Firefly Grove say something, i'm giving up on you

A slight frown tagged at his pale brow then, when Inna expressed that she wished neither her or their pups be a burden on him. “You’re not a burdon, Inna.” He quickly assured her, stepping a little closer to nuzzle at the soft fur of her cheek. “Things might’ve been hard if I’d still lived in Whitestone, but I chose to move on. Hearthwood is my home now and you are my family.” He said quietly, looking into her deep orange eyes. Russet ears perked up when the raven then admitted that she had always had concerns about him staying at the monadnock, but as he listened to her reasons behind her opinion, he had to agree with her. “I agree, I think it is better this way.” He agreed, nodding his head in understanding as a smile spread across his charcoal lips.

The agouti male listened carefully as the dark female explained that she had struggled with taking care of herself, but that now she felt that she had made considerable progress. “That’s good..” He murmured softly, another smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as he continued to listen to the raven. The Hearthwood subordinate was surprised to hear Inna admit to her stubborn nature, which caused his ears to perk and a single brow to raise. A grin then spread across his lips, exposing his set of pearly-white fangs as he sniggered. “I never thought you would ever admit it.” He laughed, before he quickly composed himself again and regained a more serious expression upon his features. “But seriously, it is good that you have started to look after yourself more—and if you ever need anything, you let me know.” He assured her.

Lorcan nodded in agreement when the female agreed with him, stating that how important it was going to be for them to communicate effectively with each other. “How about, we start by making a promise to each other?” He asked with a curious tilt of his head. “I shall promise not to jump to conclusions or storm off, if you promise to consider advice or accept help from others. Agreed?” He grinned, wagging his tail playfully behind him.

Laying belly-up in the snow, Lorcan took a moment to truly take in the landscape around them, enjoying the way the dying sunlight danced through the dark silhouettes of the trees and caused the low lying fog to glow like the last embers of a forest fire. It was a truly beautiful spectacle to witness and one which he would not forget for long time. Wagging his tail happily as Inna settled down beside him, Lorcan took the brief moment of calm to try and rekindle his friendship with the soon-to-be mother of his future offspring. He started with a question, hoping it to elicit some excitement in her and lighten the mood between them both. 

Lorcan felt his cheeks grow warm when Inna described him to be kind-hearted and gentle. He had to admit, he hadn’t felt like he had been either of things recently, but he would certainly make an effort from now on to live up to her opinion of him. He snorted light-heartedly as she suggested that they would also inherit her stubbornness. “We will be in for some trouble then.” He teased, flashing the woman a cheeky grin before he settled back down to lay comfortable beside her. The agouti male nodded when the question was redirected towards him. “Kind of. I just keep picturing all the trouble and mischief they could get in to…and that innocent look on their face when they inevitably get caught.” He explained, golden eyes looking off to one side and a smile spread across his lips as he imagined them romping through the trees of Kingsfall. 

Golden eyes looked around the woodland which surrounded them, enjoying the sight of the sunset as its warm light broke through the trees. Quietly, he whispered to Inna who lay beside him, his golden eyes still taking in the dying light. “When I was at the monadnock, we used to watch the stars at night..” He didn’t bother to mention who the other wolf was, for Inna would invariably know who he was referring to. “..I know we can’t see the stars here, with all the trees—but, we could watch the sun go down together instead?” He asked tentatively, not sure if the raven enjoyed such past times. “I think it’s rather beautiful.” He admitted quietly before offering her a small smile, hoping that it would persuade her to join him. 

(This post was last modified: May 07, 2017, 08:56 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

From the day she had found out she was pregnant she didn't want to keep Lorcan from doing what he wanted with his life. So once again she'd felt she needed to express it once more to him. “As long as you're sure,” she told him but he didn't stop at just telling her she wasn't a burden. He spoke of things being hard when he was still in Whitestone but now he was in Hearthwood which had become his home a s her his family. She couldn't help but smile at that confirmation, “Even with my crazy brother around?” She jested though she considered Alek to be a serious matter. She was elated to find out how much he cared about the pups and chose to share with him the concerns she'd had about him staying in Whitestone. She was surprised to find he agreed with her. “I just never wanted to miss the important stuff and but mostly the everyday things like spending a rainy afternoon curled up with them.” She remembered the times she'd been curled against her mother or father with Lekalta listening to the rain fall outside the den. It was moments like that she hoped Lorcan could share with his children.

