Ancient Magic Forging New Bonds (Sahas)

[Stigandr]

Timestamp: 8th of Summer, 512 A.V. (mature) The waxing moon shone faintly through the treetops, a few rays of the silver light finding their way through the branches and foliage to touch the ground, lending some sight to the creatures of the night, as well as Stigandr who sat on the ground next to Sahashkalila so who was buried warmly under his brown cloak as well as his horse blanket that he had rolled out to keep her warm. The air was pleasant against his skin as his thoughts wandered in the night. It was only a couple of months ago that he was living in Sunberth with no friends, just trying to find his place, any place, where he was accepted and belonged. He had met several people along the way, some he liked and some he did not like. And one he was drawn to more than the others, one that he felt a different connection with. She was the main reason he was on this trip, having traveled such a vast distance to a place he had never even heard of. This quiet, yet caring, woman was the reason he was on this quest now. Of course he had been told to come, but even had she gone on this quest and he found out, he would have followed the group to find them. Yet, even with that faint glimmer of knowledge in his Kelvic mind, he was still unaware of the effect she was having on him, that his desire to be around this woman he had felt a connection to immediately was forming into something much more powerful, an almost ancient magic taking root. His mind went back to Sunberth, the thoughts of Sahashkalila still in his mind, fleeting threads of thoughts that stayed at the edge of his mind. Would he ever return to Sunberth? He supposed, upon leaving, he might. It was the closest he had to a home at the time and the people were...almost family like. Now, since having left and seen the glory and wonder of the Spires and having spent more time with Sahashkalila, he knew he would not return to that place, not unless she wanted to. Again, that deep and powerful magic taking root in his Kelvic heart and mind. Feeling a wave of tiredness wash over him like a warm bath, he moved to lean back against the trunk of the tree closest to his companion, closing his eyes as he fell asleep for a quarter bell nap.

[Sahashkalila]

She was running for her life, or slithering rather, through the dark tunnels of the viper nest in her dream, trying to get away from her pursuers. Little did she know that she was tossing fitfully in her blankets, her mind caught in the throws of her dream. It was just like it was happening all over again, that she was back home with her brother only to be turned away after her family was killed all those years ago. To her it was like it happened yesterday, a memory that she couldn't seem to escape.

In her dream though she slithered quickly through the tunnel, her cream colored scales scraping across the sandy bottom as she tried to get away from the viper chasing her, a friend and once old flame....which apparently meant nothing now. She thought she knew the way, she thought the had found the exit...but instead she was caught in a dead end with nowhere else to go. She turned around quickly and coiled her body underneath her, scared and lost and no Nasim to help her. The viper pursuing her slowed and stopped, his black eyes meeting her gold ones as they stared at each other in silence. He had been her closest friend and the one who she had thought she would choose as her mate...but it was not meant to be. "Why are you doing thisss Kesssan?"she asked in their native tongue, her tone hurt and frightened.

He coiled his body underneath him and raised his head, staring down at her with disdain. "I am sssorry old friend...but you are a ssstain upon our race that musst be removed. Nothing more,"he said coldly, no remorse to be found in his voice as he hissed at her. He slowly opened his mouth and his fangs extended, venom dripping from them in his agitated state. She had no where she could go, she couldn't dodge him either, the space in the tunnel was too narrow. He was too quick for her, springing at her without warning, fangs coming at her to penetrate.........

Kalila woke with a gasp, sitting up quickly in a cold sweat as she looked around frantically, her hair framing her face in wild tangles. She felt as if her heart was about to beat out of her chest, her hand coming up to press against her chest as she breathed quickly. "Jussst a dream...."she said quietly as she took in her surroundings, realizing that she was safe in camp. Her body was shaking from the adrenaline she still felt from the dream and she dropped her head into her hands. All she wanted was one night of peace.

