Phoenix of Dawn

Good in Goodbye

Nothing was more annoying than being blatantly excluded. Watching from the sidelines while decisions were made for me seemed to have me chomping at the bit. Axel had taken his role all the more serious since the little incident with the rock earlier in the day and I wondered if he was punishing me for it. He also seemed to be watching me less which for some reason made me want to get his attention but I couldn't exactly whistle at him. 

I was propped against a rock watching Axel, Reiker and a few other's huddle around a map within the protection of a tent. While I might consider myself to be in ally territory they were in enemy territory and that meant they needed to plan carefully. Especially since I'd cut their numbers down by eleven with my little show earlier. 

If I'd had it my way it would have been double that. Hell, why limit myself? I would have liked to kill them all.

Looking around the camp site I wondered if I'd be given the same accommodation as last time but we'd been settled for an hour and no one seemed to be doing anything for me. Guess I was in the care of Axel now and I knew for a fact he was not prepared for this. Well... maybe he had been. The jury was still out on that one. 

Somewhere in the night a bird was chattering before settling down. 

There was no sense in continuing to count exit points. So far there were none and five minutes from now there would still be none. 

Leaning over I curled up against the damp grass, shivering at the chilling breeze and tried to sleep. I would need my strength for all the plotting I planned to do the next day. In the last several hours I'd only had a small meal to keep my strength for travel. There was no blame for limiting me, I'd do the same if the situation was reverse. 

The mud squished beneath me, the smell of dirt in my nose as I tried to steady my breathing and force my muscles to relax. My clothes were still soaked from the rainfall, offering very little against the cool air. 

Paws sinking into the ground near me alerted me to someone's presence and the electric heat told me who it was curling up at my back. He exhaled loudly, his snout near my head as he lay down as close to me as he could get. The heat off his body warmed my bones while the bulk of him blocked the worst of the breeze. 

Sleep was still impossible, even with his proximity. I was ultra aware of ever lift of his head, the low growl that rumbled through his chest when someone dared to venture too close, and that electric current passing between us. 

Nothing in this world would ever keep me safe from the way Axel made me feel. 

My stomach was in knots, my chest so tight it could burst and my heart refused to settle down in it's attempt to bust out of it's bone cage. I wanted to turn, to feel his fur on my face and inhale his intoxicating and comforting scent. I wanted to bury myself in him and hide from the cold, from the eyes, from the gaggle of ill-intentions aimed at me. 

He curled tighter around me, drawing into the center of the ball he was forming. My head was suddenly supported by the broad expanse of his shoulder blade while his tail came around to cover me. 

Cracking my eyelids I watched his eyes flicker from one person to the next, his ears twisting and turning at every sound. Without thinking, as I often failed to do in Axel's presence, I reached out to touch the velvet of his ear. It twitched under my light touch, his eyes shifting to look at me before returning to their watch. 

"You're pretty big," I whispered, stroking the fur at his neck.

He let out a grunt of derision.

"People must think you're intimidating."

He looked at me studiously for another moment before letting out a small growl like he was trying to prove my point.