How Much is That Doggie in the Window? [M]

[Zero]

He couldn't keep from laughing softly again as she swatted at his shoulder. Tobias looked down at her with his gold-flecked eyes shining softly, admiring her pout with a happy grin. Once again he was struck by how beautiful she was, his chest swelling with love for her.

"Of course, just to let them know you're alright. They won't be able to respond if they don't know where we are, but...eventually I'm sure they'll come around and we can visit them." Maybe.

Tobias really wasn't going to hold his breath on that front. Her father seemed fairly livid, and her mother...he wasn't sure. To him she'd seemed disappointed with Tessa, but he didn't know them well enough to say for sure what emotions were really going through their minds. All the werewolf knew was he couldn't risk losing his mate.

[DragonSong]

"Yes. Maybe someday..."

She bit her lip and her eyes took on a sort of distant look for a moment, lost in thought. Then she shook her head and offered him a quick, bright smile that was only about half forced.

Her father would never be okay with this. She knew that with a strange sort of certainty that felt like a heavy knot in her chest. But her mother... Nateri had always been a bit more willing to indulge her than her husband. Maybe someday she'd manage to talk Erik down enough for them to at least see their daughter and her husband...

But she wasn't going to count on it. Another shake of her head and she leaned into Tobias's side as they walked. "When do you think we should head off the main road?"

[Zero]

Tobias didn't want to think about Tessa's parents. He didn't want to think about his either. His mother had told him once she couldn't wait for grandchildren, but now she'd never meet hers. Thinking about how much family they did not have was just depressing.

All he needed was Tessa.

"Now would be good. There's enough foot traffic this close to the city that'd it would be impossible to track us, and there's some dense forest here too." Nobody could see him transform, that would cause panic and of course would leave witnesses that could point any pursuers in the right direction to hunt them down.

He pulled her off the road and started into the trees, looking around to make sure no one was actually watching them as they disappeared into the forest. "We'll go in pretty far before I change."

[DragonSong]

Tessa nodded as he pulled her into the trees, keeping close to his side as she looked around curiously. She'd never seen so much green- growing up in the city the closest she'd ever been to a real forest was the small, well-groomed parks.

"It's beautiful out here," she murmured, smiling as she gave his hand a small squeeze.

But they didn't really have time to enjoy the scenery. She gave his hand another squeeze as they moved further into the trees and reluctantly stepped a little aide to give him room to change.

[Zero]

"Yeah, there's a wild beauty about the forest. I love it out here." Tobias murmured. Even before becoming a werewolf he had loved the wilderness of rural Adela where he was born and raised. He hoped that Tessa would come to appreciate it as much as he did. Especially since now he was a werewolf and the wolf couldn't truly live without the wild.

When they came to a suitable spot he drew away from his mate and turned to her. "Alright, I'm going to strip and transform. Put my clothes in the pack and put it on your back. When I change, I will lay down for you to climb on. Stay low on my back and hold tight to my fur here," He indicated the places on his chest near his neck, "Don't worry about pulling my fur. I'd rather you held too tight than not tight enough and you got hurt falling. Just let me know if you want me to go faster, slow down, or stop. Okay?"

Tobias took a deep breath, feeling irrationally nervous as he began removing his clothing. Tessa had done more than just see him naked - and she had seen the wolf too. Maybe it was because now she was his wife and he was undressing for the first time as her husband. Not that that made much more sense.

Pushing through his shyness, the werewolf managed to get out of his clothes which he handed her with a sheepish blush. It took a few moments for him to be able to call on the change because of his nerves, but the wolf flowed out smoothly, eager to greet his mate for the first time now that she was his mate. The transformation only took a few seconds, it had used to take so much longer and had been a horrifically painful affair. Tobias was glad it wasn't anymore. He would have hated for Tessa to see it before.

The wolf whined softly, wagging his tail as he nuzzled his head against Tessa's shoulder happily before licking her cheek.

[DragonSong]

"Um, okay." Tessa nodded as she listened intently to his instructions, a determined sort of frown furrowing her brow. Perhaps she was being a little too serious, but she was suddenly irrationally nervous about this whole thing. It felt...very odd to think about that fact that her husband would be serving as a mount.

She smiled though when she realized he seemed even more nervous than her, trying to put him at ease. She murmured a soft thanks as he handed her his clothing- cheeks red even as she determinedly kept her eyes on his face, though there really wasn't much point to it- and she folded them up and packed them away, swinging the pack onto her back.

