down on my bended knees

His eyes roved the gentle slopes that designed their home. The gentle creek stirred a sense of ease in the beast as he prowled in the heartland of their land. The ground was wet beneath his paws as the snow began to melt. Grey clouds would offer only a small flurry or two, and as the birds began to sing their songs, Ruiko knew that Spring was well within their grasp.

Such was a great relief to him, and yet also stirred a protective streak in the male. The season of mating was upon them, and the large Leader was far more tense than usual, his fangs bared to any male that so much as looked at Aeylen now with a bristling warning; she was his. His mood had also soured greatly with other prospects of the season – would any of his members dare try to breed amongst one another?

Bending his muzzle down, the tawny wolf lapped at the thawed water’s, his musings offering a low rumble of a growl to seep past his tainted lips. Ruiko Tainn was agitated these days, though he could not quite pinpoint the restless reason.

I will epic fail with you all day ;)

<blockquote>Perched on high just above the den she shared with her lover, lazily enjoying the coming of spring as it now began to awaken what was surely a desolate wilderness, the tawny shewolf's gaze would fall upon Ruiko as he stood at the thawing bank. Life buzzed at the territory's every corner, and a part of the regal woman would wonder if the whole of Relic Lore were so beautiful, now.

But the changing season brought a new page in their lives to light, a blank slate with which to write their history together. For some time now, the shewolf's body had been in preparation for what was sure to be the most pertinent event of her life - <i>motherhood</i>. Many nights she would simply lay at the side of her other half, watching as he dreamed, as the moonlight would flicker across the man's dark mask, wondering in silence if her children's faces would bear resemblance to the man to whom she belonged. There was no doubt in her mind that she was ready, but a part of her couldn't help but to wonder if the Tainn man was, as well.

Qiuet in her descent from the rocky outcropping, Aeylen casually made her way in Ruiko's direction, eager to find an outlet for the flood of hormones that qued her instincts. In her approach the female's warm gaze would follow the curves of his musculature, synchronously noting the light and dark hues of gold of his thick coat that seemed apparent only when the sunlight fell upon it. The length of her own pelt would brush against his as she took her place beside him, issuing a heartfelt notion of love as she would reach her wide muzzle to touch his chin.

Feeling as though words couldn't do her own feelings, or perhaps his, as well, any justice, the leadess' eyes would lower to take in the glistening of the stones as they lay beneath the crystal clear veil of water.</blockquote>

Ruiko sensed her far before the time she reached his side, and as the lissome figure of his lover smoothed against his side the large brute let loose a rumbling growl of please to her presence. His muzzle, damp with the water from the creek, reached down to preen at the lopes of her ear before stirring his tongue upon the she-wolf’s crown. Everything about her was intoxicating, and yet as the season fell upon them, Ruiko could deny her even less now.

Her scent stirred the male to closer action, and pressing his figure closer to hers his grooming would trail down to her muzzle before he pulled back. “What are your thoughts, love?” He spoke to her in a gentle manner – a tone he had never used with anyone before he had met her. A treasure to him, if she was ready for a litter of their own he would gladly oblige and push his own worries to how he would measure up as a father in comparison to Indru away.

<blockquote>The quiet bellowing of his low growl would, in effect, raise goosebumps beneath her thick coat. It was as though she could breath the sun's warmth as it shined down upon them, and for a moment she would close her gentle eyes and cherish the overwhelming emotions that took firm hold of her. Ruiko's teeth and tongue would graze her black-featured, triangle ears and the breadth between them before slowly sliding down the length of her muzzle. As the sweet gesture resolved, the female's gaze would meet the intriguing yellow eyes of her mate, a feverish blaze churning inside of her.

<i>"What are your thoughts, love?"</i>

Without hesitation she would step in front of him, slowly sliding her right side across the Tainn male's broad, creamy chest. The mass of her tail would slowly beat against him once or twice before she became still, craning her neck to issue a glance over her shoulder. She knew exactly what she wanted, and <i>she was ready</i>. Her breathing would become shallowed as her heart began to race nervously, and the tawny wolf would step away from the man who was all she could see, now blinded by the instinct to fulfill her lustful wishes.

Drawing close to him, she would lean to whisper softly in his ear. <b>"<i>My thoughts are of our children, and how they, too, will know this place...</i>"</b> As she turned, her eyes fell back to the copper-hued stones of the creek

With the sun falling on the horizon, and <i>something</i> in the air, the regal shewolf would begin make her way in the direction of the mountain - unsure of just where in the hell she was planning on going, but determined to find solitude and a place that was <i>just right</i>. Glancing backward, the female would issue her invitation.</blockquote>

He was silent to her words, the fear of failure coiling darkly at his stomach. Ruiko rarely feared, but as his thoughts shifted back to the delicateness of his siblings when they had been younger, the sudden thought that he was not prepared for this sprang to his mind. Indru was a father naturally – Ruiko had played the role of protective guardian and teacher rather than loving parent to the pups of Hidden Tree and Swift River.. what if it was not enough?

Yet the scent of his mate pushed these thoughts from his mind, and with a rumbling growl of contentment, the large leader prowled after the enticing she-wolf, his eyes fixated upon the gentle curves of her slender figure. He did not ask her where she was leading them, he would follow her to the ends of the earth without question if she desired it.