Since they had spent some time apart Inna wanted to reassure Lorcan that she had heard him and was doing her best. She also felt it necessary to share work him that she'd had difficulties at first but was now starting to get better at taking care of herself. Her tail wagged behind her at his praise, “I really do want to do what's best for them,” she affirmed. It had been hard with it being her first pregnancy with no real guidance and the worry that her pups survival could mean that one of the other litters could die. Inna didn't want to live with that knowledge on her conscious. Now that Hearthwood was doing much better it was easier to do what she should have been doing all along. It seemed to amuse him when she admitted that she could be very stubborn at times. She did offer him a smile, “There isn't any point in denying,” she stated but then he became serious and she nodded. “Of course, how can you support me properly if you don't know what I need?” Now that she knew where he stood Inna didn't think asking him for help would be a problem for her.

They still had some things that needed to be worked out and their communication was one of them. It had gotten them into so much trouble but he proposed they make a promise to each other. The Ebony Baranski listened as he set out the terms of their promise. A smile crossed her features as she nodded, “I think I can accept those terms,” she stated, “I promise if you promise.”

In all her time in Kingsfall Inna hadn't ever witnessed a sight such as that of the orange hues of the setting sun lighting up the fog as it swept in for the night. It lit the area up as if the whole world was on fire around them but they couldn't be touched by it. She settled in beside him with her head on his chest and for a long moment she enjoyed the sounds of the forest around them and allowed herself to get lost in the fact that she had Lorcan back and hoped that their friendship would only blossom from that point forward, for each other and their children.

He asked a question that Inna had late at night entertained sometimes so it was easy for her to answer. They would be like their father and have their mother's stubbornness. She laughed and bumped his chin with her nose, “But what fun would Parenthood be if we weren't having some trouble?” After all she remembered getting herself into some trouble as a child and needed her father to come and save her. It seemed Lorcan had the mischief and trouble on the mind. “Those things are part of childhood and they will be so adorable with their looks of innocence but I think you will dote on them,” she said nudging his cheek, “I think you will fall as in love with them as I am once they are born.” She had always been certain of that.

For a moment Inna closed her eyes as she thought about what their little family could be like, once again the hope had returned. His voice broke her thoughts as he spoke of stargazing atop The Monadnock with another, she suspected Piety. Beyond that he was asking her if she would watch the sunset with him. She moved to where she could look into his golden gaze, “It is beautiful,” she agreed, “I would like to watch the sunset with you very much.”

(This post was last modified: May 09, 2017, 01:38 AM by Inna.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

 

Golden eyes rolled as Inna mentioned her brother, Aleksei. “Yes, even with your crazy brother around.” He assured her, a slight frown pulling at his pale brows. He’d almost forgotten about the younger agouti male, having not bumped into him since their initial encounter back when he had first joined Heathwood. He did wonder if things would still be tense between them, or whether time had softened her brother’s opinion of him. Lorcan supposed he would surely find out one day soon, he just hoped that if Aleksei was indeed still suspicious of him, that he would at least behave in a more civil manner than he done so before.  

He smiled as she spoke of future where he was able to curl up alongside his sons and daughters in the warmth and safety of the den, whilst rain plummeted down on the world outside. His tail swayed, as he imagined the scene also, but no sooner had he began to enjoy the daydream did his mind flash back to the harsh reality of their situation. “I’d love that,” He began, flashing Inna a fragile smile before continuing. “but, I’m not sure if I’ll ever get the chance to do that with them – not in Hearthwood – not if we want to keep everyone from finding out about us..” He admitted, his golden gaze falling downcast and his ears pressing back against his head in disappointment.

He smiled as Inna admitted to being stubborn, and his smile only grew wider as the dark female agreed to letting him help her whenever she needed it. “I’m glad we can agree on something.” He teased, his smile swiftly being replaced by a playful grin as he gave her a soft wag of his tail. With Inna seeming to be more agreeable than normal, Lorcan took his chances at trying to strike a deal with her, one which he was sure would benefit them both as well as their future litter. Golden eyes glinted eagerly as he waited impatiently to see if she would agree to his terms. Fortunately she did, and Lorcan slowly lifted up his forepaw before placing it gently on top of hers. “I promise.” He murmured, glancing up to catch her deep orange gaze. 

Lorcan chuffed in agreement when Inna suggested that parenting was sure to be dull without their pups causing trouble. Then she suggested that he would one day come to dote on them, and the agouti male nodded slowly, a sadness growing in his golden eyes. “I will, along with all of Kisla’s and Lilya’s pups.” He corrected. He couldn’t allow himself to show favouritism, for that would surely make his and Inna’s relationship friendship obvious. His gaze drifted away from Inna then and his eyes stared out through the dark silhouettes of the trees at the sun which was setting along the far eastern horizon. “I hope they won’t one day come to hate me…for lying to them.” He whispered, a subtle whimper in his voice, as he referred to their unborn litter.

