pp is fine, short is good, and I LOVE YOU

They were out for adventure. Something was distinctly different about today, perhaps since it was the first in a while that Kansas and Savina had spent a few hours alone, enjoying the presence of one another. He felt a rush of adrenaline building within his veins as they loped together towards the Trenches, the land changing beneath their very paws. The ocean was nearby, but the pair climbed and descended the hills and leaped the rocks several hundred yards from shore. Their surroundings seemed exotic to the snowy wolf. He owed this to her; surely, her beauty was what exemplified the sights around them. Had he been alone, the landscape would have undoubtedly seemed much less spectacular. For the first time since their night in Arachnea's Revenge, the boy threw his worries aside to better enjoy his time with the sable Commander. Anything was possible, today.

He sensed her attitude changing as they left Crimson Dreams, and their responsibilities, behind. Her air became less sophisticated, more playful. She hadn't the opportunity to behave this way for so long, and the sight overwhelmed him with joy. Barking happily, Kansas went along with her play, racing to keep up with the nimble fae. Her abrupt halt caught him off guard, causing him to trip over his own paws and nearly hit the ground. Luckily, the graceful wolf caught himself and straightened, a coy smile upon his sharp features. His rump skyward, Kansas beat his front paws against the dry, hot earth, yelping to egg her on. He played like this with his children, but no one else. Savina was the only adult who could awaken any part of his soul, including the youth that was usually tucked away inside.

300+

On a daily basis, Kansas was overwhelmed by his luck. Before Savina, the world had seemed a dark and gloomy place, lacking any meaning. He had taken notice of only the bad, and rarely the good — and whenever anything remotely positive fell into sight, he wrote it off as coincidence and instead awaited with dread the next blow to his temporary happiness. How things had changed when she came into his life was nearly unreal. He became a faithful being, taking pleasure in what seemed meager. Nothing was truly meager though. She had helped him grow in ways she would never know, and that he could not have explained with words. He was a lot better than the scared little boy of before the day they had spoken on the rainsoaked porch of the Manor.

This moment, he relished her smile, the expression upon her face that resembled those of their puppies when they played with one another. He wondered how their children, the eldest and the youngest, would react to their behavior at the moment, almost wishing that they were here to see. But that would have changed the moment, as he was elated to have these hours to share his foolishness with her. He felt no insecurity even when he poised like a youngster, tail wagging and a playful snarl etched pleasantly upon his features. Her grip on his ear was felt both playful and sensual, and he growled coyly in spite of himself. Next she surprised him with a tickle attack — she knew just where to launch it, too, for in seconds his growly face was contorted into a hysterical smile that escalated to laughter. Ah, you... you... he spoke unintelligibly, succumbing to the assault and falling onto his side in the dusty earth. He pawed at her chest, her face, still laughing in his low tones. You... got me.

300+

He had never imagined meeting a woman with whom he could behave totally as himself. Now he knew for certain that she sought exactly what he did — a connection that spanned out into every aspect of their relationship, like the infinite and ever-growing branches of the mightiest tree. She enjoyed these fleeting moments of foolishness just as he did. He didn't feel as though he needed to hide his propensity for silly behavior and wear the mask of the stereotypically macho man at all times. It seemed to him that she was right there with him.

She flowed with his body, stirring the magic of their interconnected physicality in the simplest sweep of her slender form over his long, lean one. With the satisfying warmth of her body against his, he smiled blissfully, touching her awaiting little nose with his. What she had said was the comical truth. Oh, I know, babe, the boy told her softly, kissing her cheek with a sweep of his rosy tongue.

All at once, Kansas' small, pointed ears lifted in alarm, that magic slowly spinning uncontrollably into unreachable space. A feeling of dread began to seep into his heart, deadening this precious moment with his Love. The presence out in the shadows of the scrubby bushes beyond was blatantly apparent to him, the scent that had entered his nostrils causing them to flair in disapproval. He leaned his slender neck for an upturned view of the impostor, his uncertainty exploding as he watched the slithering serpent of a wench rudely encroach upon this moment. Her burlesque, sarcastic remark was enough. Kansas gently prodded his mate's velvet furred neck to signal her to move off him, though it angered him that she had to at all. He had planned this day as theirs alone to do as they pleased. Needless to say, he was darkly unappreciative of the interruption.

Once the tall Colonel had rolled prostrate, he lifted himself to sit on his haunches, pearly hackles raising along the length of his scruff and spine. Excuse me? he requested in muted incredulity, bright blue eyes narrowing to near slits. His temper was a small flare now, but he could just see it escalating to fire if the woman had any more to say to them.

300+

Kansas's eyes slid nervously to watch his mate's movements, surreptitiously inspecting every aspect of her poise. She mirrored him, with hackles raised and tail bristled, yet she was somehow a thousand times more frightening than he was. He could tell without even seeing himself. Something was heating up inside like a white-hot orb of energy, making the tiniest of his muscles tense and tremble. He could sense the direction this might take, ever wary of the intensity radiating from his beautiful fae. In the next few moments, everything might spin out of control in the blink of an eye, and his body was physically retching at the possibility.

While furiously asking fate why these things had to happen, Kansas' blue eyes turned into ice. The charcoal she-wolf reeked of the coyote clan, a faction notorious for its violence. She continued to hiss at them in mocking, stepping provocatively closer. Kansas balked at her, his face twisting into a noiseless snarl. He did not want her to come any closer. She was pushing far beyond the limit, and any more persistence would turn the situation hideous. Finally she made a blunt, brutal threat, at which Kansas' instincts told him to cross a long front limb in front of Savina, an attempt to partially shield her. Back off, he barked gruffly, staring directly into the terrible green fire of the woman's eyes. In reality, he had a weak chance of fighting her, but he wouldn't hesitate to hurt her if he needed to protect Savina. His temper was nearly at its peak, and he did not even care that she was female.

A low rumble erupted from his throat, his tail curling over his hips. Desperately, he tried to appear as intimidating as possible. Perhaps together he and Savina could ward off the mad creature, and bloodshed had not yet become inevitable — or perhaps it was too late.