Every Thorn has its Rose
When a sigh is what starts the day, one usually gets a feeling of foreboding. The day's going to drag on, it's going to be boring and agonizing, and there's nothing to do to prevent it, only to trudge through it. Fortunately, this did not feel to be so for Fiela Rose.
It was not a sigh of displeasure; it was one of contentment. The previous night had treated the wolfess quite well, for she had awoken with memories of tantalizing dreams brought on by a clear conscience and a sense of satisfaction that sat with her for the remnants of the previous day. It was not every day that she felt so untouchable. Even her hair refused to be tainted, having hardly changed from when she had begun her slumber.
Fiela stood up and brushed whatever microscopic debris may or may not have rested upon her soft emerald nightgown away into oblivion. Then, reversing her slightly curved posture, she gleefully dove into a much-deserved stretch.
A long shower followed her initial sequence of waking up and eating breakfast, after which she could think of nothing to do but lazily daydream upon her sofa. Fiela thought first of the novel she had yet to truly complete reading, then shortly thereafter of how bored she really was. A quick glance to the alarm clock to her side--noon yet? No, no, only 8:00. How was she going to make four hours?
She resumed her thoughts, nearly bemusedly, nearly tentatively. Her sight blurred as she cared not for what her eyes were actually seeing, preferring to envision what was in her head instead. One of the twilit dreams returned to her almost willingly, as though waiting for her to welcome it--although in fragments, as dreams often do. A crisp, autumn gale flowed through her nostrils from the ethereal scene; a relaxing walk through the woods just on the outskirts of town. And she wasn't alone. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to replicate the scenario.
Fiela shook her head suddenly, snapping back into reality. She wasn't one to drift into space terribly often, nor was she the type to be so...romantic, she supposed the word would be. The very idea almost left her with a retrospectively sour taste on her tongue. She allowed her vision to return to clarity, then stood again.
The wolf sauntered to the bookshelf in her kitchen, bending to retrieve a single text; she had never seen such a perfect, compelling combination of mystery and suspense as the one she then proceeded to her sofa to continue reading. She flipped to one of the several bookmarks she had in place--was it page 131, 153? Eventually finding where she had left off, she allowed herself to loosen up once again and absorb what tale was flowing through her eyes.
Minute turned to hour, and before she knew it her gaze had darted once again to the nearest clock. Noon yet? No, no, but almost--11:30.
"Ugh," she grunted loudly. She was thankful she lived alone so there was no potential to bother anybody else through her rather vocal emanations of boredom. Having spent so much time reading, she halfheartedly tossed the open book facedown onto the desk next to the alarm and underneath a gentle stream of light, comprised of the perfect degree of luminosity and cast by a tall lamp.
Still, she felt good about the day, as abnormally impatient as she felt. Fiela was aware that she often would be able to ignore the events of most days, and that today was simply different. She almost wanted to believe that she didn't know the reason for such, but the truth had fallen into the hands of her conscience: she was the slightest nervous.
"Ridiculous," she muttered in a mix of self-abasement and disbelief, the latter at both herself and the idea of being hesitant to meet up with a tiny rabbit. Why, the very prospect! The fur of her tail bristled and stiffened as she returned to her room to change into proper clothes in lieu of her gown.
The first sights that met her accidental gaze were numbers from her bedside, radiating a bright crimson: 1, 1, 4, and 5. Time seemed to flow faster every time she so much as thought about it. Still, she felt overwhelming backlash from checking the time constantly, and willed herself to cease.
"Relax. You're here to have fun and to have a good time." The words slipped from her lips, but she did not regret uttering them for they carried great merit. She finished dressing and returned to the living room, now sporting a spunky outfit consisting of a pair shorts, a white top identical in features to the one she wore the previous day, and a denim jacket ending decidedly at the midriff.
