Walk | Talk | Think

Though fall had officially made its arrival, the heat of summer still lingered, particularly in the afternoon. It warmed the plains and the backs of the creatures who traveled across them, including the little grey hunter currently headed for the shade of the surrounding forest. Somewhere behind her she had scared a plump rabbit into seeking shelter in its burrow, growing impatient and causing the creature to run before she could fully bring herself into a mindset to give chase. It was a nice little meal for the pack's cache missed, a loss that might not be felt considering how well off Valhalla was even after the floods, but it was also the third slip up Ash had made that week.

As much as she wanted to say there was no excuse for her actions, bad as that might have been alone, she knew deep down there was. Ever since her talk with Meili she had been distracted, considering what her thoughts and admissions during that conversation had revealed and getting hung up on what they might mean for her future. She loved Leon. Even thinking the thought alone was hard. It baffled her how she might ever gain the courage to say it, to anyone let alone him, and the worry of what it could mean for the pair of them, or just herself is his feelings were only friendly, made it difficult to think about him for too long. But not even duty could keep those thoughts at bay. It was almost to the point where she would simply need to tell him to clear the thought from her mind and enable her to focus on different things at last. Once it was out in the open and she knew what he thought, she would be free, right?

Easier said than done, she thought to herself as she stepped within the shadows of the heavily wooded section of Valhalla, the green trees overhead obliterating most of the sunlight from hitting her and the cool air under the canopy pulling some of the unwanted heat from her body. Though there was admittedly a part of her that wished to admit her feelings to Leon, a much stronger part wished to silence that voice, clinging to the false belief that to never speak of the issue might allow it to resolve itself and never need to be dealt with using any extra effort. And though she had clear evidence to the contrary - her failed hunt being exhibit a - she was still incredibly nervous to bring it up. Just had to fall for him, didn't you? she thought to herself as she cut a path through the woods toward the center of the territory and the pack's den site, simultaneously hoping to run into Leon and not see him at all.

Creme and chocolate mixed body would move through the undergrowth, trying to seek out shelter from the muggy heat of fall. Though summer was gone, the heat had not gone with it as of late...His senses would tell him that something was soon to happen. He didn't know what it was, or what it could possibly be. But something told him that things would change very soon. Blue orbs cast about for signs of life, a rabbit would be seen in his field of vision until it disappeared down a hole. Curiosity would pull him into a swift trot, wondering what had spooked the creature like that.

Senses were on alert, audits lifted to their full extent as the brute moved swiftly over the land and leaped gracefully over bush. The scents of the forest intermingled with the heavier scents of herbs, and within that he would catch a familiar scent. He stopped in his tracks, soft dirt surging forward at his sudden halt as he looked around for the source of the scent that had called him. With quiet and suddenly nervous steps, he moved forward towards a clump of plants and dangling branches. It would seem time itself would begin to move in slow motion, and he felt as if he were moving through water as he drew closer.

At last, blue oculars would fall upon the owner of the scent. It was no mystery to him who she was. He knew perfectly well who the dame in the center field of his vision was, and his heart would pound with nervous excitement upon seeing her. "Ash?" The brute had not expected to see her out here. In fact, she was the last person he would expect to see out here. He would stop close to her, blue eyes trying to withhold the emotion he had at seeing her. A lot had been running through his mind as of late, for a while really. His emotions were all over the place, but one in particular would remain on top as he stared at her. They were here, together and alone.

Walk | Talk | Think

She had become so caught up in her own thoughts as she moved, an inattentive sort of autopilot guiding her toward her destination, that she failed to notice Leon's approach until he was standing there before her. Even his scent was given no thought as it passed through her senses, associating it only with her thoughts of him and assuming it had been dragged up from memory and nothing more. So when he suddenly materialized out of the dense foliage and stood somewhat in her path, the little grey hunter froze immediately and felt her expression blank at the sight of him.

