Mountain of Dire there's nothing to keep you from falling in love

Dated March 18th, Mid-morning, Light snow

Pale paw's crunched quietly through the crisp, undisturbed snow as Lorcan made his way back towards Piety's private den, a white hare hanging from his jaws. He had meant to offer it to her the previous night as a small gift, but it had been late and he had arrived to find the pale female fast asleep, tucked up against the furthest chamber wall. Normally he would have proceeded to curl up quietly beside her, but she had looked so peaceful sleeping there in the warm on her own that Lorcan had not wished to disturb her. She needed her rest. It had been a busy few weeks, and besides, he was anxious about seeming too clingy after spending all his time with her recently.

So, he had left her to sleep alone and now he planned to surprise her with breakfast.

A smile pulled at his charcoal lips as he loped calmly through the falling snow, spotting the narrow crevasse in the rock which concealed her den chamber. Slowing to a halt, he shifted down onto his stomach in order to crawl part way inside, taking care not to trample his gift in the process. It did not come as a surprise when he found that she was still asleep, appearing just as contented as she had when he had last seen her. Gently he placed the hare off to one side, putting it down on the hard stone which lined the den. He lent forwards then to softly nuzzle her cheek. "Good morning, beautiful.." He cooed, breath hot against her skin. "I've brought you breakfast." He spoke softly, rubbing his muzzle into the thick fur of her side in an attempt to rouse her. Secretly he inhaled her scent, seeking comfort. It might have only been one night apart, but he'd missed her.

(This post was last modified: Mar 17, 2018, 07:54 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

Had it been anyone else, she would have been snappish at the awakening. Yet the voice had been so familiar and comforting that it was hard to be mad. That and she had certainly overslept. Perhaps it was a byproduct of the stress she subjected herself to or the changes in her body. Piety was not a stranger to noticing the smaller things about herself. The fading and soothing of her heat, the still lingering need to hover near Lorcan.

She handled it with the same ease she had last year, despite everything being different this year. The male at her side was not the same (sadly not the most unusual case for Piety) and the land wasn't the same. She had hoped to mother another litter in the north, hardy brood with the same morals and strength of her last son. But the mountain would do just fine. Her children (or child as she had a history of litters of one pup) this year could still be hardy on the mountain.

Carefully she rolled over, her neck strained towards the healer to place a nip on his cheek as her tail beat against the ground at a steady pace. "And what am I being treated to this morning? I expect only the finest, Mr. Artemieva." She teased before rolling back onto her stomach, shifting about to face towards the tawny Artemieva.

# C W T

Lorcan couldn't be sure if it was just because he had missed her, if he was just imagining it, or if she actually smelt different. The male inhaled her scent again, sniffing softly through her white fur as he brushed his muzzle up against her. Maybe he hadn't noticed it before, but right now he could definitely tell something had changed. Almost instantly he felt his stomach sink with worry as he started to fret that she had fallen ill during the night. Pale brows frowned softly in concern, though before he could say anything he noticed Piety beginning to stir...

He withdrew his head from her side to allow her the space to roll over, and a smile returned to his features as she lent over to nip affectionately at his cheek. A low purr rumbled within his chest and his smile widened into a playful grin as she asked about the breakfast he had brought her. He swatted a paw over at the dead hare which lay off to one side of her. "Just another hare I'm afraid," He teased. "Caught it last night, but you were asleep when I came to give it to you." He admitted, as he moved to nudge it towards her with his nose. "Should still taste good though, I hope..." He had, after all, gone to the trouble of burying it in the deep snow in the dark to keep it fresh for her. 

Now that the hare had been presented to her, Lorcan shuffled his way further inside the den and moved carefully to curl up behind her. Gently he rested his head on her shoulder so that he could still talk to her as she ate, if she chose to eat it right away. "You smell different, is everything okay?" He said a little hesitantly, golden eyes searching to meet her warm brown gaze. "Did you get cold last night?" He asked, suddenly feeling guilty that he had left her to sleep in the den alone. 

(This post was last modified: Mar 17, 2018, 08:30 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

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

"I'm sure it will taste just fine." She replied, snuggling up against him and propping the hare between her paws. Piety wasn't going to indulge herself just yet. Food could yet until after she spent some time with Lorcán. It wasn't like she was overly hungry anyway.

Her good ear flicked softly at his question, a small smile forming on her face. Ah. Piety supposed he wasn't fully aware of what her changes meant. She found it funny considering he was a healer but perhaps he didn't specialize in that field of medicine. "I'm fine, Lorcán. Really." She cooed as her head tipped back to catch a glimpse of his tawny form. The Santoro paused for a moment to let him think over her words. Perhaps that was a bit cruel to leave him so clueless.

"It's normal for the heat to fade away and be replaced with a different kind of scent when things go right." Piety wasn't exactly sure how to inform him. She had some hope that he would pick up on her hints. Hell, she had figured he would have known. It felt strange having to give the talk to someone who she had bred with. "We wanted to start something together, right? Well, hopefully, we succeeded."

# C W T

The male released a contented sigh as Piety shifted to snuggle up against him, his gift propped up between her paws. He glanced over her shoulder, curious to see if she would eat the hare right away. When she did not move to lick at it his golden gaze returned to her face, a smile on his scarred features as he studied her to see what she would do, or wanted to do, next. 