[Stigandr]

Stigandr was at the edge of consciousness when he heard Sahashkalila sit up, saying "Jussst a dream." His eyes opened as he sat up fully from the tree trunk, looking to her before her words were fully processed, making sure she was not being attacked or threatened. Seeing she was okay in that matter, he looked around the camp and saw everything else was fine before moving slowly to her side, placing his arm around her as he had seen people do a lot when one person was upset or distraught, feeling it was the right thing to do here. "Sahashkalila, what is it?" he asked, feeling awkward as he did so. This interaction was strange for him as he was one usually to stay quiet, but he cared for Sahashkalila and wanted to know what plagued her mind. Looking around and knowing that their hushed voices would most likely wake the group up, or at least a couple of them, the Kelvic stood up with her, letting her dress appropriately. "Follow me. I heard water back this way as we were stopping for camp." Taking her hand in his, he led her slowly through the woods, easily seeing the ground with his naturally heightened night vision, but wanting to make sure she had her step sure and steady. The sound of water became louder to their ears, becoming a gentle rush of a small creek running over rocks and ground, winding back and forth along the path it had cut out in it's own time. Sitting with her next to him, he did what he did best and stayed silent, knowing she would say what she needed to in her time. Things with her had changed so much since their first meeting, from mere friends to...what? Was this what it was meant to have a bondmate? Caring for someone this much and doing what you would not normally do, trying anything to please them? Had he found his bondmate and companion he had always longed for but had never found?

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila jumped as she felt an arm around her, looking up quickly to find Stigandr beside her, worry etched across his face. She must have woke him when she sat up and she immediately felt bad for disturbing him, her dream seeming trivial now as she came fully awake. "N-no I'm fine, I didn't mean to wake you,"she mumbled, slightly embarrassed that he had come over to her. She immediately felt calmer in his presence, not sure why exactly, but he always seemed to have that effect on her. But it seemed that he did not believe her and took her hand, tugging her to her feet. She pulled on her boots and tucked in her shirt in her breeches, then grabbed the thick blanket and wrapped it around her small frame before he led her away from camp.

She assumed he was taking her to a small stream, not really able to tell in the dark. She couldn't see as well at night, although if she shifted she would have been guided by smell. Instead she concentrated on not tripping and on the warm hand holding hers, letting him lead her to a small stream several yards away from camp. She then sat down by the creek beside him, listening to the sounds of the water trickling along the creek bed along with the sounds of the night.

She pulled the blanket around her tighter, drawing her knees up to her chest as she stared at the stream, the moon providing a bit of light for her to see with. He didn't say anything, he never needed too since he was always listening to her. Sometimes the silence was enough, his presence enough to make her feel better more than words ever could. But he was waiting for her to speak, she could sense it, and she shifted uncomfortably, feeling slightly silly about it. "I wasss jusst dreaming about my home,"she said quietly, clutching the blanket to her. "Nothing more. I apologize for waking you, I did not mean to." She didn't want to talk about it, she didn't want to bring back those memories that sometimes plagued her dreams. It wasn't something that he would understand, or that he even needed to know...even if she cared about him.

[Stigandr]

Stigandr sat next to hear, listening to the few words that she spoke. It was a dream from her homeland, of a past that he did not fully know or understand. He was worried about her; this was not the first time she had woken up in her sleep that he was aware of. Why was he so worried? Of course he worried about those around him, he had a genuine care for them, but this was more than just what he felt for everyone else. With Sahashkalila, it was a worry that made him want to stay by her side, to comfort her in any way that he knew how, in any way that she told him she needed. This thought kept coming back, stronger each time. ”Sahashkalila, I understand if you do not want to talk, but I won’t leave your side.” He hesitated at this point, struggling to form the words that humans used to express feelings, not wanting to do something that would push too far, similar to what happened in the springs. Bringing his eyes up, he looked at her, her face faintly illuminated by moonlight that slipped through the treetops. Taking a deep breath, he tried to talk again, tried to form the human words to communicate this overflowing desire in his heart, ”I care for you. I never thought I would follow you here to the Spires like I did. I want to make you happy. I want to protect you. I want to…” Slowing down, he turned to sit facing her, reaching his hand out to touch her, the shadows hiding the mark they both knew was there. ”I …love you. That is the word humans use to say they feel strongly for one another. I love you and I want to stay by your side. I want to make you happy, to help you forget the nightmares that you have, the one you had tonight.” His fingers ran up her arm under the blanket, his eyes trained on her, watching every movement she made, waiting to see if she pulled away from him, his fingers caressing her skin gently. ”I like this feeling. The feeling of being wanted by you and wanting you as well, and I do not want it to go away.”

