There is a heaviness to the air this morning. One he cannot quite pinpoint, nor is he certain he wishes too. A soft sigh escapes his dark lips as he stares out into the mist shrouded depths of the forest. Golden light slips through, diffused by the fog that clings stubbornly to dampened trunks and low-hanging branches. An occasional droplet of water falls on his still form, darkening the silver blue of his coat to murky gray.
It is a parent’s lot in life to fret, he thinks. But this is more. A sense that tells him something is not quite right. And it hasn’t been for a while.
It had been easy, to spirit himself and Ilka away. To pretend the outside world doesn’t exist. Just the two of them, in a happy little bubble where pain and sadness could not intrude. And he thinks perhaps it had been a disservice to their grown children who must now live with the harsh realities of the world beyond.
He doesn’t notice the shadows curling at his feet, crawling up his sturdy limbs to trail dark fingers along the curve of his belly. He has long since grown used to them. Still, for all that they behave as an extension of himself, he doesn’t think he will ever truly come to think of them as his. It had been an unwanted gift in the darkest time of his, and even now it is difficult to associate them with anything else.
Another sigh escaping his lips, he turns his gaze from the forest depths. The dark strands of his forelock shield his eyes momentarily until a nod of his head parts them. He shifts, warm brown eyes fixing on the nearby den he has called home for some time now. Perhaps it is time to find a home elsewhere, in a place safety might be had. But so many of his memories are here now, it is difficult to consider leaving.
With easy, familiar grace, her makes his way over the roots until he finds Ilka, just there in the entrance to their small grotto. His lips curl into a smile as he steps close, love blossoming in his chest as he places a warm, gentle kiss onto the curve of her nose. “Ilka, my love,” he rumbles, lifting his chin so he can pull her into his chest, into the safety of his embrace. Almost absently, he places another kiss on the slope of her shoulder, his eyes growing distant once more as his mind returns to his former musings. After a long pause, he whispers his concerns into her skin, unable to keep anything from her. “I am worried. Something is off out there.”
It is a parent’s lot in life to fret, he thinks. But this is more. A sense that tells him something is not quite right. And it hasn’t been for a while.
It had been easy, to spirit himself and Ilka away. To pretend the outside world doesn’t exist. Just the two of them, in a happy little bubble where pain and sadness could not intrude. And he thinks perhaps it had been a disservice to their grown children who must now live with the harsh realities of the world beyond.
He doesn’t notice the shadows curling at his feet, crawling up his sturdy limbs to trail dark fingers along the curve of his belly. He has long since grown used to them. Still, for all that they behave as an extension of himself, he doesn’t think he will ever truly come to think of them as his. It had been an unwanted gift in the darkest time of his, and even now it is difficult to associate them with anything else.
Another sigh escaping his lips, he turns his gaze from the forest depths. The dark strands of his forelock shield his eyes momentarily until a nod of his head parts them. He shifts, warm brown eyes fixing on the nearby den he has called home for some time now. Perhaps it is time to find a home elsewhere, in a place safety might be had. But so many of his memories are here now, it is difficult to consider leaving.
With easy, familiar grace, her makes his way over the roots until he finds Ilka, just there in the entrance to their small grotto. His lips curl into a smile as he steps close, love blossoming in his chest as he places a warm, gentle kiss onto the curve of her nose. “Ilka, my love,” he rumbles, lifting his chin so he can pull her into his chest, into the safety of his embrace. Almost absently, he places another kiss on the slope of her shoulder, his eyes growing distant once more as his mind returns to his former musings. After a long pause, he whispers his concerns into her skin, unable to keep anything from her. “I am worried. Something is off out there.”
All things are possible,
shahrizai
even the best of things.
@[Ilka]