Narcissa held steady, this new place was strange therefore she needed to control herself and understand her limitations. She had more to think about now than just herself—she had Luka and not only that, she had children. Two children that she adored, even if she wasn’t entirely sure who their father was. To them, it was Luka and it always had been. He had told Narcissa that they had gotten their black fur from his mother and it was a likely possibility, if she wasn’t so flighty.

It was an unfortunate trait to those that were not here, she simply saw it as a hold on free will. She did as she pleased because this was her life and she would be nothing without her freedom. Cissa simply did not want anyone to assume that they had infinite control over her, even Luka knew that she did not desire to be tamed. Though she did so of her own accord for Luka, seeing as he was the only wolf that still followed her and she had given birth to his children (supposedly) so she owed it to him, right? They had been through enough and he had still accepted her even as a wild child.

Not but early this morning they had crossed upon the land of the Lore, crossing its southern bend and otherwise engaging in the probability of life here. After having traveled for some time and resting up for a good few hours, she was ready to greet the day and get busy. Luka, Nikoleta and Joslyn laid underneath a tree as that was the only applicable shelter they could obtain without staying up longer and exerting energy that they no longer had. The team of four would need to continue their move, but first she desired to scout the area.

It would be of no surprise to the wolves beside her that she would assert her independence and move off on her own. Lifting herself up to all four paws she glanced around to get a heading on where she should likely go. Her first thought led her to go west, as it appeared to be a meadow but she was mostly interested in finding a place to bathe and drink. Setting off, she assumed that all three would be heavy into their sleep for some time.

              Luka had vividly remembered the day his two daughters were born to him and Narcissa. He had been pacing in front of the den for what seemed like eons when his mate had gone into labour. Pregnancy had actually been one of the first things to ever slow her down now that he thought about it. They were wild at heart, and never stayed in one place for too long. He never thought he would meet anyone more of a free spirit then he was, but he was attracted to the golden hued woman in such a way it drove him crazy. There was just something about her that he could never fully let go of. She had a hold on his heart like no one else ever had and he would deal with whatever came at him as long as he could remain by her side.


              The thoughts of a tryst with another male did creep into his mind at times when he looked at his daughters, but he would never admit that to his mate - the scrum of thoughts would stay completely in his mind. Luka was loyal to a fault, but when it came to Cissa he wasn't sure if she could ever be loyal to anything. That was until their children were born. He was surprised in the change in her when the two girls were birthed into the world. His beautiful blackbirds as he affectionately called them, Nikoleta and Josalyn. His life was devoted to protecting the three women and giving them the best head start in life he possibly could. His close bond with each was more than he could ask for and he adored his girls.


              The pallid male's ears twitched at the sound of movement from his mate. She had been restless most of the night from what he could tell and thus he hardly got any sleep either. Josalyn had been curled up and cuddled into his backside, and he slowly slid away from her so as not to disturb her or her sister on the other side of him. He rose to his feet his stub of a tail giving a light twitch as he looked down upon them dotingly. Sunlit eyes turned towards the beautiful silhouette of his mate in the dark, and he stepped in quietly behind her, coming up along her side. He pushed the black of his nose into the fur along her throat and breathed it in deeply, nuzzling her lightly for a moment before pulling away and falling in step beside her.


              "Can't sleep either?" he asked, his broad muzzle swinging in her direction. His ears flicked forward with interest as his large paws slowed their step to remain at pace with the golden beauty beside him. He trusted the girls would be safe because he would not roam too far from their side for a very long period of time. The alabaster bear stopped in his steps for a moment to periodically look back at the two little doves under the tree before turning and following his mate to wherever she wished to lead him.

Cissy had simply been a flighty creature for much too long, but she could not resist her temptations. They simply over rode her drive to be free, finding joy in doing the things that pumped her adrenaline and made her happy. Why bunker down and settle when you can experience everything that you ever wanted? The world was so vast and there were so many different kind of wolves out there—one should never live in fear, they should embrace it. At least, to a certain extent. There was a very subtle part of Narcissa that she felt inclined to tell her children that they should embrace everything but at the same time keep safe. Though deep down she recognized this as a ‘motherly instinct’ she simply couldn’t grasp it. Never could.