Trying to lighten the mood, he had pointed towards the sunset and asked if Inna wished to watch it with him. A fragile smile pulled across his lips when she agreed and he tentatively wriggled in a little closer to her so that he could keep her warm as evening draw in. He watched the sky bled vibrant colours of red, pink and orange and enjoyed the sight of the fog as it seemingly glowed beneath the dying sunlight. “We should name this place, so we can come back here and do this again sometime.” He suggested quietly, looking across to her curiously to see if she liked the idea.

(This post was last modified: May 10, 2017, 05:58 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

For a long time Inna worried that Aleksei would make it impossible for Lorcan to get to know his children. She worried that her brother would become too much and Lorcan would decide it wasn't worth it. If Lorcan ever asked her she would tell him that she didn't blame him, that he shouldn't have to deal with her brother. With his statement that he she and the pups were his family even with Aleksei around brought a smile to her dark features. “I hope one day he will leave us be so that we can be a true family,” she shared though her tone was solemn. It was all she wanted for them to be a family, for Lorcan to really be able to enjoy being a father. It was because they felt like they couldn't say anything that she was starting to feel like they could never have that.

During her pregnancy​ Inna imagined do many things for her pups but the biggest was them spending time with their father. It was unfair to him that she would be able to openly show her children affection and dote on them but Lorcan could not. She was already angry about the way Alek had treated Lorcan when he first arrived in Hearthwood but she grew more angry at the fact he was the main reason that Lorcan could never be a true father to his children. She relayed one of the images she had of Lorcan with the children with a smile on her face, “I would be so happy to come back from hunting or a patrol and find you with them like that.” Her smile only widened as he said that he would love to be able to do what she described with their children. However as he spoke about him possibly never having the chance to do things like that with them a frown spread across her maw. She reached out and licked his chin before asking, “What if we told my mother and Lachesis​?” Inna wasn't sure what he would say to that but she felt that it needed to be said.

Inna knew she was stubborn, if anything her behavior recently had made it painfully clear so to Lorcan she could admit it. He was however surprised by that and the fact that she had agreed to letting him help her. “I'm sure we can agree on a lot of things. We agreed on doing what for us into this mess,” she reminded playfully. It was not meant as a bad thing, she didn't see it that way, she never had. The two weeks they had spent together had been the best two weeks of her life. She chose to keep that to herself until the day she felt compelled sharing it with him but after some of the conversations they'd had it wasn't time. He had also set some terms for them for the future which she easily agreed upon especially since she'd already started keeping up her end. “Then we have an agreement,” she stated when he promised and bumping his cheek with her nose. She wondered how hard it was going to be for him to keep up his end.

As they spoke of all the trouble their pups would probably get themselves into Inna found herself looking forward to it. She was finding more and more she couldn't wait to meet the little ones and show them all the things she knew. She wanted to watch as Lorcan taught them about plants and hunting among other things. Again a frown was brought to her ebony features as he spoke of what he couldn't​ do for their puppies. Inna scooted a little closer and brushed her head along his neck. “I'm sorry Lorcan.” She didn't know how else to comfort him because she couldn't imagine what he was feeling. All she could offer was her closeness to let him know she was there for him. Then he said something that had her moving to look him in the eye, nearly pressing her nose to his, “Don't you ever think that Lorcan Artemieva. I would never let that happen when the time comes we will explain everything thing to them and help them understand why we did what we did.” Inna was certain about that, their children would know that their father did what he did so that he could be a part of their lives as much as he could.

Inna hadn't ever had anyone she wanted to watch the sunset with until now so when he asked she did not turn him down. She felt that they had come to a place in their relationship that it could be a step in building what they had stronger. When he wriggled closer to her Inna leaned her body into his as her gaze went to watch the sun as it slowly disappeared causing the sky they could see to be a sea of vibrant colors. The beauty of it causing her to wonder why she'd never done this before even by herself. His voice broke her attention on the sunset as he suggested that they name the place so they could come back at a later time. “What would you call it?” She asked before something else came to mind, “So you think it could be our place?”

(This post was last modified: May 10, 2017, 09:17 PM by Inna.)

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Lorcan’s grin faded from his charcoal lips when Inna shared her hope that one day her brother, Aleksei, wouldn’t bother them any longer. Pale brows furrowed as his golden gaze left her ebony features and dropped awkwardly to the snow covered ground. “I guess that depends…If he is even half as stubborn as you, I don’t see much chance of that happening anytime soon.” He suggested, dark lashes fluttering upwards as his golden gaze lifted back up to her dark face. 