Lorcan was content to just remain curled up beside her all day, until she inevitably grew tired of him or he had a task that needed attending to, however he could not remain relax in silence for long. He was concerned as to why she smelt different than how he remembered her. Piety was quick to dismiss his concerns as nothing, but the soft wrinkles between his pale brows revealed that he was still anxious. When things go right? The frown began to slowly fade as he thought over her answer. Was she hinting at him? Lorcan felt his stomach lurch forwards with excitement, though he said nothing until after she had hinted some more, confirming what he was now thinking. 

Russet ears perked forwards and his tail moved to thump against the stone frantically. "Y-you mean, it worked, we're having pups, a family together?" It sounded stupid saying it out loud, but he needed to her it confirmed from her, just so that it would sink in properly. A smile, much wider than it had been in a long time, pulled at his charcoal lips. Lorcan would have jumped for joy had he not been confined to a den at that moment. He lent forwards instead, an overjoyed whine whistling past his lips, as he proceeded to smother her face in warm kisses. 

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

She chuckled softly at his excitement, accepting his smothering kisses. Her own tail joined the joyous thumps against the den floor. "Yes, yes I think so. That's what the changes have meant in my experience." She gave a small smile and brushed her muzzle against his masked face. Everything felt right. She was willing to let walls down around Lorcán and show him her tender side in her grieving moments. Now she was reaping the rewards for trusting him.

"Things are falling into place, aren't they?" The dove asked in a whispery but warm tone. She couldn't think of anything left holding them back from truly making a future together now. Piety wouldn't pressure him to be anything official with her (mate, husband, etc.) but she had faith he would stick around and be a father. He was wise and otherworldly, just the man to groom a proper child into the best adult possible.

She was putting the cart before the horse though, wasn't she? For a family to actually be made she had to make sure she carried through the whole process and that nothing happened.

"You still want to stick around?" She teased him with a small smirk. Then again she may have been testing him too. How long would his enthusiasm last?

# C W T

Piety's confirmation made him all the more excited. He knew that she was more experienced in this than he was. Inna's pregnancy had come as a surprise to him last year, but now it was exactly the news he had been waiting to hear. Odin's brief flirtations with her had made him anxious, and somewhere in the back of his mind he had worried that she would not be receptive to his touch. It was clear now that it wasn't the case. Piety was expecting his children, and it seemed both of them were overjoyed at the prospect of raising pups together.

Russet ears perked up at her comment about things falling into place, and his smile widened further. He nuzzled her back and then place a long lick affectionate lick up her crown. "It would seem so." He whispered back in agreement, his tone warm. Things certainly were falling into place, albeit their slightly troubled start. He had joined her group from the monadnock, they had found a place to settle, he had agreed to lead beside her and now they were expecting a litter together. 

Her next question, though obviously teasing, caused the male to lift his head to look at her. Pale brows rose. "Of course. I told you before, I'm not going anywhere this time." Not now, not ever. In fact — after the news he had just received —  he felt it was only right to ask... 

"And just to prove it to you, I'd like to ask you, well... I know you said you didn't need one to be happy, but where I'm from when two wolves plan to lead together and raise pups together, it's only right that I ask you to be my mate..." He inhaled sharply, partly to stop himself rambling on and partly because of how nervous he felt in that moment. If there was one thing he’d learnt over recent months, it was not to wait for the perfect moment, but instead to take the moment and make it perfect. So within the dark warmth of the den, he asked her. 

"So, Miss Piety Santoro, would you give me the honour of becoming your husband?"

(This post was last modified: Mar 17, 2018, 10:09 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

She was caught off guard but not in a bad way. Her heart beat heavily in her chest. She had told him that she didn't need a mate to make things work because it would have been easier that way. She could have had anyone that way if she told herself that she did not need to keep the male around. Oh, but how things had changed somewhere along the line. The dove had found herself tangled up with the healer this season and it seemed he wanted to make things permanent.

A smile broke her thoughtful features. "Of course but if it's your honor does that make you Mr. Santoro? Or shall we follow tradition and I be Mrs. Artemieva?" She crooned with slight curiosity and a small smirk. Piety expected them to follow the traditional route but she couldn't let it happen without a bit of teasing first. It was all out of affection, though. The Santoro never intended to do any harm with her teasing and if she did there would certainly be apologies to follow.

# C W T

Lorcan's tail thumped the stone floor beneath him as Piety teased him, pleased that his play on words had not gone unnoticed by her. The corners of his charcoal lips pulled to mimic the playful grin that had now spread across the Piety's face. "Actually now that you mention it, Mr Santoro does have a nice sound to it..." He crooned back in reply, before he grew more serious. He moved to rest his chin back on Piety's shoulder and give a small lick at her muzzle before gazing into her eyes. 

"Normally I'd be all for tradition, but, everything we have now is because of you Piety..." He paused, giving her another lick, before he continued to whisper. "You were the one who relocated the group, you were the one who invited me to join, you were the one who took a chance and offered me leadership, and you were one who discovered this place... It was all you. I think it's only right that we acknowledge that." He smiled, waiting a moment to see if she had any disagreement with what he had just said. 

"So, with your blessing, I would like to be known from this day forth as Mr Lorcán Santoro." He said proudly, lifting his head to tilt his chin a fraction higher like she had shown him before. 

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together