"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
The world had become covered in darkness, a darkness that had swallowed one tiny sooty buckskin filly down, down, down. She had wrapped her wings around herself, a blanket of shadows and whispers that did little to keep her warm against the oncoming winter, but they had felt like home even intangible as they were. And slowly the leaves had fallen from the trees, covering her in a layer of mulch and keeping her as warm as was possible throughout the long cold night. Spring had come, and even through the rains the little one had slept, though her body had grown in the meantime.
Fed by the fey and some quirk of Beqanna’s altered magic, Qismat slept on through one winter, and another, all the way into the following fall. And when she finally stirred, her limbs were long and graceful where once they had been gangly, all knees and elbows and awkward baby legginess. Her sharp angles had smoothed, now sleek and gently rounded. Still this new shape was unfamiliar, and she struggled to her feet like she had never stood before, limbs splayed, stance wide to balance out the unfamiliar distribution of weight when it was so very, very high off the ground.
It wasn’t until she managed to stand, bracing herself against the pull of gravity and finding that oh-so-elusive balancing point, that she realized something was missing. Something that made her feel warm and cozy, safe and sound. Some indefinable quality in the air that made her feel like she was where she belonged, what on earth could it--oh. Oh no. She craned her head around to look at her naked back, at the nothing where shadows once coalesced into lovely little wings that had wrapped themselves around her and held her close.
Soft brown doe eyes widened as tears blurred her vision, welling up just enough to make her eyes shine in the silver light of the full moon. Gone, they were gone, all gone. No soft warm blanket of dark to wrap around herself, to keep her safe. To keep the world at bay a little longer, just another dawn, just another day, another sunset, back into the depths of night.
01-02-2017, 09:48 AM (This post was last modified: 01-02-2017, 09:50 AM by Nier.)
NIER
Oh, yes. Most definitely yes.
Now this was an unexpected treat. There he was, walking along his merry invisible way when lo an' behold a pretty, pretty face. Suuuuch a pretty face. And he was fairly certain he was actually looking at her face when he thought so. Mostly.
Nah, maybe not, but the rest of her was just so damned delicious.
She splayed herself awkwardly like a newborn babe would, unsteady on new legs. He cocked his head and watched, leaning casually against a tree nearby. She was a dirty sort of gold, but where there was gold her coat seemed to catch aflame in shimmering gilt. He'd been a bit gold once himself. Not in a long while, many years. Many, many years. And not quite like her. She was a bit sooty, and it made her look dirty, but almost in a purposeful way. Like a child who insisted on dressing themselves and picked out the most ridiculous, mismatching outfit. A perfect little mess.
And she was that; practically a child.
And yet, she most certainly was not.
Her face loosed to something a little more fragile, and she peered over her shoulder at something. Nothing was there, no monsters or evildoers, but her eyes welled up regardless. He frowned. Then grinned. Mmm, look at all that quivering confusion. So broken. So lost. Perfect. Oh, yes. He would be exactly what she needed. And she'd come to know it, come to crave it. She would need him.
He tsked sadly at her anxious face as he pushed off from the trunk. Solid steps displaced the bed of leaves on the ground, trailing closer and closer to her until he was confidently wrapping around her. Possessive. Protective. It was unthinkable that he made himself so present so soon.
What's got you, li'l dove? he asked softly in concern, draping a large and unseen wing over her back like a security blanket. Pulling her closer as though she were indeed a child who needed coddling and reassurance. Nice and warm. Buttoned up and secure.
You're safe now.I have you. Nothing touches what's mine.
Oh, how her heart ached, staring at the empty space where shadows in the shape of wings once stirred the air. Nothing to wrap around herself and shroud her from the light of day, so bright to eyes unused to being open. A soft tsk sound caught her attention, and she craned her head around to seek out its source...but there was no one nearby. Wide, tear-filled brown eyes scanned the forest for signs of life, but she found nothing.
Leaves rustled oddly, though, and she stared as something unseen trailed closer. It would perhaps have been wiser to run, if she knew quite how to work her limbs. More confused than afraid, she stood still and watched those rustling steps come closer, sidle up next to her even.
Oh, and then.
The familiar weight of feathers brushing against her back, of a wing draping over her as a voice cooed, “What’s got you, li’l dove?” He wrapped around her, holding her close, and warmth blossomed in her chest as she curled up against him. Tucked safe under the comfort of wings invisible but tangible, such perfect counterpoint to hers that had once been visible but untouchable, made of nothing more solid than shadows. “You’re safe now,” he murmured in her ear, and she nodded, hiding her face against his neck, leaning into his embrace. It felt so good to be held close, wrapped up in wings the way she should be.
“My wings,” she breathed, as one solitary tear trickled down her cheek. “They were there when I fell asleep, but now?” She looked back over her shoulder again, shifting muscles along her shoulders and her back as if they could move what wasn’t there. “They’re gone.” Then with a sigh and a dainty little sniffle, she pressed her face into his invisible neck, a useless attempt to hide herself from a world that could see right through him. Still, he was warm and solid and so very touchable, and those wings felt like safety draped across her like a blanket.
