a ghost in your presence. )) [Open]

[tou]

The boy's cerulean orbs were filled with dolefulness as the girl's petite figure spasmed with her hurt. Tou's ears instantly tuned in to her words, completely ignoring the surroundings, despite such being the complete opposite of his typical ways. It went against everything he knew, everything he was cautious about, but he didn't care, not in the slightest, at such disregards. Pate dipped a little, chin curling in closer to his broad chest in a nod to her struggled words. Do you think you could make it to the cave? He asked her, looking up as his eyes examined its relative lack of snow within. You'd be warmer, certainly. the shire crooned. He watched desperately as her very lifeblood trickled down her beautiful face, leaving a crimson streak in its wake.

Snow? Wherever will we get that. He spoke sarcastically with such dry humor. As he was about to stand and gather such snow, he noticed how her structure shook in such a precise manner, the boy honestly hoping she wouldn't break out into tears. Shh, shh. Tou murmured- as one would to help calm an innocent baby- as he simultaneously traced her neck line. The gentle giant worked to get his feet beneath him, gently pulling himself from her side, though it hurt him grotesquely to do so. He maneuvered, standing nearer the lass's head. Muzzle lowered, pushing the snow lightly nearer her own snout. Brace yourself. He spoke, an apologetic look already flooding his eyes as he gazed into her own as he gently brought the snow to her gash, packing what seemed to be a decent amount of flurries as lightly as physically possible. He himself grimaced, fearing how much pain it would cause her when any amount of pressure was applied to her wound. When he was somewhat sure the snow would stay in place due both to her fur and such packing, he took a single stride backwards, the beast scrutinizing his work. Like so? He asked her, having very little knowledge in medicinal ways.

[twi]

“I…I think so,” Seraph replied, eying the distance between herself and the cave. She trembled a bit, a mixture of cold and the shock from her injury. Warmth would be the best thing for her now. She looked at Tou with soft eyes as he ran is muzzle briefly over his neck. She had not yet seen this side of him and she liked it immensly. She liked how he clumsily tried to calm her, murmuring “shh” under his breath. She nickered encouragingly at him as he held the snow in his mouth, poised to pack it onto her forehead. She had to resist the urge to pull away, knowing that a rush of pain would precede the numbing to come. He looked so worried, hesitating before he gently placed the snow on her gash. She could not hurt him by shrinking away from his touch, so she braced herself for the shock. It was not as bad as she had suspected and the bleeding slowed almost immediately. She delicately wiped the red droplets off her face, rubbing her cheek against the snow.
“Yes indeed. Nothing to it,” she said with a smile, genuinely amused at how Tou inspected his job.
She looked over at the cave only a short distance off, looking so inviting and warm .
“Tou, I might become momentarily dizzy as I rise. I promise, it will be nothing, so don’t freak out,” she said frankly.
She cautiously stretched her forelegs before gathering her hindquarters beneath her and slowly, falteringly, rising. Just as she had predicted, the ground seemed to sway beneath her, undulating and tilting. I will not fall, she told herself, stiffening her legs. She leaned precariously to one side before finally righting herself and stood panting proudly.

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[tou]

It relieved him nearly tenfold when the flow of her blood ceased beneath the snowy salve. He was glad that he had at least done something right, for once this day. Her next words, though intended to cause him ease, did quite the opposite. As she began to rise, he repositioned himself to her side, closer enough to provide support if she so needed. She rocked upon her clumsy appendages as Tou chewed on his lower lip, fearing she'd plummet to one side, simply causing more damage to herself. The draft watched his heart beating in his eardrums, resounding with each and every heavy beat upon his barrel. He swallowed dryly, a low, quick snort coaxing Seraph as he took a stride nearer the cave. The extension to his spinal column flicked anxiously, nausea creeping into the pit of his stomach as he feared. What was with him? All of these unknown emotions all being introduced to him in just one day, on just a single journey with her. His mane trailed lightly in the breeze as it swept around him, caressing his lithe contours, as if trying to ease the very beast. Single, slow inhale was taken as he attempted to relax, though his senses remained sharp as he watched her in her attempt to enter the cave.