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila smiled faintly and shook her head, one hand coming up to twirl into her dark curls as she sat there with him. "It isss jusst....an old dream. Of my home and...family,"she said softly, falling silent once again beside him. She did not know what else to tell him, the story sometimes still to painful to bear with...but his presence helped her and she listened as he began to speak again.

She turned to look at him as she listened, her heart starting to beat faster once again as he seemed to pour out his own heart, saying things that she didn't think she would ever hear, or even deserve to hear in her lifetime. And then more words tumbled forth, and her eyes widened as he sat in front of her, his hand finding her skin beneath the blanket...and she did not pull away. Instead her heart skipped a beat as she heard the three words that she had not heard since her mother died. He.....he loved her? Her? The prey loving the predator? It was....it was almost unheard of, and her breathing stopped for a moment as she processed what he had said. Is that what she felt for him, the need to be by his side at all times? The urge to put her hand in his without knowing why, or resting easier when he lay near her? She did not know, all she knew was what her heart was seeming to tell her and she reached out hesitantly to place a hand on his cheek, her thumb brushing his cheek.

"I do not wissh for thiss feeling to go either Ssstigandr, I jusst know what my heart iss telling me, and I think what it hass been telling me ssince we met on that hill,"she said softly, not knowing where the words were coming from but letting them flow. "You give me the peace that my heart keepss ssearching for, and help easse the ache that ressidess there. Perhapss it wass fate that lead uss to that hill, I do not know. But I am grateful....becausse I love you too." As soon as the words left her lips, they felt right, as of she was meant to say them to him. She then leaned forward hesitantly, placing her lips against his brow in a kiss before pulling away. "And I will never sstop."

A small smile appeared on her lips, suddenly shy about what was happening. "The prey loving the predator...I did not ssee thiss coming,"she said, pondering their situation. "I am..a monster, something to be feared, but you love me anyway. Why?" She did not know where his affections came from, and she was his natural enemy.....yet here they were sharing an intimate moment. "I did not desserve love in Ahnatep....why now?"

[Stigandr]

His lips had come to a standstill, his limited capacity for words and expressing his thoughts and feelings, had been reached. Now he waited. Her eyes were focused on his, her ears having taken in everything. He was fearful of rejection from her, fearful that the silence that followed his expression of love was her trying to find a way to pull away. After but a minute's hesitation on her part, or rather delay, he reached up to place her hand on his cheek, her thumb moving over the skin gently. Closing his eyes for a moment, he pressed his cheek against her hand, nuzzling it gently just as he would have as a horse. The words came from her lips slowly with the drawn out "S" sound she always made when speaking, a sound he had grown to love in association with her voice, the words relaying her heart's desire and similar feelings towards him. She loved him as he loved her. She told him that he eased her pain, that he was doing what he wanted and was making things easier for her. His hand gently squeezed her arm, his eyes closing as she leaned in and gently kissed his brow, a rare and mildly awkward smile forming on his lips. While this showed a hint of his happiness, it was in his equine eyes that his happiness could truly be seen, a new life and essence reflecting back at Sahashkalila as she leaned back. "I did not see this either. But I am glad for it." He moved closer to her, his eyes trained on her in her moment of silence. his brow furrowed in thought at her words. He did not feel she was a monster. He loved who she was and what she was and had become. Remembering something she had told him in the Springs in Sunberth, Stigandr spoke, "You are no monster my Sahashkalila. You are a Dhani, a predator, but you do not hunt like one or kill like one. You care for others in a way similar to prey animals like me, defending one another no matter what." Here he paused, making sure he had said what he wanted so far before going back to what she had said in the springs. "You told me in Sunberth that this mark on my hand does not make me who I am, that it is...what is in my heart that makes me. My bondmate, you are not a monster for being a Dhani. You are different, in your heart. That is what makes you who you are and why I want to never leave your side. I do not know about your past fully and your home, but I do know you now and you deserve love like you have made me believe." He waited a moment, letting his words stay with her and making sure he had spoken true to his heart. Then he started to lean closer, doing what he had seen people who loved one another do, and what felt right, placing his lips against hers, his hand sliding from her arm to move around she body, drawing her closer to him slowly. He did not want to scare her away from this as in the Springs, but he knew his heart and desires, that she was all he wanted, the only one he longed for like this. His heart beating faster, he moved to nuzzle her neck gently, his breath warm against her skin. His other hand slide up her slide, wrapping around her and taking her in his arms fully, wanting to warm her in the cool night air.