<blockquote>At first her ears would fold backward, listening to the thudding of her mate's heavy steps on the damp ground. Sure that, wherever she might go, he'd be right behind her, the shewolf pressed forward into the surrounding forest.

It felt like a new beginning, or at least the start of something bigger than either of them. The excitement was intoxicating. Her curvy hips swung smoothly in sync with the easy gait she carried as the Secluded Spring became lost in the distance. Overhead, the budding limbs of the ancient trees swayed as if to guide her through the labyrinth of hills and early evening shadows.

A meager, bubbling tributary coursed from an area to the north that seemed darker, quieter. Thoughtlessly, the wolf sumberged her thick, creamy legs in its shallow waters, splashing through it with ease as she glanced behind her as if to dare him to follow her suit.

Eventually the foliage became thicker, and the hills of the landscape rolled steeply in every direction. Green grasses lined the concave bases of the inclines, which seemed to weave and wind together, and the aroma of fresh flowers would draw her from her path through the water. A steep hillside broke on the horizon, as if to seperate the rolling forest from a world atop the incline's peak. A small grouping of boulders and aged, fallen treelimbs and foliage caught her anxious eyes, accessible only by the successful ascension of several small terraces. The area was hidden away from the world, and she couldn't have imagined a place any more beautiful.

She halted abruptly, lowering her hind end and straightening her forelegs and neck as to get a good look at the peak of the sequestered landing, tail wagging playfully behind her. Her body arched as she turned to lock her amber eyes to his intimately. <i>I'll race you</i>, they would have challenged, if they'd had a voice.</blockquote>

Ruiko said nothing – his features gave way to no emotion, though his eyes remained settled intently upon his beautiful mate. Aeylen’s devious exploration was lost upon the wolf – her eyes drank the beauty of the scenery while his remained fixated upon her, caring only for her. He was well aware she sought the perfect place for this moment for them – the new start to a family they would raise together.. that they would create. He cared little for such frills.. to him, the perfect unity was only because it was with her, and no amount of scenery or timing could alter his belief of that.

Still, the large wolf was patient as he trailed after his mate, her pace always teasing as she kept a bit ahead of him. His bright amber eyes very briefly stole a glance around the area she had settled – spring was certainly within the air, and the thought alone stirred him even closer to her side. His muzzle swung down as his eyes sought hers, and at the she-wolf’s gleaming gaze, a roguish smirk crept upon the usually stoical male.

His own figure bent lightly, his tail whipping air with a quick flick as his muscles tensed, waiting for her to give the way for them to go. If she wanted a race he would give her one – and then, he would claim her at the finish line as his prize, whether he won or lost.

<blockquote>She'd always been a sucker for his masculine nature, and the way he could quite literally 'speak' without having said a word. Though she was certainly not asking for permission, the way Ruiko seemed to allow her to make the first move made her <i>feel</i> the queen that she was.

<i>His</i> queen.

Reaching to issue a gentle nip to his ear, the shewolf spun round before gracefully conquering the incline with ease before launching herself to the lowest terrace. She could barely hear the sound of rocks and dirt falling and sliding from her movement over the racing of her own heart. <i>One, two, three</i>, she would count in her head as she jumped from landing to landing, clawing her way up the last rocky slope.

In a flash the tawny leadess was looking down on the thick forest and the stream that had led here, ears foward and her thick plume flagged tauntingly behind her. The fresh grasses were tall enough to tickle her underbelly, and though she was sure her king was right on her heels she could crouch down in ambush, knowing full and well she was prepared to be the one to admit defeat.</blockquote>

His gaze grazed over her – the copper tint to her golden fur, the cream that interlaced with silver. She was stunning, and a surge of pride welled in the beast’s chest that she was his. For a stolen moment, the regal wolf could envision their puppies – they would create dozens of them over the years – and each of them would be perfect images of her in both physicality and soul.

As his eyes devoured her body, the she-wolf cast a nip to his ear before she was off, her slender figure a blur as she sped down the incline. Ruiko’s reaction was slower, but it drew all the more determination from him as his large body heaved down the steep lands, his thick paws molding perfectly to the ground before each limb would thrust a powerful kick of speed in his run. She was faster than him – she always had been, but the scent that fanned to him from his mate stirred the primal need within him to move faster than he ever had, and only when she crouched low to the thick grasses did he catch her.

It was a bout of play; his lumbering frame came just before her before he skidded to a prowl to her side, his weight halting him and his eyes burning as they caught hers, telling her his desire for her. His teeth sought her ears, her head, her nape as he preened at her fur, a rumbling growl erupting from his muzzle as his large body enclosed against hers in a warm embrace. “You’re as graceful as the wind.”

<blockquote>She surrendered to the warmth of his touch, closing her eyes to cherish his embrace without distraction. <i>You're as graceful as the wind</i>, he whispered to her as she leaned into him. Thoughts of the world would fade away along with all of her senses as she became saturated by his affection, and it was as though her entire life had led to this point. A low growl resonated in her chest, daring him to make a move as weakened knees lowered her to the ground.


The shewolf's fierce, golden eyes would plead with him.



<i>All I want is forever.</i></blockquote>