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[twi]

She delicately lifted each dainty leg and made her way slowly up towards the cave. It was not far, but she could feel the beginnings of headache coming on by the time she had reached its entrance. She stood, poised to enter and looked back at Tou. A smile touched her lips to see how he reveled in his newfound role of guardian. He looked ready to take on the world if it meant her harm. Among such pleasant thoughts, a new thought entered her head and Seraph’s eyes suddenly widened at the thought. She could feel the tears that she had so recently banished ready to spring again at moment’s notice. Her worried eyes sought Tou, scrutinizing him as though if she stared hard enough, she could deduce his future actions. Hadn’t the two of them stood in a position quite like this one, but a couple hours before? He had left her then. What was to keep him from doing so once she recovered? Nothing. Nothing at all.

...............
sorry, it's really short.
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[tou]

She was almost there, almost within the comforting jaws of the cave, when she flashed a look back at him, a small smile painted upon her features. This sent a floruish of warmth within him, starting at his core and working outwards towards his skin. But as she looked back, her orbs grew wider, and there seemed to be this look within her eyes, something he couldn't quite place, couldn't quite decipher. His honars twisted on themselves, snuggling close to his massive skull as he noted such a change. What is it, Seraph? He spoke, his worrisome tones spoken quickly. Is it the pain? Tou inquired, presuming that that was truly all she could be so worked up over ... right? Massive dags propelled him forward a stride or two, closer to her now as his eyes inspected the compact snow, smack dab in the middle of her skull. Perhaps he really hadn't done it right. Just maybe, it wasn't numbing her pain. Tendons in his jaw grew taut as he clenched his teeth a bit, fearing such.

[twi]

A mixture of a little laugh and a sob made for a choked sound emanating from her throat. Her breath caught and she swallowed back a lump. Her lips turned up at one corner, but not the other. How she hated mixed emotions. It was sweetly amusing how worried Tou was over her health and for that she laughed, but her fears overruled mirth.
“No, the pain…it’s not bad. It’s just…”she hesitated, dashing the tears out of her eyes with a single shake of her head. She regretted the action when the clump of snow covering the wound also flew off, bloodied and soggy. A single, thin stream of blood trickled down her forehead before soaking into her soft pelt. She ignored it.
“I just,” she began again then stopped, swallowing back the huge lump in her throat that threatened to choke her.
“Tou, why did you come back?” She finally blurted. The words were not what she had on her mind and for a moment she was surprised that she had said them, but as she allowed herself to mull over the question, she decided that it was very relavent. She stared at Tou, deliberately meeting his gaze with her own so that she could look him in the eye. She knew it was harder to lie when making eye-contact and while she doubted Tou would do anything of the sort, she was taking no chances.

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[tou]

The sound that had struck a chorus from her chest cavity had certainly caught Tou's attention, causing him to then take notice to how she seemed to be torn in half, directed two completely different ways in whatever troubled her mind. He was about to lightly scold her for being so careless as to allow her makeshift bandage to be removed, but the articulation that pressed upon his ears caused him to freeze up. Every muscle seemed to succumb to some psychological hypothermia, stiffening and growing rigid. His thoughts, having been previously raging within his think box, topics ranging from her health, to her beauty, to the weather - all of them ceased to exist the moment she interrogated him with such. Not because it caught him off guard - no, he had been expecting some type of rebelliosu act from her out of sheer spite because he had left. And while this differed greatly from that, it was still not entirely unforeseen. No, his internal mental processes had halted, all because he tried to focus on this one particular question.

Seraph's gaze met his, Tou's sight locked onto hers, unable to look away. He tried to hide the overwhelming guilt that flooded his entire structure, his stomach twisting and turning. How could he possibly explain that, while he had left because his emotions for her were far too strong, he had returned because of the weather, not because of her. While she was certainly a focal point in his decision, she had not truly been his main purpose for return. His jaws parted, his soft, gentle eyes softening as he tried to figure a way to explain to her. He couldn't hurt her, not again. But he wouldn't veer from the truth either. Finally, his vocals decided to cooperate. To be entirely honest ... he hesitated, practically praying it'd lessen the load for her if she knew he atleast felt the need to speak no lies to her, The storm's increasing power caused me to change my mind. He spoke, his tail flicking anxiously at his rump. He wasn't sure if he should include why he had left or not. She hadn't quite asked, but how could he simply pour his heart out to her? How does one possibly explain the way their heartbeat can thud the very name of another, every thought somehow reverting back to a single soul. He was lost for words, unable to speak any more.He averted his gaze, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks as his pulse increased. He was certainly glad such pigment colors were hidden beneath his fur.

