Secluded Spring This is where we start again [M]

Each time she met his gaze, it gave him an ounce more of strength. As much as he feared it, there was no rejection within her eyes, and when at last she spoke up, all the pieces fell into place. This was familiar. It wasn't him, and as much as he wished that he could sweep away all of her concerns and doubts, it was still a relief to be able to recognize this piece of her. Able to keep himself from her no longer, the man swept forward to embrace her. Standing chest-to-chest, he draped his neck along her own, tongue sneaking out from betwixt his fangs to groom the fur at her shoulder blades.

There was no trace within his mind that she would fail in any capacity as a mother. If anything, he felt that the worry should rest with him, fearful of that miniscule chance that what occurred with Minka's children had actually been his onus. Raela? She was the perfect nurturer. He was confident that whatever progeny they brought into the world together would be both strong and capable, that his mate's tact and gracious influence would perfectly meld with his personality to round the children out. She would be the one that made sure he did not slip up, repeating either the mistakes made with the Lagina offspring or those that his father might have taught him. She was the only one that could. If he was ever truly ready, it was now, with no one in the world but her.

"Yes, I know," he agreed with a small smile, eyes closed as he nuzzled lovingly against her. "I'm thinking that like every time before, you aren't giving yourself enough credit. Maybe on my own I'm a bit of a disaster, y'know, with... certain things. But Raela, you'll make the perfect mother. Having you at my side? You'll make me a good father. And here, with our pack?" It all made so much sense within his own mind, and by needing to explain himself to her, he had convinced himself thoroughly that this was all beyond the right thing to do, and the right time to do it.

"All the pieces are ready to fall in place," he told her, pulling away at last (with a bit of reluctance) so that he may touch the tip of his nose to her's and look her in the eyes. "We just need to... give 'em a push."

The words had barely left her lips when Gent strode forward, almost as if he'd heard the silent pleas of her anxious mind. Raela was grateful; nudging her head against his neck as his tongue came out to flatten the fur on her back. The touch seemed to settle her thoughts and she sighed; golden eyes drooping closed if only for that moment. Had she really begun to miss his touch in just those few moments? Was that how far they had already come? The man's soothing tone drifted back into her orange colored ears and she grinned. Her nervous nature was no news to anyone really; much less someone who had been around as long as Gent. 

He drew her closer to his chest, and Raela melted willingly into the long black hairs. The comforting words kept sliding off of his tongue, each doing their part to remove just a hint of the Queen's tension, bit by bit. Gent, a disaster? Hardly, but she didn't attempt to correct him. The man had changed so very much since their first meeting nearly a year ago. He was no disaster. Did he really think she was perfect though? The smaller woman's eye peeled open slowly as she listened, the other pressed firmly into his warm coat. The way he mentioned their pack deepened her smile. That was really what it was turning into wasn't it? Something entirely their own. There were no debts here, nothing hanging over their heads and reminding them of their loss.   

Slowly, his muscles tensed and he moved back; separating their bodies yet again. Before Raela could even think to follow or resist it his nose was pressed against hers. Inquiring honey eyes flicked almost instinctively into his, and the words slipped effortlessly between them. Her lips peeled back to reveal her teeth in a wide, delighted grin. He was being so sweet and adorable and it set her tail to wagging. The Crest matriarch pulled her head back, breaking their nose-to-nose contact and striding forward to once again run the length of her body against his, but this time with more force. Excitement and happiness pushed her forward, and Raela even swung her tail playfully beneath his chin. 

There were still nerves however, perhaps moreso now than their had been when the dancing had stopped. She didn't really know what she was doing, and it didn't cross her mind that Gent might not know either. All of that combined with her lingering worries made the woman hesitant, but the smile on her face remained as she turned behind him.  Impulse seemed to take her, and against the protest of her self-conscious mind the woman stepped forward; dragging her fur through his again but on the other side. Anticipation was making her heart skip again, and it faded her expression away to something much more subtle.

Her shoulder pushed against his flank, then his shoulder; all the while making her skin simmer from the contact. All at once even breathing became more difficult. He was massive standing there; his shoulders a good few inches above her own. Intimidating, it would seem; but he was so soft inside. The woman paused, reaching her muzzle out to nip gently at the fur on his cheek. It was more stalling for sure, but it at least gave Raela time to steel herself. A quiet moment passed, and a single one of her paws dared to move. Gradually, her heart racing, the Queen of the Crest pulled her head under his again; tucking her chin to her neck and brushing her nape against him as she went. Raela could hear nothing for the pounding in her chest and ears.

Another step brought her shoulders, and then her back. Her tail was drifting to the side, but Raela hardly noticed it. She was far too focused on him; on having him all to herself here in this perfect sanctuary and in this moment. There was nothing else, nothing else in the world at all – and that was just perfect.  

            

The grin his words earned him caused his own lips to reactively pull back, her happiness as always an infectious thing for the man. Gent expected words in return, but given his current state, the movement that she chose instead was far more satisfying. His arctic eyes followed closely, and the leviathan even turned his head so that she might never disappear from his vision. The brush of her banner beneath his jaw tilted his smile into a smirk, and he found himself needing to press his paws hard against the earth once more to keep his legs from moving on their own. There had yet to be a yes given, but she certainly hadn't said no, and there was a wealth of excitement rapidly building within him as she took her sweet time teasing him.

It wasn't only the possibility of just here and now, but all that this moment would herald for them in the future. The puzzle pieces of their lives truly were falling together just so, and the picture they completed was breathtakingly beautiful. Despite all that had plagued them before, he could only see sunny skies ahead, confident as he had ever been that everything could go to plan. What he would possess if it did was beyond his wildest imagining. Not just a kingdom, but a family and the indomitable love of this gorgeous woman; all his.

She returned to his side, pressed close against him, and as he watched the changes melt across her features he couldn't help but continue to mirror them. It was nothing short of adoration that melted the glaciers of his eyes as his crooked grin faded into a somber shadow of what it had been. The pace of his heart seemed to continuously pick up until he could barely feel it at all, as constant as the thrum of a hummingbird's wings. As she hovered forward, the agreement at last felt to be sealed between them, and he nearly couldn't catch his breath as the gravity of this moment struggled to catch up within his mind.

As her crown connected with his chin he exhaled, a heavy and near-silent sigh. A shiver crawled down his spine as he at last was able to relinquish control, allowing the fog of instinct to settle over them. His jaws parted slightly to allow her fur to run between his fangs, clamping gently down upon her skin briefly here and there as she continued to move beneath him. The last glance taken in saw the molten gold of her eyes, a passionate growl rumbling through his chest as he pressed forward to finally taste what was his.

/Fade