artwork • coding

He was so focused on listening to her, to catching every syllable that left her lips. It was moments like this he realized there was something in his chest happening. A tightness, but at the same time - an airy feeling that left his lungs feeling lightweight. And his heart...it kept fluttering, like the wings of a bird. Or a butterfly. Especially when her lips curved into a smile. Was that for him, that smile?

He knew she'd had a rough life so far, as Melusina had. The sister seemed to share in their torment, but he had never wanted to pry to far. It wasn't any of his business, after all. He'd been witness to some things, but not everything.

The mention of having a home causes those pointed ears of his flick back, an incredulous look etching itself across his features. "Yeah, I guess no place has ever felt like home. I usually..." He pauses, glancing back over toward @Magdalena briefly. I usually stalk your sister. Dominic wasn't sure how that sounded, or how well received that'd be. "Just sleep where ever I land at night." He finishes, finding that a much more acceptable reply.

The moment her small paw settles atop his, Dominic's stomach goes into knots and he stares at her wide eyed. It was as if he'd never been touched like that by anyone. He hadn't. As simple as it was, it prompted some sort of physical reaction out of him. Some sort of need. His mind was a jumble of thoughts as she continued to speak and all he could manage was an awkward, "Yeah." Before the boy leaned forward to bring their lips together.

But this time it was far more than a simple touch of noses.

no place has ever felt like home. she can relate to that now. once upon a time home would've been scilla lagoon, or perhaps ecrosia mire, but now both feel tainted in so many ways. even her presence in the lagoon feels wrong, like magdalena is digging her claws in trying to find purchase on rain-slick rocks. despite that, her mouth opens out of a pure selfishness to have a friend close. "stay with me." her eyes widen, as if in disbelief of what she's just said.

"i mean, you don't have to," she says quickly. magdalena's heart pounds, cheeks flushing under plush white fur. "if you want to." a breath leaves her, skin prickling with nerves. why was she nervous? it was just dominic. "i just, you know, if you don't want to stay by yourself for a while, you can come to scilla-" oh god, she was actually babbling. a part of her wants to curl up and die at the realization.

the longer it goes on, the more nervous that magdalena starts to get. "there's plenty of ro-" she is mercifully cut off by dominic's mouth landing on hers. at first, magdalena is surprised and her body stiffens against him. this isn't the accidental, innocent kiss they had shared in their youths. this makes a fire burn in the pit of her belly. magdalena pulls her head back, meeting his eyes with a furrowed brow. "dominic...?" the question shines in her eyes - are you sure about this? somehow, her body has tried to close the distance between them within the last few minutes, her skin feeling almost feverishly hot where it presses against dominic's.

perhaps if magdalena knew her sister had returned to amaryllis, the stabbing guilt would have hit her earlier.

artwork • coding

Her babbling had been endearing, but Dominic had been wholly too distracted to appreciate it. His body was becoming alive with instinct, with hormones he hadn't been aware of until now. But there was something more there, hidden within his heart. If someone asked him to compare his feelings for Magdalena to his feelings for Melusina - they wouldn't even come close. They were so drastically different. Each had shared apart of him the other hadn't. There was something, however, that Dominic had never felt for Melusina.

Certainty.

His friend, his companion - the subject of his relentless protection. He never knew what she wanted, never knew how she felt. Her focus always seemed to be elsewhere and he couldn't remember them ever sharing a smile together. Still, it did not take away the dedication he felt in his heart for her. Their bond was special - unlike any other he had. In a world filled with uncertainty, however, Dominic knew...right now...

"You're the only thing I'm certain of." As if he'd read her mind, did he speak. His words full of a rough, fervent passion that erupted within him like an inferno. His heart pounds in his chest so loudly he was afraid she might hear it. Blue eyes searched her face and he shifted up, his body sitting somewhat upright as his forepaws lift - his weight leaning back mostly on his hind end.

Paws lift to gently cup her face, never letting his eyes fall from hers. Toes curl in to delicately press the tips of his talons into her flesh as the young male leans forward, his breath mingling with her own. Before she can say anything else, or question this further - Dominic brings their lips together in another kiss, this time with far more intent than before.

you're the only thing i'm certain of. it makes her eyes well, a gasp caught halfway in her throat. the responding question is caught there too - really, me? but magdalena has never been a self-doubting person and refuses to be one now. it is equal parts exhilarating and nerve-wracking.

before she knows it, he's on his back legs, the claws of his forepaws just barely scraping against her cheeks. briefly, magdalena wonders if he can feel the heat of her blush against his paws. his breath fans across her face and as their mouths meet again, her eyelids flutter closed. it is in this moment, that blissfully, that darkness which seems to cloud over every moment of her life seems to crack again for a moment.

everything feels fogged, under a layer of something heady and all-encompassing. an encouraging noice sounds in the back of magdalena's throat as she pulls away only to nip at the bottom of his jaw, neck stretched. "you've gotten way too big." magdalena murmurs with a quiet laugh and another nip. a forepaw rises, pressing into @Dominic's side, urging him to fall backwards into the soft grass to even the odds just a little bit more.

artwork • coding

She pulls away only to speak hushed words against his lips. Little nips prompt the hair along his spine to raise and a low growl to reverberate from his chest. Dominic doesn't say anything at first, he's too starstruck by her - by her closeness, by the way she tastes and how she smells. It was overwhelming to his senses, having her this close. The male wanted nothing more than to grab her and hold her all night.

It's only as she pushes him back that the world around him resumes reality. He falls onto the flowery fields with ease. Petals from stray flowers kick up in the air from the force of his weight and he laughs, those forelimbs of his wrapping around her delicate - much smaller form. With ease she could lay atop his belly. "Doesn't seem to stop you much, though." He teases warmly, his own cheeks flush and his heart still pounding.

