean- her mind was set on one thing only, and that was to find Drake before it was too late. Charcoal hued paws would kiss the blackened sand silently, sinking slightly into the soft earth as she loped toward the oceans edge. She could see a figure walking toward the shore to step into the ocean a few feet before stopping, and she assumed it was Drake due to the size and color of the stranger. As she approaches his scent wafts across her nostrils, confirming this was the man she was looking for. A soft smile would hint at her ebony lips, quirking the corners slightly as she aimed to halt directly before the waters edge, just close enough to where the licking waves could not reach her toes. She was still frightened by large bodies of water due to the horrifying ordeal she had gone through as a child, and so she would keep her distance, azure eyes narrowing as she peered out across the waters surface. "Beautiful, isn't it?" She would announce aloud, hoping she could grasp his attention. Speech

Startled would the Australian male be when the voice of a ghost interrupted his thoughts. He was afraid almost to turn around, for the voice to be nothing more then empty air should he choose to lay eyes on it. His heart hammered in his chest, body stiffening slightly as his eyes remained upon the ocean. He was so afraid, so very afraid...but then behind the voice, a scent would wash over him. He inhaled it, his mind reeling. And yet, he would remain fixated to where he was for fear it was no more then a trick of his mind, a trick of the wind. Head would tilt slightly downwards, staring at the water lapping at his fur. Aqua blue gaze filled with so many different emotions. Pain, hurt, happiness, regret..."Aye...It is." Three simple words were all he was able to muster in that short moment. Then slowly, he would turn his head to look at her as his body followed. Eyes lied upon the femme he had fallen for so long ago, the mixture of feelings he held within his heart were almost impossible to ignore. He eyed her, the moonlight shining on her pelt and creating an ethereal effect upon her form. Breath would catch in his throat at the sight, was it truly her? Or a trick of his mind creating an image to torture him again? Slowly, he would take a few paces towards her, the water continuously lapping at his stomach and legs as he stopped, ears slightly against his head as the reality seeped in. "Liberty...what are you doing here? Have you come to tell me you decided to create a life with that man again, eh? What kind of sick sense of satisfaction do you get from torturin' me this way?" He hated saying those words, afraid to hurt her...but in truth, his heart was screaming for him to stop. His body wanting to move close to her and touch her, to make sure she was truly there. But why? Why did she torture him this way? Would things change this time around? Or would she tell him time and time again to stay away from her from now on? Speech,

"Aye...It is." The man would whisper quietly before turning to face her, their similar gazes aligning as they both withhold their breath at the sight of one another. Her smile widens a bit, voluptuous lashes batting slowly over her azure eyes. She feels a cluster of emotions grip her heart, she feels a fire ignite within her when she looks into his eyes, but she feels guilt for the things she has done to him in the past. He would take a few steps toward her, and she would feel her legs propelling herself toward him although she had not commanded them to do so. She would wade a few feet into the water, ignoring her fears and relying on her desires. He was still a few feet from her, as he was in deeper water. "Liberty...what are you doing here? Have you come to tell me you decided to create a life with that man again, eh? What kind of sick sense of satisfaction do you get from torturin' me this way?" Her stomach seems to writhe in agony, guilt eating away at her core as the words leave his mouth. Her smile fades quickly, she remembers what she has said to him in the past, how she had shooed him away because she had hopes of winning the king all to herself. She was a fool, and she had hurt him because of it, the only man who had loved her for herself. "No, I've come to tell you I love you, Drake. I always have, and I always will. I was just... too blind to realize it before." She bites her bottom lip at the last word, the words seeping out before she has a chance to think them over or stop them. She hopes he will believe her, she can't lose him again. Speech,

He swallows back the bile and sadness that pools within his throat. The girl he once loved, nay, the one he had fallen in love with and still held feelings for smiling as she seemed to rush towards him. Only to stop midway and he watched as her smile faltered when he finished speaking. He would learn why she was here soon enough...and the words she would say to him nearly sent him into a spiral. She loved him? If that were true...then why put him through so much pain? He couldn't nearly believe it, for he had tried so hard in the past only to get turned away not once, not twice, but three or four times. Would this be another one of her sadistic tricks? He wasn't sure he could take it again...Aqua gaze was full of hurt, he knew he couldn't hide it anymore. But if she was telling the truth, then she wouldn't be here, right? He hoped...just a shred of it, that she could be his. And yet, he was sure he would be on guard for sometime...and he hoped that if it were the case, she would prove to him that she was telling the truth. "You...love me? And what about all those other times? Wha' was it before that made you blind, Liberty? Was it the thirst for power? The thoughts that perhaps that fool would only ever love you? That perhaps you'd be his chosen one?" He would shake his head, the words spilling from his tongue pent up throughout the seasons. He didn't want to hurt her, didn't want her to go away...his heart wouldn't bear it. He swallowed once more, his heart pounding as he decided to close the distance between them. Standing just inches before her now, his muzzle fairly close to hers yet a good distance away. He so hoped this wasn't a trick, hoped that the albino beast wasn't lurking in the bushes somewhere ready to strike him down. He looked at her, unwavering. "Tell me...do you know what love really is? Because I do...and I've never lost sight of it, even with the passin' seasons." Speech,

