AniWaya had been very nice, and Dixie could see herself staying there for extended periods of time in the future. However, she felt a hole in her heart. Something was missing, and she couldn’t figure out what it was. The last few days in the foreign pack had been quiet, sad and depressing for her, nothing was able to bring a smile to her pretty little face. Duke tried, many times, to cheer his girl up and was perturbed when he was unable to do so. The horse figured it out before she did, and got restless, trying to make her follow him closer to the borders of the pack. He wanted to get her out, back to Casa di Cavalieri.
Finally, after hours of cajoling and pestering from the horse, Dixie fetched her things, said goodbye to the AniWayan friends she had made, and mounted her horse. He kicked up his heels and took off, wanting to get her home as fast as possible. The girl had to force him to stop and rest a few times, as he was pushing himself too hard, running too fast for way longer than he should. He wasn’t happy about stopping, but did so anyway, not wanting to upset her more than she already was.
Duke’s rapid pace had shaved at least two hours off of the trip and as the sun was setting, they were getting close to the borders of their home pack. Dixie was holding onto her horse tightly, and the moment she could smell the scents of her pack mates markings, she tossed her head back and howled as loud as she possibly could. The sound flew through the air, traveling over the sound of hooves beating the ground. Finally, now that she was so close to home, she knew what she was missing.
Wayne. Her best friend, her protector…he was what was missing that entire time.
but our hearts will need us to be steady and strong
so we can stand and face the fire
burning higher and higher
Word Count → 382 :: Jerk cowboy. :C
He was gathering tinder when he heard the howl.
Wayne dropped all the wood he’d painstakingly collected into an untidy heap. His ears perked up so quickly his hat was set off balance, and he quickly placed a hand on it as he scrambled toward the borders at a breakneck pace. Dixie was back—Dixie, who he’d missed sorely these past days. He’d been disgustingly miserable even as he told himself to use common sense and get past this roadblock, but now thoughts of her drove lightning through his body as he ran.
He might have run to get a horse, or shifted into a speedier form, but the minutes required to change form were minutes his heart insisted he couldn’t waste. And so he ran, perhaps clumsily, definitely looking like a fool to any other pack members who happened to be out and about this wait. As the horizon bled fire, the cowboy raced to meet his friend again.
It was during the last leg of his journey that he remembered: the girl had left him without a word, with nothing more than some food and water so he wouldn’t have the need to leave the room while he was injured. The scar running across his abdomen ached at the memory, and he had to slow down, his breath rolling in vapor clouds around his square-shaped muzzle. She’d left without telling him, leaving him to find out from the others that she’d gone—and not on a simple walk or a hunt, no. Something selfish and indignant burned in his chest along with the air rushing in and out of his lungs as he finally came toward the borders.
Trying to control his breathing, Wayne took slow steps toward her and Duke. He suppressed the fluttering in his heart at the sight of her, suppressed the urge to run and lift her small body from the horse and wrap her up in his strong arms and never let her go. Instead, he exhaled and lightly crossed his arms, his expression slightly detached as he said:
“So you’re back.”
His posture was one of disapproval, the bitterness at her sudden departure welling up in him again. Only his tightly controlled, erratic breathing was evidence of his frantic race to see her again.
Footsteps. Duke heard them before the exhausted girl on his back did, and he sped up once again, trying to get her closer to Wayne. When she finally did hear what was coming towards them, her entire body jerked upright and her eyes opened wider, looking all around to try and locate her friend. There he was, running towards them on…two feet. What wasn’t he shifted? Where was Fern? A small frown pulled at her face as those thoughts flitted through her head, but was quickly erased by a sad smile. She had missed him so much, and just seeing him began to fill that void in her chest.
Sliding off of Duke’s back, she rubbed his side a little before taking a few steps closer to Wayne. He was visibly upset about something, and the moment she heard his voice it was clear. She should have never left like that. Vanishing without telling him first was a huge mistake…how could she have done that to him!? For as long as she could remember he’d been the protector, the one to make sure she was okay. He was always worrying about this or that, her safety and well being…and she’d gone and threw it in his face.