A small, wondering sigh left her as she watched him shift. There was something so primal but beautiful about it, it made her catch her breath a bit. For a moment she just looked at him, lips curved in a distracted sort of smile.

She laughed when he licked her cheek; her brief paralysis broke and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hello, beautiful," she chuckled, scratching the wolf behind his ears and letting her forehead rest against his for a moment before she pressed a quick kiss to his nose.

[Zero]

The huge head of the wolf rested on her shoulder as she hugged him, his tail continuing to wag happily at the attention his mate was paying to him. It made him so happy that she wasn't afraid of him. Tobias hated when people were afraid of him, but the wolf only cared about Tessa. His mate couldn't be afraid of him, it would be too horrible.

He pulled away from her arms, stepping back and laying on the ground, looking up at her adoringly. If it were anyone else the wolf would have balked at being ridden like some horse, but he wanted his mate to run with him. Tessa could never keep up with him on her own.

Besides, she would be pressed close to him. Both of them liked that idea; having their mate clinging to them, pressed close and warm where he could keep her safe and happy.

[DragonSong]

She huffed a little when he pulled away from her, instinctively lamenting the loss of his warmth, but a small smile quickly flashed across her face as he laid down. She got to her feet and moved closer, then hesitated.

"Um..." Suddenly she felt rather awkward. "Alright. I guess..." She hovered, fidgeted with her skirt, then let out a sharp breath and shook her head, climbing up onto his back.

Well. This was certainly interesting. "You're sure I'm not to heavy?" The question was out before she could stop it, despite the fact that he'd shown he could carry her easily even in his human form. She huffed out another breath and bent over his neck, carefully twining her fingers into the fur of his ruff.

[Zero]

Tobias gave a soft, reassuring whine as Tessa seemed a bit nervous about actually climbing onto his back. He wished he could speak to her in this form, but neither he nor the wolf knew how to effectively communicate with a human like this. All he could do was use the sounds and body languages of the wolf and hope for the best.

He made a soft chuffling sound when she asked if he was sure she wasn't too heavy. It was the closest he could come to laughing in this form.

The wolf made sure that his mate had a good hold of his fur before he slowly rose to his feet, looking over his shoulder at Tessa carefully to make sure she seemed stable. Having her fall was the last thing he wanted. He couldn't stand the thought of her in pain or in danger. It was enough to drive him insane.

Tobias huffed softly and started walking fairly slowly. He wanted to let her get used to the way his body moved in this form. It wouldn't do to start running before she was comfortable on his back.

[DragonSong]

"O-oh..." She knew he was big, bigger than a wolf had any right to be really, but somehow it hadn't registered just how big he was until she was looking at the distance to the ground over his shoulder.

"Ooohhkay." Tessa gave a nervous little laugh and hung on tighter. "Alright, this is...weird." Another laugh and she let her cheek rest between his shoulders. It was nothing like riding a horse, she could feel the difference in his gait through his whole body.

And it was...sort of wonderful. It almost felt like she could feel his heartbeat, his breath, through her whole body, pressed as tightly against him as she was. After a moment, she gave him a little scratch on his shoulder and murmured, "I, um, I think I've got it, if you wanna pick up the pace."

[Zero]

Tobias loved the way Tessa felt pressed against him like that. Her weight didn't bother him at all, in fact it was rather comforting. They were so very close, each movement, each breath translated between them. It was wonderful.

Ears flicked as she scratched his shoulder and encouraged him to go a little faster. The wolf was happy to seize the opportunity to move to an easy, loping jog. It wasn't full on running, but it felt so good for him to stretch and work his muscles after so long being forced to sit in a cage, then being confined within the city. Here the wolf was in his element, the forest and wild. Every fiber of his being longed to run. To sprint through the trees as fast as he could go, but he didn't want to overwhelm his mate by going too fast too soon.

[DragonSong]

A short, startled laugh bubbled up out of her as he picked up speed and she hung on a little tighter. After a few moments, she got up the courage to raise her head and watch the trees drift by as he loped along easily.

"This is amazing," she murmured without thinking. Green. There was just so much green, it was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. "Gods, Toby, I don't know how you could ever bare to be human," she laughed quietly as her hand moved to press against his chest for a moment before sliding back up to his shoulder.

[Zero]

His ears flickered at the sound of her laughter, it was such a beautiful sound. Now he'd have all his life to make her smile and laugh. It was something he wanted to do as often as he could! Making her happy seemed like the most worthwhile thing he could possibly do with his life.

Amazing? Tobias hadn't put a lot of time or effort into thinking of how amazing things around him could be, that anything good could come of being a beast.

