Yeah. I own nothing.
Blossom was scrubbing her body in the river that sat near Brick's den. After every intimate action with the wolf, Blossom had to clean herself of her smell before heading back to the village. This was to make sure that Dexter and the other hunters were not suspicious of her travels. This was also to make sure that Brick's location was kept a secret.
As she bathe herself deep in the waters, she took a glance at her lover who sat at the river bank. Brick was dressed in a thin layer of clothing he gathered during his vast travels. He wore a white dress shirt with a brown vest, brown pants and black boots. He always wore an exotic red cap on his head the one he had told Blossom that it was his most prized treasures yet.
Usually Brick would be taking a nap at this time, but this time it was different. He was staring blankly into the distance deep in thought over what Blossom had told him earlier. It frightened Blossom to see him like this. Brick was clearly lost in thought and looked as though he was sinking into a depression. He didn't utter a sound once Blossom left his side and it was killing her to see him like this.
Deciding she was done, Blossom stepped out the waters and quickly dressed herself again. She approached Brick and sat down next to him. Usually he would have acknowledged her presence, but once again, he didn't even bother to move or speak. Tentatively, she placed a hand on his arm snapping Brick out of his trance. He looked to her face and saw more tears threatening to fall from her face. He frowned and jerked his arm away from her.
"Stop that." He growled wiping her eyes free from tears.
"Brick…I—"
"Shut up." He commanded. "I don't want to hear it." He stood up and walked back to his den. Blossom quickly got up and followed after.
"Brick, I know you're angry, but I promise you, this was not my intention to—"
"Your intention? You knew this day would come—we both knew it."
"But never did I realize the impact of this situation!"
"Don't you lie to me woman!" He turned around for her to meet his angry glare. "You prance around in that miserable village showing off your beauty and skin to those men, and you tell me that you had to no intention to be sold off into marriage?! Don't stand here and pretend to be naïve. So, tell me, my dear…" he sneered. "…who else did you spread your legs to?"
Instantly, Blossom's hand made a hard contact with his cheek. He felt the stinging pain erupt as a hand print made itself known. Of course it didn't hurt him physically, but it didn't emotionally. "How dare you!" She glared back viciously. "How can you make such a foolish accusation?! I only gave myself to you and no one else!" She shouted. "I gave my love to you—!"
"I gave you my loyalty!" He shouted back.
"—my entire being—!"
"My absolute trust; I devoted myself to you! And this is how you—?!"
"I GAVE YOU MY VITURE!" She screamed causing Brick to close his mouth to let her speak. "I gave it up…for you…." She cried. "…And when I get married…my husband will find out…and I'll die."
He turned his head away from her, knowing the consequences well. Blossom will be accused as a harlot and death will be her final punishment. Brick snarled and bore his fangs at the thought of his Blossom dying. He would be prepared to banish his position and lay waste to the entire village if needed.
"…but I guess, it'll be worth it." Upon those words, he stared upon his love once again. Blossom had a sad smile on her face. "I never regretted meeting you, knowing you and loving you. The times we spent together were the most treasured memories of my life that I'll be happy to take to the grave. I will never be happy in another man's arms, and I told myself that I would rather die on my wedding day then be apart from you."
"Blossom…"
"….I always knew it would end like this." She stared at the ground.
"This is not how it's going to end…" Brick growled. "We'll find a way—I'll find a way! I'll go to that insufferable village and break every male's legs myself!"
"Brick! You can't do that! That would be breaking your vows! You're forbidden to cause or bring harm to the village humans. Or else you'll—"
"I KNOW THE CONSEQUENSES!" Brick roared causing the surround trees and the very ground itself tremble from his mighty voice. For the first time in a long while, Blossom found herself shaking in fright of her lover. He had never raised his voice at her in such a way that would insist fear.
She knew that Brick was angry. It was obviously so. The reality of losing her took a bigger toll on him than he had anticipated. She studied his enraged state; nostrils were flaring, face distorted in anger, fangs were bearing and pupils were shifting from human to canine and back in seconds. From his tortured state of mind, Blossom wanted comfort him. She slowly approached and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, only to have Brick violently jerk her hand away from his person.
"Don't…!" He took a deep breath realizing how antagonized he looked. Brick turned his face away from her while trying to control himself. "You…just bathe…It would be better if you didn't touch me."
Blossom nodded silently understanding his reasoning. Looking up at the sky, the storm clouds were moving closer toward the village bringing the heavy rain. The clouds were inching closer to sun estimating that Blossom only had another two hours before the rain began.
"Go…see Ida…"
"But Brick you're—"
"I'll be fine…I just need ….to be alone…" Blossom watched as Brick walked out of the clearing and into the forest. She didn't bother to stop; sometimes being alone and getting your thoughts together wasn't a bad idea.
Blossom found the safety trail and followed along it. With her basket in her arm, she went to see her grandmother like her lie promised. Usually Blossom would take in the scenery and admire the colorful plants around her, but she was too lost in her thoughts; mainly for Brick. She could only imagine his absolute despair and it hurt her more knowing that he would rather deal with it on his own instead of being with her.
