Sweeter Than Fiction [Willow]

The Noble woke to a groggy start. His hair stuck up straight in strange curled directions due only to the twisting and turning he displayed within the joy of his slumber. Rubbing his face and over his eyes, he blinked a couple times to adjust to the light that shown in through the top window inside his room. He shielded his hand from it and groaned, falling back onto the pillows to hid his face within the plushness until the white sky hid for a couple more months. He had always hated this season the most, of all of them combined, he hated this one. It was cold, and made his fur wet wherever he walked. There was no color, no warmth, or no joy in where he went within the snow, but plans were abroad his mind that day, one's he had kept in mind since the last date held with the Queen, the woman of his dreams. Flattening his ears against his head, he closed his eyes for few more minutes as he hoped his tired feeling would decease and his body would be filled with the need to move once more. Instead of that happening, the tips of his ears flickered back in forth through instinct as a loud clunking noise came up the stairs. Connor shot his head up and looked as a large mass moved through his room with wide, fearful eyes. It moved closer into the room and more towards him, the darkness of his bedroom hiding it's appearance until he scurried quickly across his bed to turn on the nightstand's light. As he did, he yelled in only fear, looking widely as the object turned out to be his horse, "Temptress!" His arms spread out behind him, making him flail backwards and fall completely off the bed with a loud thump to the floor. He groaned and scrunched his face up as the horse walked on over to nuzzle down at his cheek. He glared at the animal and flattened his ears against his head before reaching up to pet the mare softly over her chin. "How the Hell did you get out of your stable?" He plainly asked his pet, rolling his eyes as she whinnied and nudged him to get up. Temptress pushed him harder, making him laugh and eventually reach to his feet, keeping his hands upon her body so she'd stay still.

Pulling on her reigns, they moved back downstairs carefully and Connor released her to go put on something thicker before trudging on through the light patched snow. The trees were caked with white crystals, as were everything else around him. It depressed him, but he didn't speak of it aloud for the whole kingdom to hear his bickering. That was one benefit he had in living so isolated from the village, it was quiet up here, and he wasn't far from meeting the Queen luckily, especially since the stables weren't far from his house either. As he put Temptress back in her stable, he patted her nose and rushed back on home to change. Shutting the door quickly, he huffed and ran up the stairs, throwing clothes out of his closet to try on and tear back off to attempt another potential outfit. Connor looked at the finishing combination he was last to come up with, combing his hair back in a sleek fashion so that the bedheaded hair was no more. He wore black sneakers, dark grey slimmed pants with a matching beanie, a light orange flanneled shirt and a thin black tie, topping it off with a black leather jacket to keep him warm. Once he knew he was finished, he moved towards the bathroom and shaved the budding scruff atop his face, smoothing it over with aftershave and checking for if there were any thing else he could cover up. He fixed his tie and looked at himself for a long while in the mirror. Everything seemed to look in place, but something was missing, he thought. Patting his jacket pockets and pants, he shook his head and looked through his drawers to find what he wanted. Holding it tight, Connor moved back downstairs and into the kitchen. He took the orange rose from the fridge and then moved out of the house all together. As he did, he texted Willow to come to a certain territory he had discovered while wandering around by himself. The territory was beautiful in the summer, but he was not so sure now that winter had fallen.