Her lip slips from its encasement as her expression hardens, azure eyes resting upon Drake with an unwavering stare. She feels very anxious although her outward appearance does not show it. She hopes he will believe her, he has to believe her, because she believed him when he said it. She could see the turmoil that lurked behind his blue eyes, deep tones spilling from his gaping maw, causing her audits to fall flat against her skull. He sure knew how to play the guilt card didn't he? But how could she blame him? She deserved it all, deserved his mistrust and resentment toward her feelings. "I..." She begins but pauses, the words seeming to be lodged within her throat. She clears her throat and tries again. "I was blinded by all those things." A softness takes place within her eyes, an emotion rarely seen within the frozen hearted woman. Drake would shake his head before moving to close their distance, and the nymph would stand motionless, the oceans salty waves licking at her heels. He was directly in front from her now, his muzzle wavering just inches from her own, close enough to where she could feel his hot breath against the fine hairs on her snout. It sends a tingle down her spine, she feels a flutter of emotions grip her heart and she feels the same desire she felt long ago return to her. But now is not the time for such things. "I... I wasn't taught how to love someone, but I like to believe I know how it feels..." She pauses for a moment before continuing, her nerves rattling her from the inside out. "Like, when I look at you, it feels like something is writhing within my tummy and it doesn't go away. It makes my throat tight, it makes my toes tingle... I.. Don't know how to explain it very well." She looks up at him, her eyes pleading for his acceptance. Did he believe her yet? Would he ever believe her? "What... What do you see when you look at me?" She needs to know if the feeling is mutual, needs to know if she drives him wild as he does her. "Speech"

His gaze would remain upon her, unwavering whilst his heart threatened to jump clean of his body. Her sweet breath driving him all the more wild, almost impossible for him to keep from closing the gap and pressing against her. And yet, he was afraid that if he did...the pent up emotion would bring him to cry if he got the chance to touch her. One ear lied towards her, the other held back as a single fizzled word uttered from her tongue. He gazed at her, expecting another lie. But what it seemed like to him, was that she was struggling to say it. Usually, she said things so easily...was it perhaps she was indeed tellin' the truth? He swallowed, aqua gaze boring into her own as he noticed her own gaze softening. Was she really telling the truth? She confirmed that she had been blinded by it all, but that in itself had been obvious to him already. He had tried to tell her before, and yet she had turned his back on him and returned to her proclaimed king.

He held his tongue, allowing her to speak what she wanted to without interruption. He wanted her to say more, he wanted her to show him that she truly was doing the right thing. Or the wrong thing...however she chose to think about it. "I... I wasn't taught how to love someone, but I like to believe I know how it feels..." For a moment, his maw lifted in a brief smile of the smallest sizes. It was there, though not quite. "Nobody can teach you how to love, it's somethin' you learn on your own. It's what you feel in your heart for another." He would gaze into her eyes, allowing her to continue then. He fell silent, heart hammering within his brittle chest as she continues to explain how she feels. The boy feeling elated, heat filling his body like it never had before. She looked at him then, a great difference then what he had seen before within the light of her beautiful eyes. "What... What do you see when you look at me?"

The question would not catch him off guard. He knew exactly well what he saw whenever he looked at her, whenever he thought about her. "Liberty, since the moment I saw you I fell in love. Why do you think I have been tryin' so hard everytime I see you? Why it hurts so much? Hell, if I had been able to forget so easily I would have after all this time...but it's been seasons, and still I hold on to you. Why?" He paused, takin' a shaky breath as he dropped his gaze for a moment. Gathering himself, keeping himself from a breakdown. Slowly, surely...he returned his gaze to her. "Why...I've asked myself that so many times. And everytime, it's the same answer. It's because I love you, Liberty. It's never gone away. When I look at you, I see strength. I see a beautiful soul who has so much to offer, not only to the world but to herself. You're strong, whether you believe it or not. I believe you are. You're unique, you're beautiful, you're you. You don't need power, you don't need some old fool to charm you with lies. We all only require one thing in this world...and that's for someone to love us, and accept us for who we are in our hearts. I love your heart...not a day goes by that I don't think about you."






talk, think