A smile returned to his handsome face when the raven expressed how happy she would be to find him curled up with their pups. Imagining the scene himself, Lorcan couldn’t help but agree. It was one of the things he was most looking forward to doing when the pups eventually arrived. He wanted nothing more than to guard and protect them and watch them sleeping peacefully within the warm of their den, but he was doubtful if it would ever be possible to experience such a precious moment. If he was to keep himself from drawing in suspicion, he would have to make sure to treat their litter no differently to how he would treat the other pups of Hearthwood. He was certain that Aleksei would be on his tail if he were slip up. 

His worries caused a frown to form on Inna’s face and Lorcan looked across to the expectant mother, his golden gaze appearing dull and disheartened, as his tail fell limply upon the ground. The lick offered to his chin was acknowledged with a chuff of appreciation as he forced a fragile smile to his lips for a brief moment to try and deceive her into believing that he was okay. Of course, Inna was able to see through his façade and offered up a potential solution. 

“What if we told my mother and Lachesis?” – “What? NO!” He exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief. 

He frowned and the dark fur along his back bristled in panic. “N-no, no–are you crazy?” He asked, russet ears pinning back defensively against his head as he glared at her. “We can’t do that! What if they chase me out? What if they chase us both out?! N-no, no, no! We can’t risk it. Not now..” He said, eyeing up her swollen form concernedly as he shuffled his forepaws up to sit. Golden glare flickered across to meet her deep orange gaze, a whine whistling past his lips as he waited anxiously for Inna to come to her senses.

“Lying is not ideal, I know, but at least this way we can all be together, in the same pack.” He clarified, hoping that it would convince her that their current plan was the right one. 

Lorcan then settled back down to lay beside the female, his agouti fur brushing up against her dark ebony coat as they sprawled out together in the snow. His teasing comment about them both agreeing on her stubbornness did not go unnoticed and Inna swiftly replied in a similarly teasing tone. Lorcan’s brow raised mischievously and his russet ears perked up as his golden eyes narrowed on her for a moment before he reached forwards to nip playfully on her ear, an affectionate growl rumbling deep within his throat as he did so. A moment later she agreed to his proposed promise and bumped her nose to his cheek to which Lorcan nuzzled her cheek briefly in return. “Great.” He murmured, pulling back to flash her an optimistic smile. 

His mind still pondered over her idea to tell Lachesis and Kisla about their situation as he silently tried to convince himself that his decision to stay quiet and keep lying was the right thing to do for their family. Even so, no matter how much he managed to reason with himself, he still constantly worried about what would happen if and when his pups should find out who he really was. Would they hate him for lying to them for all that time? Would they understand why had chosen to keep his true relationship to them a secret? Owing to their new promise to communicate more effectively with each other, Lorcan voice his worried to Inna. The raven female was quick to reassure him, pressing her nose to his and gazing into his eyes as explained that their pups would not hate him and would one day come to understand why had lied. “I really hope you’re right..” He whined, before he gently brushed his muzzle through the soft fur of her swollen stomach.

Sighing softly, the agouti male rolled back over to lay comfortably on his back beside the female as they watched the sunset together, their bodies hugged closely together as they kept each other warm whilst the world around them got colder and darker. In response to her question, Lorcan’s brows furrowed for a moment in thought as he pondered over a potential name for the place they’d unwittingly discovered. “What about, ummm, Fireglow Grove…or something?” He eventually suggested, turning to look towards her with a raised brow as he waited expectantly for her opinion on the name. 

At her second question, a smile grew across his charcoal lips as he gazed across at her before he slowly rolled over onto his side and lifted his forepaw up to place it over her chest to pull her dark form against him to embrace her closer. “If that’s what you’d like, sure..” He whispered quietly, hot breath breathing down the side of her neck as he smiled at her. “I'm glad we did this..” He murmured softly against her ear, before he leant across to place a soft kiss upon her ebony cheek.

(This post was last modified: May 12, 2017, 09:53 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

There were times that Inna felt her brother was a dark cloud that hung over her and Lorcan. It was he that they had to be most careful of since he was so suspicious of Lorcan. She did hope one day Alek would leave Lorcan alone but he didn't seem as hopeful. “Maybe if he ever forgives me he will leave you alone too but I can't disagree that it depends on how stubborn he is.” Unfortunately Inna felt that Alek could be much more stubborn than she was of their time on the mountain was any way to judge.