He returned back to the stables and chuckled as Temptress banged against her cage at his presence, neighing for his attention in order so he'd let her out. As he did, she nearly attacked him, but she stopped and curiously looked at him as Connor lifted up a near saddle and pair of reigns. They were a dark, amber brown colored set, something he had recently had to buy with his savings just for the evening, plus he had been eying them for a long while now. The Queen liked orange, he knew, so this would hopefully make a great impression if he rode in style amongst his trusty steed mare. Strapping Temptress down with the saddle and slipping on the reigns, the Neko lifted himself up with a grunt, settling on top comfortably before telling her to move forwards out of the building. She huffed and listened to his command, clunking her loud hooves against the ground and out onto the snow slowly into the direction of the weeping willow path. He steered her gently, rubbing her dusty mane carefully so that she knew he found her a wonderful horse. Even for being part animal, he liked other animals as well, always had since he was a mere child. Connor could remember begging the foster mother to let him bring in so many strays, but she always denied him and instantly called animal rescue to have them taken away. Little did he know, is that animal rescues were using bodies to experiment and create his now race. He sighed at the memory and rubbed his neck where the end of the scar still lay, emerging into the land and onto higher ground beneath a white topped tree over his head. The end of Temptress's long tail flicked back and forth, the air puffing through her nostrils an icy puff of smoke riding into the chilly winds in front of them. He drew an icy breath as he watched and waited, looking around suspiciously as he thought as to where she would come from.

A pale, limp hand hung over the side of the mattress in the laziest fashion. Occasionally a muscle would twitch within the palm to show the life running within the veins. Leading up from the appendage was a slender arm, muscle definition fine and fair with the daily work. Almost comically came the smattering of dark hair. It was a cave of peaceful darkness, only parting to reveal the tip of a nose and the curve of an ear. Beneath the cavernous tendrils rested the queen. Her petite form was stretched out beneath a mountain of blankets. It appeared that pumpkins chose to spread their colors across the bedding, creating an orange ocean with the harshest of dips and waves. They protected the life beneath them as a child would think, protected from bad guys by the pull of a blanket. She did not rouse even as the sky awoke. Willow’s consciousness was all but lost to the throes of her dreams and wishes. Pale, rosy lips moved without producing any words as she slept. The same repeated over and over in her mind, confused as the settings of her dreams would change but the eyes would not. Her vision was blurred beyond the olive hues that stared into hers with such intensity. They frequented her dreams before she was to wake, her chest filling with indescribable warmth as the queen turned and began to stir. Her hands curled around nothing as if she could keep the dream with her, to grasp and take it like a note passed upon schoolgirls. All the same the eyes were to fade and hers were to replace them, open and her pupils dilating to adjust to the morning light. Slowly did she raise her upper torso to be supported by her arms, stretching out her limbs as her back arched in the ways of her primal form. She sat and raised her arms above her head to give them a nice stretch. With a sigh did her muscles loosen and give beneath her will, a feeling she found to be one of her favorites. The blankets curled around her shoulders and she happily accepted their warmth against the cool air. A simple turn of her head caused her to find her unwelcome morning appearance. Her pumpkin eyes were half lidded and tempting her to close them once again, her auburn hair in a wavy disarray atop her head. Willow’s mouth parted into and O as she yawned, pulling herself from her warm cocoon with a grimace. The skip to the bathroom was brief and involved her coming out moments later with freshened face, brushed hair, and pearly clean teeth. Only then did she begin dressing, removing the pajamas that clung to her form and tossing them to the ground.

Perusing her closet slowly, she stretched out at tattooed arm and skimmed her fingers across the clothing choices. They varied from the darkest black to the lightest yellow, though she wasn’t one to wear such a color. The soft buzz of her phone upon her desk caused her to jump at the momentary distraction. She shuffled to the dark cherry wood and removed her device to unlock and eye her messages. Only one, though she hadn’t looked to see who it was before. She opened her messages with a tap of her thumb, the biggest of grins spreading over her face at what she found. Willow bounced on the balls of her feet a few times in excitement and shot a quick text back to Connor, stating she would be where he requested within an hour. The queen marched back over to her closet and suddenly realized that the clothes she once thought were beautiful were not enough for the her Noble. Stepping closer to the closet, she shifted through the clothing and examined each shirt with a critical raise of her eyebrow. She dismissed each on with a simple shake of her head until her bright gaze rested upon one of her old favorites. The sweater was cherry red and made of the softest wool, slipping over her head to hang loosely from her body and slipping over one shoulder. The strap of her black camisole could be seen, though she smiled as she watched the fabric bunch slightly at her fine-boned wrists. After a moment of examination, Willow shimmied into a pair of black skinny jeans and buttoned them just below her navel. Once the queen became satisfied with what she wore she began to work on her appearance. Her auburn waves were in a messy braid over her left shoulder. The neko added a cherry colored gloss to her lips and mascara to her eyes, deciding she didn’t want much else. Having all the gunk of makeup on her face irritated her, she wished for her skin to breathe. Smiling into the mirror, she hoped it would be enough and that Connor would like it. The thought of her crush set the butterflies within her stomach to fly once again, making her cheeks redden and herself to move from the mirror into the living room.

