The dark forest

[Red Gypsy]

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Layla enjoyed the first part of the ride, moving with him as if she'd been born doing so. As he hit the lever, though, dropping the targets and challenging her, she couldn't help her grin as she pulled her bow and an arrow and sighted the first target.

She made each hit perfectly no matter what Borias did or how he moved. When she ran out of arrows, she used the spikes of her bow to slice down the last target, slashing it across the back as they moved past it.

When he paused to look back, she leaned forward, her chest against his back as she put her chin to his shoulder, "Not even a challenge... When my leg heals up, I'll show you where I usually train..." she whispered to him softly, not realizing that her voice had gone a bit husky during the ride.

She had no idea that she got about as much of a thrill out of target practice like this as most people got out of bedroom antics...  

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Borias was sweating, but it was good hard sweat that helped him increase his stamina.
He was not the least bit surprised she hit all of the targets, and slashed them apart as her knees held onto his flanks tightly. She was a well respected hunter and warrior.....also another reason he was fond of her.

As they slowed and he turned his head to look back at her, her chin was on his shoulder and her chest resting against his back.

"Ah. I look forward to seeing your stomping grounds."

Borias went into a trot and took them to a small glade where there was water and enough coverage to deter flying arrows. Once there he knelt down for her to get off.

Once she was off he opened his pouch and handed her a snack.  

[Red Gypsy]

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Layla had no trouble reclining back in the soft grass and accepted one of the baked pies, knowing that one half would have some kind of meal portion while the other had a dessert portion and Zeena never told anyone what they were getting.

She found out that hers had a nice roast beef with a hearty sauce on one end and baked berry preserves on the other, one of her favorites.

She was just as sweaty as Borias was, having worked just as hard as he had even though it wouldn't look to anyone else as if she had. But it took alot of work to ride without hands and even more work to fire a bow while doing it.

"I usually practice deeper in the forest. It's dangerous for most to go there, but I find it relaxing," she told him softly as she finished off her pie and took a drink from their water skin.  

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Borias had tucked his legs underneath his body as he nibbled on his pie. It was a vegetarian one with cheese, before he got a sweet peach on the other. It was delicious and he was glad he chose the one he did.

"What type of training do you do in such a dangerous area?"  

[Red Gypsy]

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Layla grinned at him as she laid back in the grass, lacing her fingers over her bare belly, "Mostly hunting, some fighting as well. There are things there that would be able to eat you whole and consider you a mere appetizer. Learning to move through there taught me more than a few lessons. But that was my playground growing up, more so than the centaur village," she told him, not bothered by any of it even though most probably would be.

"But it's also beautiful there. There are places where I could happily live forever, where not even Zuko would find me... But then I remember the centaurs here, remember that sometimes they need help, that the little ones need to learn to defend themselves... So I come back..." she added as she watched the sunlight filtering through the canopy of the trees above them.  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

Borias nodded as he listened to her talk . He could very well see her enjoying a dangerous area. She lived for action and he knew that she would be bored if she didn't have some sort of excitement.

"Sounds interesting
"  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Layla gave a one shouldered shrug over it, "Well, I'll probably not be heading back there for a while. Not until Zuko's taken care of anyway. So it really doesn't matter. What matters is right now and getting healed up. I just wished there was a faster way," she said in a practical tone before sitting up and shaking a few blades of grass and leaves from her hair.

Off in the bushes, there was a slight rustle and she focused on it with a small frown. But she gave a delighted laugh when a small animal tumbled through the bushes and barreled into her, knocking her back to the ground as she was given a happy attack by a small ball of fur that wasn't readily identified.

"Stef! Stef calm down! I'm happy to see you too but you can't meet Borias like this!" she called out to the creature that stilled instantly at her words and turned huge brown eyes to blink at him, "Borias, this is Stef. He's one of the stranger creatures that live here. He's fascinated by the centaur village and prowls it at night. I haven't seen him in years, though," she made the introduction easily as the animal crawled out of her arms to sniff at and crawl over Borias to inspect him and finally perched on his shoulders to lean over to look into his face.

