Moonless Nights (Haben/Kodiak)

[Halo]

Haben frowns and leans over to lick the cut on her face, trying to be gentle so as not to cause her any unneeded pain. He doesn't want to ever be the cause of Kodi's discomfort; he'd rather die before that should happen. All the male wants is to protect her (though he's certainly done a bang-up job of that) and take care of her, feeling only warmth in his heart when he thinks of her. In fact, he has a hard time not thinking about her. And that realization makes him inwardly grin, but not now... Right now he has to reasurre this beautiful fae...he must.

"Don't feel that way," he speaks softly, nudging her neck gently. "If he wanted to find me he would have done so anyway. My only regret is that I let you get hurt." He offers a small smile, but it fades when guilt hits him. He lowers his head shamefully and sighs. "I am the one who should be sorry.
~Haben

(OOC: Sorry...bad muse...)

[<3Kodi]

Kodi forced herself not to flinch away from the sting in her cuts when Haben gently groomed the cut on her face. Luckily she succeeded though her lips twitched into an almost grimace but from the look of it Haben hadn't noticed which was good. The gold-toned fem let out a soft, contented whine in the back of her throat as Haben nuzzled her neck, blushing under her fur. Oh she was so glad she had fur to hide her blushing. Never in her life had she blushed for a male but with Haben, it seemed like she never managed to stop. The very idea of it scared Kodiak but at the same time made her blood rush in excitement. If Haben thought she missed his eyes lighting up when she came around, he was wrong. She noticed the little things and they made her stomach flutter and heart race to think that maybe, just maybe, she was the only one that could get that kind of reaction out of Haben. It was a special feeling, a nice feeling.

With a soft laugh, Kodi bumped her muzzle against Haben's to make him raise his eyes. "Knowing me I could have done this all on my own without Ryker" Kodi assured him, licking his muzzle lovingly. "We're both alive, Ryker's gone and you're more or less ok so I guess I have nothing to complain about." Kodi smiled and nuzzled the thicker fur around Haben's neck, breathing in his scent and enjoying it while she could. "Besides Haben, do you seriously think I'd just stand there and let Ryker try to rip you apart? You're insane!"

The tan-gold fem scooted a bit closer to Haben and angled her head to one side, meeting his deep blue gaze. The darkness seemed to retreat and Kodi couldn't help but feel more content now that Ryker was gone and she was sure Haben was relatively ok. She wasn't dead, he wasn't dead and Ryker had run off so all was good and right in the world. Arching her neck, Kodi rested her muzzle against Haben's, meeting his gaze with a smile. The thought in her mind was a rather amusing one. They weren't perfect opposites, not in the yin/yang way but in the way of night and day. Kodi with her golden fur and amber eyes verses Haben with pure white fur and dark blue eyes and the stars spiraling down one haunch. It was an entertaining thought that seemed affirm more in her mind that this was the right place for her.

[Halo]

"I could have handled it," he says with a laugh, nudging her muzzle and licking the tip of her nose before grinning. "Insane? Possibly." His eyes half close, enjoying the soft gusts of breath on his face, warming his skin as it ruffles past his fur. "Not the way I was going to mention Ryker, but I guess he took care of that job, huh?" He opens one eye to immerse himself in the beautiful amber pools looking back at him, a sensation of hot and cold coursing through his veins and setting his heart to slamming in his ribs. It almost hurts, but somehow he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Kodi, I..." but he trails off, feeling slightly embarrassed to be talking about the foreign emotions that she evokes in him. She might laugh at him or something. But he has to say something now, now that he started it she'd be curious. "I'm glad you're here, despite the circumstances. I'm so lucky." And he smiles, the corners of his ivory, pink tinted lips curving to give him the most sincerest of expressions. Haben really doesn't have to be so worried when he's with Kodi, he realizes then. She's great all around and he...loves her. Yeah, that's it. He loves her.
~Haben

[<3Kodi]

Kodi wagged her tail slowly back and forth and let a small warm smile curl on her maw. "Well I'm lucky your here too" she barked in reply, brushing her muzzle against his. "Ryker was right, I do hate the dark but..." Kodi blushed under her fur, embarassed at admitting it but it seemed like the right thing to say, like Haben would understand if she could just spit out the rest of her sentence. "With you around it's like I have my own personal star but, that's silly right?" Kodiak let out a nervous little laugh and ducked her head sheepishly. It had sounded better in her head, really it had.

Besides, soon enough Haben would be preoccupied with more important wolves then just her. The territory wouldn't be just for them and his time would divided. When the moon went dark it would just be little ol' her hiding somewhere trying to fight off her demons and her unexplainable fright of the shadows. Kodi swallowed a lump in her throat and raised her eyes a little, still looking sheepish.

"I guess what I meant to say is thanks for finding me Haben and for chasing off Ryker. If he comes back, no matter how many other wolves come here, I'll help you chase him off again. Wolves like him don't belong in a place like this. Not with us."

Oh she was spewing all the romantic phrases that sound so much better when they stay in your head. Kodi ducked her head again and seriously wished a squirrel or something would hop down her throat and choke her. She hated that when Haben was around her tongue was tied and she felt hot and cold at the same time. It was like a fever she couldn't break, shivering when his breath hit her fur, leaning in when the wind carried his scent. It was maddening but she couldn't get away from it. This whole place was his and, this would sound silly, but Kodi could tell. It was like the whole forest remembered him, knew him and flourished with him around. Kodi could always tell when he was around. It was frightening and made her feel like a lovestruck whelp.

