[IC] Journey to the East

[snelss0]

Elann spoke romantically to her husband, who just seemed to look away. In her heart, she knew that he loved her, he just didn't know or want to show it in the way she wanted him to. He held her hand and squeezed it; that was victory enough for her in that moment. Still, she longed for him to yearn for her. She kept her eyes on him, studying his face in its depth and eventually he looked at her again. The involuntary shivers spoke to him and he released his hand from hers, coming up with his fingers to brush at her skin. It sent chills down her spine all the more and the bumps seemed to react to him.

It was then his voice sounded, and her eyes that had faltered to watch him play on her skin snapped back to his. The slightest tug told her he wanted her close, and as he shifted his body to accommodate her, she knew where he wanted her. A small smile came across her face as she crawled gently on him. Her eyes watched with care to make sure that he was not hurt by her. When she was settled, she sighed happily and she affectionately rubbed her forehead against his jawline in an silent, almost animalistic way. She then wrapped herself in his arms, trying her best not to die from the cold.

"It's a beautiful night."

She wanted to say more to him: all about how she loved it when he held her like he was doing, how she was thinking a lot about being like she was with him right then and how she wanted to do that more when they lived outside of town in the house that he had suggested. She also wanted to tell him how she looked forward to meeting his family and running with them in the forests; even though it wasn't who she was. She wanted to conform to him, to his true self more, but she couldn't be open with him, she couldn't express herself without feeling like she was bugging him. Instead, she just kept her distance and silently looked into the night sky.

Bat's were seen flying about against the moonlight, which Elann had no idea what they were, and even an owl was hooting in the distance of the caravan, looking for its next meal. There was plenty of sounds coming from the forest, and it seemed like the unbridled nature around them didn't fear man. It was thicker where they were, even thicker than where Elann had shot the bear, and it was clear that the forest there had not seen fire in a long long time. Elann felt fearful for some reason. The trees were darker than she had seen most nights, and much more ominous. Even the sound of the river had all but disappeared, and the light from the fire she doubted would protect them. That night, she was glad to sleep in the wagon with Noah and Aimee.

[Illumin0sity]

Noah hummed in agreement to Elann’s statement. It was a night that was the picture of what he believed to be beautiful. Though they were looking at the sky, he could see the darkened branches above and before them. They swayed in the gentle wind that blew occasionally and bats came to obscure the moon. He could tell by their shape, their flying movements, what they were. The hooting of an owl in the distance told him that a rodent would be taking its last breaths soon. The world, the wild, was in perfect order, or disorder depending on who looked at it. To him, though, the wild was how it was supposed to be.

Noah held Elann, his pain dully into an ache since he wasn’t moving in his hold of her. His head above hers, he could smell her hair and how it was swept in the smells of his wild. He was glad to have the lightness of her rose powder gone, though he wouldn’t say. It was a natural smelling scent to some degree, he knew, yet it wasn’t hers and so it was off-putting in the slightest way. That said, he wasn’t utterly against her dousing herself in any smell she liked, so long as she didn’t lose the first few scents he smelled on her person upon their first few days as acquaintances, he would be alright.

He contently remained until Elann got too cold, his produced heat inefficient in warming her against the consistently dropping temperatures as the night waned. Another dosage of the tea was given to him and he was soon asleep as well, with her on the pallet on the floor of the wagon. He didn’t wake until early morning crept in, the sun still yet to make its appearance but the birds were chirping to announce its soon to be arrival. Noah woke to that chirping, listening to the morning chatter his avian friends brought to the once quiet air, when night turned to twilight.

Aimee was curled further beneath the blanket, her tail sticking out, but that was all he could see; she was a lump under the blanket Elann had draped over her last night. He was warm under the blanket and the medicine still lingered in his system, dulling some of the ache that the usual morning brought. His rib weren’t on fire that morning, and he was thankful for that, knowing when it came to stretching he would really be awake. As if provoked, his morning stretch came, pulling at his body as he fought to keep some control over how far his limbs reached under the blanket. He groaned, both in pleasure and pain as the stretch progressed. It retreated, letting him lie limply there until someone woke up.

