Why Do I Love You?

Chapter 7: Picnics & giggles

Mumble groggily & tug my blanket up over my horns. For some reason, I am made colder by this action. 

Wait... I didn't have a blanket when I went to sleep. I open one eye & come face to face with a sleeping Icicle. I try to scramble out from under her wing, but the white dragoness wraps her wings around me tightly, restraining my escape. I eventually accept my fate & snuggle closer to her thin frame.

As I lay there, I run my claws over her painfully visible ribs. It's evident that she barely ate when she was imprisoned. I make up my mind that I'll take her into the rainforest to get a bunch of food for her once she wakes up.

The sun hasn't quite risen, so it'll be a while before she wakes. I decide that I'm bored of waiting & manage to escape her grip. I slip out of the cave & into the predawn air.

Why wait for her to hunt when I could surprise her with a feast?

~POV Swap~

I squint against the morning sunlight. Why did the entrance to this stupid hut have to be facing the stupid sunrise!? I notice that Sora isn't on top of my wing anymore, but she is also not in the hut. The rest of her sibs are here, but she is missing.

I leap to my talons & dart out of the hut. I manage to pick up her sent & follow it to the beach. I can't control my relief when I see her there staring at the waves. Suddenly, nothing else exists & I just have to touch her to make sure it's really her. I tackle her in a hug & refuse to let her go. 

"Why did you leave me!?" I scream at her as I sit her up & grasp her shoulders. I'm sure I look like a complete idiot & disgrace to the IceWing tribe right now.

She giggles her beautiful, quiet giggle that is oh, so painfully rare before responding: "Sorry if I worried you. I was making a surprise for you. It's ready now, if you want it."

I follow her closely as she leads me to a makeshift picnic blanket covered in food. My mouth starts watering at the thought of so much food. 

Sora smiles a kind smile & says, "Go ahead. It's all for you."

I almost run to the food & start eating before I realize how much time & trouble it must have taken her to gather all of this food. As I pass her, I slip my thin tail around her wrist, tugging her along with me. I sit on the blanket & pull her down beside me. When she tries to stand up, I slip my wing over her back & force her back down, saying, "Oh, no you don't. You need to eat, too."

I stuff food in my mouth happily. I steal a glance towards Sora & see that she hasn't touched any of the food herself. I grab a papaya & shove it in her mouth, earning a few muffled protests. She finally gives in & begins to eat slowly. I smile & go back to eating. 

I finish my meal & fall backwards with a contented sigh. Sora soon joins me & I pull her into a quick embrace, thanking her multiple times.

A warm blush covers my cheeks when she rests her head on my chest & traces my ribs with her claws. I barely catch her whisper when she says, "I'm glad you weren't in the history cave."

I smile & curl myself around her smaller body, saying, "Me too. Ya know why?"

She looks up at me & asks, "Why?" 

A sly smile slips onto my face as I say, "Because then I wouldn't be able to do this!" I squish a mango onto her cheek. She stares at me in surprise before I feel a cooked monkey stick in one of my spikes. She laughs loudly as our food fight continues.

I've never heard Sora laugh. Moons I love that laugh.