Unexpected
To a passerby they would have been nothing but a blur against the damp green of the trees, a slight disturbance in the silent forest. But nothing more. The two young Wolfbloods raced through the twisted vines and pale brown trees, laughing and shouting as they made their way through the forest. They came to a stop by the lake, panting and gasping for breath. The female laughed and looked at her reflection in the crystal like water, her eyes shining yellow. She sighed contently and fell back on the grass. The male mirrored her actions, taking a strand of her hair and twirling it around in his gentle fingers.
"I missed this." he said, breathing in the familiar scent of the lake and resting his head on the moss covered ground. The female nodded and pushed herself up onto her elbows, "Then why did you leave?" she asked.
The male shook his head, "To be honest Maddie, I don't know."
Maddie nodded again, "Was it because of your brother? Your mam? I know you missed them."
"Yes...no. I don't know." he sighed, sitting up and hunching his shoulders.
"It's ok Rhydian," she comforted him, "They are your family...but next time, give me more warning."
Rhydian nodded and grasped Maddie in a bone crushing hug. Tears pricked in her eyes, threatening to spill over, but Rhydian noticed and quickly wiped them away,
"What's the matter?" he asked, releasing her slightly so that he could see her face. Maddie sighed,
"I just feel really guilty, if you need to be with your family, you should go find them, but I missed you so much, it wasn't right when you weren't here."
Rhydian took her head in his hands and moved it so that she was looking right at him, "Listen, I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I could never, ever leave you."
Maddie smiled, tears welling up once again. She thought back to the day he'd left, Tom telling her that Rhydian loved her. But she'd never believed him, and even now, when they were only centimeters apart, with her sitting on his lap and his arm draped across her shoulders, there was no way he loved her.
"We need to get back." Maddie interjected, breaking their embrace, "Mam will get mad again otherwise."
Rhydian, who previously was smirking, now had a pace of pure horror, "Oh God, no one wants to re-live that right?" he asked nervously,
Maddie grinned and laughed, "If we go now, we won't be late and she won't dye your hair pink again, trust me."
Rhydian sighed and nodded reluctantly and stood up, brushing the leaves of his trousers, "Lead on captain!" he exclaimed, standing up straight and saluting, Maddie laughed at his idiocy and ran in the direction of the house.
Ten minutes later they both stumbled into the small cottage, panting and giggling like three year olds. Maddie didn't think she could take another step, but the smile on Rhydian's face was worth all of the breath she didn't have. Rhydian collapsed on the sofa, his soft blonde hair falling over one eye, and flicked on the television. He shifted sideways and threw his legs up on a chair nearby.
"Making ourselves at home are we?" Maddie teased, moving his legs slightly. She sat down next to him and changed the channel to something less gory, chuckling as he whined. For a while they sat flicking through the channels until suddenly a bang sounded at the door making them both jump to their feet, clutching at each other for protection.
"What on earth was that?" Maddie breathed in, her hand flying to her jittering heart. Rhydian sniffed the air and froze...
"What? Who is it?!" Maddie persisted.
"They're back".