[snelss0]

Elann fell into a deep sleep. Comforted by the eventual warmth of the blanket and her husband's nearby body, she fell into that sleep and didn't even move as the birds began to sing. Even as he stretched she only slightly woke up. Often times she was up before him, but that day she was not. It wasn't that she was so comfortable. It was because of the nice heat surrounding her. Her head was hidden like Aimee's, under the blanket, and so she was cozy.

Upon his stretch, it let a small bit of the cold air in and she shifted slightly. Her lips puffed out a little and she began to breath a tiny bit harder than normal; a clear sign she had gone back to sleep.

She still lay there next to him as she had last night and her dress still lay at the front of the wagon. The smallest mumble came from her lips as she seemed to talk in her sleep for a moment, but then nothing else came. If he moved anymore, especially lifting the blanket to view where she was hidden within, then she would wake and slightly crack her eyes open.

[Illumin0sity]

Noah turned his head to the right, looking at the lump in the blankets that was Elann. Last night she was quiet, voicing a few things, but remained particularly soft spoken. He enjoyed the moment they had last night until Elann voiced she was too cold to continue it. Maybe it was because he was allowed to think and be in his own mind while being with her at the same time, or maybe it was because he was seemingly allowed to forget about their fight. Now in the morning, he thought about it and found the wound to be fresh and painful, dully aching, hardly felt, but unable to be stitched like his worldly scratches.

Noah rolled onto his left side, edging himself towards Elann until he was pressed against her. His right hand slowly shifted the blankets so that he, too, was beneath them, her hair in his face. The same hand came back down to delicately drape over her waist, fingers lightly grazing across her abdomen. He took a breath, her hair’s smell coming into his nostrils, and he was content with sleeping a little longer. Unless Elann commented on his shifting, he was falling on away.

The Kelvic’s thoughts wandered to his nightmare. He hadn’t been asked about it, but was unsure if he wanted to be. The contents, he felt, could damage what he considered an already fragile relationship. There was a tiny fear in him that, if divulged, it would hurt Elann. Seeing as that was unfavorable for now, he stayed quiet on it and hoped it wouldn’t haunt him again.

[snelss0]

The lack of communication between her and Noah bothered Elann greatly. She had been able to tell that he had had a nightmare previously, but was helpless to ask about it; helpless to comfort him. Only last night, when he pulled her to him, could she feel as if there was something there between them. She hated to leave him, hated that she was too cold to remain romantically bound in his arms, and her utter failure to follow through, led her to where she was.

Coming into the blanket, Elann sleepily eyed Noah as she lay on her back. No matter how hot she was, Elann never sweat unless her heart beat was elevated. Her skin felt like it was feverish in heat, that it could almost literally burn his hand, but as he edged closer and lightly grazed her abdomen, she squirmed a little in her process of waking. Little moans and groans came from her, but eventually she stopped. His fingers, while able to feel the heat on her body, would come to tell that it was a fake heat, that just by touching her for a few moments, it seemed to disperse and was only skin deep; not lasting like a fever.

Elann had to remember where she was and what had happened- something that was not easy for her. She had to recall her husband's injuries and to not pull her arms around him. She did respond to his loving or curious touches and shifted her head to rest closer to his, but for everything else, she remained motionless. It wasn't long before she too fell into an even deeper sleep, comforted all the more by his presence near her.

They were awakened by their driver raising the tail guard of the wagon and latching it into place and pulling the flap closed. Elann's butt was cold, and unbeknownst to her, had been seen by the driver as he checked his wagon for breaks in the wheels. Having come around the back and seen her now that the light had come up, he did what most decent people would do, and hid her from the world.

His voice sounded out from behind the flap, "Better get up soon if you want breakfast. We are leaving soon."

Elann had a little heart attack at the suddenness of her waking and the sound of another man's voice. She felt safe seeing how she was in her blanket with Noah, but given her cold rump, she quickly felt to pull the blanket to cover it and felt horribly embarrassed. It was enough to wake her up and to lower the flap of the blanket off of her face. Her sleepy eyes trailed over to her husband to blinkingly see if he was even there.

