Dealing With Two 'M's

Molly chased after him without success, her lack of coordination rather embarassing and causing her to come to a stop much sooner than he did. When he sprawled out on the grass, she walked over, collapsing and rolling onto her back beside him to nip at his ear and tug playfully. "That was an unfairly matched game of chase." She complained teasingly, tugging at his ear again before letting her head fall to the soft grass as she stared up at the clouds silently. It was so beautiful and peaceful out here, and she panted softly to catch her breath and was pleasantly surprised that she wasn't competely exhausted like she had expected to be.

"If we judge it based on the final results, you kind of won anyway," he responded with a smile, flicking his now slobbery ear back and licking at Molly's chest. Also noticing that Molly wasn't completely winded, Coven commented in relief and joy, "Looks like you really are getting better. Maybe our next match won't be so one-sided." Well, with Molly's clumsiness, it really wouldn't get much better, but he wouldn't have to worry so much about her collapsing from fatigue. That would remove a lot of stress from both of them.

As Molly laid and watched the sky, Coven moved so her head was between his paws and watched her instead. He smiled down at her as she scanned the sky, noting that she apparently was more beautiful healthy than when she was sick. It made sense, but it was so pleasantly shocking to see, especially as he'd found her so gorgeous before. Not starving and with her hair regaining its natural luster, she really was moving even further out of his league in looks as well, now. He licked at her paws curled up against her chests before returning to gazing at her face, a soft, awed smile on his own. How could he have considered leaving? The reasons that had been so clear earlier would not re-enter his brain again, though it wasn't like he was trying very hard. There was no way he'd consider that again, because nothing be as perfect in his life as this.

Molly rolled her eyes and shook her head as he spoke. They both knew she'd lose every time, but she didn't really care. That wasn't what mattered, after all. As they laid there and relaxed, the white female's eyes scanned the skies, admiring the clouds as Coven admired her. Her paws twitched lightly as he licked them, his smile distracting her from the clouds and making her stare back up at him with a smile of her own. She remained perfectly still as she stared up into his eyes, smiling and blinking every once in a while as her chocolate brown eyes glittered slightly in the sunlight that beat down on them.

She couldn't think of anything more wonderful than this moment, not a place in the world that she'd rather be than right here with him. Her tail wagged every so slightly as she watched, getting lost in his eyes as he too stared back at her.

Wagging his tail in response to Molly catching his gaze, the wolf licked the side of her muzzle and sighed, relishing the sign that his own peace and contentment was being reflected back at him in Molly. How strange it was to think back and remember their first meeting; the healer had not liked him much then. It was for a good reason, he supposed, but it had worked out so wonderfully. Coven almost had to laugh when he tried to wrap his head around the fact that if it weren't for nasty Chaos, he and Molly would never have become so close. His world would have been so different...and Molly's as well; she perhaps would have gravitated toward Xerxses again, and Coven most likely wouldn't be here anymore. Yet somehow, this reality was almost more odd to the wolf than the idea of what would have been. He never would have imagined getting so attached, growing to love another wolf.

"Do you realize how special you are, Molly?" asked the wolf, tilting an ear, smile replaced by amazed pondering. "I love you." 'And that is phenomenal!' He wasn't sure if Molly would ever understand what an idiosyncrasy his devotion toward her was, but Coven sure got it, and it would forever amaze him.

She closed her eyes slightly as he licked her face, wagging her tail a bit more in response. But soon she was staring adoringly back up at him as his mind wandered over what could have been. Molly, on the other hand, didn't dwell on what could have been. No, she was here in the present, and determined not to let this moment go. She stared up at him as he thought, loving the way his expression changed as he ran things over in his head. She could always tell when he was thinking hard, or just thinking for the sake of thinking. To her, it showed as clear as day on his face. So suddenly, when his expression changed slightly to focus back on her as he spoke, she blinked up at him for a moment as his words sank in and were processed.

"Maybe you should tell me more often." She said softly, lifting her head slightly to lick his chin as he continued to speak. "I love you too, Coven." She said, her voice even softer than before as she stared up at him. She didn't know where they'd end up, whether they'd stay together, have a family, or simply fall apart, but she knew that she never wanted this moment to end. Yes, she had loved before, deeply, but never like this. No, this was something that she had never experienced before, and as she stared up into his loving and adoring gaze, she felt her stomach flutter and her mind go blank, as if she were melting beneath him in his eyes.