The silence that was broken caused her to turn her head, the always obvious mischievous glint bright within her eyes, and she smiled at him with the same devilish smirk. Even through all of the guys she had ever talked to, seen and been with something about Luka had always been appealing. From the very moment that she had first met him there had been an electric spark between them, one that unsettled her nerves and had left her wanting to experience everything he had to offer her. Perhaps it had been the start of her lust for adventure, wanting nothing more than to explore and be a rogue.

It was likely that Narcissa could have snapped and told him that she never had any piece and quiet, but she did occasionally. It was always a nice thing that Luka did offer her her own space from time to time, and she felt like she wouldn’t mind his company. They were mates, after all. They had been ever since the moment she had been told she was pregnant… a moment that she had never looked forward to or had even thought would happen to her. However, she was very lucky that he had been the first guy to actually knock her up. “Sleep eludes me every night,” she answered plainly with a lift to her voice—gazing at Luka with mesmerizing apple-green eyes. He was, and obviously her two children, the only constants in her life but she couldn’t give them up.

              For being such a large wolf Luka had never been that clumsy. He was very sure footed, and it was evident in the way he strode alongside his smaller mate. Somehow the loss of his limb much earlier in life had not hindered his balance. He had been too young to really be sure footed or balanced to begin with, so the extra hindrance was just one more thing he had to quickly get over in order to survive. The great bear of a wolf was a proud thing, and never had his disability gotten in his way for power.


              Those eyes - as soon as they turned back to him - made his heart stammer, and all he could do was stare back into their depths. The beauty and fire that danced within them, the glow like a fire and licking of flames was the center of her being. In them he could truly see the free spirit of her, and it was something he would never change about her. If that was gone, who was truly there? He would never change a minute thing about the woman before him because all her little imperfections was what made her so... perfect. In his eyes she could do him no harm because it did not matter he would forgive her in a heartbeat for anything she could ever do. She had never intentionally did anything to ever hurt him yet, and now with their children it only had resounded the proof he would ever need in his mind.


              "I know it does," he breathed, pressing his muzzle lightly again her forehead in understanding. Sometimes she just needed her space, and he was more than willing to return to the girls when she needed it. "Would you like me to return to the girls and leave you be?" he asked, his sunlit eyes looking at her with a slight concern. His paws pressed firmly into the ground awaiting her answer with patience. The fur along his back was brushed lightly by the wind a pale ghost in the night. His fur had always been the purest of white, and in some lights it made him look ghostly. He had picked up some nicknames in the past because of it, but none he cared to remember. With a light sigh, he watched his love with slight concern. Would she truly join a pack in this area? He was afraid what would happen if he kept this free bird caged too long.

Although her body ached to continue moving, to flow through the land endlessly so that she could experience everything she could without being tied down she could resist. Sometimes it was a blessing to have Luka, Nikoleta and Joslyn—but sometimes she missed the constant moving, constant knowledge that she learned and the infinite amount of places she had seen in her life. All she did know was that right now she wanted to do what was best for her family. They were what was important.

So when her eyes looked to his yellows, she felt a weakened state of mind. There was everything in him that she appreciated. She simply couldn’t resist him, he had always had a strong hold on her regardless of her position in his life or hers. “No,” she insisted as her rubbed his muzzle to hers and she returned the favor, “you can stay.” She was warm, kind and docile even given her rather flimsy state as a wanderlust creature. Narcissa simply desired to stretch her legs and wander, perhaps this time he could be a part of her process.