Stef looked like a cross between a monkey, a night-cat, and an owl. He had thick fur covering most of his body and feathers around his neck like a lions mane and a prehensile tail that was currently coiled around Borias' shoulder and arm as he inspected his face then started running his small claws through his hair.  

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Borias had a small blade in his hand as he heard the rustling of the bushes, but he didn’t need to fling it or anything as Layla was suddenly laughing and cuddling some weird furry like creature. He put his blade away and watched as she interacted with the creature.
Never had he heard her laugh and was surprised she could. Shameful for him to think she couldn’t, but in all the times he tried to make her truly laugh, she wouldn’t.
Borias looked the odd creature over and stiffened as it turned its big brown eyes on him. He felt uncomfortable as it seemed to really stare. Borias held his breath as it was suddenly on him and looking him over.
He let his breath out slowly as it began to run it’s small claws through his Mohawk.
“Not sure he will find anything in my hair…”
Borias looked to Layla.
“He prowls? Does he eat anything specific?”  

[Red Gypsy]

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Layla gave another soft laugh and shook her head a little at the antics, "He eats fruit, spends most of his time up in the trees. He's harmless unless you attack him. He's the one responsible for the three scars on Zuko's cheek. The b*****d tried to get rid of him when he came to see me once, apparently had a problem with me showing any kind of affection to anyone else, even Stef. All he got for his efforts, though, were some new scars and a healthy respect for the animals that live here," she explained, her smile still in place.

Stef finally crawled off of Borias and went up on Layla's shoulders and toyed with her hair, giving soft sounds as he fussed at her, "Stef was one of the first animals I encountered in the deeper forest and showed he how to maneuver through the trees. The centaurs know about him, of course, but they leave him alone and simply leave bowls of fruit outside their homes to keep him from going inside. He did that once and made a mess in the process, but they knew he meant no harm and simply took steps to keep him outside," she explained as she stroked the soft fur.

But apparently Stef was only checking on her because he moved back down to the ground and disappeared into the bushes again, leaving her hair swept up from her neck in some manner that didn't require any other items but her hair. she gave another soft laugh as she felt at it, "And he's a great hairdresser too," she added, not realizing how beautiful she could be when she was happy.  

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Borias watched the creature with interest and curiosity as it messed with Layla's hair and then eventually scampered off.

"Hmm.....I will have to see about gathering fruit to put outside as well."

He scratched his chest and looked to Layla appreciating her beauty as the harsh frown lines she usually had were gone as she smiled at him and was just generally happy.

One day....when Zuko was gone, Borias hoped he would see more of her smiling face and seeing her relaxed side.

"So there are other creatures in your area.....tell me about them?"  

[Red Gypsy]

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Layla gave a small shrug of one shoulder and plucked a blade of grass to toy with it as she spoke, her face still relaxed but now a bit shy as she kept her eyes on her hands.

"Most of the creatures of the deeper forest don't have names for what they are. Too few venture that deep to even consider naming them. There are butterflies the size of birds, some in the colors of the shadows and some so brightly colored they almost glow at night. Creatures that look like plants with long vines and beautiful flowers but are actually carnivorous. One creature almost like the centaurs but the body of a reptile and the torso of a beast, also carnivorous and one of the top predators there. Lizards that move from shadow to shadow as big as you are but eat plants, flowers that only bloom in the darkness, birds of colors you could never imagine. There are glades where the ground is covered with soft ferns or even softer moss, some surrounding deep clear pools of the purest water. The unicorns go there in the spring to deliver their foals. There's even a few dragons in there if you know where to look for them," she explained softly.

By now the sweat on her skin had dried and she was simply enjoying the coolness of the shade on her pale skin. She tilted her head a bit now to look at him out of the corner of her eye and remembered the kiss he'd given her last night. Well, she hoped she remembered it and that it wasn't just a fantasy she'd dreamed up.

She couldn't remember feeling that way with anyone ever before. With Zuko, their bedding had felt almost mechanical and he'd rarely kissed her, mostly just a bare touch of lips to skin. But with Borias, the kiss had been... indescribable... It had felt like her body had come to life for the first time and she truly regretted the fact that she was injured at all. In fact, she'd been surprised that he'd pulled away even though she was injured. Zuko never had.

