Book Smart

One Hundred

The little black wolf that seems all too easy to push over and have my way with gives one timid but devilish look over his shoulder before my throat gets playfully nipped at and he takes off like a rocket, prompting my own wolf to take up the challenge and chase after him.

He's so small that the terrain suits him more than it suits me even though I'm more familiar with it. His wolf is so agile as we dart through the trees taking turns chasing each other, rolling through piles of freshly fallen leaves as we both surrender to the more primal sides of our beings... Just letting our minds run free as we rampage through the forest that surrounds our home.

I let my baby take the lead, his exploration of his territory long overdue, his nose sniffing out the familiar pathways that I've wandered a thousand times as we run and play.

I've run with others before... Not many times, and most of those times my company was Liam, and his presence was normally only required when he knows I'm resisting coming home... This is different though.

It's not tense or resentful... But happy and full of the tension draining release that I crave every time I feel unsettled, the company of my precious Addy doing just as much to set my mind at eases as the powerful snap of my muscles as our paws pound into the slightly damp earth.

...
Adrian
...

It would be so easy for Daddy to catch me and send me tumbling through the leaves, but instead, he takes turns chasing me and being chased, nipping at my heels and giving the happiest yips I've ever heard come from a wolf anywhere near his size.

It's like the two of us are puppies again and it's playtime.

It certainly feels like playtime, and I think that this might be the most lighthearted my wolf has ever been in the presence of anyone of a higher rank than myself... But Daddy isn't anyone to be afraid of... Both sides of me know that he's the dominant one in every aspect of our relationship and neither side of my self would ever want to change that.

He's so sweet to me, even being sure to be careful while we run free and play not to be too rough with me, ever conscious of how much smaller I am than he is... Of how gentle he needs to be with me... There is no malice in his domination... No ill will or harm ever intended towards me... Towards our love for each other.

The careful wall that Daddy normally shoulders to keep our mental connection from overwhelming me gets dropped, just enough to let the joy my mate is feeling in this moment shine through as the vibrant mossy green stones that mark our path fly by us, each deep brown tree trunk a little different from the last as our lungs feel the familiar burn that comes with a good run... I had thought my presence might detract from the release he really had needed but instead, it seems to only add to his pleasure... I can smell myself on the wind as he takes in deep chestfuls of my scent while he follows me.

A powerful burst from his paws has Silas surging forward, his tail swishing in front of my snout as he pulls ahead signaling that it's my turn to chase.

I don't think I've ever seen anything more beautiful than when the sunlight hits the deep brown coat of Silas's wolf, the contrast against the shadows of the trees and the vibrancy of the underbrush enough to give me pause before I follow him by leaping over a fallen tree trunk and following the curve he sets out.

It takes real effort to try and keep up with him just like I thought it would, but it's worth it... Seeing his massive wolf strain and labor as he lets himself fly across the forest floor getting hit with patches of sunlight that showcase him in a way that leaves me in awe of his physicality.

The moment I start to lag against the increased pace Daddy slows himself... Not noticeably at first, but soon it's much easier to keep up with him than before, his tail coming within reach for my jaws to snap down around it playfully.

...
Silas
...

My sweet bean's personality shines through to his other half oh so well... He's just as mischievous and adorable in wolf form as he is in human form, the chomp to my tail such a puppy-like thing to do that it has me stopping in my tracks to try and paw at him, my wolf wanting that belly of his under my tongue to watch him squirm and listen to the laughter that can only ring out inside of his mind while in wolf form...

Sadly my paw finds only air, my silly Baby bumping himself as hard as he dares into my side, rubbing himself along the length of me before lunging ahead just barely escaping an affectionate bite aimed for his scruff meant to topple him over.

The challenge is extended when he darts ahead of me, turning and dancing from side to side, tongue lolling out of his mouth in the goofiest expression I've ever seen on the face of a wolf. The challenge is then accepted when I lunge for him.

We fall back into the pattern of chasing and being chased, leaves kicked up behind us in the most lighthearted of romps that I've ever been involved in...

Running has always been about escaping for me... It's always been a way to find a more peaceful version of reality and ease the aches that build up in my soul from being trapped here and tired down to this pack when most of me so badly wanted to be free to wander up and down the coast... To have a larger piece of territory that is just my own... It's the only escape I can indulge in without completely shirking my responsibilities...

But now instead of the further reaches of nature calling out to me to keep going and never look back, it's easy to turn and redirect our route towards home... Because as the sun starts to descend, the breeze turning more and more chilly as it whips through our fur... I know that at home I'll be able to pull my silly baby into my arms and settle in for a long night of cuddles and easy conversation... That maybe I'll be able to coax my sweetheart into letting me read to him while we cuddle to return the favor of him running with me today...

That home will always feel like the place I need... No.

The place that I want to be as long as Adrian is by my side.