Rory’s fingers were on his lips, preventing him from answering with words. Fey impulse took him then, driven by the wild beat of his pulse and the tentative but powerful hope that blossomed from the banked coals of his earlier dashed optimism, growing stronger for the emotional squall it had just weathered. He wasn’t brave enough to watch his friend’s reaction, though, and so he closed his eyes as he brushed a gentle kiss to callused skin for his answer – his acceptance.
Gentle words and wry humor were a balm to the fox’s soul, and Isuma purred with relief as she felt the tension – well, some of it, the darker, sharper edges of it – ease from her companion’s heart. He had so much to learn, and the little gryphlet was glad she was not his only teacher! She butted her head against Rory’s cheek happily as she rumbled, and the smile returned to Jigano’s lips as he watched her easy affection with hisso much more than a friend.
”I am with you,” he assured softly, and then rose to his feet with liquid grace fueled by relief that, though they were different and might misunderstand each other at times, they had come too far since Leafchange to lose each other so easily. It was an important lesson he vowed to remember, that neither would willingly, knowingly hurt the other. If only they could let each other explain…
He tugged coaxingly on Rory’s captured hands to pull the hunter up with him, the warmth returning to his eyes as he smiled at his friend once more. ”Let’s sit outside,” he suggested. ”We were too long in the dark, during Long Night. And… there is inspiration, for a bard, in the way your hair captures the sunlight,” he added shyly, with none of his usual confident, platonic playfulness that might have driven the words if he had been speaking to Rexanna or Caiside.
Gentle words and wry humor were a balm to the fox’s soul, and Isuma purred with relief as she felt the tension – well, some of it, the darker, sharper edges of it – ease from her companion’s heart. He had so much to learn, and the little gryphlet was glad she was not his only teacher! She butted her head against Rory’s cheek happily as she rumbled, and the smile returned to Jigano’s lips as he watched her easy affection with his
”I am with you,” he assured softly, and then rose to his feet with liquid grace fueled by relief that, though they were different and might misunderstand each other at times, they had come too far since Leafchange to lose each other so easily. It was an important lesson he vowed to remember, that neither would willingly, knowingly hurt the other. If only they could let each other explain…
He tugged coaxingly on Rory’s captured hands to pull the hunter up with him, the warmth returning to his eyes as he smiled at his friend once more. ”Let’s sit outside,” he suggested. ”We were too long in the dark, during Long Night. And… there is inspiration, for a bard, in the way your hair captures the sunlight,” he added shyly, with none of his usual confident, platonic playfulness that might have driven the words if he had been speaking to Rexanna or Caiside.