Was it possible to conjure the image of someone merely by thinking of them? How had he gotten here so fast? It was hard for her to tell whether her heart suddenly found itself pounding out of nervousness or excitement, though wishing neither to be readily visible about her person, Ashtoreth tried in her own way to play it off. She breathed outward in a kind of heavy rush, drawing her lips into a bright smile that - thankfully - came rather naturally to her face in his presence. "Leon!" she greeted, not even needing to feign the surprise she felt. "I wasn't expecting to see you." But that didn't sound right. Could it be mistaken as a wish to avoid him? "I mean, you surprised me." There. That was a little better.

But with the small formalities out of the way, what was she to to do now? A part of her still wished to shrink from his presence to keep her secret harbored close to her chest for as long as she could and fearful that it might easily be read upon her expression as she conversed with him. Another part of her argued that such an action would be unfair to Leon, as he had done nothing outright to earn her avoidance like that. In the end, she decided to brave her feelings in order to keep her friendship - the thought of upsetting him outweighed her own fears. "What are you up to?" she questioned cheerily, her tail giving a little wag as she attempted to channel her naturally playful but companionable side, doing her best not to give away what was running through her mind.

Blue gaze would fall upon the lovely woman, watching as she seemed to fumble for words...and thoughts for that matter. A light chuckle would shift his body into motion, his chest rumbled with gentle laughter as she seemed to try to collect her words. "Haha, you seem like you really weren't expecting me. Is it that much of a surprise to be here?" He chuckled some more, sitting down close in front of her as he swept his tail around his paws. He leaned forward, touching the side of Ashtoreth's face with his own. A bold move one might say it was, but he didn't care. Was this the reason that he had been subconsciously called for?

A smile would play onto his lips as she asked what he was up to. With a thoughtful look, he glanced up at the trees for a moment, then returning his gaze to her. "Well, I guess you can say I'm just out for a stroll...I had a feeling and...well, I ended up here. With you." The look he then gave her was one of kind gentleness. He and Ash had known each other for quite a while, and his feelings for her had grown. He knew it was something he could not deny, knew it was something that he hoped lingered within her as well. He was afraid to voice his emotions to her, afraid to confess to her how he felt about her for so long. Afraid of the rejection should she deny him. But at least...the closeness they shared comforted him.

Even when he had returned to Valhalla, she was the first to greet him. Then, she seemed hurt. Reluctant to accept that he had returned for her, but in retrospect and in a way he had. Even during his travels, his mind would refuse to stop thinking about her. And here they were again, together and alone in the woods. They had shared a den for a couple days, just until he had time to find his own. But...alas, the search for the dens he had conjured up before his travels were overrun. Overtaken by nature itself, and leaving him to sleep on the cold grounds outside. His embarrassment at asking her if he could share her den again had prevented him from asking that very question. Perhaps today...he would bring it up.

Walk | Talk | Think

That rumbling laughter that the male suddenly gave at her surprised response had an adverse effect on her. Not only did it make her heart give a jittery jump within her chest but it made her wonder if her actions were at all visibly out of character for her. Could he tell now that he had an effect on her? That she could barely be around him without somehow giving away what was going on inside? An answering chuckle of nervousness sounded from her as she tried to laugh it off, making a swift glance away before he was sitting himself down right before her, looking cool and comfortable and - maybe it was just her wishful thinking - oblivious to her problem.

A false sense of comfort began to settle over her at the casualness, to the point where she was ready to sit herself, but even before she could make that move and mimic Leon's position he reached toward her, his cheek brushing against hers. Her two-toned eyes blinked as they stared across at him, smiling and holding her breath against the unexpected rush of air that almost slipped from her muzzle. Was it his intention to keep catching her off guard like that? To make her slip up at last? Pretending everything was perfectly okay, Ashtoreth seated herself as she drew her gaze downward, taking a moment to internally compose herself before she dared to look at him fully again while her thoughts quietly rambled in the background. So different, she wondered regarding Leon's sudden boldness. She had been accustomed to him being around, close but never more than that. But since he had returned, he had been closer still, even adding in gentle physical touches on top of the norm. Had something changed him out there on his journey? Curious as she was, Ash doubted she was quite ready to know how that not-so-little venture had gone, nor any changes that might have happened to his character just yet. Perhaps it was best she was still in the dark regarding all of that.

