an Everlasting Pursuit

twenty three

I remained staring at the dog the whole time I dried myself in case his nose went more places it didn't belong. Wrapping my towel around myself, I wanted to sit down but didn't want to put myself at a disadvantage in case the wolf tried to tear my other leg off.

"Are... are you able to understand me?" I wondered.

The wolf's head cocked, his dark blue eyes blinking back in return. I sighed, shuffling my feet as I awkwardly looked around the landscape behind him. Once my attention was away from him, he began to move and I jerked in surprise when his large form suddenly dropped to the ground. He let out a loud exhale once his belly hit the dirt, his head still up and watching me.

If he was on the ground...

I hesitated before bending my legs and sitting myself on the blanket in front of him. His tail lifted and dropped to the ground once before his head fell to rest on his front paws. With my knees to my chest, I wrapped my arms around them and sat my chin on my knees. My eyes ran along his body, amazed at how huge he was. His fur looked really thick and dense and I wanted nothing more than to feel it.

My toes curled when I came to make eye contact with him, the intense stare he had on me never wavering. Running my hands over my arms, I tried to avoid looking at his large snout. The thought of all his sharp teeth set me on edge, and ghosts of pain flashed down my sides. He suddenly raised his head, his nose twitching as he leaned closer to smell me.

I froze, trying to control the harshness of my breathing as his large head grew nearer. His snout twitched, the coldness bumping my calf. He crawled closer, his paws digging into the dirt.

It would be amusing if he wasn't so large and terrifying.

My breath hitched, a small laugh of distress leaving my lips. "What are you doing?"

He must've noticed my apprehension because he paused, his snout hovering above my knee. Those intense blue eyes were staring into mine, his ears pricking and swivelling to gauge my reaction. His head alone was the size of my torso, a thought that only just decided to greet my mind when he was ten inches away from my face.

He whimpered, bringing me back to the present when his tongue lapped at my wrist. It was large and warm, and the touch sent those weird goosebumps dancing along my skin. I felt my body want to succumb to his magic, but kept my spine straight and ready to run.

"Your wolf magic isn't going to work on me." I shook my head.

His ears flattened down the sides of his head, another whine leaving his throat. I had never heard such a noise. Never being around wildlife, I had only heard sounds through the television and most of those were growling. Birds didn't whine and squirrels only chirped.

He licked me again before slowly resting his snout on my knees, my hands darting away in surprise. I exhaled a shuddery breath when the warmth of his throat touched my skin, the sensation of him swallowing rubbing against my thigh. His eyes bored into mine, blinking softly as the rest of him remained still. He wasn't on edge, judging by his body language, and I ran my eyes along him just to make sure.

I licked my lips nervously, my bare skin coming alive beneath his touch. He sure was relaxed considering the amount of magical tingles he was sending my way. My fingers twitched as I slowly moved them closer. His eyes flashed to my outstretched hand which caused me to pause, but when they returned to me, his expression didn't change.

Did dogs have expressions?

I gritted my teeth and gave into the desire for touch, brushing my fingers against the top of his head. The fur was soft and supple and I dug them in deeper until the entire length of my fingers disappeared in his pelt. Meeting his skin, I sank my palm onto him causing his shoulders to shudder and roll. I risked a glance at his eyes, centimetres from my wrist.