Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?

[~Thor's Gurl<3~]

Emerald felt a wave of comfort and warmth come over her as Salem hugged her. She immediately felt better and she forgot about all her problems for a moment. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight until he let go, the tears stinging her eyes again but not falling. He cared. Just the thought of somebody, especially Salem, actually caring, brought tears to her eyes. Something stirred inside her at that moment, something she didn't quite recognize and kind of ignored. She sat down across from him, smoothing out the skirt of her blue and white dress. She gulped and blinked a few times. "We got into an argument after he came to get me. He apologized but he right away went back to treating me like a third wheel." Her voice got high and she paused for a moment as she took in a deep, shaky breath. "We got into another argument a few days ago..." She rubbed her arm where it was bruised, right by her shoulder. "He got so mad he hit me." she said quietly. She couldn't hold in the tears anymore and she broke down. "I couldn't do anything." she cried. She buried her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking with each quiet sob.

[GoldenStateOfMind]

Salem felt a wave of anger at Peter, though he knew it probably wasn't fair. His mind was churning in his unusual way, connecting dots that for any other would be invisible, and he could somehow see the fight in his mind's eye, a hazy picture that was almost like a dream but much, much more real. Shaking it away and lodging it the back of his mind, Salem scooted himself closer to Emerald and draped his arm firmly over her shoulders (but avoiding the bruise), in a comforting gesture. He was still kind of awkward, as he wasn't one to express physical affection or even really come into contact with others very often, but his interesting mind didn't even think of thae fact that he was wearing nothing but jean shorts. He never thought of those sort of things- he was much deeper than that, usually. "Peter cares about you, you know," he told her simply. This he was sure of, though he wasn't quite sure how. "When you really, truly care about someone, maybe even love them, as you love Peter and Peter loves you-" this part he added gently, so as not to startle Emerald or provoke her- "there are many things that get in the way. But that doesn't mean that you can't find a way past those obstacles." His voice was very rough, as it usually was, but somehow sounded like silk at the same time. His golden eyes were intricate, webs of knowledge and vague understanding that seemed as if to know the answer to everything. Suddenly they narrowed; Salem's voice grew close to anger. "But that doesn't give him a reason to hit you," he nearly growled. He despised violence of all kinds, though he also respected it's inevitable purpose with all things. Salem took a deep breath and was calm again, his body warm against Emeralds. He closed his eyes a moment and focused on his surroundings, the lure of hills and land and sky; tonight he did not want to sit still. Turning to look Emerald straight in the eye, his posture intensified dramatically. "Have you made a decision yet? Are you going to let yourself go, release your chains and bounds, and become free? I can show you how if you'd like," he asked her, his voice full of promise and accidental persuasion. He wanted to show Emerald the land past the horizon, share what he knew, what she could become. However, he left the choice up to her; decide right then and there or later, come with him or stay- he wasn't going to make her decisions for her.

[~Thor's Gurl<3~]

Emerald leaned into Salem as he put his arm around her. She welcomed the warmth he provided, both on the inside & out. She was so surprised & comforted by his words that she stopped crying for a moment. They both broke her more & gave her hope. "Loves me?" she questioned in a daze. She sniffled & went back to crying quietly. "It doesn't seem like it anymore." She paused & sniffled."I don't belong there. He's human & I'm not. They all are." His anger made her smile a tiny bit. Another sign that he cared. It warmed her heart but she remained silent. She sighed & wiped the tears from her face as they sat in silence for a brief moment. Salem's words kept echoing through her mind. They didn't nessacarily offer anything that could fix the problem but they sunk deep into her. They helped more than anything. His next question startled her but she didn't react that way. She had made up her mind ages ago. As she looked up at him she felt butterflies in her stomach. "Take me with you." she whispered pleadingly.