Yes…I’m back. Her head dropped a little in shame, ears pinned back and arms coming up to cross over her chest. Looking at him in the eyes was too hard at the moment. The disappointment and frustration shining through his expression showed just how displeased with her he really was. Squeezing her arms tightly, she shrugged a little bit and swayed from side to side. I’m sorry. Shoula told ya before takin’ off like that…but you woulda insisted on comin’ with me and you were hurt! I couldn’t let you do that, Wayne…
Another shrug, this time accompanied by her curly white tail curling downwards between her thighs. It was painfully obvious that she was sad and scared of his anger. There was no fear of being physically hurt, though some kind of physical punishment wouldn’t be a surprise. She just hated to see him hurt, and knowing that she was the one to cause that discomfort for him cut deep.
but our hearts will need us to be steady and strong
so we can stand and face the fire
burning higher and higher
Word Count → 234 :: Bad bad Wayne makin' Dixie sad. D<
The look of guilt on her pretty face was almost enough to cause him to cast off his anger and forgive her immediately, but the ease with which these feelings rose in him only served to make him madder—at himself, this time. He’d been far too sensitive regarding this woman, moping around like a bump on a log while she was away and doing nothing to better himself. Even now, he was sensitive, and while in his heart he knew the reason, Wayne didn’t want to confront it.
His face softened up slightly as her tail tucked, but his tone was still an exasperated one, scratching out into the cold air. “I ain’t a fool, Dixie,” he growled. Yes, you are, his mind snapped. You throw a fit when she leaves and you throw a fit when she’s back; look at her face.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts, though the little voice in the back of his head was speaking nothing but truth. “You’re a grown woman now; I know you coulda taken care of yourself. But you need to tell me before you go gallivantin’ all ’round the place all alone.” His brown eyes narrowed again as he tried to convince himself he was in the right here—though it was stupid, pathetically stupid, and it would take only a second of introspection to realize how he was behaving.
Oh, he really was mad at her. Dixie clenched her hands into fists against her sides and growled softly in her throat, trying to fight back the desperation clawing its way up. Her throat was getting tight and her eyes were starting to sting. Just the thought of him being so mad at her hurt, and she was ready to fall over and cry. Taking in a deep, slow breath, she tilted her head up and attempted to look him in the eyes. She couldn’t. He was the more dominant between them, despite her exuberant attitude all of the time. Her mind turned off her ability to defy him the moment it heard the stony tone of his voice.
Well, her brain might not allow her to directly show defiance, but she wasn’t going to sit there and let him become angrier with her presence. If he was mad at her, she should leave and let him calm down, right? A soft whimper lifted from her throat and she tensed up, the muscles in her legs bunching and letting loose with anticipation. If she was going to run away, she’d have to be fast, for he was a lot bigger, faster, and stronger. I’m sorry…it won’t happen again, I promise, Wayne…
The girl took a step back and then twisted around sharply, pushing off the ground with both feet and leaping into action. The catch in her throat broke loose and soft whines and cries started trickling from her jaws. She didn’t want him to see her crying about this. The past week or so had hurt, almost physically, to be away from him. The realization that she actually needed him, in a tangible way, was really freaking her out and she couldn’t really figure out why. Needing Wayne had always been a given…but then again she’d never left him like that. And now she was doing it again.
but our hearts will need us to be steady and strong
so we can stand and face the fire
burning higher and higher
Word Count → 271 :: People skills. Lassoing women.
His indignant resolve crumbled more and more when he saw the tightness in her face and her inability to meet his stare. Wayne frowned, hoping that he was imagining the whimper he’d heard, when she apologized falteringly. The sad, scared note in her voice broke his heart, and his face became open and worried, but by the time his brows pinched together and his anger washed away, she had whirled around and started to run off.
