“You’re so soft Ashley, so, so soft,” he marveled.
Once he was done tracing circles up and down my skin, he pressed his arms to mine until I was fully encased by him.
Then he did something I never thought he’d beable to do. He pulled me to his chest and he wrapped his arms around me. Even his tail wrapped around my thigh.
Axon’s warmth seeped through my skin into my bones, into my very soul. I never wanted him to let go. Tears burned behind my eyes both from joy but also because I wanted this to be the beginning of something between us. I didn’t want this to be one of three times we cuddled for desensitization purposes so he’d be ready for his mate. I wanted this to be the first of a thousand cuddles. I wanted to be a part of our story and no one else's.
Axon let out a deep sigh as if he’d been holding his breath for a long time. Like he was coming up for air after spending a lifetime under water.
“Is this alright?” he asked, again his voice sounding very husky.
“Yes, please hold me for as long as you like.”
This time it was me who was afraid this was just a fluke. I’ve been wanting to be held like this for so long, and now here we are, doing just that. Was it just because we were covered in clay? Would we be able to do this again once we have been cleaned off?
“Don’t tell me that,” Axon chuckled.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because I’d hold you forever if I could.”
“You shouldn’t say things like that,” I retorted.
At least one of us should be cautious about our lack of luminescence.
“Why?”
“We don’t know how temporary this is. You might glow for someone else under the next full moon and then where would we be?”
Axon’s grip on me tightened as if he were trying to squeeze that reality out of existence.
He didn’t agree or disagree with my statement, he only loosened his grip slightly and brought our hands back down to the clay.
“Should we continue? It’d be a shame if you weren’t able to make your pretty cup.”
“Yeah, let’s keep going.” I said, doing my best to keep the disappointment out of my voice.
We kneaded the clay for a little longer until I could easily shape it on my own. Then Axon got up and sat down across from me like he had been before. I didn’t like it. I wanted him back. I wanted him closer to me.
I formed the base of my cup and then the cup itself. Once it felt sturdy enough, I added some crystal fragments into the clay. Once finished, I had a bonafide bedazzled goblet.
“You seem pretty happy with yourself,” Axon commented with a smirk.
“Maybe I am. I like the way it turned out.”
“You should, it’s very pretty just like you.”
“Axon,” I sighed.
“I think we should clean up, don’t you?” Axon quickly changed the subject before I could chastisehim again.
“I’ll put the extra clay away if you want to put our pieces near the fire to dry out.”
He was walking away before I could even answer.
“Sure,” I laughed.
“Do you have a hot spring here? I’d love to take a bath to get all this clay off me.”
