MagiStream

Zahalin smiled back, feeling a strange inner...flush of pride that he'd made her smile grow. "We've been a team since I was grass-high," he chuckled, holding his hand up to his stomach for reference. "And since Zweehee was a fawn, all long legs and nubs for horns." He grinned at Ivy. "Would you...like to see the other fleetfeet? One of the does recently birthed a pair of twins."

"I met my own Small Paw when he and I were both pups." Ivy said, hugging the wolf around the neck as he huffed. "We grew up together- both the small ones of the pack." She nuzzled the fur of the wolf's neck and smiled. Small Paw let out a small indignant woof, giving her an uneasy look. "Oh- sorry, big strong wolf." She laughed and looked back over once she realized that she was doting on her friend in front of Zahalin. "Sorry-" She said, moving away from the wolf with a deep flush. "I... care a lot for him. I would like to see the other fleetfoot- wait- feet?" She blinked curiously for a moment, and shrugged. "I would like to see them- I love seeing new things." She looked over to him with an excited smile.

Zahalin shook his head. "No need for apologies. The bond you share with your Smallpaw sounds like that of Zweehee and I." He smiled, then laughed at her correction to 'feet.' "Yes, it's a common mistake our foals make. They always want to call them fleetfoots. But we've come to call them fleetfeet, for nothing can outrun one when it's in a panic or a rage," he grinned.

Her wide smile encouraged him and he smiled broadly. "Then as soon as I meet your chief and give word to my people that we've found allies, you and I will visit the herd," he promised.

"That sounds marvelous." She said wistfully, looking up at the trees around her happily.
"I've never seen anything other than this forest my whole life. While it's wonderful here and I love it, I've always wanted to see the places my father speaks about in his stories. As a pup he traveled far away to another land, and he has many stories from his trips with the chief before him. He may be a bit annoyed that I strayed so far from the Tree." She sighed. "He will be excited to see another elf, though."

Zahalin...bristled a bit at the idea of someone being annoyed at Ivy, unconsciously putting his shoulders back a bit, though he said reassuringly, "You won't be in trouble. If you like, we can smudge the lines a bit as to where we encountered each other," he said with a wink.

Ivy blushed at the wink and smiled happily. "I would like that, actually. He doesn't like me going off alone, usually. He insists either Fox or someone else go with me, but Fox is hunting and everyone was busy, so..." she shrugged. "Besides, nothing bad happened, and I even met you." She smiled, but blushed a bit, glancing away. "Just because I'm his only daughter, and I'm just so important to the tribe..." She sighed. She looked over to him and blushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry- you don't need to hear my ramblings."

Zahalin shook his head and smiled. "Don't need to, maybe," he said, "but would like to, if you'd like to share."

Ivy looked to him in surprise, blinking a few times. No one ever wanted to hear her ramblings- because most of them were about the chief- and everyone thought so well of him... not even Fox was comfortable with some of the things she said.
"Well, you see... My father, Pale Moon, is the chief of the wolfriders. I'm his only daughter- and I can't even fight. I can't do anything courageous or daring like the chiefs before him have, and I'm next in line to take over the tribe. I don't know if I even want to, though... I'm a terrible leader- I can hardly take care of myself, none the less a whole tribe of people!" She sighed. "Everyone treats me like the chief's daughter. I can't do anything daring or fun, I can't go different places and try things that even might be dangerous." She looked away, trying to hide her emotions as they started rising in her. She only had one friend in the tribe- and while he was very nice, he wasn't... right. She longed for something romantic, but everyone was either too afraid of her position, or didn't like her in that way.

Zahalin listened quietly while Ivy spoke, growing more impassioned as she did, and he nodded at the end and smiled at her. "Thank you for sharing with me," he said. "And if I'm judging and recalling correctly, you went far out of bounds of where you are usually permitted to go to heal a wounded tree. You're interested in seeing the fleetfeet, and you did not greet me by running, but by asking who I was and what I was doing here." He chuckled. "Those all seem like brave, daring, kind things to me. The makings of a good chief, if you want to be." He shrugged. "And if you don't want to be, then the High Ones will show another way." He smiled at her and, on some whim, gently put his thumb and forefinger on her chin to softly move her back to look at him. "Eyes sun-wise, Ivy. You're too...too bright to look so glum." He coughed and realized that this was probably more intimate than she was used to...and frankly, it was more intimate than he was used to, either. But he'd never wanted to comfort someone so much before, never wanted to make the hurt go away so much...

Ivy nodded shyly at his words, feeling better that someone thought she was brave. She flushed brightly when he put his fingers against her chin, making her look up to him. She looked into his eyes as he spoke, and finally nodded, glancing down shyly. "Thank you." She said in a soft voice, looking back up to his dark eyes, seeing the depth in them and how immense they seemed. Almost like the night sky...
His hand was warm against her chin and she didn't pull away- she realized she didn't want to. Unlike the touch of other men, this felt so... right. How could that be, though? She had never met him before this.


((I just realized- I forgot to put her soul name in there It's Galadine))