[Illumin0sity]

Resting, Noah had been dozing in and out of sleep as the daylight broke and streamed out over the valley they were in. The further it came into the valley, piercing through the wagon’s closed flap, the sharper the birds seemed to become in Noah’s ears. He awoke at the slightest rustling of inside, be is Elann’s deep sighs or his sister’s shuffling on the bench, Noah opened his eyes to the room. Lying, he observed Elann as she slept. It was dark underneath the blanket, but the smell of her hair was close and the strands could be felt sparingly on his cheek and nose.

Elann was radiating heat and it could be felt whenever he smoothed his hand to a new position over her bare body. The heat was conforming to his though, and seemingly dispelled to replace the warmth on her skin where his arm had once been. He played a curious game with it in his wakefulness, waiting a moment before gingerly moving his arm over her body again, feeling the heat lessen before moving his arm once more. It was hardly a stimulating game but he was captivated by it enough to pass the time, time enough for a sound to happen that caused him to peek out of the blankets, halting his game.

A voice came, the voice of the driver, telling them to hurry and wake if they wanted breakfast; they would be leaving soon. Noah hadn’t kept track of the time, the residents of the wagon relatively deaf to the world around them, save for Noah who wasn’t paying attention. Peeking out of the blanket, Noah looked to Aimee on the bench, switching his attention to Elann as the cover shifted on her side. Then, the blanket pulled down from her head and her eyes found Noah’s peeping out from the blanket, which covered his face from the bridge of his nose down.

He blinked at her a few times, searching her sleepy eyes with his curious ones. “Hello,” he sounded quietly from under the blanket, his voice muffled slightly. “It’s almost time to go.” He continued to look at her, his eyes large and alert in their faintly olive color. In a way, they could’ve been seen as adorable in that moment.

[snelss0]

Having been jolted awake by the sound of the driver, she looked over to Noah who cutely had his head peering out over the blanket's edge. He said something that made her focus all the more on him. Something about it being time to go. That was what had woken her up. Her return hello was delayed as she blinked toward him.

She then looked to him confused in a sleepy way as if she was going to ask something at first, but then crumpled down to lay her head back down on the floor. She cleared her throat a moment later and then cracked her eyes open toward him. She loved him so much and just wanted to roll on top of him and kiss him, but she kept her distance. Finally her voice crept out.

"Were...were you touching me when I slept? I had a dream you were...I don't know...just doing something."

She couldn't tell if it was all in her head or if he actually was doing something, but he looked curiously awake there next to her, where she was usually the more alert one in the morning right after waking. While it was more accurate to say she was the highly functional waker, she was not really awake until much later. She still could play it off though that she was very awake.

It didn't seem to bother her in the least as she laid back on her back, bringing her hands to her bare waist to play across her skin by her belly button. Soon she would have to get dressed and go attain some breakfast for herself and Noah. She just hoped they had enough time to cook their own food so they didn't have to eat the cook's. It wasn't that he was horrible. It was just that she cooked much better.

[Illumin0sity]

Elann returned his hello after a moment, blinking, then looking at him as if she was confused over something. Her many faces, subtle or not, were interesting and humorous to him but he kept his composure as she laid her head back down on the floor. He kept peeking at her as she cleared her throat, asking if he had been doing anything while she was sleeping. Noah nodded, humming an “mhm” softly underneath the blanket. “I was touching you,” he admitted.

“Your skin is hot,” he stated, moving his right hand slowly back towards her as it had withdrawn when she woke up. He pressed it softly down on her tummy, just above her hands that played with her navel. “Like this.” Noah demonstrated by letting his hand rest and then moving it somewhere else on her stomach, staying above her navel. He did it two more times before pulling his hand back to himself, letting it rest carefully atop his stitched ribs.

“Are you going to wait for the cook?” he asked, muffled underneath the blanket. “I think you should take a break.”

