Edge Stone Pool my perfect rock bottom; my beautiful trauma

@Piety <3

Though they had been mated for months, Wraith was ever the romantic and felt courting should be a lifetime affair. Piety made it easy - every conversation carried a subtext combination of flirting, teasing, and adoration. Despite that, it had been too long since the pair could really devote their attention fully to each other. Being leaders required much, but it was a calm day with little expectations set forth for them. So he stole her away before first light, rousing his acushla with loving kisses along her muzzle. Without a word, he inclined his head out of the den in a silent request for her to join him.

Their walk under the lightening sky and dying stars was uninterrupted and quiet. Wraith kept his shoulders flush to Piety's throughout, ever comforted by her scent and the feel of her warmth against his side. By their southward direction, it was clear where he intended to take her. Hadn't he promised to return with her in the warmer months? It was a bit late to be sure, but a swim at the very least they would have.

As they came to the lip of the pit where water pooled below, fed by falls from Kettle Pot Pond, the black brute nuzzled his beloved before nipping at the tattered remains of her ear in a sudden dare. Amber eyes sparked with mischief as he dipped into a lazy play bow. "I first learned your name here. Do you remember?" Even then, there had been the subtext of flirting and laughter. A similar game they'd had that day though the pit had been frozen then. A playful shove had sent her skidding across the icy arena at the time. While he was amused at the image of shoving her towards the pit now, too much could go wrong with the rocks framing the pool and the last thing he would ever do was hurt her. So instead, he remained in his play bow, tail wagging over his back as he invited her to reminisce.

-dusts off muse-

She stayed close to his side, letting their fur and scent mingle. Cyril would be watched over which left little for her to fret over so the silence was welcomed. Sure it might have been lonely for those tucked up on the Monadnock but there was never truly a dull or silent moment up there.

A smile threatened to break her ivory stoic features when she realized where they were headed but she didn't mutter a word about it. When was the last time the pair had been allowed to simply be romantic and spontaneous with each other? She wasn't about to ruin their little trip. What did he have planned, though? The weather was cooling and while it might not have been frozen solid ice yet it would certainly be cool to the touch. "A nice icy dip to fully wake up." The pale Kael thought to herself while trying to hold back a chuckle. There would be no shoving each other across the ice - not yet.

The nip at her tattered ear was met with a soft rumble. Only he and Morganna had ever really been allowed to touch the flaw. Even if she had grown accustomed to the look and feel of it by now that didn't mean she was completely comfortable with it. She laughed as her tail playful danced upwards. "It's hard to forget." Piety smirked before bouncing forward with the intent to gently nip at Wraith's own ear.

# C W T

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

"Is it?" Wraith asked, his grin full of male pride as she tugged at his own ear. Despite already having her, the brute would never cease wooing her, and it was nice to know even past-him could continue to woo her based on the look she was giving him now. "Did you ever think it would turn out like this?" he wondered. When he was about Odin's age, he'd dreamed of settling down with someone special. Someone like his mum - what she and his father had together transcended all other loves in his mind. He'd hoped to have something like that some day. And then, when he'd fled his homelands, he'd thought all hope for that sort of life had been lost to him. He'd crossed this very tundra on his way, expecting to be haunted by ghosts for the rest of his life.

"Come on," he invited, angling his head towards the pool below. "Up for a swim?" Playful challenge entered his tone. "Or is it too cold for you?" Without waiting, Wraith began the treacherous descent, picking his way down the rocks carefully until he was close enough to the water's surface to plunge in.

When his head broke free from the surface, he gave a shout as adrenaline coursed his veins at the shock of cold and shook water from his ears. "The water's great!" he lied with a laugh, stubbornly refusing to admit that winter's touch had already reached the waters of the tundra.