“Dix—” the Labrador mix yelped in surprise. Perhaps he had overestimated her strength against him; she was always so brave and outgoing and strong around others. But he hadn’t realized that the times he was mad at her were few and far between, if they had occurred at all—and looking back on his angry words, he cursed himself vehemently.
The sound of her crying alerted the protective instinct in him, though he was the one he should be defending her from. The small white-furred girl ran, and he moved as swiftly as he could, heading toward Duke though he was worried that the stallion would kick him for being such an asshole. With her head start and him being winded from his run and his scolding, there was only one thing in his mind that he could do to get her back.
And so he grabbed the lasso hanging off the horse’s stallion, whirling it once and letting it fly, hoping to rope her and bring her in. Even as he moved to follow her, apologies flooded incoherently from his mouth. “Dixie, c’mere, don’t cry,” he urged, his voice falling low and guilty.
Running away from him made her feel weak, pathetic, like she wasn’t worth his time. And perhaps she really wasn’t…was that why he was mad at her? She wasn’t worth the time it took worrying…but then why would he be worried in the first place? Confusion fogged her mind and she ignored Wayne’s calls, not wanting to turn back and see the anger still on his handsome face. Why would he want to deal with her anymore after all the things she put him through on a daily basis? All of the times she blatantly ignored something he said and got hurt, threw his instructions back at him and got them in trouble…she was horrible!
Running away was the only thing she could think of to do in that moment. Anger at herself was blocking the good thought process, the one that was trying to figure everything out with a good outcome. She’d gotten a good head start and hopefully he was too winded still from coming to find her to give chase. Duke wouldn’t allow Wayne to ride him either, that much she knew. If the girl was crying because of something the male sad, the horse wouldn’t have heard the words; he would have just seen and heard her pain. He was surprisingly protective of his girl.
He didn’t move away when Wayne grabbed the rope though, and just watched closely, fascinated, as the rope sailed through the air and fell down around the running girl’s body perfectly. Dixie didn’t feel it until it closed tightly and jerked her to a rough stop. The breath was shoved from her lungs and she collapsed to her knees, coughing and choking. The rope was tight! Soon enough there was slack though, as Wayne ran closer and let it go. She drew in a long, sharp breath and pressed her face to the ground, trying to hide from him without actually hiding.
but our hearts will need us to be steady and strong
so we can stand and face the fire
burning higher and higher
Word Count → 258
Okay, so in hindsight the rope had been a pretty bad idea too—but Wayne’s mind was not working properly right now, and erasing the distance between them was his only thought right now, regardless of what happened. He was only thankful that Duke hadn’t struck him; the stallion was as protective of the girl as the man was, if less stupid about things like this. If only Wayne had the horse’s wisdom right now—but he was too busy releasing the rope after what was likely a painful jerk, swearing again under his breath and dropping everything to rush toward her.
“Dixie.” Wayne tried to keep his breathing and voice under control once he reached her. He dropped painfully to his knees then worked quickly to free her body from the lasso, running his fingers over her skin to make sure that it hadn’t caused any actual damage. Her thick fur protected her, though, and soon the searching hands began to stroke her hair and back comfortingly, though his fingers trembled.
“Dixie, look at me,” he murmured, and he crouched closer to her level, reaching out to touch her face gently. “I’m so sorry. I’m such an idiot. I’m not mad at you, honey, I could never be mad at you. I was just worried to death when I woke up and you weren’t there…” He winced as he realized bringing up this point again wouldn’t help, so he focused on running his hand gently through her pale hair and hoping she’d meet his gaze. “I’m sorry.”
Wayne smelled so good. His strong male scent washed into her nostrils and drowned out the smell of the dirt and grass, overpowered her senses. As the rope came off, she hunched down more and attempted to push herself underground, not wanting him to see her acting so pathetically. Fists clenched tightly, nails digging into the dirt and tugging grass up roughly. It was almost as if she were throwing a childish fit, the way her anger and fear and sadness were all boiling over at one time. Instead of screaming and crying though, she was only trying to get away. To hide this ugly side of her away from the person that she loved and trusted with her life.