He spoke genuinely. Usually at this time Elann would be up and cooking for the three of them, but she had done that so much, he asked her to relax. He wasn’t sure if she would even heed his words, but it was mostly because he didn’t want to get up just yet, very comfortable underneath the blanket and near his bondmate.

[snelss0]

Elann turned her head to view him with a small smile as he answered with an "mhm". Her grin only grew as he admitted to touching her, but there was a curious twinkle in her eyes that demanded a playful explanation, not that he needed to have a reason to touch her. As he explained, she laughed very lightly and settled back, looking up at the canvas. There was mirth on her face, and as he demonstrated, she nodded slightly, looking down at the blanket as if she were able to see through it to his playful hands.

"Yeah...that's what I felt," she chuckled softly. "I thought I was dreaming it, but then it felt so real. I'm actually a little cold," she confessed. It was like her skin took all the heat from inside her core and displayed itself proudly, but that left her an icecube inside. Particularly her feet and hands were freezing, but they too felt sweltering hot to the touch.

She met with his eyes as he suggested she take a break. It was spoken genuinely, and definitely wasn't something he had said to her before. Her experience with him told of his secret desire in suggesting that she stay with him. With her hands, she took his and sort of gave his limb a little hug - since she couldn't do that with his body and she slipped back down into the blanket and a little closer to him.

"A break sounds nice," she said in a way that expressed her love for him as she scooted a little closer. She didn't move all the way to him as she still in her heart wanted to give him the space he wanted (or so she thought), but it was a clear sign that if he wanted her to be with him, she was there by his side.

"I should try to make this more comfortable for you back here hmm? I mean...I don't know why I haven't thought about it before, but I should decorate back here like I do in the tent. Would you like that? It might give you more cushion."

[Illumin0sity]

“Cold?” Noah questioned. He didn’t understand. Elann’s ever-shifting body temperature was a total mystery to him. She could feel immensely hot but say she was cold, in this instance, or her hands and feet could be total ice cubes in comparison to his own body which was seemingly constant and hotter than what the normal person’s was.

Meeting her eyes, she said a break sounded nice then scooted all the closer to him. Next came the suggestion of cushioning the back of the wagon with decorations resembling those in the tent. “I would like that,” he answered, parroting her posed question.

Noah rolled from his shoulder to lie onto his front, his head turned towards her. The blanket, in the movement, fell away to reveal the bottom portion of his face. His right shoulder rubbed against her shoulder now, and that was the extend of his moving towards her. He brought his left hand under his cheek to raise his head a little from the floor. Noah wondered if Elann would be how she was last night as well, or how she had been in the past few days. There had been a distance there he couldn’t physically close. She seemed content when she was away, but whenever she was around there was a particular sense of longing in her eyes and mannerisms.

Unsure of what to truly make of it, he stayed his own course and focused on healing. Lethargy came and stayed with him many times since his injuries being inflicted, and he was growing beyond bored with lying around, but it hurt to move in most cases. Sleep and being stationary were his best bets and it was what he wanted to do today, lie there so he wouldn’t be achy and annoyed.

“I’m warm,” he said playfully in contrast to her saying she was cold. “Nice and warm, mhm.” He nodded along with his hum, and he was smiling in a teasing manner.

[snelss0]

Elann nodded a little to him. She knew it didn't make sense that she was cold, but she was. She had some strange temperature regulation in her body that must have helped her survive the desert and live comfortably where others would be roasted alive. That regulation didn't carry over to the much colder lands between Syliras and Zeltiva.

Elann nodded and playfully whined when he said he was nice and warm. It was a sleepy whine and she scrunched up her nose to him in protest of his play.

"Give this warmth to me."

With her demand, she reached out to tickle at his neck and other spots that wouldn't cause him too much pain until he gave it to her; repeating her demand as she did. That longing in her eyes was further pressed toward him by her giving a tug on their bond. He was dulling it, but she wondered if he could feel the tug. She wanted him closer, like a blanket if possible.

If he finally submitted, one of her hands would come up above her head to support her own neck and she would bring up a finger from her other hand to beckon him to her with it in a curling motion. It was a little seductive, and Elann had forgotten all about Aimee potentially being there, and honestly didn't care. If Aimee grew uncomfortable with the two's actions, she could hop out. Elann was trying to spend time and repair her bond with her husband.