Being in a new place was supposed to be somewhat intimidating, but the only thing Cissy felt was the adrenaline pumping in her. She desired to know these wolves, to see who they were, where they lived, how they lived—Luka, Nikoleta and Joslyn were going to see this place up and down before she felt like she was done here. This place was much too beautiful to let slip through her fingers and out of her radar. Apple eyes looked at him as she kissed at his ear, pressing forward with her tail curling around his muzzle—although she was a flighty presence, Luka had always stayed as true as he could be to her and his daughters.

              The last few months had been beautiful and in their favour for travel. They had decided not to have pups this year, and instead take their girls to travel the beautiful lands in hopes of quenching the constant need to travel. The girls were absolutely beautiful in his eyes and they could never do no harm, but they had the itch in their paws just like their mother. As much as that itch bothered Luka sometimes, his strong mind could override it for the right things. Yet, this was so much easier when he could have his cake and eat it too.


              Cissa moved away, her tail brushing alongside him beckoning for him to come alone and to follow her. He did so with great pleasure, and he fell into step beside the golden-furred woman. His large paws fell softly upon the ground, power evident in every step he took. His muscles rippled beneath his shorter summer coat, and each scar stretched across his skin - visible only in the right light. His short tail flicked side was as he mustered up the strength to not return to his daughters. He never liked leaving them alone for too long because they always had seemed to get in some sort of trouble or they just could not find them. The ghastly coloured male realized recently that they were pretty much adults now though, so he had to loosen his grip on them or he would drive them away forever.


              "Care to go for a dip in the moonlight?" he asked, drawing up alongside her and brushing his muzzle against his cheek before turning to lead them towards a small brook that looked to widen out a bit just a little bit ahead. His paws shifted in the damp ground around them easily as he made his way up to the side of it his yellow eyes turning back for the briefest moments to beckon her to come. He started with one paw to test the temperature - it was perfectly warm. Then, with a sly grin he jumped int the depths, paddling his way around the water easily, steering himself away from the shore towards the other side of the river that was a couple feet away at least.

The urge to explore and move was always showcased in the way that Narcissa moved around. Paws simply drove her crazy as they itched to move in every direction at the same time, always leaving her in a crazy spell. Somehow she always had to muster up the restraint to keep herself present. There were many times where the prospect of just walking off to go explore came up in her mind and she would start to grasp at the reigns to run off and explore, but she was caught realizing that she had responsibilities.

Luka had understood from the moment that he had found her that she would always have the itch to move, to travel, and that sometimes her rather wild nature broke a few strings and got her into trouble. Did she hate that? No, she loved it. Finding Luka had been wonderful but she had told him that nothing could change her, no one could change her—she had to live the way she was born to, otherwise it would only get worse.

As they continued to move forward she could feel his desire to go back to the girls radiating onto her but it couldn’t soak in. She needed to go and have fun. They had this big open space and she wasn’t going to let it go past her. Her tail waved frantically and a mischievious smile graced her face as Luka offered to go take a dip in the midnight hues. “Oh boy would I,” she snickered and moved past him, glad that they were going to go do something rather entertaining where she wouldn’t have to feel restrained or feel the shirk of responsibility.

              "You know, if we do end up staying in this area, there seems to be a lot of places to explore," he began, his canary coloured eyes turning to his mate with slight concern. "We can stay in one of the packs in the area - I am sure they could use a scout," he said with a wink. If there was one thing she would excel at it would be being a scout. That way the itch in her paws would be satisfied as well as having a safe place to hole up for the winter. The thought of more puppies in the next spring excited him, but would she want more when that time came? He had loved raising his little girls from the time that they were born until now and it only made him want to do it again. If there was one thing that could settle his wild heart, it was looking upon those tiny faces once more and doing it all over again.


