Ralen-Lykos

“Vera…” She turned her pleasant smile to him. Her eyes of turquoise blue, flecked with gold that sparkled in the light of the lanterns which surrounded them. His left hand reached out and into his grasp she placed her slender fingers as they drew near to each other. The eyes which watched them from the soft shadows outside of their circle of light held no malice or reproach. But a few could not hide their uneasiness as they looked on. With her right hand she reached up and cupped his cheek as he brought his face nearer to her own, though still she had to raise up onto her toes to touch him so. The flowing white of his clean and wild mane fell like a veil which obscured the vision of the three figures who waited for them to approach. Behind it, her soft lips smiled warmly and with her eyes she gave her reply to the gentle look of concern which lingered on his soft, strong face. His eyes of bright green could only smile in return at the look from his lover and as they separated, he

The stone was cold beneath her. It soothed her boiling blood, but only just. Despite the tranquillity of the forest, she was seething inside. She gripped the granite rock with her delicate fingers hard enough to draw a droplet of emerald green blood from beneath the ivory nail of her middle finger. She ignored it. It was not considered clean for one of her kind to shed their own blood, but she cared not a jot about such things anymore. More than two centuries of upholding the proprieties and laws of their society had done nothing to raise her standing among her kin. Her bloodline was too low, her ancestry devoid of almost all exceptional merit. She was just a maiden. A paragon of physical beauty, grace and elegance. The least among paragons. “Sulking once again Vayel?” She shut her eyes tightly and her delicate lips twisted into an aggravated sneer. There was no cause to turn. She knew the voice all too well. “It is good that you seek solace in the beauty of nature.” The new