The feeling of his big hands rubbing at her sides and back was so comforting and she felt herself slowly relaxing. The sobs choking up in her throat dissipated and it was easier to breath. Breathing in deeply, Dixie sat up, keeping her head down and eyes closed, but turned her body towards Wayne’s and sighed, shuddering and shaking. After a few moments of just sitting there, she surged forward and threw herself at him roughly. Short, thin arms that held a surprising amount of strength wrapped around his chest and squeezed. The front of her body stretched up, resting against his chest and abdomen, face nuzzled into the scruffy fur around his throat.
Her whimpering and whining hadn’t come to an end, but she was no longer crying. I-I’m s-s-soo s-sor…sor-ry… She held onto him tightly and just rested there, breathing him in and feeling the hardness of his muscles beneath the softness of her own body. Lifting her head slightly, she pressed her nose to his cheek and slipped her tongue out against his face, a sort of kiss. I…I missed you…so muuuch.
but our hearts will need us to be steady and strong
so we can stand and face the fire
burning higher and higher
Word Count → 410 :: Yes they aaaaareeee... with the exception of Wayne wussing out ;_; I'll revoke his man card.
Wayne wanted to go bash his head into a wall right now; why had he ever even considered he’d get anything out of being bitter toward the girl he cared so damn much about? Did he think he would magically feel better? How did he think Dixie-May would feel? He hadn’t felt this guilty before in his life, and it weighed darkly on his shoulders as he stooped to try to comfort her, to ease her sobbing and to convey even an ounce of how sorry he was. He made low comforting noises in his chest between the hastily murmured apologies, stroking her pretty fur as she leaned against him.
But then she lunged, and in spite of her small stature, it was enough to throw him off balance. One arm threw back to brace himself against the ground as she clung fiercely to him, and the Labrador mix let out a soft sigh as her cold nose pressed against his neck. His free arm quickly encircled her, keeping her tight against him though with enough gentleness that she could wiggle her way out of his grasp if she was smart and wanted to get the hell away from him. But he didn’t want her to. This physical closeness was something he’d been starving for since even before she had gone off on her journey, the comfort of touch between them. It didn’t even matter how strong his feelings were for her; as even a best friend, he’d been aching to feel her small body pressed to him.
She whined out another apology, and he squeezed her lightly. “Hush… I’m the one who should be sorry,” the cowboy murmured in her ear, not wanting her to think that this whole mess was her fault.
Then he could feel a kiss on his cheek, and a somewhat dopey smile spread across his face. He turned his head so his muzzle could press lightly against hers, closing his eyes. “I missed you too, Dixie…which is why I was actin’ like a fool.” The arm around her small body loosened, his hand rising to push her hair lightly from her face and cup her cheek.
Looking upon her precious face, Wayne wanted nothing more than to kiss her properly—but an unexpected bundle of nerves alongside the usual Dixie-associated nerves clenched in his stomach. His ears lowered, and he only nuzzled her again—though perhaps the gesture was even more tender than ever before.
Gentleness wasn’t something that many would see when they looked at the large Labrador mix for the first time, perhaps not ever. He was gruff and quiet, giving off a tough and almost perpetually annoyed air. However, behind closed doors, he was a giant softy with a huge heart and gentle hands. It had been proven to Dixie so many times. In the way he treated horses and other animals, the way he treated her. Even when he got so angry about something…he had never before hurt her physically, at least not on purpose. She was always amazed at the phenomena of someone so big having such a soft touch.
Even now, after she had just practically confessed to being the one that screwed up all the time…he was cradling her to his body, holding on and comforting her. His words were extremely soothing and within moments of being held her crying had quieted. Her head slowly moved back and forth, shaking slowly in disagreement with his words. You are not wrong. I hurt you so many times… Her body tensed up again as if she were about to start crying once more, tightening her hold on him. I never wanna hurt you. Never.