He closed his eyes, licking Molly's cheek in response. "I'll work on that," he apologized softly, nuzzling into the long fur on the side of the wolfess's face. Yes, because Molly deserved it, he'd try to remember to tell her more often. If the sensation of strangeness kept popping up, as it just had, then there'd always be a reminder and reason for him to express that sentiment in words again. But being so invested in someone - loving them - was a new experience, and Coven was sure that he failed at parts of it sometimes. Molly's gentle reminders and suggestions were certainly helpful, though, and he'd try to keep them in mind, even if there was still the dark cloud in the back of his mind preparing him for when this really would end. That was just how his world worked, mostly by his own design. But like Molly, Coven could desire for this moment to not end, and he was. Molly looked honestly happy and completely cured for the moment of her depression over the pup, and no way did Coven want her worries and sorrows to come back to her now, or ever. "I don't think I tell you this often enough, either, but you're beautiful, even when you're yelling at me." He had to grin at the end.

Molly smiled when he apologized, an apology not what she had been going for. But it didn't matter, she knew he'd sincerely try to tell her more often, which only made her feel more loved and wanted. As she continued to stare up at him, she leaned her head back slightly, nuzzling against his chest as they laid there, staring adoringly at each other like neither had ever imagined would happen. It was such a strange turn of events, but Molly didn't regret a single minute of it. Sure, they had their rough patches, and she was positive that there were plenty of bumps in the road ahead, but that didn't mean she was going to give up. They both knew she was way too stubborn for that.

When he spoke again, calling her beautiful, she smiled once more, her face softening from thoughts and shining at the praise that she recieved. At the last part of his sentence, she laughed softly, stretching out a paw to swat playfully at his chin, pushing it up gently and then letting her paw fall back to fold against her chest once more. "Come on, I don't yell that often." She said, nipping at his paw and then looking back up at him. "Only when you really deserve it." She teased, licking his nose and laying back down in the soft grass to smile up at him. She stared at him for quite a while before she opened her mouth to speak again, tilting her head slightly and looking up at him with an amused, but also confused look. "Coven, tell me something. How on earth did you fall in love with a crazy female like me?" She asked, knowing that she was impossible to deal with and even more impossible to love. Yet here he was, confessing a deep love and attraction for her that - looking back to before she got sick - neither of them ever thought possible.

He snapped back at her nose, missing it by millimeters, at her comment about him deserving it. Though he'd like to deny that he ever deserved that, his pride couldn't overrule the fact that it possibly was true, maybe...once in a blue moon. All he could do was grin impishly at her, content to know that she forgave him anyway.

Coven's ears pricked forward immediately as the look on Molly's face contorted. The question she asked was not one he was anticipating - more serious than he was expecting. The wolf gave a short, surprised laugh before letting his eyes lose their focus on Molly so he could concentrate on finding the answer. His immediate one was 'I don't know', but there surely was more to it if he just thought about it for a moment. Tilting his head and still staring at nothing, the warrior began slowly to articulate his thoughts.

"Firstly, you're not as crazy as you think you are," he began, starting to realize that he knew how this had happened. Coven was going to pretend that she didn't actually want the full story, so he skipped over the descriptions of the actual crazies he'd messed around with. "And secondly...I think you actually know how. It's the part where I ended up pretty much forced to talk to you, and that's it." The situation had been perfect to make this work: if Molly hadn't been so fragile and in need of compassion and patience, if Coven hadn't been in such a position as to try to win Blitz's favor by volunteering to help her, and if he hadn't been in need of her help to heal as well, they most likely would have never talked, as Molly didn't interact much with the males of the pack, even now, and Coven was automatically drawn to more athletic and/or feisty females. If he'd never gotten the opportunity to actually talk to Molly, physically care for her, and learn how sweet, smart, and fiery she was beneath her sensitive, delicate exterior, then the warrior would have most likely pursued either Fallon, Laek, or Tessa - or all of them - as he'd been seriously attracted to all three. But over time, his relationship with Molly had won out, because it was more substantial, because they both needed each other, as best friends who would sacrifice time and pride (most of the time) in order to meet the other's needs. Yes, talking to her and learning to worry about her had done it.

"You became my best friend, and I just realized one day that you were relying on me, and I wanted you to." He shrugged and grinned down at her. "That's never happened before - from best friend to wanting anything like that. It just kept progressing, and here we are." It had been a process that took time, but his responsibility for her, his interaction with her and growing understanding for her, and her love for him all formed a basis for his love for her to slowly stretch from. He probably had the oddest reasons out of anyone for loving Molly (it wasn't her sweetness or loyalty that drew him to her), but his reasons were significant to him. What really was an perplexing question was how Molly had come to love him so much; however, Coven didn't want Molly to think over that too hard in case there really wasn't a good reason, so he didn't ask.