[Illumin0sity]

“No,” Noah whined in reply, pressing his head against his shoulder to stop her from tickling him. He chuckled childishly, his smile widening to show teeth and the grooves his dimples made in his cheeks.

“No, it’s mine, not yours,” he continued through his laughter until she did, giving him a moment to look at her from once closed eyes. His face calmed as he met her gaze, noting the particular sense in them that preceded her tugging on their bond. Noah didn’t have the capabilities to dull the entire bond, only preventing what he was feeling from being communicated down the silver length. Her actions of tugging, her emotions, were still felt. The tugging was clear and unable to be ignored.

As if compelled by her beckoning finger, Noah pressed himself up with his left hand, careful to not put too much pressure on his right arm. He shifted himself a little more towards her, lowering carefully onto his left side, propped up by his elbow. With her directly before him, her side along his front, his other hand snaked towards her under the blanket, smoothing across her abdomen to her waist on the other side.

“What is it?” he asked her, his head resting on his shoulder as he looked down from his slightly elevated position. “You called me.”

That’s what it was, the tug was a call unheard by any ears but his. It wasn’t his ears alone that reacted to the cord’s pull; his entire being felt a deep sense of yearning to be in the presence of his bondmate. Though he could see her, he understood the tug meant ‘come here’ without it being explicitly said.

[snelss0]

Giggles came from Elann as he resisted her, yet laughed. It was not common that the two of them played like they did, especially after a fight, but his resistance made it easy. She settled back on her back and pulled him to her. She canted her head to view him in a longing way as he looked down upon her, much closer now.

She could feel his hand brush along her abdomen and over to her side. She had told him once how it all made her feel, and true to form, he could feel her through the bond just as he had before. Her eyes spoke of her desire for her husband, and as he looked down to her. His voice rumbled to her, seeming to have a more lulling feeling to her soul than it did before, and she pulled on the bond again in response to his question.

She threaded side of her lower lip backward and then rest it softly between her teeth to hold there as she looked up at him.

"Give...me...warmth."

Her voice was almost a whisper, but softer than that. It was doubtful that even Aimee could hear her as it was mostly just her mouthing the words with air behind them. She didn't know in what aspect the two of them could make love, or how hurt he would be, but she was fine with him just coming closer and even just kissing her. A hand of hers came up to gently play at the skin on his chest and to feel the strength in his muscles, but she was very careful not to injure him.

[Illumin0sity]

Looking down at her, he could see her brilliant irises tinge with a newly unquenched thirst. The Fratava coming from her lips seemingly rolled romantically, bordering on seductive as she paused between each word. Her desire and intent was clear to the Kelvic but it wasn’t what he meant to evoke by bringing himself to her. His action, smoothing across her front with his hand, was meant to bring touch innocently. Noah’s eyes flicked upwards to where his sister lay, her mound of a body invisible underneath the blanket she was cuddled under. It was morning, and surely Aimee had heard the birds, yet he couldn’t tell if she was awake or not. She, usually, was an early riser.

Noah looked back to Elann and found himself mentally withdrawing from the moment. He was in a playful mood and it seemingly translated into that of lustful yearning to Elann. The libido he did have didn’t have power here in his hurt, but he did want to please her in some way. His sister was in his mind though, and though it wasn’t an unnatural act to have sex with his bondmate and wife, there was a certain amount of privacy he wanted. His sister wasn’t exactly the greatest potential audience either.

With that in mind, his hand pulled back from across her waist and front, withdrawing as if her lightly placed hand was pushing him away. He saw the want in her eyes though and that gave him further pause. He bit on his tongue, wanting to say something but not wanting to upset Elann either with his rejection. Submitting, he leaned down to her and met her lips with his, pecking to release her pent up passion until it flowed. He continued on, grazing his open palm over her waist again, traveling down over her navel and down on between her legs towards her warmth. Noah kept his movements slow, as to not strain himself, yet kept his meticulous fingers working below as he tried to match her ardor in their kiss above.