A soft shiver shook up her back and a drop of delicious pleasure swirled around in her tummy when Wayne rubbed his muzzle against her own. She stretched out more, rubbing the front of her body against his slowly. Her fists clenched in the thick mane of fur on the back of his neck and shoulders, tugging gently and pulling his head closer. A series of tiny whines and whimpers squeaked from her throat, like a baby asking for comfort…and yet at the same time she was pumping out pheromones and begging for his attention in only a way that a mature female could do.
but our hearts will need us to be steady and strong
so we can stand and face the fire
burning higher and higher
Word Count → 381
Her argument caused him to frown, and Wayne quickly tightened his hold on her when he could feel her tense, not wanting to see her cry again. He knew that he’d been hurt by her departure, but such things should be trivial, shouldn’t weigh on him like they did, and he knew that it wasn’t her fault. She had already given her reason for keeping quiet, and it’d been to protect him, anyway. She hadn’t intended to hurt him like he had acted when she returned.
“I’m the one who hurt you, Dixie,” the Labrador mutt murmured guiltily, rubbing her back again. “It’s okay. I’ll never stop—” His voice faltered, omitting the word that had first sprung to mind before he corrected himself. “I could never stay mad at you. I’m just sorry that I hurt you…” Because he had; that point couldn’t be argued against. He’d caused her to cry and run off, and he didn’t blame her in the least for her actions.
The small woman stretched, and he wasn’t unaware of the press of her breasts against him or the sensation of her fists in his thick fur. His breath hitched as she pulled him closer, and his ears pricked at the quiet sound of her continued whimpering. With an awkward glance over at the stallion, he broke into a soft smile and let his hand wander back along her cheek, fingers tangling gently into her hair. The arm keeping him propped up was getting weak, but he didn’t want to shift both of them from their positions.
“I…care about you a lot, Dixie,” Wayne admitted, though it was something that had been obvious to the entire world since he first laid eyes on the girl in Texas what seemed like years ago And yet still he couldn’t bring himself to say any more than that in spite of the feelings burning inside of him. As tough a man as he acted, he was still a little scared—though perhaps he was blind in that regard, too.
A frown darkened his handsome visage as he swore, “I won’t act like that ever again, ya hear me? I’m too worried about losing you… I can’t ever lose you.”
And with that firm conviction, Wayne bent to kiss her.
Dixie had always known that there was something more between her and Wayne…more than just protector and protected. More than just a simple friendship. There was an unbreakable bond, love. It was something that, despite her fears and efforts to ignore, could not be put aside or be broken. There was simply nothing she or he could do about the feelings, the need to be around one another. To be together. Being away from the back and away from her best friend had broken her down, without her even knowing it. Now that she was back in his arms, all of it had come rushing to the fore and was breaking her even further.
Her body arched closer when he pressed his muzzle against hers and slid his tongue out against her mouth. A thrill of shivers skittered down her spine and desire bubbled up low in her stomach, making her whimper and hold onto him tighter. Her jaws parted and tongue slid out to touch his, slowly beginning to return the kiss. She had seen many couples doing this before, and had only gotten her first intimate touches from a male a few weeks before…but those had been scary and where stopped relatively fast. This wasn’t like that. Dixie knew that Wayne would never intentionally hurt her or make her do something she wasn’t willing to do. There was nothing wrong with what they were doing, and she wanted to keep doing it.
