The man woke up, his large form tense and his blue eyes, for a brief moment, filled with panic. Miccah usually was not an emotional man, for he was comfortable only showing that part of himself to certain individuals. He was a man that didn’t let emotion rule his decisions, but duty and logic. He couldn’t remember the last time he had had the nightmare that had awoken him. He could still feel the fear clawing at his throat and the guardian forced himself to calm down. Pushing away the emotions, his blue gaze cleared and his form relaxed. He didn’t want to wake Aideen. His dreams and troubles  were not worth waking her from her peaceful slumber. The burly man looked down at the woman that was his wife, and his usual emotionless gaze softened, and he brushed a tender kiss atop her head as he moved to silently leave their makeshift den.

Miccah took a deep breath as the dark, quiet night enveloped him in its embrace. Already, he could feel his heart slow down in his chest, the fear leaving him and replacing the emotion with peace. It had been only a nightmare. Still, the man wished to clear his mind. So, he walked. Usually, the man found solace in the borders, but this time, he felt the urge to go further out. Leaving the territory, his paws silent and his gaze watchful and alert, he made his way to the land with the creek that was near the thickets. In front of the water he sat and let the memories come. His memories were cloudy of that time, because he didn’t like to think about it. His mother and father had proudly reigned their pack and the family had been happy. Miccah could remember his excitement, for he was almost to be a year old. He had been excited to begin his  training with the guardians of the pack. But they had never expected that their loyal seconds would betray them. Even now, he felt that same bitterness and anger he had thought he had long since let go of. He still remembered flashes of memory of the actual overthrowing, of the murder of his parents. The man flinched, and took a deep breath, forcing himself to push away the constant reel of memories. He had been a prince, a prince who had thought he held the world in the paw of his hand...and in minutes, his world had been destroyed.   Miccah sighed, bowing his head. He would stay here long enough to clear his mind, and then would return to his wife and his pack.

Fall had always been the busiest time for the medic, stocks needing to be refilled and locations of plants memorized before the last of them withered away and were covered by snow. This year, with her new position as second and the added responsibility of training to take over Nina's post in spring, Aideen had hardly enough spare time to sleep, her days starting before sunrise, and ending long after nightfall, with her collapsing next to Miccah in the small space they had claimed as their own. She loved curling up tight against his burly form, burying her muzzle in his dark fur and being surrounded by his warmth and soothing scent; She couldn't remember ever sleeping better. But soon they would have to move out of the shallow den that was not solid enough to last them the winter, and the petite woman was determined to return to the communal den, at least until spring. Every moment alone with her mate was bliss, and she knew she would long for the intimacy, once they were surrounded by others. But she wasn't about to commit the same mistake as she had with Coal. While she didn't doubt Miccah's commitment, to her and to Secret Woodlands, she couldn't allow herself to become dethatched from the rest of the pack, especially now. While most of the Woodland wolves were family, or as close as, Aideen still felt that she could make even stronger connections, get to know them even better, and she would strive to do so.

For now though, she would enjoy their solitude, even if she was so exhausted that even the nights when he wasn't already asleep, they couldn't get much talking done. Last night had been no different, she had finished late at her infirmary, trailing home through the dimness of the thicket on tired paws. Sleep had found her almost instantly, but despite her tiredness she was not oblivious to her partners troubles. Miccah was usually a sound sleeper and every toss and turn this night was registered by the woman sleeping next to him, despite his hardest attempts not to disturb her, she was aware of every shift. When he finally got up, she made a small, unhappy sound, moving slightly in the now too large space. At his soft caress she moaned a contented hum, still too locked in sleep to protest further to his leaving, but as soon as he was gone from her side, she instantly felt cold.

At first, it was her intention to let him be alone, giving him space to deal with whatever troubled him by himself. But rather than fall back asleep once he was gone, she found herself waking up more and more, and as time passed without his return, she started to worry. It was the healer in her to want to help everyone and solve their problems, and especially when it came to the man she loved, she never wanted him to hurt, and she certainly didn't want him to go through it alone. Finally, the vixen wolfess rose as well, slinking out into the night with a concerned furrow in her brow. Following the dark guardian's trail was easy enough, despite his expertise at navigating the thicket, his size was bound to leave its tell-tale signs, and of course, his route was not hard to guess; Their little haven lay close to the borders, as that was where they both spend most of their days, and Aideen knew her mate well enough to guess that that was where he would head now.

