Shifter Art...

Sage flicked the last bit of paint onto the canvass and pronounced the painting complete.  Bright red dripped down the picture, setting the perfect scene. “A masterpiece!”

“You’ve said the same thing about every piece since college, isn’t there one shite piece in all that time?”

Sage smiled.  She knew that voice, remembered the last time she’d heard it whining and growling at the same time about his lady loves irreverent need to make him crazy. “Nick,” she said, turning to see the one she’d never had the chance to let get away.

“Dear—what is that deity you worship—” With a wave of her paint coated hand, she bit her bottom lip and looked skyward.

“Lupa?”

“Yes, yes.  Dear Lupa, no!  My work will be talk about ‘til the end of time.  It will be raised to the heavens and I will be immortalized before I ever die!”

“And what style do you follow?  Who are your influences?  Pollock, Van Gogh, Vermeer?  No wait, is it Munch or the older greats?”

Nick’s smirk reminded her of their late night painting sessions.  He would paint—dreadfully—to keep his mind off his love and what she might be doing without him, but also to keep the hordes of girls wanting some alpha loving, at bay.  She would paint because she could do nothing else.  They had teased each other unmercifully, they had also become the dearest of friends.

“Poosh, I am influenced by them all, and by none of them.  I’m in a league all my own, babe.”

“And modest…”

“Of course,” she agreed, nudging him to take in her latest.  “What do you think?”

##

Nick looked at the painting, raised a hand to him mouth and forced himself to swallow the gurgling laughter fighting its way to the surface.  “Is that a chipmunk, with wolf’s teeth, taking down a-a-moose?”

“Yes, isn’t it wonderful?”

“Um, I especially like the blood spraying from the moose’s neck,” Nick laughed, short and loud, before once again shutting down his laughter. “What do you call it?”

“Self-portrait in red.”

This time Nick couldn’t contain himself.  He bent at the waist and laughed until he hurt as Sage watched him with her crazy chipmunk eyes.  It was so good to have his friend close once again.  He hoped she and Ziva could connect.  Also, he figured the town of Talbot’s Peak would be good for Sage. They were going to just love her shifter art. 
~~~

Have a wonderful weekend!

Serena