Hayley

[thisismybar]

Ric was... happy. Being able to sleep with Hayley -and really just sleep, god knew the sex wasn't lacking- even with Damon acting as a guard dog, had been good for him. No new bodies turning up, not missing chunks of time, those were pretty good, too. They weren't quite enough for him to let his guard completely down, but he didn't think there was going to be a whole lot of sleeping going on tonight, anyway.

And if there was, well, tonight Hayley would be even more equipped to play guard dog and take care of him. Elijah's reassurance helped keep that one metaphorical and mildly amusing.

He dumped the last load of camping gear onto the ground, and looked up at the sky to check the weather. "I don't think we're going to have to worry about being rained on tonight, but we should probably set up the tent." Who knew what tomorrow would bring,and it would be easier to relax somewhere enclosed. And limit bugs.

Comments

[littlewolf_girl]

Hayley stayed close, guarding him, until she couldn't smell the dead thing anymore, then looked up at him with an inquiring little whine, finally relaxing again.

[thisismybar]

Ric didn't get the message, though he did smile when she recognized. "Timmy's in the well?"

He was. Going to hell.

[littlewolf_girl]

Her head tilted a little, studying him, not understanding, then reached up and nosed at his pocket.

Where the ball was.

[thisismybar]

Oh. Well. He pulled a face, but a sheepish one, and got the ball back out. "Sorry. Your attention span's better than mine...." Which said nothing good for him. But he tossed the ball up, caught it again, and then threw it away from himself and into the woods. Also away from the direction Damon had gone.

[littlewolf_girl]

They'd been having fun. She wanted to have more of it. She was, admittedly, a little loath to actually go after the ball once he threw it, though, since it meant leaving him alone. So, she ran fast, really a blur, to get it and bring it back, pressing close once she was, and looking around warily.

[thisismybar]

Ric rubbed her behind one ear, and took the ball gently from her. "Sweetheart, I promise, he's not coming back. It's okay."

[littlewolf_girl]

Hayley looked less than convinced and huffed a little, staying close. Reaching up, she delicately grabbed his shirt in her mouth and tugged a little, then loped off, before coming back and doing it again. He should chase her, obviously.

Away from the vampire.

[thisismybar]

That Ric was bright enough to figure out. The second time she loped off, he did chase after her. Less wariness than when they'd done this, last. He'd gotten confident that doing something like making a grab for her wouldn't get him bitten, or worse. She'd developed some trust in him, and the reverse that he'd developed trust in her.

[littlewolf_girl]

She didn't run as fast as she could, of course, but she stayed just out of his reach, slowing until he almost caught her, then darting off again until she'd led him on a loop back around to the camp site where she proceeded to use the chairs as obstacles, tail wagging as she gave him a legitimate chance to catch her, finally.

[thisismybar]

He was laughing by the time they made it back to camp, and laughing hard enough to be out of breath (at least when combined with running). He laughed even harder when she started dancing around the chairs and wagging her tail, but didn't stop. Just made one final lunge for her that was, regardless of success, going to plant him in the dirt.

[littlewolf_girl]

She let him grab her, though when he landed on the ground she wriggled away and then danced back to him, nosing at his cheek.

Possibly she was laughing a wolfy laugh, too.

[thisismybar]

He turned his head toward the nose, and made another loose grab for her, really more to get his hand on the back of her neck and scratch again. "I like you happy...."

[littlewolf_girl]

She flopped down on the ground next to him to make it easier for him to scratch and tilted her head at him. She liked him happy, too, though she saw little reason he shouldn't be at the moment.

[thisismybar]

Ric folded one arm under his head, as an impromptu pillow, and then just settled down to scratch and pet her, enjoy the contact and spend time with the wolf.

[littlewolf_girl]

She snuggled down against him and rested her head on his chest. The moon was still bright, though clouds were slipping in to cover it and the stars before passing on. She didn't seem like she wanted to move away from the fire or him again. Her eyes closed and she didn't quite nap, but she came close.

[thisismybar]

Ric kept petting her, gradually his touch becoming a bit lighter and his pulse and respiration slowing back down. When her eyes closed, so did his. Except he really did nap.

[littlewolf_girl]

She drifted a little more when she felt him fall asleep. She didn't want to leave him unguarded, but she'd wake up fast if a threat came in to camp.

[thisismybar]

Ric certainly felt safe enough with her beside, and touching him that he didn't just doze. As time passed he settled fully into sleep. Lightly enough that he'd wake when she shifted -moved, in order to shift- and still aware of her, but completely at peace and restful in the night.

[littlewolf_girl]

Hayley fell into a deeper sleep, as well. Yes, she'd made herself a bed by the fire with his shirt, but sleeping on him was better than his shirt by yards. The moon started setting, though, and pulled her back to wakefulness.

A little whimper escaped as she shifted away from him--not really with any thought, but curling in on herself.

[thisismybar]

The whimper roused Ric, even more than her moving away. He propped up on one elbow and rubbed a hand over his face. It didn't take much for him to recognize that time had passed, or figure out what was going on. He lightly, and briefly, brushed his fingers over her fur, but otherwise stayed still. "I'm here." No idea if she could hear that, but he was there, and he wasn't going anywhere.

[littlewolf_girl]

She heard, and whimpered again, before the first bone cracked and she yelped, not as stoic as Hayley tried to be. She fought just as much to hold on, to stay, though, as the girl did. It was just as painful turning in reverse, and the wolf yelped more than a few times in panic and pain before she was a girl again, shivering a little bit on the ground--both cold and from the pain.

What the wolf's body endured more easily the other way, the girl didn't so well, and Hayley quite gratefully passed out as her body finished knitting itself back together.

[thisismybar]

Ric knew more what to expect this time, but it still made him flinch, sent his heart into his throat and broke it all at the same time. He waited until he was sure she was out, though, before he touched her. When he did, it was only to pick her up, carefully as he could, and move her into the pile of blankets in the tent.

[littlewolf_girl]

She moaned softly when he moved her anyway, shifting a bit, though mostly to curl into him. Tremors ran through her, and she instinctively curled into a ball when he laid her down again.

[thisismybar]

Ric didn't make any attempt to move her, or discourage her from curling up. He just very slowly curled up around her, from behind. No restraint, or anything like, just a quiet, steady and warm presence.

[littlewolf_girl]

His warmth was a comfort, easing her trembling some, and Hayley let it soothe her, sinking back under. She'd slept enough as a wolf that her body didn't need quite so much, just enough to finish healing and flood her system with endorphins.

She felt a little dizzy with them as she woke up, confused at first by the inside of the tent and trying to figure out where she was, but not scared--Ric's scent was everywhere in there, and he was at her back. She shifted more deliberately back into him, reaching back to snag his arm and wrap it around her.

"Hey..."