Frost Forest [Goblin]

[Juno]

She narrowed her eyes at his suggestion, though her face was well-hidden as she tucked herself against him, thinking it impossible that they naturally didn't -or couldn't- get along. It simply couldn't be like that, it was a choice.

"You don't have to be, though," she pointed out quietly, subconsciously returning the nuzzling gesture before crawling up to press her nose into his hair. Sophie entirely missed all of the body language and social cues of the other shifter, oblivious to his silent sense of claim even as she lie with him all comfortable and content to accept that very attention that felt so nice.

"Maybe if you weren't so far...tiger," she suggested softly, then frowned and shook her head to admit, "And if I wasn't so human. We might get along better. But we're just too different. Way too different, so you're just trouble instead, hm?" It made sense to her at least.

[GoblinFae]

"Perhaps," he agreed quietly. It pleases him greatly to hear her acknowledge that she was altogether too human. That notion far outweighed her comments regarding such a possibility that he was too much a tiger. Fintan did not believe that such a thing could even be possibly. He simply embraced all that he was in the same manner it seemed that she rejected her own inner beast. "Doesn't have to be that way," he added, brushing his lips against her jaw. "Even fire can dance on water if given a chance."

[Juno]

Sophie froze, finally realizing just how close they were, how affectionate he was being and how welcoming she was being to that attention. She shuddered some to realize it wasn't entirely unconscious or unwanted, the thought of suddenly being away and unable to comfort him more upsetting than what was happening already.

"What does that even mean. They don't go together," she whispered, more for herself than anything as she carefully readjusted herself, lowering her face to only press into his neck instead and not cling to him so tightly. It seemed less intimate at least to her, which was really her only reason for making a conscious effort.

"You really do think me a kitten, don't you?" she accused lightly, her lips curling in a playful pout even as she ran her hand along his side in what she hoped was a soothing manner.

[GoblinFae]

Fintan chuckled at her confusion but his laughter was cut short by her shifting to the more vulnerable area of his neck. He was rather surprised by his own trust in such an intimate gesture. Briefly he nuzzled the top of her head before allowing his hand to lower to rub at her upper back instead. The last thing he needed was her to become hissy because he went too far with his touches.

"They don't normally, no," he agreed, still feeling amused. "Look at it differently and they can though." Fintan sighed and closed his eyes briefly to catch his breath then continued again. "Not in the way you think." He shivered at her gentle touch, embracing her a bit closer before losing his hold to let her leave if she chose to.

[Juno]

"Apparently I never learned to see the world that way." Sophie sighed, her way of thinking honestly unable to understand him or his analogy. She didn't understand his hesitation, though, and lifted her head some to stare at him questioningly when he let go.

"Don't be stubborn," she chided, thinking he wanted her to leave suddenly and tightening her hold on him instead. It was a little offensive, to be honest, after the way he'd mostly rejected anything but direct body warmth."I'm staying right here. Unless...you changed your mind?"

[GoblinFae]

"Not too late to," he replied nonchalantly. It was up to her what she decided to accept or discredit. He saw no harm in her having her own opinion on the matter. It was not something worth forcing the issue on after all. Her chiding though was a different matter entirely. "Stubborn?" he growled lightly. "Not being stubborn. Not smothering you," Fintan corrected as he too held her tightly once more now that she had done the same. "I haven't changed. I trust you," he added more quietly, once more resuming his gentle soothing stroking of her back in hopes of placating her and silently apologizing for the misunderstanding.

[Juno]

Sophie was pleasantly surprised to hear that he trusted her, the idea strangely satisfying on its own. She nuzzled against his chest for the gentle touching, not wanting to admit how much she was enjoying their time together even if it was for odd reasons. She didn't even realize how calm he was keeping her on his own, though, her earlier temper all but forgotten with a soothing hand at her back.

"So you trust me as...a body warmer," she reflected thoughtfully. "I guess that's not too bad. Shifters...have to look out for each other." At least that was how she'd been taught.

[GoblinFae]

Fintan grumbled unhappily at her assumption and shook his head. For a moment he simply breathed in her scent before finally responding. "I trust you to stay, to," he paused, searching for the right word that would neither offend her nor insult himself. "Protect," the shifter finally settled on as he pulled her flush against him once more and snuggled her contently. He would have enjoyed himself more if they were both in their "proper" forms but for now he would take what he could get. Having her close was indeed a great comfort and he could hardly complain when it meant she actually remained without her quibbling.

[Juno]

"Protect?" Sophie asked, slightly unimpressed but willing to think on it. It seemed ridiculous after all his talk of her being too weak in her human form to truly protect him from anything outside of his den. How was inside any advantage when he'd already said he could handle it himself?

"I guess that's kind of what I said," she finally decided, lifting her head slightly to peek at his face. "I can look out for you. Try to at least." For the time being she was content to curl up with him and finally settle into the calm. Burying her nose against his shoulder she reflected silently, wondering what else she might be able to do to help him recover.

[GoblinFae]

He huffed and sighed in relief, glad that she had not managed to get her tail in a knot again. Fintan nodded slightly before gently nuzzling his head against hers, taking comfort in the same manner that his more primal form would. "Are all the females of your fur like you?" he asked tiredly, hoping that at least if he kept her talking and somewhat entertained then she would not entertain ideas of leaving or wandering off again. "Never seen one of yours so far from home."

[Juno]

Sophie unconsciously butted her head against his own, the leopard within her reacting with an audible humming purr she wasn't even aware of making.