She was glad to see the smile return to his face as she described a scene that she would love to come home to. By doing so she hoped that he might see just how important it was to her for him to have a relationship with his children. Lorcan wasn't hopeful he would ever get to do such a thing with his pups. It brought a frown to her face and sparked a suggestion because​ she felt it was unfair that he couldn't have those experiences. She tried to comfort him but there wasn't much that she could do and that only saddened her further. Her heart broke for the father-to-be, he was so happy to have the chance to become a father but he could never truly enjoy it because of their circumstances. There were times she wished things were different that maybe if she didn't belong to a pack he could have the experiences a father should but she also knew that her pups chance of survival would be greatly diminished if she were on her own. She tried to comfort him with a lick on his chin but she felt it was gesture that could hardly only show she understood his sadness. It hardly did any comforting when his heart was so sad. She did return a small smile in response to his chuff but the smile he offered didn't decide her. It couldn't when she was sad for him too and she understood his sadness. “You don't have to pretend with me,” she whispered.

Inna wanted to do what she could to make sure he did get them. It was that desire that led her to suggest they tell her mother and Lachesis, maybe if they told the alphas they could help protect Lorcan from Alek. Then he would be able to experience moments with his children like the one she'd described. If Kisla and Lachesis knew then there would be nothing Alek could do but stomp around Hearthwood. After she spoke it Lorcan immediately balked at the idea and she couldn't really blame him for he was most at risk.

The ebony Baranski waited for him to get out what he needed to and while it had been a spur of the moment suggestion she had given it thought before. She did not argue with him on this and she had no desire to because she knew he was right, there was the chance they would not be chased out. Now with her due date approaching she knew getting ousted now could mean certain death for her pups. Inna stepped up to him and pressed her face into his neck for a moment before seeking out his golden gaze. “We won't tell them you don't have to worry. I know you're right there is too much at risk but I felt I needed to put it out there.” She licked his cheek, “We are in this together and we will get through it together but you deserve to have those small moments with your children.”

“No lying isn't ideal but does seem to be the only way where we can have our family together and where you can see your children everyday as a father should.” Inna didn't like lying to her family but she had her family with Lorcan to think about now. Sometimes the the young Baranski wondered if her mother would do the same if she were in the same situation​ as Inna found herself. Could Kisla ever understand why she'd done what she did? Until she finally did tell the truth Inna wouldn't know and she would have to live with that.

He finally calmed down enough to settle next to her once more his fur brushing against hers as it had so many times in the past. They kicked about her stubbornness which Inna knew how stubborn she could be, there wasn't any reason to deny it. She felt it was better to joke about it then get upset about it being brought into the light. Inna tilted her head to one side as he narrowed his gaze which left her open for him to nip her ear playfully. She reached forward and nibbled the fur at his throat affectionately. The more important part of that moment was the promise they had made to each other which she believed would help to make things between them better. She wanted them to united front while raising their children and she didn't want to fight with him about how they should raise them. By making their promise she felt they would talk about issues that might arise more easily.

Lorcan brought something to her attention that she hadn't considered and she was angry with herself for not thinking about it. He was worried that their children would hate him for lying to him about being their father and for a moment​ her heart broke once more for him. More and more she hated the situation they were in and wished it could be easier for them. Then and rose up and put her nose right up to his and let him know she wouldn't let that happen. She refused to allow her children to have their father for something that he was pushed into. She would make sure they understood and she would make sure they knew who their father was. She whined as he said he hoped she was right, Inna wished she could make it so he wasn't so sad about it but it was something they would have to wait out. “I know I am,” she stated because she couldn't let her confidence in this to waver. Inna placed a lick on his cheek as he brushed his muzzle through the fur of her stomach.

She lay with her head resting on him as they watched the sun slowly disappear taking the light from the forest with it. The pinks and purples that once filled the sky faded to let the dark night sky take over. The temperature dropped around them but laying as close as they were they kept each other warm. He posed a question about naming the place they are in and as he spoke a suggestion she was reminded of how the sunlight had looked behind the fog. “I think that would be a perfect name for this place,” she agreed with a wide smile and a nod as if that settled it and made the name official.

Inna wasn't sure she had the right to ask him what was on the tip of her tongue especially since they didn't have anything more than a friendship. Still she asked him if it could be their place anyway not expecting what happened next. She nestled against him as he pulled her closer, “I would very much,” she told him quietly her breath catching in her throat as she felt his on her neck. “Me too,” she managed to get out just before he placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

~Fade~

(This post was last modified: May 12, 2017, 10:13 PM by Inna.)

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