She licked her lips and remembered what it felt like when he'd kissed her, making her lips tingle all over again. But she cleared her throat and continued talking as she looked back down at her hands, "There are other smaller mammals like Stef, animals that have adapted to life in the trees instead of on the ground. Some of them with fur softer than silk, others with a mixture of fur and feathers or fur and scales. Some are fruit-eaters, others eat small insects," she added then found that she'd run out of things to say as her imagination went on with that remembered kiss...  

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Borias listened to her in amazement as she went about telling him about the different hidden creatures she had seen in the deeper parts of the forest. Hearing about the other sorts of centaur like creatures had him rubbing his arms as it kinda freaked him out.

As she sat there and toyed with a blade of grass between her slender fingers, he let his mind wander and wondered what it would be like if those delicate fingers would run across his body. He got goosebumps thinking about it and his mouth went dry as she looked at him with those golden eyes as she tilted her head some. It was a good thing he was on the ground , legs curled under.....she would see what she was doing to him.

"Adaption is probably what is helping them remain hidden and alive.....it is good to know there are still mysteries in the world."

As she fell silent he wondered if she remembered him kissing her. Of course he wanted more than just a kiss, but he knew he had to wait until she was better....perhaps then...perhaps he could do more with her. A vision of him taking her from behind had him wincing as his nether region was uncomfortable at the moment.

"I know this is off topic....but.....could....could you.....see yourself with someone like me?"

Before he could stop himself he blurted out what he secretly wanted from her.
"Would you be my mate?"  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Layla hesitated to answer him at first, knowing that she had to consider her thoughts before speaking them. When she did finally find an answer to both questions, she raised her golden eyes to meet his and hoped that she wouldn't screw things up.

"If it weren't for Zuko, my answer would be yes in an instant. I couldn't bear it if he killed you because of me. You're the first male I've met in a very long time that I would consider, that I could see spending time with, spending my life with. You see the real me, not some imagined female that you want to turn me into. You can accept that I can't have children. You don't mind that I can't cook. In fact, you're a better cook than Zeena is. Just don't tell her I said that.

"I don't want to live my life as if Zuko is going to come out of the shadows at any moment. I want to be able to love, to live without fear. I want to show you my world and have you show me yours. I want to go back to your island and live with you there, coming back here to visit from time to time. I want my father to bless us and throw us a party to celebrate just as he has done for his other children that found mates. I think I'd like to eventually adopt some of the parentless foals here and raise them as my own.

"So I guess my answer to you is yes, Borias... I would love to be your mate," she hoped she wasn't muddling all of this with too many words.

Truthfully, right now, she wanted to run back to the village and shout it to everyone there, go through the preparations for a mating ceremony, endure the good-natured ribbing they'd get from the announcement...

But most of all, she wanted him to kiss her again, then to have him take her to his bed and show her what loving was supposed to be like. She couldn't remember feeling such desire for anyone before and it was very distracting for her, but in a way that she liked being distracted.  

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He understood everything she had said and nodded. It had taken a lot to accept his spur of the moment question and request, so he got up and blushed as she could see what he had been hiding. He trotted to her and sat beside her. He cupped her face.
"I accept your answer....but be warned......I will ask again when everything is over....that way, we can truly celebrate with your family and one another before we ask if it would be alright to adopt the foals around your home."



He didn't allow her to answer as he kissed her then, hungrily as he needed to kiss her and show her exactly what she was in store for later one day.  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Layla's face held her own delicate blush as he moved over to her and saw the evidence of his desire for her, something she wasn't really used to seeing in relation to herself. Then he was cupping her face so tenderly that it almost brought tears to her eyes and saying words she'd never expected to hear from anyone.

Before she could say anything, though, he was kissing her and drawing out the passion she'd only felt a hint of last night. Her hands moved around him as she moved up on her knees to get closer to him, her chest pressing against his as she let out a soft pleading moan for more.

Should she tell him that she'd never really felt desire like this before? That she'd never gotten the chance to enjoy lovemaking?

As he kissed her, though, even those thoughts faded as she returned the kiss just as hungrily, her soft sounds taking on a soft begging note as her body demanded more.