The girl lifted herself up more from the ground and pushed herself further onto his lap, spreading her legs over his thighs until she was straddling his waist almost. Her small hands curled tightly into his hair, she held his head close and kissed away, all the while making soft noises of happiness and satisfaction. There was nowhere else she’d rather be at that moment.
but our hearts will need us to be steady and strong
so we can stand and face the fire
burning higher and higher
SSWM Word Count → 562 :: Finally. *coughcough* Sorry for the rambliness and whatnot; I was using WriteOrDie and it was useful in making me push crap out rather than agonize forever. xD
A more perspicacious man would have seen this coming from a long ways away. But despite the months that the two friends had traveled together, despite the several events they had carried each other through, the pair of wolfdogs were very young yet. The cowboy was no veteran in love and loss, and all he had were his instincts and the intense feelings of affection toward his friend when it came to how he behaved. He was often seen as a man, but he was more of a boy when one pulled back to look at the whole picture.
He had been blind to the common sense of speaking up, and the young woman had been blind to the adoration in her friend's chocolate gaze every time he so much as glimpsed at her. But now she was in his arms, and the sweetness of her breath and the sensation of her lips and tongue against his mouth seemingly washed away all the troubles the gruff Labrador had ever had.
A low sound, half growl and half whimper, rumbled in the man's muscular chest. It was a gentle but hungry croon, and he moved his hands once again, pushing her pale hair away from her precious face, fingertips brushing over one of her ears. A pair of hats had fallen into the dust, but Wayne took no notice of them. He shifted his weight once more as she moved, and a new acute feeling burned in his core as she nearly straddled his hips.
He broke the kiss for air, black wet nose coming to touch hers as he pulled slightly away. His face crinkled in a content smile as his warm eyes fell upon her, and his next impulse was to let out a chuckle. It was a somewhat awkward noise, but not a wholly uncomfortable one. It was a sheepish confession of how stupid the pair of them had been, walking along beside each other obliviously all these months. It was a sheepish confession of a lot of things, including how warm he felt right now in every since of the word.
“Well, look't us,” the dusty-yellow dog murmured before breaking out into a teasing grin. A newfound confidence had replaced the constant little anxieties that had kept him silent for this long, and it showed in his sure movements as he rose and encircled her waist with his big arms. His back ached from the position they'd been sitting in, but he still had the strength to hold her close as he stood, lifting her up so that she could remain as close as she had been. It also relieved some of the pressure on his lower half -- and as fast as everything had become now, he wanted to be careful, move slowly, and focus on all of her.
His brown eyes ran over the small woman in his arms once more, the smile fading into something tender. He adored the light-colored hair falling around her face, her little dark nose, her thick white fur, her curves, her fluffy curly tail. He adored her playful spitfire nature. But he'd already known all that. He only wondered if she did.
Wayne decided he might as well make sure, and with another kiss, he said the words he should have said a long, long time ago. “I love you, Dixie-May.”
Wayne was strong, she’d always known that, but when he stood up with her body still clinging to him tightly, as if she weighed nothing? Her brain made the final connection. He really was strong, and smart, and safe. He would take care of her, protect her, always. How she had not seen this before was a mystery and she felt a bit stupid. They acted like an old mated couple on a daily basis with their bickering and flirting, but this newfound love was so interesting and…new! She’d always loved him, but putting words to the emotion and connecting the dots just made the feeling bloom even stronger in her heart.
Clinging to him tightly, she dropped her head to his shoulder and nuzzled his neck. Nose pressed firmly to his thick fur, she inhaled deeply, taking his scent far into her lungs. The smell was comforting and made her feel insanely safe, like nothing in the world could hurt her anymore. As long as she was with this man, they were safe within each other. Tightening her arms around his shoulders, she pulled closer and nipped at his throat gently before snuffling and licking at the spots she’d bitten. A little show of dominance and then submission all wrapped together.
Hearing those words slip from the Labrador man’s mouth had her entire body freezing like a block of ice. Sure she’d heard them before, and said them countless times…but never in this context. Everything that had happened in the last hour or so had changed the meaning of those words forever. Never again would they mean love in a friendly sense…but the unbreakable love, the kind that made her heart pound and her body shake. Sighing softly, she slid her tongue out along the side of his face in a big sloppy kiss, I love you, too, Wayne McCoy.