Elann had expressed the want to attempt new things, be it in their lovemaking or general life. He figured this was a new thing and would hopefully serve as something to satisfy her pressing tides until they ebbed back from whence they came. Noah wished for her to be quiet like the first time they had made love as to not wake Aimee, whom he couldn’t see clearly due to the lip-lock with Elann. When they broke for breath he gazed in the direction of Aimee and saw her seemingly unmoving frame, yet still had no idea what it meant. His attention returned to his bondmate each time, focus going to his movements below the blankets and the attention he was giving her. He continued on, unwaningly until she peaked and fell or until she asked for a cessation, whichever came first.

[snelss0]

Elann had forgotten all about her sister-in-law in the wagon, having just woken up and her having been gone the past few days. Whatever Elann did see as she briefly looked around didn't seem to reveal that she was there. Noah too seemed to check to see if his sister was in the wagon, looking much more dedicate in that direction. He almost seemed to hesitate and it made Elann curious.

He leaned down and kissed her, seeming to meld into the enjoyment of the moment. It felt so good to her to finally feel passion come from him, even if it was all in her head. She wanted to hope that he desired her and it wasn't all her pulling the made him kiss her, but as his hand went down below her waist, she raised a hand to intercept his. She wanted his warmth and his love, his passion and kisses, but at that moment given his looks upward, she wasn't sure if he saw Aimee or not.

"Is your sister there?" she signaled to him without speaking in question, and if the answer was a yes, then she would stop him completely. If he wasn't sure, she would have to check. One way or another, it seemed that Aimee actually was there and so Elann just smiled to her husband and settled into his presence, completely content with him kissing her and being presently close enough to make her feel warm again.

Just because Aimee was there and they were going to have marital relations, didn't mean she couldn't lavish love upon him and even be sort of playful still with him. She would nip at his lips and nuzzle his cheek, play with his hair and many other such things that she knew he enjoyed or thought he might.

She had told him not long ago that there were no real rules between them, and that meant he didn't have to do anything, but if he felt pressured by her, she had no idea; their bond being closed for the moment to her. Eventually the triangle bell was rang for breakfast and Elann gave him one last kiss and a loving hand ran through his hair once more before she slid from his presence.

"Let me go grab us some food. I don't want you to drink that tea on an empty stomach and I could eat too. We'll get something for Aimee too," she whispered, though she doubted Aimee would bother to eat it.

She would proceed over toward the front to pick up her dress and slide it over her, and once it was hooked in the back, she slipped on her shoes and climbed out the wagon. The Benshira moved to get some breakfast food and was asked by the cook how her husband was, and after a brief conversation with some of the people, she departed and made her way back to him. After setting the dishes down on the bench, she climbed up into the back of the wagon and sat down on the floor. She handed him his plate, and if Aimee was up, she would hand her hers. It seemed he had made salted pork, eggs, and had some bread that was still doing pretty decent for being on the road.

[Illumin0sity]

As Noah’s hand trailed downward it was grabbed suddenly, giving him pause. Pulling back, he read Elann’s lips asking if his sister was there actually. He looked up once more to make sure a final time before nodding with a creased brow of slight confusion. It seemed nothing was to happen, thankfully, and he was relieved. Noah stayed on his side and close to Elann, exchanged kisses with her until she said she was going to grab them food following the breakfast bell being rung. Noah nodded and withdrew, letting her pull away from him to put on her dress she shed the following night. Noah rolled onto his stomach and watched her leave the wagon after putting on her slippers.

He huffed a breath and looked to the mound of blankets that the she-wolf was bundled in. As Elann left the bundle shifted and Aimee’s snout poked out to sniff the air, her nose twitching in its telltale way. The rest of her head came out then, her large ears being the last out as she sat up to scan the wagon’s interior. She noted Elann gone and Noah lying on the pallet on the floor.

The wolf slid to the floor of the wagon and shook out her coat, stretching and yawning with a high pitched whine. Next, she shifted, the human form of Aimee over taking the spot the four legged wolf once stood. Aimee stretched again, groaning as she reached for the wagon’s ceiling, forced to the tips of her toes.