When she came to the borders though, she had a moment of pause. There was no sign of him, and breathing in deeply to fill her nose with his specific scent told her that he had crossed out of the territory. Now she really started to feel anxious, and with determination she followed suit, using her well trained nose to track him in the more open land. Out here, the night was lit nicely by stars and moonlight, making it easy enough for the slender lass to tell where she was going, and as she recognized the path, she felt her heart sink. Why would he have come here? Why this place of all? What could it mean that he had chosen this very spot? Full of a horrible sense of foreboding, Aideen sped up, clearing the last trees to spot the shadowy form, huddled by the creek. For a moment she had to stop, stomach turning as she took in the sight; In the near darkness it was hard to tell the difference, though she knew that his pelt was raven black and not sandy, she couldn't help but flash back to a similar silhouette, curled up at the water's edge. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that that was past and this was different; So different! Then she stepped clear of the shadows and walked over to him slowly, rubbing gently against his shoulder and slipping her muzzle up to nuzzle him under the ear; "Darling, what's the matter?"

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His head raised immediately as he heard pawsteps that were heading his way, but his form relaxed as he listened to the familiar soft steps of his mate. The dark guardian should've known that his wife would follow. She was a healer, and it was as much ingrained her to help others as to protect others was ingrained in him. Miccah leaned into her touch, taking in her soothing scent. Her very presence chased the gloom of his thoughts away. He heard her question clearly, but chose to ignore it for the time being as his muzzle slipped beneath her chin to graze her neck affectionately. He knew he didn't have to tell her. Aideen would take his brushing off the subject in stride, for she knew he was a closed man. She wouldn't push him. To any other, he would brush off the subject either with a monosyllable or no answer at all. But Aideen was different. She was his mate, and he wanted to tell her. He wanted her to know that he couldn't be strong and hold the weight of the world on his shoulders all the time. It was an odd feeling, but a refreshing one.

"Bad dream," he murmured quietly in his deep baritone as he pulled away from her. Miccah nudged her muzzle with his for a brief moment before he pulled away to gaze in the direction of the creek. "My parents..." he trailed off. "My parents were overthrown by their seconds. I was cast out. I still see flashes of their deaths in my dreams." It was a blunt answer, his tone almost detached, but Miccah saw no use in sugarcoating his words. His maw clenched, and the storm of sadness and anger in his blue gaze deepened. To anyone, he would never show this type of emotion. But Aideen always broke down his steel like walls as easily as if they were made of fragile glass.

His touch was so soft. Looking at his hefty, muscular form, it seemed paradoxical, and yet she had never known anyone to be so gentle. Almost forgetting her worry, she gave in to his caress, lifting her head slightly to give him room. She loved him, she loved how he was strong and stoic, and kept a cool head in dire situations, yet when they were alone he could move her like no one else, open himself up and letting her into his heart, making her feel loved without saying a word. She knew her dark knight, that he was guarded, that the worst thing he knew was losing control and showing his feelings, but with her he let go, allowing himself to relax, without fearing her seeing the truth. And that was the highest compliment he could ever offer her.

Realizing this, meant that she never pushed him to go further; She knew how big a sacrifice he had already made. Of course, that wasn't to say that she didn't want to know - while she didn't feel it was possible to know him any better - she recognized the most of his past was still a mystery to her. Mostly, she didn't mind, he was here now, and that was the important part. But there was a small corner of her heart that feared, feared that living like this, purely in the present, kept them less bound to each other, that not knowing his story would make it easier to lose him. It wasn't hard to tell where those fears came from, though it wasn't just Coal, who had so suddenly torn their bonds. There had been others. It had been the same with Ashanti, a woman she had considered her closest friend, but then suddenly their connection had been broken, and left was a devastated young medic, feeling like she had never truly known the woman at all.

She didn't want it to be the same with Miccah, he was her mate, they were bonded and she wanted that bond to last forever. But she respected his privacy, whatever might lurk in his past, it would be his choice when to share it. She hadn't thought it would be tonight though, and when he pulled away she leaned towards him, longing to get back into his embrace. His light brush of her muzzle sated her for the time being, and when their eyes met, she realized just how bad his dreams had been. Her entire body ached, seeing his sapphire eyes so full of pain, and when he turned his gaze away, she whined lowly. She wanted him to seek comfort with her, not pull away. But she held herself back from reaching out, allowing him time to process whatever it was that troubled him so much and explain on his own terms.

What he said shocked her, the blunt tone and deep, darkness of his eyes only adding to the horror. The healer's first instinct was to console, to mend with kisses and closeness. But again she held back. What Miccah needed was not a hug and an oh I'm so sorry, this was not a puppy with a boo-boo. Taking a deep breath, Aideen leaned into her mate's shoulder, reaching out to firmly touch her nose to the underside of his jaw, pressing to turn his head back towards hers and meet her eyes. For a moment she simply looked at him, his pain reflected in her wide coppers. Then she spoke lowly, voice filed with all the warmth she could muster; "My love. I can't even imagine something so horrific..." Suddenly, his strong reaction towards Iopah and Koda's betrayal made a lot more sense to her; I'm surprised he's managed to trust anyone again... And it was only a few, but she was one of them. "I always knew you were strong, but never that you had been through something so terrible. How old were you?"

