***
Harper, Neil, and Olivia ran at full speed, tracking Niklaus. When they finally reached him he was asleep with his back against a tree trunk. They shifted back to human form and stared at Niklaus for a moment.
"He looks.. peaceful." Neil smirked a little.
Neil walked over and laid on his back in the grass next to Niklaus. Neil put his arms behind his head.
"Let him sleep. Who knows what he actually just went through." Harper laid next to Neil, placing his head on his chest. "Hope you don't mind if I use you as a pillow."
Olivia watched as Neil and Harper chuckled and joked with each other.
(Is that what it is to have a mate?) Olivia sat close to the other side of Niklaus but made sure to leave him space.
(Yes. That is what it is to have a mate.) Aspen looked through Olivia's eyes, Niklaus looked more peaceful here than in the hospital.
(Can you tell me the legend again?) Olivia closed her eyes, enjoying the tender breeze mixed with the sun's rays.
(Alright, according to old legends werewolves were just normal wolves once, they were the guardians of man. They loved man, but they also envied them. The way man walked, the way they communicated, the way that man could create and do things that wolves could not. So wolves stood up, they walked, they mimicked man, they became man. However, it wasn't enough, so the wolves prayed to their moon goddess, Selene. They prayed that they could truly be human and Selene granted their wishes. Thus, werewolves were born. Eventually, the jealousy changed sides and man cast werewolves out, shunned them, hunted them, then forgot them. Generations later, a group of wolves became furious when one of their elders were slain and pelted. The group of wolves went on a rampage, slaughtering an entire village. This act of wrath angered Zeus, king of the gods, and he tore all werewolf souls in half. He stated that if any werewolf ever wanted to be truly happy then they'd have to find the missing half of their soul, hence how werewolves gained soulmates. When a wolf finds their mate, they can feel everything their mate can. As long as they're not too far apart for a long time. However, when a connection is weakened the mate can still know if the other is alive, but when the connection is severed the mate knows the other is gone for good. When that happens the remaining mate loses half of their soul and that pain can be so unbearable that their mind dissipates and they lose all connection to their humanity, leaving only a murderous beast. When both mates die, they are later reborn and must find each other again.) Aspen felt that Olivia was at peace. She wondered if Niklaus enjoyed the outside as much as they did.
"Hey." Niklaus tapped Olivia's arm. "You were at the bar."
"Oh.." Olivia sat up, she noticed that Harper and Neil had fallen asleep. "Yeah. Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah." Niklaus had a faint grin. "What happened?"
"We were talking, then you seemed to turn pale and out of breathe and you passed out." Olivia shifted her gaze and met Niklaus's eyes. They were dark and coffee colored, but there was something hidden in them.
"Oh." Niklaus stood from the tree. "Want to go for a run?" Niklaus offered his hand to help Olivia up.
"Sure." Olivia took his hand and a jolt pulsed through her. The sensation of his touch was intoxicating.
Once she was on her feet Olivia walked behind the tree out of Niklaus's sight and shifted. When she emerged she was faced with a magnificent wolf. He was of pure black, but his eyes were an icy blue, he had killed before. His size was immense, bigger than Neil, Niklaus was six feet at the shoulder and nine feet from snout to sacral, he was a dire wolf just like Neil. Compared to Olivia's average Kitsune size of one and a half feet at the shoulder and three feet from snout to sacral, Niklaus was massive.
Niklaus raised a paw to roughly Olivia's height, obviously poking fun at her size. Olivia rolled her eyes and poked her tongue at him. Olivia started running, taunting Niklaus to follow her. He only had to make a small leap to catch up to her. She continued to run, weaving in and out of Niklaus's legs, trying to trip him and succeeding. Niklaus rolled on his back trying to play it off, Olivia laid next to him, her tails swaying at her side. She stayed there for a second, observing Niklaus. He acted like he hadn't had a run like that in a long time. She wanted to ask him about himself and his life, she wanted to know him but Neil had warned her that it was a bad idea.
Olivia stood from her spot and moved closer to Niklaus. Niklaus rolled over again when he noticed Olivia. He stiffened as Olivia rubbed her body down his, their scents intermingling. She turned back to his head and watched his eyes. They seemed panicked and flustered. She laughed in her mind, the big wolf scared of the tiny fox.
***
Her eyes were enchanting, they weren't just a simple yellow but golden like the sun. Olivia's small face was so close to Niklaus's, her whole body barely the size of his chest. Niklaus inched his face closer to Olivia's, booping her nose with his own. Olivia pulled her head back, surprise written on her face. Niklaus rose from his spot, waiting for Olivia to follow. He brought her to the lake, his own little spot he'd found to go to when his nightmares were too much. He figured out that he slept better by the lake than in his own bed. He hadn't planned on showing anybody his secret spot but Olivia was his mate, he felt that she deserved to know. He wanted her to know everything about himself but how much could he share before scaring her away.
Niklaus moved behind some foliage and shifted back, putting his clothes on before re-emerging.
"You can shift back if you want to." Niklaus sat at the edge of the lake, dipping his feet in the water. "I won't look.. promise."
Olivia walked behind the foliage where Niklaus had shifted, re-emerging in her clothes.
"I guess it's true, huh?"
"What do you mean?" Olivia sat next to Niklaus.
"That we're mates." Niklaus turned his head to Olivia, he wanted to see her reaction to the words before pressing further.
Niklaus grinned seeing that the words made her blush.
"I guess so." Olivia smiled, placing her head on Niklaus's shoulder. Her smile widened as she felt him tense up to her touch. "Are you scared of me?"
"What?" Niklaus looked at her again, she was teasing him. "Maybe a little." Niklaus chuckled.
"What would the big wolf be afraid of the little fox for?" Olivia grinned.
"I guess you're intimidating." Niklaus kept grinning, it had been awhile since he talked to someone who didn't walk around him like he was made of glass.
He liked that he could talk to her and she didn't hold back. She didn't treat him like glass. She didn't skip over the jokes or teasing him. She didn't know anything about him and so far he was enjoying that she didn't know. She didn't know about his past or his scars.
"Come on.." Olivia stood from her spot. "We should go back to Neil and Harper."
They both shifted and ran back to Neil and Harper.
When Niklaus and Olivia got back to where Neil and Harper were they were already awake again. Neil looked over to Niklaus and Olivia as they walked up. Something etched onto Neil's face as he watched Niklaus. Neil gaze was intense, Niklaus could feel it in the air. Something was going to happen. Suddenly Neil's face softened and hardened again. Neil grabbed his head and staggered. He grabbed onto the tree to catch his balance. Neil turned his head back to Niklaus, his eyes full of fire. Niklaus shifted back, quickly dressing. He walked closer to Neil but stopped as he saw the true look in his eyes. Hatred, pure hatred.