He supposed that there was a certain beauty and freedom to running through the wild as a wolf. Still, he thought he would have rather remained a normal man. Normal men didn't hurt people accidentally as he had done since becoming what he was.

Putting it behind him, Tobias picked up his pace again. It would probably be too dangerous to run full speed with Tessa on his back, but he could still go quite fast. What he wouldn't give to be able to speak to his wife in this form. Unfortunately, he didn't know how, or if it was even possible. Maybe he could find out.

[DragonSong]

A soft gasp hitched in Tessa's chest as they picked up speed and she clung to him a little tighter, then laughed again, the pure exhilaration of it all bubbling up.

They'd really done it. They were leaving the city behind, they were going to be together.

Perhaps it was a little strange with him in his wolf form, but she leaned down over his neck to hug him a little more securely and murmured almost too soft to catch, "I love you, Toby."

She just breathed a moment, then sat back a bit so she could look around again. Her fingers twisted through his fur and she shifted a bit to make her skirts less cumbersome as he loped through the trees.

[Zero]

A soft woof was the only response he could make in this form, but Tobias hoped she could interpret the sound as his own affirmation of love.

It would have to do.

His paws practically flew over the ground as he wove between the trees. The wolf in him took nearly full control of their body, happily running through the forest with all the fresh, natural scents surrounding him. Of course he could hardly forget the scent pouring off the female clinging to his back. That was the best scent of all.

Tobias didn't know how far or how long he ran that way, but eventually he slowed back to a slow jog. Not because he was tired, though. A shallow stream crossed his path and he stopped near to it, looking over his shoulder back at his mate as he laid down so she could dismount.

[DragonSong]

The steady rocking of his gait was oddly soothing after a while, and Tessa found she'd slipped into an almost trace-like state by the time he slowed, then stopped.

Glancing at the stream, she suddenly realized how thirsty she was. She slipped off his back and gathered her skirts up so she could kneel beside the water, cupping her hands to get a drink.

She glanced back at the wolf and leaned into his side with a soft breath. "Are you alright? If I'm getting too heavy, I really don't mind walking," she murmured as she passed a hand over his fur gently.

[Zero]

She wasn't the only one that was thirsty.

The great wolf crouched at the water's edge beside her and lapped up the cool, clear water eagerly. His tail wagged as she leaned against his side, and he brought his head up, water dripping from his muzzle as he whined softly in response to her words.

Frustrated with his inability to communicate with his mate, Tobias shifted rapidly back into his human form, standing there naked as he brought his arms around her.

"You're not heavy at all." He growled softly into her ear, nuzzling at her neck with a happy sigh before nipping the skin ever so lightly. "I've been really enjoying having you pressed so close to me all day. Have you been enjoying the ride?"

[DragonSong]

Tessa's breath caught in her throat as his warmth suddenly surrounded her and she leaned back into him easily, naturally. A small shiver ran down her spine as she almost felt his quiet growl thrum through her body, and a smile curved her lips. His nip elicited a soft squeak and she wriggled against him in mock protest.

"Very much," she laughed quietly, twisting in his arms to claim his lips in a quick kiss, then place a nip of her own just below his jaw. "Though I have to say, I think I like this kind of pressing close a bit better." Her voice was teasing, but there was a faint blush dusting her cheeks.

It was hard to ignore the fact that he was naked. Her arms slid around his waist and she leaned into him with a happy little sigh.

[Zero]

The nip to his jaw elicited another low growl from the werewolf, his eyes shining a burnished gold as he looked down at his mate in an almost predatory way. His arms tightened around her, smoothing up and down her back slowly.

"I think you like teasing the wolf." Tobias murmured in her ear, nuzzling and kissing her neck suggestively. He couldn't forget that he was naked either. It was hard to forget with his mate pressed against him like that. The wolf thought she was entirely over dressed, and it was a struggle not to rip off her dress.

His hands moved down to her hips and squeezed lightly, pressing his hips against her so she could feel the hardness press against her stomach. "We should go soon, or we're not going for a while."

[DragonSong]

"Maybe a little," Tessa admitted with a soft laugh, despite the rather delectable shiver that traced down her spine as his attention focused in on her neck.

She sucked in a sharp breath when he pressed against her, a flash of heat flaring up in her eyes. She swallowed a whimper of protest and tried to get some distance. "R-right. We should...keep moving."

Her hands braced against his chest- she'd meant to push away, but they just sort of...hovered there. "I mean, ahem. I...suppose we don't have time for a break." Her cheeks were very flushed and her eyes flicked down and away.