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Her touch took him off guard, but yet the man didn't want to look at her. He didn't want to see his pain reflected in the copper orbs that only deserved to show joy. But her touch was insistent so finally Miccah turned and gazed down into her pain-filled eyes. Her gentle voice soothed him, and his gaze shut as he let his tense form relax to her touch and loving tone. Miccah mentally reviewed his memories and he spoke in his soft baritone. "I was just about to be a yearling. I was planning to begin my training with the guardians of the pack before, in time, I ascended to the throne." He was quiet after that, memories bombarding him as he opened his blue gaze. Yes, he felt bitter, but more than that, he was hurt. The wolves that he had considered his family, ever loyal to him and his parents, had betrayed him. Each laugh, each smile he had shared  with them - all along they knew what was coming.

His muzzle moved to carress Aideen's own, planting a tender kiss before moving down to press against her neck. Taking time to calm his turbulent emotions and gain control, Miccah moved away from his mate. The  usually stoic man stared at her, a brief smile gracing his maw. What of you, my love?," he questioned in his rumbling baritone. The man only allowed himself to fully relax when he was with his mate, and making it clear the previous subject matter had come to a close, the guardian waited for his wife to fill him in. He had seen her hanging around Nina more than usual as she also attended to her medicinal duties, but Miccah had not questioned his wife. She would tell him in time. Curious, the man wondered if this would be the time. Had Aideen just become closer to their queen, or did this delve much deeper than that?

She could not help but share in his pain; She was a sensitive creature, especially when it came to the man she loved. In some ways, it was like she had to feel for him, to let loose the emotion he kept inside, too proud to show. In turn he had an ability to calm her, keep her emotions from running away with her, most of the time. Yet another way their apparent differences held them together. Like the way her small head and slender muzzle nestled perfectly under his strong jaw. He was reluctant, another proof of his raging emotions, but finally their eyes met, and for a second, she saw all of it in those dark, sapphire depths. A faint smile warmed her face, silent support radiating off her; This is hard for him..! And her coddling him would only make it harder. So she stayed quiet, watching as his eyes closed in pain. She was used to having to dig for his feelings, to deduct them based in the smallest ticks, seeing them so obvious – to her at least – was harrowing.

The petite woman tilted her head, allowing her brows to furrow in worry, now that he couldn't see it. She listened with perked ears, noticing every twitch of his lids as he relieved those bad memories. When his eyes opened again, her forehead was smooth, that same, soothing smile back on her lips. "So young…" She murmured, sighing softly. No, it was really no wonder her mate cared so much about loyalty, yet chose to trust only the fewest; What horrors he must have seen… She couldn't even imagine. Suddenly Miccah moved again, nose hungrily sliding along hers, the warm feeling of his breath against her neck, and tongue kissing her cheek sending pangs of fire through her body. She leaned into his caress, closing her eyes, understanding that this was his way of changing the subject. She wanted to hear more about what happened, to know everything about his past; But she could wait, they had all the time in the world.

He pulled away and she opened her eyes, shocked by the sudden cold. Looking up at him, she felt slightly awed, how could she be so lucky, despite everything, despite there being so much apparently against them, and behind them… He awoke feelings in her she would have never thought possible, he made her so happy that everything else hardly mattered, and he was right here, and he was hers! His smile, so rare an brilliant, was impossible to resist, and she beamed back, eyes widening in surprise at his question; "Me? I have no tragic past, unlike so many who come here, it seems…" She answered, a melancholic note to her tone as she gazed out over the water. "I left home with my family's blessing, to seek adventure. And I found it." She looked back up at him, the former sadness of her voice no match for the love in her eyes. Still, she would gladly tell him all about her family, she so rarely got to speak of them even though they were still in her heart every day. But she sensed this was not the time, there was something else on his mind, and she knew better than to run her mouth now, she could always talk, but when he had something to say, it needed to be said. "But that's not what you meant." The vixen medic said, straightening her back and looking at her mate expectantly.

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The sadness in her gaze made something happen in his heart, and the man definitely did not like the feeling. Before the guardian could think of how to erase the sadness within her eyes, she continued and Miccah's gaze warmed at Aideen's words. He wanted to know more of her family, for he rarely heard her speak of them, but now was not the time to do so. She had known that he had not been asking about her past, for his mate was not an idiot. She could tell there was something on his mind, and though it wasn't in any way troubling, the guardian was curious why she still hadn't told him of her now frequent visits with their queen. Was it something that Nina wished to keep from the rest of the pack? Or was it simply that his wife was becoming closer to their matriarch? Miccah gazed down at his wife, and finally spoke in his rumbling baritone. You are spending more time than before at Nina's side. Why is that?" Miccah was usually a man of few words, but when he did choose to speak, it was to get to the point of matters.

