"This is it.." The young, oddly accented woman thought, feeling her paws tingle. She wished she would move faster. She wished she could just tell him now. But no. Even if she wanted to know if he felt the same, she would stay silent until that right moment when she knows he feels the same. She didn't want to make a fool out of herself. Their friendship was too good to eliminate with a feeling. But he should know, no matter how torn apart their relationship would be if he didn't feel the same. He had the right to know. She took her usual deep breath to make herself calm down. She was crazy, arguing with herself about telling Shade she loved him. Why wouldn't she tell him? She would hide nothing from him now. The small brown silhouette padded their the high, dewy grasses comfortably. The water soothed her one-aching pads. Mountain climbing was extreme to your paws.

Long, fluffy brown tail swishing behind her merrily, Gabrielle stepped into the right areas of the meadow and looked around. "It's beautiful, isn't it, Shade?" She
murmured half to herself, looking around with glittering yellow orbs of curiosity. She smiled softly and sat down to groom her fur. She hadn't told him why she was bringing him here-or even where until they stumbled across the meadow and it had been obvious from them. Her nose raised upwards and took him a scent during mid-grooming. Prey. She looked at Shade and wanted to bolt after it so bad. But she was too sore and it would be rude to her packmate.

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Table by Abbie, for Abbie

<b style="color:#8e989d">"Yes, beautiful just like someone I know." He said, a dazed look in his eye. Shade was born to an unknown line of Lone Wolves. The Slayer wolves. His father ruthless, crueld and mean. When he started training Shade and his sister Shadowstorm how to survive the cold world. He used his first lesson: Packs are weak, bottomfeeding losers that couldn't take care of themselves, so they hung together and shared food. He told Shade never to join a pack. Shade was an idealistic child. He had reason and said that wolves would be stronger in numbers. His father attacked him, leaving no permenant scars, but the emotional trama to get it stuck into his head. This went on for a year or so, his mother kept begging his father to stop, claiming they were children, they didn't know better. It got worse as it happened. His father started to beat her too. It was gruesome to watch. He was out on a final hunting assignment. Returned early with two hares for the family. He came to the sight of his parents fighting a group of two or three lone wolves. Out of fright, he ran for his life. Hoping his sister made it out alive too, he began to search for her. He searched everywhere far and wide for a long 4 years. He finally came and arrived here, in Relic Lore.

I have to tell her, now. I mean, how long can I continue to fight these feelings with no hope to live on? I will not break. I have to tell her, but how? He wondered. It was time to talk.

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Silence echoed in her mind as she was stopped in her movements. It was twilight now, already past sunset, and getting closer to pitch black. "Thank you..." She didn't know how to respond. She turned around, layed down in the bright grass, but they were gray in the night. She beckoned for him to lay down somewhere, hopefully with her. Her yellow orbs illuminated in the dark. Shade looked like a moving shadow from where she was as she watched him move around. Her ears relaxed and layed down on her head.

If there was a god for wolves to believe in, she would be praying to it, but that was impossible. She struggled not to fidget and tell him everything, but doing that would in no doubt ruin the moment. She laid down and put her head on her paws, looking up at him and smirking happily.

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Table by Abbie, for Abbie

Shade smiled. That moment, he knew some emotion waws on her mind towards him. Did she love him back? It was the descision day. She was no longer that frail, timid girl from Drooping Willows that he chased after and offered assistance. She was a subordinate of Willow Ridge and the women he loves. But how to word it. <b style="color:#8e989d">"I have a confession to make Rose. I'm in love." He smiled. There was an unusually warm heart in him right now. The scary part is that it was his own.

He prayed to the spirits in the stars. The ones his mother had told him about. He prayed to them that she loved him back. But emotions were a killer. It was his love for his mother that nearly kille dhim when the lone wolves came. Surely with a nice strong pack, no one could possibly tell taht love would kill. No one but him knew.

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In unison, she said the words just as he did, "I'm in love." Warmth spread through her veins. She was sure Shade had said it too, she knew someone would curse or damn her if she was wrong-but she wasn't! Her tail wagged and she smiled. "Shade-I'll tell you the truth. I loved you ever since I first saw you. Since you helped me at the border. Since I laid my eyes on you." She studied him hopefully, hoping he could say the same. It would be sweet if he fell in love with her personality, but love at first sight had been so fake to her until now. Love at first sight was fate, destiny, a meant-to-be fairytale she had never thought of until now. She felt the shadows engulf the shadows, and the moonlight hide behind the trees as she stood up and nuzzled his shoulder, not waiting for a response.

With her nose buried into his soft shoulder, and his warmth around her, she smiled and could swear she was about to doze off. She let out a tiny sigh of relief in her head. It was done. A huge burden lifted off her shoulders. She stayed buried into him for a long time, taking in his soft breaths and steady heartbeat. His willowy scent mixed with something she had just noticed in his scent...-clouds. A heavenly, light, great scent she couldn't explain, but she loved. "Oh Shade, what will the pack think?" Her foreign accent was concerned now.

Table by Abbie, for Abbie

"I'm in love. Shade-I'll tell you the truth. I loved you ever since I first saw you. Since you helped me at the border. Since I laid my eyes on you." This was music and mystery to his ears. He responded all she needs to know. <b style="color:#8e989d">"Oh Rose, I feel the same way. AS for the pack, Elettra has allowed us to be mates, just as long as you don't have pups, then she'll kick us out of the pack. But we have to tell her if we are to become mates. So Rosealia. I am offcically asking you, will you become Gabrielle Rosealia Slayer?" He asked, his eyes wondering what she was to answer.

