05-13-2017, 11:35 PM
”Kylin!”
He jogged up to her with a smile, draping a wing over her and pulling her in for a hug as he always did. Lately, he’d spent a lot of time at Mother’s side, calming her nightmares and eager for the baby to be born. It would be any day now, he was sure, and he didn’t dare miss it. He’d promised Kali he’d be there, and even Kylin knew he kept his promises. He made so few of them, after all. So, he may as well mean them.
He bowed his head to nuzzle the whorl of hair on his forehead into her neck, nudging her playfully with his nose. Even though they’d both gotten bigger, she seemed just the same size as always, growing in equal measure together. Always, together. Though he was a little thicker, more muscled, and she was more rounded as a young woman should be. As teenagers, they were still a bit slender and lanky, but much less so than they had been as younger children.
With a light kiss to her cheek, he turned away towards the trees of Ischia’s jungle. ”Come on. I wanna show you something,” he said over his shoulder and gestured for her to follow. He led them through the dense forestry, keeping his wings pinned tight to his ribs. The determined rays of sunlight filtering through the canopies reflected off his shiny, metal necklace, the engraved medallion settled squarely against his chest. A gift from Father. He loved the way it drummed against his chest when he ran, like an echo of his heartbeat. Today, it was as quiet as his steps as he led them to one of the natural springs scattered across the island.
He didn’t stop when he got there, and walked right across the surface a ways where it would be deeper. Then his knees bent and he slid into the spring, sinking down and standing solidly at the bottom. The water inched up his sides, almost covering his back as he turned to face her with a warm smile.
”Come on, he said with a smooth laugh, jerking his nose to the side in invitation. ”Nobody comes to this one. It can be just ours.” Most the scents here were stale and blown away. Except his, and now hers.
She followed him out to the water, dipped her legs to sink in too. He couldn’t help but watch her as the water slowly made its way up her sides, licked the smooth curve of her ribs. It darkened the purple on her skin, melted the white patches down to a molten silver-gray. Almost metallic, like their father. So beautiful. So attractive. Quiet ripples bowed away from her hip, and he was suddenly so still and quiet. Mesmerized and intent as he soaked in every detail.
A drop fell to his cheek and woke him from staring too hard. He blinked, then glanced up at the clouds, smiling again. He glided closer to her and stretched his wings forward and over them, trying to umbrella them with a bubbling laugh as he watched through the opening between the elbows of their makeshift shelter that he couldn’t quite close. Like a skylight through an overturned boat, they were walled off and mostly covered, rain dropping onto his wings instead and falling through the gap between them to splash into the water before their noses.
His silver-gray gaze slid back down to peer at her through the darkness he’d created, glittering with mirth. He’d been about to apologize for not realizing it would rain and getting them trapped in it. But the smile on her face and the light in her eyes startled him from his thoughts, softened him, and he leaned forward. His lips met hers in a soft kiss, briefly, and then he pulled back with a shy half-smile though his eyes were confident, and watched her with a quietly racing heart.
”Do you like it?” he asked softly, deliberately vague on what he spoke of.
He jogged up to her with a smile, draping a wing over her and pulling her in for a hug as he always did. Lately, he’d spent a lot of time at Mother’s side, calming her nightmares and eager for the baby to be born. It would be any day now, he was sure, and he didn’t dare miss it. He’d promised Kali he’d be there, and even Kylin knew he kept his promises. He made so few of them, after all. So, he may as well mean them.
He bowed his head to nuzzle the whorl of hair on his forehead into her neck, nudging her playfully with his nose. Even though they’d both gotten bigger, she seemed just the same size as always, growing in equal measure together. Always, together. Though he was a little thicker, more muscled, and she was more rounded as a young woman should be. As teenagers, they were still a bit slender and lanky, but much less so than they had been as younger children.
With a light kiss to her cheek, he turned away towards the trees of Ischia’s jungle. ”Come on. I wanna show you something,” he said over his shoulder and gestured for her to follow. He led them through the dense forestry, keeping his wings pinned tight to his ribs. The determined rays of sunlight filtering through the canopies reflected off his shiny, metal necklace, the engraved medallion settled squarely against his chest. A gift from Father. He loved the way it drummed against his chest when he ran, like an echo of his heartbeat. Today, it was as quiet as his steps as he led them to one of the natural springs scattered across the island.
He didn’t stop when he got there, and walked right across the surface a ways where it would be deeper. Then his knees bent and he slid into the spring, sinking down and standing solidly at the bottom. The water inched up his sides, almost covering his back as he turned to face her with a warm smile.
”Come on, he said with a smooth laugh, jerking his nose to the side in invitation. ”Nobody comes to this one. It can be just ours.” Most the scents here were stale and blown away. Except his, and now hers.
She followed him out to the water, dipped her legs to sink in too. He couldn’t help but watch her as the water slowly made its way up her sides, licked the smooth curve of her ribs. It darkened the purple on her skin, melted the white patches down to a molten silver-gray. Almost metallic, like their father. So beautiful. So attractive. Quiet ripples bowed away from her hip, and he was suddenly so still and quiet. Mesmerized and intent as he soaked in every detail.
A drop fell to his cheek and woke him from staring too hard. He blinked, then glanced up at the clouds, smiling again. He glided closer to her and stretched his wings forward and over them, trying to umbrella them with a bubbling laugh as he watched through the opening between the elbows of their makeshift shelter that he couldn’t quite close. Like a skylight through an overturned boat, they were walled off and mostly covered, rain dropping onto his wings instead and falling through the gap between them to splash into the water before their noses.
His silver-gray gaze slid back down to peer at her through the darkness he’d created, glittering with mirth. He’d been about to apologize for not realizing it would rain and getting them trapped in it. But the smile on her face and the light in her eyes startled him from his thoughts, softened him, and he leaned forward. His lips met hers in a soft kiss, briefly, and then he pulled back with a shy half-smile though his eyes were confident, and watched her with a quietly racing heart.
”Do you like it?” he asked softly, deliberately vague on what he spoke of.
@[Kylin]