Usually the man stayed within the borders of Oak Tree Bend, as he was striving for the role of Guardian. But tonight, tonight was different. He needed air, he needed to breathe. For some reason, the burnt man needed to just get away. As he walked, he couldn't help but wonder if he ever conquered the Tainn curse after all. For, wasn't he leaving? But no, he wasn't leaving for good. There was a wolf that depended on him, for he knew that if he broke her trust once again, he would never be able to truly have her as his. For what relationship worked without trust? And not only did he have to take Jessie's feelings into account, but Triell's as well. The man was not only his alpha, but his brother as well. The younger man had made it clear. One chance and once chance only. Hotei wasn't foolish enough to try the man's word.

The sound of rushing water made his ears prick in attention. Not realizing before that he was parched, Hotei followed the source of the sound. He came upon the view crashing water all around him, the roaring of the Falls pounding in his ears. He bent his head to take a drink. Lapping up the cool liquid, the man raised his head, his muzzle drenched. His muscular form tensed as he was met with the most beautiful sight in the world. Blue's blurred with greens, red with yellows, purple with pink. All combined to create a masterpiece for his eyes alone. Hotei was one that usually kept his emotions at bay, cut off from stranger's views, but this time he simply couldn't contain the awe that filled his yellow orbs. He had seen the Northern Lights before, but this one seemed to top all of them.

He sensed her before he saw her, like always. His fur seemed electric as she neared him. How long had she been following him? Why had she been following him? She cleared her throat, and his ears pricked backwards in am attentive manner to show that he was listening. She questioned of how the pack was treating him, and he mentally rose a brow at her formal tone but chose to say nothing about it at the time being. "Good," he rumbled, still not looking at her. "Drestig seems like a good man," he continued. In his own way, he was telling her he had made a friend. The burnt man wasn't a very open wolf, perfectly content to just stay in the shadows, preferably Jessie by his side. He turned his large head to finally look at her, and his yellow orbs bored down into her jade green eyes. Beautiful, was all he could think.

No matter how hard he had tried to keep them up, Jessie had broken every one of his defenses. Time and time again. Even now, she needed to do nothing and he already felt vulnerable, stripped of every piece of armor he had previously owned. "Come 'ere," he spoke after a long moment of just staring at her. Not with the gaze of a lovesick fool, but of a man who finally realized what precious jem he really had. And never wanted to let it go again. His tone held unusual affection, for usually he wasn't so open with his feelings. Or let them become so visible. He wanted to hold her in his embrace, and for once, let his actions speak louder than his words. He didn't want to dissapoint her anymore.

She didn't hesitate to come to him, and he smiled slightly as she pressed her small head against his shoulder. Before he could reciprocate in the way he wanted, her attention was caught by the masterpiece in the sky. Hotei chuckled at her awe, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. He looked up at the evening sky, a blur of colors, and then glanced back to the woman beside him. Yes, the lights were beautiful, but not as beautiful as Jessie. Was he being a complete sop? Probably. But in moments like this that he shared with his mate, were the only moments that his heart was light. It had been a long time since that feeling, and it made him glad that he had decided to come back to Relic Lore. Realizing that he still owed her an answer, he lowered his head to nudge her chin upwards with his muzzle.

Gazing into her green orbs he rumbled, "I believe they're called the Northern Lights. I've only seen them a pawful of times in my five years. But this one.." Hotei trailed off and looked back into the sky, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. "This one seems to surpass them all." He grinned and then looked back down at his mate, his yellow orbs shining brightly. For once, no walls. He held ultimate trust in her, even with their relationship's ups and downs. "Im glad you're here with me, love." He stepped away from her a little and lowered himself to the ground and into a sphinx like position. Encouraging her to lay beside him with a nod of his head to the spot beside him, his grin morphed into a smirk. "Now that were on the subject of you being here, what are you doing here? Just couldn't seem to keep your distance, huh Jes?" He couldn't help but tease her. Hotei loved when they bantered, it didn't matter if they were fighting or not, sparks just seemed to fly. It showed that even if the whole damn world and their circumstances didn't believe them to be compatible, they damn well were.

The warm fuzzy feelings in his heart evaporated at her words. He should've known, for they never lasted long. His yellow orbs, that had before become liquid with his love, hardened as he let the beast within him rage and have its fun. He knew Jessie, knew her inside and out. He could read her every tell and could sense when she was feeding him bullshit. And at this moment in time, that was exactly what she was doing. A scowl made his way onto his handsome features as he stood and towered over his angel that made him live in both heaven and hell. "Are you sure you following me had nothing to do with thinking that I was leaving?" He didn't bother to hide the bitterness in his tone, nor his anger. He snorted, letting the fire within him grow hotter with each passing second. Would he ever be truly free of this anger, this fire that always seemed to be ready to ignite? And he had been doing so damn good too.

He growled slightly, stepping closer and looking down at her pretty face. "Dammit Jessie. You can't bullshit me, I know your every damn tell. Why don't you fucking tell me the truth? That you dont trust me. And that shit really pisses me off." He had one hell of a sailor mouth when he was on a roll. "I'm a changed man, Jess. And I hate that you can't fucking see it." Hotei's eyes softened, a little of his anger fading away. "Your a damn fool to think I'd leave you again, Jessie. A damn fool." Was he still angry? Hell yes. Hotei could only wonder if their relationship would ever be normal. Because damn, fighting this much could not be healthy.

Her words almost felt like a physical blow. Did she really just say that? Did she, in all seriousness, feel that way? Or was that just the anger talking? He didn't have time to ponder over it, because words spewed out of his mouth like venom. His anger seemed to raise a couple notches as he easily moved to intercept her with his large build. "You have every reason to not trust me Jessie, for I know the shit I've done in the past. But don't you ever give me that bullshit of me playing with you." A growl rumbled deep within his chest, and his yellow orbs seemed to spark with his ire. "One thing you should never doubt about me is my love for you. 'Cause through all my fuckups and our shit, I fucking kept on loving you. So don't you dare feed me that bullshit." He stopped, his breaths shallow as he tried to regain his control.

It seemed his emotions were like a roller coaster. The constant ups and downs in his moods were beginning to really annoy him. Usually he could keep his temper in control, but whenever him and Jessie were together, sooner or later they would get into an argument. It was inevitable, really. She seemed to always be the one to light his fuse. As he opened his maw to speak, the anger in his tone had diminished greatly and all that was really left was frustration. "What the hell do you want me to do, to prove to you, that I am here to stay. Im here for you, for us. You want me to talk to you more? Fine, whatever. Just tell me what the hell to do, cause I sure as fuck don't know how to prove to you that Im here for good." His yellow orbs bored into Jessie's green gaze, searching for the answers he so desperately needed. How the hell did she not realize that he would go to the ends of the earth for her?