The trail continued into a smaller clearing with a small cottage sitting by small river bank. The cottage was pink with a white roof and a red door. The home seemed to bring a warm atmosphere to anyone who approaches it. To the left, there was a small garden with an interesting assortment of vegetables and flowers. The flowers were kept behind a small white fence to keep any stray animals from ruining the floral beauties.
Blossom smiled upon seeing her grandmother's cottage once again. The home was filled with so many memories that the mere thought of it put her mind at ease once again. Blossom gracefully approached the gate, unlocked it and closed it once again. She knocked on the bright door softly, making sure not to startle her elder inside. "Grandma? It's me. I came for a visit."
"….Camilla? Come in, come in child."
Upon command, Blossom opened the door. She stepped inside inhaling the sweet aroma of honey and cinnamon. Upon entering, there was a small fireplace with a large pot suspended over a fire by a hook. Across from the fireplace, there was a small kitchen area and a small table and chair. There was a back room where Blossom saw a frail figure laying underneath the quilts of the bed. Taking off her hood, Blossom stepped into the bed room and gave her grandmother a smile.
"Grandma." The old woman looked up to see her one and only granddaughter. Her skin was aging and wrinkly, and her hair was grey and very much thinning, but the woman had a warm and open smile that would melt even the hardest of ice. Her brown eyes twinkled in delight at the sight of her offspring as though Blossom reminded her of someone dear. The old woman reached up and touched her granddaughter's cheek with her fragile hands.
"My sweet Camilla…"
Blossom grabbed her grandmother's hand and gave it a sweet, gentle kiss.
"How have you fair? Are you eating enough?" Blossom asked the usual questions. Ida nodded and weakly pointed at the pot boiling over the fire.
"I grew weary and put my head to rest while the soup got hot…." Blossom quickly leaved her grandmother's side and tended to the boiling soup. Looking inside, the broth was white and creamy with a few ingredients where and there. Using the ladle to take a sip, it tasted very plain. Clearly, Grandma Ida was too weak to cook a proper meal completely. Blossom retrieved the carrots, potatoes and string beans from the cabinets.
"A storm comes…" She heard Ida speak.
Blossom founded a knife and began peeling the potato skin. "I know. Fa—I mean…the Professor helped the farmers tend to the crops this morning. The whole village is grateful for the rain."
"I hope Brick stays safe…."
"I'm sure he will be fine grandma." Blossom quickly chopped the potatoes and moved on to slicing the carrots. Once she dumped the potatoes and carrots in the soup, Blossom moved onto snapping the peas in the pot as well.
Ida smiled upon her granddaughter. "That red hood suits you…red was always your color…"
Blossom smiled fondly. "I know." She began mixing the ingredients together giving the soup a slightly different aroma. After several long stirs, Blossom took another sip; it was better but something else was missing. Looking inside the cabinets once more, she found a small jar of pepper and sprinkled a pinch of it into the soup. Now it was ready serve.
A hot bowl of soup, a small loaf of bread and glass of water was presented to the old woman by her wonderful granddaughter. Blossom placed the tray of food on the woman's lap and tucked a napkin under her chin. "Eat up grandma. If you're still hungry afterwards, I bought some sweets for you to enjoy."
Ida gave a pleasant giggle. "You are such a wonderful child…your presence is all I could ever ask for…."
Blossom smiled and handed Ida a wooden spoon. "Hurry and eat, or else your soup will be cold."
Blossom watched silently as the old woman dipped her spoon in the soup and slowly raised it up to her lips to take a sip. Ida complimented Blossom on the delicious soup and continued to eat. Blossom stared out of the window and noticed that the sunlight was diminishing as the storm clouds rolled in. Grandma Ida's window overlooked her little garden where the tomatoes, peas and spinach grew alongside the daisies and peach blossoms. Ida cherished her small garden and whenever she wasn't well enough, Blossom would care for the plants with as much care.
Her thoughts went back to when she was a young child. She and her grandmother would play in the dirt planting seeds and plants. They would laugh because Blossom would get so dirty and her mother—
"My dear…you're crying…"
Blossom was brought back to reality from her grandmother's words and felt liquid running down her face. She quickly covered her face to wipe away the tears. "I'm sorry. Something must have caught in my eyes." She lied.
Ida reached out to gently pat her head. "The storm will pass, love…"
Blossom looked up from her odd choice of words and noticed that her tray of food was all gone. She sighed of relief knowing that her grandmother was still eating well. She took the tray of dishes back to the kitchen and washed up well.
"OH MY!"
Upon Ida's cry, Blossom dropped the dishes in the sink and ran back into the bedroom.
"Grandma! Are you—"
Blossom was a large wolf's head sticking out of the window and her grandmother's surprised turned into happiness as the old woman petted the wolf's nose. The great wolf relaxed to her touch as he did Blossom's. The old woman laughed and rejoiced.
Pink eyes met red eyes and all of her alertness went away.
"Oh my sweet Brick! It's been ages since I last saw you."