By the time she sat down upon her couch, her air of confidence had already amassed once again--if anyone were to be around, they too would feel it. Fortunate was its timing, for no sooner had she begun to pick up her book once again that a light voice called to her from somewhere below.
"Hey." The message was simple, but it caught her attention, as was the intent. Fiela smiled at the arctic hare at her feet.
"So you decided to show? Thought you might bail, little guy," she said with a chuckle. "And don't you clean up nicely?" The last forced Rey's gaze to his own mundane set of clothing and then back to Fiela.
Rey noticed Fiela's lack of shoes during this time. It was nothing new, and every time they'd met for any reason she hadn't worn them. She even had a few pairs at her front door. Then again, few people really did wear shoes save during certain occasions. There was no need. Then again again, he'd thought that this occasion was formal enough to warrant a change of wardrobe. But of course, she hadn't bothered much to look different than normal in any other aspect, and he himself could hardly say he looked presentable.
"Ah, yes, thank you. You certainly look nice yourself." There was a slight pause during which Fiela had a difficult time discerning the seriousness of his last statement. "To your first question, where would the fun be in not giving it a go?" Fiela could see the glint in Rey's eyes even from such a distance. The latter she decided to correct, bending to pinch his torso between two fingers and hoisting him just before her intimidating visage.
"Glad you feel that way. You know, there's a nice little place downtown where we could eat instead," she suggested with a contemplative complexion.
"I'd prefer to keep it simple." Rey stammered dumbly as though realizing a wrong, then resumed, "Um, if you don't mind, I mean." The wolf's lips curled in a smirk, knowing full well the degree of control she possessed.
"Simple? And going out to eat isn't simple?" Rey's face twisted in attempt to retort with something clever, but nothing could come to mind.
"Well," he started, obviously beginning to lose confidence in his words, "uh, I guess it would be--but--" Fiela stopped listening to the stream of excuses and subsequent corrections that flowed from his mouth, opting instead to mentally laugh at how easy it was to unnerve him, to pierce through the cloud he carried every now and then.
"Hey, don't worry. We'll have it your way, picky." Rey could faintly feel his face grow ever the slightest warm.
"Oh. Okay." He wanted to say more but couldn't will himself to speak any further. The anticipation was readily evident in the wavering tone of what little he had said.
"So. What now? Should I finish what we started yesterday?" She said the last with a flash of pearly teeth revealed. Rey cringed at the sight, which was especially unnerving being so close. He could note the details of almost every aspect of her face, but he noticed little due to his constantly darting gaze.
He realized how much of a fool he had been. This could so easily be a trap, and if it was, he knew how screwed he already was. If she still harbored anger for him from the previous day, all it took was a little patience on her end to lure him in like an idiot and finish him off. The rabbit did what he could to remain calm on the outside in the face of such danger--he didn't want to look even worse if she was just toying with him.
"I'd prefer not to, though I guess that'd be your decision," he said smartly. In response the wolf's lips pursed and blew a minty gale at him before parting their separate ways from each other.
"My decision?" The massive tongue lolled out ominously. Rey was helpless as it leaped forward with zeal and buffeted him with a single, lengthy lick. Before the jaws closed once again, Rey noted the bright, pearly sheen of Fiela's kempt teeth, each individual tooth notably around his size. "You should know better." Rey stopped moving and looked his captor in the eyes. They glowed with joy, but Rey could tell it wasn't a cruel joy. Bitter relief welled up in him, bitter with a hint of uncertainty.
"I'll remember that," he said while brushing a hand down his now-soaked shirt.
"If it makes you feel any better, you do taste better than I thought you would," she noted with a laugh. "I guess that's a plus." Rey chuckled quietly.
"Thanks."
"So," Fiela started suddenly. She hung the sentence with a pause as she unceremoniously dropped Rey onto her lap and watched him regain composure and stand back up. "How has your...'romantic past' been?" She said the last with a decidedly mocking tone, as though she could scarcely fathom she'd just used the words, but her expression demanded that he reply with a good answer.
