Dead Empress Backwater wait, I have sons

Private for @Vanadis and @Asmund, Vana first?
Early morning/Late night a couple of hours before sunrise, Broken clouds, 32F/-1C

In just a few hours the sun would be up and another day would begin. Most members of the pack would begin bustling around and living their lives, but a few key members spent a lot of their time awake at night. Viorel understood that Asmund lived somewhere in the in-between times and so the leader had planned this for a time when he thought the younger man might be waking up but before the rest of the wolves got moving. It should be quiet, intimate.

The Valle man had warned Vanadis that Asmund was shy and might not speak much, and that she shouldn’t be offended if he took a while to warm up to her. And, he had also told her that this was important to him. He brushed his shoulder gently against her side, a familiar gesture from before. He was slowly starting to fall into old routines and was trying to adjust to why it felt like even though they were familiar they no longer felt like they fit. He knew they couldn’t just slide right back into how they used to be, but they had yet to have all the awkward sticky conversations they needed to have.

This felt like the first step, ”Asmund?” Viorel’s voice was low, not wanting to startle him in case he was asleep.

Viorel had briefed her for the meeting, had stressed the importance of it. It felt like a test, though Vanadis knew he hadn't meant for it to. She was nervous about a lot of things, about how this kid would react to her, about what that interaction might say to the man beside her, but she went because it was important to Vi, and if it was important to him then it was important to her.

Sparks flew from the point where his shoulder connected with her side, allowing some of the nerves to ebb. She could do this, surely. Vana had done and lived through far scarier things in her life than meeting yearlings.

I'M STILL BREATHING, I'M STILL BREATHING

---

(I knew what I wanted, I went in and got it, did all of the things that you said that I wouldn't)

Asmund had seen her here and there, always accidental, always immediately remedied by his fleeing. She terrified him, because of the violence her scarring spoke of. Is that what his mother would have looked like after, had she survived it? Had the same monster gotten Vanadis too, or were there simply more out there?

He heard Viorel's voice outside of his den, and could smell them both. He tensed, not entirely sure why this would be happening. As many reservations as he had, however, he did not entertain any thoughts of ignoring his adoptive father's summons. He wriggled his way to the opening, dark muzzle and green eyes peering out of the earth to regard the duo.

"... yes... ?"

(I told you that I would never be forgotten, and all in spite of you I'm alive, you took it all but)

---

I'M STILL BREATHING, I'M STILL BREATHING

(This post was last modified: Jun 24, 2024, 11:42 PM by Dacian.)

It would have been impossible for Viorel to ignore the small flutter in his stomach when they had brushed shoulders, but he did his best not to let it show. This was not the time to dwell on the fact that their feelings were complicated but still burning brightly, whatever it was. Asmund answered quickly, though from this angle only the tip of his nose and the flash of his eyes were visible.

Laying down slightly off the side, as he would do whenever he came to visit the teen, he did his best to exude a relaxed demeanor. He had no idea if it was working or not, and answered probably too quickly for it to be considered casual, ”I want you to meet Vanadis, she’s my -” Shit. He glanced towards the woman before continuing, ”She’s my mate. “ That felt a little juvenile to be coming and announcing so he expanded, ”If you ever can’t find me, she’s a safe wolf to seek out instead.” He was rambling, so he fell silent, waiting for someone else to say something. Yellow eyes moved away from the woman beside him back to the eyes peering out of the dark, trying to gauge his reaction.

The boy was certainly skittish, venturing only up to the mouth of the den. Vana instinctively lowered herself, just slightly, so that she might be less intimidating, though she assumed that with all the scars and whatnot she'd even be scary sprawled out on the ground, tummy up.

Vana's ears flickered back as the introduction began and Viorel looked to her as he searched for a title to define her. She'd expected former mate, friend, children's mother, but when he landed on mate her stomach swirled with what she could only explain as butterflies. But did it mean something or was it just an easy way to explain things to a cub?

She chanced a, "Hello." in hopes that the boy might return the gesture, but had resigned herself to whatever outcome.

(This post was last modified: Jun 06, 2024, 03:09 AM by Vanadis.)

I'M STILL BREATHING, I'M STILL BREATHING

---

(I knew what I wanted, I went in and got it, did all of the things that you said that I wouldn't)

Asmund had sleuthed together who she was before now, well practiced in eavesdropping on conversations and observation in general. Archer and Eros and Isla's mom. He hadn't necessarily remembered her, and he definitely didn't recall what her relationship with Viorel had been like so far back. All he knew of actual couples was @Clover and Vayko, and that had resulted in him losing quite a bit of the former's attention, along with a plethora of brats to deal with.

Still, why did this seem so important to Viorel that he specifically introduce her to Asmund? He was truly at a loss, still so unfamiliar with what it really meant to matter to another wolf. All he knew, all his anxieties allowed him to consider, was the survival aspect of it and, a little less reliably, the deep sense of obligation his mother had instilled.

'If you ever can’t find me, she’s a safe wolf to seek out instead.'

Asmund couldn't help his eyes jumping wider open at that, throwing Viorel a very unsafe-feeling look. He almost didn't acknowledge her when she spoke up. It was daring for him to turn his gaze on her, but he managed a quick glance, and his jaw moved up and down as though he were speaking. Nothing really came out, though.

He wasn't sure if it was because it was really so hard to talk to her, or if it was because all he could think of was all the protests he wanted to give and how uncalled for they would be. How ungrateful. Viorel likely didn't want to know that Asmund did not consider the rest of the leader's family to also be his.

(I told you that I would never be forgotten, and all in spite of you I'm alive, you took it all but)

---

I'M STILL BREATHING, I'M STILL BREATHING

The leader could see Vanadis lowering herself out of his peripheral vision but could not bring himself to look at her after the introduction. He didn’t want to see her expression if it was twisted with confusion - or worse yet rejection. So he stayed focused on the boy, watching as his eyes widened and his jaw began to move up and down. Suddenly this all felt like it was a terrible idea and he was pushing Asmund too hard. He had thought that having one extra wolf who could help protect him would be a good thing - but clearly he was wrong.

He seemed to be doing a lot wrong these days now that Vanadis had returned home. Smiling apologetically he held in a sigh. Raising his chin slightly he murmured, ”It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything now - I just thought you should know since you will probably see her around.” At that he finally chanced a glance towards the cream coloured woman, hoping that she would not prove him to be a liar. He still didn’t fully trust it himself that she wouldn’t take off again once their newest litter was born. He could barely believe that she was back to begin with.