[GoldenStateOfMind]

Salem listened in a silent kind of way, solemn, until he heard Emerald's answer. Salem nodded once, his very composed expression leaking a single, rare grin. He soon wiped it away, but traces were left in his eyes. He stood and offered a hand to Emerald. As she reached for it, he swiped it away, and another shot of light burst in his eyes. "Lesson number one," he said quietly, his voice almost laughing. "Don't trust anything or anyone. I don't deserve your trust, and you don't deserve your own. Save trust for a rare occasion, one unlike any other. This doesn't mean you have to be wary, or suspicious, it simply means you must rely on nothing. Not even your senses- they can deceive you unlike anything else can. Your mind is really only your ally; you do not control it as you might think." He helped her up for real this time, and glanced at her sideways, his expression impossible to read his emotion. He suddenly took off running, knowing she would follow. He didn't change, stayed human as always, but even in his human form he was quicker than the average werewolf. He slowed a bit, so she could catch up and he could give her another lesson. "Number two: be prepared for anything, anytime. The world won't wait for you to understand." He sped up again, loving the wind in his ears, the pounding of his heart.

[VanWen]

ooc:
Recap

[~Thor's Gurl<3~]

Ooc: Not much really. Mostly Salem and Emerald talking I think. Emerald and Peter got into a huge argument and he hit her so now she's running away with Salem.

Bic:
Emerald smiled bigger as Salem grinned down at her. She forgot about everything else for a moment there. She reached up to take his hand but pulled it away quickly when he moved it. She frowned. What happened? Did she do something wrong? She sighed in relief when he spoke, all fears being washed away. She was actually kind of annoyed but she smiled anyways. "Ha ha you're very funny." she muttered. His words confused her though. She didn't need to be told twice about not trusting anybody unnecessarily, she did that now. But she would argue the fact that he didn't deserve it. It was true that she didn't know him too well but to her it felt like she had known him forever. This was a rare occasion. For her anyways. She stood and went to brush the grass from her dress when he took off running. "Hey wait!" she called out, pulling her skirt up to her calves and running after him, desperate not to be left behind. All in a split second she tripped over it and landed on her hands and knees, bruising her knees. She scowled and pulled at the bottom of the dress until it ripped at the knees. "Ah, that's better." she said, briefly inspecting her handiwork. She quickly ran after Salem again, running much much faster this time. She finally caught up to him and smiled. "Be prepared for anything." she mumbled to herself, etching those words into her brain. "Got it." She ran after him again, her long legs swallowing up the ground. Her arms and legs pounded as she tried to keep up with him. She was a good five feet behind him if not more. Her brown curls flew out of their messy fishtail braid as the wind tugged at it. She smiled. At last she was leaving everything behind. She was leaving and nothing could stop her. Not Peter, not Arrowin, not even Salem could make her go back. She was free. At that thought it was as if all weight was lifted from her heart and shoulders and she ran with new energy. A giggle bubbled up inside her and forced its way out.

[GoldenStateOfMind]

(( YAY BRITS IS BACK!! Btw, wolfhorsegirl, the dress ripping thing? I had to do that once with my Halloween costume forever ago. I was ripping it and tripping on it... HAHA it was terrible. ))

Salem almost forgot about Emerald for a moment, his head more on the ground that was flying under his feet and the stars the spun above his head far up in the sky. Realizing his mistake, he stopped short, a statue, and turned to face Emerald. Only then did his still unfocused mind realize she was running right towards him and he took a quick step back, but even his reflexes were too slow. He couldn't get out of the way in time and Emerald barreled into him, sending them both sprawling. If he had been more prepared, he could have avoided the incident, but speed had gotten to his head. He ended up flat on his back with Emerald on top of him, and a weak laugh forced it's way out of his throat. He had ignored his own advice. At least he was unhurt, as a werewolf. He lay for a moment more in utter shock before he found the courage to speak. "Are you alright?" he asked, a brief flash of sheepishness flitting across his features. His brow crumpled. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" The rumpled fabric of Emerald's dress was cool against his bare chest, her face inches from his. He wondered vaguely if his eyes were as wide as hers were. As he noticed this, he also noticed the pretty shade of green they were, but he soon forgot all sorts of those thoughts. He propped himself up on his elbows, a questioning look on his face. With abnormal strength, Emerald's weight seemed soft and light on his body. He was extremely glad it hadn't been the other way around- he weighed at least triple what she did.