[twi]

Seraph turned, slowly, silently, back towards the cave, the tears that had been overflowing in her deep eyes finally spilling down. She cried, her body shaking with silent sobs but no sound escaping. She was acutely aware of just how cold she was and how her head ached. All she wanted was to lie down and be still. She wanted to look back and see if Tou was still standing there but she did not dare. His words had cut her deeply. At least he had not lied. She would have despised him then, but as it was, she could hardly bare the knowledge that he had returned simply because he needed shelter. Not because he cared for her. She could have lain like that under the snow for an eternity, until she froze, had not the blizzard increased its fury. Her ribcage shook as she arched her back in an attempt to stop herself from crying so visibly. How she hated being so emotional, especially in front of Tou. Not that it mattered anymore. For he had not returned for her. He had returned for him.


.............
I'm sorry it's very short, I don't have much time

[tou]

His sharp truth seemed to stab through her like a sharpened spear, nicking every vital organ in the process. When she finally began to weep, he simply couldn't handle it anymore. It shattered him, seeing her like this, and all because of him. Liquid emotion poured from her eyes, though he couldn't see such, for Seraph had turned away from him. His fuzzy ears swiveled to compress against his dome, his brow furrowing over his soft blue visionaries. He took a hesitant stride forward, fearing she'd reject him and send him on his way, to trek through this weather, all because he had acted as he did. He wouldn't mind. Sure, it would hurt him. But he deserved it. His neck muscles stretched as he extended his skull toward her, carefully, and ever so lightly, touching her side, before lifting his muzzle off of her hide. But I

[/i]did[/i] come back. [/b][/color] he murmured to her, his tail swaying a little at his posterior end. I could have looked for shelter elsewhere. Tou said, feeling horribly for having had exposed the cruel truth. His gaze shifted, moving to the ground as he stared at its blinding whiteness. But Seraph, you don't understand. The behemoth said gently, trying to configure a way to explain to her how, for the first time in the entirety of his life, he had found something - someone - that could prevent him from continuing his escapades.

Tou desperately thought about how to inform her of his growing adorement for her, as if his very core had learned her name, whispering it with every massive breath, each beating of his heart. Tried to tell her how she had not only performed a miracle, but that she was one herself, like an angel descended from the gloriful golden gates themselves. That she had tattooed her name into his mind, his soul, that would forever remain no matter if he liked it or not. But he again lost his voice amongst the swirling flurries, his skull ever so slighly shaking side to side, maw very slightly opened, as he tried to piece it all together, tried to solve the puzzle of how to tell her. A sigh was heaved from him as he fought for the words he needed.[/color][/blockquote][/size]

[twi]

Seraph’s skin shivered at his touch and she turned towards him, listening attentively to his words. He sounded contrite, almost desperate. A little flicker of hope ignited in her and she stared at him with pained eyes, wanting to believe that what she was hearing but hardly daring to. She raised a tentative head, her creamy forelock dipping across her eyes. She swallowed hard, staring at Tou. She tried to speak but found that she could not. He was trying so earnestly to convince her of his good will. Surely if he had truly felt for her, he would not have left at all. How could an hour’s worth of time back together change that? If he did not care for her then he certainly did not care for her now and he could have before, after leaving so abruptly?
She turned, slowly, deliberately, and positioned herself so that she stood right in front of him. She extended her neck, twisting it to the side, staring up at Tou gravely. Her voice was low but controlled when she spoke.
“What don’t I understand? You left me and that is all there is to it. If I am to trust you, tell me this; what is to keep you from leaving me again?”
The words were blunt, even harsh. Seraph hated to think what effect they would have on Tou, but she did not regret them. She had to know and was willing to procure the knowledge at any cost.

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