Dinotopia- Chapter 8- A Tight Friendship

Ripple of Love- Romance/Adventure- Started: 8/8/2010

A/N: Sorry my dear readers for not updating. I finally am finding the time to work on my story. Thank goodness. Anyway here it is.

Akyna sat up in her linen sheets and looked around the bare room, all that was in there was the bed, a window, and the dresser. The walls were a clay tan and barren of any pictures. Akyna shrugged and kicked the sheets off. As she opened her door, she noticed something was off. No sound of claws tapping on the floor, no sound of a knife cutting on the cutting board. Akyna was puzzled; walking to the other bedroom, she peeked in.

Ripelle was gone.

At first Akyna wanted to run to the door and call to him around the city, but then she stopped herself when she got to the bottom step. Ripelle wasn't just some animal that required posters that said "Lost, if found please contact…" Ripelle was an intelligent person, well, by person she meant dinosaur but in any case, she knew Ripelle would return. Hearing her stomach growl, Akyna decided to help herself, she was sure Ripelle wouldn't mind.

As she grabbed a knife from the counter and began cutting an apple into wedges, she didn't notice that Ripelle had just stepped in. Looking at her, he smiled. She was still in her sweat shorts and her dress shirt. Ripelle found himself staring at ever feature, from her legs and up. Even the things Ripelle didn't see he found himself thinking about wanting to see. Such a thought would send Ripelle over the edge in ecstasy, which was now frequent now that Akyna was present in his life, just as it was now. Blushing Ripelle silently made his way upstairs and walked into his room. Picking up a book from the shelf, he read through the first chapter as he waited for his thoughts about the beautiful girl down stairs to settle, and therefore settling himself down. Going back down the stairs Ripelle saw Akyna still cutting, but now it was carrots. Ripelle smiled and with a white knuckle knocked on the frame of the opening, causing Akyna to jump slightly as she turned around.

"Oh, Ripelle you scared me." Akyna smiled at the raptor and shook her head as she went back to the board, "So where were you? I was worried. Everything okay?"

Ripelle didn't speak. Just walked up behind the girl and grabbed her waist and hug from behind. The tip of his snout nuzzled her hair. He loved her sent, but he was kind of scared she would shy away, but she didn't. Akyna giggled and looked back at him sitting the knife down and her hands found his as she held onto them,

"Uh, Ripelle is this some kind of Dinotopian hug or something?" she giggled more as the raptor nibbled her ear. He stopped, then went back to just hugging her.

'That was a little too far.' He thought to himself. He just hugged her and finally he answer her waiting question, "I, uh, was just out and I saw one of the humans lose one of their own," Akyna looked back at him astonished, he bit his lower lip, "and well, just seeing that happen," he looked down into her beautiful eyes, the eyes he has become so engrossed in from the beginning, "made me realize just how beautiful life is and how beautiful it is to have someone in your life." he didn't know why but he quickly kissed her head, lucky for him she didn't shiver or shy like he'd been expecting.

"Mate or not." he added, "You just want to be able to cherish every last waking minute with them, so that way," he suddenly found his vision becoming blurry, "that way they don't leave thinking they were without love their whole lives."

Something hit his hand and then he noticed that he wasn't the only one with tears now. Akyna was crying too. Holding tighter to his hands nuzzling his neck she cried. Ripelle just stood there and held her, afraid to even let her go. "My mom always looked that way towards life," Akyna sobbed, "Ripelle, please don't ever leave me alone here!" she turned her body to hug him back, throwing her arms around his neck. He hugged back.

"I promise Akyna, you'll never be alone." He softly said as his tears fell finally, finally after his years alive since his pack had died, he was finally able to let his tears fall and no one would even care. Ripelle gripped her tighter. He never wanted to leave this moment of being this close to Akyna; she made him feel like he was worth something even if it was just to her that was all he would need. Just be worth something to the beautiful girl he was holding. Then she spoke, and what she said took him completely off guard,

"I love you." Her muffled voice whispered, "You're my greatest friend Ripelle and even if we aren't mates, I want to be your friend if no one else will be. You're worth nothing Ripelle," Ripelle suddenly looked at her in question but relax at the next statement, "because I wouldn't trade you for anything."

Ripelle squeezed tighter as his tears fell faster and streamed down his face and his body shook in a silent sob. Love. The one thing he thought for so long he wouldn't have in his life since he began to live in this retched city. Even if it was just friendship, he still felt needed now that he heard those words. Then he spoke four words he never thought he'd say again,

"I… love you too."

A/N: Sorry for the long wait everyone, I've been really busy lately and haven't been given much time. I'm also currently writing my own novel so that also takes most of my time. But I promise I will work around my schedule to get back on here. Until then.