There was nothing she would have liked more than to laze in the midst of the forest, to soak up the vibrant energy that it buzzed eternally with – but with a clawed hand upon her head, messing up her tresses ( not that she cared too much about the tidiness of her hair ), she had no luxury of time. To react was to survive, and though she was fully capable of incapacitating the fanged beast, she opted for a what she hoped was a snarky response. Fear did not course through veins, but somehow, something else did. She could not precisely define the sensation, but the defiant gaze did not falter. Chocolate took note of the tousled blond hair, the ears she immediately desired to reach for, the lips that would usually hide now bared fangs. Head tilted, she merely smiled at both the familiar chime of crystals clinking in her ears, and the masculine features contorting with rage.
She found it mildly amusing.
He did not.
"The fuck do you mean your forest?! I've been here forever! This is my forest! Ain't no snotty brat faced princess going to be claiming my forest!"
Veins popped as muscles tensed further – his attempt at intimidation seemed so futile at her casual stance; she held no weapons, but the pointy ears indicated enough. Unlike the intruders of the past, she was no human. The little trinkets pierced into her ears tingled as finger brushed against. While he likewise adored several ( though he recalled little as to when and how ), the styles were a jarring difference. They were opposites.
He, a wolf with blood on his hands, death in his breath.
She, a fae with magic on her hands, life in her breath.
But it mattered not what she was; nothing changed the fact that the forest belonged to him. He was the King of the damn forest; of all the magical beings that darted through, of all the animals that took and gave to the growth and essence of the forest. No puny little fairy princess was going to change anything.
Thus he aligned vision with hers, and all but spat in her face. If claws and fangs did not scatter her wits and send her running, he was forced to use far more brutal force. She had her warning, so be it. He took strength from the mighty forest itself, drawing upon its power through bare feet. Fae or not, she was a fool to challenge a wolf king at his prime in his place of origin.
She will pay the price.
He slid his hand from temple to jawline, ignoring the trickle of crimson as he marked a path – he squeezed, almost finding her compressed cheeks amusing; almost did laughter slip, but he snarls off his almost blunder.
"Listen here, roundface. I don't care what you are, or whatever the fuck you think you can do with this forest. There is only one King in this damn forest, and it's me. So you can turn around and get the fuck out of here because I'm not sharing my fucking forest with some prancing little fairy princess. The only way you're staying is if I eat you. Alive."
Her final warning served, the wolf leans back with a satisfied grin. Surely the outright threat would shake her, she did not seem old enough to be one of those annoying fucks who were 'almighty'. No, she, he can chase off with ease.
Yet despite the scent of iron that seeped into their surroundings, still she smiles. In fact, she laughs and takes his hand into hers, her gentle touch prying claws off her face with ease he did not expect. As though her very touch weakened and sapped him of his strength, he watched in utter confusion as she shifted her cheek into his palm; a tender cradle despite the fact that their positions as predator and prey.
"Do you hear that? The heartbeat of the forest?"
He scoffed, immediately believing her a childish fool. Of course he did. One only had to bemildly sensitive to realize that the forest had a life of its own, that the magic that surged through the earth came in waves mimicking a heartbeat. It was normal for a magical forest, they had lives of their own. She was making a fuss of something typical.
"I've traveled across the world to come here, driven by nothing but what's within me. Here. This forest. You may be King of the Forest, but you… You're in my heart." Her words, once uttered, felt so right. As if the proclamation affirmed the connection, the endless yearning finally came to a halt. The compass within stilled. Everything fell into place, she was home. She was complete.
He had heard of such possibilities, but never once would it have crossed his mind that he would encounter such – especially not whilst he lived in the forest for his entire life. Never once did he step foot outside the forest, though deny as he may, it would have been impossible anyway. Nonetheless there was potential truth in her words, for palm cupped her cheek but thumb rested upon throat, and there the steady rhythm thumped a matching pace to the world around him.
Exact. Precise. Unwavering.
"I am whole again." She murmurs, and he swears he sees tears in her eyes. His forest. His damn forest. Of all things it had to be, it had to be a fae's heart. Of all the fucking things in the fucking world.
"You gotta be fucking kidding me."
A/N: It's been a while! My bad! I have been posting mostly on AO3 and I completely forgot to update it over at .