"Well, uneventful, actually. Don't usually have much time for relationships." He hesitated visibly with an uncertain tilt of his head, then audibly with a low groan. "But I was sweet on a girl about five years ago. She was nice, but in the end we decided we'd be better off as friends."
"Five years ago? At the latest? You aren't kidding about not having time, then. I only ask the question because, hey, if I'm going to be trying out someone like you, no offense, I might as well know how it's worked out before." Rey grew a bit warmer at the statement. "Sounds like you're not exactly new to the scene, at least."
"I might not be up to snuff after so long, though. Forgive me if I don't live up to your standards," Rey replied. The last contained sure hints of sardonicism, but still seemed surprisingly genuine--though he was never more sure that Fiela's attitude was starting to sink into him.
"Ha. Is there more where that ballsy talk came from?"
"Er," he tried to come up with something witty again, but failed quite miserably in the face of Fiela's intimidating smirk. "No?"
"Awesome. Let's say we have a bit of fun, huh? All this talking needs some filler, I think."
"Will it be dangerous?"
"Not unless you draw a bad hand. And I know you like stacking your deck, so hush and we'll see what you play. It's going to be a bit like hide-and-seek, you might say. Kinda like yesterday...only today it's just for fun." That last sentence struck Rey like a sack of bricks. She found this sort of thing to be fun?
...Okay, who was he kidding--it was a bit fun in hindsight.
Of course for Fiela there was no risk of getting harmed. If it was the same for him it would be something he may enjoy doing. And if things were as she claimed, then the only real threat lied within being too good at hiding from her.
"Sort of like cat-and-mouse, actually. You'll be the mouse, and I'll play the cat, of course. We'll see how long you can evade me this time, bunny boy." Rey physically shuddered at the nickname but mentally was stricken by a drifting thought; one pondering that condescendence and pet names might have been her way of showing affection. If that was true, then she certainly liked him a lot.
"Okay," he stated simply. He could feel some soreness from the previous day come back to his legs as anticipation set in.
"Right. This time I'll give you a head start to hide, and I'll look away for a few seconds." Fiela picked up the rabbit and placed him gently on the ground inches from her foot. Rey looked back up at her and waited for her signal. At the turning of her head, instead of dashing out like he did before, he turned around and crept between her legs and underneath the sofa, planting himself firmly behind one of its legs.
Moments passed before the enormous shadow of Fiela's legs shifted and the soles of her paws disappeared as each stretched relaxingly and then began to stand flatly on the ground. She was on the hunt.
Thankfully, Rey had evaded her first instinct, which was evidently to check the desk where he had been the other day. Her back bent and she placed her hands on her knees to check extensively and thoroughly. Rey could only smile a little at the minor droplet of superiority that came with the feeling of outsmarting someone like Fiela, if only temporarily.
"Ah," muttered Fiela, in a manner that suggested she had realized something, as she stood straight and turned toward the couch. Rey panicked and, instead of leaving his spot, practically froze himself. The giantess wolf lowered her body to the floor and laid flat on her stomach, though began to inspect the opposite end of Rey's hiding place first.
Rey still did not move, for he would be that much more visible if he did. Rather, he waited until Fiela crept closer and closer, up to where if his hair so much as twitched he would be noticed. As her gaze drifted around the wall of the leg, he circle strafed the pillar onto the opposite side carefully. He moved back again once Fiela attempted to investigate his new side. At first he thought he had done it perfectly, at least until a light laugh echoed from above.
"I know you're there, Rey," stated the wolfess firmly.
"Um...no you don't?"
"I was hoping it wouldn't be so easy. Come on." Fiela reached an arm at him, but Rey dashed just out of reach and continued running until he met the wall, now firmly between it and the back of the sofa. A grunt could be heard from a distance.
"Really? Alright, I guess I underestimated you there. Are you going to make me refurbish my living room just to get to you?" she inquired, already laying grip on a single couch arm.