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila could not explain the feelings that were flowing through her body as he moved closer to her, and she shifted slightly, the blanket slipping from her shoulders a bit. The hand on her arm warm and causing her heart to beat a little faster with each touch. His words were what really touch her though, and with every passing moment that he spoke, the pain and sadness around her heart seem to lesson, a unseen burden lifted.

She could feel tears prick at her eyes and she let them fall, needing the release more than she let on. "I am not alwaysss ssure what iss in my heart, but I know that I love you, and that...that iss enough for me,"she said quietly, remembering what she had said to him at the springs all those weeks ago, trying hard to believe what he said. She struggled at times, both with her nature and who she really was. She kept that inner struggle hidden most of the time, letting out her emotions on those nights that she could not sleep when no one was around to see. She did not have to do that anymore though, she was his bondmate, his mate for life...and she could not think of a better way to live her life. Dhani mated for life, and she could not give the man in front of her a life filled with complete safety, or even the sound of children. In fact she would long outlive him, granted of she survived the mission that they were on...and it was that thought that occupied her thoughts when he leaned in slowly, his lips meeting hers.

It was as if warmth flooded her body when their lips met, her heart thundering in her ears as his hand moved to pull her closer to his body. Her eyes fluttered closed, still damp with her tears, and her hands moved to his shoulders as he pulled her into his lap, the blanket slipping from her body. A small sigh escaped her lips as his left a trail down her neck, shivering slightly at the contact. "Do you...do you remember what I alsso told you at the sspringss? That I...that I haven't..."she trailed off softly, suddenly incredibly shy about what was happening. She did not want to stop and she did not intend to...but she could not help feeling slightly nervous about what was happening. "I do not wissh to dissappoint you...." A faint blush rose in her cheeks and her hands tightened on his shoulders.

[Stigandr]

Stigandr held her close to his body, feel her slender frame pressed softly to his. He could feel the small sigh escape her lips as he moved to kiss her neck, the warmth of her breath dancing over his neck warming his blood. Her words were quiet and faltered a bit, maybe from nervousness, maybe from excitement, or even from both. "I remember, and I wont do more than you are willing, he spoke back gently, moving to meet her eyes. But he would not stop either, not without her telling him to. With his eyes on hers she could see the moon reflected in his horizontal pupils, a hint and reminder to who he was. His fingers began to slide back up her arms from having moved when he shifted to look at her, his touch nervous but unhindered as the back of his hands pushed up under the blanket, further pushing it to drop off her body into a heap behind her. Moving to his knees, the Kelvic shifted his position to stretch the blanket out on the cool night ground behind his bondmate. What felt like a long moment passed before she felt his presence near her again, this time his knees just to the sides of the buttocks as she sat on the edge of the blanket, the rest of his body pressing firmly to her back, the warmth of his bare torso seeping through her shirt as his hands came to rest on her hips, his fingers giving a gentle, but firm squeeze. His heart racing in his chest, beating against her back, he leaned his head down to her neck again so his lips could minister tenderly to the skin there while his fingers slithered up under her shirt to her bare side, his nervousness coming through his touches on her skin, but also his longing and desire echoed just the same. For so long had he longed for her, desired her heart and body, and now as he was with her, he began to fully realize how little he knew of passion and love-making. But though he knew little of the intricacies, he knew that her clothes had to be removed, the barrier between his torso and his enough too much already. Sliding his hands up more, feeling the outline of her ribs faintly under his fingers tips, his hands moving until they met her arms where he guided them up above her head, sliding her shirt up so the hem came over her head to his hands where he grabbed it, tugging it off over her head and lying it beside them on the blanket. Sliding his hands down her arms, following the natural lines of her body to her sides, he guided Sahashkalila to her lie on her back, her legs stretched out with a slight curve, her hair lying in a wild, beautiful mess. Stopping a moment, he admired her body in the pale moonlight, his eyes easily seeing her in the shadows, seeing the curve of neck as it led his eyes down to her collarbone, down around to the base of her throat where he took in view of his bondmate unclothed, the cool air having already affected her. Bringing his eyes back to hers, he smiled as he moved closer, one arm on either side of her as he leaned down to her, whispering "You will not disappoint me my Sahashkalila. With those words, he kissed the flesh over her heart, and hearing the sigh of pleasure form her mouth, her continued his attentions around the curves of her body there, his lips feeling the soft flesh transition to firmer peaks then back to tender flesh as he moved across her body. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, but not as he had when he had ever been scared or running for his life, this feeling was exhilarating. It made him feel alive to feel this way, to feel his blood coursing through his body in a rush.