[Halo]

Damn, she makes him smile so much his cheeks hurt and this fluttering in his stomach is starting to make him feel light-headed (like he could just float away and be completely happy about it). And she's so cute when she's all nervous and shy like she is now, dipping her head to look sheepishly towards the ground as if he doesn't notice it. Even the silly things she say, though they might be scorned as foolishness by some, are music to his ears when she speaks them; he just loves the sound of her voice, how it drowns everything else out and can become his whole world.

Because he would love nothing more than to make her his whole world, his one and only, to revolve around her forever and ever for eternity. But that is silly, too, right?

"Us," he mimicks quietly, thoughtfully with a ring of fondness developing for that simple, single syllable, two lettered word. It sounds so right when she says it or when he says it. It causes all sorts of pleasant feelings to bubble up. Oh if he were only brave enough to just break from this little game they keep playing, pull out of this cycle of denial, and to finally make her his own. He might burst with all the happiness it would inspire in his heart. He might just puff up with pride and have to shout to the world about how he'd found the perfect fae for him. It's starting to sound like such a good idea...

'Say it, just say it, say it! Oh, you cowardly buffoon!' Haben coughs distractedly, and smacks his lips thoughtfully as his eyes begin to roam everywhere but towards Kodiak. He searches for courage or anything to enliven the words that linger on the tip of his tongue, to brighten them up so this beautiful golden lady can grasp the feeling he wants to put in there. "Kodi, I love you!" He blurts it out and then a perplexed expression comes and goes across his facade. That definitely wasn't as eleqoant as he had hoped for.
~Haben

(OOC: Cat's out of the bag! *Haben resisting the urge to chase said cat* ^_^ My muse returned! I hope this is a good post for you!)

[<3Kodi]

'Us'. Two letters. A simple word but it was a powerful word. Kodiak had never thought so before but now as she was sitting with Haben, hearing him say it, it seemed like one of the most powerful words in the world. It was a bonding word, combining two into one, the lonely to the loved and the lost to the found. Kodi couldn't help but let a shy little smile come up on her muzzle. Why did it sound like her and Haben? Because it was them, mixed up and young though they were. Kodi was glad to be with Haben. Even with her uncle Orin she had never been so content. Even if it was just them lost in eternal darkness Kodi couldn't help but think she'd be just fine.

"I love you!"

Kodi snapped out of her wandering thoughts as if someone had flicked a whip over her back. The fae's golden eyes widened in surprise at the suddenness of Haben's confession. For a moment she was thunderstruck, her vocal cords all tied up in knots. His expression however, straightens it all out because it's just surprise and slight bewilderment as if he can't believe he said it but still, Kodi isn't offended. She could hear and see the sincerity of it and it made her feel warm on the inside, like she was glowing.

Letting out a soft laugh at Haben's expression, Kodi reached forward and nuzzled his neck with her nose. "I know" she barked, licking his cheek. The fae couldn't quite hold back a giggle. Poor Haben, probably imagined confessions to be a little more elegant and romantic but Kodi didn't mind. It was just Haben. "Love you too." Kodi rose to her paws. "Come on my almighty alpha, we need to find a place for you to rest up." Kodi's golden gaze was affectionate, focusing on Haben's wellbeing but there was also happiness in her eyes that even if it was just for a little while, the world was just them.

[Halo]

Kodi returns his love and it makes Haben the happiest canine in the world, no, the universe. His tail wants to wag uncontrollably but with the thought of preserving some dignity (not that he really needs it when with Kodi) he tries to control its excitement. He returns his love's nuzzle, adding a small snuggle for good measure and then pulling back to nod in agreement, not trusting his tongue to not say something stupid. But rest sounds like a great. Yet he's not sure sleep will come to call on him anymore tonight, not now while his heart is jumping about in his chest with excitement.

Side by side the walk through the darkness, no words needed, and find a soft spot to lay just inside the glade. Haben curls up beside the golden vix, feeling completely satisfied and content with Ryker's intrusion forgotten for the time being. He holds no candle compared to Kodi and she is way more important than anything else or any other wolf. He'll work even harder to make his kingdom successful now that he has someone to protect (full-time as it were). He heaves a happy sigh and closes his eyes. Great night.
~Haben

(OOC: Blah! I'm having a hard time writing for Haben, sorry. You wanna end this thread here?)

[<3Kodi]

Kodiak followed Haben in content silence, suddenly not afraid of the moonless night or Ryker or any other monster that might wait in the shadows. She likes just being with Haben, being around him and knowing he loved her. No one had cared for her since Orin and before Orin as he claimed, she had been abandoned with her sister, left to die in the cold by her own mother. Kodi didn't let the old memory sadden her now, there was no use trying to be sad when she was with Haben. He would be her moon when the real moon didn't rise and she'd be his sun in the night if that's what he wanted.

Following him to the brush she curled up and nestled up next to Haben, already feeling her golden eyes beginning to droop with sleep. Lazily she rasped her tongue over his ivory fur. It's amazing to know that even when the Glade is filled with other wolves that she'll be special to Haben and not just because she was the first to come to the Glade with him. Resting her head on Haben's side, weary of any wounds he may have, she dropped off into the first peaceful sleep she'd ever had when the moon wasn't out.

-i say thread ended-