The guardian, though silent and not very social, worked on being informed on all pack matters. It was his duty as a guardian to not only protect his pack mates from outside dangers, but the one's that came from within pack borders as well. He waited patiently for Aideen's response, but if this was to be kept between Nina and his wife, the man would have no issue with that. It was good that Aideen was trusted by their matriarch, especially because the guardian had once thought that trust had wavered due to Aideen's feelings for the Woodland traitors.

His bluntness might be considered rude by those who didn't know him, but Aideen knew her mate well, and took no offence in his direct manner. In fact, Miccah's innate ability to get straight to the point of any situation was one she often envied, her tendency to ramble seemed to worsen under stressful circumstances. But he had no such qualms, an while she was used to that, the question itself took her by surprise. Even though it had been over a month since her talk with Nina, the medic's prospective future still seemed so new to her, and in her attempt to juggle the idea on her own, she had completely neglected to let her lover in on these, rather important news. Heat flushed to her russet cheeks and she diverted her eyes, once again looking at the slowly trickling water. She felt a flash of panic, for a moment projecting all of her doubts onto the dark man; What will he think? What if he doesn't think I can do it? What if he doesn't trust me enough?! The rational part of her was trying to remind her of what had just happened, of what she knew was true; He loves you. He trusts you. But it was hard to win over the fears that had been lurking in the back of her mind, ever since she agreed to study as Nina's successor.

"Oh, you've noticed…" She blurted weekly, trying to sound casual. Of course he had, he noticed everything, especially when it regarded Nina and herself. Honestly, it was surprising that he hadn't mentioned it sooner; He probably waited for ME to come to him… She shuffled awkwardly on the spot. What exactly was making her so nervous? Nina had made her believe she could do this, of course she could do it, and she actually wanted to; Maybe that's why… While she still felt a bit overwhelmed with the prospect of all that responsibility on her shoulders, especially with a pack that seemed to be growing quickly, she had realized that she indeed wanted to take over Nina's post, she was looking forwards to leading the pack. And not only for Nina's sake, but because she cared deeply about the Woodlands and wanted to continue protecting it and keep it growing and thriving. But what would her husband think of the idea? And what would she do if he was against it?

Grinding her teeth, the petite lady breathed in deeply through her nose, closing her eyes for a second before turning to face her partner once more. Looking up at him, she let herself rest in his eyes for a moment, sinking into his impossibly blue eyes, remembering what they were to each other, what they felt for each other. Then she parted her lips to speak, hesitantly at first, and a little hoarse, but as she continued she slipped into her trademark rushed speech; "Well… I guess… I should have told you sooner, but I didn't know… Anyways, I… After we came home, from our trip across the mountain, Nina came to talk to me… She spoke about her decreasing health, her age has started to plague her, I'm sure you've noticed and, well… She's been thinking about the future… Of the Woodlands." Pausing for breath, the fiery lass swallowed hard, forcefully keeping herself from looking away. She held his gaze, pushing forwards quickly before doubt began to grip her again; "Nina will be stepping down from leadership, come spring, and she asked me to take over her post."

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She was nervous to tell him.

Her silence was a clear sign of her hesitation, and the way she removed her gaze from his brewed a small sense of worry within his heart. Aideen did not usually turn away from him, and so whatever news she had to tell him was no doubt big news. But the man was patient, and so he waited for his mate to gather her inner strength to tell him what was wrong. When she finally raised her familiar copper gaze to his, the worry in his heart strengthened for her voice was weak as she began. Of course he noticed. What was this news she was not eager to share? Or was she scared of his reaction? Still, Miccah did not push his wife. She would tell him on her own time. His patience proved to pay off as she began to tell him what she had been keeping from him.

Her familiar rushed tone made a brief smile appear upon his maw. His wife had enough words for the both of them, and then some. But her news was definitely not what he was expecting. The guardian's blue orbs flashed briefly his shock, but then they warmed, showing his true emotion that her words made him feel. "She has granted you with a high honor. Congratulations." Why had she hesitated in telling him this? His wife to lead the Woodlands? With Nina as her mentor, his wife indeed would be a great queen. Question was, would he be the one leading at her side come spring? A crinkle of his brow showed his deep concern of the subject, for the man rarely displayed his emotions so physically. "Does Mirren know of this?" Miccah questioned his wife. The guardian held great respect for the king, and wanted to know if he knew of Nina and Aideen's future plans. Plans that could involve Miccah as well.