“Hello,” Noah sang towards Aimee.

“Hello,” she replied, moving towards the front of the wagon to where the chests were.

Noah careened his head to view her out of the corner of his eye, listening as the chest opened and it was his and Elann’s, not Aimee’s own. She pulled out one of his shirts and waved it in the air towards him.

“I don’t mind,” Noah said, knowing what his sister was asking.

Aimee draped the shirt over her body then went to her own chest, closing Noah and Elann’s, to pull out a pair of underwear and tights. She put those on slowly then came to the pallet where Noah lie. Her hand came to his head of hair, retracing Elann’s steps in her attention to the curls. Sometimes he felt as if his hair was his most valuable asset as it seemed to attract a lot of attention. Either way, he reveled in it, relaxing all the more as Elann was away and was instead replaced by Aimee.

“You know,” she trailed quietly, “I can sleep outside the wagon if need be.”

Noah snorted a laugh. “I apologize,” he muttered in Fratava.

Aimee waved his apology away with the hand that wasn’t in his hair. She muttered that it was okay, saying ‘worry not’ in Fratava as per usual. Then, Noah voiced quietly that he didn’t necessarily want to continue when he realized his sister was still there. Questioning, Aimee asked why he did. The Kelvic shrugged lightly, wincing as the movement bothered the wound on his back.

“I don’t want to upset her,” he admitted.

Aimee hummed, asking what he meant in one noise, a creased brow, and a tilted head.

Slipping into Fratava, he said, “She wants me to ‘desire’ her.”

“‘Desire’ her?” Aimee questioned in a whisper, her head whirling towards the wagon’s opening as it fluttered, Elann appearing there.

Aimee showed the Benshira a smile and Noah turned his head to face the entrance again. Both of the Kelvics chimed a good morning as the aroma of a cooked meal filled their senses. Aimee brightened as the dishes were brought closer to them and happily took her meal, sniffing over it before starting. With help, Noah sat up with one of the blankets draped across his lap, the plate placed there where he picked from it with his utensil and fingers.

[snelss0]

As Elann showed herself around the backside of the wagon, it seemed she was oblivious to the two's conversation, but was glad to see Aimee in her human form and wearing clothes. They seemed to enjoy the look of the meal and both took theirs when handed them. Elann settled into eating, but a little while later she spoke up to Aimee.

"I like what you are wearing. It looks cute."

She didn't know how wearing a man's shirt and tights could seem cute, but with Aimee's hair and attitude it seemed to match her. She could picture her breaking out into dance much more readily in her current clothing than a dress or something. Elann went back to eating, and when finished, she lowered the back of the wagon and lifted up the flaps so that Noah could sit on the edge and enjoy the air when they were traveling.

When everyone was done with their breakfast and Elann had handed both Aimee and Noah her bacon, she took their dishes and climbed out of the wagon to go put them back with the cook. Her journey would have been much shorter, but someone once again stopped her, asking how they slept. It was common courtesy and she lingered there a moment. Elann was steadily growing closer and closer to people on the wagon train as the days rolled on.

Eventually she headed back and would make sure her husband drank his tea and naturally went to see if he had to go to the bathroom before they started off. If so, her and Aimee could help him down, but would then leave him to his own once more from there. She hated to see him in pain, but it was a necessary evil they had to perform. Elann left Aimee to watch over him as she went back to set up the rugs for him, and by the time he came back, the bench and the floor looked cushioned and comfortable like a bed, and seemed almost soft enough with her fur on top that he could chance laying on his back if he willed it.

Elann was inside praying when they would have come back, and upon hearing them, would hop out and give a hand to help him up as pain free as possible.

"There love, hopefully that's a bit more comfortable for you."

She sort of chewed on her lip and sort of felt like a bad wife having not thought of it sooner, especially since she had seen him in such pain.

[Illumin0sity]

“Thanks so much,” Aimee said in reply to Elann’s compliment. It made the she-wolf happy but she wondered how a man’s shirt and tights looked cute on her. She took it wholeheartedly though, smiling to Elann before she started taking bigger bites of her meal.