As the coffee warmed, Willow took a large chunk of meat from the large freezer within the corner of her kitchen. She didn’t bother to look at the carnage in her hand, if she did she would wonder where it came from. Such thoughts lead to her memories. The bodies strewn everywhere, blood pooling around her feet as she trembled scared behind a bush. It was a living thing, that fear. It pulsed around her and caressed her mind like an evil thing. She couldn’t help that if it were gone, no one would fear anything at all. Though then fearless lead to arrogance. Both were just as vile in most sense, enough to rip the innocence from the hands of an ignorant child. It pained her to think of such things so she silenced her mind and focused on the task at hand. Her shoulder slumped downwards as she carried the frozen item with one arm and opened the gate to the indoor aquatic room she had built. It was everything like a swamp minus the smell and possibilities of her slipping to her doom. And there, in the small island within the water, rested the soul creature she had dedicated the room to as a whole. Bruce probably saw her before she saw him but chose to remain dozing on his heated rock. The room was toasty as she placed a hook into the meat and tossed it to the water. Seeing that her alligator was content, she smiled and left the room for him to eat in his privacy. A glance at the clock told her she had enough time to meet Connor with a few minutes to spare. The silly grin was plastered upon her lips once again as she slipped on her soft, black knee-high boots. The wool warmed her legs easily as she slipped on her leather jacket, cozy beneath the onyx material. A cherry red beanie was placed upon her head and she was out the door within a few minutes. Her feet shuffled along the snow ridden ground, making marks within the sparkling flakes. The queen smiled and imagined the pictures that could be made, or maybe a snowman could be built. She’d have to make one later, and she imagined it as she made her way through the lands. Black button eyes gleaming beneath the pale and dreary sunlight. A bright carrot nose proudly standing, the thought of her favorite color causing her smile to widen. Lovely stick arms from her very own tree. The snowman would be divine and as happy as herself, a lovely winter friend simply without a voice.

She quickly became distracted by the clouds her breath made in the air, causing her to stomp and make little roars as if she were a dragon. Her arms curled back like a T-Rex and she look to a squirrel, waving her limbs at it and roaring her steamy breath into the air. It barked and chattered before racing up a tree, causing her to laugh and continue this behavior. She took the big, lumbering steps her legs provided and blew air out everywhere. It did not occur to her that she was, in fact, exactly where Connor had told her to meet him and that he was in full view of her display. Coming to the realization, her eyes widened to become large harvest saucers as she looked at him. Her hands fell to her sides and she looked between her Noble and the horse, then back until they settled on the beautiful animal. Willow’s lips parted slightly in amazement as she gazed at the creature, at a loss for words from her own embarrassment. Looking up to him, her eyes lit brighter than before with the happiness of seeing Connor. A small blush crept over her cheeks as she waved shyly and came towards both him and the lovely animal. Willow held out her hand for the horse to smell, only petting the mare’s velvet nose when it seemed permission was given. She eyed the tack and smiled as she found it to be orange. Her eyes cast downwards with giddiness as she smiled. “She’s absolutely lovely Connor. I didn’t know you had a horse. Oh, hello by the way. It is a delight to see you once again.”