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So the girl had fallen out of a tree. That would explain the cast. Ash had never fallen out of one himself but he could imagine that it was not a fun thing to do at all especially considering the end result. He could understand the feeling of needing to get away however. It was good to have a place to escape to because everyone needed to escape every once in a while. It could be for any number of reasons but having a place where you could be yourself without anyone else around was important.

“You would be surprised by how much the forest stays the same too. Tracks stay mostly undisturbed for days or weeks. Game trails are worn after several months of passage. The forest is a living, breathing thing but it’s the parts that stay the same that I like and that help me hunt.” Perhaps that made him seem a little dull but he didn’t care. Discovering the secrets of the forest that so many others did not see was a task in itself and a very rewarding way to pass the time. “Granted any reason is good enough to get away from camp for a while.”

He glanced at the girl as he led them through a line of brush making sure to clear the way for her to provide some steady footing. Cast or no cast he didn’t need Dru falling out here and hurting herself worse while he was trying to help. “Your cast. How much longer do you have to wear it?”

Dakota did not look well at all. Not one bit and for Ash who lived in a constant state of blacks and whites he for the life of himself couldn’t figure out what had brought this on. He had said what he felt. If he hadn’t felt anything then he wouldn’t have said it at all. Apparently though his words were not what she wanted to hear and if not, then that left only one alternative, ‘I just don't feel the same about you...’ There it was. Stated as plainly as if Ash had said it himself. The sheer magnitude of the statement rocked him to his core and there was nothing he could do about it.

Ash stood there, shell shocked. He had opened his heart, laid it bare and it had been cast aside. Wasn’t she just kissing him? Teasing him? Flirting with him? Hadn’t they just been enjoying a casual stroll and been talking like friends? Could three words tear that all apart so easily? The answer to all those questions, no matter how he felt about the issue, was apparently ‘yes’.

It was suddenly very cold here Ash thought. He should have been angry, would have been angry, at her but he hadn’t even recovered from the first blow yet. Even if he had recovered right now he didn’t know if there was anything left. He felt empty and as his mind wrapped around the heart breaking fact she didn’t return his affection he slowly became aware of the fact that she was backing away from him like he was plagued, like he was some kind of monster. She was running from him.

Much like when he was hunting Ash’s focus narrowed down to the size of a pinprick. Blocking out everything else he focused in on this one fact, that Dakota was about to leave him standing there and that he needed to do something to stop her. If they could just talk then they could both figure out what was going on here…if it wasn’t already too late for that. “Dakota…I…” He started forward and reached out to stop her but it was an action that was hindered by the fact that his vision had suddenly gotten blurry. Unperturbed he blinked to clear his eyes and continued towards her a few more steps. “Dakota wait…talk to me.”

At long last he finally got to kiss her and for all the teasing and working up to the moment he would have been the first to admit that Dakota didn't disappoint. If anything the time that they spent apart only made the kiss that much sweeter. He wasn't sure if Dakota felt the same but kissing her awoke something in him that was completely new and exciting yet also somehow familiar, a feeling like he should have been kissing her all along and the thought that he should have spent so much of his life so far without her in it was kind of baffling to him.

"Better?" He echoed as she broke away to look at him. Did she have to ask that? She wrapped her arms around his neck sending little prickles of electricity up his back and he thought his face might be answer enough. "To answer that fully I think we need a little more experimentation." Ash met her halfway and if it was possible he thought that the second kiss was even better than the first. It did seem to last longer at least and when they finally broke away from each he took a moment to look into her eyes and just drink her in.

Love was like an addicting drug and while it was a pleasurable and powerful thing it could also be compared in one other essential way. Like any addicting drug love makes you blind in such a way that those who are prisoners of it truly cannot see anything else. For this reason Ash didn’t see the error he was about to make when he opened his mouth again and in that calm, startlingly serious voice said, "Gods Dakota, I love you."

“If you can’t help me then I truly am in a sad situation.” He said as he continued to lead her to the spot he had picked out. Dakota was turning up the teasing to the maximum today and it was making this walk unbearable. At least he seemed to be winning a few brownie points along the way. Granted it was still hard for him to put his feelings into words around her if only because he thought that nothing he could say could do her justice but Dakota seemed to like his compliments nonetheless so he must have been doing something right.

Luckily he thought that he wouldn't have to wait much longer to get some relief from her relentless teasing. "And what about me?" He asked as they approached the spot he had picked out. He had already planned out what he was going to do and as they reached the spot where they could step off the path and be hidden from sight he tugged the pretty girl into arms that had been waiting to hold her and stepped back into seclusion. "Would you be able to squeeze in any spoiling for me?"

Dakota caught the undertones of his statement and seemed to approve. In fact, he thought she was being pretty playful right now which only made him want to find a nice quite spot where they could be alone even quicker. One thing was for sure, if she kept this up much longer he might have to pull her into the first available cover and damn the consequences if they got caught. “For me having you here with me is my relief from the distractions. It’s when you’re away from me that I can’t concentrate.”

Ash thought about her offer for them to take turns. It was a good one and a solution that he thought they both could agree with. "Turns...I like that idea. I would hate to disappoint Blue Sky or my beautiful lady." He wasn’t sure how Dakota would respond to be calling his lady but what else were they if not a couple? It seemed pretty plain in Ash's mind at least. "As for my pegasus I named him Rusher and I'll think you'll like him. He has a brown coat with a white streak on his face and he seems to be fond of meeting new people."

Ash listened with interest to what Dakota told him wondering for a moment what kind of things were happening to make things not so great for her. Granted he figured she would tell him if it was important but he couldn’t help but be a little concerned. “I’m sorry to hear that things aren’t going well.” He said consolingly. “If you need to get something off your chest I can listen. I know that’s probably not what you want to talk about on a date but I’m here for you if you need me.”

Beyond that Ash decided not to push the issue. She knew that he was willing to help if she needed it but Dakota didn't need him invading her life. As for his own activities Ash had been keeping himself fairly busy. He wasn't sure if Dakota needed to know everything that he had been doing but he was sure she would want to know at least one thing. "It's been fairly busy for me as well." He said noncommittally. "Though I have had some time to take out a pegasus of my own recently. Blue Sky might have a new friends the next time we ride out."