              Luka did not voice these opinions however to his mate in fear of put too much guilt on her. When he first had met her when she was known as Paige the thought of pups was out of the question. Yet, their lustful encounters grew to be a little much and then all of a sudden they had a new responsibility on their paws and Luka would have shoulder the responsibility on his own when they had come of age to not be so dependent upon their mother anymore. These thoughts had scared him, but he would shoulder the brunt of it and do whatever he had to in order to make her happy. Whether making her happy meant she went off on her own or not was another question; he would not think a second longer of it. Yet, everything had changed when she became a mother and they had stayed within the pack much longer than Luka ever thought they could. The girls were old enough to help participate in a hunt and hold their own weight and so they moved around like a mini-pack yet not staying in one place for more than a couple of nights.


              "I wouldn't be mad if you did not want to stay here though," he added on a more serious note. As much as she was flighty, their relationship had been far from it. Yet her need to be free almost had cost them, she always came back to him and always stayed with him. Luka had to muster up the strength in order to deal with whatever came at him every day - there was just no way of telling what could happen from one day to the next - then get along or move past it. He watched his mate adoringly as she came to move into the depths of the water near him. He swam a quick circle around her and nibbled at her shoulder playfully his ears flicking back against his head and his tongue sticking out in a teasing manner.

Yes, there was a very high chance of staying within the area. Though she certainly didn’t like staying in one place for long she could feel something here that made her spirit scream in joy. This place was huge, she could find so many places to explore and many new wolves to interact with. She wanted to get underneath their skin, find out who they were and how they would react to her.

It seemed that she could make a mark here, which was what she was interested in. Her two daughters needed to experience things on their own, to see everything in their own way—she would not shelter them from everything like puppies, they needed to find their own strength as she had. It was very obvious, she hoped, to Luka that their two girls needed to grow into themselves. This would be a good start.

It was likely that a pack around here could use a scout but could they handle her? She was a loose cannon, one they could be trusted some days and not the next. Narcissa wanted to keep Luka and her two daughters safe somewhere if that was what they wanted, but she could never be sure if she could survive long in a pack. She simply had a lot to say and do, her actions were unpredictable. “We’ll stay here,” she commented with a shrug, “this place is pretty big and I’ve got a lot of places I want to find.”

Letting another nonchalant shrug fall off her body she edged her way into the water and closed her eyes, it felt so amazing as her fur began to slick back onto her skin. It was so refreshing and she turned her bright willful eyes to Luka and smirked. He was so handsome in this moonlight. There were times where she felt amazingly lucky to have Luka but sometimes she worried that she couldn’t be the woman that a guy like him usually looked for.

The male nipped playfully at her, snapping at her shoulder and a tongue sticking out at her. Cissa rolled her eyes and splashed some water at him before lowering her head to completely dunk herself into the dark pool hopefully disappearing from the white boy.

              Luka had intended to stay wherever that Narcissa wished to be. Whether that meant up and moving around a whole lot or staying in this place. She seemed at ease here - well at ease was the best he could come up with - she still held her wild spirit and he wondered how long these lands would tame her soul. Their daughters were old enough to travel, but traveling constantly took its toll especially once the winter months came around again. They were such a small family that surviving was not that hard, but it would be a lot easier with more wolves in their fold.


              An idea sparked in his mind, and he turned to look at his mate as she pushed her way through the water. "Well, I have a bit of an idea," he announced, swimming nearer to her. "Why don't we join a nearby pack, then when the time is right and we have seen more of the lands, we could make our own pack? That way you don't have to worry about the leaders worrying about your disappearing and traveling around for long periods of time. I could hold down the fort by myself when you are away," he said with a light in his eyes. He did not find it very hard to remain in one place for a while, especially if it meant something of his own. He had never thought about being a leader in a pack because he always ended up being the guardian and protector. Never had the thought of leading crossed his mind.


              Her golden fur reflected in the moonlight, and he could not held but smile because of her beauty. Then, in the next moment she splashed him before disappearing under the water and out of sight. The alabaster boy swam in circles around trying to pinpoint her beneath the dark waters, but it was very hard in the minimal lighting they had. Yellow eyes searched and searched, but he could not pick her out, so he floated in his spot, keeping himself afloat as he waited for her to resurface - ready to pounce as soon as she did so.