His thoughtful blue eyes drifted upward and away from her to stare into the treetops ahead, the grey female watching him all the while. At least outwardly he had not changed. He still seemed the same personable, attractive male that he had always been, just maybe a little distracted while trying to get back into the swing of things around the pack lands. As his gaze fell back upon her and his answer rolled from his lips, she was not quite sure what to make of it, afraid she was reading too much in the words than was really meant to be taken from them. What could have possibly drawn him to her like that? "Oh really?" she questioned, pushing in a little of her teasing tone to color her words, "That's curious." But not wanting to elaborate or give room for questions, she chose to respond in kind. "I was just on my way back to the den site. Wasn't having much luck with hunting today." That was about as close to the truth as she was going to get. There was no way she was going to mention the fact it had been thoughts of him to distract her from her work. "But if you needed company on your stroll, I'd be happy to tag along." Part of her warned that this was likely a bad idea; what better way to tempt her thoughts than by trailing after their source? But she did wish to be around him somewhere under the mess of her mind, and she was hoping that exposure might somehow make it more bearable.

A chuckle would rumble in his chest, her teasing tone seeming playful which in turn wanted to bring out his own playful side. He had always enjoyed talking to Ashtoreth, since the day they had met he always sought to be in her company. Though it would probably not seem as such in the past, he sure wanted to be now. The journey he had taken some time ago brought changes and realizations to the boy, and now a different longing that he could not name began to settle itself into his soul.

When she mentioned about returning the den site, the thought of asking her to share again placed an embarrassed look on his face. He was reluctant to answer, wondering if she got tired of having to share her own den with him...but the places he had before, gone. Taken by other creatures or crumbled from past rains. A blush would flash across his face as he cleared his throat and looked down. It was now or never right? Otherwise, he'd be looking towards another night in the cold. "Ash...um..I need to ask a favor..." What had happened to him? Normally he was cool and collected, unafraid of speaking. But lately, around her, his words would seem to be lost to him like a pup lost in the woods. Taking a deep breath, he would blurt out his question. I wanted to know if it was possible that I could stay with you in your den a while longer!" He huffed, his words spilling out so fast he wondered if she even understood. His face was cast towards the ground in embarrassment...what would she think of him now? Would she think that he could no longer take care of himself? He hoped not.

In a way, he hoped that she would say yes...he enjoyed the comfort and warmth only she could provide when they shared a den together. Whatever she decided to answer, would be alright with him. And then maybe she could teach him to be a better hunter...her skills were of the best in Valhalla after all.

Walk | Talk | Think

She had expected him to accept her offer of company on his walk, to merely keep going through the woods and chat about pointless things, something normal and completely acceptable among friends. Instead he seemed to lose himself in thought, the cool expression about his face deteriorating by the second. It puzzled her immensely, considering she had never seen him grow flustered or nervous over anything before, and made her wonder what could have possibly been on his mind to trigger the sudden change. It was not normal as far as she knew, though he had been gone for an awfully long time during his journey to find his family. What all had happened out there? How much had he changed that she had no knowledge of?

He spoke up after a moment of consideration, stating that he had a favor he needed to ask of her. Her brow furrowed gently at his tone, the look about his face, the nervousness and embarrassment that he radiated. "Okay," she answered slowly, smiling even despite her own growing uncertainty. What could be troubling him so much to make him act this way?

And then he said it, in such a rush that she nearly did miss what it was that he was saying. The smile upon her face fell away in surprise at the suddenness to his words. Did the need to ask assistance really bother him so much, to make him blurt things out in such a childlike manner? It would have been unkind to laugh, and so she bit the inside of her lip to stop herself from doing so, but she was smiling again by the time she could speak. "Sure. Of course," she added, knowing she had no other answer to give him, though she continued to peer at him curiously. "My den is always open to you," she stated, almost without thinking, and hoped once she realized what she had said that he might not read too heavily into her statement. Regardless of how true it was.