The Twelfth Moon || ✔️ [LOTM #1]

54. Swift Moon pt. 7

My right hand moved up and down, following the soothing motion of the wolf's lungs, breathing in the cool morning air. My fingers twirled in the brown fur that surrounded my side, toying with the warmth that hid just beneath it.

After Jerr had secured his place behind me, I slept peacefully through the night. The cold breezes of the nightly wind didn't bother me anymore, they felt like a distant whisper, caressing an ear that wouldn't listen.

Just like the early morning wind, it couldn't truly reach me. As soon as the Sun broke through the darkness of the night, the creatures of the day woke. I slowly roused to the sounds of birds chirping, some grass swaying as the wind gently blew through.

The Sun was slowly creeping over the horizon, illuminating the fields around with streaks of gold, reflecting in shimmering droplets of morning dew. It was a marvelous sight to see, and I found myself wanting it to stay like this for the rest of the day.

I swayed my head back, finding a pair of green eyes, half open, gazing at the field in front of us. "Good morning," I whispered.

The movement of my head had made Jerr turn his gape to me, subtly squinting his eyes with contentment.

I stretched out my arms and legs, feeling Jerr slowly disappear behind me until his warmth had fully left me behind.

"I'm going to need my clothes back," I heard his warm voice say, a grunt of the morning sleepiness still intertwined.

"Right," I muttered, removing the layers of fabric and placing them in a neat pile next to me, careful not to stray my head in his direction.

I couldn't help myself but peak, and in the corner of my eyes, I saw how the sunlight hit him in all the right places. Sunrays bounced off his midsection, his muscles flexed as he bent over to pull his trousers over his underwear, right before his bulge disappeared under the concealing fabric. His arms were defined by the curves of his force, veins climbing up at his wrists.

As the sunlight hit his skin, it looked golden, truly sunkissed. Even in his hair, some lighter streaks of brown played around, as if they captured the light and meant to keep it forever. The waves in his hair bounced as he pulled his shirt over his head, covering that skin of pale, molten gold.

And when that piercing green stare found mine, I didn't look away. I held it, expecting to see that toying grin of his, but instead, I was rewarded with a soft smile and a tender look.

I felt one pull at my lips too, and I didn't hold it back.

"Good morning," Jerr said gently.

"How did you sleep?" I asked, slowly getting up.

"Like a young pup," he said, getting back to his usual teasing tone. "It was quite an uneventful night. I only woke up a few times, once to scare off a nosy fox."

I vaguely remembered suddenly waking to a growling sound sometime in the night, but the moment had passed so quickly, I had thought of it as a dream. "That poor fox probably didn't know what it was up against."

"It knew well enough," Jerr grinned. "Foxes are sly but rarely brave. Not when faced with a greater foe. This is partly why I'm glad our Moons didn't bond us to those pesky animals."

"It would be cool to look orange, though," I countered.

"That can be arranged," he answered, throwing his bag over his shoulder as I did the same.

"Is this another one of your idiotic ideas?" I scoffed.

"Only one way to find out." His eyes looked at me with a challenge, his face beaming with tease.