(( Sorry if I'm godmodding! I don't mean to. Let me know if I am... ))

[~Thor's Gurl<3~]

Emerald tried to stop a she saw Salem stop running but it was too late. She crashed into him, the fall all just a twirling moment of black as she shut her eyes. When she finally regained her breath she opened her eyes to find Salem's face just inches from hers. She couldn't breath, her heart seemed to stop, time seemed to slow down. She smiled, a small giggle escaping her lips, as she looked down at him. She felt the butterflies in her stomach return and her heart skipped quite a few beats. She felt the heat rush to her cheeks. Her eyes were locked on his deep ones. She couldn't look away. Her mind went blank, she forgot she had to reply. "No, I'm-I'm fine." she stammered. "I'm tougher than I look." she joked.

(Lol wow that must of sucked! and yea Wb Brit )

[GoldenStateOfMind]

Salem let out his breath, slightly relieved. "I'm sure you are," he agreed, glancing around them. They were laying in the heart of the forest, far from the village, a place where most werewolves didn't venture far enough to go. The slick trunks around them loomed so high you had to crane your neck to see the top, their branches entangling in a web that only let faint glows of the stars filter through. You couldn't even see the sky. Moss dripped in intricate patterns from everything around them; the boulders, logs, and even ground was covered, as well as the trees. Salem felt the coolness of it on his back, the springiness a thick carpet in most places. Where dirt did peer through, it was damp and dark, as if it had just rained. Mushrooms in varying colors spouted in between roots and under rocks; soft, swaying ferns were like an ocean between the trees. It appeared that Salem and Emerald were in a sort of tiny clearing, with the trees growing in an almost circular pattern around them, holding misty fog and shadows in between them so that you couldn't see very far in any direction, even for werewolves. But it wasn't scary, just still and calm and cool, and the place gave Salem a great feeling of safety. No other life, other than the plants, was in sight... It was almost as if the forest was only for them. Salem sniffed deeply; only the smell of the rich earth and mingle of trees reached his nose. Strangely, no other animals were anywhere near. The whole "clearing" (it was more like a break in the trees: you still couldn't see the sky) seemed to glow with a greenish light, that, however faint, was comforting and beautiful. Salem wondered how the stars shed enough light through the leaves to make it this light, when it was night, but he shook the thought away. He felt hidden and cozy here. It was almost warm, as well. Returning his golden gaze to Emerald, he smiled. "Look," he breathed in her ear, and it was obvious what he meant for her to look at. The scenery was almost enough to make him forget everything else. He became suddenly very aware at how Emerald's body was very close to his, could feel every curve of her small figure through her dress. He froze, a slight shiver running down his back, and looked away. He rolled gently from under her so that they were laying side by side. However, they were still touching, and his skin felt slightly on fire.

[~Thor's Gurl<3~]

Emerald smiled a little at his comment but was unable to reply. Her gaze was still locked on him as he looked around the little space. The only movement's she made was the blinking of her eyes and the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. His words sent goosebumps down her arms and only then was she able to tear her gaze away from him. She gasped slightly when she saw where they were. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. She looked around, her eyes growing wider in amazement. "It's...beautiful." she whispered. The branches were like an intricate maze that the moonlight had to pass through to reach them. The moss that hung from the trees and the rocks and that covered the ground was like a blanket. She spent several moments staring around the area. Every time she looked there was something new to see. She looked back down at Salem as she felt him move. She became slightly colder that but not much. She hadn't realized how much warmth he actually provided. But just the slightest touch that still remained between them was enough to keep her warm. For the first time in a while she felt nervous, but in a good way. Her heart was pounding so loud she could hear it in her own ears and she wouldn't be surprised if Salem could hear it to. Though somehow she managed to keep her breaths even. She wondered if she looked as nervous as she felt. She sure hoped not. She glanced down at her hands to make sure they weren't shaking. They weren't. Thank goodness. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself, but she looked back over at Salem and her calm blew away with the gentle breeze.