He watched intently all that beautiful confusion in her face as he approached. Even better was the way she melted into him, wrapping around her, the perfect fit of her rump to his hip, shoulder to shoulder. His wings cradled her in closer and her head naturally nested into his neck. It felt so good, and he tucked his chin to her pretty hair. It was already flawless, really, but he pretended to straighten out a tangle anyway.
"My wings," she said so sadly, perfectly pitiful little voice. "They were there when I fell asleep, but now? They're gone." She sniffed and pressed against him again. He could feel her tear soak into his coat and he tried to ignore how gross that was. At least she wasn't blubbering all over him with a snotty little nose. Yet. Aw, but the poor dove lost her wings. He could understand that, right?
Daw, he cooed to her in perfect sympathy, those pesky fairies stole'em, did they? Wicked beasties. He wiggled her in closer, if that were possible, and kissed that funny little spot on her forehead where her hair goes all rebellious. Mmm, her skin smelled so good. Let's do some more of that, shall we?
You can borrow my wings, he said sweetly, emphasizing it with another little squeeze to her side. The elbow of his wing rubbed a gentle circle at her shoulder, then he gave her a sweeping brush of feathers across her ribs. Whatever you want, you will have. I'll stay with you til they return them. Would you like that? His warmth pulled away from her as he peered at her. Mostly her face, really. Honestly. Ok, a little bit of all over, but she'd never know anyway.
Then his muzzle was carefully burying into the crook of her jaw, as though he were hesitant. Or giving her time to accept a touch that may not be quite so perfectly innocent. His hot breath fanned across her pulse, but he managed not to kiss her again. Not how he wanted to. Not yet. Nice and easy for his li'l dove.
Such warm familiarity in the soothing weight of an invisible wing draped over her like a blanket. Qismat snuggled a little closer, leaning into the solid presence of...of only the second person she had ever talked to, come to think of it. There had been a nice lady, much bigger, who had wrapped around her and kept her warm once upon a dream. A mother, perhaps, though the concept was a vague, blurry notion in the back of her head. This one, he held her differently, in ways that sent a whole new kind of warmth shimmering and shivering through her, altogether too confusing to ponder.
“Fairies?” she asked, trying to focus instead on the words flowing from lips she couldn’t see. Lips that brushed against her forehead and set her eyelids to drifting closed, coaxing a quiet little sound out of her throat she’d never made before, soft and encouraging. She traced the line of his jaw with the softest part of her nose, sighing against his skin. “How could little beasties steal away my wings?” Oh, but his were delightfully distracting, nudging her closer, rubbing her shoulder, tickling the curve of her ribs as he offered to share them, to stay with her ‘til hers made their way home like errant pets to attach themselves to her body once more.
“Oh, I think I’d like that very much,” she murmured, the words dissolving into a quiet little hum of protest as he withdrew. His lips touched her jaw softly, hesitantly, and she drew in a shaky breath, tilting her head to give him better access to her throat. “Ohh, very much indeed.” Odd, how her voice was deeper, huskier when it came out, almost a purr as her body swayed closer to his of its own volition, draw in by the gentle touch of his lips.
“How long do you think they’ll keep them?” How long, do you think, will I get to keep you? she didn’t quite manage to say, but her eyelids were heavy as she searched the air where his face should be, as if she could stare into his own and ask the question that felt suddenly as important somehow as when those far-less-touchable wings of hers would come home. Oh, but she wanted to rub up against him like a cat, lean into him and purr and press her lips to his skin. How strange. How delightfully strange. Her eyes drifted closed and she smiled, brushing her cheek against what felt like it could be his. “And what might we do while we wait?”
Mmm, he loved that little sound she made, placing a sweet kiss to her lovely forehead. His blood warmed in response, pumped through him a little quicker. He loved the feel of that too, a familiar sensation, intoxicating and addicting. He craved it, sought out delectable companions when he needed it sated. She was proving to fulfill it, so far. She might be able to soothe his need, ease his aching desire.
So innocent and unknowing, was she, so unaware of how he carefully pressed buttons she didn't know she had. Gently sliding more fuel into her little fire and stoking it with such delicate purpose. He was prepared to take her further, slowly, coaxing her in that natural way that slipped from consious thought to mindless need. He smiled against her sweet skin. She would be perfect, worth the attentive effort.
"How could little beasties steal away my wings?" she asked, drawing her velveteen nose along his jaw and sighing into him. He didn't answer, gently let the topic fall away from the ebbing heat between them. He asked that all-important question as though it were a minor thing; would she like him to stay. She murmured her assent, "Oh, I think I'd like that very much." A thrill zipped through him at the barest hint of readiness in her voice. He could hear it subtly changing, becoming thicker, huskier with every melting touch. Good. Making progress, careful progress.