For a moment she thought on his question but it was a simple enough one to answer with her own knowledge. "I don't know, but it's probably fair to say they aren't. I've only ever known of my family but they all love living in the north, near home," she explained with a shrug, not really seeing it as a bad thing that she was different from them. "My brother and sister sometimes talk of travel, wanting to see the world before they settle down. They seem comfortable where they live, though. I don't ever really get the impression that they'd follow my path but maybe they're just a little envious," she mused kindly, smiling fondly in memory of her family.

"My father traveled a bit, but I'm the only one who does now. Just how my life is, I guess." Wanting to be conversational she almost asked the same of him before she set her lips in a tense line, knowing full well that not all of his kind were like him. His own brother had proven that already, but he'd mentioned a sister before, too.

"What other shifters have you seen here?" she asked instead.

[GoblinFae]

Fintan hummed with pleasure at her reciprocated affection. He listened quietly to her answer, not surprised that most of her kin had stayed put and she was the oddity. She was certainly an oddity enough here all on her own. Her question though caused him to blink in thought. Not many shifters traveled through the area and most that did steered clear of other people's territories, unlike her of course.

"There have been some. We tend to leave and let be. We have our own lands and protect what is ours. My kith share some neighboring borders with me but there are others. There was a spotted one for a while but I have not smelled him in the area in a long time."

[Juno]

"Well that sounds very stiff. And boring." She wrinkled her nose at the thought of being so distant that he did not even truly know his unrelated neighbors. It wasn't exactly a surprise, though, judging by his initial reaction to her being near his territory.

"Spotted?" That didn't sound like a tiger to her. In fact, it seemed more like her kind. She mistook his lack of "smelling him" to mean he had not made it out to find him, though.

"Your life sounds very boring, Fintan," she sighed, pouting as she stared at him with an almost pitying gaze. Reaching out absently she stroked a few fingers through what she could reach of his hair. "You should get out more. See more of the world than your family and the jungle. There's more to life than having land and isolation."

[GoblinFae]

The shifter growled softly and huffed in displeasure. "I am not boring," he grumbled, giving her a nip of warning to her collarbone. His lands were extensive and Fintan took it as a bit of an insult that she would insinuate that he was not well-traveled. "This is my world. Leaving means never returning. There are things here worth keeping, worth protecting. I'd rather stay. What have you done then that is so fulfilling?"

[Juno]

Sophie narrowed her eyes at him for the brush of teeth. It wasn't that he'd hurt her, but she didn't like the idea of being nipped every time he was unhappy with her. Would be a bad habit for him to form and she certainly wasn't going to let him. For the moment, though, she relented and just listened to what he had to say instead of snapping back immediately.

"I've seen the world," she declared confidently, gesturing with her hand as if she could even begin to demonstrate its vastness. "And a lot of its people and places. It's refreshing to see, but- well you wouldn't know what I'm talking about." She frowned at that, somehow sad that he wouldn't be able to appreciate the beauty of it. Even the basal differences of climate amazed her, knowing how warm and mild it could be in the southern stretches of Le'raana during the harsh winter months of the north.

"The world is just...beautiful. There are so many parts to it, so much culture, so much...life."

[GoblinFae]

Fintan snorted and shook his head. "You speak of the world but hold no value for your own home. You appreciate the wonders of afar but have yet to love the ones so close to you. You have seen a glimpse of my land but I know it's heart. I feel it's beat and it's warmth with every step I take." The shifter shook his head against her. "Do not make small of my experience because I have chosen home over the world."

[Juno]

Her eyes widened at that, a bit hurt that he would think she was making small of his own experiences. She didn't understand how he could be bound to stay, or at the least compelled to by the mere claim over his lands.

"That may be true," she conceded with a defeated shrug. "I only meant that there really is a lot more that you haven't seen. And a lot of it is quite amazing." Sophie offered him a sad smile before turning her head away, still feeling quite embarrassed and like she'd misspoken and upset him. "I just thought it was a bit of a shame, but...if that is just the way of your culture I can respect that."

[GoblinFae]

"There is no shame in taking advantage of what you have so close to home and enjoying it to the fullest. It is better to have such a deep understanding of one thing then to know bits and pieces from all over that are scattered like the pollen from many different trees. There is so much here and still more I have not seen or known. Why would I go elsewhere to start all over again and again? Why do you?"

[Juno]

"But it isn't starting all over again," she pointed out gently. "Just stopping by, visiting different places. Home is still my home. I do it to teach myself, I suppose. I like knowing about more than just what's around my home, that's just my choice and preference about how I live my life. You're entitled to your own, of course."

Sophie grew quiet in defeat, realizing it was probably useless to try to persuade him when he had no idea what she was even talking about. She couldn't even begin to describe the sense of wonder and joy she felt in her times of exploration.

"You're not alone, though," she continued, a note of fond remembrance reaching her voice. "My family is like you, as I said. Living at home now and nowhere else. I guess I'm the weird one of our...kind. Shifters."

[GoblinFae]

Fintan shook his head, making his beads clink and dance about. "To leave is to never return. Once you leave your territory is no longer yours and others will be quick to take it. It had to another of us. I claimed most of his lands as my own but my brother took the rest. Before the panther kept us separate. With my territory gone there is no more for me. I would have to fight for a piece. That is no way to live. Would be the same elsewhere."

He looked to her curiously, trying to assess her in this new light. "You're just looking for your own territory," he finally declared. "All cubs do when it's time."