Molly listened to his words silently, watching his expressions change as he spoke. Finally she smiled, licking his chin affectionately and gazing up at him lovingly. Yes, she agreed that they didn't have the best beginning, but she didn't regret that it happened. She knew that if he hadn't gotten in a fight with Chaos - which she still thought was foolish - then they probably wouldn't have gotten to know each other, and he would be gone. Her ears flattened slightly at the thought. Her mind brought her back to not too long ago at the lake, when she had begged him not to go, not to leave her. And he had stayed. She didn't know at the time how strong her pull on him was, but she did know that he hadn't stayed for the pack, he had stayed for her.

She could tell, even now, that he didn't want to be here. That he disagreed with Blitz just like Inferno had. He wanted to wander, to be on his own, away from the responsibilities of a pack, of this pack. But he was staying, for her. She could already tell that he wasn't likely to stay forever, but she had already decided to follow him however far he'd let her. That night when he had told her he was leaving, she had felt her heart breaking, and now here he was, mending it for her. She never wanted to go through that again, nor did she believe he'd put her through it. It was obvious that he'd never leave her again, but she didn't doubt that he'd take her with him. He was her best friend - more than that even - and she smiled as he said that he wanted her to rely on him. She wanted the same for him, and she did rely on him, more than he knew.

As she sat there, listening to him and watching him, she realized how lucky she had gotten with the sickness and his injury. If he hadn't stepped up to care for her, he'd probably be laying here with Fallon, Tessa, or Laek right now. She doubted that he would have even given her a second glance. She wasn't coordinated, wasn't strong, was much more sensitive than the other females, and well, she thought them to be more attractive than her as well. She had nothing that would have attracted him to her, yet here he was, staring down at her and telling her that he wanted her. If she were to be honest to herself, she couldn't pinpoint exactly why she loved him. At least not all of the reasons. She knew that she loved that he cared about her, she loved the way his face wrinkled with worry when she stumbled or fell. She loved how he took care of her when it was obvious that he would rather be anywhere else in the world. She loved how he wasn't afraid to tell her what was what, and not let her get away with being stubborn as hell all the time. Hell, she even loved his smartass side from time to time. Sure, she'd stick by Blitz no matter what, but now she found herself feeling more loyal to Coven, even if she didn't share all of his opinions. But she wasn't one to be big on pack politics, so she had managed - so far - to avoid that clash of opinions. But she feared that it would become an issue one day, that she'd have to choose - decide between Coven and the pack. She knew what she'd choose when that day came, but she prayed that it never would.

Coven licked at Molly's cheek every time her expression clouded and her ears went back. He didn't know what she was thinking about, but he hoped it wasn't the pup again. Just enjoying the peace and time away from the drama of the pack, the black wolf shifted over so he was laying side by side with the healer and began to groom her, starting from the top of her head and working down to her shoulders. This afternoon was going to go by fast, so he was savoring it and focusing on nothing but now. That was something he'd learned from being with Molly.

All too soon, the black wolf sighed and looked up at the sky, noting how the sun had shifted. Now it was probably time to get back, just in case. He licked at Molly's ear. "Ready to go back?" Asking was probably a bad idea, since the answer probably wouldn't get either of them going anytime soon, but Coven got to his feet anyway, pretending that Molly would assume the question was rhetorical.

Molly's thoughts were interrupted with each lick at her cheek, but she knew why he was doing it. He probably thought she was thinking about the pup, but she didn't say anything right now. Instead she closed her eyes, feeling him move beside her and begin to groom her. It felt nice, her body relaxing under his touch as she leaned against him to enjoy his warmth. She couldn't think of any other place that she'd rather be.

But all too soon his voice broke through the silence, shattering her peace with the words that he spoke. Her ears flicked backwards and she frowned, pouting slightly as he asked if she were ready to head back. Her immediate response was no, but by the way he stood up and looked down at her, it was obvious that he meant it as a rhetorical question. She sighed, a loud, short exhale to signal her defeat as she slowly got to her feet. "No, but I'll go." She said, dreading having to deal with checking on the mothers and seeing their pups - or at least the surviving ones. But she had to face it eventually, and she seriously doubted that Coven would stick around to support her. He had his own responsibilities in the pack, so as they walked, she did her best to mentally prepare herself to handle this alone.

((Coven/Molly continued: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t110p45-altogether-now#2102 ))