"If that's what it takes, I suppose so," retorted Rey.
"You know what?" Fiela huffed, grabbed the couch with both arms and with a single movement pulled the couch back by half its width, forcing Rey to admire her strength for but a moment. "I think I do like you." Fiela reached for the dead center of the now-revealed space where Rey stood, but once again he simply ran back underneath the furniture. The narrow passage forced her to take position at the front again.
"I know this is probably a bad time," began Rey, speaking loudly, "but I think I'm gonna have to say that you really do connect with me. We share tastes and whatnot, but you're also strong where I'm not." Still, he continued looking for a new place to hide while Fiela mentally translated his words into, "You complete me." Yet, with all the snarky comments she could've made, she couldn't choose a single one.
"Strong how...?" Rey took advantage of the temporary lapse in action and rushed for the desk Fiela had already checked, this time going unseen. Just as the rabbit hid his slender-in-comparison body behind a tan wood leg, the wolf snapped awake from thought and took time looking under the sofa once more.
Rey knew he had the upper hand here. But at the same time, there were few actual places to hide aside from all the furniture--she kept the place clean as it could be. The kitchen was the only real place to hide other than what laid beyond the dining room; and he'd never been there, nor did he plan to change that. Then again, perhaps he was taking this a bit too seriously. At least, he would think that if he didn't feel a want--a need--to be competitive toward Fiela, and if she hadn't been treating it the same way. The two had been battling for a lengthy amount of time, and up until the previous day he'd been mostly successful; successful in the sense that he had escaped capture while his assigned group took what they needed. Now was different. His rival was cunning, smart, ruthless...beautiful, strong--and he could be assessed as trying to prove himself at least worthy. Worthy of what, however, was something he had not quite thought through.
Evidently Rey had spent a hefty amount of time in thought, for thundering footsteps jolted him awake. "Tell me you've heard this one, but...opposites attract." A grip manifested and tightened around Rey's body. The collective irony was so strong it practically took on a physical form, prying and twisting his mouth into a disappointed frown.
"I suppose I think too much," said Rey.
"I could tell. I think it's cute." Fiela lifted him up effortlessly to face level and opened her palm, letting Rey lean against her index finger. "You know what else I like about you? You're nice, you're fun, and frankly, you're not an idiot. I've found any of those traits are hard to come by."
"Heh...thanks," was at first Rey's only possible response. "'I've found?' Does that mean I can ask about your past?" Rey expected hesitation from her, but none was shown.
"Take your pick--I've been with the bully, the dour, and the, well, idiot. Combinations of those three are even better. You can imagine how glad I am that you're not like them."
"I understand. If opposites do attract, I'm not surprised at the kind of people you've met."
"Ugh, you're cheesy sometimes," Fiela said with a laugh. She leaned forward and pecked him with a light kiss that enveloped his face for a moment, leaving him to revel in surprise. "But you're also really sweet." Rey remained reddened in her palm.
"Hey, uh," he started, already stuttering with embarrassment. "It's getting late. I should probably get back."
"Oh? But the good stuff's only started, Rey," Fiela replied with a grin.
"I'm probably being worried over--I should've been there a few hours ago."
"Well you're fine, aren't you? You can go tomorrow...and they'll know that you're okay." She caressed his soft head with a single towering finger, folding his ears back and letting them spring back up before repeating.
"Really, I should be going," he stated with an attempt at firmness. "I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome." Fiela shook her head at him. It was a poor excuse.
"Relax. You're here to have fun and to have a good time." She paused but did not change the confident look on her face, sharp and cunning still. "I'll decide when you've stayed too long." Rey seemed both a bit scared and a bit giddy at her aggressive invitation. "Sound good?"
Rey nodded, mute. She returned a seductive wink.
"Good. Then since it's so 'late', shall we head to bed?" She resumed her grasp over his body and sauntered off beyond the dining room.