Shade remembered his history. How was he to explain: Shade was born to an unknown line of Lone Wolves. The Slayer wolves. His father ruthless, crueld and mean. When he started training Shade and his sister Shadowstorm how to survive the cold world. He used his first lesson: Packs are weak, bottomfeeding losers that couldn't take care of themselves, so they hung together and shared food. He told Shade never to join a pack. Shade was an idealistic child. He had reason and said that wolves would be stronger in numbers. His father attacked him, leaving no permenant scars, but the emotional trama to get it stuck into his head. This went on for a year or so, his mother kept begging his father to stop, claiming they were children, they didn't know better. It got worse as it happened. His father started to beat her too. It was gruesome to watch. He was out on a final hunting assignment. Returned early with two hares for the family. He came to the sight of his parents fighting a group of two or three lone wolves. Out of fright, he ran for his life. Hoping his sister made it out alive too, he began to search for her. He searched everywhere far and wide for a long 4 years. He finally came and arrived here, in Relic Lore.

table by bryony

So, it was all there. He felt the same way. Apparently, Elettra was giving them the privilege to be together. She wouldn't want pups anyway, not until a very, very long time from now. And even then, that would be rude to defy Elettra. She smiled and pulled back from his shoulder, sort of saddened to have to pull away. But for a good reason. "Yes! Yes! I would love to become your Gabrielle Rosealia Slayer." She proudly announced, head and tail high. She was his. All they had to do was speak with Elettra about it. Her eyes glittered as she headed back into the view of the moonlight, sitting down and wrapping her tail around her paws.

She was glad to be his, finally. She knew their love had been so quick but true. Her heart raced proudly. "You know, it's an honor to be at your side, Shade Slayer." Her voice was sprinkled with soft, gentle playfulness as she nipped his ear. She waved her tail and bowed, wondering if he could manage the energy to play with her for a minute.

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Table by Abbie, for Abbie

Shade grinned. "Yes! Yes! I would love to become your Gabrielle Rosealia Slayer. You know, it's an honor to be at your side, Shade Slayer." Shade smiled. It meant a lot. <b style="color:#8e989d">"I do love you. But first, you need to know my story. (telling it in 3rd person)Shade was born to an unknown line of Lone Wolves. The Slayer wolves. His father ruthless, crueld and mean. When he started training Shade and his sister Shadowstorm how to survive the cold world. He used his first lesson: Packs are weak, bottomfeeding losers that couldn't take care of themselves, so they hung together and shared food. He told Shade never to join a pack. Shade was an idealistic child. He had reason and said that wolves would be stronger in numbers. His father attacked him, leaving no permenant scars, but the emotional trama to get it stuck into his head. This went on for a year or so, his mother kept begging his father to stop, claiming they were children, they didn't know better. It got worse as it happened. His father started to beat her too. It was gruesome to watch. He was out on a final hunting assignment. Returned early with two hares for the family. He came to the sight of his parents fighting a group of two or three lone wolves. Out of fright, he ran for his life. Hoping his sister made it out alive too, he began to search for her. He searched everywhere far and wide for a long 4 years. He finally came and arrived here, in Relic Lore. There he met the beautiful and amazing Gabrielle Rosealia Slayer."

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"I'm sorry. I didn't know about your father. Your sister. You never told me." She whispered. She had no idea. Gabrielle wondered if it panged Shade earlier today when she complimented his father. Ears back, Rosealia looked at him. She had already told him her history, and she wondered if they were anything alike. An insane mother, a brutal father...Maybe. But her mother ran away and saved her the trouble in her life. Venus was there for her. Her father was there until he got ancient and then eventually got mauled and eaten by a bear. It still made her emotional, and she felt herself whining and looking down sadly. She took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"Can I meet your sister?" The brown-hued little lady asked firmly, getting back to her usual, not-so-hormonal emotional self. Her yellow eyes softly went over him, to the dark sky and sighed. It was super late, time to sleep. There was no time to get back to drooping willows so quick. "Are we going to sleep here?"

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Table by Abbie, for Abbie

"I'm sorry. I didn't know about your father. Your sister. You never told me. Can I meet your sister?" Shade wondered for a bit. <b style="color:#8e989d">"It's fine. REally. I never told you because my sister and I swore to only tell those who were to become our mates and other family members. She's told no one as far as I know, and I've only told you. There was no way you could have known. My sister is on the other side of Relic Lore, why don't we sleep and go back to Drooping Willows in the morning. We can hang there for a few days and talk with Elettra and then I'll take you to meet Shadowstorm." He promised.

Shade laid down with his head on his paws. Slowly drifting into a nightmare. "My tale isn't heroic, or nice as your history I'm sure. But I'll tell you anyways since you're my brother's mate. Shade and I were born to a destinct pair of Lone Wolves that to be honest. Hated other wolves. My brother Shade and I started training to survive in a place far from Relic Lore called Death Pine Forest. The first lesson my father taught us, even though I now, after seeing the strength of packs, was Packs are weak, bottomfeeding losers that couldn't take care of themselves, so they hung together and shared food. He specifically told us never to join a pack, or we would taint our blood line. MY brother tried to object as he was the more reasonable one, my father beat him. I tried to get him to stop, he beat me. My father was a cruel, mean steel wall. Whenever I did something wrong, he beat me as a punishment. My mother eventually stepped in, conquering her fear of my father. She was too beaten. It got worse. During my final 'test' , a hunting assignment before I was to go off an live my life. My mother and fahter were attacked by a group of two or three lone wolves. Out of fright, I ran for his life. I thought all my family to be dead. My grandparents gone. My father was an only child, same as my mum as far as I know." It was his sister broadcasting that he was dead. It frightened him.

table by bryony