[Sahashkalila]

She was nervous, just as much as he was, if not more, of the road that they were nothing traveling down, one filled with desire and passion. Warm hands slowly made their way up her back, pushing the blanket from her shoulders to fall behind her in the cool grass and she nodded in assent to his words, relief flowing through her. She knew that he wouldn't push her to do anything she didn't feel comfortable with, but the truth of the matter was that she wanted him. She had desired him ever since the day in the Springs back in Sunberth, and now she was finally able to get that chance. She was his in both body and heart and she was going to relish every moment of it, even of she was nervous.

She was then out of his lap and she turned to see him spreading out the blanket behind her, and she took the time to remove her boots and put them to the side, her fingers shaking slightly from nerves. It seemed like a multitude of time passed before she felt him at her back, his knees pressed firmly on either side of her, his hands holding her hips possessively before they slipped under the soft fabric of her shirt. Her heart was thundering in her chest and his touch was shaky but determined, letting her know that he was just as nervous as she was, and that brought a small smile to her lips. His lips were suddenly nuzzling the sensitive skin on her neck and she tilted her head to the side, a soft sigh of pleasure escaping her lips as his hands continued their roaming of her body. One hand came up to tangle into his hair, keeping him close before he decided that her shirt needed to be removed. He slowly guided her arms upward and pulled her shirt over her head, her body breaking out into goosebumps as the cool air made contact with her bare torso, her hair tumbling down around her shoulders and back. Her arms made to wrap around her middle but she stopped herself, willing her body to relax and let things flow.

He then gently moved her arms and guided her back down onto the blanket where she looked up at him, a blush forming on her cheeks as she shifted her hips, an ache beginning to form between them. He had seen her unclothed many times, this time shouldn't have been any different right? But it was drastically different this time, just as she was staring at him with desire, he stared back at her, his eyes tracing the soft globes of her womanhood that were so clearly pointed in the night air. Her breathing soon started to quicken beneath his gaze and she held her breath as he leaned down, his eyes meeting hers.

"You will not disappoint me, my Sahashkalila."

My Sahashkalila. Those words caused a smile to form on her lips, her nerves lessening before her eyes fluttered close, his lips closing over the soft flesh over her heart. A hum of pleasure left her lips and her hands came up, one tangling into his hair while the other trailed along his back, her fingers dancing gently across his skin. Her back arched into his touch as he gave her breasts his devoted attention, her hips shifting underneath him slightly.

"Ssstigandr,"she said with a sigh, a flush spreading over her body. She tugged on his hair slightly, pulling his head up to her lips for a kiss, her chest brushing against his as she did so. Although she did not know much of lovemaking, she let her instincts take over, allowing her body to move with what felt right.