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Giggles, laughter, and playful growls resonated in the otherwise silent, calm clearing.
Lavellan raised her eyes from the book on her lap and observed with a smile the two children running away from a large, majestic, and grand, black wolf. The sight would have frightened anyone else, but the woman just kept watching the scene with a tender, fond smile, and a slight shake of her head.
In fact, the wolf was now the one running, elegant and fast, but also funny and juvenile. He always jumped back at the last second, before the tiny, short fingers of the two children could touch him. The kids - a little girl and an older boy - laughed harder and didn’t give up, chasing him across the clearing with patience and childish enthusiasm.
“Papae, Papae!”
The wolf snorted, laying down on the grass, wagging his tail and watching the children with big, intelligent eyes; they approached him again, reaching out, and he lunged at them and licked their faces, making them squeal and burst into a fit of giggles. They fell backward and the wolf used the chance to run away, hiding (poorly, since he was enormous) behind Lavellan.
“Really, now?” she said, raising an eyebrow, her smile still there. The wolf snorted, poking her back with his muzzle, then looked back at the children, waiting for them.
They were up on their feet in a second and immediately saw him; huge grins split their faces in two, but they knew better than directly run to him now, sure that he would have simply fled. They crouched down on the grass and started whispering to each other, most likely trying to come up with plans to catch him.
“Careful, Dread Wolf! They are brilliant hunters.” Lavellan said, beaming at him; the wolf made a sound of approval and pushed his snout further into her back, touching her butt with his wet, cold nose.
“Solas!”
The wolf chuckled, smug and playful, an actual laughter that was deep, hoarse, animalistic, but it also belonged to someone that wasn’t fully a wolf and it made a warm, pleasant shiver run down her back and legs.
She turned around to lightly smack his back, but he preceded her and moved, fast as lightning; before leaving the safe spot behind her back, though, he licked her face and ran near some bushes with a snicker.
“You are dreadful.” she mumbled, unable to fight the smirk on her face, and the wolf laid down again, eyes moving back and forth from her to their whispering children. He made a low sound and she pretended to be offended, gasping and bringing her hand on her chest.
“Rude! If that’s so, then no frilly cakes for you today!”
The wolf whined, ears flat.
“Alright.” Lavellan grinned, opening her book again. “I guess you can eat one frilly cake. Just one though.”
The wolf whined again and she giggled, looking up at him again. He was staring at her and he looked like a kicked, sad puppy, his blue-gray eyes two gems shining in the soft light of the forest.
“Fine, you sweet dork! Two frilly cakes!”
She turned to see if the kids were still whispering and planning and surprise appeared on her face, soon replaced by amusement.
“Watch out, ma sa’lath. Looks like they are preparing their attack.”
They were gone, probably hiding somewhere. The wolf had been too busy speaking and playing with her to see or hear them and now he lifted his head up, alarmed, tense, and rigid.
He grumbled and Lavellan giggled again.
“Hush, vhenan.” the wolf mumbled, carefully looking around, his voice otherworldly, raucous yet smooth, different yet so, so familiar and recognizable.
Lavellan’s giggles were soon followed by the children’s. The sounds came from behind the bushes the wolf was lying near to and he bolted away, just as the kids fell out, their hands hitting the air.
The animal howled in triumph and they groaned with a pout, as Lavellan laughed harder.
“Mamae, help us!”
“Papae is too fast for us!”
The wolf relented and approached them, brushing the tip of his nose against theirs. They cheered and sank their hands into his soft, long fur, enjoying the fluffy feeling, and the wolf bumped lightly his head against them in an affectionate manner.
Then he said something and the children stopped, listening intently.
Lavellan hummed when the trio turned to stare at her and then went back to its whispering.
“No.” she said when the wolf got up, the same playful light from before shining in his eyes. “Don’t even think about it. Don’t.”
She didn’t move a muscle, though, not even when the children giggled and surrounded her. She looked at them and gasped, bringing her hand on her face.
“Alas, I am done for! There is no escape for me now!” She sighed dramatically and looked at the sky with pleading eyes. “At least I will be caught by two valiant hunters and their cake-eating wolf!”
The children had to stop because they were laughing too hard; the wolf had an amused look on his face too and his body was shaking, but as soon as the kids calmed down, he jumped forward and landed right on Lavellan, careful not to put his whole weight on her.
She fell with a squeal while the kids descended on her too.
“Mamae, Mamae!”
“We got you, Mamae!”
They kissed her cheeks and she laughed, pulling them into a tight hug; then another pair of lips touched hers and she melted into the kiss.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Solas, smiling and happy, hovering over her.
“Hello.” she laughed again, pecking him on the nose, and he rested his forehead against hers.
“Ma sa’lath.” he said softly. They stared into each other’s eyes, smiling, until the kids started chortling, used to seeing those romantic scenes.
“Mamae, you are blushing!”
“Papae, your face is red too!”
Solas and Lavellan pulled them closer, tickling them and ruffling their hair, then they all stayed like that on the grass, talking about their plans for the day, the elven ruins they had found a few hours before, the books the kids were reading and studying, the flowers they had seen.
“So…” Lavellan started, while Solas kissed her jawline and the kids traced the patterns on their parents’ clothes. “Who wants some frilly cakes?”