She had precisely enough time to register what was happening, to feel alarm spike through her chest, before two hundred pounds of overexcited frost-wolf collided with her at full speed.
They went down in a tangle of limbs and fur and surprised cursing, Eris hitting the floor with significantly less grace than she had maintained throughout the entire day thus far. The impact drove the air from her lungs, and before she could recover, before she could even begin to summon the fire that rose instinctively to defend her, she was being enthusiastically licked across the face by a tongue that felt approximately the size and texture of wet leather.
Bjorn's tail wagged with such violence it created its own breeze. His entire body vibrated with joy, pressing against her, pinning her to the floor while he attempted to express what appeared to be immediate and absolute devotion through sheer physical affection.
For a moment, everyone simply stared.
