through the darkness to the dawn
If only he weren’t such a simple thing, Lumineer.
If only he had any concept of the things that he must protect himself from.
He would have turned away from her and disappeared back into the forest from whence he came, safe from the things that wished to destroy him.
But she is so sweet, he does not know that she is dangerous. She presses such a tender kiss to the corner of his mouth that he almost sways on his feet. It makes his head swim and he is foolish enough to think himself lucky. Lucky that he has ended up here with her, his wing draped across her back, hoping to lend her some warmth. He wishes he were capable of summoning heat from nothing, but he is not and this is the most he can offer.
She does not seem displeased. She calls him handsome and color pools in his cheeks. He has never thought of himself in that way, not really. He’s never had any reason to. He is a simple boy, a wolf when he wants to be, laced with gold and tiger stripes. There is nothing remarkable about him, but it flushes him with heat to think that she thinks there is.
He swallows thickly and coughs out a bashful laugh, his heart clenching and spasming in the cavern of his chest. He is not worthy of this attention, he knows, but he does not want to tell her this. He does not want to discourage her.
He does not know what to say in the wake of such praise, so he doesn’t say anything at all. He just lets his insides glow with it. Until she asks for a secret and the spark dims. He narrows his eyes in concentration but finds he does not have any secrets. He has always been such an honest boy, never had any reason to keep secrets.
But she meets his gaze and his disappointment in himself deepens. There is nothing to tell. He frowns, a plaintive, apologetic expression. “I do not have any secrets,” he tells her. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to keep them.”
@[rosebay]