Noah ate quietly until his plate was clean then happily ate Elann’s bacon because she offered it too. Chewing the bacon, he watched Elann leave out of the wagon again but Aimee didn’t broach the subject they had spoke about before Elann came with their meals. Instead, she helped Noah get to the edge of the wagon where his legs hung off and they both waited for Elann to return and administer Noah his herbal tea once again. After that, Aimee aided Elann in helping Noah down onto the ground so he could relieve himself before the journey started again. Aimee waited for Noah to return from the thicket as Elann dismissed herself to prepare the wagon to be more comfortable and decorated. Helping Noah back to the wagon, Aimee used Elann’s assistance to get her brother back into the now decorated interior.

Noah walked his way to the fore of the wagon to produce a pair of simple trousers from the shared chest and sat on the bench to put them on as Elann showed her worry. “It should be,” he said, hoping to dispel her doubt.

He settled onto the floor, lying on his stomach still, with a pillow under his head as he waited for the effects of the tea to take hold of him again. He had already planned on lounging around that day so he was content there on the floor underneath the fur blanket he had gifted Elann many weeks ago. Aimee quietly sat on the edge of the wagon, her back against the frame with a book in her lap.

[snelss0]

Putting on trousers was no small matter for someone with his injuries. If he wanted, she would be there to help him put them on, but for the most part gave him independence. Calmly she herself settled down next to Aimee for a little with her needlework and looked to her sister.

"We are well into the journey now."

It was said as though she was trying to start a conversation with her. In truth, Elann felt somewhat ganged up on when it came to her and Noah's fights. What she understood and what they understood as kelvics were two different things, and somewhere in there, Elann had to make it work.

"What do you think? Do you think we are half way yet?"

Aimee having made the journey before in some degree, made Elann want to question the Maned wolf to see if they had just started or if they had actually made decent time.

Elann had long since finished her undergarment and since had been working on a new shirt for Noah to replace his old blood stained one that had been buried somewhere in the forests outside of Syliras.

[Illumin0sity]

Aimee hummed to acknowledge Elann’s words. Though the Kelvic was enthralled by her book, she set her thumb into the page and closed it, looking to Elann at her side. “We are,” she said in reply as her head turned. Aimee sighed into a hum as she tried to consider the days traveled. Then she shrugged, not dismissively but because she didn’t know entirely.

“We should be about half-way, I think,” she managed to say. “Give or take a couple of days, we should be there in about fifteen more.” She peered at Elann then, her pale eyes going over the Benshira’s facial features in an analyzing way. While she couldn’t see as acutely as Noah could, and Noah managed to notice a lot of things Aimee couldn’t, she gave Elann the look anyway.

“Anxious?” she asked curiously, wondering if that was why Elann was inquiring.

They hadn’t talked one-on-one in a long while, and with the fights between Noah and Elann, Aimee had been given reason enough to keep her distance. However, because her brother was injured, she was nearby and always available. It wasn’t likely she would leave for such extended periods any longer since the last time she left Noah was hurt. She knew she couldn’t do anything about it, but being around as a figure of support meant a lot to her. Noah had done the same for her when they were younger and often wouldn’t leave her bedside, risking sickness and discomfort just to stay around her. With that in mind, she planned to do the same for him.

Aimee could see that Elann didn’t know much about comforting the eagle when it came to his distress. She didn’t hold it against Elann though, yet at the same time she didn’t show enough care to teach Elann how to help her husband. Aimee figured Elann would learn it in time, though she believed it should’ve been learned long ago before their bonding. Still, that was more the fault of Noah than Elann, and Aimee understood that. Noah hadn’t told her what he truly saw in Elann or the mysterious and elusive Caesarion. Given she didn’t know who Caesarion was, Aimee was forced to only draw her own assumptions by what she observed of Elann, assuming Noah saw something similar between Caesarion and Elann.

“Can I ask you a question?” Aimee said, shifting to readily face Elann all the more.