He didn't mind going slow, and she would need it so slow if he were to entice her down this path.
When he lightly touched his lips to her throat, she pulled a ragged breath and naturally tipped it up for him, giving him better access. He breathed against the tender flesh there, his breath coming hotter. "Ohh, very much indeed," she added in that sexy low voice, shifting to something more throaty with need. A need she didn't know she had, but she would. She would. He would teach it to her, carefully guide her to it and through it, and beyond to delirium.
"How long do you think they'll keep them?" she asked softly, her eyelids drifting and growing heavier. Mmm, that was good too. He liked her eyes, but he could kiss them when they were closed. He could be sweet, sensual. For her, he would be. And he did kiss them then, a feather-light touch as she spoke again. "And what might we do while we wait?" An innocent question, with such a wickedly wonderful answer. Her lovely cheek brushed against him and he turned to smile into it, showing her the pleasure she couldn't see with her eyes.
I'm not sure how long they keep someone's wings, he murmured absently, kissing the corner of her mouth and slowly working away from it. His wing remained wrapped over her, cradling her against his hard body as he showed her more, delightful new things she hadn't experienced yet in her young life.
And, he whispered, pausing to trail warm lips down her cheek to her throat again, coaxing her chin to tip back for him as he gave a sharp little sting of teeth, then softened it with a lip of moist tongue. I thought maybe we could just... continue what we're doing now. His voice was breathy and low, innocently driven by his own desires. Maybe not entirely innocent. He kissed along her neck, crossing that graceful curve of muscle to tug gently but firmly at her mane. Would you like that? he asked again, already knowing the answer.
More of what they were already doing sounded perfect, and she made a quiet little sound of assent in the back of her throat, inviting him to touch, to taste, to carry on as they were. Slowly, so deliciously slowly, he taught her things she’d had no idea she wanted to learn until he touched her. He lit a fire inside her with every brush of his lips, his tongue, those glorious wings, and she lost what little of herself existed in the frenzy he awoke with careful, deliberate touches.
She did her best, in her unschooled way, to return those caresses, learning through trial and error and his patient guidance what made him gasp and moan and cry out too. Oh, and he took his time. She was panting and writhing and desperate for him long before he took her, and by the time they were through, she was utterly exhausted, sated in ways she could never have imagined before she met him.
She sighed and collapsed against him, her breathing slowly returning to normal, muscles she barely knew she had twitching in the aftermath of their loving. “Oh,” she breathed softly against his skin, rubbing her face gently against him, her wide eyes closed. “That was...oh my. I liked that very much. That was...mmm, that was an excellent idea.”
Mmm, she loved it. So slowly he brought her to rise, to new heights she'd had no notion of. He was methodical, coaxing and guiding her through sensations she'd never felt before; a steady hand, a soft touch. Stirring and heating her so carefully, soaking in the changes in her as she grew more frantic, a little wilder, so much more wanting. Needing him to show her how to end her new and delicious madness. Mmm, and he did. But he let her writhe and wiggle first, made her body sing and her heartbeat drown out the world around her.
He wasn't unaffected, of course. What would be the point if he felt nothing? Her untouched passion ignited him, sent his blood rushing through him in that fantastic way. Her unknowing pushes against him captured his breath each time. And watching her try to return his attention, so stubbornly and perfectly learning just what to do to make him moan too.. So good.
She was definitely worth that slow and gradual build. So naturally a perfect match for him and not even aware of it. It should have scared the hell out of him, he should have hated it. Maybe he would later. But for now, all he could do was revel in it, breathe in the scent of her, listen to her panting and then the soft sigh as she collapsed against him after everything. So sated, so completely and wonderfully fulfilled. Mmm, he hummed low.
She rubbed her face gently against his unseen body, breathing about how good that idea of theirs was. The best idea. He pulled away from her enough to see that beautiful face, memorize it. This one definitely called for a repeat. Not yet, not so soon. But again. And then maybe again. Keep tabs on his sweet li'l dove.
He looked at her so softly, tracing the curves of her face, a slow and gentle stroke of feathered fingers against her cheek as he carefully removed the mist of invisibility over green eyes. She was a precious thing, wasn't she? A strange part of him never wanted to share her, and that wasn't his style. Does what he wants, when he wants, who he wants. Doesn't care what they do after. But this one...
He met her eyes and held them, dipping to lightly kiss the top of her nose as he revealed the rest of his face. Didn't do this either, did he? They never get to see him, just a ghost, just a memory to keep them up at night with the very best dreams. A fantasy. Nothing real, not a face. An empty illusion.
This is something special between us, he told her so softly. Gotta make sure she doesn't run off to another, doesn't he? It wouldn't be like this with anyone else. Trust me. He kissed the corner of her mouth, slowly trailed to her cheek. We'll do it again sometime, li'l dove. I'll come for you again. Until then..
I'm Nier. And I'll be watching over you. Green eyes sparked in amusement, before he vanished once again.
