how come I never got used to the feeling of sleeping in a cage?
too long driving, too damn hungry; a tied-up hound but nothing stays
Valdis hears footsteps, but she doesn’t acknowledge them. It’s commonly the deer or an occasional bear that threads among the deciduous trees. Immersed in her own thoughts, in her confusion, she holds steadfast with a distant, glazed expression that searches the shadows ahead. Sunlight dapples through the canopy and dots along the undergrowth. Fiery colors are louder when kissed by the light. It’s almost as though she has been consumed by fire. In every direction there are radiant shades of orange, red, and yellow. Green dots the underbrush and a deep blue stares back at her when she peers down at the pond again.
Then silence.
Suddenly, everything stops including the chirping of the birds high overhead. Swiveling her ears, Valdis gropes for noise.
The shout, admittedly, startles her. Tucking her rump, she lurches forward a single stride before veering to narrow her eyes at the culprit. ”Ruinam!” she shouts his name sharply as adrenaline pours through her entire body. Her neck arches elegantly as a couple steps are taken sideways, driven by the natural instinct to run. She, doesn’t of course, but her breath purrs as she settles down, finally grinning. ”I hate you,” she chuckles as the words humorously fall from her tongue, and she trails it with a gentle, playful nip against his neck.
Much to her dismay, however, their solitude is broken by Mary’s smug arrival.
A coy grin replaces the amiability of her pretty face, darkening her eyes slightly as her head turns in regard. ”Ah, our favorite Queen.” A lie, but her voice masks it well behind sweet, honey tones. ”I’m well,” she answers flatly before glancing over to Ruinam. Her gaze softens for him, eased by his kind nature. ”It’s good to see you too,” she whispers to him before looking again at Mary. Last they crossed paths, the monarch had been carrying a child. Slender now, Valdis spares a sideways glance in expectation to see a foal nearby, but she is unattended. As a shrug ripples through her lean shoulders, Valdis repeats the question, although she ideally wants only to share conversation with Ruinam (but their illustrious Queen must not know that). ”And you, Mary? How have you been lately?” No longer a pregnant whore Queen, she tells herself in the safe confines of her thoughts.
Valdis
@[Ruinam] @[Mary]