"It's good to see you too, Ida. You age gracefully leaving your beauty untouched." Brick complimented fondly.
"Such a good boy…" Ida noticed Blossom's presences and beckoned her granddaughter to come closer. Blossom did so and sat on the edge of the bed. "Did you meet with Brick today?" Her grandmother asked.
"Yes…I did." Blossom replied not wanting to meet with her lover's gaze fearing that he was still infuriated with her.
Ida gently placed a hand on her granddaughter's lap and gave her a warm and honest smile. "I want you to be happy, Camilla. You should have never married that scholar…you would have been happier with Brick…"
Brick's eyes moved from Ida to Blossom, while the red girl stared at her grandmother with fresh tears in her eyes. Her grandmother didn't notice, of course, because she was staring off into space. Her mind was leaving her again. Blossom felt Brick's tongue licking her palm comfortably.
Blossom tried not to let her tears show; not to let her sorrow show. She couldn't tell her grandmother that her very own daughter was gone.
That Blossom's mother, Camilla, was dead. But her grandmother refused to believe it.
The storm clouds covered the sun bringing the loud thunder with it. The forest was quiet now that the animals had hid from the coming rain. With Brick's instincts, he urged Blossom to return back to her village and she complied. Blossom and Brick made sure that Ida's home was secure from the storm before saying their "goodbyes" to the old woman.
Blossom walked along the path with Brick trailing behind her. His great animalistic form shadowed behind her like beast ready to protect its treasure. Blossom could feel his protective gaze studying her and everything around her. She wanted to speak to him, but couldn't find the words.
The silence between them was eerie and unsettling at the least. Blossom wanted was to break into tears, embrace Brick with apologetic cries and beg him to take her away.
But she couldn't bring herself to do so.
Instead, the haunted silence continued.
The great wolf let out a sigh through his nose.
"I don't want to play around this anymore. So let's settle this right now." Brick quickly moved from his position behind her and blocked her path with his large form. Blossom stopped in her tracks preparing for whatever Brick had to say.
"Do you wish for us to separate? I go to the village and never see you again?" She asked only to cause a growl from Brick.
"Let me make something clear to you. You. Are. MINE. You are mine and you belong to me and me alone. No manner of man or god will EVER keep us apart. Not even your silly little human rituals."
"Brick what—"
"I'm going to find a way for you to be with me. I will prevent that fated marriage for as long as I live, so that you will never leave my side. I don't care if I have to take down any human that stands between us."
"Brick. You can't do that. It's madness." Blossom pleaded.
"Even my own end will be worth it, as long as you never leave my side." Blossom dropped her basket and wrapped her small arms around Brick's large neck. She buried her face in his fur so deep that she could be swallowed by his form. Her tears freely flowed.
"I never want to part from you. The time we spent together was too precious to ever let go. And for as long as I live, I will deny every suitor, every man that asks for my hand or makes any advance toward me. I will stay with you. I love you, Brick."
The great wolf nuzzled his head against her in an affectionate gesture. "I know."
The two stayed in their embrace until the harsh sounds of thunder resounded through the forest. The winds began to blow causing all the trees to shake violently. Brick shot his head up and faced toward the village, not because of the thunder, but because he heard someone approaching them.
"BLOSSOM! BLOSSOM!"
Blossom removed herself from Brick upon hearing the voice. "It's Dexter Alexandrov. If he sees you, then he'll surely kill you on sight."
"I'm not worried. He hasn't found me yet. Go. Stay safe."
"I will." Their eyes lingered on each other's for a second longer before Brick broke the connection and quickly fled into the woods. Blossom quickly dusted herself of Brick's fur before running towards Dexter's voice.
Thankfully, Dexter was alone. He was on his horse running along the trail with a lantern in his hand. The hard rain started to fall threatening the light to be extinguished, but Dexter quickly kept it covered. He was trying to be dry thanks to his coat and hat he wore, but the strong winds nearly forced his hat off his head. Despite the weather conditions, Dexter pushed his horse forward in order to find the fair Blossom.
Fortune shined on him as his eyes caught a glimpse of red slowly making its way towards him.
"BLOSSOM!" Dexter jumped off his horse and ran straight for the girl on foot. He saw Blossom wrapped in her red rood pushing through the wind and rain. She looked up upon hearing her name and saw Dexter shining a light in her face. He quickly pulled her closer and used his coat to shield the rain from her beauty. "Are you alright?!" He shouted through the wind. "You were gone for a long time and your father was very worried!"
Blossom nodded. "I am fine! We need to leave!" A great gust of wind blew past them blowing Dexter's hat away and completely extinguishing the light. Dexter put his thumb and index finger in his mouth and whistled for his horse. The stead loyally obeyed and came by his master's call. Dexter lifted Blossom on the horse and he hoisted up sitting behind her. He took the ropes and commanded his horse back to the village. Despite the rain and wind, the horse took off in such speed.
Blossom looked behind Dexter and saw a pair of ruby red eyes in the distance. She smiled.
She was glad she saw Brick today.
BunnyKoi says: "Hot chocolate is instant and easy to make."