Toes curl into her spine, putting some weight behind them. With a low huff he leans up to run his nose along the underside of her chin. His body was telling him to do so many things, and Dominic - for the first time in his life, did not ignore it. Those paws lower, lower until they reach her hips, instinctively moving to bring them together. A rumbling growl would erupt from his jaws, a single word - a name on his lips like a prayer.

"Magdalena..."

/fade

she laughs too as dominic's body falls back against the grasses and flowers, shifting as his body also rumbles with laughter under her. as his arms wrap around her, magdalena can't help marvel at how tiny she feels here and how much she doesn't mind that. "never." she muses. magdalena was no quitter, after all. right now under the plum sky, she could happily stay here with him forever.

it feels like magdalena is teetering on the edge of a cliff, a position so precarious that she might slip and tumble off the edge at any second. there is a decision to be made here, in the new few seconds. there is a part of her that wants to walk back off the ledge, finds comfort and safety in how things are, knows that she won't ruin anything if they are stopped now. then there is the larger part of magdalena, entirely selfish and greedy in her youth. the larger part that wants this - that wants him - and that has perhaps always wanted him?

and so she dives in.

fade

magdalena is spent, fighting the heaviness of her lids with each blink. laying on @Dominic certainly doesn't help - with her head perched on his chest, she can feel the heavy thud, thud, thud of his heart and finds it to be the strongest of lullabies. "you know, you were my first kiss too." she murmurs into the softness of his mane, a quiet laugh shaking her body at the memory of their night amongst the snow.

artwork • coding

She falls into him, melting against his body - even after their entanglement. Breathing heavy, his body felt light - tingling with feelings he never thought were even possible. Paws would rise, gently moving to use his claws to stroke and tickle along her sides, but in an affectionate manner. Ears perk up slightly as she speaks of her first kiss. Dominic appears thoughtful for a moment, those blue eyes of his casting toward her resting features - buried amongst his thick mane.

"Yeah?" He pauses, thinking more. "I fear my first kiss came from someone else." The beast explains, though his massaging and tickling didn't stop as he spoke, "A baboon stole it." Dominic finishes. Though there is an unmistakably impish grin curving his handsome features - a single fang flashing at her tauntingly. Of course he was joking, and by this he hoped she knew that. The thick hair of his tail sweeps behind them, kicking up more flower petals and causing them to rain down on them a bit.

she can feel the gentle pressure of his claws against her sides and every so often, when dominic runs over a particularly ticklish spot, magdalena shifts this way and that. her chin tilts upwards at his answer, her half-lidded eyes meeting his. "oh yeah?" the woman questions with an arched brow, just about to make fun of him for being a baby casanova when dominic finishes his joke and makes her snort. "is that why you smelled like baboon that night?" she retorts, her own eyes sparking with mischievousness.

with the deep plum of the sky blurring into navy, the slow blinking of lightning bugs taking to the air, and the rain of flower buds and petals suddenly descending over them, the moment feels something like a dream. for a moment, magdalena thinks she might wake up any second back home, tucked away in her den. "you know, i thought i'd never see you again after that night." she admits quietly, breaking their eye contact. "what have you been up to since then?" her own claw now drags just barely against the mane growing in on dominic's chest, absently tracing little patterns into the hair.

artwork • coding

Dominic manages a low laugh deep in the back of his throat. The young male couldn't help but give in to the temptation of actually tickling her at sides. He'd show her who smelled like a baboon! Though, it came to his attention he could use this to tease her some. A grin curves his lips again, "Maybe the baboon I was talking about was you." He quips, teeth flashing at her tauntingly, before he'd roll over onto his side, bringing her with him.

He wanted a better look at her face, so he'd lift her some during the process so their eyes could be level to one another as they lay on their sides. The question she presented had him thinking. In truth, Dominic hadn't expected to see her again either. It had been a fleeting moment in time, but a precious memory to him all the same.

How could he explain what he'd been doing since? And for so long. "I..." The young male pauses, thinking. "I wander, mostly. I watch over Melusina, too. Since Andal, I've always followed her I think, just to make sure she's safe." He admits - only ever telling Melusina that before. It wasn't something he was sure he should be proud of. To most it might seem creepy, but he'd felt compelled to since he'd failed in protecting her the first time.

@Dominic's response has her mouth dropping open in shock, only to be replaced by an expression of mock-surprise. "well that's just rude." magdalena chastises, a soft giggle leaving her as the pair of them are turned onto their sides. "you don't go around calling all the girls that sleep with you baboons, do you?" she gives him a disapproving 'tsk, tsk', though the amusement still shines very clearly in her eyes.

maybe in the back of her head she had hoped to come across him again. had taken a glance around those large gatherings that seemed to pull the entire valley together in hopes of seeing him again. though only a night spent together, it had been magdalena's only true taste of childhood and she had craved that connection almost as much as she ached for it now in scilla. but the months had gone on and dominic had slowly slipped from her immediate memory... until tonight.

magdalena would have never thought their reunion would go like this, nor that they would be laying around chatting afterwards. definitely not the name that dominic would drop in response. melusina. her missing sister seemed to haunt here even here, even now - and this was her friend that magdalena had slept with. melusina's protector, a boy that shared an unspeakable trauma with her, her sister's. her body stiffens almost immediately. she was going to be sick. in one movement she pulls away from dominic almost violently, breath coming in harsh puffs as she steps away. "dom-" what had she done?! "i have to go." magdalena's voice shakes almost as much as her legs she takes a step in one direction and then the other, finally pinpointing the way she had come from and starting down that path without waiting to see his reaction.