Categories > Comics > Elfquest
Leetah
Cutter reminds Leetah of the cat that's left to live with her neighbours and only pauses on her daily walks to glare and hiss at Nightrunner.
Cutter growls whenever she says this, buries his face in blankets and mutters, "Wolf," as though it makes some sort of point. As though she cannot feel the fur and claws and teeth pulsing under her fingers. He gets up and leaves every time, and she can feel, to her surprise, deep in his mind, him chasing rabbits and getting as close as he can to needle-plants and fragile trees, a desperate attempt to ignore the sand and the dry, dry heat.
He always returns, though, and while the babies sleep, he wraps his arms around her neck, kneads desperately at her skin, and nuzzles her neck. Buries his nose in her skin, inhaling as deeply as he can, all the while making that little whimpering growl.
One day she rolls him over, chuckles down at him, and says, "Puppy?"
He looks up at her, eyes blank.
He grins.
He opens his mouth.
"Meow?"
Skywise
Skywise lies with Cutter only sometimes.
Well, truth be told, he often lies with Cutter.
But he lies with Cutter only sometimes.
You know what I mean?
Oh, for the High Ones' sakes.
Rolls in the furs, dances, joins!
Why?
Because of the maidens you know. I mean, curve of hip, lips like flowers, breast, oh soft, soft breasts.
I'm not- Well, really, I'm just explaining.
But see, even though Cutter is curves, he is definitely not softness, and well, sometimes a lad has needs.
You know, needs!
Stop grinning that way.
That's why he's been like this, though. Sometimes a lad does have needs.
And sometimes those needs have nothing to do with hip and lips and breasts. Those needs have everything to do with love.
Nightfall
There are times when she wants to hit him.
Of course, she doesn't.
She wants to, though.
Especially when he plays with Tyleet, when he runs a hand through her curls, when he looks so, so sad he might as well cry, she wants to hit him and shake him.
"Look at what you have! Look at what we are! Must you chase the past? Must you chase your tail until you bite it off?"
She wants to hit him most when she thinks about Redlance, and the way her lifemate's eyes fill with tears when he just looks at Cutter, after Cutter leaves them, leaves them in tangled furs, and the scent of sweat, the scent of each other.
"Will you stay tonight?"
"I-"
A slim form, all curves and crest, walking away, is heart breaking.
She wants to hit him at these times, these times when he hurts them more than ever.
So she runs off, and runs forever. She remembers Leetah. She remembers Suntop. She remembers Ember, and how she laughed.
Times like these she sits down and cries and cries and cries.
So she doesn't hit him.
Redlance
Redlance is all pliancy under his hands. Whenever Cutter touches him he bends and sways, softening under the touches.
Cutter thinks abut this sometimes, comparing it with the half wrestling, half hugging he used to do with Skywise.
He never mentions this, but Redlance knows.
He thinks about Redlance, and wonders why he's sharing, sharing his lifemate, his child with Cutter. Redlance hasn't had a family since before Cutter can remember, since before Pike can remember. He wonders, sometimes, why Redlance shares so easily.
He thinks about this, while he touches Redlance, strokes his hair, runs fingers along the inside of his wrists. While he lies beside him in sweat soaked furs, during the desperately hot nights of summer, while Nightfall takes Tyleet swimming.
He thinks about it, and one day, he asks.
"Why?"
"Hm?"
Redlance's voice is soft, is the sound of leaves in the wind, he drags his eyes open and stares blearily at Cutter.
Green eyes, eyes the colour of new leaves.
The colour of new leaves.
Redlance waits, patiently, the way he always tells others to wait for fruit, for seeds, unless things really get desperate. The patience he holds for plants.
"Why do you share?"
Redlance's green eyes disappear momentarily behind a sleepy blink. Then he smiles, understanding lighting his eyes.
"Because," and his hand on Cutter's cheek is gentle. " I have been lonely, too."
Cutter reminds Leetah of the cat that's left to live with her neighbours and only pauses on her daily walks to glare and hiss at Nightrunner.
Cutter growls whenever she says this, buries his face in blankets and mutters, "Wolf," as though it makes some sort of point. As though she cannot feel the fur and claws and teeth pulsing under her fingers. He gets up and leaves every time, and she can feel, to her surprise, deep in his mind, him chasing rabbits and getting as close as he can to needle-plants and fragile trees, a desperate attempt to ignore the sand and the dry, dry heat.
He always returns, though, and while the babies sleep, he wraps his arms around her neck, kneads desperately at her skin, and nuzzles her neck. Buries his nose in her skin, inhaling as deeply as he can, all the while making that little whimpering growl.
One day she rolls him over, chuckles down at him, and says, "Puppy?"
He looks up at her, eyes blank.
He grins.
He opens his mouth.
"Meow?"
Skywise
Skywise lies with Cutter only sometimes.
Well, truth be told, he often lies with Cutter.
But he lies with Cutter only sometimes.
You know what I mean?
Oh, for the High Ones' sakes.
Rolls in the furs, dances, joins!
Why?
Because of the maidens you know. I mean, curve of hip, lips like flowers, breast, oh soft, soft breasts.
I'm not- Well, really, I'm just explaining.
But see, even though Cutter is curves, he is definitely not softness, and well, sometimes a lad has needs.
You know, needs!
Stop grinning that way.
That's why he's been like this, though. Sometimes a lad does have needs.
And sometimes those needs have nothing to do with hip and lips and breasts. Those needs have everything to do with love.
Nightfall
There are times when she wants to hit him.
Of course, she doesn't.
She wants to, though.
Especially when he plays with Tyleet, when he runs a hand through her curls, when he looks so, so sad he might as well cry, she wants to hit him and shake him.
"Look at what you have! Look at what we are! Must you chase the past? Must you chase your tail until you bite it off?"
She wants to hit him most when she thinks about Redlance, and the way her lifemate's eyes fill with tears when he just looks at Cutter, after Cutter leaves them, leaves them in tangled furs, and the scent of sweat, the scent of each other.
"Will you stay tonight?"
"I-"
A slim form, all curves and crest, walking away, is heart breaking.
She wants to hit him at these times, these times when he hurts them more than ever.
So she runs off, and runs forever. She remembers Leetah. She remembers Suntop. She remembers Ember, and how she laughed.
Times like these she sits down and cries and cries and cries.
So she doesn't hit him.
Redlance
Redlance is all pliancy under his hands. Whenever Cutter touches him he bends and sways, softening under the touches.
Cutter thinks abut this sometimes, comparing it with the half wrestling, half hugging he used to do with Skywise.
He never mentions this, but Redlance knows.
He thinks about Redlance, and wonders why he's sharing, sharing his lifemate, his child with Cutter. Redlance hasn't had a family since before Cutter can remember, since before Pike can remember. He wonders, sometimes, why Redlance shares so easily.
He thinks about this, while he touches Redlance, strokes his hair, runs fingers along the inside of his wrists. While he lies beside him in sweat soaked furs, during the desperately hot nights of summer, while Nightfall takes Tyleet swimming.
He thinks about it, and one day, he asks.
"Why?"
"Hm?"
Redlance's voice is soft, is the sound of leaves in the wind, he drags his eyes open and stares blearily at Cutter.
Green eyes, eyes the colour of new leaves.
The colour of new leaves.
Redlance waits, patiently, the way he always tells others to wait for fruit, for seeds, unless things really get desperate. The patience he holds for plants.
"Why do you share?"
Redlance's green eyes disappear momentarily behind a sleepy blink. Then he smiles, understanding lighting his eyes.
"Because," and his hand on Cutter's cheek is gentle. " I have been lonely, too."
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